Sally Spicer

Born and raised in Newcastle, Sally immersed herself in the local industry while studying a Bachelor of Communications at the University of Newcastle. An internship at 2NURFM led to roles in iconic Newcastle radio stations KOFM and NXFM (now known as 102.9 Triple M and Hit 106.9).

After several years under the Southern Cross Austereo umbrella, a promotion saw Sally relocate to Melbourne where her career expanded into audio journalism and podcasting. She later helped launch The Briefing, a national news podcast that piqued her interest in long-form storytelling.

A new opportunity soon emerged with Future Women, an organisation dedicated to advancing gender equity by telling women’s stories and helping them build careers. Founded by Helen McCabe, former editor-in-chief of the Australian Women’s Weekly, and led alongside gender equality advocate Jamila Rizvi, Future Women expanded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the organisation grew, so did Sally’s role. What began in social media and communications soon evolved into an opportunity to co-create, executive produce, and eventually host a new podcast about domestic and family violence.

There’s No Place Like Home premiered in 2022, placing victim-survivors at the centre of their own stories by challenging traditional journalistic approaches to reporting that often unwittingly undermine the value of their lived experience.

The series became one of Australia’s most celebrated podcasts, earning major industry accolades both here and abroad, including Best Podcast (Series) at the 2024 Mumbrella Publish Awards and a Bronze Award at the New York Festivals Radio Awards. Sally herself was named Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Mumbrella Publish Awards, with judges recognising her ability to tell underreported stories with humility and sensitivity.

For Sally, the recognition is secondary to the impact.

"It is one of the greatest privileges of my life that people feel they can trust me with the worst things that have ever happened to them and sharing it in a way that is not harmful and that is actually healing for them.”

The podcast continues to improve public awareness and understanding of domestic violence, particularly non-physical abuse and coercive controll. Sally’s trauma-informed approach to journalism is increasingly regarded as best practice, influencing how media organisations approach their own reporting on violence against women and children.

“The key to good trauma-informed journalism is centering the person that you're platforming, respecting their lived experiences, lived expertise, and being humble enough to know that being a journalist who, for example, used to read the news on the radio which is what I did, is absolutely not the same as being able to tell these really complex stories in a way that honours and respects the people that you are collaborating with—the survivors.”

Today, as Senior Producer at Future Women, Sally continues to challenge her industry to do better.

"There are some truly exceptional journalists in Australia. But broadly speaking, the media often misunderstands what causes domestic and family violence – which is gendered attitudes and a perpetrator’s choice to abuse another person. And because of the power it has, it then perpetuates those misunderstandings.”

"Domestic violence doesn't exist within a vacuum; it exists within the systems that either actively enable it or permit it by virtue of not intervening. And media is one where you’re able to turn a person who’s experienced violence into a footnote in their own story if you’re not trauma-informed.”

Already recognised nationally and internationally for her work, Sally has held significant influence early in her career. Her attention, however, is fixed on shaping her industry to treat victim-survivors with greater responsibility and respect.