Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by author, journalist and fellow podcaster Francesca Specter. Francesca is best known for coining the phrase atonement, which is also the name of her podcast and of her first book. Atonement is about celebrating the time you spend alone and, as we discuss in the show, Francesca came up with the concept after coming out of a long-term relationship and realising she wasn’t great at...
Apr 09, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 32
This week, Olivia speaks to writer and campaigner Millie Gooch. Millie is the founder of the Sober Girl Society, which is a platform for sober and sober curious women. She’s also just published her first book, The Sober Girl Society Handbook. In this episode, the duo discuss how drinking alcohol, and drinking culture, impacts the way we date. They talk about everything from sober dating and infidelity to how alcohol causes arguments in relationships and what happens when drinking blurs the lines...
Mar 26, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by celebrated author Sareeta Domingo to discuss unrequited love and why we need to make the romantic genre more inclusive. The two talk about Sareeta's new book, Who’s Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour, a groundbreaking anthology of original short stores, covering everything from forbidden love to lost love. We also talk about why diverse storytelling is so important wi...
Mar 12, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 2
This week, we're joined by bestselling novelist Naoise Dolan to discuss her debut book, Exciting Times . The duo talk about the two very different central relationships in Naoise's novel and how ambiguity characterises them both in very different ways. When does a push-pull dynamic between two people become toxic? And are we overusing that word when we describe romantic relationships? The pair also discuss why female novelists are almost always asked if their work is biographical, particularly w...
Feb 26, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 30
This week, Olivia is joined by journalist and author Nell Frizzell, whose new memoir, The Panic Years , offers an insight into how much the decision of whether or not to have children can impact the choices we make in our dating lives. They talk about how a big breakup when Nell was 28 led her to re-evaluate her love life, the politics surrounding motherhood, and why women in their 30s tend to have a higher libido than men in their 30s. Follow the show on Instagram at @millennial_love Support th...
Feb 12, 2021•56 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by writer and broadcaster Camille Charrière to discuss the differences between dating in your 20s compared to your 30s. The duo examine why the relationships we seek in our 20s tend to be fervid and unstable, and how this can lead us to make poor choices in our love lives. Camille also discusses how she fell in love after being single for seven years and what makes this relations...
Jan 29, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by author and journalist Alice Vincent to discuss her memoir, Rootbound, which has just come out in paperback. In the book, Alice talks about a year of her life in her late 20s when out of nowhere, she found herself single, living out of a suitcase and overcoming heartbreak. The two discuss how Alice found a new lease of life in the wake of her breakup through nurturing pot plant...
Jan 15, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 27
Merry Christmas! This year has been fairly dismal, to say the least, so we decided to provide some festive cheer by bringing you a special Christmas episode. Olivia is joined by Charly Cox to share listener stories, answer questions, discuss some of their relationship highs and lows from 2020, and look ahead at what the new year may bring for our love lives. Enjoy the show! Follow the show on Instagram at @millennial_love Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com...
Dec 25, 2020•43 min•Season 3Ep. 26
This week, Olivia is joined by writer and podcaster Gemma Styles to discuss the complexities surrounding female friendship. The duo talk about how the pandemic has made them reevaluate some of their friendships, whether you can outgrow certain friends, and how these relationships change in your 20s and 30s. They also discuss the fetishisation of female friendship groups in popular culture and the pressures this can put on women to form lifelong bonds at a young age. Finally, they discuss whether...
Dec 18, 2020•41 min•Season 3Ep. 25
This week, Olivia is joined by former Made in Chelsea star Caggie Dunlop. The two discuss how your Saturn Return can affect your love life, why we chase after people we know are wrong for us, and whether or not a period of celibacy can help you reclaim autonomy over your intimate relationships. Of course, they also discuss Made in Chelsea, and how being the star of a reality TV show at the age of 22 has shaped Caggie's life. Follow the show on Instagram at @millennial_love Support Millennial Lov...
