All Episodes

September 7, 2025 • 15 mins

This episode is about balance, quick changes, and not letting anyone put you in a tidy little box. Meet Micah Kickett, a proud Koori and Noongar man who spends his days in a suit and tie as a lawyer… then swaps the briefcase for a microphone to become a stand-up comedian by night.

Micah takes us on the fastest commute ever, racing from the courtroom to the comedy stage, still in the same suit, finding laughs in the kind of situations only he could tell you about. Along the way, he shares how humour became his secret weapon, helping him navigate two completely different worlds and reminding us that you can be more than one thing at a time.

From legal briefs to punchlines, this is a story about finding your voice, owning your space, and making people laugh while you do it. Micah proves that sometimes the best way to speak your truth is to tell a really good joke.

NRMA Insurance, proud supporters of First Nations’ storytelling. Because that’s what a Help Company would do.


 

Find And Tell is co-production between BlakCast & iHeart Australia.

Hosted by Mundanara Bayles.

Storytellers are Dobby, Micah Kickett and Aaliyah Jade Bradbury.

Show Producer is Phoebe Adler-Ryan & Aaliyah Jade Bradbury.

Theme music, sound design, mix & mastering by Alex Cox.

Special thanks to Mundanara Bayles, Corey Layton, Alyssa Partington, & Aaron Sokolenko.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of
the lands on which we've recorded this episode, and also
pay respect to the elders and communities of the many
lands where you, our listeners, are joining us today we
honor the continuing connection to country, culture and story. Welcome

(00:25):
back to Find and Tell. I'm Mondonaravels. This is a
podcast where First Nation storytellers take the mic and bring
us powerful personal stories you won't hear anywhere else. Each episode,
our storytellers are given a theme and they take us
wherever it leads them. The yarns you'll hear are raw,
original and full of heart. And today we've got something

(00:48):
a little different and deadly funny from Micah kikett A
Praud Koori and nungar Man, who's a lawyer by day
and a stand up comedian by night. In this episode,
Micah takes us from the courtroom to the comedy stage
and along the way he finds freedom, community and his voice.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Did you want me to have a crack?

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Bro?

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Hang on? Wait, wait, which Mike you want? I've got four? Bet?
What does that sound like out there?

Speaker 3 (01:24):
Mate?

Speaker 2 (01:25):
How are we? Yeah? Cool? One Name's finally kick it.
And I'm originally from Broken Hill, which is like far
ways to New South Wales anymore brow where that is
the outback is home, rugged hills, red dirt, wide skies.
That was my whole world. But even as a kid,

(01:47):
I knew I had something else too, a sharp tongue
and nat for making people laugh. I was the cheeky
one in the family, the last word Haber, the weirdo
with the twisted sense of humor. Back then, I didn't
know comedy could be more than a hobby. I didn't

(02:08):
know it was a career, a calling, even a way
of healing. But I did know that whenever I made
people laugh, something lit up in me. When I'm on stage,
I'm free, no fear, no judgment, just meet the mic

(02:29):
and the moment I come alive. I remember stumbling across
the Melbourne International Comedy Gala on TV one night, watching
comedians take the stage and own the room, cutting through
silence with punch signs that brought the house down, and

(02:50):
I remember thinking I could do that if I had
the chance. But then the questions came, where do I
even start, who do I talk to? How do I
get my foot in the door. I didn't have the
answers back then, so I put comedy aside and I

(03:12):
became a lawyer. Maybe it was fear that held me back,
maybe it was uncertainty, or maybe I just didn't know
what I really wanted. It's eight fifty two am. I
can't find my belt, my tires crooked, my court bag

(03:36):
won't close. It's stuff with files and my laptop. The
Magistrate's due in court in any minute, and I'm hoping
at least one of my clients actually shows up. Today's
a big one. Being a lawyer can be a wild ride, exhausting,
intent even exhilarating at times. What I love most was

(03:58):
working with people, giving a voice to someone who didn't
think they had one, making people feel seen, heard, understood.
But something wasn't quite right. I couldn't fully be myself.

