How to survive your high school reunion, and dealing with flaky friends

Finding out you have cancer can be terrifying, and going through treatment can be arduous.

But the experience of cancer can also bring about illuminating discoveries on the nature of life and our place in it. That's what author and GP Peter Goldsworthy AM found, and he tells his story in his memoir The Cancer Finishing School: Lessons in Laughter, Love and Resilience. We hear from him and Life Matters listeners about the lessons learned from cancer.

Plus, Irish comedian Ed Byrne shares how creating his latest show Tragedy Plus Time helped him process the death of his younger brother. 

If you've read the fineprint of your hotel terms and conditions or travel insurance, you might find that people over a certain age have very expensive premiums or are not welcome at all. 

We explore how common ageism in travel really is and look at how to embrace inclusive tourism.

Plus, how a lack of regulation in private tutoring is causing education inequity, and a history of social work in Australia.

Meet someone who has made the switch away from a smart phone to a device with no internet. No maps, no email, no google and no facetime. Just how practical is it, and do the benefits outweigh the cons? Plus how being a fan can enrich your life.

Your stories about times when sex has been disappointing, and how you turned that around. We get tips for those who want a more satisfying sex life from expert sexologist Tanya Koens. And in Ask Aunty, the job interview full of awkward pauses.

Journalist Marina Kamenev learned how unsustainable the nuclear family model was, both practically and economically, and began looking for alternatives. Plus the joy of watching dogs muster sheep, and how to engage with wildlife in your area.

The recent Australian Universities Accord report says if we don't increase higher education participation, it will "do lasting damage to Australia's prospects of national economic success" and lock out certain groups from higher-paid jobs.

But is radically increasing the number of people going to TAFE or university the answer? Will that fix social and economic inequities, as well as skilling up our future workforce? We explore and hear your thoughts.

Plus, playing sport is great for kids, when they get to participate that is. Spending too much time on the bench can be discouraging, so how can we manage the tension between playing and winning?

Every day, we interact with dozens of algorithms as we go about our lives, but many of us don't understand how they work. How do we get the the best out of these tools while keeping the potential dangers in check?

And, by 2050, we're going to need twice the level of palliative care in the home as we do now. What can we do to start building the workforce we'll need to make sure our future selves are cared for?

We explore the cultural devaluation of ‘home’ work, and how rethinking our relationship with domestic can improve our lives.

And getting something for nothing seems like a great deal, but earning points, particular when credit cards are involved, can expose us to financial traps. We look at what airline points really get you.

Two years after the breakdown of her 20-year marriage, Hilary Harper feels like she might be ready to date again. But the dating scene has changed a lot since she was last single in the early 2000s. 

Having never made contact with the world of dating apps and profiles, she feels overwhelmed wading into things again. How do you pick up the pieces and work out when you're emotionally ready to resume the quest for love? How do you figure out what you want? In our 40s and beyond, our priorities around relationships shift.

Hilary sets the scene, letting us know what she's weathered and how her heart got to a place where she might be able to put herself out there again.

Credits

• Hilary Harper, Presenter
• Nat Tencic, Series Producer
• Matthew Crawford, Mixing and mastering
• Hayley Crane, Executive Producer
• Maria Tickle, Editor - Factual, ABC RN

If you missed the rise of dating apps because you were in a long marriage or relationship, it’s very fair to find them a bit intimidating.  

The way we meet potential lovers has changed drastically over the past decade, moving from pubs and parties to the online space.

Hilary navigates these shifts and gets across these new tools, learning how to craft the perfect profile and grappling with the flat way we have to represent ourselves to catch a mate today.

Credits

• Hilary Harper, Presenter
• Nat Tencic, Series Producer
• Matthew Crawford, Mixing and mastering
• Hayley Crane, Executive Producer
• Maria Tickle, Editor - Factual, ABC RN