Quick Smart

About Quick Smart

Quick Smart is the show that feeds you big ideas in bite-sized pieces. Get up to speed on some of the biggest issues from psychology, money, health, history, pop culture, in just 10 minutes. Siobhan Marin guides you through!

Publisher

ABC Australia

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Jun 2023

Latest episode

12 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

92 of 130 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   12 Jan 2026

   When did all our clothes become plastic? (SUMMER SERIES)

   Australia buys more clothes per person than any other country and most of it is made up of plastic. Thanks to fast fashion, even our op shops are becoming flooded with these polyester products. So, when did we start wearing plastic? And why did it take over the fashion industry? Guest: Anna Levy, ABC journo. Anna Levy’s article on the rise of not-so-fantastic plastic fashion can be found here. And if you’re into environmental issues and solving them in small but meaningful ways, check out our episode on overtourism. -------- You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 28th Jan, 2025.

2. 

   5 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Non-alcoholic drinks are wildly popular. What’s in them and are they healthy? (SUMMER SERIES)

   Australians love to crack open a ‘cold one’, but increasingly we’re turning to non-alcoholic beers, wines and spirits. How did NoLo drinks become so popular? What’s actually in them? And are they healthier than their boozy counterparts? Guest: Jacinta Bowler, ABC science reporter If you’re into the science of what we eat and drink, check out our episode on the influx of random chip flavours or why the alt right is obsessed with eating meat. Read Jacinta’s article on no and low-alcohol drinks here. If you have something you'd like to see covered on Quick Smart, let us know at quick.smart@abc.net.au -------- You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 25th Feb, 2025.

3. 

   29 Dec 2025

   Feeling stuck? How to make big life decisions, minus the regret (SUMMER SERIES)

   Do you struggle with making big life decisions? Maybe it's moving overseas, quitting your job or deciding to have a baby. This week, how to ditch analysis paralysis and make a life-changing choice. Guest: Sana Qadar, host of All in the Mind. If you liked this chat, check out our episode on what makes someone an introvert or an extrovert. Sana also has a longer All in the Mind episode about how to decide when you can’t decide. Drop us a line at quick.smart@abc.net.au if there's a story or topic you'd like us to cover. ------- You’re listening to Quick Smart's summer season. We’ll return with fresh episodes next year, but in the meantime please enjoy our special curation for the holidays. This episode originally aired on 1st April, 2025.

Inside a recent episode

Non-alcoholic drinks are wildly popular. What’s in them and are they healthy? (SUMMER SERIES)

Published 5 Jan 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And the reason for that is because they're still made of the same kind of ingredients. You've still got carbs in beer, in wine, for example. They have to add more sugar in, because there's just... It's kind of... There's not a lot left in the wine when it's done. And in spirits, of course, it's water. So you're flavoring it. There's probably not a lot of sugar in that. However, you're putting it with the tonic or some other kind of sugary drink usually, so that would have the same kind of issues. So it's definitely healthier than drinking alcoholic beverages, but don't expect it to be, like, as good as water, because it's just not. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

4.4 / 5

100 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

75

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

92

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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