Dr. Bob Rich Shares His Author & Life Insights

 

Credit: Sasha Talks | Guest Dr. Bob Rich

Meet the 'Professional Grandfather'

Storyteller - Writer - Editor

Dr. Bob Rich is an Australian author, and activist who calls himself a "Professional Grandfather" because his primary motivation is to work for a survivable future for the younger generations, especially those born after 1993. He has retired from several previous occupations but remains active in writing and various advocacy efforts for environmental and humanitarian causes, including his political work with the Australian Greens party. Dr. Rich has run a counseling psychology practice for decades helping clients in need. His role as a "Professional Grandfather" involves promoting a global culture of decency, compassion, and cooperation to address issues like climate change. 

He is also a storyteller with 20 published books in a variety of genres including both fiction and nonfiction. Seven of his books, and over 40 short stories, have won awards. Everything he does, including his writing, is working toward a survivable future for them, and one worth surviving in. He carries on much of this work at his popular blog, Bobbing Around. Credit: Dr. Bob Rich. 

Tune In! 

November 26, 2025 - 1 pm AEDT (AET)

Writers Series Welcomes Author Helen Glanville

 

Credit: Writers Series | Guest, Helen Glanville

Meet Helen Glanville

Helen Glanville is an Australian author whose debut memoir, A Second Chance, tells the remarkable true story of love, forgiveness and rebuilding after life’s most difficult chapters. When Helen met her husband, Richard “Geoff” Glanville, he was serving time for one of Australia’s most notorious white-collar crimes. Against the odds, they fell in love, married, and went on to build a life centred on honesty, redemption and service to others.

​She writes with warmth and honesty about resilience, morality and the courage to begin again. Helen's experiences include losing everything in the 2019 bushfires and then finding faith and meaning through each new beginning. Today she speaks about transformation, second chances and the process of turning pain into purpose. Based in Adelaide, Helen continues to share her message that no story is beyond redemption, and that writing can be both a personal and spiritual act of renewal. Credit: Helen Glanville.  

Helen's appearance is also available @ ❤️iHeartRadio.

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Outback Odyssey By Paul-Rushworth Brown

 

Credits: Writers Series | Guest: Paul Rushworth-Brown

Meet Paul Rushworth-Brown

Paul Rushworth-Brown is an Australian historical fiction author and educator whose writing blends realism, emotion, and truth-telling. Born in England and raised in Australia, he draws on his own experiences working in the outback and teaching history to craft stories that explore identity, belonging, and the legacy of colonisation. His latest novel, Outback Odyssey (Historium Press, 2024), reimagines post-war Australia through the eyes of a Yorkshire migrant drawn into the spiritual world of the outback. The book has been praised internationally for its empathy and authenticity and was recently nominated for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Through his work, Paul invites readers to see Australia not just as a landscape, but as a living story — one that remembers. He also has authored Skulduggery, Red Winter Journey and Dream of Courage. Credit: Paul Rushworth-Brown. 

His interview is also available at ❤️iHeartRadio. 

Credit: Outback Odyssey

True Nature By Lance Richardson

Credit: True Nature; Lance Richardson

 

Overview 

Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014), a towering figure of twentieth-century American letters, achieved so much during his lifetime, in so many different areas, that people have struggled to pin him down. While ambivalent about his WASP privilege—as a teenager he demanded that his name be removed from the New York Social Register—he attended Yale and cut his teeth in postwar Paris, co-founding The Paris Review as he worked undercover for the CIA. But then, after a rebellious stint as a Long Island fisherman, he escaped into a series of wild expeditions: floating through the Amazon to recover a prehistorical fossil; embedding with a tribe in Netherlands New Guinea; swimming with sharks off the coast of Australia. His novels, inspired by his travels, were unclassifiable meditations about Caymanian turtle hunters and frontier outlaws in the Florida Everglades. Meanwhile, his nonfiction became legendary: nature books like Wildlife in America—“key parts of the canon of emergent environmental writing,” says Bill McKibben—as well as advocacy journalism supporting Cesar Chavez, Leonard Peltier, and Native American land claims. Credit: True Nature; Better World Books.

