Ladies, We Need To Talk

At Ladies, We Need to Talk we love to share, that's why we're bringing you extended interviews from some of your favourite episodes from this year. Yumiko Kadota opens up about her story of burnout, comedian Nikki Britton reveals what we all need men to know about sex, Dr Clare Collins bursts through our farting shame, "Mel" gives the low-down on levelling up her sex life and Dr Gemma Sharp explains what happens when clean eating goes to the extreme. Hear these extended interviews now exclusively on the ABC listen app.

Following lockdown comedian Judith Lucy is asking the big questions. In between baking and wondering if she had a drinking problem, she's asking how happy she'd been in her old life and why 'back to normal' is not a good idea for her, us or the planet. She's out to change her life, and yours, for the better…. in six episodes.

Even though we all crack a turd whistle once in a while, it doesn't mean we're not ashamed of the noises and smells that erupt from our bums, especially if it happens in public. And according to research, women hold that shame more deeply and are judged more harshly for their eruptions than men.  Yumi Stynes sniffs out how we can disperse the cloud of shame around women and farting.     Featured in this episode:   Professor Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle  Dr Kirsten Bell, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Roehampton    Additional production: Kelly Ung & Yimeng Hu    

Search #cleaneating on social media, and you'll come across over 50 million posts. Vegan, paleo, raw, protein shakes, juice cleanses, gluten-free, dairy-free, chia seeds… all of these things, social media and diet culture will tell us, are the types of foods we should be putting into our bodies.    These diets offer the promise of perfect health and the perfect body…But for some they tip over into unhealthy obsession.   Yumi Stynes discovers what happens when food choices stop being about "yuk" and "yum" and become a battle between good and evil. When clean eating tips over the wafer-thin line into Orthorexia Nervosa.    Featured in this episode: Dr Gemma Sharp, Clinical Psychologist and Head of Body Image research at Monash University 

Remember a time when you had one good outfit? Now, the average Australian buys 56 items of clothing a year. So how did we get here? And what is the cost? Join presenter and comedian Veronica Milsom as she tries to make sense of the fast fashion treadmill that we're on. From the marketing tricks, to the lies, it's everything fast fashion doesn't want you to know.

Ellidy Pullin and her partner, Alex “Chumpy” Pullin were in the prime of their lives and planning their future together when the love of her life died suddenly. Ellidy spoke to Yumi Stynes about grieving, finding solitude and learning to hope again for the Ladies We Need to Talk episode, Young widows.

Lots of women are super self-conscious about the sticky stuff in our undies. The way it looks and the way it smells. So much so that up to a third of us wear a panty liner each day.  But how much do you actually know about discharge? What should it smell like? What should it look like? And should we just stop dissing our discharge? 

Facing your own death The prospect of dying is an abstract thing, something we try hard not to think about at all costs. But what if the one dying…is you? Join Yumi Stynes as she meets women who are facing their own death head on and learns how to hard those hard conversations about the end of your life. Featured in this episode: Dr Kerrie Noonan, Clinical Psychologist and founder of the Death Literacy Institute

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors in ‘the world's oldest profession?' In the new season of Tall Tales and True, seven sex workers pull back the red curtain to reveal the captivating, and sometimes jaw-dropping stories from their lives. Join sex worker and author Tilly Lawless as she guides you through the highs and lows of working in the sex industry.

Cradle snatcher, sugar-daddy, toy-boy, cougar… all of those terms are loaded with baggage and undermine the relationships they describe. Beyond the stereotypes, what's it like to be in a relationship with a big age gap? Yumi Stynes meets women who are defying the research and dating way out of their age range… and loving it, even if their friends and family aren't so enamoured. Featured in this episode: Dr Grace Lordan, Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science

Burnout: It's a word so frequently used that it's almost become a catchphrase. And let's face it, who isn't feeling exhausted? But when does that fatigue and overwhelm tip into burnout?

Rooting around is as inescapable as laundry and taxes. While humans all around the world make promises to be with each other through sickness and health, to be loyal to the exclusion of all others, it doesn't always work out that way. Join Yumi Stynes as she discovers what it's like to have your partner do the dirty and how to decide whether to stay or go after being screwed over. Featured in this episode: Christina Spaccavento, Sex and relationships counsellor.

Fresh from a season on sex, Yumi Stynes is leaping out of the sack, changing the sheets and delving deep into the stuff that keeps us up at night. We're making a big stink about our fear of farting; learning how to nip burnout in the bud and unearthing the dirty truth about "clean eating".

