Advertise on podcast: Ladies, We Need To Talk

Uh oh, what’s that you smell... a funky odour down below? The thought of having a stinky crotch is nightmare fuel for some women, but do we even need to worry about our musky bouquet?   The delicate aroma of our lady-garden can be affected by things like our menstrual cycle and our lifestyle but how do we tell when the stank goes from normal to full on malodorous pudenda territory and what can be done about it?   It’s time to take off those undies and confront the smelly minge in the room with your bestie Yumi by your side for support.   Featured in this episode:   Deborah Bateson, Professor of Practice and an expert in sexual health at the University of Sydney  Sarah O'Neill, comedian  

What happens when you want a divorce but the cost of leaving your marriage would cripple you financially?   Would you ever stay in an unhappy marriage for the security money offers?   It’s no secret, life is bloody expensive right now. From soaring rents to the cost of a bunch of broccoli, times are tough! So, sticking it out in a relationship you’re no longer happy in can seem appealing.   Yumi Stynes talks to women who’ve had to make that extremely difficult choice.   Featured in this episode:   Victoria Devine, host of She’s on the Money  Emily Maguire, CEO of Respect Victoria  Rachel Voysey, Founding Director of the Relationship Room  Some names have been changed to protect identities  Life Line: 13 11 14 1800 Respect: 1800 737 732

What if we put a stop to marriage...for good? Like, just stop with flouncy white dresses, walking down the aisle and having a dude give us away.   In her new book, I Don’t, Clementine Ford is calling for just that. She reckons that a ring on a finger is a bridal march to losing your identity.  From the moment we come screaming into the world, we’re pushed the line that to find “the one” to get married and settle down is the be all and end all. You might discover a cure for cancer, scale Mt Everest and be a total baddie but if you’re unwed you haven't quite made it in the eyes of society.  Clem Ford talks to Yumi Stynes about her call to arms for us to ditch the bouquets and our man's dirty laundry for a life on our own terms.  Featured in this episode:  Clementine Ford, author and feminist    

Do you wizz when you sneeze? Or avoid star jumps at the gym? One in four of us (!) have pelvic floor problems which can lead to incontinence and prolapse (eek).  But don’t stress! Yumi Stynes has kegel’d her way back to the Ladies archives and dug up some reassurance that you can definitely turn things around. Just be prepared to clench. 

You think you’ve met “the one” and they seem totally perfect for you, but is it all too good to be true? Could you be dating a narcissist?   What starts out as a dreamy relationship filled with fancy presents and compliments galore, suddenly turns sour and you’re left wondering if you’re slowly losing your mind.   Narcissists make up only 1% of the population but the impact they have on the women who date them can be truly devastating.   Yumi Stynes meets women who have fallen in love with a narcissist and uncovers the psychology behind their charm.   Featured in this episode:   Tamara Cavenett, clinical psychologist   Some names have been changed to protect identities  Life Line: 13 11 14 1800 Respect: 1800 737 732

Having sex can be exposing, nerve wracking. When we strip down, we reveal ourselves – and not just our bits. No wonder we sometimes reach for courage in a bottle.   For some women, a few shots can make them feel comfortable enough to go home with that hottie from across the bar, for others the relationship between alcohol and sex can be more toxic.   Yumi Stynes chats to women who are putting the lid back on the bottle and embarking on sex...stone cold sober.   Featured in this episode:   Tawny Lara, author of Dry Humping   Faye Lawrence, grey area drinking coach 

Yumi has been on an adventure down to the depths of the ABC archives to uncover an absolute banger of an episode.   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?  In this love letter to our friends, Yumi Stynes invites herself into the joyful friendship between Jamila Rizvi and Clare Bowditch and celebrates the deep platonic love we can only get from our besties. 

Is the soundtrack to your life a ticking baby-making clock?   What if you’re desperate to be a mother but the other half of the baby-making equation just hasn’t become available?  Yumi Stynes meets women who have given the middle finger to the idea of the nuclear family and become solo mums by choice.  From swiping for sperm; turkey-basting and solo sleep deprivation – find out what it’s really like to choose to parent on your own.   Featured in this episode:  Alexandra Collier – Author of Inconceivable  Dr Karin Hammarberg - Senior Research Fellow, Monash University

If you’re having trouble getting hot for your long-term partner? You’re not alone.  Domestic bliss, smelling our partner’s farts, demanding kids – it feels like it’s all part of a worldwide conspiracy to shrivel our sex drive.  So come hang with Yumi Stynes and sex nerd Emily Nagoski to get some practical advice on how to brush off the cobwebs, bring back our lady-boners and actually want to have sex with our life mate again.  Featured in this episode:  Emily Nagoski PhD – Sex researcher and author of books, Come As You Are; Burnout and Come Together

Does your vagina give off a bit of a questionable waft?  The smells emanating from our undies can be embarrassing and some women end up feeling massive shame about their malodorous pudenda.  We want to know, do you have a chronic problem with a pongy vagina? What lengths have you gone to to remedy it? Or have you embraced the waft?   Do you have a friend or workmate with a smelly vagina but you can’t bring yourself to tell them?  We are looking for your deepest, most shameful, funniest and most embarrassing tales of when it’s all wrong down there.  You can be anonymous but we are looking for people to be recorded for the podcast. If this is you, flick us an email: ladies@abc.net.au

Yumi Stynes has pinched the keys to the ABC podcast dungeon and has pulled out her absolute fave episodes for you.  Are you team Dolphin or team Pubus Maximus?  Pubic hair — it's one of the most scrutinised patches of hair on our bodies. Research says 80 per cent of women groom their Map of Tassie regularly. But why do we feel the need to pluck, shave, scrape, or zap our pubes at all? Yumi Stynes find out the meaning behind our pubey grooming choices.  Featured in this episode:   Mona Chalabi - Data journalist   Maeve Marsden - Podcaster   Christina Zheng – Comedian 

Getting naked in front of someone you’re about to get down and dirty with is a really vulnerable thing to do for even the most confident among us.   But what about when you’ve spent your whole life being told your body isn’t desirable or sexy?   And those messages are hitting you from everywhere. From television, movies, strangers on the street and even from the very people who are supposed to be into you.   That’s the reality for a lot of women living in fat bodies out there, so how do you say a big F*** you to that narrative and start having great sex?   Two hot, fat babes, Bec Shaw and April Hélène-Horton got together with Yumi Stynes for a no-holds barred DNM to chat about all things sex.  Featured in this episode:  Bec Shaw – writer and podcaster  April Hélène-Horton aka The Bodzilla – advocate and activist