AFTRS students explore life’s ultimate plot twists in new podcast

Hot on the heels of last year’s award-winning podcast, Craze, the 2023 radio and podcasting students at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) are about to launch I’m at a Crossroad.

It’s a documentary series about life’s ultimate plot twists, exploring the crucial decisions that shape who we are and the paths we set ourselves on.

The six-episode season features stories from guests who left a cult, joined the army or had a near-death experience that prompted a profound change in identity.

Episode 6 features someone who quit their job in a women’s refuge to travel around Australia in a campervan and make a podcast … while pregnant.

Dr Catherine Kizana tells the story of when she admitted herself to a psychiatric unit for post-natal anxiety.

“I found it therapeutic to tell my story,” Catherine says. “The gift is whenever you tell your story from beginning to end, you get to integrate it more and process it. Hopefully, sharing my story helps someone else and takes some of the stigma away from post-natal anxiety.”

Niyati Libotte’s crossroad moment came when she pursued a film career, against her parents’ wishes for her to become a dental surgeon. “If you’ve ever been at a moment life where you had to decide between the blue pill or the red pill, this podcast series is for you,” she says.

Several members of the 2023 AFTRS Radio and Podcasting cohort have had crossroads of their own.

Executive Producers Tristan Black and Angela Tjeuw left legal and medical backgrounds behind them in pursuit of their radio and podcasting dreams. Editor Jonathan Pearson used to work in a bank.

The first two episodes will be released tomorrow (2 November) on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts, with further episodes dropping each Monday and Thursday.