YOU TOLD US AND NOW WE'RE TELLING THE MENFOLK. What we need men to know about sex — from jack-hammering to hygiene to female anatomy 101, nothing's off-limits. If there ever was an episode to share with the blokes in your life, this is it. Featured in this episode: Aleks Trkulja, sex therapist and Nikki Britton, comedian.

Queensland in the 1950s: god-fearing, morally upstanding, tough on crime. Beneath the surface, a murky world of gambling, drugs and brothels kept in check by three crooked cops known as The Rat Pack. For thirty years, they ran a complex system of bribery and extortion as they pocketed the profits. But this trio never dreamed how things would end. That the women they exploited — madams, sex workers, entrepreneurs — would be their demise.

We've all got a bad sex story. The partner who's selfish in the sack. The horribly uninspiring one-night stand. The lover with 'performance anxiety'. Most of us have been there. There's this idea though that we grow out of it — that sex gets better as we get older. But what if that doesn't happen? What if bad sex is your life? Featured in this episode: Lisa Torney, sex and relationship therapist

Our sex and disability episode really resonated with you. Hear what our listeners had to say about sex and disability. We love your feedback ladies@abc.net.au. With thanks to Zoe, Lauren, Rose and Rebecca.

Around one in five Australian women live with a disability. And guess what? They're having sex. Hot, creative sex. But steamy conversations about what it's like to love and lust with a disability are often considered too "out there" to talk about. Join Robyn Lambird, Madeleine Stewart, Akii Ngo and Yumi Stynes for a raunchy chat about Sex and the D-word — from insane orgasms to stumping, 'moot pain' to Paralympic thirst.

Warning: Explicit Content. Is anal the last taboo? One in five women in Australia has had anal sex. It's everywhere in porn and many of us, especially young women, are feeling the pressure to do it. It's uncomfortable discussing anal sex, but ladies, we need to talk about it.

Imagine you've been having ho-hum, pedestrian sex your entire life and BAM! A new trick, a new partner, a revelation about yourself or a total life change and suddenly you've crossed into a new sexual dimension. Colours are brighter, the birds are singing and the sex is mind-blowing, Meet the women who have levelled-up and find out how they got to the promised-land. The land of Best. Sex. Ever.

In a world obsessed with sex, what if you never (or rarely) want it? Yumi Stynes meets women from across the asexuality spectrum to find out how they navigate dating and relationships in a sexed-up world. Featured in the episode: Angela Chen, author of Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex Resources: https://www.australianasexuals.com/

Imagine going down on a woman for the very first time in your 50s? Yumi Stynes meets later-in-life lesbians who, after years of hetero partnerships and raising kids, are coming out. Were they always attracted to women or can our sexuality shift? Featured in this episode: Dr Lisa Diamond Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies, University of Utah. Call: 1300641 222 | Email: ladies@abc.net.au

What's it like to watch your partner have sex with another person? What about a group of people? Welcome to the world of swingers, where couples "play" with each other and with the boundaries of sexual expression. Join Yumi Stynes at a sex club as she pulls back the orgy room curtain and meets women who swing to find out why they love 'The Lifestyle' and how it's transformed their relationships. With special thanks to Juliet Richters, Honorary Professor of the Sexual Health Program at the Kirby Institute. Thanks also to Jess Cattelly from Our Secret Spot.

Welcome to season six sex of Ladies, We Need to Talk. This time around we're turning the steam up to 11, dropping our towels and baring all. Join Yumi Stynes as she learns the ins-and-outs of swinging; meets later-in-life lesbians; finds out what it's like to be asexual and talks to women who've gone from having ho-hum sex to mind-blowing romps. It's hot and hilarious and we're here for it. Call us on 1300 641 222 or email ladies@abc.net.au. Follow in your fave podcast app so you never miss an episode.

This year we've shared some fantastic stories with you. From gal-pals Jamila Rizvi and Clare Bowditch on the power of female friendship, Dr Karin Hammarberg on fertility, young widow Ellidy Pullin on the day her life changed, writer Clementine Ford's birth trauma and Dr Susan Evans on pelvic pain and what we can do about it. Now you can hear their extended interviews exclusively on the ABC Listen app.

Ellidy Pullin and her partner, Alex “Chumpy” Pullin were in the prime of their lives and planning their future together when the love of her life died suddenly. Ellidy spoke to Yumi Stynes about grieving, finding solitude and learning to hope again for the Ladies We Need to Talk episode, Young widows.

Sex is more available and permissible than ever before, but despite this, are we actually getting any pleasure?  Lots of women still don't feel entitled to sexual fulfillment and aren't in touch with what feels good, let alone how to ask for it.

We know you love the podcast and now there's Ladies We Need to Talk the book! 

