Humans, being. with Lael Stone

Humans, being. with Lael Stone

Video Podcast
by Lael Stone
Self-ImprovementRelationships
Season 2

Dr Edna Lekgabe, being. with Lael Stone | The Gold on the Other Side ♥︎

Video
Dr Edna Lekgabe has a name for what happens when a woman becomes a mother. She calls it matrescence, basically puberty 2.0: messy, hormonal, profound, and almost completely unnamed. Edna’s a Melbourne perinatal psychiatrist whom I have so much respect for. We talk about the developmental earthquake none of us are warned about. I became a mum at 25 with no idea what was happening to me… the brain rewiring, the threat system switching on. We discuss what happens when birth trauma and matrescence collide, why accepting care is so much harder than giving it. We talked about how the same threat system that protects a newborn also sharpens a mother's boundaries, and get into perimenopause and menopause, and ‘the gold’ Edna says is waiting on the other side. She wants every woman to have a buddy a few steps ahead and behind her, the same way kids get one on their first day of school. We explore: What matrescence is, and why Edna calls it "puberty 2.0" for the brain and body The support networks that help mothers to thrive What's waiting on the other side of perimenopause and menopause, and nature's amazing design Dr Edna says the real task of matrescence is learning to accept care. I think about the version of me who once whispered "I don't like this" down the phone to my own mum, and what it would have meant to have a name for it. Whatever quake you're bracing for, I hope this conversation hands you some of that language too. [Recorded May 2026] About Dr Edna Lekgabe: Dr Edna Lekgabe is a perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist based in Melbourne, and founder and clinical director of WARM Health Collective, a psychiatrist-led practice in Collingwood supporting people through pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. She also holds a consultant role at The Royal Women's Hospital and sits on Safer Care Victoria's Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity. Connect with Edna: Instagram: @drednalekgabe Website: drednalekgabe.com.au WARM Health Collective: warmhealthcollective.com.au — Connect with Humans, being: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Threads: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Humans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future. — Seen Circles is an online space Lael and Sam created where parents can join facilitated group sessions, some themed, some open, at times that suit their week. There's no pressure to share, just a place to feel less alone in the hard parts of parenting. You can join for one session, or sign up for more.
S2 · E25
Aug 2, 2026
1:14:47

Bec Sparrow, being. with Lael Stone | The Friends Who Hold You ♥︎

Friendship, Bec Sparrow says, is a bumper bar on your life. It doesn't stop the hard things from happening – it cushions the impact when they do. Bec is one of Australia's most trusted voices on teen and tween life - author of seven books, co-host of ABC's Parental as Anything with Maggie Dent, co-founder of Birds of a Feather (Australia's largest online book club for women), and a woman who has spent more than twenty years studying the science and art of friendship. She is also, by her own admission, a deeply introverted person who has had to consciously learn every single skill she teaches. We explore: The sense of calling she has carried since her teenage years, and what it actually feels like to be doing the work you're here to do The pilot light – what Bec says to every parent who is deep in the season of small children and losing themselves Why Bec models friendship differently now, including the concept of "deep casual hosting" and having people over even when your house is a mess. The power of apologising and owning your impact when friendships get messy Why your kids need friends inside school AND outside school – and why having both matters so much when things go sideways JOT: Join One Thing – Bec's campaign to combat loneliness, and why she believes there are friendships waiting for all of us if we're willing to walk in the door [Recorded Online April 2026] About Bec Sparrow: Rebecca (Bec) Sparrow is one of Australia's most trusted voices on teen and tween life. She's the author of seven books spanning fiction and non-fiction, including the bestselling novel The Girl Most Likely and the teen guide Find Your Tribe. Her most recent book, Out of the Box: A one-stop guide to navigating neurodivergence, was co-authored with journalist Madonna King and published by UQP in 2024. She co-hosts the ABC podcast Parental as Anything: Teens with Maggie Dent, and co-founded Birds of a Feather Book Club - billed as Australia's largest online book club for women - with Jane Sullivan. Connect with Bec: Website: rebeccasparrow.com – including a free friendship resources offer: if you're struggling and can't afford her paid resources, email hello@rebeccasparrow.com and mention this podcast. She will send you what you need. Instagram: @rebeccasparrow72 Facebook: Rebecca Sparrow Writer Book club: birdsofafeather.com.au Book: Out of the Box (UQP, 2024) with Madonna King Podcast: Parental as Anything: Teens (ABC) — Connect with Humans, being: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Humans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S2 · E24
Jul 26, 2026
1:10:21

