Today’s guest is probably a familiar name and face to many of us who are parents. Rachael Coopes has been a long-time presenter on Play School, having graced the stage and screen for thousands of ecstatic toddlers for many years now, but also is an award-winning storyteller working across many forms, writing, acting and producing for international screen and stage for more than two decades. While storytelling is her career, yoga is Coopes' passion.

In 2004, she was awarded the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust to study in Paris with Philippe Gaulier, mentor, and teacher to Sacha Baron Cohen. Rachael has also starred in Australia’s most loved dramas such as The Secret Life of Us and McLeod’s Daughters and has written award-winning theatre. Her latest book Paris for Beginners is out now and published by Affirm Press. Her previous book, Find Your Strength, focused on her story of navigating her life as a solo parent.

Oh and as an aside, Rachael and I went to boarding school together over 30 years ago, and in a spooky coincidence I too lived for some time in Paris in my far more hedonistic 20s – which is one of my greatest memories too and remains still my favourite city.

Hear from Rachael about:

1. Last April, as Australia’s borders re-opened post-pandemic and your son visited his grandparents in Perth with his dad, you headed back to Paris for my first solo holiday since becoming a parent. What was your goal when you decided to do this?

2. How has Paris changed in your 20 years since being a resident and what remains the same?

3. What made you decide to move to Paris many years ago in the first place and what were a few of the biggest challenges or surprises you had about residing there vs your preconceived vision of the city known for cliches of romance, love of the arts and chic fashion, transport strikes and open-air cheese markets?

4. How has having an expat experience influenced your career and you as a person even today?

5. Was returning to your “normal life” harder than expected and what helps you reconcile ‘Rachael in Paris’ and Rachael in Sydney on a farm more routine-led day-to-day basis?

6. Takeaway: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of Parisian Life?

CONTACT INFO:

LinkedIn: (5) Rachael Coopes | LinkedIn

Instagram: Rachael Coopes (@rachaelcoopes) • Instagram photos and videos

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