Why Smart Women Podcast
Welcome to the Why Smart Women Podcast, hosted by Annie McCubbin. We explore why women sometimes make the wrong choices and offer insightful guidance for better, informed decisions. Through engaging discussions, interviews, and real-life stories, we empower women to harness their intelligence, question their instincts, and navigate life's complexities with confidence. Join us each week to uncover the secrets of smarter decision-making and celebrate the brilliance of women everywhere.
Episodes
101 episodes
The Snarky Gherkin talks Cookers, Beef Tallow and Microplastics..
We dig into Australia’s “Cooker Wars,” why online hype didn’t translate into real marches, and how grifters turn fear into sales. Along the way we unpack media tactics, harmful pseudoscience, and what you can actually do about microplastics wit...
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57:41
Emma went a year without buying clothes! What is going on here? Pt.2
We explore how quiet, steady change can break the shopping dopamine loop, reduce bias-driven choices, and build a wardrobe that reflects who we really are. Emma Edwards shares tools for metacognition, enoughness, and outfit repeating without fe...
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Episode 70
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29:50
Emma from the Broke Generation went a year without buying clothes! WHAT is going on here? Pt.1
We talk with Emma Edwards about The Wardrobe Project, a year-long pause on clothes shopping that reveals how bias, body image, and culture fuel compulsive buying. The pause creates a new way to enjoy style without chasing constant newness.<...
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32:14
You’re not buying an apartment. Your biases are buying it for you.
We unpack the psychology that makes property buying so risky and share the biases that almost had us purchasing a unit above a bong shop because of plantation shutters. We lay out simple steps to slow down your thinking, separate what can chang...
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Episode 69
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33:37
Guys, come on. Vaccines do NOT cause autism!!!
We challenge celebrity myths about vaccines, unpack the “too many too soon” claim, and show how grifters turned doubt into profit while measles and whooping cough return. We share practical steps to talk to hesitant loved ones and protect vulne...
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Episode 68
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50:35
The Snarky Gherkin and a Nazi walk into a bar….. Part.2
A fast, clear walkthrough of the “Cooker Wars” timeline, from a viral march brand to four competing groups, collapsing turnouts, and a movement that sells outrage without outcomes. We map the players, the optics problem, and why economic pain m...
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33:42
Plato, Nietzsche and Ryder. What a line-up !
We explore how humour does real work: building critical thinking, lowering defensiveness, and fuelling social change, from pandemic myths to political power. Two kinds of laughter—herd and heights—show why some jokes harm and others heal, with ...
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50:58
Bush turkey taken up residence on your bed? Laugh or cry ?
We explore how humour helps us handle stress, anxiety, and life’s clatter without ignoring pain. A rogue bush turkey sparks a deeper look at the body’s laugh response, thought defusion, and why timing and validation matter when using comedy as ...
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Episode 66
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35:04
Scepticism, Socks, And Self-Protection
We turn a chaotic week—stolen bikes, a shredded laptop, and a dog’s sock surgery—into a guide to better decisions by swapping blame for causation and drama for clarity. We unpack coercive control, how to warn a friend without lecturing, and why...
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29:46
From Ball Games To Big Ideas: How Rigidity Shrinks A Life
A sweltering spring day, a newly minted dog beach, and one missing ball turn into a bigger question: why do we try to control what can’t be controlled? We head to Mona Vale where hundreds of dogs sprint through the surf and most humans smile—un...
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Episode 64
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39:46
Boost Your Immune System? My Foot Patch Says Hi
If certainty had a sound, it would be the wellness aisle whispering boost, detox, and natural into your ear. We pull back the curtain on why those words feel so right—and why they so often lead us astray. With Richard Saunders from Australian S...
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42:16
Mind, Body, Wallet
A glittering festival of certainty met a table of questions. We took you inside Sydney’s Mind Body Spirit Festival with pharmacist Kate Thomas and skeptic investigator Richard Saunders to test the confidence, the charisma, and the sweeping clai...
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Episode 63
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24:49
Seed oils made my cellulite? And other internet fairy tales we should bin
A young woman followed a fruit-only diet until her body could no longer keep up. That tragedy isn’t an outlier—it’s the end point of smaller ideas that sound reasonable, feel empowering, and get reinforced by online echo chambers. We pull on th...
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39:34
Self-love! Simply another thing to fail at?
Tired of being told to “love yourself first” before anything else can work? We take that sacred cow for a walk and ask a simpler, kinder question: what if love is a verb, not a mood? Annie and David unpack the pressure-packed version of self-lo...
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Episode 62
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43:23
I Don’t Wear Lululemon and Other Ways to Start a Fight
Ever tried to share a life when your partner’s best hour is your worst? We dive into the everyday friction of two people on different clocks—one of us a sunrise exerciser who thrives on routine, the other a late-day creative who hits stride whe...
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39:15
What If Your Imperfections Are Actually Human?
What if your biggest flaws aren't flaws at all, but simply part of being human? We've all had that moment—catching a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror and immediately focusing on some perceived imperfection. That unexpected view o...
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37:26
Snow Leopards Don't Need Ambulances (But Humans Do) Pt.2
What happens when a woman's desire for a "natural" birth clashes with medical reality? In this gripping episode, I share the second part of the first chapter from my upcoming book - a story that will have you holding your breath until the very ...
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Episode 59
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40:40
When Beth Calls at 2AM, Everything Changes Pt.1
Today's episode takes a creative turn as I share the opening chapter of my forthcoming book. Set in Sydney, Australia, this story follows three sisters whose lives have been shaped by a mysterious incident in their past and the subsequent estra...
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45:33