A Podcast of One's Own with Julia Gillard

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132

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Julia Gillard, the only woman to have served as Prime Minister of Australia sits down for insightful, moving and thought-provoking conversations with some of the most interesting people from around the world working to advance gender equality – whether that's by actively dismantling gender-based barriers, or by being inspirational trailblazers in their field. We'll bring you stories from the worlds of business, entertainment, media, sport and many more, shining a light on people doing amazing things that you might not have heard about, and learning more about those we already know and love. Julia presents a podcast in her role as Founder and Chair of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership (GIWL). GIWL is a world-leading research institute working to advance gender equality within workplaces, communities and societies. The podcast is produced by the GIWL team at the Australian National University, Canberra, with support from our sister institute at King's College London. Earnings from the podcast go back into the Institute, supporting the work we do to advance gender equality in Australia and the Asia Pacific, and beyond. To stay up to date with the Institute’s work go to giwl.anu.edu.au and sign up to our updates , or follow us on social media @GIWLANU . You can also find @APodcastofOnesOwn on Instagram. The team at A Podcast of One's Own acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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60 recent

June 3, 202637 min

Julia Gillard and Thangam Debbonaire live at Hay Festival

In this special episode recorded live at the 2026 Hay Festival in Wales, Julia Gillard sits down with Thangam Debbonaire to discuss their roles as judges for this year’s Women Prize.Julia is chairing the judging panel for the Women's Prize for Fiction, while Thangam is the chair of judges for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.In this entertaining conversation the pair take listeners behind the scenes of judging one of the world’s most prestigious literary prizes. The prizes are awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best novel and non-fiction book of the year written in English and published in the UK.Julia and Thangam talk about the rigours of reading dozens of books in a short time frame, heated debates amongst judges and the exceptional books on each shortlist. The winners will be announced in London on June 11.Show notes: To learn more about the Women’s Prize and the books on the long and shortlists visit https://womensprize.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 20, 20261 hr 0 min

Julia's Book Club - A Room of One's Own

In this very special episode of Julia’s Book Club, Julia Gillard and Sarah Holland-Batt discuss the work that inspired the name of this podcast.Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own was originally delivered as two lectures at Girton College, Cambridge almost a hundred years ago.Despite the passage of time many of the themes and ideas Woolf explores in this short but weighty book remain startlingly relevant today. Julia and Sarah discuss what has and hasn't changed for women since the 1920s, the evolution of women's writing and Virginia Woolf herself.Content warning: this book and episode includes themes of mental illness, sexual abuse and suicide. Please take care while listening and if you need help or information please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au/Show notes: A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf is published by Penguin Australia and is available at all good bookstores. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 6, 202653 min

Akec Makur Chuot on making history as the first African woman in the AFLW

Former AFLW player and gender equality advocate Akec Makur Chuot has lived an extraordinary life.Born in South Sudan, she spent her early years in a refugee camp in Kenya before moving to Australia at age 11. She went on to become the first African woman drafted into the inaugural season of the AFLW, the national professional league for women’s Aussie rules football, helping to shape the game from the very beginning.In this episode, Julia Gillard and Akec discuss her journey to Australia, how football became a bridge to belonging, and the responsibility of being a trailblazer in women’s sport.They also explore her advocacy work beyond the field, including raising awareness of child marriage, supporting girls’ education, and using her platform to speak about the experiences of refugee communities.Show notesIn this episode, we discuss Akec’s work with the 1,000 Girls World Vision campaign and her role as a Gender Equality Ambassador for Plan International. You can find out more about this work using the links below:https://www.worldvision.com.au/sponsor-a-child/1000-girlshttps://www.plan.org.au/our-work/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 22, 202644 min

Julia's Book Club - The Names

In the first Book Club episode of 2026 Julia Gillard and Kathy Lette delve into The Names, the hit debut novel by British author Florence Knapp.The story begins in 1987 when a woman named Cora arrives at the registry office for what at first glance seems like a simple task: naming her newborn son. But for Cora it is a deeply complicated decision. Her husband expects her to follow family tradition and name him Gordon; she likes the name Julian; and her young daughter thinks her baby brother should be called Bear.The story unfolds in three alternate narratives, each based on the name Cora chooses. Spanning 35 years, the book begs the age old question - what's in a name?Julia and Kathy discuss the book's unique structure, generational trauma and their own sliding door moments.Content warning: this book and discussion includes themes of physical and emotional abuse. Please be mindful of that and take care while listening today. If you need help or information please call 1800RESPECT or visit www.1800respect.org.auShow notes:See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill is published by Black Inc Books https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/see-what-you-made-me-do-0To learn more about the research discussed by Kathy and Julia please visit these sites:https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/july/radical-anti-feminism-the-most-prevalent-form-of-violent-extremism-in-australia,-report-findshttps://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/almost-a-third-of-gen-z-men-agree-a-wife-should-obey-her-husband Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 1, 202651 min

