Michelle Sheppard (“Mama Mish”) is a radio personality, producer, and inclusion consultant. She currently co-hosts JOY Breakfast (Thursdays, 7:00am–9:00am) and is known for creating sharp, human conversations about gender equity and transgender inclusion, grounded in lived experience and built for real-world change.
Current Media Work
- Co-host, JOY Breakfast on JOY 94.9 (Thursdays, 7:00am–9:00am)
Previous
Radio
- JOY Breakfast Radio Mish and Mates
- Host & Producer, Trans POV
- Host/Producer and Co-host/Co-producer, Transpositions (JOY’s flagship trans program)
- Co-host, Family Matters (rainbow families)
- This Girl Can Podcast: For more information on This Girl Can, visit ThisGirlCan.com.au
Video
Bent TV:
Other:
About Michelle
Michelle Sheppard, affectionately known as “Mama Mish”, is a radio personality, producer, public speaker and inclusion consultant. Born in the United States and proudly based in Australia, Michelle is known for bridging lived experience with practical, real-world leadership, translating complex issues into conversations people can actually act on.
Her media work has carved out space for nuanced, human storytelling about transgender, gender diverse and intersex lives in Australia, with a style that’s equal parts honest, informed, and disarmingly relatable. As she’s put it: “I ended up hosting the show I came in to be interviewed on.”
Michelle currently co-hosts JOY Breakfast each Thursday morning, and her previous productions include Mish and Mates, Transpositions, Family Matters, and Trans POV.
Recognition
Michelle was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2023 (Change Agent category).
She is also featured in Finding Her, an initiative of Her Place Women’s Museum that spotlights women and gender-diverse people on an interactive map across Victoria, where she is recognised for her work as a radio personality/presenter.
Beyond media
Off-air, Michelle delivers diversity, equity and inclusion training and advisory support to help organisations move from good intentions to solid practice, particularly around gender equity, workplace inclusion, and supporting people who are transitioning or affirming their gender.
She also helped develop and launch LGBTI Jobs, a national platform connecting job seekers with inclusive employers.
What Michelle speaks on
If you want a quick “bookable topics” list for this page, use something like:
- Trans inclusion without the jargon: what actually changes workplaces
- Gender equity, culture, and the invisible “rules” people are expected to know
- Psychological safety, respectful behaviour, and practical allyship that isn’t performative
- Media, visibility, and why representation matters (and when it backfires)
- Leadership through backlash: staying steady when the conversation gets spicy
