EPISODE · Jan 20, 2026 · 54 MIN
What it takes to build community and why we're burnt out on volunteering
from Life Matters - Full program podcast · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation
You've heard the saying "it takes a village". But when so much of our modern lives are geared towards convenience and individualism, where do we find one? New York-based writer Amanda Litman decided to build her own by inviting friends and strangers to weekly dinners for a whole year. Weight loss drugs are here to stay — and changes coming to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme are set to make it easier for more people to access these medications. So how might that change the way we eat together and connect over food? And Professor Dan Woodman examines the conundrum of volunteer burnout: while volunteer numbers have been in steady decline, the amount of work we rely on those volunteers to do has stayed roughly the same.
What this episode covers
You've heard the saying "it takes a village". But when so much of our modern lives are geared towards convenience and individualism, where do we find one? New York-based writer Amanda Litman decided to build her own by inviting friends and strangers to weekly dinners for a whole year. Weight loss drugs are here to stay — and changes coming to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme are set to make it easier for more people to access these medications. So how might that change the way we eat together and connect over food? And Professor Dan Woodman examines the conundrum of volunteer burnout: while volunteer numbers have been in steady decline, the amount of work we rely on those volunteers to do has stayed roughly the same.
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What it takes to build community and why we're burnt out on volunteering
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