Dr Hannah Gould, being. with Lael Stone | Death Is Not an Emergency ♥︎

I started this episode thinking about endings, the ones I'm walking towards in my own life right now, and somehow that musing turned into one of the most life-affirming, funniest conversations about death I have ever had. I’ve spent years sitting with families through birth, and I’ve always felt that birth and death are close cousins, both thresholds, both asking something of us we rarely feel ready for. So when Dr Hannah Gould, cultural anthropologist, death studies scholar and author of How to Die in the 21st Century, sat down across from me, it felt like coming home to a conversation I’ve wanted to have for a long time. We explore: Why most of us have never been modelled a healthy ending, and what that does to our relationship with death The coffin catalogue moment that sent Hannah down the path to a PhD in death studies, after losing her dad in her early twenties The "pornography of death" theory, and why we have sex education but no death education What voluntary assisted dying actually involves, and the genuinely thorny open question of VAD and dementia The hidden toll on death care workers, and why Hannah believes the crematorium operator she worked alongside deserves Australian of the Year (Shoutout, Shane) What a glorious death looks like, for a woman who has spent her career studying exactly that Hannah left me with so much to sit with, but the thing I keep coming back to is how unafraid she is to laugh about all of it. I love how she puts it: "we're all going to die, so don't really sweat the small stuff." [Recorded May 2026] About Dr Hannah Gould: Dr Hannah Gould is a cultural anthropologist at the University of Melbourne, where she studies death, Buddhism and material culture across Australia and East Asia, and a Fellow with the DeathTech Research Team. Her academic monograph, When Death Falls Apart (University of Chicago Press), won the 2025 F. Hilary Conroy First Book Prize, and her latest book, How to Die in the 21st Century (Thames and Hudson), brings a decade of research on death and dying to a general readership. She is also President of the Australian Death Studies Society. Connect with Dr Hannah: Website: hannahgould.com Instagram: @hrhgould Mentioned: @thelasthurrahfunerals — Connect with Humans, being: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Threads: @humansbeingwithlaelstone TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Humans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S2 · E23
Jul 19, 2026
1:07:04

Teresa Palmer, being. with Lael Stone | Born for the Role ♥︎

Teresa Palmer has five children, a two-decade film career, a podcast, a supplement brand, and at the time of recording, she was filming God of War in Vancouver - playing the goddess of fertility, which feels exactly right. Through all of it, she’s doing the same quiet work the rest of us are: healing the little parts of herself that didn't get what they needed, so she can show up with her heart forward for the people she loves most. In this chat, we talk about birth and all its complexities, we talk about parts work and reparenting, and what it takes to meet your children's big feelings when your own inner child is still waiting to be seen. And we talk about spirituality - how Teresa moved from thirteen years of Catholic school to building her own quiet relationship with something she cannot name, but absolutely feels. We explore: The story Teresa told herself for twelve years about not needing help - and what finally shifted at 40 How reading Ina May Gaskin's Spiritual Midwifery changed everything The surprising parallel between surrendering in birth and surrendering on a film set Parts work - how Teresa tends to the younger versions of herself that still need nurturing Teresa says something so beautiful… that home "is each other. Not a place, not a house in Byron Bay or Vancouver or Adelaide. Each other". Teresa reminded me that what shapes us most is who we keep choosing to come home to. [Recorded Online May 2026] About Teresa Palmer: Teresa Palmer is an Adelaide-born actress, author, wellness entrepreneur and mama of five (plus bonus mum to one more). She co-hosts The Mother Daze podcast with Sarah Wright Olsen and co-founded the parenting platform Your Zen Mama. She also runs Lovewell, an organic plant-based supplement brand for mothers and children. Connect with Teresa: Instagram: @teresapalmer Instagram & YouTube: @themotherdaze Mark's YouTube: @markfromtheheart — Connect with Humans, being: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Threads: @humansbeingwithlaelstone TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Humans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S2 · E22
Jul 12, 2026
1:07:26