Julia Gillard and Caitlin Moran: an International Women's Day conversation live in London

In this special episode recorded live at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, Julia Gillard interviews author and broadcaster Caitlin Moran.They delve into her hippy childhood, how she found her voice, the future of feminism and her book What About Men.The event also launched the latest GIWL research into global attitudes towards gender equality, produced in conjunction with IPSOS UK. Julia and Caitlin are joined by Kelly Beaver, the Chief Executive of IPSOS UK and Ireland, for a fascinating discussion about the research findings, which highlight the growing generational divide in attitudes toward gender roles and the gap between personal beliefs and perceived social expectation.Show notes:Caitlin Moran’s books including What About Men are published by Penguin and are available in all good bookstores.You can learn more about the GIWL/IPSOS UK research here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/almost-a-third-of-gen-z-men-agree-a-wife-should-obey-her-husband Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March 11, 20261 hr 9 min

Suzie Miller on theatre as a force for social change

To kick off our new season, Julia sits down with award-winning playwright and former criminal defence lawyer Suzie Miller.Suzie’s work sits at the intersection of law, storytelling and social change. Before becoming one of the most influential voices in contemporary theatre, she spent years working inside the justice system as a criminal defence lawyer – an experience that would later shape many of her plays.She is best known for her groundbreaking play Prima Facie, a one-woman production that premiered in Sydney before becoming a global phenomenon on the West End and Broadway. The play won major international awards and sparked powerful conversations about sexual assault, consent and the limits of the legal system.In this conversation, Suzie reflects on her journey from the courtroom to the theatre, the responsibility of artists to engage with difficult truths, and why storytelling can sometimes shift public thinking in ways that policy and law cannot. She also discusses her latest play, Inter Alia, which continues her exploration of justice and power through a new lens — masculinity, parenting and accountability. Together, Julia and Suzie discuss the power of theatre to challenge the justice system, shift public debate and spark cultural change.This is a deep and wide-ranging discussion that touches on difficult topics, including rape, sexual assault and consent. We encourage listeners to be mindful of this before listening and to take care if these topics are difficult for them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

December 17, 202533 min

Julia Gillard and Kathy Lette look back on 2025

In the final episode of 2025 Julia Gillard and Kathy Lette look back on their favourite books of the year.In a candid and funny chat they also discuss writing memoirs, the upcoming release of Kathy's new book, Julia's role as Chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction and their plans for the holiday season.Show notes:Kathy Lette's new novel The Sisterhood Rules will be published in Australia on February 3, 2026 and in the UK on April 9.For more information about the Women's Prize for Fiction visit https://womensprize.com/prizes/womens-prize-for-fiction/For more on our 2025 Julia's Book Club reads visit our Instagram page @apodcastofonesown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October 29, 202542 min

Catherine & Naomi on job sharing & diversity in national security

This month's episode of A Podcast of One's Own is a little unusual because you'll hear from two guests, who are unaccustomed to the limelight as they work in the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office which is one department of the UK’s national security community. They're also both mums and in a long term job share. They talk to Julia about the stereotypes and misconceptions of their work, what it’s really like for women, diversity in national security and how they make job-sharing work in such an important area. For more on diversity in the intelligence sector:https://giwl.anu.edu.au/our-research/classified-and-secrethttps://giwl.anu.edu.au/our-research/why-do-women-remain-under-represented-international-affairs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October 15, 202540 min

Kelly T. Clements on the global refugee and foreign aid crisis

Kelly T. Clements has made it her life’s mission to help people who have been displaced by war, violence, famine and other catastrophes.Kelly has served as Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR (The United Nations High Commission for Refugees) since 2015.In this episode Julia Gillard and Kelly discuss her 30 year career that’s taken her to conflict zones around the world.They delve into the devastating cutbacks to foreign aid spending and how that’s impacting millions of people in desperate need. Show notes:To learn more about the work of UNHCR visit https://www.unhcr.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October 1, 202533 min

Julia's Book Club - Highway 13

In this month’s Book Club episode, Julia Gillard and her co-host Sarah Holland-Batt explore Highway 13 by internationally acclaimed Australian author Fiona McFarlane.The award-winning book is a series of loosely connected short stories focusing on the lives of everyday people who have all been affected by a single serial killer in a small Australian town.Paul Biga is arrested and charged over the brutal murders of at least a dozen backpackers and hitchhikers along an Australian highway in the 1990s.The reverberations of his crimes stretch far and wide, with McFarlane delving into the past and the future, and across continents, to explore the impact on those with strong links to the killer, as well as those with an interest in the case.Julia and Sarah discuss how the book connects to real life cases and places and which stories left the biggest impression on them .Show notes:Highway 13 is published by Allen & Unwin and available in most good book shops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.