- Mia Ross, 24, from Cronulla, NSW started a podcast with her nan, Robyn
- They talk about everything, from heartbreak to hilarious moments
- They now have 3400 Spotify plays and almost 6000 Instagram followers
Here Mia shares her story in her own words.
‘Hi, Nan,’ I smiled, wrapping her in a hug.
‘Hi, Mia,’ she replied, squeezing me tight.
Living just five minutes away, I’d drop in on my nan Robyn whenever I could.
‘We’d always been close.’
Before long we’d have the kettle on, a packet of Mint Slices open, and be chatting away.
We’d always been close.
Our November birthdays were just a day apart, so each year, we’d celebrate with one cake carrying both our names.
Even though she was 82 and I was 24, we had so much in common, loving a nice chat, a fresh mango, and our family get-togethers.
Young at heart, Nan happily joined me when I filmed videos for TikTok, even if she didn’t quite understand them.
The more time we spent together, the more I realised Nan had lived through eight decades of incredible change and had so many stories to tell.
So one day I made a suggestion.
‘Why don’t we start a podcast together, Nan?’ I asked.
‘It’ll just be us chatting about life.’
‘Who’d want to listen to me, and what would I talk about?’ she replied.
‘You can just sit, chat and have a cup of tea with me,’ I laughed.
Thankfully, she said yes.
We called it ‘Tea with Nan’, because sharing a cuppa has always been our thing, while talking about family, memories and everything in between.
We also loved the idea of ‘spilling the tea’ – a colloquial term for gossiping.
‘Nan’s the busiest retired person you’ll ever meet!’
Filming from Nan’s backyard while sipping from her favourite Royal Albert china cups, we introduced ourselves.
‘Nan’s the busiest retired person you’ll ever meet!’ I told listeners.
When we launched our first episode on Instagram in April 2026, I thought a few friends would tune in.
Within an hour, we had 78 followers.
Amazed, I began uploading the episodes on Spotify.
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Our second podcast featured Nan’s beloved swimming group, The Oak Park Jellybeans, who’ve been ocean swimming in Cronulla, NSW, for 60 years.
Nan explained it started when she began meeting every morning at the beach with her friends, Carol and Noeleen, before they all had an ocean dip, even in winter.
Today the friends still meet every morning.
Over the years, the group has expanded, with swimmers ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s.
Nan and our papa, Iain, 83, are among the oldest – with me as the youngest.
Six weeks after launching, our podcast was featured on the news on Channel 7.
Almost overnight, people from across Australia began discovering ‘Tea with Nan’.
Messages poured in from listeners saying our chats reminded them of their own grandparents, inspired them to reconnect with family, or simply gave them something positive to listen to.
Seeing people connect with Nan’s wisdom has been one of the most rewarding experiences.
‘We’ve also tackled some emotional topics.’
But while we’ve shared plenty of laughs, we’ve also tackled some incredibly emotional topics.
One of the hardest was about the loss of my aunt Helen – Nan’s oldest daughter – who was killed by a drunk driver just one week before her 21st birthday.
I’d never heard Nan tell the full story.
Recording that was heartbreaking.
One listener even messaged to say the episode helped her begin healing after her own loss.
Moments like that reminded me exactly why we’d started.
Before retiring, Nan worked as a solicitor’s assistant, managed a school cleaning team, volunteered tirelessly, and somehow still found time to play the violin, banjo and ukulele.
Together with Papa, who sings, and their friend Michelle on piano, they formed The Celtic Connection, performing in aged care homes for more than 20 years.
‘We keep doing it because music makes everyone happy,’ Nan said.
Even now, her diary wears me out.
She plays golf, volunteers, exercises, shops, reads at church, swims daily, and performs music almost every week.
‘Keeping active keeps you young,’ Nan always advises.
‘Exercise your body and your brain.’
She’s also shown me what lifelong friendship really looks like.
We recorded an episode with her best friend Carol, 80, whom she’s known for 75 years, and another with her very close friend, Noeleen, 79.
Listening to them talk about standing beside each other through weddings, raising children, heartbreak and loss reminded me that the best friendships are built over a lifetime.
Not every episode has been serious.
One of my favourites was when we compared modern dating ‘green flags’ and ‘red flags’.
Nan couldn’t believe a man opening a car door had become optional.
‘In my day,’ she said, ‘gentlemen also walked on the outside of the footpath.’
Luckily my boyfriend, Riley, 23, passed her tests with flying colours.
The biggest surprise, though, has been discovering just how much I never knew about my own grandma.
‘Every episode uncovers another story I’d never heard.’
Every episode uncovers another story I’d never heard.
Sometimes I forget she had an entire life before she became my nan, but now those memories are recorded forever.
Decades from now, I’ll still be able to hear her laugh, her stories and her advice to keep swimming, keep volunteering and always choose kindness.
When I told her that, she smiled.
‘I didn’t want to do this at first,’ she admitted.
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‘But now I’m glad we did.
It’ll always be there for you.’
That might just be the greatest gift she’s ever given me.
My mum, Karen, 54, loves our podcasts too, as does Nan’s other daughter, Aunt Michelle, 56, my brothers Cayne, 27, Finn, 23, and my cousins Kyra, 23, and Jedd, 21.
What started as a simple cup of tea between a granddaughter and her nan has become something far more precious – a lasting record of our family’s story.
And if our little podcast, with more than 3400 Spotify plays and almost 6000 Instagram followers, encourages even one person to sit down with their grandparents and ask about their life, then every cuppa has been more than worth it!
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