Shameless Media’s Michelle Andrews’ and Zara McDonald’s hugely popular podcast, Shameless Presents: The Books That Changed My Life is returning for a second season of revealing conversations with Australia’s leading writers and personalities.
Throughout this new season, Michelle and Zara will welcome guests such as Big Little Lies’ author Liane Moriarty, The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson and comedian Wil Anderson to discuss books that had a profound effect on them, which also gives audiences insight into their own unique stories.
In the first episode, Wilkinson joins Michelle and Zara to chat about the three books that mean a lot to her and then discusses her memoir It Wasn’t Meant to Be Like This, sharing the truth about her much-discussed last day as co-host at the Today show and how she’s survived the recent barrage of criticism.
In the podcast, Wilkinson details how Michelle Obama’s famous quote: “When they go low, we go high,” was her mantra in writing her autobiography and in weathering the subsequent controversy over what she shared in its pages.
She also answers her critics, saying she stands by every story she has told in It Wasn’t Meant to Be Like This including that she had a frosty final day on the Today show set.
“There’s been attempts to discredit the entire book. And there’s one thing in particular that seems to keep coming up and that is what happened at the desk on my final day of the Today show,” Wilkinson tells Michelle and Zara.
“At the time, I didn’t know it was my final day for the Today show, I was sacked that afternoon standing in the canned tuna aisle of my local Woolies.
“In writing the book, obviously I had to recall what happened that morning at the desk, what words were exchanged. I wasn’t in a position to ring Channel 9 and ask for a copy of my final show because let’s just say, things didn’t end well. And I didn’t want to give anybody the satisfaction of laughing at me when I asked for a copy of it.
“What I’ve got in the book of what happened is an absolutely 100 per cent accurate assessment of the feeling at the desk that morning, how disappointed I was, and the disingenuous nature of conversations that were had.
“I couldn’t remember word for word, four years ago, exactly the words that were said. So, shoot me. It’s a very accurate reflection of the relationships that were going on that morning.”
Other guests this season include presenter and speaker, Jamila Rizvi, award-winning fashion and beauty magazine editor Justine Cullen, champion swimmer Shayna Jack and journalist Meg Mason. It will also feature a special bonus episode with Shameless Media Podcast Producer, Annabelle Lee.
Michelle and Zara’s Shameless Media has continued to grow its audience since its inception in 2018. In addition to producing their Shameless and Book Clubpodcasts, the pair released their first book, The Space Between in 2020.
Michelle and Zara said: “We are delighted to bring back The Books That Changed My Life for a second season. We were blown away by our guests’ candour when discussing their lives; these are without a doubt some of the most enjoyable – and emotional – interviews we’ve ever had the pleasure of hosting.”
Listen to the trailer here.
Shameless Presents: The Books That Changed My Life, a LiSTNR exclusive, is produced by LiSTNR’s Carly Humby and is available now on the LiSTNR app.