Vikki Petraitis - True Crime Writer and Casefile Podcaster

Join Nicola and Di this week as they reflect on 2024 and their favourite moments and highlights from some of the incredible guests they’ve had on the podcast this year. They’ve been lucky enough to chat to psychics, actors, comedians, journalists, doctors, psychologists, artists, life coaches, entrepreneurs, sailors and the list goes on. It’s true what they say, variety really is the spice of life. Share in some laughs and stories, as we remember some of our favourite moments from Season 2.  We want to thank all of our guests for sharing their stories (and their hearts), our team at DM podcasts for their constant support, and most importantly our listeners - we love creating this show for you and we’re thrilled that you tune in each week. We wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday season and we can’t wait to be back in 2025 with even more amazing conversations for you to enjoy. Thanks for being part of our Over The Back Fence community.  This episode is proudly sponsored by Eir Women. Use code OTBF15 at checkout to receive a 15% discount on any purchase.  Follow Nicola and Di on IG hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the authentic and entertaining Cameron Daddo. Cam has been part of the Australian entertainment scene since the late 80s. He became the youngest prime-time game show host in Aussie TV history for Perfect Match and since then has gone on to become an award-winning actor, broadcaster and singer-songwriter. He’s also the author of a new book - Keep It Smooth: Life Lessons In Confidence and is passionate about men’s mental health, which led him to set up his non-profit organisation My Men’s Team.  In this wonderful chat, we talk about so many different things. There’s laughter, tears and everything in between. We go right back to Cam’s childhood and the struggles he went through as a kid because he had a stutter. Cam talks about how he couldn’t even say his own name and how his stutter caused him so much anxiety. We also hear about the incredible teacher who reframed everything for Cam and how that changed his life.  We chat about the early days of Cam’s career and what it was like after being such a successful actor in Australia, to move to LA and start all over again as a complete unknown and experience hundreds of knock backs and rejections. Cam opens up about his marriage with Ali, and is honest about the affair he had with his Models Inc co-star in the 90s, and how grateful he is that Ali was willing to stay and work on rebuilding their marriage. Cam is candid about how much therapy helped them work through everything and shares how they continue to work on their marriage - even after 33 years.  Cam shares so many hilarious stories from his acting days and time in LA, as well as the adversity he went through after losing almost everything in the financial crisis of 2008. This difficult time prompted Cam to write an open letter to other men at the school his kids attended, inviting anyone going through similar struggles to talk. This led to the first Men’s Team, which is now a non-profit organisation, and is a place where men can come together, talk, listen and learn to become more resilient. We also chat about Cam’s brilliant new book, Keep It Smooth, and the different things he’s learnt about confidence throughout his life. This is such a wonderful conversation and we loved having Cam in the studio. He took us on a ride of highs and lows and we hope you get as much out of listening to it as we did. Enjoy.  This episode is proudly sponsored by Eir Women. Use code OTBF15 at checkout to receive a 15% discount on any purchase.  Follow Cam on IG here Buy Cam’s book Keep It Smooth - Life Lessons in Confidence here  Listen to Cam and Ali’s podcast Separate Bathrooms here Find out more about My Men’s Team here  Follow Nicola and Di on IG here Follow Eir Women on IG here  Find out more about Eir Women here and use code OTBF15 at checkout  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with one of the top global thought leaders in mental health, Mitch Wallis. Mitch is most well known for being the founder of Heart On My Sleeve - a leading global mental health movement that helps people drop the brave face and be real about how they feel. He is also the author of Real Conversations, a powerful book which helps you connect with confidence and create healthy, supportive relationships. Mitch truly is an expert in his field, with a master’s degree in clinical psychology, he’s been an advisor to the United Nations on the topic of youth mental health and won a Man of Impact award by GQ. Not only that, Mitch is a talented speaker who has delivered talks to tens of thousands of people, and we were so lucky he shared so much of his wisdom in this episode.  In this chat, Mitch gives us powerful ways that we can all learn to have meaningful and real conversations with one another, and how it is that we can truly connect. He explains the difference between talking and connecting, and why it is that if you try to fix someone’s problem, you will only make things worse. As Mitch says, the goal of a real conversation is not to fix a problem, but to understand the person.    