Luke Bateman, being. with Lael Stone | The Book He Kept Hidden ♥︎

This episode starts with dreaming and ends with dreaming - and in between, Luke Bateman takes us through everything that happens when you stop letting yourself do it. Luke played professional rugby league for the Canberra Raiders - 71 first-grade games, thousands of hours of training camps and hotel rooms and locker rooms - and in almost all of that time, he kept his love of fantasy fiction completely hidden. The shame of it, he says, was shaped by a very specific idea of what it meant to be a man. And unpacking that idea has been the work of the last several years. His whole life, it turns out, has been a dreamer's journey. He just had to go through a lot to get back to it. We explore: The specific culture of professional rugby league and what it meant for his sense of self, his gambling addiction, and his mental health The inner child and parts work that was central to his recovery - including making peace with the version of himself he'd been most ashamed of What it means to call men in, rather than calling them out The men who went silent during his crisis, and what that silence told him about being a man. His two favourite books - and the one that brought him home to himself after rehab [Recorded Online April 2026] Need help with gambling? Call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 for free, professional and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. About Luke Bateman: Luke Bateman grew up in Miles, western Queensland, where rugby league was the dominant culture. He played 71 NRL first-grade games as a lock for the Canberra Raiders before a chronic knee injury ended his career at 24. After leaving the game, he returned to rural Queensland, began posting book reviews to TikTok from a tractor in 2025, and within months had signed a two-book fantasy series deal with Atria Books Australia (Simon & Schuster). He now hosts his own podcast, In the Good Books, appeared on I'm A Celebrity Australia in early 2026, and is writing his debut fantasy novel, due in 2027. Connect with Luke: Instagram: @lukebateman_ TikTok: @lukesreads Podcast: In the Good Books on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts — Connect with Humans, being: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Threads: @humansbeingwithlaelstone TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Humans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S2 · E21
Jul 5, 2026
1:04:39

Missy Higgins, being. with Lael Stone | The Songs That Hold Us ♥︎

There's something about a Missy Higgins song that lands in your chest before you've even registered the words. Somehow, she gets to the feeling first - the part of you that you haven't quite found language for yet. Missy's music has been part of the soundtrack to my life for over twenty years, especially in my mothering years. So sitting across from her, I was a little bit in awe. Missy’s so generous in her honesty about the hard stuff: the writer's block that made her question her whole identity, the divorce that undid the story she thought her life would tell, the ADHD diagnosis that reframed so much of her past, and the slow, deliberate work of learning to live in her body rather than just her head. We also talk about parenting two neurodiverse kids while navigating your own neurodiversity, the strange alchemy of songwriting (expression first, connection second), and what it feels like to fall in love again in your forties when you finally know what you actually need. We explore: The gift of neurodiverse children when you're still learning about your own neurodiversity Why she started seeing a therapist to help her get out of her head and back into her body What she hopes her kids carry with them: that they're okay, and that they are worthy of love Repartnering after divorce - what it means to finally want a partner rather than a project Missy left me thinking about the stories we carry about ourselves - the ones that keep turning up, the ones we think we've put down for good. [Recorded May 2026] About Missy Higgins: Missy Higgins is a Melbourne-born singer-songwriter whose career spans more than two decades and four consecutive-decade ARIA No. 1 albums. Her debut album, The Sound of White (2004), became one of the best-selling Australian albums of its era, and by 2024 she had accumulated nine ARIA Awards and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Her most recent album, The Second Act, was written in the aftermath of her divorce - largely alone, at night, once the kids were asleep - and debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA chart in 2024. Connect with Missy: Website: missyhiggins.com Instagram: @missyhigginsmusic — Connect with Humans, being: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Threads: @humansbeingwithlaelstone TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Humans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S2 · E20
Jun 28, 2026
1:07:35
Season 1