Celebrate Life Through Writing

Credit: Writers Series | Maryan Bova

Maryan is based in Sydney Australia, is a Transformational Coach, workshop facilitator and speaker. Passionate, values driven, and dedicated to seeing you realise the most exceptional version of yourself, Maryan brings together all of her work, life and personal experiences, to serve you at the highest level. She draws on her 28 years in the health industry, personal development and positive psychology space to coach in health, relationships, self-care and resilience, leadership and teams, parenting and career transition. In addition she consults with businesses on easy solutions and ideas to improve staff and management experience and simple ideas to potentially increase revenue. As a Mum of 3, recently celebrating 25 years of marriage and an entrepreneur, she brings an intelligent, strategic approach, infused with lightheartedness, depth of insight and emphasis on self-awareness, helping you create the results and inner transformation you desire. Maryan is currently writing her book “My Mother, My Rock, a spiritual perspective on death and dying” after her Mum was diagnosed with Grade 4 brain cancer in 2020. She hopes to offer the audience  hope, purpose and connection  when faced with life’s challenges. Credit: Maryan Bova.

Karen Turner Shares Her Passion For Writing

 

Credit: Writers Series | Guest Karen Turner

Karen Turner, born in Australia to an English mother and Italian father, discovered a passion for historical fiction after twenty years in the Financial Services industry. As an escape from corporate writing, Karen began writing short stories and, in 2009, published her first collection All That and Everything. Many of the short stories won awards, including the Society of Women Writers Victoria, Biennial Literary Award and the Free XpresSion Literary Award. Her first novel, Torn was followed by its sequel, Inviolate, and more recently, Counterpoint a raunchy, adults only companion to Torn from another character’s point of view. Stormbird, published in 2019, was written as the final installment in the Torn series, but can also be read independently. It tells the story of an unexpected relationship that builds between a British war widow and a German fighter pilot, shot down and in hiding, despite their countries’ bitter differences. Karen is currently working on her next book, Fever, set in the Victorian goldfields of Australia. Additionally, Karen writes for several financial magazines, speaks at public events and facilitates writing workshops. In her spare time, Karen volunteers at an animal shelter, enjoys running and drinks too much coffee. Credit: Karen Turner.

Six Figures in School Hours by Kate Toon

 

Credit: Writers Series | Guest Kate Toon

Meet Kate Toon, a business and digital marketing mentor and an okaish parent. She's on a mission to help other business-owning parents avoid all of the mistakes she made when starting her business 14 years ago. Her soon to be released new book Six Figures in School Hours: How to run a successful business and still be a good parent is full of practical advice and tips to help parents save their sanity. (Out June 28th 2023). She's a seasoned podcaster, with three podcasts of her own as well she's made over 150 podcast appearances.  She joins us today to share real-life tips on how to be a parent to human babies and business babies, including to discuss her publishing experience as someone who has self-published and now also published with a third party publisher. Credit: Kate Toon.

Best-Selling Author Lee Christine Presents Romance & Suspense

 

Credit: Writers Series | Guest Lee Christine

Bestselling Australian author Lee Christine proves that at 60, it’s never too late to turn lifelong dreams into reality. Lee is the writer of six romantic suspense novels and three alpine-crime novels, including the best-selling and award winning Charlotte Pass, and best-selling Crackenback. In the past decade she has firmly cemented herself as one of Australia’s most compelling crime writers.Born and bred in Newcastle, Lee always hankered to write. During her high school years, she sang and played guitar in a band, playing regular gigs around town - often penning her own songs, something she says is the very essence of storytelling. And in what Lee describes as a writing career highlight, both Charlotte Pass and Crackenback were chosen to be published in Reader’s Digest. ‘It was like I had just done a ten-year apprenticeship in writing, with my previous six books,’ Lee says, ‘and suddenly it all came together.’Lee’s 10th book, The Precedent, set in Newcastle, will be out in early 2024, published by Allen and Unwin. Credit: Lee Christine.

