If These Trees Could Talk

A story of fortune, isolation and a woman who simply vanished. 
Once an heiress living a life of extraordinary privilege, Margaret Clement watched as fortune, family and the grand South Gippsland estate she called home slowly disappeared around her. Then, in May 1952, Margaret vanished too.
Shannon presents Megan with the pieces of one of Victoria’s most enduring mysteries, as they follow the remarkable life of the woman who became known as the Lady of the Swamp and ask the question that has remained unanswered for more than seventy years: what happened to Margaret Clement?Shownotes - https://sites.google.com/view/ifthesetreescouldtalk/episode-69-what-the-water-took
 

60 years and still more questions than answers.
In 1966, hundreds of students and teachers at Westall High School in Melbourne, Australia, looked up — and sixty years later, we're still asking what they saw. The Westall UFO encounter remains one of Australia's most extraordinary unexplained mass sightings. Shannon and Megan head back to 6 April 1966 as their spectacularly unqualified alter egos, Shirl and Mavis, for one very strange day on playground duty. Between eyewitness accounts, reported ground marks, missing footage, UAP theories and questions that remain unanswered, they explore what happened at Westall — without pretending they know the answer.
 
 Shownotes
https://sites.google.com/view/ifthesetreescouldtalk/episode-68-a-bad-day-for-playground-duty-the-westall-ufo-encount
 

What might we learn if we listened to young people a little more?
If We Listened gives young people the microphone - because sometimes the people we spend so much time teaching have something to teach us too. They have opinions, experiences, questions and wisdom worth hearing.
In our first conversation, we meet a group of incredible boys living with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). But this isn't a story about asking them to be inspirational or to represent everyone with a diagnosis. It's a chance to hear about their lives in their own words - the funny, frustrating, difficult, ordinary and wonderful parts.
Because a diagnosis can tell us what a condition is. It can't tell us what it's like to live with it. And it certainly can't tell us who a person is.
So we're giving these young people the microphone.
And we're going to listen.Shownoteshttps://sites.google.com/view/ifthesetreescouldtalk/episode-67-more-than-nf1
 

What happens after you survive?
For much of Ruth Carroll’s life, survival was simply part of everyday existence. Childhood sexual abuse, an abduction at knifepoint and an abusive marriage shaped not only what Ruth experienced, but the way she understood love, trust and safety.
But getting out was only the beginning.
In this deeply personal conversation, Ruth joins Shannon from New Jersey to talk about what came afterwards — the years of unlearning, therapy, faith, triggers, relationships and slowly teaching a mind shaped by trauma that it was finally safe.
We talk about the little church Ruth found as a child and the prayer she returned to during one of the most terrifying nights of her life. We explore generational trauma, the choices people make when they're living in survival mode, and why being loved safely can sometimes feel frightening when safety is something you've never really known.
Ruth also shares how photography taught her to find peace in the middle of a storm, how writing became a way to reach other survivors, and why she no longer sees herself as broken.
This isn't an episode about finding a silver lining in trauma or pretending everything happens for a reason.
It's about what we choose to build afterwards.
Continue the Story
There is much more to Ruth's story than we could fit into one episode description. Head to the Episode 66 show notes on the If These Trees Could Talk website to read more about Ruth, discover her books, find links to follow her work, and read Shannon's personal reflection on what stayed with her after the conversation.
You'll also find support and further resources for anyone who may recognise parts of their own story in Ruth's.
Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of childhood sexual abuse, domestic and family violence, sexual violence, attempted abduction, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. Please take care while listening.
 
 Shownotes
https://sites.google.com/view/ifthesetreescouldtalk/episode-66-the-thread-that-wouldnt-break-an-exploration-of-he
 

On 29 January 2009, four-year-old Darcey Freeman should have been starting her first day of school. Instead, Australia witnessed one of its most devastating acts of family violence.
In this reflective episode, we look beyond the headlines to explore the psychology of anger, resentment and emotional responsibility. Rather than asking how could this happen?, we ask a different question: What happens long before violence?
This is not a traditional true crime episode. It's a thoughtful examination of one of Australia's most heartbreaking cases and the lessons it continues to offer about the stories we tell ourselves, the emotions we carry, and the choices we make before hurt becomes harm.

