The Osher Günsberg Podcast

Alicia Malone is an author, film critic and friend who lives in Los Angeles California. She and I crossed paths a few times in our careers and grew to become quite close during my time in L.A. Difference is, she managed to stay afloat while I had to come back to Sydney.Alicia's career path reads like a blueprint for success.When people ask me about getting into the industry, Alicia's tireless work ethic, undeniable drive and creative creation of her own work is an example to follow.Alicia's latest book, "Backwards and in Heels" chronicling the path of women in film is out now on Amazon and wherever you buy books.You can follow her online @aliciamalone wherever such handles occur.It's not often I interview my close friends on this show, but I'm so happy that I can have this chat with Alicia now - because her story is a story that reads like a how-to in creating the life you love to live.Enjoy the show.

Benjamin Law is an Australian journalist, author, screenwriter, activist and speaker. He shot to fame when the semi-autobiographical TV series based on his best-selling book "The Family Law" became a massive hit. He's recently written the latest "Quarterly Essay" which addresses the "Safe Schools" education debate in Australia and is an active campaigner for equality in Australia. Benjamin is a wonderfully smart and charming man, who brings a kind grace to the topic of a demographically changing face of Australia. When he speaks, people can be very reactionary - because the facts he speaks from can be uncomfortable to hear if you've never been challenged in your ways of thinking. Many people have a foregone conclusion as to the kind of man Benjamin Law is, but I'd invite them to look beyond the bile-filled Op-Ed articles of the conservative press and listen instead to the kind of man that Ben is. If you like this conversation, find him on twitter and tell him - he's @mrbenjaminlawEnjoy the show.

Dr Easkey Britton is a passionate ocean advocate from Donegal in the rugged North-West of Ireland.  Find her on Instagram at @easkeysurf, where you can follow her adventures around the world.She and I met in Amsterdam when I attended the THNK school of creative leadership.Easkey is the co-founder of Waves Of Freedom - which uses surfing as a creative medium for social change.Last time she was on this podcast she described in incredible detail her joy of teaching women and girls in Iran to surf on the Caspian Sea.Easkey is an inspirational public speaker, and her TED Talk "Just Add Surf" is a must-see.Easkey is a fascinating woman, who's passion for the ocean and protecting the oceans and therefore all life on earth is something to behold.She's just become a founding member of Ocean Collectiv - dedicated to building a model for sustainable ocean management around the world.Glad I've got Easkey on the show today and I really want you to hear this one because she's doing some incredible work at the moment in the space of how contact with nature influences wellness.I'll let her explain it more, but she's got some important stuff to say about getting out of the house, putting the phone down and really looking at the world - as a way of making you feel better.I hope you enjoy this conversation I had over skype with Easkey Britton.

Sam Dastyari (@samdastyari) is an Australian Politician, he represents NSW in the Senate - and he's a part of the Labor Party. He was only 30 when he won the seat and has made quite a name for himself in the four years that he's been in office. A non-practicing muslim, Sam has drawn a lot of scrutiny from some people who can't quite conceive of there actually being such a thing. I'll let him explain it. Sam has quite a story, and in the comfort of my kitchen over a cup of tea he and I were able to talk at length. Now, politicians can talk - we all know that. But you're going to hear the full flow of a very learned man as he verbosely crafts his points of view and outlooks on the world. This is less a string of soundbites put together and more like that Mars Volta album, the one with only one 45 minute track. Sam came around on a weekday afternoon in school holidays with his assistant, and his six-year old daughter on school holidays. Occasionally you'll hear both either chime in, or us referring to both of them - but I think Andy my producer will cut most of that out. Sam came across to me as a straight up guy who genuinely cares about people, and genuinely cares about other humans. I hope you enjoy this florid conversation with Sam Dastyari.

Maz Compton is a well-known broadcaster from Sydney who for years was all over the TV when she worked on MTV, and later all over the radio, culminating in her stint on the high-profile breakfast shift on 2Day FM in Sydney.   That life is mostly behind her now, however she did write a book about her experiences which we talk about here - but we also talk about what it was to have worked so hard to get the dream job and then have the dream job go away. You can find her book at mazcompton.net or on Amazon. Maz is a great chat, an inspiring woman, and I'm so grateful she came by the apartment to chat on a lovely Sydney afternoon. Ladies and gentlemen, Maz Compton.

