Kerry and Isabelle Silbery - the mother–daughter duo you’ll know from Gogglebox Australia join us on Agehood. For eight seasons, they shared their lounge room (and lives) with the nation, alongside beloved family matriarch Emmie.

Emmie passed away in 2025 following a long journey with dementia. In this deeply personal conversation, recorded shortly before her death, Kerry and Izzy reflect on what that journey has looked like — from the first signs of Emmie’s decline to the complex emotions of caregiving, the overwhelm of navigating aged care, and the grief that arrives long before goodbye.

Kerry speaks candidly about becoming Emmie’s primary carer, while Izzy shares what it’s been like raising young children in the midst of such profound change. Together, they offer a moving and honest look at love, loss, and the reality of ageing within a modern family.

When Alex Lollback received a string of anxious late-night texts from her mum, she had no idea it would mark the beginning of a year that would upend every part of her life. As the executive producer of Ladies We Need To Talk and a mother of two, Alex was already stretched — but when her mum’s physical and mental health rapidly declined, she found herself thrust into the thick of the sandwich generation: raising young kids while becoming a full-time carer for a parent in crisis.

In this raw and generous conversation, Alex shares what it’s like to be “everything to everyone” — the living grief, the system failures, the burnout, and the impossible decision to move her beloved mum into residential care. If you’re quietly carrying it all, this episode will make you feel seen.

This week on Agehood, we’re diving into one of the biggest, hardest, and most universal experiences we’ll ever face: death. But not in the way you might expect.

Dr Hannah Gould is a cultural anthropologist and researcher at the University of Melbourne’s DeathTech Research Network who is reimagining how we mourn, memorialise, and find meaning in the end of life. Drawing on both her academic work and personal experience of losing her father at 23, Hannah brings a compassionate, curious, and refreshingly honest lens to the conversation.

If you’ve ever wondered what a “good death” looks like, or felt that our grief rituals aren’t quite enough, this conversation is a starting point.

Geraldine Doogue is one of Australia’s most respected journalists and broadcasters. And in this episode, Geraldine reflects on losing her husband, Ian Carroll, in 2011 — and the reality of walking beside someone you love through their final chapter. She talks openly about the moments of courage, the guilt that lingers, the memories that endure, and the relief of honouring Ian’s wish to die in hospital, not at home.

This is a conversation about love, loss, and the gift of presence. It’s also a reminder that the best death isn’t about where it happens — it’s about giving someone the dignity to choose.

Zenith Virago is a death walker — someone who walks alongside people as they approach the end of life. For more than three decades, she’s supported individuals and families through death, grief, and everything in between — from the bedside to the burial, from the paperwork to the heartbreak. In this powerful and moving conversation, Zenith invites us to see death not as a medical event, but as a human one — something to be approached with presence, love, and participation.

Together, we explore the practical and emotional realities of end-of-life care, what it means to reclaim dying as a natural part of life, and how the “sandwich generation” can begin preparing — for our parents, for our children, and for ourselves. If you’ve ever felt unsure about what to do or say when someone is dying, or how to honour them when they’re gone, this episode is full of clarity, comfort, and unexpected strength.

Holly Ransom is best known as a globally recognised speaker, strategist, and CEO of Emergent — the woman who’s interviewed the Obamas, led a G20 Taskforce, and worked with some of the world’s biggest companies. But in this deeply personal conversation, she opens up about the loss of her beloved grandmother Dorothy — and how grief, for the first time in her life, brought her to her knees.

Holly shares the powerful lessons Dorothy taught her — about empathy, leadership, and doing the right thing, even when no one’s watching — and how those lessons are helping her navigate the complexities of midlife, caregiving, and the systemic gaps we face as our population ages. From grief and memory to workplace disruption and policy reform, this episode is a reminder that the most important leadership often starts at home.

When someone we love dies, our world shifts in ways we can’t always name. Too often we’re left to navigate grief without a guide, unsure of what to say, how to feel, or even what’s expected of us. Dr Emily Musgrave is a clinical psychologist who specialises in grief, loss and trauma — and while her expertise is invaluable, what makes her work so powerful is her deep understanding of our need to connect, to make meaning, and to be witnessed in our hardest moments. You may know Emily from The Imperfects podcast or her book Unstuck: A Guide to Finding Your Way Forward to the Life You Want to Live, where she brings warmth, clarity and compassion to a subject so many of us struggle to face.

In this conversation, Emily explains why grief isn’t something to be “fixed,” how ritual can help us honour what we’ve lost, and why there is no such thing as a hierarchy of grief. She shares insights on parenting through loss, holding space for others, and the quiet power of simply showing up. Whether you are grieving, supporting someone who is, or trying to understand this part of life a little better, this episode offers comfort and perspective — and above all, a reminder that none of us are truly alone in our grief.

Kate Carnell has seen ageing and end-of-life care from every angle – as a pharmacist, as Chief Minister of the ACT, as a founding voice of Beyond Blue, and now as chair of Violet, the organisation behind Agehood. But this conversation isn’t just about policy or health systems – it’s about families, choices, and the very human side of planning for the end of life.

In this episode, Kate shares why even the most capable families can find themselves unprepared, what she learned when her own parents reached their final chapter, and why the sandwich generation is under more pressure than ever. It’s a candid, practical, and compassionate look at what happens when love, logistics, and reality collide – and how we can do it better.

What happens when you get the call - the one that changes everything?
Author and journalist Casey Beros found out when her dad was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Overnight she became organiser, advocate, and round-the-clock carer, all while parenting two young kids.

In conversation with Melissa Reader, Casey talks about the heartbreak and humour of those years, the gaps in our health system, and the unexpected strength she discovered. Her book Next of Kin captures it all and offers hard-won guidance for anyone who will one day walk a similar path.
Her book Next of Kin is part love story, part survival manual. Whether you’re already caring for someone you love or see that chapter ahead, this episode is a guide and a companion.

When former NSW Minister Victor Dominello helped build Service NSW, he made government simpler for millions. But when his mum was diagnosed with dementia, he discovered just how broken the system still is.

In this powerful conversation, Victor shares the reality of being a son and brother in the thick of caring, the toll it’s taken on his family, and his vision for a future where bureaucracy doesn’t break us—but actually carries us. It’s personal, it’s political, and it’s a glimpse at what “Government 3.0” could mean for every family.

What does it take to face fear, to lead with love, and to truly care for others at their most vulnerable?

In this episode of Agehood, Melissa speaks with Professor Steve Robson - former President of the AMA, doctor, and son - about the lessons he’s carried from rural Queensland to the frontlines of Australian medicine. Steve shares what jumping out of planes taught him about fear, the Christmas conversation with his mum he’ll never forget, and why love should sit at the heart of every medical decision.

Most of us know we should talk about the end of life - but almost none of us know where to start. In this episode, Melissa Reader is joined by Dr Ira Byock, one of the world’s leading voices in palliative care, to explore how we can live and love more fully by facing what we often avoid. A physician, author, and global advocate, Ira has spent decades reminding us that illness and dying are not just medical experiences, they’re deeply personal ones.

Together, they unpack the four simple phrases that can transform our relationships - “Please forgive me. I forgive you. Thank you. I love you.” - and discuss why planning for life’s later chapters should come from trust and love, not fear.

This conversation also marks the launch of Violet’s Care Compass, a simple values-based tool designed to help families start these conversations early - around the kitchen table, not in the hospital corridor.  Because it’s never too early to talk about the end.