Speaker 4 (04:13):
There were rules, restrictions, legislation systems, and somewhere in all
of that I started losing touch with my creative side.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Still, I told myself, this is what I want right now.
Be the best lawyer you can be. Micah. It was
late one night in twenty nineteen. I was scrolling on
Facebook and bed when I saw an ad think You're funny,

(04:44):
got what it takes to make a crowd laugh? Sign
up to the Deadly Funny Competition. I froze Darwin Heat
five minutes of original material a workshop with the legendary
Kevin Prepinuri. Thought you know what, Yeah, let's give it
a crack, and just like that, I signed up. It's

(05:09):
the day of the show. I've just finished court. I'm
drenched in sweat, brain fried from back to back cases.
Then I remember Deadly Funny Heat Tonight six pm. Brown's
mart Theater.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Welcome Back to Find and Tell Where with Micah Kikett
as he races from the courtroom floor to the comedy spotlight,
still in his suit.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
I led it across town, still in my suit, no
time to change. I arrive, heart pounding. Hey brother, Hey brother, Kevin.
It's Micah. I'm here for the com just came straight
from court as a lawyer, bro, and that night I
killed her. I got selected as a national finalist. Next minute,

(06:00):
you know, I'm off to Melbourne. What's up that is?
I'm really excited to be here tonight, right, But before
we go any further, I just need you to excuse
the fact that I'm still in my court clothes. I'm

(06:26):
a lawyer, by the way, but I know what some
of years we're thinking. From there, things started moving slowly
but surely. I kept putting myself out there, learning, failing,
getting back up, because when you're starting out, you never
really know if other comedians are going to like you.

(06:47):
You don't even know if the crowd's going to like you,
and that can be a scary thing. There were times
I was living out in Broken Hill and I would
drive five hours, five hours just to get to a
ten minute gig and adelaide, then turn around and drive back.
That's the grind, that's the hustle. But that's how much
it meant to me. It was the end of last

(07:12):
year in twenty twenty four, and I was feeling the
urge to do more stand up and I see my
brother boys facebook post Fabian Woods Muditch comedy show at
Perth Fringe World. I reached out to brother Fabian. Hey, brother,
I just saw your post about the Mudditch comedy show.
I'll be in town then and I'll come along my

(07:35):
brother Reckon. Well, if you're in town, why don't you
just come join us. I'll make a spot for you.
What's the time now six o'clock. So when are we're on?

Speaker 5 (07:43):
Six thirty?

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Right? I am with Fabian Woods, creator of Mudditch Comedy.
But tell me who your mother?

Speaker 5 (07:59):
Mama Woods Bolton my grip right, no, no, long as
Buddy Mane.

Speaker 2 (08:08):
Do you ever think back to your early gigs and
remember how nervous you.

Speaker 5 (08:12):
Were bloody ice. Yeah, yeah, I used to be shaken
for a few days, you know. Yeah, Now it's more excitement.
See now my jokes are going to be received and
you sort of yeah. You develop jokes and you want
to get them, get them hurt. So there's more excitement
these days.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
Tell me about the mud Which comedy group? How did
it all start?

Speaker 5 (08:31):
It was a bit of a dream to have my
own crew, you know, and have a have a show
of telling them to no as all black follows. I
just had to put my hand up and everyone just
jumped on and everyone gave her hand and here we
are today. You know, I'm supported by four awesome comedians,
including yourself. He's all smart and he's all he's all
the same thing, you know. Just make people happy.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
Now, if you're up for a brother, I want to
tell us a joke.

Speaker 5 (08:59):
What did the dog when you looked up?

Speaker 2 (09:01):
What roof too good? Tell me your name and your
mob Denise.

Speaker 6 (09:08):
Kikett Neie Wilkes and I'm a wadark Indi Barranty Wangata
Gidea woman.

Speaker 2 (09:13):
And what got you into stand up?

Speaker 6 (09:15):
Oh my gosh. I started when I was like nineteen
years old. I started doing stand up And yeah, it's
so good to get back on and hit the floorboards again.
As they say in the performing arts world, I think
it's an opportunity for me because I'm such an advocate
for my culture. It's an opportunity and it's an avenue
where I know that I can actually use comedy and

(09:37):
I can use the performing arts to actually share and
showcase understanding to a lot of people who don't understand
our culture. And you know, to put a bit of
a comedy spin on it is really good.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
What does it mean to be a part of the
Mudditch Comedy Crew?

Speaker 6 (09:50):
Oh my god, it's so good to be a part
of the Moditch Comedy Crew because we are just you know,
somebody said to me, what's what's the Moddage crew? And
I said, We're just Mudditch because we're Modditch. And in
the three seconds Morich Comedy Crew. We just know how
to articulate our business, original business blackness in a way
that's so comical. You've got to come down and make
sure you come and see us.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
And what does comedy do for mob and community? Aboriginal people?