Writers Series Welcomes Award-Winning Author A.B. Patterson

Credit: A.B. Patterson

A.B. Patterson is an Australian writer who knows first-hand about corruption, power, crime and sex. He was a Detective Sergeant in the WA Police, working in pedophilia and vice, and later a Chief Investigator with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption. His multiple award-winning, debut novel, Harry’s World, introduced the jaded and flawed PI Harry Kenmare. Harry’s Quest was the sizzling, award-winning sequel in the PI Harry Kenmare series of novels. The third novel, Harry’s Grail, is in progress. The Harry Kenmare short stories, some previously published in the USA in Switchblade magazine, were collected together and published in 2020 as Harry Kenmare, PI – At Your Service.

He has had other short stories, all crime related, published in other anthologies. In a non-fiction vein, he was a contributing editor to a volume dealing with the trauma for male survivors of English boarding schools published by Routledge, Men’s Accounts of Boarding Schools: Sent Away. For his fiction, his hard-boiled, gritty, and noir writing style has been likened to that of Raymond Chandler and Ken Bruen. He’s a massive fan of both of them. Credit: A.B. Patterson.

Life After Ali by Rashida Tayabali

Credit: Life After Ali

Meet Rashida Tayabali, Author of Life After Ali

Rashida Tayabali is a features writer and copywriter based in Sydney, Australia. As a young girl she loved writing and reading. She always harboured a secret dream of becoming an author one day and seeing her books in libraries and bookshops. Life after Ali is her debut novel. Credit: Rashida Tayabali

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

 

Credit: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Overview

An escaped convict with a false passport, Lin flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of Bombay, where he can disappear. Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter the city’s hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere. As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city’s poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power. Credits: Read more here. 

About the Author: Gregory David Roberts, the author of Shantaram and its sequel, The Mountain Shadow, was born in Melbourne, Australia. Sentenced to nineteen years in prison for a series of armed robberies, he escaped and spent ten of his fugitive years in Bombay―where he established a free medical clinic for slum-dwellers, and worked as a counterfeiter, smuggler, gunrunner, and street soldier for a branch of the Bombay mafia. Recaptured, he served out his sentence, and established a successful multimedia company upon his release. Roberts is a now full-time writer and lives in Bombay. Credit: Gregory David Roberts. 

Nural Seker Shares What Can't Be Taught

Nural Seker lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, two children and their beloved Miniature Schnauzer, Albert. Nural and her family love soccer and actively support Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Nural graduated from RMIT University in 2001 completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (Applied Physics). In 2005 Nural received her Master of Applied Science, also from RMIT University, before going on to complete her Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) in 2005 from Monash University. Nural went straight into teaching and hasn’t left since. In 2022, she received completion certificates for coaching and practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming and Time Line Therapy™, in addition to in practitioner Hypnotist certification.​ During her teacher career, Nural has taught Mathematics, Science, and Physics from years 7 – 12. She loves teaching and working with students and families. She has also spent several years as a middle years and senior years coordinator and has spent time, leading the middle and senior school coordination teams. In these roles, she Nural has gained valuable experience and insights into students, families, and teachers. Nural has begun her business Learn What Can’t Be Taught to do just this. Her website and course are currently under development at www.lwcbt.com.au.

Credit: Writers Series | Nural Seker

"There Are No Mistakes in Writing" - Luke Taylor

 

Credit: Writers Series | Guest Luke Taylor

​Luke Taylor is an English teacher, Writing instructor holding a Masters in Writing and a former detective who cleverly packages his expertise to serve clients through his business Crime Story. In his words, "Ideation is the best way to describe my approach to life, learning and education. If there is a more engaging, dynamic, purposeful and fun way of learning, then that's what I want to work with. Whether educating high schoolers, university students or corporate executives, they all want the same thing - an experience that is unforgettable, to reach and unshackle the innovator within." Learn more by visiting Crime Story.

