Content warning: This episode discusses child abuse and may be distressing to some listeners. Please listen with care.

In this urgent episode, we’re joined by former Detective Senior Constable and child safety expert Kristi McVee, to unpack how we can better protect children in today’s world - at home, in care, and online.

Kristi spent over a decade in the WA Police Force as a Specialist Child Interviewer before founding Child Abuse Prevention & Education Australia (CAPE-AU). She’s also the author of Operation KidSafe, a powerful guide for families navigating child safety.

We discuss the devastating case of Joshua Dale Brown, a Melbourne childcare worker charged with over 70 offences involving the abuse of at least eight children — some as young as five months — across 20 centres between 2017 and 2025.

We cover:

- The system failures that allowed this abuse to continue unchecked.

- Sleepovers, school camps and other tough safety decisions.

- The risks of sharing children’s photos online.

- How Kristi’s background as a detective shapes her own parenting choices.

- Practical strategies every family can implement to keep kids safe.

This is a confronting but essential conversation about turning fear into informed, protective action. Kristi offers clear, practical tools that every parent, educator, and caregiver should hear.

Connect with Kristi on socials at @kristimcvee.

Buy her book Operation KidSafe: A Detective’s Guide to Child Abuse Prevention and go to her website Child Abuse Prevention & Education Australia (CAPE-AU) or www.kristimcvee.com

From the episode: 10 Body Safety Books Every Protective Parent Should Own

Connect with the show on socials at @jana.firestone and watch FULL video episodes on YouTube at The Curious Life Podcast.

Thank you to our wonderful engineer/producer Sam Talbot, as always!

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of death, grief, suicide, and suicidal ideation. Please listen mindfully.

In this special episode of The Curious Life Podcast, we are re-sharing a powerful conversation originally recorded for The Days That Follow (a grief recovery podcast).

Chris Walker is best known for his work behind the scenes of some of Australia’s most beloved television programs. But in this raw and moving interview, he opens up about the sudden death of his older brother, Adam, who died on Christmas Eve when Chris was just nine years old.

What follows is a deeply honest exploration of childhood grief, unspoken trauma, and the invisible weight of loss carried into adulthood. Chris reflects on the silence that surrounded his family’s tragedy, how grief resurfaced later in life, and the ways he’s worked to heal while building a meaningful life and career.

This episode is a tender, reflective reminder that even the most successful lives can hold private pain — and that healing often begins by breaking the silence.

Connect with Chris on socials at @chriswalkertv

Watch full interviews on YouTube: The Curious Life Podcast
Follow the show on Instagram: @jana.firestone

Love the show? Please leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

This episode was audio engineered and produced by the brilliant Sam Talbot.

Comedian Chris Franjola is back for the third time, for some much needed lightness in these heavy times.

We dissected some of the latest hot topics, wondering what happened to Katy Perry, why the Bezos wedding has been top of all social media news, and Chris' reflections now on his time on Chelsea Lately.

Chris also shared some inside Hollywood experiences and just why he and Chelsea Handler will take their secrets to the grave.

Chris is an absolute delight and we had a lot of fun skipping around the pop culture world together.

Catch his podcast Cover to Cover and follow him at @chrisfranjola.

Leave us a rating and review of this episode and don't forget to like and subscribe on Youtube at @thecuriouslifepodcast. Full episodes now available to watch!

Follow the show on insta at @jana.firestone

Thank you as always to the wonderful Sam Talbot, for our brilliant production and audio engineering.