Real Life - Mamamia

'My sister got me through lockdown in 2020. Now she's not here and I'm lost.'

"I confused abuse with love." My 'soulmate' relationship was really just a trauma bond.

Tara Blair Ball

'My high school friend took his own life two years ago. Here's what I wish I did differently.'

"At 13, my dad died by suicide. As an adult, I received a call about my brother."

Haley Weatherill

"I told her that I loved her": Model Simone Holtznagel on saying goodbye to Charlotte Dawson.

'After 15 years apart, I stalked my first love on Facebook. Here's what I found.'

'When my husband had an affair, I asked him for every little detail. I desperately wish I hadn't.'

"My wife won't let me." Why I told my husband to stop using me as an excuse.

'Chewing gum came out of my allowance.' I was financially abused for 10 years.

"I stumbled across Lisa Curry's Instagram post this morning. Suddenly, I was in tears."

Why stylist Deni Todorović came out to their family twice.

'I'm a woman of colour married to a white man. These are the microaggressions I experience.'

'I'm a lollipop lady. Here's a breakdown of how much I actually earn in a week.'

GP receptionists are Australia's invisible front line workers.

'I was asked to prove I was disabled.' Rhiannon was given two tickets for parking in front of her home.

'Stories about disability tend to do one of two things.' Michel, Simon, and the family we've always known.

Clare and Jessie Stephens

"My mum died when I was 18. The grief was nothing like I expected."

'For years my life revolved around male validation. Secretly, I loved women.'

'I didn't say no. You didn't ask.' A letter on consent.

'A family member made a comment about my wife over dinner. It crossed all my boundaries.'

'I have been acting for 20 years. Here's what goes through my head when filming a nude scene.'

Caroline McQuade

'Our IVF twins were 4 months old when I found my husband's Tinder profile.'

'All my life I was certain I was going to have kids. But at 44, I've let go of that dream.'

50 women share their biggest life regret.

We asked: What does a funeral director actually have to do everyday?

A teenage tragedy and an 18-year breakup: the colourful life of Camilla Franks.

On Mimi Kwa's first day as a TV reporter, Russell Crowe left her in tears. It changed her life.

'We can’t keep accepting crumbs.' The reality of being a plus-size woman of colour in Australia.

Mahalia Handley

Advice

28 women on what they wish their younger selves knew about sex.

"Choose the bigger life." 30 women on the advice that changed their life.

'I've spent 30 years not knowing how to dress. Here's what I learnt when I asked for help.'

"Don't do what I did: 10 terrible mistakes I made in my 20s."

Jessica Wildfire

"Run the dishwasher twice." The life advice to follow when you're at your lowest.

Jessie Stephens

The 5 commandments of improving your skin while you sleep.

Is it normal to have spotting during pregnancy? 9 red flags you should never ever ignore.

"People are not mind readers." 21 lessons everyone should learn before their 40th birthday.

"There is continuous deliberate hurt." 5 telltale signs that your relationship is over.

"Don't buy silk." 20 lessons everyone should learn before their 30th birthday.

Jessie Stephens

"Non Zero Days: The piece of self-care advice that changed how I live my life."

Jessie Stephens

"Don’t get a loan for a boob job," and 30 other lessons I've learnt since turning 31.

'Making jokes at your partner’s expense.' 4 tiny mistakes that will destroy your relationship.

"Live with them first." 21 women share what they wish they knew before getting married.

"My life at 38 looks so different to my life at 30. Here's what I'd tell my younger self."

Kristen Sharkie

"You’re worth more than you know." The 29 things I'd tell my 20-something self.

Jessica Wildfire

"Less is definitely more": 40 women over 40 share the beauty advice they swear by.

Tamara Davis and Amy Clark

"Moments of silence feel awkward." The 10 signs you're with the wrong person.

'My husband and I found provocative photos of our 14-year-old. Our reactions were poles apart.'

Constance Hall: "Too short, too fat, too loud." I spent my whole life being told I wasn't enough.

Hugh is a resilience expert. These are 6 strategies he uses to get through lockdown.

Why stylist Deni Todorović came out to their family twice.

