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Jamila Rizvi and Rosie Waterland - Broken Brains

In-Conversation

Jamila Rizvi and Rosie Waterland take the stage for a heartfelt discussion about the challenges of living with illness and their co-authored book, Broken Brains.

At 31, when Jamila Rizvi was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, she turned to her close friend Rosie Waterland for support. Waterland, who had been grappling with the lasting effects of childhood abuse and ongoing mental health challenges, understood what it meant to live with a ‘broken brain’.  

Drawn from their shared experience of being sick, these two remarkable women sought to write a deeply personal book – Broken Brains – to offer others the comfort, solidarity and understanding they wish they had during their own struggles. 

Rizvi and Waterland appear for one night only in Geelong, where they will sit down with Charlotte Guest for a candid conversation brimming with their trademark levity and wisdom, sharing invaluable advice for anyone facing illness or supporting a loved one through it.   

About the authors

Jamila Rizvi is an experienced broadcaster, public speaker and social policy expert, as well as the bestselling author of Not Just Lucky and The Motherhood. As Deputy Managing Director of Future Women, Jamila champions women’s economic security and gender equity in Australian workplaces. She has been named one of Culture Amp’s 25 Emerging Global Culture Creators, included in the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence and won the Women and Leadership Australia Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership in 2020. Jamila is a board member at The Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas.

Rosie Waterland is an author, comedian, podcaster and public speaker, but mostly calls herself a writer. Her first two books, The Anti Cool Girl and Every Lie I’ve Ever Told, were critically acclaimed national bestsellers. Her podcasts ‘Mum Says My Memoir is a Lie’ and ‘Just the Gist’ have over 20 million combined downloads, earning her an Australian Commercial Radio Award and Australian Podcast Award. She had written for various television projects and nationally toured three one-woman shows. Rosie has spent much of her adult years dealing with the debilitating symptoms of trauma caused by prolonged exposure to abuse and toxic stress in her childhood.

Tickets are $20 or $10 for concession/students. Exclusive to library members only (it's free to join the library!)

If you need any assistance in order to participate in this event, please contact events@grlc.vic.gov.au at least two weeks prior to the event date.

Book sales available thanks to The Book Bird, Geelong West.  Author signings will be offered at the conclusion of the event.

Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre.

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