Speaker 6 (10:16):
And this is First Nations people, Indigenous people, whatever you
want to call yourself, but a mob here because I'm
a Nonga, I just want to say that comedy is
our world.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
We know.

Speaker 6 (10:25):
We don't even have to open our mouths. We just
look at our mob and we just start laughing, you know,
because we have been so indoctrinated with the white ways
that when it comes to comedy, we just love it.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
And it's an opportunity for us.

Speaker 6 (10:36):
To express our feelings and express who we are as
original people and the oldest continuing people in the world.

Speaker 2 (10:46):
All right, So who we got here.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
Liz Knuckle And here's a mob Nanunga and most of
my mom's from the Southwest. I've got a huge family,
too long of a story.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
To tell, like most of us, So tell us what
got you into stand up?

Speaker 3 (11:01):
I used to be very shy when I was younger,
and I did a leadership course, but I think it
was three years ago with Wiley Organization and they said,
what are your dreams beyond this leadership? And I said,
I want to do stand up comedy. I want to
come out of shadows. And that's what inspired me to
do this, and I'm trying to get myself out of hiding.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
So even though you've been doing it for a couple
of years, now, do you call yourself a comedian?

Speaker 3 (11:23):
Yeah, I tell people I'm a stand up comedian, but
not a complete professional. I'm still learning my trade.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
So how do you find the time to fit this
all in with like life, were kids, family?

Speaker 3 (11:35):
I am a nutcase. That's the only way to put it.
I can't put it in words why I do so much,
But I'm very much about giving back to the community.
I think it's important when you've got somewhere in life
that you give back to others. And that's my ethical
values that I have and standards I hold myself too.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
And what does comedy do for our mob, you reckon?

Speaker 3 (11:54):
It takes away a little bit of stress, It takes
away the feeling of trauma because we've got, you know,
inherited trauma, intergenerational trauma, and it kind of helps us
to look at things because blackfellows are funny people and
we've always had a talent to laugh our problems away,
and it's just passing that gift on to the next person.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
It's been a worthwhile grind doing stand up with the
Mudisch crew, tiring many flights back and forth to Nunga
Budja just to perform with the mob, but worth it.
There's something so special about sharing the stage with your
fellow black comedians. It's coming together and uniting for a
purpose to bring laughter and joy to our community, because

(12:39):
after all, that's what Mudisch means. And nunga deadly cool, awesome.
And while I did kill it in the court room,
I always felt that there was more to me than
just being this deadly fella dressed up in a certain tie.
It's almost like something is pulling you back from the
thing that you love most, the thing that makes you you.

(13:02):
That's why I do stand up. It's a nice balance
lawyer by day, comedian by night. As a lawyer you've
got to be proper, you've got to be professional well sometimes,
but as a comedian, you don't have to be anybody
else but you. That's when you know you're making decisions

(13:24):
in life that are good for you. I've never wanted
to do just one thing. I think we will have
many interest, hobbies and passions. And now I feel like
I have the world at my feet. I don't feel
like I have to pick or choose. See, if you're
passionate about something, don't let it stop, you go for it.

Speaker 7 (13:49):
I got into stand on comedy because I soon realized
that the courtroom was an opportunity to turn it into
an open mind, so to become material.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
I had a young client writer and we.

Speaker 7 (14:03):
Were trying to work out who the previous oil wars
and he was like, you know that other lawyer, the
real professional one.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
A brother? Are you saying a lot of professional And
he's like, well, I've seen some of you stand.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
That was Mica Kicker showing us you don't just have
to choose one path.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
You know.

Speaker 1 (14:29):
What really hit home for me is not just you know,
being a mum, but also trying to juggle being a businesswoman,
delivering training in boardrooms and then I get behind a
microphone and host a podcast. It's definitely really challenging, but
I could tell you now it's so rewarding. That's what's
been at the heart of this theme, raise your voice,

(14:52):
finding your own way to speak up, loud and clear
in a way that feels right to you. Next time,
we're going to meet a deadly storyteller who took the
road less traveled from working in a plumbing store to
winning an Emmy hit. Follow in your podcast app now
and join me next week to hear this young woman's
incredible and inspirational story. I'm Ndanara Boes and this is

(15:15):
Find and Tell. Bind and Tell is a co production
between iHeart Australia and the black Cast podcast network. Black
Cast empowers First Nations people and people of color to
reclaim their narratives, strength and cultural identity and contribute to
a more inclusive Australia by showcasing exciting emergent talent from

(15:38):
Australian communities
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.