From an Instagram Story to Changing how a Nation Understands Consent with Chanel Contos
Sun Feb 01 2026
What began as a single Instagram story became a national reckoning.
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, to talk about how thousands of young people sharing their experiences forced Australia to confront what it was not teaching about consent, sex and power.
Chanel takes us back to the moment she asked one simple question online, the flood of responses that followed, and the twelve month sprint that led to consent education being mandated in schools across the country. We talk about rape culture as a system, not a single act, why consent cannot be taught as a one off lesson, and how silence quietly protects harm.
We also explore the harder conversations. Porn literacy. Online influence. The rising hostility she sees in some young men. The emotional cost of carrying thousands of stories. And what real leadership looks like when culture change, not comfort, is the goal.
This is a conversation about courage, responsibility, and what it takes to turn anger into action. Not just for educators and parents, but for leaders everywhere who shape culture whether they intend to or not.
Please enjoy this powerful and deeply important conversation.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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What began as a single Instagram story became a national reckoning. In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us Consent, to talk about how thousands of young people sharing their experiences forced Australia to confront what it was not teaching about consent, sex and power. Chanel takes us back to the moment she asked one simple question online, the flood of responses that followed, and the twelve month sprint that led to consent education being mandated in schools across the country. We talk about rape culture as a system, not a single act, why consent cannot be taught as a one off lesson, and how silence quietly protects harm. We also explore the harder conversations. Porn literacy. Online influence. The rising hostility she sees in some young men. The emotional cost of carrying thousands of stories. And what real leadership looks like when culture change, not comfort, is the goal. This is a conversation about courage, responsibility, and what it takes to turn anger into action. Not just for educators and parents, but for leaders everywhere who shape culture whether they intend to or not. Please enjoy this powerful and deeply important conversation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.