Talk

How I taught myself to be more courageous | Magda Szubanski

Magda Szubanski

TEDxSydney 2018 · 15 June 2018

In this powerful talk, celebrated Australian author and actress Magda Szubanski uses lessons from her Nazi-fighting family to explore where courage originates. She asks if there is such thing as intergenerational courage, and if so, did it help her to help win a 21st-century civil rights battle?


Magda Szubanski is an Australian actress best known for her portrayal of Mrs Hoggett in the film Babe and its sequel Babe: Pig in the City. She also created Sharon Strzelecki from blockbuster sitcom Kath & Kim, the most successful comedy in Australian television history.

Other film credits include The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, alongside the Steve Irwin and The Golden Compass, with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

One of Australia’s most loved entertainers for more three decades, Magda had a crucial role in the complex and challenging 2017 Same-Sex Marriage Survey. Her efforts were critical to the Yes vote’s win.

She was named the Most Talked About Person of 2017 and is considered one of the 2018 Game Changers by Vogue Australia. She was awarded the 2017 Voltaire Award for free speech. She is also a best-selling award-winning author, following the release of her acclaimed memoir Reckoning. She is currently working on a book about the Same Sex Marriage campaign that draws on themes of intergenerational courage.

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