We hear about the 5 key mistakes that people make when they’re trying to connect with someone, and why we need to take a counter-intuitive approach. Mitch gives us so many ideas for how we can avoid these mistakes and learn to truly understand and support people. Mitch also opens up about his own personal struggles with mental health, his lowest moments and the words from his mum that saved his life. We talk about the loneliness epidemic and how it’s vital that we prioritise connection, and Mitch reminds us how we can all do that.  This was an incredibly powerful and inspiring conversation and we learnt so much from having Mitch in the studio with us. We hope you love it as much as we did, and we encourage you to share this special episode with your loved ones as everyone can benefit from hearing this.  This episode is proudly sponsored by Eir Women. Use code OTBF15 at checkout to receive a 15% discount on any purchase.  Follow Mitch on IG here Follow Heart on My Sleeve on IG here Buy Mitch’s book Real Conversations here Listen to Mitch’s Podcast here Find out more about Mitch’s work here Find out more about the Heart on My Sleeve movement here  Follow Nicola and Di on IG here Follow Eir Women on IG here  Find out more about Eir Women here and use code OTBF15 at checkoutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the incredibly inspiring changemaker, Taryn Brumfitt. Taryn is an award-winning filmmaker, bestselling author and speaker on a mission to help people redefine the way they think about themselves and to end the global body-hating epidemic. She is best known for founding the Body Image Movement and her inspiring documentaries Embrace and Embrace Kids. Taryn has reached more than 200 million people with her inspiring work and in 2023, her efforts were recognised nationally when she was named Australian of the Year. In this chat we get to talk about how it all started back in 2013, when Taryn posted a non-traditional before and after photo of herself that went viral. Her intention was to show some friends of hers that were struggling with their own body image, that even though she had reached her ‘perfect bikini body’ through dieting and bodybuilding, she was actually happier when she let go of that extreme way of treating her body and learnt to embrace her body exactly as it was. What Taryn didn’t know at the time was that the photo would go viral, reaching tens and tens of millions of people, leading to worldwide media attention and changing her life forever.  We hear about the deeply moving emails and messages that Taryn received from people all over the world sharing their own stories of body hatred and Taryn was determined to help these people and spread the message of self-love and body acceptance far and wide. Taryn has some wonderful tips in this episode for how you can begin to reframe the way you see yourself and start to focus on the way your body feels and what it can do for you, rather than simply your appearance. Taryn also shares what some of the pivotal moments along the way have been like - from winning Australian of the Year, to addressing the National Press Club in Canberra, and getting an invite to a State dinner at The White House with President Biden. This was a wonderful conversation with a brilliant woman who is doing such important work in the world. We loved chatting with Taryn and we hope you enjoy listening to her wisdom as much as we did.  This episode is proudly sponsored by Eir Women. Use code OTBF15 at checkout to receive a 15% discount on any purchase.  Follow Taryn on IG here Join the Embrace You community here Find out more about Taryn’s work here Buy Taryn’s books here  Follow Nicola and Di on IG here Follow Eir Women on IG here  Find out more about Eir Women here and use code OTBF15 at checkout Listen to Lisa Walker's episode hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the interesting and entertaining Jordanna Levin. Jordanna is the best-selling author of several books including Make It Happen and her latest book, All Signs Point To You. She’s also a gifted astrologer and host of the popular podcast, Lunar Lover.  In this chat we get to talk about all things astrology! Jordanna gives us great insights about the qualities of the different star signs, explains what a natal chart is, and why we can’t just rely on a person’s sun sign when we’re trying to find a compatible partner. We hear a bit about Jordanna’s dating life, what she’s learnt about herself and which star signs she’s attracted to and feels the most compatible with. Jordanna also shares with Di and Nicola who she thinks might make a good match for them. She has a great tip for how to know which signs you’re compatible with - and it’s not one we’ve heard before, so you’ll want to stay tuned for that.  We also talk about what astrology tells us is on the cards for next year, and hear Jordanna’s predictions for 2025. This was such a fun and fascinating episode and we hope you love learning about astrology as much as we did.  