Kiss My Boots by Jennifer Learmont

 

Credit: Jennifer Learmont

Jennifer, Welcome to Authors by Sasha. Kiss My Boots is a memoir described as provocative & steamy reflecting your adventures in the 80's and 90's in Hollywood. What made you decide it was the right time to pen a memoir? 

​I wasn't sure what the right time was to write this memoir, but it started out with my ex-husband writing his own.  I am in a couple of his chapters which didn't shine a great light on me;  it didn't explain where I came from, or where I ended up or why his story unfolded the way it did. He contacted me in 2017 and I worked with him for a couple of years, doing some research.  Then I thought I should write my story from a girl’s point of view.

I was tired of hiding my past;  people would ask me questions and my answers just provoked more questions, so I decided to just put it all out there.  It started out as a journal for my family, but it just took its own journey into a book.  I thought, “take me or leave me but here is the story.”

What was your backstory prior to embarking upon a three month journey to the United States that resulted in a twenty year tenure in the country? 

​My back story was from a very dysfunctional childhood, which I thought was a good segue into why I did what I did, and the choices that I made.  I couldn't wait to go to the USA;  I loved everything about it - the music, the entertainment industry, Tinseltown.  It was very intriguing to me as a young girl;  it was where all my heroes were from.

Adhering to no rules comes with risk. What were you trying to accomplish by abolishing all constraints which could affect your growth and success at a young age?   

Really, I didn't even think of what “no rules” or “no limits” were.  It wasn't a plan;  it was just the way I was, my makeup.  I was a free spirit and I had no plans.  I have to say that time of my life was a time that I lived purely in the moment, not thinking of consequences at all but just living.  It was so exciting;  it was pure freedom.  I’m really glad I got to that; it’s rare. 

What is the greatest risk you’ve taken in life that has paid off?

All the risks that I have taken, whether it be with criminals or being a Domme, paid off because I have an incredible story to tell.  The adventures that I lived in were unique.  I have amazing friends to this day from that life whether it be ex-clients, girls I've worked with or just all the colorful characters I met along the way.  I've always lived life to the fullest and wanted to experience everything, so to me that life paid off in that way. 

Jennifer, what was the younger version of yourself seeking from life and how have your life experiences evolved for what you’re seeking today?

I had a childhood of neglect, no security, going to so many schools, never staying in one place for very long, always being a new kid at school.  I think I was seeking to belong and maybe that's why I experienced everything that was thrown at me, to fit in. Don’t get me wrong;  I was wild and had so much fun seeking all this.

​I have learnt a lot.  Today I'm seeking the opposite: pure health and peace of mind.  I'm also very careful of who I choose to spend time with, but I think I'm still seeking security in some sort of way. 

Having lived the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll lifestyle, what surprised you the most about the celebrity lifestyle?   

Well, as the old cliché goes, celebrities are no different than everybody else;  they still have the same insecurities.  Still, it did surprise me, the sheer decadence and wealth of some of these people, especially with me coming from a poor background. 

What is the greatest misconception about Hollywood?

Well, everybody goes to Hollywood thinking it's this amazing place where your dreams may come true, but in reality it's very dangerous.  It's very dark and it's very sad.  Everybody has stars in their eyes but it's also very hard to avoid substance abuse, especially if it's not going so well.  It's a bad place to just go to without knowing anyone because you’re basically a sitting duck. Having said that, I had some of the best times of my life, saw and heard some of the best music and met some of the best people.  Hollywood's a funny place; it's bright and dark, comic and tragic.  Everywhere has that but in Hollywood it's magnified millions of times.

Credit: Kiss My Boots

Among your adventures referenced in your memoir Kiss My Boots, you’ve also worked as a dominatrix for fourteen years. How were you introduced to the exciting and exotic world of dominatrix prior to becoming a professional in the field?

How I became a Domme was simply that I had met a girl at the gym that thought I was perfect for a Domme:  I was beautiful with a strong personality.  I also needed a job.  I built up the courage to go in and have an interview, and the rest is history. 

