Episode notes
His suicide attempt was interrupted at the last minute – then his sons survived a school shooting. Meet Darren Wagner, the man who holds hope for others.
Podcast
Insightful
Insightful is a podcast series from SBS, hosted by Kumi Taguchi. From sex and relationships to health, wealth, and grief Insightful offers deeper dives into the lives and first person stories of former guests from the acclaimed TV show, Insight.
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S2 · E4 · 14 Apr 2025 · 24 min
Mianne Bagger: Trans - We’re Not A Voice for Women
Mianne Bagger transitioned in the 1990s. In 2004, she became the first openly transitioned woman to play in a professional golf tournament. She describes herself as “transexual”, not “transgender” - and thinks too many people are now being lumped under the trans label and that gender activism is too loud. She’s all about doing life her own way. She tells the story of when she decided to hand over the keys to her house, realising that the conventional way of living was not for her. Now, home is a van, where she cooks and sleeps and travels where she wants, visiting friends along the way.
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S2 · E5 · 14 Apr 2025 · 24 min
Di Sheehan: The Church Stole my Baby
Di Sheehan was a young, unwed mother in the 1970s, and was told her baby died at birth. She signed discharge papers when she left the hospital and tried to move on with her life. Four decades later, she received an email from a man who said he thought Di might be his mother. The discharge papers she signed were in fact adoption papers - a common practice in that time, to force women to give up their babies. Di now has a relationship with her son and has reconciled the lost decades with her first-born.
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S2 · E6 · 14 Apr 2025 · 27 min
Heston Russell: Duty Beyond the Battlefield
Heston Russell’s career had to be private. As a special forces soldier, few could know what he was doing and where he was going. But that all changed when he found his platoon leading the media headlines. The ABC published reports saying the platoon he led had been involved in shooting and killing unarmed Afghan civilians, breaking the rules of war. Heston sued the ABC for defamation. Here, Heston chats about growing up in Brisbane, his 16 years in the military, and building a values-based life.
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S2 · E7 · 13 Apr 2025 · 21 min
Phil Pyke: I Protected Australia’s Worst Mass Murderer
Port Arthur is a name synonymous with Australia’s worst modern-day massacre: 35 murdered, and 25 wounded. On that day, Phil Pyke was in his early 30s and became part of the story: his job, to guard the hospital room of the shooter, Martin Bryant. He speaks of how challenging that was, his time in the police and army, how his mental health started to spiral - and how it’s his golden retrievers that helped him find his way back.
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S2 · E8 · 13 Apr 2025 · 22 min
Grant Howard: "A Hypocrite..."
Grant Howard is an anomaly: a miner with four decades under his belt, and a climate activist. When he saw how much his environment was changing, he wanted to make a difference - and he stayed in his mining job - for a while. Grant chats about growing up in Wollongong, surfing, and his first day in the mine at 17 years old. Now, he trains young miners and finds solace in nature.
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S1 · E7 · 15 Apr 2024 · 20 min
The Age Positivity Champion
Imagine carrying a photo with you as a kid, hoping to meet your family one day. That was Faith Agugu’s childhood. Now, she stands up for grey hair and the privilege of getting older.
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S1 · E6 · 8 Apr 2024 · 25 min
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When Angie Jordan’s abusive husband of forty years died she went through his paperwork and found her eulogy, written by him. Hear her story of facing every possible fear, and living life on her terms.
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S1 · E5 · 1 Apr 2024 · 20 min
The Dad Bod Male Escort
One day Samuel Hunter decided to dip his toe into the escort industry and he’s never looked back. He’s got a Dad Bod and he’s booked months in advance. All your questions answered.
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S1 · E4 · 25 Mar 2024 · 25 min
The Justice Seeking Mum
Over her dead son’s body, Charlotte Charles kissed him on the forehead and promised she would get him justice. You won’t regret meeting this extraordinary, ordinary, woman.
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S1 · E3 · 18 Mar 2024 · 25 min
The Coffin Confessor
He’s the only person in the world who has this job. Yep, Bill Edgar crashes funerals for a living. But before you judge him, just listen to his story.
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