About 95% of people in England will be affected by acne at some point in their lives, and yet discussing it and its effects is still considered taboo by many. With symptoms ranging from mild to severe, acne is caused when hair follicles become blocked, resulting in spots, oily skin and sometimes skin that’s hot or painful to touch. It can be both physically painful and emotionally distressing, and may lead to a loss of confidence, self-esteem and self-worth. In this episode, online creators Scot...
Aug 09, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Can we all get our sun-fix safely? That’s the question this episode will strive to answer as we separate fact from fiction when it comes to sun damage. Vogue is joined by Dragon’s Den investor Deborah Meaden, who was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2015, as well as skincare expert and aesthetician Dija Ayodele. Together they’ll address important questions such as: what is the minimum SPF every adult and child should be using?; when should they use it?; what skincare needs are unique to people of c...
Aug 02, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 2
With 10 - 20% of people experiencing mental health issues during pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth, it’s time to break the taboo surrounding maternal mental health. In this episode, entrepreneur and broadcaster Luisa Zissman, and author, life coach and broadcaster Anna Williamson, share their personal experiences of perinatal anxiety and depression. Prepare for some serious stigma smashing on the emotional fallout of dealing with everything from difficult pregnancies and births, to...
Jul 26, 2022•56 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Welcoming both returning and new listeners to the third series of Taboo Talk – the empowering and entertaining podcast brought to you by Boots, hosted by Vogue Williams. Series three will feature more frank, funny, and informative chats with guests including Luisa Zissman, Anna Williamson, Russell Kane, Desiree Burch, Scott McGlynn, Izzie Rodgers, Iskra Lawrence, Anna Richardson, Dr Dawn Harper and Deborah Meaden. Together, we’ll provide advice about the kind of subjects often considered awkward...
Jul 25, 2022•1 min
It’s recap time! We revisit some of the very best moments from series two of Taboo Talk – the things that made us gasp, cry, wince, and laugh out loud. Discover, or rediscover, the frank and funny chats that continue to make Taboo Talk resonate with so many people as we deep-dive into everything from chronic pain, menopause and safe sex, to male mental health, bladder control and fertility. Featuring Ugo Monye, Lisa Snowden, Ferne McCann, Roman and Martin Kemp, Megan Barton-Hanson, Amy Hart, Oll...
Jun 28, 2022•35 min
This bonus show is the sister episode to the previously released “My fertility journey: What I wish I’d known”. Featuring GP and IVF mum, Dr Stephanie Ooi, it answers practical questions surrounding the subject – all of them sent in by Taboo Talk listeners. Dr Stephanie debunks myths and delivers advice on fertility-related worries and queries surrounding age, IVF, egg freezing, lifestyle factors, genetics, hormonal contraceptives, PCOS, endometriosis, and even the Covid vaccine. Remember: we as...
Mar 04, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Whether you know if you do, don’t, or might want children, fertility is a subject fraught with strong emotions. It’s a personal choice that can feel very public, with everyone having a point of view or a story to tell. Nowadays, thank goodness, there are more options for more people as science and society catches up to the fact that there’s no one-size fits all when it comes to expectations around having children. However, that doesn’t mean it’s simple. For many, the journey to having a child is...
Mar 02, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Practicing safe sex has a huge impact on the overall health of individuals and communities. Yet, the entirety of many people’s sexual health education involved a mortified teacher putting a condom onto a banana at school. Public figures speaking candidly about the importance of knowing an implant from an IUD are therefore playing an essential role in smashing taboos around the subject. In this episode, TV personality Megan Barton-Hanson – a pioneer when it comes to advocating for openness and ho...
Feb 23, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 5
We’ve come a long way since the days when masculinity was defined by a stiff-upper lip and a “man up” attitude, but stigmas around male emotional vulnerability still exist, and changing expectations come with their own challenges. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 – a sobering fact that reveals much about the general state of men’s mental health, with men far less likely to seek help and support (either professionally or personally) than women for mental health issues. Here, Capital ...
Feb 16, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 4
More than 14 million adults in the UK struggle with bladder control – a huge number which should reassure anyone who worries about leaking when sneezing, having sex, exercising, or laughing (amongst many other triggers), that they’re absolutely not alone. However, bladder leakage is never ideal, so learning that there are things you can do about it, and that it doesn’t have to affect your daily life, is key to feeling more confident. This episode welcomes TV personality and presenter Ferne McCan...
Feb 09, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Half of the world’s population will experience perimenopause and menopause – and yet barely anyone’s talking about it. It’s estimated that around 13 million women are going through this natural biological process right now in the UK – experiencing such joyful symptoms as hot flushes, fatigue, insomnia, loss of libido, and mood swings – but still stigma, secrecy and shame surround the subject. In this episode, TV and radio presenter Lisa Snowdon shares her experience of perimenopause with women’s...
