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.

Ladies, We Need To Talk

Sexual pleasure and how to get it

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

PRESENTS — 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”.

Women who have never orgasmed

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.

Body Image — Update

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.

Digital dating despair

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.

Sex Detox

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.

Foreplay — update

"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.

Birth Trauma

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.

A love letter to our friends

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.

Intercultural love — mum won't come to our wedding

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

Young Widows

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

Last shot pregnancy

Have you noticed that most women have long hair, and most men have short hair? And how grey-haired men are silver foxes and women old and witchy? What's with these unspoken hair rules? And why the hell are we conforming? Yumi Stynes gets to the root of why women's hair is such a big deal and teases out why we're so tangled up in knots about our locks. Featured in this episode: Author Tara Moss; Kellie Scott @Hairlossboss; Shantel Wetherall, Host of Hey Aunty podcast.

Hair — Why do we care?

Nearly one million Australian women live with persistent pain in their pelvis. Yumi Stynes finds out what the hell it is, what causes it and most importantly, how to get through the day with a raging pelvis. If you need help dealing with your pelvic pain, www.pelvicpain.org.au has loads of helpful advice. Featured in this episode: Dr Susan Evans, Gynaecologist and Pelvic Pain Physician; Gabrielle Jackson, Associate News Editor of Guardian Australia and author of Pain and Prejudice.

The rage in my pelvis

Saggy boobs, cracked vaginas, being invisible, loneliness. Getting older can't all be this grim? CAN IT?!? Yumi Stynes finds out how to stay awesome, mentally and physically, as the years tick by and the mammaries get lower ... and it's not all bad news for our sex lives — HOORAY! With thanks to the amazing group of women at the Bowral Country Women's Association. Featured in this episode: Professor Cassandra Szoeke, Director of the Healthy Ageing Program at the University of Melbourne; Dr Katherine Campbell, Psychologist; Dr Wendy Vanselow, women's health GP and sex therapist; Faith Agugu, founder of Silver Sirens.

What the hell happens in old age?

Want to know how to close the orgasm gap? Riding your hormonal rollercoaster blindfolded? Feel like kicking your mental load to the kerb? You're not the only one. Ladies, We Need To Talk dives headfirst into the tricky topics we often avoid talking about, like our alcohol consumption, the struggles of monogamy and the wonders of our vaginas. With sensitivity, personal stories, and serious smarts, this show is for women who feel the squeeze between work, their private life, and their pelvic floor. Join host Yumi Stynes as she tears open the sealed section on life.

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Ladies, We Need To Talk

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