Dominatrix represents a woman who physically and / or psychologically dominates her partner in sadomasochistic encounters. It's considered a healthy channel of sexual exploration.   What appealed to you about this lifestyle?  

So to be clear, being a professional Domme does not involve physical sex;  it’s all mind play.  To be a good Domme you have to have tons of empathy and compassion, even be a therapist to these men.  A lot of professional Dommes don’t live the lifestyle out of work.

I feel the job as a Domme filled a very important need for these people.  Where would they go and what would they do without it??  It’s a serious need for many.

What appealed to me with this job was that I met some of the most amazing people, and I was attracted to how bizarre it all was.  I liked seeing the grey side of life and the parts of people that nobody sees;  to me that's very interesting, and that's exactly what you see in this job.  These clients confided in us so deeply, I'm sure they told us things that nobody else on the planet knew about them. Believe me, there was a lot of humor in this job, too;  it could be incredibly funny.

I have definitely learned that you can't judge a book by its cover, some of the most powerful men have some of the darkest fetishes. I did learn that most of these fetishes and needs came from early childhood. I learned to practice the art of non-judgement;  everyone is just trying to get along in this world and some needs of this kind help them.  I've always had a big heart and a lot of compassion, and I became stronger with this job;  I really appreciate it. 

There are many channels present for one to connect with their higher source. How were you introduced to the Interdenominational Church and its activities which also included a gospel choir? 

I was doing a lot of cocaine and one of my clients who was a reformed drunk suggested I come with him to this church called The Sanctuary.  It was right up my alley; there were celebrities, there were rock stars, and there was amazing music.  Everyone was really healthy, and when I heard the gospel choir that was it for me!  Of course, I didn't get involved in the choir right away because I had to pay my dues and attend for a while. Music was in my blood;  all my family were musicians, so I really felt that I  belonged there.​

All the people that went there were musicians, artists or actors;  so many celebrities there.

I couldn't believe how healthy everyone was and when I found out they were into power yoga, they showed me a new way of living which was life-changing.

Labeled as a self-proclaimed fearless child, did you ever encounter fear while living the highs and lows of the American lifestyle? 

Yes, I did encounter fear, but I think I processed it differently than most people.  I was resilient and strong, so I just brushed myself off and kept going.  I never ever felt like I was a victim.  I still have the fearless child in me but I'm a lot more responsible now.  It's different when you're living a healthy clean life;  you make good choices and choose your friends very carefully.

Everyone perceives fear to be different. In your opinion, what is the opposite of fear?

The opposite of fear is living a life without crazy experiences, as the old saying goes;  your life begins at the end of your comfort zone, and that includes fear. 

The memoir Kiss My Boots also presents a survival story. Keeping secrets can be considered a survival skill. Secrets can also be dangerous. What impact did living a secretive life have on your health, heart and sanity? 

Keeping my life secret, I thought, was for survival but it was very damaging.  I felt no one ever really knew me, and how could they?  They definitely didn't understand me because my whole life was a façade.  It was not real and it was a lie, what I told my family and friends was a made-up story.  I wasn't sure what they would think of me.

Every person responds differently when existing outside of their comfort zone. Did you ever encounter homesickness when away from Australia?

I didn't get homesick for Australia so much, but I missed my family a lot.  Once in a while I'd wake up in a panic, wondering “what am I still doing in the US,” but it just kept me hooked and I couldn't seem to leave. 

The book Kiss My Boots has been nominated for Indie Book Awards (Non-Fiction), NSW Premier's Literary Awards (Non-Fiction & New Writing) and Queensland Literary Awards (Non-Fiction).  How would you describe your writing experience from the point of conceptualizing the book to launching it in the market?

My writing experience so far has been mainly cathartic, purging deep things inside me that I have kept bottled up for so long.  Offloading those experiences and putting them on paper make me feel light and free. I had never written anything before or even trained in the art of writing, but I just knew I had to get this down on paper.  I think I did a good job.