Feb 02, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Chronic pain affects around two fifths of the UK population, meaning millions of us are living with pain that has lasted for three months or longer. Most commonly taking the form of back and neck pain, fibromyalgia (widespread musculoskeletal pain), and osteoarthritis (a form of arthritis), chronic pain can impact absolutely everything – from work and exercise, to sleep, socialising, and sex. Hell, sometimes just the act of sitting down can be a traumatic event. In this episode, broadcaster and ...
Jan 26, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Welcome back to the second series of Taboo Talk – the empowering and entertaining podcast brought to you by Boots. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 19, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Join us for a trip down memory lane as we revisit some of the best moments from series one of Taboo Talk. Discover, or rediscover, what made Boots’ very first podcast resonate with so many listeners as we discussed everything from anxiety, gut health, pregnancy, and periods, to sex, sleep, and self care. Featuring Jamie Laing, Rochelle Humes, Ashley James, Jonny Wilkinson, Laura Whitmore, Natalie Pinkham, Lottie Drynan, The Mac Twins, Hannah Witton and Jessica Megan, Taboo Talk Series One broke ...
Jan 14, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 8
To many people in this time poor world, it can seem we’ve reached peak self-care – it seems self-indulgent, even selfish. But taking a little time out for some self-care is actually essential to help you mentally and physically deal with this thing called life. Host Vogue Williams and Laura Whitmore discuss why being kind to yourself is so under-rated (and why saying ‘no’ is Laura’s favourite self-care strategy)! They also chat about how they fit it into your lives while juggling children, work ...
Sep 07, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This episode will focus on sleep issues we simply don’t talk about - like sleepwalking, sleep talking, even night terrors. And, how, if you’re a bad sleeper it affects every aspect of your life. Sky Sports, F1 and BBC presenter Natalie Pinkham speaks openly to host Vogue Williams about her night terrors and sleepwalking experiences and the impact this had on her life (including some of her maddest sleepwalking escapades!), while sleep therapist, author physiologist and motivational speaker, Dr N...
Aug 31, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Host Vogue Williams gets 'under the covers' with YouTuber, broadcaster and author, Hannah Witton alongside A Bloody Good Period ambassador and sex positivity influencer, Jessica Megan, to get down and dirty about all things sex. Because, despite it being 2021, sex is still one of the most ‘taboo’ topics there is. Everything from the magic of masturbation, to desire, arousal, physicality, partners, STDs and basic biological facts are often considered too embarrassing or socially inappropriate to ...
Aug 24, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 5
An informative and funny chat about periods and hormones with body confidence campaigner and ‘You’ve Gut This’ founder Lottie Drynan and ‘Obgyn Mum’ Dr Brooke Vandermolen. Host Vogue Williams gets Lottie talking about her periods, why she thinks there’s still a stigma around discussing them, her personal experience with her cycle and how hormones affect her body and moods - even her quite dramatic induction into using a menstrual cup! Dr Vandermolen will give listeners the science on hormones/pe...
Aug 17, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 4
From leaky bladders to leaky boobs – what really happens to our bodies during pregnancy and birth? And how does that affect us mentally? This no-holds-barred episode features Singer, presenter, author, and hair and skincare brand founder, Rochelle Humes, alongside DJ, presenter, model, and body acceptance and mental health campaigner, Ashley James, who will share all the gross, unexpected, hilarious and awful things they experienced while pregnant, during birth and postpartum with host Vogue Wil...
Aug 10, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Gut health is a relatively young science. Investigations into the effect of the gut microbiome on general health and wellbeing are ongoing, but one thing everyone agrees on is that it is a lot more influential than previously thought. This episode features Lisa and Alana Macfarlane, aka The Mac Twins – Scottish DJs, presenters and founders of The Gut Stuff, who have made it their mission for the last few years to better understand what the gut is all about – and rugby icon Jonny Wilkinson whose ...
Aug 03, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 1
The world’s mental health is not in a good way. A year of lockdown, health scares, grief, strains on decimated public health services, and untold professional and personal upheaval has wreaked havoc on, well, everything. Anxiety is here in a big way. Even pre-pandemic, a whopping one in four people suffered from a mental health issue every year in England. So, let’s talk about anxiety, the elephant in the room. Jamie Laing joins Vogue to discuss his experience of suffering from anxiety – what do...
Jul 27, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Welcome to Taboo Talk, an empowering and entertaining new podcast brought to you by Boots. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 21, 2021•1 min
