Radio host, One half of Jase & PJ
Polly "PJ" Harding is one half of Jase & PJ, one of Melbourne's favourite breakfast radio shows!
Polly brings a breath of fresh air to Australian radio through her genuine, relatable and humorous approach to content and life.
Polly began her radio career at ZM in New Zealand. After working as a host on evenings and daytime radio, Polly met Jase Hawkins, and together they co-hosted ZM's National Drive. In 2018, they relocated to Melbourne to host Breakfast on KIIS.
PJ on Instagram: http://instagram.com/pjdeejay
Jase & PJ on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaseandpj/
Listen to Jase & PJ: https://www.kiis1011.com.au/shows/jase-pj/
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“Um, communication, 97. Um, you know, you've got to work out her language of love.”
“We lost our voices and our minds.”
“our show is like therapy because when you're acquiring content, it's things that are going on in your life.”
“I learned to just completely own all my sort of flaws. And with that, that's where you get the true essence and the magic of the show, I think.”
“It's, you know, like one day you're fine and it's just one thing that'll trigger you and then you're a mess.”
“there's always a hole, but you learn to walk around it instead of actually filling it.”
“I think everyone is tougher than they think.”
How do you keep a long-distance relationship fresh?
Focus on communication, learn your partner's 'language of love', keep up regular contact in whatever form works for you both, and create things to look forward to in order to keep things exciting.
What should you avoid or do during a long overnight livestream?
Don't play copyrighted music on the stream or it will get taken down; stay active (stretch, move around); save caffeine consumption for the hardest overnight stretch rather than the whole event.
How do co-hosts maintain a healthy working relationship when spending so much time together on air?
Treat it like a relationship/marriage: have explicit conversations about boundaries, agree on topics that are off-limits, and build trust over time through experience rather than assuming you both know where the line is.
How can you manage feeling burnt out from an early-start job?
Use short bursts of exercise (like a 4km run) or yoga to get endorphins flowing again, and consider meditation (such as TM) twice a day to build energy reserves rather than relying on sugar or caffeine.
How do you avoid getting overwhelmed by self-help books?
Don't try to read them all at once or front-to-back; read a few pages, sit with the idea and process it before moving on, and accept you'll resonate with some parts more than others.
How can you get through a difficult grieving period while still having to perform at work?
Accept there's no single method — some days it's eating comfort food, other days it's leaning on friends, music, running or yoga; be transparent with your team about having a hard day so they can give you space, and trust that things get easier with time even though it comes in waves.
Mason and PJ recount their previous 56-hour radio marathon, describing how sleep deprivation felt like being drunk, how they celebrated early with pub shots before the end, and how the resulting hangover made the final stretch far harder, ending with them sleeping next to each other.
Polly recalls hosting a segment dubbed the 'Bieber barbecue' where Justin Bieber, seemingly a bit drunk, was playful and rested his head on her shoulder, later making headlines.
Polly describes her father's long illness (diagnosed when she was 14-15 with 2-5 years to live, who lived almost 15), his recent passing, and the emotional toll of returning to breakfast radio afterward, including wanting to quit broadcasting, feeling guilt over happy moments, and the idea that grief is something you learn to walk around rather than get over.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
She advised focusing on communication, learning your partner's 'language of love', keeping regular contact, and having things to look forward to in order to spice things up.
From episode 714→She says it's like a marriage: they've had explicit conversations about what topics are off-limits, learned over time (especially a tricky first year) to build trust, and will call a pause ("pump the brakes") if something feels too raw to joke about.
From episode 527→She describes getting through it day by day, leaning on friends, family, music, running and yoga rather than one fixed method, feeling guilt about moments of happiness, and ultimately adopting the idea that you learn to walk around the hole grief leaves rather than ever filling it.
From episode 527→She prioritises sleep, uses Transcendental Meditation once in the morning and once in the afternoon, goes for short runs (~4km) or does yoga to get endorphins going, and uses float tanks when she needs a bigger reset.
From episode 527→Every episode featuring Polly Harding on The Daily Talk Show.
Polly Harding joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 714 (4 May 2020) — "Jase & PJ - 24 Hour Live Stream". Jase & PJ are back! We chat about Mr. 97's new relationship, Jase & PJ's 56 Hour Marathon show, and hooking up with listeners!
Polly Harding joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 527 (24 November 2019) — "Polly "PJ" Harding On Radio, Self-Improvement & Grief". Polly "PJ" Harding is one half of Jase & PJ, one of Melbourne's favourite breakfast radio shows! Polly brings a breath of fresh air to Australian radio through her genuine, relatable and humorous approach to content and life. Polly began her radio career at ZM in New Zealand. After working as ...