For some women, reaching climax, cumming, the Big O... is as easy as a walk around the block. For others, it's an arduous, long, steep hike up a mountain, never quite reaching...the “peak”.

Thanks to the pandemic, we now spend even MORE time doom scrolling through obnoxiously perfect Insta-people, and endlessly staring at our own faces via zoom than ever and (surprise, surprise) it's had a negative impact on our self-esteem. Yumi Stynes catches up with body image and eating disorder expert, Dr Gemma Sharpe, about "zoom dysmorphia" and what can we do to feel better about ourselves, one video call at a time.

Ladies, we know you like to be one step ahead of the zeitgeist, so we wanted to share with you the fabulous pop-culture podcast, Stop Everything! Hosted by Beverley Wang and Benjamin Law, Stop Everything! is your one-stop-shop for all the latest in film, tv, music and internet culture. Join Ben and Beverley as they take you through the good, the bad and the viral, and why it matters.

You're more likely to meet your partner on an app than any other way. But between the constant swiping, messaging, rejections, ghosting and d&*k pics, it can be rough. Yumi Stynes talks to a bunch of awesome single women about their approach to dating apps and how to stay sane, safe and maintain your self-esteem while swiping.

Forget juice cleanses, meditation and yoni eggs, is a sex detox the best way to reset our thinking around sex and relationships to find out what really presses our buttons? Yumi Stynes talks to women who have flipped the script on sex, who've hit the pause button and are feeling better for it. Featured in this episode: Catherine Gray — Author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Single.

Ladies, it's time for a refresher course on foreplay! Yumi Stynes talks to psychotherapist Esther Perel and a bunch of brilliant female experts about their best foreplay tips. We're here to talk about it. Ring us on 1300 641 222 or email ladies@abc.net.au.

"Have a baby," they said. "It'll be great," they said. But what they didn't say, was that getting that kid out could leave you traumatised. Physically and mentally One in three Australian women describe their birth as traumatic. Yumi Stynes hears how different women are still coming to terms with their birth experiences, sometimes years later, and finds out what can be done to prevent traumatic births.

On every form you ever fill out, there's always a tick box about your romantic status — de facto, married, single. Why are we only judged on romantic relationships rather than some of the most important bonds in our life — our friendships? Yumi Stynes writes a love letter to our friends and casually invites herself into the wonderful friendship of Jamila Rizvi and Clare Bowditch.

Ladies, we know you love a bit of mystery, so we wanted to share a new season of the ABC Unravel True Crime series with you. In 1975, Australia was transfixed by the disappearance of Juanita Nielsen. Juanita was a journalist, fashion model, socialite and Sydney's most famous anti-gentrification activist. Forty-six years later, Unravel: Juanita looks into her suspected murder and her family's unending search for answers.

Ladies, we know you love a bit of mystery, so we wanted to share a new season of the ABC Unravel True Crime series with you. In 1975, Australia was transfixed by the disappearance of Juanita Nielsen. Juanita was a journalist, fashion model, socialite and Sydney's most famous anti-gentrification activist. Forty-six years later, Unravel: Juanita looks into her suspected murder and her family's unending search for answers.

You can't help who you fall in love with. But what happens if your family disapproves? Every relationship has its challenges, but for lovers from a completely different cultural and ethnic background, Yumi Stynes finds out that race, religion and tradition can add multiple layers of complication. Featured in this episode: Dr Reenee Singh, Psychologist and Systemic Psychotherapist specialising in Intercultural couples.

You can't help who you fall in love with. But what happens if your family disapproves? Every relationship has its challenges, but for lovers from a completely different cultural and ethnic background, Yumi Stynes finds out that race, religion and tradition can add multiple layers of complication. Featured in this episode: Dr Reenee Singh, Psychologist and Systemic Psychotherapist specialising in Intercultural couples.

What happens if you're young and that #1 person, the special love that you searched for and pinned down, the one you expected to love till you were old — dies early? It's painfully lonely to be a young person grieving, but that loneliness can be compounded by the judgement of others on how to grieve. Yumi Stynes talks to Ellidy Pullin, and other young widows, about life after death. Support services: Grief.org.au Lifeline.org.au Beyondblue.org.au

What happens if you want a baby but you're running out of time? Maybe you haven't found the right partner, or you've found the right one, but they don't want kids? You just can't seem to get pregnant or you're simply too busy having an awesome life and heaps of fun to have a baby. And then suddenly, your 'fertile window' starts to close. Yumi Stynes finds out what it's like to have one last shot at pregnancy. Featured in this episode: Dr Karin Hammarberg (VARTA), Senior research fellow, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. Fertility resources: yourIVFsuccess.com.au; VARTA; yourfertility.org.au