What part of the writing process did you enjoy the most when penning Kiss My Boots?

It isn't easy launching your book onto the market.  The whole process takes years with a lot of rejection.  In the end I put it down on paper and no more have to lie.

Were there any parts of the book that were challenging to write?  

I enjoyed the way the words just flowed out of me.  I don't even know where it came from;  it just came out. The pure freedom of it all! I laughed and I cried writing this book;  it was fun and it was a great experience. 

Can you kindly share two writing tips that can benefit new and seasoned writers? 

I think the best tip is to really put out the nitty gritty and don’t hold back.  I think people like the messy side of life.  Be humble and honest, no matter how hard it is to expose yourself, especially if it's a memoir. 

While growing up, what type of literature did you enjoy reading?  

I have to say I didn't get a chance to read a lot because of my unstable upbringing and going to so many different schools.  I did enjoy English and I was into reading a lot of the old classics, which I loved. 

Is there a book that you enjoy reading which you wished you had written?

Catcher in the Rye. 

Jennifer, as a proud Australian, how is the American social culture different from the Australian lifestyle?  

I never thought that Australia and the USA were that much different.  I don't think I ever had a huge culture shock except for the fact that everything's tenfold in America;  it's like Australia in the future.  It's a lot easier in Australia;  the quality of life is a lot better.  

Are there any new hobbies, or endeavors you’ve embarked upon since your return to Australia?

My hobbies now are still yoga.  I'm a marriage celebrant.  I love reading, being really healthy, friends, food, gym, writing and music. 

What exciting new projects are you working on that audiences should keep an eye on?

I'm just about to start a second edition which will start in Hollywood and do a deep dive into all these characters, and especially the Domme world.  

Please share with readers how they can support your work. 

Please follow me on Instagram at jennifer_learmont and also at Shawline Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads.

Holy Parrot by Angel A

Angel A Joins Sasha in Conversation to Discuss His Latest Book 'HOLY PARROT'. 

Credit: Holy Parrot by Angel A

Overview

Award-winning Australian author and filmmaker, Angel A, releases his second novel 'Holy Parrot'. HOLY PARROT is an innovative novel catering to the emerging millennium that offers new mythology and pioneering solutions to combat suffering. It is a tale that presents an emerging mythology for the emerging Age of Aquarius. The story seeks to bridge the gap between scientific method and spirituality. It also seeks to create religious syncretism - a coming together of religions under a common faith. The book welcomes scientific and curious minds wanting to explore matters and behavior of faith, including people of faith who are curious to learn about potential means to level up in their spiritual journey. After winning a writing competition at age 17, Angel A said, "to awaken the collective conscience, we must awaken each and every soul to their unique path. Each individual is required to transcend their own inhibitions, dramas and self-limiting narratives." These stories represent different examples of such awakenings. Angel A has eight more stories to write which are at various stages of development. Pertaining HOLY PARROT, Angel A continues to share, "mental health is a primary health concern in the modern era. Reflective review of our self-limiting beliefs may be an aspect of the resolution of this problem. The novel offers specific strategies related to this topic.To reveal them here would be a spoiler." Credit: Angel A; AngelsLeap. 

His literary awards for his prior works include the following: 

2017 Foreword Reviews Indies Book of the Year Award Finalist 

2018 American Fiction Awards Winner

2018 Best Book Awards Winner

2018 NYC Big Book Award Winner

2018 International Book of the Year Finalist

2018 Paris Book Festival Runner-Up

2018 Readers' Favorite Finalist

2018 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Finalist

2018 London Book Festival Honorable Mention

2018 Book Viral Millennium Book Awards Long List

2018 New Apple Book Awards Official Selection

2018 Body, Mind, Spirit Book awards Winner

2019 Independent Press Award Winner

2019 New York Book Festival Winner

Meet the Author - Adam Mackey

Credit: Adam Mackey (Angel A)

Author Insights by Dr. Helen Caldicott

Dr. Caldicott, Welcome to Authors by Sasha. As an accredited Australian and American physician who has contributed her medical expertise to Harvard Medical School, what inspired you to initially specialize in the field of pediatrics? This investment granted you an opportunity to establish the first Australian clinic for cystic fibrosis at the Adelaide Children's Hospital.  