Follow Jordanna on IG here Listen to Jordanna’s podcast - Lunar Lover - here Buy Jordanna’s latest book All Signs Point to You here Follow Nicola and Di on IG hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the hilarious and fun Claudia Bursill aka Miss Double Bay. Miss Double Bay is Claudia’s alter ego and she’s best known for her take on the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and influencer culture and her razor sharp memes and deadpan humour. She’s the queen of satire and is also the co-host of the popular podcast, Certified Yappers, with her friend Roj.  In this chat we hear the funny story of how Miss Double Bay started, when a mouldy avocados review that Claudia did as part of a university assignment went viral and earned her the nickname, Miss Double Bay. Claudia talks about how she started the instagram account a couple of years later and it began to really gain popularity during covid. Initially the account was completely anonymous and nobody knew who Miss Double Bay was, but after a couple of years, as things were really taking off, she decided to come clean and reveal who she was.  We have a good laugh about the latest trends in this episode. From personalised dog harnesses, to what’s happening on the dating scene with run clubs, and communal ice bath sessions - Aussie culture at its finest. Claudia also tells us about her other Instagram account where women submit the cringe worthy things they see and hear on the dating app Hinge - she shares a few voice notes with us in the studio, which we hope you’ll find as funny as we did.  We also talk about our philosophies on life - having a good laugh, not taking things too seriously, treating people kindly, having positive energy, an attitude of gratitude and a focus on fun! This conversation made us laugh so hard and we hope you enjoy listening to the silliness.  Follow Miss Double Bay on IG here Follow Hinge Boiz on IG here Listen to Claudia’s podcast - Certified Yappers - here Buy your own Miss Double Bay Water Bottle here Follow Nicola and Di on IG hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the wise and encouraging Dr. Kristin Neff. Kristin is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas and is one of the world’s leading experts in self-compassion. Kristin was the first person to conduct research on self-compassion more than 20 years ago and she created a scale to measure it, which is used by thousands of practitioners all over the world. She’s written numerous academic articles as well as several books on the topic and has been recognised as one of the most influential scholars in the field of psychology. Well over 5000 studies have been conducted on self-compassion by various scholars since her ground-breaking articles were first published in 2003. She really is a trailblazer in this field.  In this conversation, Kristin describes what self-compassion actually is, the benefits of practising it in your life, and she shares some simple yet powerful tools which you can use to build your self-compassion.  She talks about the important difference between self-pity and self-compassion, and why self-compassion is actually a gift that benefits everyone. Despite being known as self-compassion, as Kristin explains, it’s not all about the self, it’s actually a powerful force that connects us to other people and acknowledges our common humanity.  Kristin gives some really practical tips for how you can get started and the good news is - the benefits can be felt immediately. Our producer Sam also shares with Kristin how her work on self-compassion changed her life. There were tears in the studio that day. We are so grateful to Kristin for this conversation and we hope you love this episode as much as we did.  Follow Kristin on IG here Find out more about Kristin’s work and access free self-compassion tools here Take the free self-compassion test here Order Kristin Neff’s books here Follow Nicola and Di on IG here  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the always fun and entertaining Leanne Nicol and we have an exclusive giveaway for one lucky Over The Back Fence listener, so stay tuned to hear all the details. Leanne is a former school principal, now certified Master Coach, who you may remember from our first chat with her, 100 First Dates . In that episode, Leanne shared with us the story of finding love again in her mid-forties and the funny highlights from all the dates she had to go on to ultimately find her husband.  In this bonus episode, we hear the story of what happened after Leanne left the podcast studio that day. She was feeling inspired by the energy in the room, so arranged to grab a coffee with our producer Sam, and that conversation led to a career change for Leanne, and one she is truly loving.  Leanne tells us about the coaching work she’s doing through her business, Fierce Hearts, and how she loves empowering people to be the best version of themselves. We talk about the benefits of coaching, some simple tools to help you make a mindset shift and we also discuss the differences between coaching and therapy or counselling.  And of course, because it’s Leanne, we couldn’t help but chat about the latest dating trends.  