Compiled by Tess Connery and Grace Gollasch
Drifting off with the 10th season of Bedtime Explorers
Just before Christmas, LiSTNR announced the release of a brand-new season of the children’s meditation podcast, Bedtime Explorers.
The new episodes – themed Magic Glasses – help children see the world through a positive lens. With their imaginations and ‘magic glasses’, little explorers discover a magic garden, a flying car, and a hidden door to another world as they drift off to sleep.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke to host and mindfulness coach, Amy Taylor-Kabbaz about bringing Bedtime Explorers to life.
“It started with the very original Kindling radio station,” says Taylor-Kabbaz. “They wanted to do something for kids to have to help them get to sleep. They reached out to me – at that time I was mostly teaching and sharing meditations for mums that were really struggling with being angry or feeling really overwhelmed.
“At the time, I was also really struggling with getting my kids to sleep – I have three children – and so I had started doing this little meditation practice with them at nighttime. I’d take them on these little journeys, we’d go to a rainbow and we’d move through the colours, or we climbed to the top of a mountain and put all of our worries in a backpack, and then it would float away. When they reached out and said, ‘Could you do what you already do for mums, for kids as well?’, I said ‘sure I’ll give that a try’.”
Each episode of Bedtime Explorers does more than just send kids off to sleep, with Taylor-Kabbaz saying that they have parents in mind as well.
“We were really clear right from the beginning, that every episode and every season needed to do two things: it needed to get the kids to sleep – hopefully! – but also really help the parent with that. What I know from working with thousands, of mums, and being a mum myself is that you get to the end of the day, and you don’t have anything left in the tank.
“It was really clear to us right from the beginning that we could create something that the kid loved, that also helped the parents’ pain point of struggling at nighttime.”
Magic Glasses is the 10th season of Bedtime Explorers, and Taylor-Kabbaz says that she has definitely seen some evolution in the podcast compared to its early days.
“In the first season, the intention was really to get them to be calm, and quiet and drift off to sleep. Then when Lorna [Clarkson, LiSTNR parenting and kids entertainment senior executive producer] and I started collaborating, which was from the second season onwards, we really did ask ‘what is the purpose of this?’.
“Each season of Bedtime Explorers has become more and more intentional in why we’re creating this – I don’t think it would have been as successful if we had just thought let’s do animals, let’s do bugs, let’s go underwater every season.
“I often get feedback from the mums through my website saying ‘my kids listen to you every night and I end up lying there and listening to it too. It makes me feel so much better about myself, reminding me that I am doing a good job’.
“That’s what’s changed over the years, we’ve gotten really, really clear on why we’re doing it – and it’s not just about sleep.”
Amy Taylor-Kabbaz
When asked how creating mindfulness content for kids is different than for adults, Taylor-Kabbaz says that “In a way, it’s a lot easier because kids are mostly very present.”
“The feedback we got from both parents and children during the pandemic was that there were a lot more worries showing up at bedtime – we all stayed home and the world seems scarier. The last few seasons have really reflected this, that some things can feel one way, but when you look at it, you can see it differently.
“Mindfulness is always the same – it’s about dropping out of your thoughts, connecting with your breath, trying to come into this moment. But it was more of the resilience that we found we needed to focus on over the last few years because of Covid. We really needed to show these kids that it was going to be okay, that even though we don’t know what’s happening right now, we’re all okay, and it’s okay to go to sleep.”
With 23 million downloads, Bedtime Explorers has well and truly found its audience. For Taylor-Kabbaz, the success of the podcast wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Kinderling and LiSTNR.
“There are a lot of resources out there now. It’s quite easy to access different resources as a parent nowadays, compared to even 10 years ago, so to have stood out this much in this space is because of the level of production that Lorna and the team have been able to bring in.
“If you just took my words and listened to them with simple music, this never would have worked – it really needed the collaboration between the knowledge that I have around mindfulness, and this amazing soundtrack and sound effects that they’ve been able to put to it. That’s what keeps the kids wanting to listen again.”
[Listen to Bedtime Explorers here]
Spotify debuts GLOW, an equity program for LGBTQIA+ creators
Spotify has launced GLOW – a new global music program developed to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.
GLOW is Spotify’s latest initiative to support people of the historically marginalised community of voices. The new program aims to ensure that queer creators, and their contributions to music and culture, are heard and honoured all year-round.
Supported by the Creator Equity Fund – Spotify’s commitment to fostering equity in the audio space – GLOW will join sister programs like EQUAL and Frequency.