I had been working at Harvard at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center on a sabbatical with Dr Harry Schwachman, a pioneer in the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis, and when I returned home to Adelaide I realized that these children were essentially untreated at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital, so I said I can treat these children however the powers that be told me that I was not a pediatrician therefore I could not do that. So I said to my husband I’ve supported you in your medical training now it's my turn, so I worked 80 hours a week as a pediatric intern, passed the difficult exam to become a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, where upon I set up the first cystic Fibrosis clinic in Australia which now has the best longevity results in the country.

At what point in your career did you become involved with educating audiences about the harmful effects of radiation from a pediatric perspective? Was there a patient case, or current event that stirred your desire to raise awareness for managing a healthier global environment? 

When I learned that the drinking water in Adelaide was contaminated by radioactive fallout from the French atomic tests in the Pacific and I wrote a letter to the paper outlining the medical dangers re people and children drinking radioactive water and eating radioactive food, thereupon I was frequently on TV educating the public as a doctor about these dangers and the public became outraged at the French so our Prime minister took France to the International Criminal Court whereupon it was forced to test underground. 

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki represent the only time in history where the use of nuclear weapons were present in armed conflict. As someone born between these two historical events, how have your world views evolved towards humanity in general?  

Well I was born on August 7 between Hiroshima and Nagasaki days so I was clearly destined to try and do something about nuclear weapons. I suppose I don’t really trust humanity which has always fought and killed, motivated I think by the testosterone imperative. It’s time women who compose 52% of the human race took over, if not, I believe we are doomed.

How can global civilians learn more about the presence of nuclear programs and their side effects without relying on the media? 

Well I used to be on TV and radio all the time in the 80’s in the US as I had a wonderful Hollywood agent who worked with me for free, and in that way 80% of Americans were educated and frightened about the medical consequences of nuclear war, and that  welling up of public fear led to Reagan and Gorbachev meeting in Iceland in 1988 and they agreed to then end of the Cold war but unfortunately that didn’t take place and we are now on the brink of annihilation with the war in the Ukraine with Putin suggesting the use of nuclear weapons.

The media is a tool that can be leveraged to communicate powerful messages to the masses. There are historical movements (i.e. women's movement and gay rights) which gained traction through mobilization of people without the strong reliance on the media. You've referenced "Nudes Not Nukes" in your speaking engagements. How did this social experience play a significant role in capturing the media's attention? 

I was speaking in the Herbst lecture theater in SF with Patch Adams about Y2K and the media’s lack of coverage, when Patch said we should walk naked across America, at which point I asked the packed theater who would do that and every hand went up, so we stripped off our clothes and walked naked down Van Ness chanting “nudes not nukes”, and we broke the media impasse and were covered in the NYT the next day – so nudity works.

Do you believe the quality and outcome of social activism would improve if people focused more on raising awareness and less on commercially marketing their messages on virtual platforms? 

I think that it is absolutely imperative that the media start to educate people about the medical effects of nuclear war. I am available as are many of my medical colleagues in Physicians for Social Responsibility, both on TV, radio and the press. I suggest that you all obtain a copy of IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET from my website helencaldicott.com. It won an Oscar, is over 30 years old, is half an hour long and really packs a punch. It should be shown in every TV station -in America at least once.

Dr. Caldicott, as the Founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, you've shared the medical profession holds a sacred responsibility to serve patients who trust their doctors with their well-being. Do you suspect some doctors are starting to compromise their Hippocratic Oath in order to accommodate the commercial and political interests of the world?  

I don’t really know that because most of my medical colleagues practice medicine to the best of their ability.

How can doctors remain cognizant of their primary responsibility without jeopardizing their principles like some scientists in our global community? 

