Em Rusciano knows this: taking care of herself first is a radical punk act. And if you know Em from her music, book, radio, or her gloriously chaotic Instagram, you already know she’s never done anything by halves.

Em talks about parenting her 6yr old son, who she describes, with so much love, as a “sixty-year-old cranky super genius”; her family… they’re a “lineage of lunatics” (in the best possible way), the 30 years of friendship with her bestie, screenwriter Michael Lucas; and about dating again in her forties after divorce.

We explore:

• The “Diagnostic Trifecta”: ADHD at forty-two, autism at forty-three, and perimenopause arriving right on schedule, and why Em is grateful she wasn’t diagnosed any sooner
• Why everything she creates gets made “for her”, the woman lying awake at 2am, wondering what happened to her life
• The imprints from her dad and her mum that she’s still working to untangle
• School, undiagnosed neurodivergence, and what it cost her to be brilliant at the hard stuff / punished for struggling with the easy stuff
• Why her darling mate Michael is who she calls the greatest love story of her life
• Dating after divorce, and the new rule book she’s discovered for choosing instead of waiting to be chosen

There’s sweet honesty from Em when she’s talking about her mum and dad in the same breath, the quiet bravery of one and the fierce independence of the other. I’ve such respect for Em Rusciano; she’s built her career and has a genuinely caring community around her by saying out loud what so many are too scared to admit we’re thinking.

“All I can really control is how I respond to that, how I show up in the world. Anything beyond that, I just can’t make my business, or I will go crazy.”

About Em Rusciano:

Em Rusciano is a comedian, singer, author, and podcaster who has spent two decades making Australians laugh, cry, and feel a little less alone.

She first came to national attention on Australian Idol in 2004 and has since built a career across radio, stand-up, and television. In 2023, Em delivered an address to the National Press Club on ADHD and her son’s autism that shifted the national conversation on neurodivergence. She was diagnosed with ADHD at forty-two and autism at forty-three, alongside the arrival of perimenopause, what she calls her diagnostic trifecta.

Her debut book, “Try Hard,” became a bestseller, and her memoir, “Blood, Sweat and Glitter,” covers the five years that changed everything. She co-hosts the podcast “Emsolation” with longtime friend and screenwriter Michael Lucas, and is currently touring nationally with her stand-up show “Addicted to Love.”

Connect with Em:

• Website: emrusciano.com
  
• Instagram: @emrusciano
  
• Podcast: Emsolation (with Michael Lucas)
  
• Book: Blood, Sweat and Glitter
  
• Live Tour: Addicted to Love