What happens when your husband suddenly becomes someone you don’t recognise? One cold day in 2020, Belle Burden’s partner of 20 years told her he was leaving her. There were was no warning, no chance to talk. Before her relationship collapsed, Belle’s life looked enviable. Heiress to a wealthy New York family empire, she had the kids, the job, the holiday house and a committed marriage. But overnight, everything Belle thought she knew about her husband changed, and he became a stranger to her. D...
Feb 16, 2026•25 min
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 wi...
Feb 09, 2026•21 min
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 w...
Feb 02, 2026•27 min
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 ...
Jan 26, 2026•24 min
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 a...
Jan 19, 2026•31 min
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 ma...
Jan 12, 2026•29 min
MasterChef’s Julie Goodwin has a bubbly exterior but underneath are demons she’s fought for decades. The celebrity cook opens up to Yumi Stynes about the anxiety and depression she’s kept hidden for so long, and how it almost undid her. Julie’s path to recovery wasn’t straight, but she learnt how to manage what she calls the ‘monster under the bed’ and change her life for the better. If you need someone to talk to, call: Lifeline on 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue ...
Jan 05, 2026•24 min
If you've ever been with a guy who thinks jackhammering is a virtue or who can't tell your clitoris from your clavicle, this episode is for you! (Pssst share it with a bloke you know). Yumi Stynes chats to comedian and expert dater Nikki Britton about what makes for good sex. Plus, sex therapist Aleks Trkulja, from The Pleasure Centre, gives tips on how to take on feedback in the bedroom. This episode will answer questions like: What do women want in sex? How are women and men’s sexual desires d...
Dec 29, 2025•28 min
Dr Corrine Low says heterosexual relationships are costing women financially. And she’s got the life experience and the data to back it up. When Corrine was married to a man and a new mum, she was the main breadwinner, shouldering the domestic load...and she was FED UP. Corrine’s research has found that even though we’re doing more paid work than ever, women still do most of the unpaid labour at home and it’s hurting our back pocket (and our feelings). Dr Low talks to Yumi Stynes about practical...
Dec 22, 2025•26 min
Esther Perel is on a mission to make us feel less alone. The world renowned psychotherapist says we've lost touch with the village but she's here to help us reconnect. Esther chats to Yumi Stynes about how to foster a community and stop putting pressure on romantic partners to fulfil our needs. She shares her own story of seeing her parents build a village as refugees, and how she learnt to lean on her chosen people when her family needed it most. If you’re feeling isolated or just want to bolst...
Dec 15, 2025•25 min
We’re told boobs are sexy! Bouncy! Nutritious food banks even! But what happens when they betray you? Every year in Australia, around 20,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Forty per cent of those will need a mastectomy, surgery to have the breast tissue removed. Some of those women will choose not reconstruct, to stay "flat." Yumi Stynes speaks to "flatties" about their relationship with their new bodies. You'll hear from women who've had one or both breasts removed about how their deci...
Dec 08, 2025•27 min
When she was 16, Pub Choir's Astrid Jorgensen wanted to be a nun. So how did she end up in pubs, night after night, teaching people to sing? For years, Astrid felt like she didn't belong to the world of music. But she found her way in, on her terms. Astrid was never going to be an elite Opera singer, but in rediscovering the joy of singing for the sake of it, she invited the world to sing along too. Astrid has fused her unique talents together to create Pub Choir — the largest choir in the world...
Dec 01, 2025•22 min
Up to one in five people have irritable bowel syndrome and women are three times as likely to be affected. From bloating, cramping, constipation and diarrhea, the symptoms can be debilitating, let alone make it hard to do up a pair of jeans! Even though IBS is so common, there’s no cure. But there’s increasing research about the best ways to manage symptoms - from the low FODMAP diet to managing anxiety to live a better and less gassy life. Featured in this episode: Associate Professor Jess Bies...
Nov 24, 2025•29 min
With "wellness" advice from influencers flooding our feeds, it's hard to sort fact from absolute nonsense and know what to eat to feel good. Enter Laureate Professor in nutrition and dietetics, Clare Collins. Yumi sits down with Clare to get the low down on the good stuff we should be eating on and the nasty stuff we should avoid. How much protein is enough? Is fibre a big deal? Are probiotics bulls*#t? This episode will help you turn down the noise on nonsense diet trends and listen to what you...
Nov 17, 2025•24 min
Turia Pitt was doing it all — working, mothering, wifeing — and she was exhausted. Being everything to everyone came at a huge cost to her mental health — she was close to burnout, and so she decided to flip the script on being a 'good woman'. Over a decade after sustaining life threatening burns to most of her body in a grassfire, Turia's become a famous author, speaker and athlete. She also had two kids. When Turia's family moved away from their support network for her husband's career, Turia ...
Nov 10, 2025•24 min
She's one of the great cultural villains; the evil stepmother. Stepmums are up against it. Besides fighting bad press generated by endless pop-culture references, they're chucked in the deep end of parenting without a life boat. Yumi Stynes meets stepmothers who've experienced the joy of loving their partner's child as well as the difficulty of slotting into a 'mum' role when the kids already have one. Plus, researcher Dr Bailey Oliver Blackburn explains the challenges of stepmothering, from res...
Nov 03, 2025•32 min
Standing by watching a loved one's addiction can be heartbreaking and confusing. One in ten Australian's struggle with a substance disorder and one in five experience gambling harm. For every person struggling with an addiction, there are people close to them. The wives, mothers, sisters and children watching their addictions play havoc with their lives. Yumi Stynes sits down with women who've been on the sidelines of someone else's addiction, and who've found a path through a challenging situat...