You’ll also hear in this episode about our exclusive competition which you can enter. Leanne has generously decided to give away one place in her upcoming Jump Start Your Fierce Heart coaching program to one of our lucky listeners, to help kick start a positive change in your life. Could it be you? You’ve got to be in it to win it!  Jump Start Your Fierce Heart - Exclusive Giveaway - Competition Details How to Enter: 1️⃣ Follow both @overthebackfencepodcast and @fierce_hearts on Instagram2️⃣ Tag 1 friend3️⃣ In the comments tell us the positive change you’d like to make to your life in the next 3 months What You’ll Get: 1 x Discovery call A small group program with 3 x 1.5-hour weekly Zoom sessions 3 x Accountability check-ins 1 x Workbook - that includes group session details, action plans and reflection and consolidation exercises Coaching by a certified Master Coach A safe, supportive space with like-minded people Be challenged, supported, and held accountable     Value: $990 Entries close: 14 November 2024. Winners will be announced on our Instagram story and contacted by us to arrange the prize. Follow Fierce Hearts on IG here Follow Nicola and Di on IG here Listen to our first interview with Leanne - 100 First Dates here  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the wise and inspiring Chip Conley. Chip is an entrepreneur, speaker and New York Times best-selling author. Chip spent the first part of his career in the hospitality industry - he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality in 1987, which became the 2nd largest operator of boutique hotels in the US. After selling his company in 2010, Chip went on to become the global head of strategy for Airbnb, transforming it from a fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand. His next step was to follow his new passion to reframe the concept of ageing, and help people navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. He founded the world’s first midlife wisdom school, Modern Elder Academy (MEA). He is also a loving father to his two sons.  In this conversation, we hear how Chip had a near death experience that made him question the way he was living his life, and he decided he wanted to do something new in the second half of his life. He became dedicated to helping people navigate midlife in a new way, shift their mindset to be pro-aging and realise their best years are ahead of them.  Chip shares some great advice for what people can do to find more meaning in midlife, the importance of being willing to learn new things, be a beginner again and how to focus on having a growth mindset. We also hear about the fun things that people get up to at his MEA schools in Baja and Santa Fe - we can’t wait to get there.  Chip is so inspiring and fills people with so much hope that the best is yet to come. We absolutely loved chatting with him and we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.  Follow Chip on IG here Find out more about the Modern Elder Academy here Buy Chip Conley’s book Learning to Love Midlife here Find out more about Chip’s work here  Follow Nicola and Di on IG hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the entertaining and multi-talented Tottie Goldsmith. Tottie has been part of the Australian performing arts industry for 4 decades, with an incredible career that spans music, film, television, radio and theatre. In the 80s, Tottie became known as Melbourne’s IT girl, and was part of the pop group, The Chantoozies. Over the next few decades she appeared on so many iconic Australian TV shows including Young Doctors, Prisoner, Neighbours, and The Sex/Life series to name just a few. Tottie is also a proud mum, a marriage celebrant and the niece of our beloved Olivia Newton-John. In 2020 Tottie was awarded an OAM for her contribution to charity and the performing arts.  In this episode, we hear all about Tottie’s unconventional upbringing and some of the incredible stories from her childhood. She was born in the 60s to a legend of the Australian nightclub industry, Brian Goldsmith and the model and actress Rona Newton-John. We hear the heartbreaking story of how Tottie’s mum left her and her 2 siblings, when Tottie was only 2.5, to pursue a career overseas and the huge impact that had on Tottie’s life.  Tottie opens up about the absolutely beautiful relationship that she had with her aunt Olivia, who was always looking out for her and loving her in ways that her mother wasn’t able to. Olivia was a true angel in Tottie’s life.  Not only that, but we hear some fun stories from Tottie’s love life and the lessons she’s learned along the way through the relationships she’s had. Tottie is someone who really has done a lot of work on herself, and is committed to continuing to learn and grow. It’s inspiring to listen to. We had so much fun in this chat with Tottie - it was absolutely like having another girlfriend with us over the back fence. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  Follow Tottie on IG here Support the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre here Find out more about Tottie’s work here Follow Nicola and Di on IG hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.