Amantha Imber, being. with Lael Stone | How we A.I. ♥︎

Amantha calls her AI 'Sunny'. She talks to it on the drive to the gym, like she's chatting to a friend. And it has quietly changed how she works, how she writes, and how she gets the thinking out of her own head. Dr. Amantha Imber is one of the sharpest, most generous humans I know. An organisational psychologist, the founder of Inventium, host of How I Work, the first Australian to win a Thinkers50 Innovation Award, the author of four bestselling books, and her brand new one, The Energy Game, lands in July. In this episode, we discuss Amantha's burnout year and the tiny experiments that crawled her back, the ones she calls boosts, rest, and protect. Why "fake rest" (Netflix while you scroll) won't fill the bucket. And we talk about the childhood praise imprint that drives so many of us: what if the goal isn't to be more, but to be okay with being ordinary? We explore: The pressure we accept being human and thinking we must do it all The hit-by-a-bus fantasy and what it tells us about how women carry stress AI as a thought partner, and how Amantha uses it without losing the human bit What we want for our daughters, and the thinking skills we don't want to outsource [Recorded January 2026] About Amantha Imber: Dr. Amantha Imber is an organisational psychologist and the founder of Inventium, a behaviour-change consultancy that works with companies including Google, Apple and Lego. She also runs Inventium AI, focused on AI capability building inside organisations. Amantha hosts the How I Work podcast (over 6 million downloads) and recently launched a new podcast, How I AI. She is the first Australian to win a Thinkers50 Innovation Award and is the author of four bestselling books, including Time Wise and The Health Habit. Her new book, The Energy Game, is out on 7 July 2026. Connect with Amantha: Instagram: @amanthai Inventium: inventium.com.au Newsletter: One Percent Better Podcasts: How I Work, How I AI Book: The Energy Game (out 7 July 2026) — Connect with Humans, being™: Web: humansbeing.au YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Australia’s Kindest Person: Australia’s Kindest Person is a national campaign created to help shine a light on the people whose kindness has made a real difference in the lives of others. To nominate someone, please visit: australiaskindestperson.com.au Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S1 · E19
May 17, 2026
1:11:20

Indi and Tali Gaal, being. with Lael Stone | Family Dynamics ♥︎

The question I get asked the most by parents is, "Does this work?" So this week I sat down with two of the people most qualified to answer it. For the better part of two decades, I have been teaching parents to parent differently. To skip the punishments and the rewards. To look behind the behaviour. To make space for big feelings instead of shutting them down. And the whole time, in the back of my mind, has been the quiet question every parent asks themselves... am I getting this right? My answer was always going to come from my kids. So this episode, I'm joined by two of them, Indi (22) and Tali (18), and we are talking honestly about what it was like growing up in our house. The mistakes I made. The chocolate I tried to bribe Tali with when I was tapped out. The 4am phone call that taught all of us what safe really means. The big feelings that were always welcome, even when I had nothing left. This is not a polished retrospective. It's messy and tender, the way our family is. We talk about staying true to yourself in a world that wants you to conform, what social media is doing to young people, why the friends pushing the boat hardest are the ones hurting most, and the little life skills that come from a house where no topic is off limits. It's also a love letter from a mum to her children who turned up, told the truth, and did not throw me too far under the bus. We explore: Why looking behind the behaviour beats grounding every time What it actually looks like to repair when you have lost it as a parent Staying true to yourself when society and social media are pulling the other way Therapy, aunties, and the village every kid needs around them Looking at the so-called "bad kid" and asking what is hurting [Recorded January 2026] About Indi and Tali Gaal: Indi is 22, and Tali is 18. They are Lael and Mike's kids, siblings to Ky (25), and the people Lael calls her best work. Both have spent time working with young children and bring that lens, plus their own lived experience of being raised the way they were, into this conversation. — Connect with Humans, being™: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Australia’s Kindest Person: Australia’s Kindest Person is a national campaign created to help shine a light on the people whose kindness has made a real difference in the lives of others. To nominate someone, please visit: australiaskindestperson.com.au Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S1 · E18
May 10, 2026
1:09:19

