Today, I am bringing you a story that is unfolding on a small Greek island - SYROS, where author and economist Oana Aristide has renovated a run-down, neo-classical villa into a jewel box of a hotel of just 9 suites, called Hotel Aristide. Oana’s personal story is a dramatic one. She grew up in Soviet-occupied Romania in her grandmother’s care, when her parents and sister defected - without her - to Sweden. She trained formally as an economist, a role which took her into the halls of...

Becoming a mother heralds a dramatic change in the lives of Australian women. New mothers go from spending a weekly average of two hours caring for others to a staggering 51 hours. And when women become mothers, they also increase the time they spend on housework, like cooking, cleaning and washing, leaping from a weekly average of 16 hours to 25 hours in not much more than the blink of an eye. Statistics like these bring the whole issue of gender equality into a new realm.  Married with...

In our first episode of Season 5 I’m doing something different: interviewing Annabelle Hickson and recording it before a live audience at ‘Bertholme’, a heritage-listed, 19th century sandstone house on the outskirts of Brisbane’s CBD. Annabelle is here to promote her brand new publication GALAH magazine, which of course, is not her first foray into the world of publishing and the printed word, but definitely her most ambitious. Annabelle’s story is the ultimate Unpause and this chat is a...

Ex Asian Spice Girl (yes, this band really existed) turned founder of feted interior design firm SIREN, Mia Feasey has a dazzling Unpaused story to tell. Arriving in Australia from the UK with no friends, no contacts and just £1000  in her pocket, Feasey worked 6 jobs, joining the local lacrosse team when loneliness began to tell. Little did she know how that single step would open career doors and enlarge her world. Fast forward to today - Mia won the Women in Design Award in 2020 and leads...

Judy speaks to retired Australian Family Court Justice, Michelle May. Michelle’s is a story with a great twist. She grew up in Brisbane, raised by a professional working mother, unusual for those times, who was a role model and trusted advisor to Michelle.  Michelle recently retired from the bench after a 40-year career - firstly at the Family Court Bar, later as a Queens Counsel in that jurisdiction. At 40 she accepted an appointment as a judge in the Trial Division of the Court and finally...