Well we all took the Hippocratic Oath and that is the basis of our profession.

You've authored eight books to date which include Nuclear Madness, Missile Envy and recently Sleepwalking to Armageddon. Sleepwalking to Armageddon captures the history and politics of nuclear weapons; at the same time explores the use and exploitation of nuclear weapons over the years. For this endeavor, you successfully assembled the world's leading nuclear scientists and thought leaders to assess the political and scientific dimensions of the threat of nuclear war today. What metrics did you apply to engage these subject matter experts which serve as credible sources to comment on such a controversial topic? 

I have no metrics, I am well known as one of the leaders of the Freeze movement of the 1980s and hence I know many of these scientists and we work together.

In 2016, your work referenced there were at least 15 nuclear reactor sites present in the country of Ukraine. They were described as sitting time bombs. There are nuclear sites situated throughout the world including at least 48 sites within the United States; few minor sites managed by prominent universities. If these land mines were to go off, it would destroy all of civilization encompassing humans, animals and plants. Ideally we would want to cease the operations of these nuclear sites. Given the state of the world today, what precautionary measures can we take to slow the proliferation of these sites?

There are really no precautionary measures as they are all sitting time bombs filled with tons of toxic radioactive elements, as well as nuclear waste site, they will be dangerous for one million years, there in really nowhere to store this incredibly dangerous material and if a plant is hit with weapon of war, it will induce another Chernobyl and make millions of square miles uninhabitable, kill millions of acute radiation illness while millions more will be develop cancers over the coming years.

As noted in the 1982 Academy Award winning documentary, If You Love This Planet, audiences are told to change their life priorities to nurture a sustainable planet. Today people invest on fighting environmental challenges such as global warming and terrorism, yet they discount the nuclear arms race and its impact on the world. Is there some psychological dissonance present that prevents people from conquering an actual time sensitive threat that is more damaging than the other environmental matters? 

It’s because it is not being discussed in the media and people are now uneducated regarding the medical consequences. Our work -PSR in the 1980s led to the film THE DAY AFTER which frightened everyone including Reagan who then said NUCLEAR WAR MUST NEVER BE FOUGHT AND CAN NEVER BE WON.

Dr. Caldicott, you've been encouraging the United States to take a bold stand against nuclear weapons for decades. It appears "ignorance is profound in the media '' which contributes to the lack of understanding of how nuclear weapons can destroy not only the planet but the solar system too. This impacts the emergence of new illnesses, contamination in our nutritional consumption and the overall health of each generation that is effected by radioactive environments. As a former radio host and lecturer at New School for Social Research, what call to action do you propose for all media sources in the United States? 

Nuclear war will not destroy the solar system however I urge everyone reading this to download IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET then after watching it go to your local TV station and demand that they play it .This will break open peoples’ psychic numbing and cause much political action and concern. It should also be played for all members of Congress in their offices as Tip O’Neil once did for our PSR film THE LAST EPIDEMIC.

What activities do you seek for mental stimulation when not you're not preoccupied with your professional engagements and social causes?  

Gardening, cooking, reading and classical music.

Do you participate in any spiritual or personal rituals that keep you grounded to complement the serious nature of the work you perform worldwide? 

No.

As an accomplished author and filmmaker, are there any new messages you anticipate penning in the near future? 

I might complete my autobiography.

Are there any self-development lessons you've acquired through your social activism as an anti-nuclear campaigner? 

No.

Dr. Caldicott, as a Nobel Peace Prize winner & one of the most influential women of the 20th Century honored by the Smithsonian, are there any new opportunities you'd like to prospect as you continue your five decade plus career? 

No, I just want the precious life on earth to continue.

Please share with audiences how they can support your work.  

Well go to my web page, helencaldicott.com and read all the books mentioned there that I’ve written, watch the films and videos and then your soul will be impelled and will know what you have to do to save the planet.

 "If You Love This Planet"

Speaker & Author Sasha Laghonh: 5 Minutes for Me

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