This week's episode is a little different.
No guest. No big story. Just an honest conversation.
Over the last few months, I've spent a lot of time exploring what growth really looks like. We've talked about success, what waits on the other side of saying no, and finding the courage to build a life around what truly matters.
Then I realised... I wasn't taking my own advice.
Somewhere along the way, I started saying no to the very things that inspired this podcast in the first place—time in nature, weekends away, meaningful conversations, and simply allowing life to unfold.
So today, I'm letting you in on a decision I've made.
If These Trees Could Talk will be returning to fortnightly episodes.
Not because we're slowing down, but because I'm choosing to protect the life that creates the stories worth telling.
If you've ever found yourself so busy creating a life that you've forgotten to actually live it, I hope this conversation reminds you to pause, take a breath, and ask yourself what really matters.
Sometimes the most important growth isn't about doing more.
Sometimes it's about having the courage to live what you already believe.
See you all next week.... 

For years, I measured my life against a definition of success that never seemed to fit. I celebrated other people's achievements with ease, yet struggled to recognise my own. It wasn't until I chose Growth as my word for the year that I began asking a different question: What if success isn't about becoming someone new, but remembering who you've always been?
Inpired by Megan's 'Diary Of' episode, I invite Megan into my own diary pages and my thought processes to explore personal growth, self-worth, mental health, resilience and self-compassion through an unexpected lesson from nature. Sitting beneath a twisted Australian eucalyptus tree, I realised I'd spent years believing there was only one right way to grow.
If you've ever wrestled with comparison, questioned your purpose, navigated recovery, or wondered whether your life has taken an unexpected path, I hope this conversation reminds you that a meaningful life isn't measured by someone else's scorecard.
Perhaps the forest has been teaching us all along.
Who decided that straight was the way it was supposed to grow in the first place?
To explore the reflections that inspired this episode, and discover more stories from If These Trees Could Talk, visit www.ifthesetreescouldtalk.com.au.

Neil the Seal has captured hearts across Australia—but behind the viral photos is one of the ocean's most extraordinary wild animals.
In this episode, Shannon sits down with Marine Ecologist and southern elephant seal expert Dr Clive McMahon to uncover the science behind Australia's most famous seal. With decades of research spanning Macquarie Island and the Southern Ocean, Dr McMahon has dedicated his career to studying southern elephant seals and the changing marine environment they call home.
By fitting elephant seals with specialised tracking devices, his research does far more than reveal their incredible journeys. These remarkable animals collect vital ocean data from places that are difficult for scientists to reach, helping us better understand the health of the Southern Ocean and the impacts of climate change.
Together, we explore Neil's extraordinary story, the fascinating biology and behaviour of southern elephant seals, why wild animals sometimes find themselves in our communities, and how we can admire them without putting them at risk.
Whether you've been following Neil's adventures or simply love wildlife, this conversation will give you a new appreciation for one of Australia's most remarkable marine mammals—and the critical role they play in helping us understand our changing planet.

As NAIDOC Week draws to a close, we continue our conversation with Aunty Brenda Matthews.
In this second and concluding chapter, the focus shifts from what was taken to what has been reclaimed. Brenda reflects on finding her identity, reconnecting with culture, embracing forgiveness, and transforming a painful past into a life dedicated to healing, education and hope.
Together, Megan and Shannon explore the power of storytelling, the impact of intergenerational trauma, and the role each of us can play in shaping a more understanding and connected future.
As NAIDOC Week ends, may this not be the end of our listening, but the beginning of how we choose to walk together every day that follows.
Show notes: https://ifthesetreescouldtalk.com.au
Learn more about Aunty Brenda Matthews and purchase The Last Daughter: https://www.brendamatthews.com.au/
Watch The Last Daughter documentary on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au
If this conversation brings up difficult emotions, support is available through 13YARN, the national Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support service: https://www.13yarn.org.au
 
https://www.ifthesetreescouldtalk.com.au/episode-61-the-way-home-in-conversation-with-aunty-brenda-matthews

As NAIDOC Week begins, Megan and Shannon sit down with Aunty Brenda Matthews—proud Wiradjuri woman, author, filmmaker, speaker and survivor of the Stolen Generations—to share the deeply personal story behind one of Australia's most painful chapters.
Taken from her family as a young child, Brenda grew up between two worlds, carrying questions of identity, belonging and truth that would shape the course of her life. With extraordinary grace, she reflects on the reality of being separated from her family, the search for justice, and the love that carried her through it all.
This conversation isn't about politics. It's about people. It's about listening to lived experience and recognising that reconciliation begins with truth.
Show notes: https://ifthesetreescouldtalk.com.au
Learn more about Aunty Brenda Matthews and purchase The Last Daughter:  https://www.brendamatthews.com.au/
Watch The Last Daughter documentary on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au
If this conversation brings up difficult emotions, support is available through 13YARN, the national Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support service: https://www.13yarn.org.au
 
https://www.ifthesetreescouldtalk.com.au/episode-60-stolen-in-conversation-with-aunty-brenda-matthews