Fiona O'Loughlin is an Australian stand-up comedian and Author, find her on twitter @FionaOLoughlin_ She came to my house one afternoon last week, with a documentary crew in tow - as she's been filming the last few years of her life's journey which will become a film before too long. Fiona has an incredible story. I will let her tell most of it, however it's important to know how incredible her Comedy Career is, and what it means for someone of her profile to talk openly about the struggles she's faced. In this conversation, Fiona and I talk really openly about sobriety, addiction, recovery and hope. If there's anything in this chat that strikes a chord with you, don't forget that there's a lot of help right around the corner. In fact unless you're in super-outback Australia, I'd hedge a bet that you can find a group of like-minded people who are willing and ready to help you in your very own suburb. I know this because I am someone who is in recovery who's found help through a community of people that offered the help when I asked for it, and you don't have to look very far to find that help when you're ready to stop living the same day again and again. I can't thank Fiona enough for coming on the show, and she's the perfect guest for this, the 200th episode of the show. If you like what you hear, please let her know on twitter @fionaoloughlin_

Adele Vuko is one-third of the Australian all-female comedy team Skit Box.Find her on Instagram @adele_vukoShe's one of the brilliant women behind the viral explosion that was "Activewear" and part of a growing scene of successful online film makers that are finding a way to pay their bills and feed their kids through creating what they're passionate about.Skit Box have recently finished working on incredibly funny sketch  show available on Abc iView "Wham bam thank you ma'am"In this conversation we talk about her path into comedy, what it means to set and stick to a deadline, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are moving in the same direction you are.Adele is mother to two kids, and her partner is Christian Van Vuuren, otherwise known as the bloke from Bondi Hipsters who doesn't wear the glasses.They're a power couple who are set to take over the comedy scene in Australia, and her particular story is an inspiration - particularly if you're doing something with your day that doesn't just make you want to leap out of bed with joy. Adele is here to fire you up with her story of how she changed her career and changed her life.If you like what you hear you can search Skit Box on YouTube or find them on Instagram @skit_box

Kim Portrate is the CEO of Think TV, an industry-led group promoting the use of television advertising in the marketing community. Find her on twitter @KimPortrateShe and I worked together recently at a conference, doing a keynote on a bubble that many marketers live in.But Kim is so much more than that, she is a smart and funny person who has lived through the darker times of our industry with regards to equality, she even had a 'hidden figures' moment when it came to bathrooms at one of her workplaces.Kim's story is for anyone struggling to achieve in a corporate environment, it's a story of triumph, of balancing a career and family, and living a life passionately in the direction of your choice.I sure hope you enjoy this conversation with Kim Portrate.

Sage Greenwood is the Managing Director of Wink Models, one of the biggest commercial and editorial modelling agencies in Australia. She has a very interesting story which I can't wait for you to hear - it's one you've heard before, especially when it comes to the behaviour of models living in cramped accommodation in Milan starving themselves for Fashion Week. However you may not have heard the one about the model with a double degree who goes on to pitch her dream gig at the CEO and finds her own career path in a life after modelling.It's an inspiring story of creating your own luck and the value of connections, persistence and professionalism. Hold on, she's a bundle of energy and has an infectious enthusiasm - which I hope rubs off on you as it rubbed off on me.

Brandon Webb is a former SEAL Sniper, who served with the US Navy Seals in Seal Team Three. He's now a NY Times Best-Selling author, independent digital media mogul, dad, experimental aircraft pilot, and all-around interesting and inspiring man to speak to. You can find him on twitter at @BrandonTWebb .Brandon is no stranger to this podcast. He was a part of an epic two-parter back in episode 61&62. I highly recommend going back and listening to his story.To catch you up to speed, Brandon grew up in California and learned to love the water very early on. When school didn't really work out for him, Brandon got a job on a dive boat, getting paid to lead scuba diving groups while he was still a teenager.Soon after, he found his way into the US Navy, and quickly became a highly skilled operator. Setting his sights on becoming a US Navy Seal, Brandon faced a lot of adversity as his skill level made him invaluable to have around, and his Commanding Officers reluctant to release him to try out for the SEAL program.Eventually, he made it - and out of a starting class of 200 was one of only 23 to graduate.Quickly finding his place as a sniper, Brandon served all over the world - including in Afghanistan in the very early weeks after 9/11, as part of the military force hunting Bin Laden.Brandon also redeveloped the sniper training program to enormous success, and worked hard to create a learning environment that taught more trainees more successfully than ever before.If you want the long version of that journey, with loads of excellent story telling from Brandon - start by listening to the earlier podcast he and I did, and then perhaps open up some of his excellent books - The Red Circle, Among Heroes, The Power of Thought, The Killing School & his latest book - Total Focus: How to make better decisions under pressure.His books are great reads - clearly written by a man who understands effective teaching techniques, and the power of a great story.Brandon is a gifted writer, and superb story teller - and I couldn't be more grateful that he gave up an evening out in NY where he lives to spend an hour on a Skype call with me back in Sydney.If you like what you hear - follow Brandon on twitter @BrandonTWebb  and let him know you heard him here.