Gorgi Coghlan, being. with Lael Stone | Speaking Our Needs ♥︎

There's a version of strength the world rewards – capable, tireless, always fine. And then there's the cost. Gorgi Coghlan is someone I've adored from the moment we met. She's formidable, warm, wildly accomplished, and the kind of person who makes you feel seen immediately. We talk about the imprints that drive us – the little girl who worked hard to be seen by a father whose love came through providing, not presence. We explore: The hidden cost of being "the strong one" Internal vs external boundaries - why protecting your own cup is the whole point, not the selfish part Reconciling with a parent before it's too late, and what it means to carry that love with you Highly sensitive people: the superpower of reading the room, the cost of being depleted by it, and why Gorgi thinks HSP will be our next big cultural conversation "I haven't even begun." Gorgi's mantra at 50, and why she went back to drama school, just because she could Gorgi talks about who's advocating for her. Here is this extraordinary woman – accomplished, giving, deeply loved – and she still needs to hear herself say it out loud. YES. You are allowed to need something. You are allowed to ask for it. Even if – especially if – you've spent a long time being the one who doesn't. [Recorded January 2026] About Gorgi Coghlan: Gorgi Coghlan is a former Year 12 science and biology teacher turned broadcaster, presenter, and performer. She spent over a decade as co-host of The Project and The Circle on Channel Ten, and as a reporter and presenter on the Today Show on Channel Nine. An extraordinary singer, Gorgi performs live with her friend in their show Songbird – and is also now a voice on ABC Radio. She runs a hospitality business with her husband Simon, and is a devoted mum to her teenage daughter Molly. Connect with Gorgi: Instagram: @gorgicoghlan Biz: The Buninyong Hotel Songbirds: Theatre Royal, Hobart, Jul 5. Tickets — Connect with Humans, being™: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Australia’s Kindest Person: Australia’s Kindest Person is a national campaign created to help shine a light on the people whose kindness has made a real difference in the lives of others. To nominate someone, please visit: australiaskindestperson.com.au Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S1 · E17
May 3, 2026
1:17:40

Lael Stone, being. | Relationships and Growing Together ♥︎

"What am I making this mean?" That question might change how you move through conflict with your partner. Because the real work isn't making your partner wrong…it's getting curious about yourself. I wanted to talk about what makes relationships tricky and what makes them actually work, and in this episode, I share my own story; how I went from completely collapsing whenever Mike got upset, to finally learning how to hold my centre. How we survived the brutal early parenting years when we were both drowning and how post-traumatic stress cracked me open and forced me to do the real work. Over many years of working with families, I have learned that you can't make your partner do the work. All you can do is do your own, and trust that something shifts when you stop waiting for them to change and start looking at what's yours to heal. I explore: Why we unconsciously choose partners who mirror our childhood wounds How attachment styles (anxious, avoidant, disorganised, secure) show up in your intimate relationship The power of asking "what am I making this mean?" when you're triggered What it feels like when your childhood wounds meet your partner's defences The three paths your relationship can take when one person is doing the work and the other isn't How coming home to yourself is the greatest gift you can give your relationship and your kids I keep coming back to the people in relationships right now who are absolutely exhausted. Those who are doing the work, holding the space, trying to communicate better. And I want to say this… the fact that you're asking "what's here for me?" instead of "what's wrong with them?" means you're already transforming your relationship. Maybe not with your partner yet, but definitely with yourself. [Recorded Online November 2025] About Lael Stone: Lael Stone is an educator, counsellor, and author of Own Your Story: Understanding your past to create your future. With over 20 years of experience working with families, Lael helps people understand how their childhood imprints shape their adult lives – and how to do something about it. Connect with Lael: Instagram: @laelstone Website: laelstone.com.au — Connect with Humans, being™: Web: humansbeing.au Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.
S1 · E16
Apr 26, 2026
45:32
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