Bec Zajac
Bec Zajac is a producer and journalist for the ABC, currently working for Life Matters on RN.
Latest by Bec Zajac
How Cynthia managed to find 'beautiful, tender moments' while caring for her once-abusive father
Cynthia's relationship with her father was one of love but also fear. It meant suddenly becoming his carer was tough.
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'I left a very good and happy relationship': Alexandra's partner didn't want a baby, so she did it alone
The number of people choosing to start a family on their own is on the rise in Australia. Meet two women who followed different paths into solo parenthood.
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Builders go bust in record numbers, leaving thousands of Australian home owners in the lurch
The construction industry insolvency crisis is sweeping the nation, and it's devastating for both consumers and builders. So what can be done about it?
Waking at 4am to exercise, 'crushing' your day and other habits that may be making you less happy
Hyper-efficiency, or squeezing the most from every moment of the day, won't make time seem more expansive, argues author Jenny Odell. Here's what she says will.
Paul Kelly says the thing that 'heightens life' might be passing us by
The beloved Australian musician argues poetry is not something to be afraid of. Rather, Kelly reckons it might change your life.
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Jana Pittman is a former world champion, a mum of six and a doctor. But her 'greatest success' is something else
When the media turned on her after the 2004 Athens Olympics, Jana Pittman was filled with self-doubt, and it wasn't the first time. Here's how she turned things around.
'We simply don't have other interventions that come close to that': Dr Peter Attia's advice for ageing better
US physician Peter Attia argues that we put too much thought into extending longevity, and not enough into making the last years of our lives healthy and happy ones.
The 'positive, amazing, wonderful' parts of sex education that parents leave out – but shouldn't
Conversations about sex can be hard but providing good information leads to better health outcomes for kids. So here's where to start.
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Yvonne's baby son was snatched by her abusive husband. Thirty years later she got him back
Kristina Olsson's mother couldn't talk about the tragic separation she experienced as a teenager. After her mother died, Kristina realised she had to tell their story.
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How Esther Freud dealt with feeling the 'rage' in early parenthood that 'shocks you to your very core'
Two authors have drawn from their own lives in their new novels about women struggling with the pressures of parenthood.
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At 25, Tyler Mahoney can't escape the thrill of finding gold, and she's not letting anyone get in her way
Growing up, Tyler Mahoney spent her days searching for gold in the WA desert. She still loves the "dopamine hit" of finding it.
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Jill Stark was the 'poster girl for sobriety'. Then her drinking problem returned
After a devastating New Year's Eve, Jill quit drinking. The experience inspired her first book, but her journey with alcohol wasn't over.
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We know diet and exercise help us age well — but there might be one kind of exercise you're missing
The Fab Five swimming group — whose oldest member is 91 — say their routine keeps them ageing well, and the socialising is just as important as the exercise.
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Travel writer Catherine Best says you should give caravanning a go — and here are the best spots to try
There are plenty of different price-points for getting into caravanning.The travel writer explains the costs, as well as offering advice on how to get started and tips for destinations.
'They just felt they had no choice': Why the number of 'accidental homeschoolers' keeps rising
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an already rising trend of "accidental" homeschoolers. Here's why some parents are deciding they have no choice but to home-educate.
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Do you want to have better connections with people? This hurdle could be getting in your way
Leslie Jamison and Debra Keenahan know what it feels like to encounter those who lack empathy. But they say all is not lost for such people
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When Dan's father died, he felt very little. It was a sign he had a problem
The former army doctor thought going to war would be an exciting adventure. Instead, he emerged traumatised, angry and desensitised.
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Sagging skin, wrinkles and a double chin: Jacinta Parsons was deeply negative about ageing. Then something changed
A confronting conversation at a bar made the author and broadcaster consider where her negative ideas about ageing came from — and try to change them.
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Are you grown up but don't feel like a successful 'adult'? You might actually be doing better than the rest of us
Author Moya Sarner set out to discover why she felt nothing like an adult. She discovered she wasn't the only one and that it's not all bad news.
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Do you love listening to sad songs? Here's why
Sad music can make us feel less alone, more validated and, well, anything but sad. Here's what's going on when you crank those melancholy tunes.
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How sleep developed an 'image problem' and why we need to change it
Expert Moira Junge knows getting people to take sleep seriously is a "long game", but she says action is urgently needed and there's plenty we could be doing to help.
Are we experiencing history's broadest 'sensory revolution'?
A historian says the world is in the midst of a sensory revolution: the biggest shift in sensory experience since human history began.
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Getting treatment for his own addiction changed the way this doctor thinks about treating others. He wants to share what he learnt
By day, Carl Erik Fisher was a high-achieving medical student. But outside university, he was struggling with drugs and alcohol. Getting treatment changed the way he thinks about addiction.
She's still a medical student but Destiny is already having an impact on Indigenous health care
She can see the difference her presence as an Indigenous healthcare worker can make in providing culturally appropriate care.
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He and his wife thought they were adventurous. Moving to Australia changed their approach to risk and parenting
Damien Cave thought moving to Australia would be an easy transition but his new home country demanded more from this former foreign correspondent than he expected.
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