Ladies, We Need To Talk

What’s it like to parent when you can’t see your kid? Nas Campanella, the ABC’s National Disability Affairs reporter, knows there’s many ways to be a great mum. As a blind woman, she’s navigated internalised ableism, and copped BS from strangers. Through it all, she’s given the middle finger to expectations and come out the other side stronger. She talks to Yumi Stynes about the quiet strength that comes from trusting her own instincts and the deep bond she’s formed with her son.   This episode will answer questions like:  What’s it like to be a mother while vision impaired?  How do blind parents use sound, touch and voice to care for their babies? What are the biggest challenges of parenting with a disability?  How do you keep children safe without relying on sight?  How do people use sound, touch and instinct to read their baby’s needs?  What public scrutiny do disabled parents receive?  How do you raise an empathetic child?  What to listen to next:   I love you but go away: Women taking marriage sabbaticals  Life without boobs: Meet the women staying flat after breast cancer   Body image and babies with Turia Pitt and Sophie Walker  Where's my village? Esther Perel on how to build community  You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.   What to read next:    Why these women took marriage sabbaticals — and how it went Building a village means showing up even when it feels hard, says Esther Perel Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgery Why genital herpes does not mean the end of your sex life This episode contains references to disability, vision impaired, blind, mother, parent, National Disability Affairs reporter, ABC, work-life-balance, working mum, child, baby, parenting, teaching, attachment. 

Marriage sabbaticals aren't a divorce, or an excuse for guilt-free frotting but a chance to reset priorities. But do they work? It can be hard to figure out how to fix a relationship in need of repair when you're in the grind of the day-to-day. Living separately for a while or even taking a solo holiday can be a chance for a jump-start, but it comes with risks. Yumi Stynes meets women who've hit pause on their partnerships in the hopes of coming back together stronger than before. This episode will answer questions like:  What is a marriage sabbatical?  Why do women feel like they need a break from their marriage?  Why do some women feel like they care for their husbands like children?  How can you ask for a break from your relationship?  How do you know you’re happy in a relationship?  What does an equal partnership look like?  How do relationship preferences change over time?  Can having a break save your marriage?  What to listen to next:   Women who cheat  Is everyone having better sex than me?  The new way to date  How pop culture f*cked us up, with Sophie Gilbert  You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.   What to read next:    How pop culture messed us up, with Sophie Gilbert   How swapping a husband for a wife made this economist better off  Paying for sex at 70  Life without boobs: Meet the women staying flat after breast cancer  This episode contains references to sex, marriage, family, parenting, mental load, emotional labour, domestic labour, inequality, chores, perimenopause, break-ups, relationship, love, psychology, attachment. 

How does it feel to be betrayed by the person you love most? Women open up to Yumi Stynes about being cheated on and picking up the pieces of their shattered hearts. There's the fishy feeling you try to shake off, finding texts, unearthing emails, wondering if you're paranoid. And then, the moment of truth and painful aftermath. From Beyonce to Lily Allen, queens everywhere have wondered, "How did I get caught up in your double life??" For some women, infidelity destroys the foundation of trust forever. For others it leads to bloodletting and rebuilding the relationship. Featured in this episode:   Christina Spaccavento, sex and relationships counsellor  This episode will answer questions like:  What does it feel like to be cheated on?  How do some women find out their partner has been cheating on them?  Why do people cheat?  Can you stay in a relationship after infidelity?   How do you rebuild trust after cheating?  What to listen to next: Women who cheat  Is everyone having better sex than me?  The new way to date  How pop culture f*cked us up, with Sophie Gilbert  You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.   What to read next: Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgery  How Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhood   What loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look like  The dark side of being a perfectionist   This episode contains references to sex, marriage, cheating, West End Girl, Lily Allen, Madeline, Beyonce, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Becky with the good hair, Shakira, Lemonade, infidelity, women, family, emotional cheating.

Millennial pop culture has a lot to answer for. From Britney Spears' sexy schoolgirl outfit to an underage Kate Moss on the cover of Vogue and Paris Hilton in pube-skimming velvet tracksuits, the message was clear — being hot, sexy and desirable meant #girlpower. So how did we all buy into the lie that self-objectification is empowerment? Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist Sophie Gilbert says the Spice Girls, Demi Moore, Britney Spears and the Kardashians all had a role to play in how we feel about ourselves as women. Sophie chats to Yumi Stynes about how pop culture turned a generation of women against themselves and what we can do about it. What to listen to next:  Emotional labour with Rose Hackman  Clare and Jessie Stephens on twinning, pregnancy and envy  Has Ozempic killed body inclusivity?  Are our boys ok? Fighting online misogyny with Kate Scott  You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.   What to read next:    Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgery  How Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhood   What loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look like  The dark side of being a perfectionist   This episode will answer questions like:  What were the messages being sent about womanhood in the 1990s and 2000s?  How did the Spice Girls rise to popularity?  What did the term ‘girl power’ mean?  How did pop culture impact body image and fashion?  What did pop culture teach us about women’s sexuality?  What is pop culture today teaching us about womanhood?  This episode contains references to sexuality, pop culture, music, performance, girl, woman, gender, gender roles, Britney Spears, Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, the Spice Girls, Pamela Anderson, body image, thinness, beauty, capitalism, entertainment industry. 

What’s it like to switch teams mid-season? Nicola was married to a man for 25 years before she fell in love with a woman. Jennifer and Marija were in their 40s when everything they knew about their sexuality changed.   Yumi Stynes chats to later-in-life lesbians to hear what they’ve learned from swapping sides. She also gets the low-down on sexuality research across the life span, and why so many women are coming out in their second act.  What to listen to next:  How swapping a husband for a wife made this economist better off  Where's my village? Esther Perel on how to build community  Will we ever have a cure for endometriosis?  Hacking online dating with Prof. Jennie Young  You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.   What to read next:    Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgery  How Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhood   What loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look like  The dark side of being a perfectionist   This episode will answer questions like:  What’s it like to fall in love with a woman in middle age?  Are some women straight and then turn gay?  How common is bisexuality?  How fluid is sexuality?  What does it feel like to have sex with a woman for the first time?  This episode contains references to sexuality, family, mother, parenting relationships, lesbian, gay, straight, sex, orgasm, religion.