Free Her

S106: Taking Back Our Power and Telling Our Own Stories with Tia Richards

With our final interview of our first season, we talk with Sisters Inside President, Tia Richards. Tia’s story starts when she was just a kid, 17 years old, locked up in Boggo Road Gaol. She talks about what it felt like to be thrown into adult prison before she was even old enough to vote. About seeing women she knew, women from her community, already inside when she got there. And about the lifelong bonds and sisterhood that came out of those brutal beginnings.
This felt like the perfect way to wrap up this season. Tia’s story connects all the threads we’ve been weaving in this season. She’s lived the criminalisation of Aboriginal girls, the surveillance, the poverty, the harm of prisons. She’s also lived the power of connection, of collective resistance, and of organising alongside other women who’ve been through it.
Podcast Hosts: Debbie Kilroy & Tabitha Lean
Producer: Anna Carlson
Original Music: Rivermouth
 
Sisters Inside: https://sistersinside.com.au/
The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls: https://thenationalnetwork.com.au/
 

S105: Finding Repair and Resistance in the Shadow of Prison with MJ Whalen

This is an interview with our sista and friend, MJ. MJ is a mother, a survivor, and a community leader who’s come through so much, and still shows up for others every single day. In this interview, MJ shares the pain of being separated from her own children by the state, about being reunited with them, rebuilding her life, and the deep love that drives everything she does.
MJ reminds us that the system is not just flawed, it is cruel and calculated. It punishes women for being poor, for being racialised, for surviving violence, and for refusing to be silent. MJ’s story shows us the reality of that, but it also shows the strength it takes to come through it with your spirit intact.
Podcast Hosts: Debbie Kilroy & Tabitha Lean
Producer: Anna Carlson
Original Music: Rivermouth
 
Sisters Inside: https://sistersinside.com.au/
The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls: https://thenationalnetwork.com.au/
 

S104: Building Communities of Care with Lorraine Pryor

In this episode, we sit down with another fierce sister in the struggle: Lorraine Pryor. Lorraine is the founder of Voice of Hope, an Aboriginal organisation that supports women and families impacted by the prison system.
Lorraine is a mother, a grandmother, a warrior. She created Voice of Hope after she got out of prison, to fight for others, to make sure no one else felt alone in that fight; and she reminds us that the system doesn’t just target individuals, it destroys families, and it’s designed to disappear our kids, especially Black kids, from their communities and into cages. 
Podcast Hosts: Debbie Kilroy & Tabitha Lean
Producer: Anna Carlson
Original Music: Rivermouth
 
Sisters Inside: https://sistersinside.com.au/
The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls: https://thenationalnetwork.com.au/
 

S103: All Policing is Political with Jacqui Katona

We are excited to share this powerful conversation with Jacqui Katona, a fierce Aboriginal woman who led the fight to stop the Jabiluka uranium mine. Her story is one of resistance, deep love for Country, and the strength it takes to stand against both corporate greed and state violence.
Jacqui’s story speaks to something really important: that policing in so-called Australia has always been political. From the beginning of the colony, the police have been used to suppress Aboriginal resistance. Whether it's protecting mining companies, raiding protest camps, or targeting land defenders, the police are not neutral.
Jacqui’s story is powerful, urgent, and deeply connected to everything this podcast is about: survival, resistance, and the fight to live free.
Podcast Hosts: Debbie Kilroy & Tabitha Lean
Producer: Anna Carlson
Original Music: Rivermouth
 
Sisters Inside: https://sistersinside.com.au/
The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls: https://thenationalnetwork.com.au/
 

S102: Smokin' Coffee with Aunty Vickie Roach

We are honoured to bring you this interview with the incredible Aunty Vickie Roach: writer, advocate, survivor, and fierce truth-teller. Aunty Vickie speaks about her time inside, and about the escape committee she formed inside prison. And yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. But it’s also something bigger. It is about refusing to let the system kill your spirit. About finding freedom wherever you can. About making sure that even behind bars, you’re never truly caged.
It’s an unforgettable story, and one that speaks to the power of collective resistance, even in the darkest places.
 
Podcast Hosts: Debbie Kilroy & Tabitha Lean
Producer: Anna Carlson
Original Music: Rivermouth
 
Sisters Inside: https://sistersinside.com.au/
The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls: https://thenationalnetwork.com.au/
 

S101: Poverty, Prisons & Power with The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls

In this episode, you will hear a panel discussion recorded live at the People Against Poverty Summit, held on Yuggera and Turrbal land in Magan-djin in June 2025. The summit was hosted by the Anti-Poverty Network Queensland, the Anti-Poverty Centre, and a coalition of grassroots anti-poverty organisers from across the continent.
The discussion comprised three of us formerly incarcerated women to talk about the deep links between poverty, gender, race and incarceration, and why we can’t end poverty without closing prisons.Featuring Panel Discussion by: Debbie Kilroy, Tia Richards & Tabitha Lean
Podcast Hosts: Debbie Kilroy & Tabitha Lean
Producer: Anna Carlson
Original Music: Rivermouth
Sisters Inside: https://sistersinside.com.au/
The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls: https://thenationalnetwork.com.au/