Spotify aims to amplify the LGBTQIA+ community through, The GLOW Hub, a dedicated space on Spotify to highlight audio offerings of LGBTQIA+ voices for queer and ally users; the Global Flagship Playlist, GLOW, which will be refreshed monthly and highlight tracks by LGBTQIA+ artists, and a 360 program providing editorial and partnership capabilities, marketing support, and charitable components.
Kian & Yaz join forces with Avneesha Martins on CADA’s breakfast show
Avneesha Martins has joined Kian Oliver & Yaz Haddad on CADA’s breakfast show, Kian & Yaz with Avneesha.
Listeners can expect all the regular antics and laughs, turned up a notch and flavoured with the new music, viral trends, conversations and culture.
Actress, singer-songwriter and popular social media creator with 2.1M TikTok followers, Avneesha joins Kian & Yaz on the brekkie team in an extended breakfast show now airing 6am-10am weekdays.
CADA has also welcomed Xander Cross as EP on the show, and Isabelle Cuperus as newsreader.
Of the announcement, Martins said “I’ve never been a morning person but for Kian and Yaz, I’m more than happy to become one! I couldn’t be happier to join the boys on the brekkie show!
“I am so thrilled to be a part of such a dynamic and talented team who make waking up early a breeze, not to mention, so much fun!”
[Listen to Kian & Yaz with Avneesha here]
Australian Survivor Talking Tribal returns for another season of tribal chat
Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains premieres Monday, January 30, which means a new season of Australian Survivor Talking Tribal – The Podcast.
Listeners can join Khanh Ong and Brooke Jowett with Survivor expert Shannon Guss in an alliance dedicated to post-episode strat chat.
As soon as the torches go out, the trio of experts dive into the strategy, the alliances and the drama that play out during Heroes V Villains each week.
This is the fourth season of the podcast.
Last season, the podcast explored the ins and outs of Australian Survivor: Blood v Water.
[Listen to Australian Survivor Talking Tribal – The Podcast here]
Darling, Shine! joins LiSTNR for a fourth season
LiSTNR has released the brand new fourth season of Darling, Shine!, the podcast created and hosted by best friends, Chloe Fisher and Ellidy Pullin.
The entire back catalogue of Darling, Shine will also be available on LiSTNR from Monday, January 23.
The podcast was born when Fisher and Pullin found themselves facing very personal and earth-shattering life events, widowhood and fertility challenges.
In each Darling, Shine! episode, the pair share the emotional experiences of womanhood, grief, fertility, friendship and everything in between. With their honesty, they dive into powerful, relatable, and often unspoken truths for their listeners.
LiSTNR original podcasts head of entertainment and culture, Sam Cavanagh, said: “Chloe and Ellidy are powerful voices that resonate with their listeners. We are excited to help them continue to build their audience and spread their messages of encouragement and hope by welcoming them to LiSTNR.”
The new season of Darling, Shine! launches January 23, 2023, and new episodes will drop weekly on Wednesdays on LiSTNR.
[Listen to Darling, Shine! here]
Eddie Mcguire, Jimmy Bartel and Anthony Hudson join Nine’s podcast host lineup
Nine is expanding its AFL coverage in 2023, with 9Podcasts and 3AW announcing a brand new lineup of podcast hosts.
Each week, media personality, AFL journalist and commentator and former Collingwood president, Eddie Mcguire will jump into the hot seat with three-time premiership player, and Norm Smith and Brownlow medalist, Jimmy Bartel.
Released every Monday, the podcast will see the personalities react to the weekend that was, and set the agenda for the week to come by diving straight into the hottest topics in footy.
Also joining the 9Podcasts AFL lineup is commentator, Anthony Hudson, who has called some of the most memorable moments in footy history.
Eddie, Jimmy and Huddo round out 3AW’s coverage of the AFL, joining Jaqui Felgate, Matthew Lloyd, Leigh Matthews, Caroline Wilson, Tim Lane and a host of others.
[Listen to Nine’s podcasts here]
Partners in grime: Toni and Ryan host a garbage truck collection for charity
Comedy duo, Toni Lodge and Ryan Jon joined Spotify to bring their ‘hot, fun garbage’ mission to life in Melbourne over the weekend.
To promote the exclusive Toni and Ryan podcast, local TARPers were invited down to St Kilda Beach to drop off last year’s baggage and start 2023 with a meet and greet with their very own hot, fun garbage truck.
Guests were invited to ceremoniously ‘throw’ their boyfriend’s holey undies and garish Christmas sweaters in the garbage truck, grab a free coffee or gelato, and meet the partners in grime themselves.
All clothes from the activation are being recycled or donated to a charity program for a chance at a hotter and funner life.
The pair have built a global following for their podcast since launching in August 2021, with listeners tuning in to hear everything from naughty jokes, to dating horror stories, coupled with questionable advice on movies, food and relationships.
