This week, I’m joined by Carly Findlay, an award-winning writer, speaker and appearance activist. An outspoken advocate, Carly writes on disability and appearance diversity issues. As a person living with ichthyosis, she shares her experiences navigating a world that doesn’t always embrace differences.

In this chat, I spoke to Carly about her experiences as a proud disabled woman, living with ichthyosis, why media depictions of people with facial differences and disabilities matter and how in a world that puts so much stock in physical appearance, she has powerfully defined her own identity, self-confidence and power.

You can follow Carly on @carlyfindlay on Instagram and read a transcript of this chat here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4dntnnn2gnps97sk0eynz/TMTS-TRANSCRIPT-CARLY.docx?rlkey=xjvwpot8qwsjo6y87fknkluej&dl=0

You can follow Maria on @mariathattil. For guest or topic suggestions, or to submit a question to the ‘Ask Maria’ hotline, email: Blake@dm.org.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, I’m joined by Tarang Chawla - an Indian-born Australian lawyer, storyteller, campaigner and activist. He is the co-founder of Not One More Niki, a campaign to end violence against women and children, named in honour of his younger sister Nikita who was murdered in 2015.

Sadly, this conversation takes place as Australia’s national crisis of Australian women being killed continues to escalate. Conversations like this are so important to educate us on what gender-based violence is, how we can challenge a culture that fosters it and what victim-survivors should know.

More on Tarang - A Victorian Multicultural Commissioner, Tarang is also a sessional academic at Monash University and is on the Board of the Australian Republic Movement. He hosted "There's No Place Like Home", a double award-winning podcast about domestic abuse, has been named a Young Australian of the Year Finalist, the Young Community Achiever of the Year Award Winner, twice listed as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People Working for Social Change and one of Australia’s Top 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians.

For more from Tarang, follow him on Instagram at @tarangchawla.

If you need someone to talk to about domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT or visit White Ribbon Australia at whiteribbon.org.au.

In an emergency, call 000.

For guest or topic suggestions, or to submit a question to the ‘Ask Maria’ hotline, email: Blake@dm.org.au. Follow Maria at @mariathattil.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of submissions came through after I posted “Tell me your dating horror stories” and honestly - from a police chase to having regurgitated food spat onto your plate in a restaurant I did NOT expect some of these. Joined by my brother Dom, we share some of the weirdest dating nightmares you’ve experienced … before sharing our own. All I’l say is don’t ever pull a ‘Human Pendulum’ because that is still burned in my brain.

For guest or topic suggestions, or to submit a question to the ‘Ask Maria’ hotline email Blake@dm.org.au (mailto:Blake@dm.org.au)

Follow Maria at @mariathattil and Dom at @domthattil.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.