Oct 27, 2025•30 min
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition facing women. One in three will be diagnosed in her lifetime. From overwhelming worry to spiralling thoughts, panic attacks to avoidance, anxiety can have a huge impact. But the good news is that we know how to treat it. In part two of this three-part mental health series, Yumi Stynes chats to Julie Goodwin, of MasterChef fame, to understand how she got on top of her crippling anxiety. She also sits down with neuroscientist and clinical psycholo...
Oct 20, 2025•37 min
One in six women will get depression in their lifetime, compared with one in ten men. So, is it hormones or circumstances or a combination of both that's makes us more susceptible? And importantly, how can we confront the black dog if it's at our door? In part one of this three-part series, Yumi Stynes sits down with women who've been in the grips of depression to understand how they overcame it. She also lays out the essential ingredients for good mental health. Featured in this episode: Profes...
Oct 13, 2025•33 min
One in three women in Australia will be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in their lifetime and one in six will experience depression. This Mental Health Month, it's time to find solutions. In this three-part series, Yumi Stynes chats to leading experts about hacking your brain, hormones, nutrition (and yes, mental load) to feel better. Yumi speaks to women with depression and anxiety about the treatments and lifestyle changes that have helped them feel better. We also look at how to look after...
Oct 09, 2025•2 min
Twins Clare and Jessie Stephens have been by each other's side for all of life's firsts. The first day of school, first job, first love, first pregnancy and birth plus that time Clare dyed her hair brown (spoiler alert: disaster). The sisters, both writers and podcasters, live in tandem. They're also competitive high achievers. So what's it like when your best friend is also your harshest critic, most fierce rival and biggest cheerleader? How do you figure out who you are when your identity and ...
Oct 06, 2025•34 min
Married mum Deepa Paul didn’t have ‘sleeping with strangers’ on her bingo card. She grew up in the Catholic and conservative Philippines and married her college sweetheart. But underneath, Deepa yearned for more. Deepa wanted to open up her marriage, but convincing her husband took time and tears. Eventually, they settled on boundaries and set up their dating profiles. Having sex with new people meant that Deepa could explore her desires without shame. It also sparked a renewal in her marriage. ...
Sep 29, 2025•27 min
This is a guided meditation to help with chronic pain. Endometriosis hurts. It can be a gnarling, twisting, stabbing, relentless source of pain. Finding a way through that pain can be overwhelming at times. Meditation can help. Gynaecological surgeon and endometriosis specialist Dr Pav Nanayakkara guides you through a series of breathing exercises to shift your relationship with pain. This isn’t a standard Ladies, We Need to Talk episode, it’s a tool for your mindfulness toolbox. One you can com...
Sep 24, 2025•10 min
Around one million Australian women live with endometriosis. That's around one in seven, so chances are you know someone dealing with debilitating pain, medical misogyny and fertility issues because of the disease. Awareness about endometriosis has expanded in the last few years, but there's still a long way to go. Yumi Stynes meets women who've spent a lot of time and money seeking a diagnosis and fighting to be heard. She also sits down with Professor Caroline Ford from the Ainsworth Endometri...
Sep 22, 2025•40 min
Artificial Intelligence is supercharging a new era of misogyny. There are more weapons than ever for men to use against women to silence and shame us, chief among them deepfakes (AI generated images and videos). And tech companies and regulators are not doing enough to fight this abuse, which is affecting everyone from schoolgirls to prime ministers. After her book Men Who Hate Women dropped, academic Laura Bates was sent an AI-generated nightmare. It was her face, used in a sexually violent doc...
Sep 15, 2025•24 min
Trying to find a life partner on a dating app who's not a gun toting, fish wielding weirdo can be like trying to find a needle in the haystack. But according to Professor Jennie Young, there's a much more empowering way of sorting through all that hay. She's come up with a technique to hack the apps called 'The Burnt Haystack Method' to help women wade through the online swamp. Jennie never thought she would use her academic background to become a dating influencer. She was 50 when she first sta...
Sep 10, 2025•20 min
Dating apps are a drag. And women are ditching them in droves. Beyond the swiping, more of us are daring to date in real life. Yumi Stynes chats to women moving away from the apps and towards in-person singles events. From post-divorce blind dates to queer speed dating, dinners with strangers and exercise classes, all in the name of finding love. Or at least a little lust. Plus, friend of the pod and Lifestyle Editor at Guardian Australia, Alyx Gorman helps us understand why more women are datin...
Sep 08, 2025•34 min
As part of Women's Health Week we're bringing back our episode on Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and the difficulty of getting a diagnosis. Weight gain, bristly hairs, no period. Welcome to Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility worldwide and it can cause debilitating physical and psychological symptoms. 1 in 8 women have PCOS, so that’s at least a couple of friends in your group chat. So why do we still know so little about it? Yumi Stynes catches up wit...
Sep 03, 2025•31 min
Stand-up star Sashi Perera called off her wedding at the last minute. There were tears and tantrums but that wasn't the final time the lawyer-turned-comedian blew up her life. Moving to a country in the middle of civil unrest? Tick. Dating a series of duds? Tick. Quitting a well-paid job for stand-up comedy? Tick. Sashi's redefined what success means to her through career changes, relationship breakdowns and IVF struggles. Yumi Stynes sits down with Sashi to find out how she's learned to run her...
Sep 01, 2025•29 min
A herpes diagnosis can come with a whole lot of stigma, but it shouldn't. Around 15% of us carry the antibodies to genital herpes, making it one of the most common STIs in Australia. Yumi Stynes finds out what it's like hearing you have herpes for the first time and how to best manage. From itching to tell partners to soothing your symptoms and how to keep sex humming. Plus, STI expert Dr Ellie Freedman explains the science behind the virus and how it changes over time. What to listen to next: T...
Aug 25, 2025•26 min
