EPISODE · May 12, 2026 · 23 MIN
Jasmin Tarasin
from The Anita Podcast
⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of domestic violence, coercive control, emotional abuse, financial abuse, and intergenerational trauma. Please take care of yourself while listening. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the 1800RESPECT national helpline on 1800 737 732 — available 24/7.This episode is not suitable for kids.I sat down with Jasmin Tarasin — director of the stunning new Australian film Life Could Be a Dream — and I was not prepared for how deeply personal this conversation would become. For both of us.Life Could Be a Dream follows Sarah, a forty-year-old woman navigating her way out of a coercive marriage while trying to model strength for her teenage son. It's a film about emotional abuse, shame, survival, and what it actually takes to start over. Starring Maeve Dermody and Alexander England, with Jasmin's own son Sonny McGee in a breakthrough performance.We talk about why coercive control is so hard to see from the inside, why women don't ask for help, and why the most dangerous version of an abuser is the charming one. We also get into the unique and delicate dynamic between single mothers and their sons during adolescence — and what we owe our kids when it comes to modelling what healthy love actually looks like.Jasmin grew up witnessing multigenerational domestic violence firsthand. This film is personal. And it shows in every frame.And my key takeaway from Jasmin? The fairytale we were sold since childhood — the one about being rescued, being completed, being kept — it's the very thing that can keep us trapped. Rewriting that story takes courage. But it's possible. And it starts with knowing what to look for.In this episode:What coercive control really looks like in middle and upper-class relationships — and why it stays invisibleThe Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic of the charming abuser and why it's more terrifying than physical violenceHow children absorb toxic behaviour without knowing it's wrongThe shame that stops women from asking for helpWhy financial independence is one of the most radical acts of self-protectionThe impact campaign partnering with CommBank Next Chapter and The Man CaveThe phone call that changed Jasmin's lifeAbout the film: Life Could Be a Dream is in cinemas now through Palace Cinemas. $1 from every ticket sold goes directly to The Man Cave — Australia's leading preventative mental health charity for young men.CommBank Next Chapter supports people across Australia experiencing financial abuse. commbank.com.au/nextchapterThe Man Cave: themancave.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of domestic violence, coercive control, emotional abuse, financial abuse, and intergenerational trauma. Please take care of yourself while listening. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the 1800RESPECT national helpline on 1800 737 732 — available 24/7.This episode is not suitable for kids.I sat down with Jasmin Tarasin — director of the stunning new Australian film Life Could Be a Dream — and I was not prepared for how deeply personal this conversation would become. For both of us.Life Could Be a Dream follows Sarah, a forty-year-old woman navigating her way out of a coercive marriage while trying to model strength for her teenage son. It's a film about emotional abuse, shame, survival, and what it actually takes to start over. Starring Maeve Dermody and Alexander England, with Jasmin's own son Sonny McGee in a breakthrough performance.We talk about why coercive control is so hard to see from the inside, why women don't ask for help, and why the most dangerous version of an abuser is the charming one. We also get into the unique and delicate dynamic between single mothers and their sons during adolescence — and what we owe our kids when it comes to modelling what healthy love actually looks like.Jasmin grew up witnessing multigenerational domestic violence firsthand. This film is personal. And it shows in every frame.And my key takeaway from Jasmin? The fairytale we were sold since childhood — the one about being rescued, being completed, being kept — it's the very thing that can keep us trapped. Rewriting that story takes courage. But it's possible. And it starts with knowing what to look for.In this episode:What coercive control really looks like in middle and upper-class relationships — and why it stays invisibleThe Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic of the charming abuser and why it's more terrifying than physical violenceHow children absorb toxic behaviour without knowing it's wrongThe shame that stops women from asking for helpWhy financial independence is one of the most radical acts of self-protectionThe impact campaign partnering with CommBank Next Chapter and The Man CaveThe phone call that changed Jasmin's lifeAbout the film: Life Could Be a Dream is in cinemas now through Palace Cinemas. $1 from every ticket sold goes directly to The Man Cave — Australia's leading preventative mental health charity for young men.CommBank Next Chapter supports people across Australia experiencing financial abuse. commbank.com.au/nextchapterThe Man Cave: themancave.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jasmin Tarasin
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