Mandy Nolan

Amanda Nolan (born 18 January 1967) is an Australian comedian and writer. She was the Greens candidate for the federal division of Richmond at the 2022 Australian federal election.

Nolan was announced as the Greens candidate for the federal division of Richmond again in May 2023.

Early life
Nolan was born on 18 January 1967 in Wondai, Queensland. Nolan attended Kingaroy State High School, graduating in 1984. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Queensland, majoring in drama, literature and journalism, and trained as a vocational teacher of adults with learning disabilities.

During university, Nolan also gained experience part-time in the modelling industry.

Since graduating, Nolan has been a comedian, writer, content producer, facilitator, MC, instructor, organiser, promoter and performance coach.

Writer
Nolan has been the entertainment editor of the Byron Shire Echo since 2002, where she authors a column titled "Mandy Nolan's Soapbox", has been a contributor to the online publications Mamamia, The Hoopla, Lunchlady and ABC.

Nolan has published several books including The Full Mandy (2020), Boyfriends We've All Had (and Shouldn’t Have) (2014), Home Truths (2015) and What I Would Do If I Were You: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Family Life (2011), and also collaborated with Ellen Briggs to publish Women Like Us: Feeling Overwhelmed, Overworked, Overweight And Over It? (2018).

Comedian
Nolan's first comedy show was in 1985 at Queensland University, where they were involved in a university show. Nolan has also collaborated to create and tour shows with fellow comedians Ellen Briggs, Women Like Us, Akmal and Austen Tayshus, 2020 Vision, and with musician Áine Tyrrell, Country Witches Association. After the 2022 election, Nolan also created and performed the stand-up comedy show 'The Candidate'.

Dementia Comedy Program
In 2007, Nolan was hired to work with careers of dementia patients, but ended up developing a program of improvised performance, role playing and theatre sports for people with dementia called Stand Up for Dementia.

Nolan facilitated the Stand Up for Dementia program across Australia and taught 20 new facilitators how to work with those with dementia, with the support of a federal government grant. The program resulted in an academic article, created by John Stevens, and international conference presentations on the results. The program was unable to continue without further government funding being provided.

Nolan advocated for humour therapy for people with dementia on TEDxByronBay with Stand up for Dementia in 2010 and SBS's Insight on the Dancing Dementia Episode in 2015. Nolan is also a supporter of the Dementia Inclusive Ballina, being the MC for the 2022 Dementia Update Luncheon and 2023 Symposium.

Teacher
Since 1997, Nolan has taught a stand-up comedy class at Byron Community College, having more than 1,500 graduating students, including Hannah Gadsby. Nolan has also facilitated stand-up comedy workshops such as Laugh Lines with Mandy Nolan at Byron Writers Festival and What if Jesus was married with Akmal Saleh. Nolan also coaches individuals in opinion writing workshops through their Write to the bone workshops and their Authentic You Masterclasses with George Catsi.

Podcaster
Nolan has been the host of various podcasts including Women Like Us - Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs, Authentic You's The Daily Dose Mamamia's The Split, and a guest on many more.

Artist
Nolan also paints, and in their 20's and 30's they exhibited regularly to sold-out shows in Sydney and Byron Bay. In 2023, Nolan had a 'Made You Look, Made You Stare’ exhibition at Julian Edwards Fine Art Gallery.

Nolan started The Byron Bay Comedy Festival in collaboration with Ellen Briggs and Glenn Wright, and was the Festival Director for The Big Joke comedy festival in Bangalow, NSW and a publicist for the Mullumbimby Music Festival.

Environment
Nolan has been an ambassador and advocate of the following charities and causes:


 * Bangalow Koalas
 * Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital
 * Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation
 * Human Nature

Health
The North Coast region has some of the highest rates of Hepatitis C, a blood borne virus (BBV) primarily transmitted via the sharing of injecting equipment. Since 2021, Nolan has worked with Dr George Catsi, in collaboration with Northern NSW Local Health District, to create a podcast series that strived to reduce stigma in health care settings towards people who inject drugs (PWID), as a way of improving their wellbeing and treatment outcomes

Nolan is also an ambassador for Adolescent Mental Health Service, Human Nature.

Older People
In 2008, Nolan started running Shoot it From the Hip Replacement workshops for seniors week. This workshop combined stand-up comedy and empowering older people to share their stories.

Political career
Nolan attended university during a very politicised time in Queensland, and would regularly attend anti-Joe Bjelke-Peterson rallies.

Nolan was first preselected to stand as the Greens candidate for the federal division of Richmond at the 2022 election against the Labor Party incumbent Justine Elliot. Nolan finished with 25.27 percent of the primary vote, a swing of 4.95 percent.

Personal life
Nolan currently lives in Mullumbimby, in the Northern Rivers, with their husband John Stevens, who is an academic.

Nolan has five kids with three different dads, two of whom she had married and one of whom was her de facto partner. Nolan's eldest two daughters by her first marriage to Rhett Hutchence (brother of Michael Hutchence from Australian rock band INXS), her son Charlie, by her second marriage, John's daughter, and their daughter, five-year-old Ivy.

Nolan grew up in alcohol-fuelled domestic violence until their father died in a car accident when they were six.

Books

 * 2020: The Full Mandy by Mandy Nolan (ISBN 9780648780748)
 * 2018: Women Like Us: Feeling Overwhelmed, Overworked, Overweight And Over It? by Ellen Briggs and Mandy Nolan (ISBN 9780648100836)
 * 2015: Home Truths by Mandy Nolan (ISBN 9781925048377)
 * 2014: Boyfriends We've All Had (and Shouldn’t Have) by Mandy Nolan (ISBN 1921462825)
 * 2011: What I Would Do If I Were You: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Family Life (ISBN 9781925048131)