Dec 04, 2020•48 min•Season 3Ep. 24
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by body positivity activist, Felicity Hayward to discuss how relationships affect body confidence. The two talk about overcoming insecurities we have about our bodies and how these can be highlighted when we get intimate with our romantic partners. They also discuss the historically problematic marketing of lingerie and the long-lasting damage caused by the Victoria’s Secret show...
Nov 20, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by broadcasters Rubina Pabani and Poppy Jay, who host the award-winning BBC Asian Network podcast, Brown Girls Do It Too. The show features candid discussions about sex, masturbation and sexting. These subjects can be disproportionately under-discussed in South Asian communities due to myriad cultural reasons, which is something Rubina and Poppy hope to address. On the show, the ...
Nov 06, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by artificial intelligence (AI) expert Tabitha Goldstaub to talk about the intersection between AI and dating. Tabitha explains how advanced today’s AI is, and how far away we are from people actually being able to develop relationships with AI devices. The two also speak about sex robots and the risks they pose when it comes to consent and exacerbating a culture that objectifies...
Oct 23, 2020•40 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove Today Olivia is joined by musician James McVey to discuss his struggles with body dysmorphia and eating disorders. The Vamps star opens up about his experiences, including having liposuction at 20-years-old, in an effort to encourage others to talk about their issues. Follow the show on Instagram at @millennial_love Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...
Oct 09, 2020•33 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week Olivia is joined by independent adult filmmaker Erika Lust. Erika is often referred to as a trailblazer in the "feminist porn" movement, championing female pleasure, consent and diversity in her films among other things that are often dismissed in conventional adult films. On the show, Erika explains how she got into the industry and the societal myths and misconceptions about porn that she hopes ...
Sep 25, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week Olivia is joined by model and former Love Island star Megan Barton-Hanson. After appearing on the ITV2 series in 2018, Megan has gone on to become an advocate for female empowerment and combating the stigma attached to sex workers. Megan opens up about how being slut-shamed at school led her to pursue a career in the sex industry and why she thinks people are still so judgmental of sex work in 202...
Sep 11, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by bestselling author Sophie Mackintosh to discuss motherhood. Sophie’s debut novel, The Water Cure, was longlisted for The Booker Prize last year and earned her comparisons to Margaret Atwood thanks to its feminist dystopian themes. Her latest book, Blue Ticket, explores the thorny subject of motherhood. Why do some women choose to be mothers, and others choose not to be? And wh...
Aug 28, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by author and writer Bolu Babalola, whose new book, Love in Colour, offers up a selection of ancient love myths that she has rewritten to make them contemporary and diverse. A far cry from the white-washed Disney films and fairytales so many of us grew up watching and reading, Babalola's stories offer a more universal depiction of romance. We talk about how she was inspired to wr...
Aug 14, 2020•33 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia is joined by the brilliant author and comedian Sara Pascoe. The two discuss her latest book Sex, Power Money and one of its main subjects: porn. Why don't we talk about porn more? Is it anti-feminist to watch porn? Or does being anti-porn make you anti-feminist? And does porn really lead to more sexual violence? We discuss all this and more. Enjoy the show! Follow the show on Instagram at ...
Jul 31, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 15
This week, Olivia is joined by artist and author Florence Given. The two discuss how internalised misogyny manifests in dating, what it means to benefit from pretty privilege, and the presentation of female sexuality in the media. They also talk about Florence's new book, the Sunday Times bestseller, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove Follow the show on Instagram at @millennial_love Support this show http://suppor...
Jul 17, 2020•39 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove Follow the show on Instagram at @millennial_love This week, we are joined by fitness entrepreneur Grace Beverley. At just 23, Grace has made the unlikely transition from influencer to wildly successful CEO and now runs three fitness companies, including the sustainable activewear brand Tala. She joined me on the show to talk about how on earth she balances her business ventures alongside a dating life, why ...
