With a career as diverse and intriguing as her personality, Linda has carved her niche within the media industry, captivating the world with her unique blend of talent, charisma, and unwavering dedication. We caught up with Linda to talk about her new book Love Language and the second season of her podcast Tough Love.
What do you love most about LA and what do you love most about Sydney? What are you missing from home?
LA does often feel like the land of opportunity with a plethora of options for fun. I love how big and diverse the arts scene is. Whether you love fashion, music, TV, ceramics, you name it - there’s always something on and a pile of people to do it with. But I do love Sydney’s general laidback lifestyle compared to the hectic hustle of LA. Plus the coffee and food scene in Australia is amazing. I miss seeing my parents and hugging my nephews. And I miss Sydney in the summer, when the beach dips are so stunning!
What are your favourite pieces from the Alpha60 Spring Summer collection?
The Rose Mini Skirt in beige/black/paprika is divine and so breezy to wear on hot summer nights! The cut is sleek and flattering, and I am a sucker for a comfy elastic waistband. Actually a perfect skirt! I also love the London Tank in caper. It’s understated but elevated, which is the epitome of Alpha60 in my mind.
Presenter, author and musician – what’s next for Linda Marigliano?
How about a professional eater? I love food!
How did your book and podcast come to be? What made you shift from radio and tv presenting into podcasts and writing?
The Tough Love podcast was an organic idea after quitting my full-time radio job. I wanted a new project that was creatively fulfilling and challenging; something that navigated bigger ideas like career & identity, long distance relationships, fertility, people pleasing, etc. The podcast then fueled the Love Language memoir, which was a much more intimate deep dive into the versions of love in our lives.
Having done radio for so many years, it was a natural progression to be releasing podcasts. And there’s a lot of crossover into book writing too. It’s a similar storytelling muscle that you have to use but within a different medium. It’s been so enriching!
Do you have any tea to spill on your second season of your podcast Tough Love?
It’s pretty dramatic and lots of fun! We left the first season on a cliffhanger, and season two has some unpredictable twists ‘n’ turns in my real life. There’s hilarious advice from famous friends including Benny Blanco, there’s a confession from my mum which made us all tear up, and then the season finale episode holds a heartbreaking full circle moment. It was very emotional releasing that one! You’ll know it when you hear it.
Do you find it hard to share your personal life like you do in your podcast Tough Love and book Love Language: A Memoir of Family, Music and Pasta?
Sharing my personal life has never been easy for me, even though that’s clearly what I’m doing now! But I think the lesson is to always share with intention. By that I mean sharing your story with the purpose of commenting on greater ideas; to give value to the person listening or reading. And even with that in mind, it can still be truly terrifying knowing that personal stuff is out there! Even now, I cannot believe that my dad has read my book, where I write so much about my love life. My face is going red just thinking about it, haha.
If you had to summarise your book into a few sentences – what would you say?
It’s a fast-paced story about a girl (that’s me) who grows up within a close-knit Italian Chinese-Malaysian family in Australia. It’s about the ways that we show love, through duty, loyalty and people-pleasing. And the ways I’ve tried to be a “good girl” throughout my career and my love life. There’s scenes dedicated to family feasts, being a musician and one particularly heinous and hilarious story about cheating in a nightclub. Mama mia!
Do you have any daily rituals?
My non-negotiables are always a morning coffee, my hydrating skin care routine, stretching and going for a long walk. I’m not a hardcore exerciser but I definitely get agitated if I haven’t stretched my limbs or left the house all day.
What are your go to podcasts at the moment?
I’m always a lover of fiction podcasts so I trawl through whatever new ones have been released. Recently I smashed through BBC Sounds People Who Knew Me starring the hypnotic Rosamund Pike as the main character. I also look out for what QCODE Media are making because I love their immersive scenes. And often I’ll come back to The New Yorker Fiction podcast, which has authors reading aloud short stories that have been published in the New Yorker Magazine. It’s stimulating AND soothing.
You were on Adam Liaw’s SBS show ‘The Cook Up’ – did you learn any secret cooking tips?
No special secrets, but I was reminded that confidence is key! Confidence, a bit of practice, then tasting and adjusting and tasting again. For years I’ve been intimidated by all the amazing cooks in my family, thinking they were just born with that level of skill naturally. But Adam reminded me that it’s having the confidence to just give it a go, and not be scared of stuffing it up. You can always adjust dishes, and the worst case scenario is that you eat toast for dinner. I love toast so that’s fine.
What is your favourite comfort meal?
What a mouth-watering question! It’s definitely a simple pasta. I love mafaldine pasta because the luxurious ribbons hold onto the sauce so well. The pasta sauce would be a slow cooked tomato and basil, which I stir fresh ricotta through.
If you could be an animal what would it be and why?
A capybara because I really am a big, juicy ass rodent.