A teenage tragedy and an 18-year breakup: the colourful life of Camilla Franks.

Ada Nicodemou has been on television for 27 years. But not because she loves acting.

LGBTQI

Why stylist Deni Todorović came out to their family twice.

When Sophie Cachia started dating women, her friendships suddenly changed.

"It saves lives." Three women on what Mardi Gras means to them.

"Respect our pronouns": 10 ways to be a better ally to non-binary and trans people.

'Gender conversion 'therapy' is a public health crisis. I know this because I lived it.'

'I knew I was a woman from the age of 7. I didn't start living as one until I was 46.'

Victoria is about to pass "the world's most significant achievement" on gay conversion.

The 6 biggest myths about lesbian sex we all need to stop believing. Like, right now.

Lacey-Jade Christie

"I was so ashamed of my feelings." Why Netflix's The Prom is the film I needed growing up.

"We wanted to become mums and our journey to parenthood was a little different to most."

"A new kind of conversion therapy." Why everyone is talking about J.K.Rowling... again.

'Sara Hegazy was jailed and tortured for a photo. It could have been me.'

'If there's one thing to learn from the Wilson Gavin tragedy, it's tolerance. On all sides.'

"Completely terrifying": When Magda Szubanski realised she was gay, she broke down.

'I'm intersex. It was a secret my parents kept from me for 17 years.'

Narelda Jacobs was pushed into her first marriage. 20 years later, she had to fight for the right to a second.

'We need to talk about the fear that every gay man of this generation still carries.'

The love of Elizabeth Gilbert's life died 10 months ago. But she still calls her every day.

At last. Schools will no longer be able to expel kids for being LGBTQI.

A former Sesame Street writer has shared the truth about Bert and Ernie.

Chelsea McLaughlin

"We live with his guilt." Melissa's son made a choice that cost 5 lives, including his own.

Megan Gale miscarried at 9 weeks. Lying there waiting for her procedure, she was recognised.

'After my stillbirth, I requested time off work. It was declined.'

'I spend my days handling dead people. This is what it's taught me about living.'

Emma Jane Holmes

Exactly ten years on, Brittany Murphy's mysterious death is still haunting Hollywood.

"You're grieving someone that you didn't even get to see": Heather Maltman on the heartbreak of miscarriage.

"I've never been loved like that before." Robin Bailey on life after Sean Pickwell's death.

"It still hurts." Libby Trickett on the 'weird grief' of early pregnancy loss.

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The Well

Racism is alive in Australian schools. Just ask my 14 year old daughter.

"Choose the bigger life." 30 women on the advice that changed their life.

'The night my husband accidentally left his phone at home, my entire 9 year marriage unravelled.'

My husband abandoned me and my 2 kids after 18 years. My mum insists he's still a 'good dad'.

'I'm 39 and single by choice. I'm seen by women as both menacing and perplexing.'

We asked: What the heck does a stripper do? And how much do they get paid?

"Nighttime is the hardest part." How I became comfortable being single.

Greyson Ferguson

"There's not one way to script life": We need to talk more about success after 40.

Sandy Greenwood

"It feels like being held hostage." My husband's ex-wife triggers my PTSD.

'I let a myth ruin several of my birthdays. This year, I lived by a brand new rule.'

'I've knowingly been the other woman 3 times. Here's what I've learned.'

'My partner constantly guilted me into sex. I didn’t see it for what it was.'

Vanessa Haldane

Sophie and Davy DNA tested their 10 year old daughter. She wasn't either of theirs.

"He used to be my protector": The slow heartbreak of losing dad to dementia.

Russ Vickery is not an 'ideal victim' of domestic violence. But his story is so similar to mine.

Geraldine Bilston

Fake bedrooms and a ‘house of lies’: What it took for me, a South Asian woman, to move out of home.

“Sitting beside me is the wrong man.” The moment Ana realised her life was coming undone.

Jessie Stephens

"It's not yours to take back." What happened when I asked my wife for her engagement ring.

Greyson Ferguson

Moments before Brendan Pang flew out to film MasterChef, he came out to his mum.

What is coercive control? 4 red flags to watch out for, according to a survivor.

Vanessa Haldane

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