Mel Thomas is the founder of The KYUP! Project.You can find her on twitter @kyupprojectMel Thomas is a writer, speaker, media commentator and mother of two girls.She has more than 15 years martial arts experience in Hapkido, the Korean art of self-defence.Mel created KYUP! Project, a self-worth and self-protection program to break the cycle of violence against women and children.You see Mel was born into the cycle of violence, and that cycle continued within her as she grew up and became a young woman.In fact it was only a fortunate turn of events that broke that cycle which I will leave her to tell you about.Here's the big trigger warning:We talk about domestic violence a lot in this conversation.If that's tough for you to hear, I understand - maybe skip this week and we'll see you next week.If you need help, in Australia please call 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732.If this conversation reframes an incident in your past as something more sinister than you'd initially labelled it, don't hesitate to reach out and get help.We go deep on this one, it gets gritty for a while there's a few tears, but we do turn the corner to leave you uplifted I promise.

Morgan Koegel is the CEO of OneGirl.org.au They're a non-profit that are on a mission to educate one million girls across Africa. They believe that every girl has a right to an education and work predominantly across Sierra Leone and Uganda. Morgan has had an interesting career that's also included working in prisons in Victoria where she helped again with transforming lives through education. These two things alone are incredible reasons to hear Morgan's story - however, there's something else quite pertinent. Morgan is the adult child of a Same Sex Marriage. She has to Mums and we talk at length about her experience, what she felt as a child growing up and how she feels now. If you're worried about how things might turn out for the children, if you're concerned for the welfare of other people's kids who aren't born yet - have a listen to how Morgan describes her perspective on the situation. I hope it sheds some light on things for you. So draw a glass of clean and safe water from the tap, maybe even visit a flushing toilet during this podcast, and revel in the privilege that we have as living in a modern society as you listen to Morgan talk about how she's trying to bring girls across the world opportunity that they otherwise might never have, and enjoy this chat with Morgan Koegel.

Donita Menon is the Grief and Bereavement coordinator at the Leukaemia Foundation Australia, her job is to talk both with people diagnosed, and with families before and after the death of a loved one. She has a brilliant story and I can't wait for you to hear it. It is fortuitous that we spoke on this day, as we'd had the podcast scheduled in for months in advance - My Mum was in partial remission and was still living independently when we booked it in. But by the time we came around to recording this - as you may know mum has passed away. We didn't have a therapy session - but what you'll hear is a conversation about death, dying and living that is very real for both Donita and myself. Thanks for listening and enjoy this conversation with Donita Menon.

Brendan Maclean is an Australian singer/songwriter/performer/unicorn who first came on this show about three years ago but suffered at the hands of the great file loss of 2015. He has been kind enough to return and boy do we have a lot to talk about. Brendan's about to have a new EP come out in August 2017 and a new album in the works for early 2018 so a great time to have him on. Find him on twitter and Insta for more @macleanbrendan. This is a conversation for anyone who's let fear hold them back from expressing themselves. And expressing himself is something Brendan does with exceptional ability. His live energy is something to behold - as is his recorded work which you can find at brendanmaclean.Bandcamp.com. A fair amount of this conversation revolves around the music video that Brendan put out in the last few months - the video for the song House Of Air. I must warn you with all the warnings I can warn you with. If you choose to go and watch this video yourself you will see rather graphic depictions of many sex acts between two men. You'll see close up shots of genitals and you'll even see penetration. If you want to see such a thing, it's up to you to watch it - I'm not going to say watch it or don't. But if you do - be aware that you'll see what you think you're going to see when you hire professional gay porn actors to make a film in the style of a visual accompaniment to a written thesis observing the habits and cultures of a subset of gay men. In this conversation you'll hear me watch the video - which you can see at houseofair.info - and I try my best to give benign descriptions of what I'm seeing. But again - only watch this video if you're interested in seeing something that freaked a lot of people out. I thought the video was great, it is so perfect, and really does what it sets out to do - I'm so happy that Brendan is the kind of guy to make this kind of film. I know I certainly am not brave enough to create art like that - and I'm thrilled he was in my house and able to talk about it with me. Having said that, Brendan got really raw about his adventures in the world of art and performing and it's an honour that he chose to share these things with me. I urge you to support Brendan in any way you can - financially or through spreading the word about his work. We're lucky to have him. Let him know you heard him on online - handle is @macleanbrendan Please enjoy this conversation with Brendan Maclean.

Bruce Jeffreys is an entrepreneur from Sydney Australia. He is a cofounder of two successful businesses - GoGet and Dresden optics. This is a brilliant conversation about creating a disruptive business, and the lessons learned from just bloody going ahead and starting while figuring it out as you go. It's a great chat with a fascinating man - who's heart is in a great place and aligns his businesses with his passion.