Jul 03, 2020•50 min•Season 3Ep. 13
This week, Olivia is joined by writer and author Raven Smith to discuss the difficulties of dating apps. Raven is a Vogue columnist and the bestselling author behind Trivial Pursuits, a memoir-meets-social commentary book that covers everything from the cultural capital of being tall to what you can tell about a person from the contents of their fridge. In the episode, Raven explains why he would never have met his husband in the dating app era. The two discuss how people curate a version of the...
Jun 19, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Sometimes, you hear a story that sounds so far fetched, you can't imagine it being real. That was what happened when Olivia read Karina Mazur's first-person article in The Independent about her experience of being catfished by her boyfriend while they were isolating together. Karina explains how she found out her boyfriend was not who he said he was, was stealing people's identities on multiple dating apps, and what the impact of all of this was on her. She also discusses how she got in touch wi...
Jun 12, 2020•35 min•Season 3Ep. 11
This week, Olivia is joined by bestselling YA author Juno Dawson to discuss her latest book, Wonderland, which is a contemporary retelling of Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland in which Alice is a 17-year-old trans girl. Juno explains why she wanted to retell this classic story through a transgender lens and how she hopes some of the issues explored in the book will help to educate young readers on sexuality and key LGBT+ issues, including sexual abuse, the difference between the female and male...
Jun 05, 2020•39 min•Season 3Ep. 10
This week we have another listener special. As of Monday last week, people in England can now meet up with one person outside of their household so long as they abide by social distancing rules. This means people can go on dates! In this episode, we hear from four different women who have been on social distancing dates in the last week. One date involved a cemetery and a rogue wee, while another wound up lasting seven hours. We’re also joined this week by relationships expert and therapist Sall...
May 22, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Singer and radio presenter Fleur East joined Olivia back in January to talk about how to keep things exciting when you've been in a relationship with someone for so long. Fleur shares some of her own tips - she has been with her husband for 10 years - and offers a unique insight into some of the things couples can do to reignite their passion for one another if things reach a plateau. While the episode was recorded back in January, it's most definitely relevant today, when so many couples in iso...
May 08, 2020•25 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Breaking Millennial Love news: a brand new book is in the works and it's all about this show. The book will be published by the fantastic team over at 4th Estate and will be written by Olivia. It's going to feature guests from the show, as well as some new and exclusive content as well. Make sure you follow us on Instagram at @millennial_love for all the latest updates on the book, its progress and when it'll be available. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove . Hosted on A...
May 06, 2020•39 sec
This week we're taking a break from coronavirus content and returning to regularly scheduled programming. Olivia is joined by comedian and activist Grace Campbell to discuss why it's important to date a feminist and what that means. How do you know if you're dating a feminist? And if you're unsure, how can you educate a partner on equality without coming across as patronising? Grace opens up about how she and her boyfriend support one another and strive to defy stereotypical gender roles. She al...
Apr 24, 2020•26 min•Season 3Ep. 6
We're back with another very special episode for you this week. We hosted a phone-in for listeners to share their stories about how coronavirus has impacted their love lives, whether it’s forced them to isolate separately from their partner or they’ve started going on social distancing dates with people at the supermarket. I was also delighted to be joined by a special co-host: previous Millennial Love guest, poet Charly Cox. Charly has just started a brilliant newsletter called A Little Coronam...
Apr 10, 2020•36 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This week, it's a slightly unusual episode as Olivia speaks to listeners about how coronavirus has impacted their love lives. Living in a national shutdown means that most of us are completely house-bound, rendering our romantic lives somewhat obsolete. Or does it? We hear from Candice, whose new relationship is flourishing on Face Time and Harriet, who has moved in with someone she has just started seeing. There are less-than-ideal scenarios, too, like Ciara, who explains how she has had to con...
Mar 27, 2020•26 min•Season 3Ep. 4
