HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER

Ep 6 Geraldine Brooks: Grief is the Debt that is Paid to Love

Having travelled the world covering conflict zones, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Geraldine Brooks turned her considerable observation skills to novel writing after deciding to become a mother whilst in a Nigerian prison. When her husband, an acclaimed journalist himself, died suddenly on a book tour, she had to entirely re-frame her life, as well as meet the looming deadline for her bestselling novel Horse.

About the guest
Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an acclaimed author, journalist and parent whose writing has captivated readers around the world. Raised in Sydney, she began her career at The Sydney Morning Herald before winning a scholarship to Columbia University and joining The Wall Street Journal, where she reported from conflict zones across the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. Her reporting earned international recognition, including the Overseas Press Club Award.

Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006 for March. Her novels Year of Wonders, People of the Book, Caleb’s Crossing, The Secret Chord and Horse have become international bestsellers, while her nonfiction explores history, home and the lives of women. Her latest memoir, Memorial Days, reflects on grief, love and family following the sudden death of her husband, fellow journalist Tony Horwitz, in 2019.

Credits
Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Ben Cunningham, Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Andy Gordon — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly

HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER

Ep 5 Deborah Thomas: Do You Want the Cash or the Caché?

Deborah Thomas’s career in fashion and media started in the dress-ups of her teen years, took her through the punk scene of Melbourne and onto the catwalks of Europe, before she became known Australia-wide as the Editor in Chief of Australian Women’s Weekly. She opens up about her stellar media career, then becoming a female CEO in a male dominated industry, and the later career heartbreak of the Dreamworld theme park accident, together with the deep friendship she built in its aftermath.

About the guest
Deborah is one of Australia’s most respected magazine editors who began her career in publishing after a successful modelling career on the catwalks of Paris, Milan and London. After joining Cleo magazine in 1987 as their beauty and lifestyle editor, she went on to become editor of Mode, Elle, Cleo and then, for a decade from 1999 the award-winning editor-in-chief of the Australian Women’s Weekly. She then became director of media, public affairs and brand development at Bauer Media before being appointed chief executive officer of Ardent Leisure Group. She is currently chief executive Officer of the national children’s charity, Camp Quality.

Credits
Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Ben Cunningham, Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Mary Macrae — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly

HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER

Recorded just months before his death in January 2026, Midnight Oil co-founder, drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst joins his close friend David Leser for one of his final filmed interviews.

In a candid, generous and deeply moving conversation, Rob reflects on his childhood, his early love of The Beatles, the profound influence of his parents, his creative partnership with his Midnight Oil “blood brothers”, and his enduring passion for poetry, melody and history.

He also speaks about the things that mattered most to him: family, friendship, gardens, music and creativity. In the face of terminal illness, Rob reflects with characteristic honesty and grace on mortality, gratitude and what he describes as a blessed life.

About the guest
Born in Camden, New South Wales, Rob Hirst was a founding member of the internationally successful Midnight Oil and one of Australia’s most influential musicians.

As drummer, songwriter and lyricist, Rob wrote or co-wrote many of Midnight Oil’s most iconic songs, including Beds Are Burning, The Dead Heart, Power and the Passion, Short Memory, Forgotten Years, King of the Mountain and Armistice Day.

For more than fifty years, Rob gave voice to the storm and rage of the times through Midnight Oil and a range of other musical projects, including Ghostwriters, Hirst & Greene and Hirst & O’Shea, the latter producing the acclaimed album The Lost and the Found with his daughter, Jay O’Shea.

About Heart & Soul with David Leser
Heart & Soul is a filmed and recorded interview series exploring the seminal experiences shaping the inner lives of remarkable Australians.

Hosted by award-winning journalist and author David Leser.

These are the conversations we rarely hear from people we think we know.

Credits
Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera: Harry Keilly — Sound: Mary Macrae — Editors: Harry Kielly and Sally Fryer. Filmed on location.