Interview by: Olivia Williams
In The Genes, their new podcast, explores the highs, lows, and hilarity of the modern mother-daughter relationship, offering listeners an unfiltered glimpse into their dynamic. With Bec’s seasoned media expertise and Grace’s quick wit, the duo has struck a chord with audiences, quickly climbing the podcast charts. We chat with the mother daughter duo and they reveal how the project came to be, the unexpected challenges of working together, and what’s next for their growing platform.
Q: Bec, after your departure from SAFM, it seems the podcast idea came as a way to reconnect with your audience. How did you come to the decision to create In The Genes, and what made you want to do it with Grace?
A: It was Grace’s idea! I was very humbled and moved by the fact that there were some listeners who still wanted to hear from me after I finished up at SAFM, but I was aware that the podcast market is saturated and didn’t want to do one for the sake of doing one! When Grace suggested we do it together I thought it might be a point of difference and also a fun way to spend time together.
Q: Grace, as a 21-year-old, what made you want to collaborate with your mum on this podcast? Did you ever imagine yourself working together on something like this?
A: Really I just wanted to piggyback off her fame. It’s a means to an end until I launch my own, more successful career. In all seriousness, my mum is so insanely talented and it was such a waste that her humour, intelligence and wit were not being showcased anymore. We also have a very amusing relationship dynamic which I thought would be an interesting niche, particularly for other mothers and daughters in the same boat.
I have always had an interest in media watching my mum on the news and kissing the tv screen when I was 2 years old and I’ve done my odd radio cameo but this is a lot more than I would have expected!
Q: Bec, you’ve been in the media industry for many years—how has working on a podcast with your daughter been different from your previous roles in radio and TV?
A: Well I thought I’d be the boss for once but Grace has taken over already. I’m enjoying being able to record to our own schedule, after years of early starts and deadlines this is a more flexible and creative way to work.
Q: You’ve spoken about the mother/daughter dynamic in your podcast. How do you both navigate working together in this space, and are there any challenges or surprises you’ve encountered so far?
A: It’s changed the dynamic of our relationship a bit. I think Grace now sees us as equals in the podcast space so when I scream at her to clean her room it doesn’t land well. We are going to have to work at delineating the roles because I still need to be able to parent her! We have also had some clashes about what to cover in the podcast and the last episode took us several failed attempts to complete.
Q: Bec, how does it feel to have Grace as a co-host? What do you think she brings to the podcast that maybe others wouldn’t be able to?
A: We don’t have to fake any banter or chemistry as obviously we know each other very well. We can also be brutally honest and direct with each other when we don’t like something. She is also surprisingly funny and very cutting in her humour.
Q: Can you both share what it’s like behind the scenes of the podcast? Is it more of a mother/daughter bonding experience, or do you have to ‘work’ at it to make sure things go smoothly?
A: We work together to plan the episodes, we have a WhatsApp chat where we share ideas when we think of them. Grace will say if my ideas are too boring and I’ll say if hers are too edgy and we try to meet in the middle. The recording of the episodes feel like therapy which is probably useful for us as well as saving us money!
Q: What has surprised you both most about each other while working on this project?
Bec: Grace has surprised me with how natural she is! I think it’s years of making TikToks that make her very comfortable talking on a microphone. Either that or media skills really are In the Genes!
Grace: I have been surprised by just how difficult what my mum has done on radio for the last 6 years is. I think I took for granted the mental effort and intelligence it takes to be able to be as articulate, amusing, relatable and authentic as she is.
Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of launching In The Genes so far?
A: It’s forced us to spend more time together and examine our relationship and family dynamic which, like everyone’s, is not perfect!
Also our first episode went to number 21 on the Australian charts which was just mind-blowing and was due to all of our friends and supporters who listened and shared it for us so we were so grateful.
Q: What’s something you hope to offer to your listeners—whether it’s advice, laughs, entertainment, or simply a different perspective.
A: We want to show that it’s normal for kids and their parents to clash and disagree and still love each other. Grace was my first and I was relatively young so she was my guinea pig and only now am I working out whether the experiment worked or not! And we want people to feel connected, whether that’s through laughter or the odd tear. The best feedback we’ve had so far is that people feel like they are part of our conversation, to the point where they’ve gone to say something in reply.
Q: For each of you, what’s one thing you’re most excited about exploring in the podcast in the future? Do you each have a dream guest?
Bec: We’re going to introduce some guests once the show is established. I would love to chat to Jameela Jamil, she’s one of my favourite feminists but to be low brow I also adored her on The Good Place.
Grace: Besides receiving free skin care (Nobody Wants This reference) I would love to interview Dolly Alderton. I think she is the best human to ever exist and would just want to know her outlook on everything ever.
FAST FACTS
What’s one thing you both argue about the most?
The state of Grace’s room
Who’s more likely to get the last word in an argument?
Bec: Me. I also have a habit of storming upstairs into my bedroom mid argument so that’s a good way to get the last word.
If you could swap lives for a day, what would be the first thing you’d do?
Bec: get a skip bin and throw out half of the stuff in Grace’s room
Grace: apply for the pension
Bec, what’s Grace’s best quality that you admire the most?
Bec: Grace has very strong principles and ideals and she fights for her beliefs.
Grace, what’s something about your mum that you think is underrated?
Grace: her eldest daughter
What’s a fun fact about each other that listeners would be surprised to hear?
Bec: Grace speaks a bit of Japanese and has travelled there 3 times. We’ve had a few Japanese exchange students and I love hearing her speak to them.
Grace: My mum has met both Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr Big (Chris Noth) from Sex and the City.
If you had to describe each other in just one word, what would it be?
Bec describing Grace: passionate
Grace describing Bec: hardworking
Listen to In the Genes on your podcast app.
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