Ladies, We Need To Talk

‘I’m leaving you,’ Belle’s husband became a stranger overnight

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. Despite the pain of separation, Belle came to know herself again and rebuilt her life stronger than before. This episode will answer questions like: What does it feel like to be cheated on? Can you tell if your husband is having an affair? Do people suddenly fall out of love? Who is Belle Burden? How can women protect themselves financially in a marriage? What lessons are there to be learnt after going through divorce? What to listen to next:I love you but go away: Women taking marriage sabbaticalsHow swapping a husband for a wife made this economist better offTuria Pitt is a selfish womanPaying for sex at 70You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  What to read next:Why these women took marriage sabbaticals — and how it wentBuilding a village means showing up even when it feels hard, says Esther PerelWhy Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgeryWhy genital herpes does not mean the end of your sex lifeThis episode contains references to divorce, separation, affair, cheating, heartbreak, money, settlement, parenting, re-invention, self-discovery, gender, mothering, independent, finance. 

Parenting blind, with Nas Campanella

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 will answer questions like: What’s it like to be a mother while vision impaired? How do blind parents use sound, touch and voice to care for their babies?What are the biggest challenges of parenting with a disability? How do you keep children safe without relying on sight? How do people use sound, touch and instinct to read their baby’s needs? What public scrutiny do disabled parents receive? How do you raise an empathetic child? What to listen to next: I love you but go away: Women taking marriage sabbaticalsLife without boobs: Meet the women staying flat after breast cancerBody image and babies with Turia Pitt and Sophie WalkerWhere's my village? Esther Perel on how to build communityYou can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  What to read next:  Why these women took marriage sabbaticals — and how it wentBuilding a village means showing up even when it feels hard, says Esther PerelWhy Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgeryWhy genital herpes does not mean the end of your sex lifeThis episode contains references to disability, vision impaired, blind, mother, parent, National Disability Affairs reporter, ABC, work-life-balance, working mum, child, baby, parenting, teaching, attachment. 

I love you but go away: Women taking marriage sabbaticals

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 will answer questions like: What is a marriage sabbatical? Why do women feel like they need a break from their marriage? Why do some women feel like they care for their husbands like children? How can you ask for a break from your relationship? How do you know you’re happy in a relationship? What does an equal partnership look like? How do relationship preferences change over time? Can having a break save your marriage? What to listen to next: Women who cheatIs everyone having better sex than me?The new way to dateHow pop culture f*cked us up, with Sophie GilbertYou can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  What to read next:  How pop culture messed us up, with Sophie GilbertHow swapping a husband for a wife made this economist better offPaying for sex at 70Life without boobs: Meet the women staying flat after breast cancerThis episode contains references to sex, marriage, family, parenting, mental load, emotional labour, domestic labour, inequality, chores, perimenopause, break-ups, relationship, love, psychology, attachment. 

Who the f*ck is Madeline? Getting cheated on

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 forever. For others it leads to bloodletting and rebuilding the relationship.Featured in this episode:  Christina Spaccavento, sex and relationships counsellor This episode will answer questions like: What does it feel like to be cheated on? How do some women find out their partner has been cheating on them? Why do people cheat? Can you stay in a relationship after infidelity?  How do you rebuild trust after cheating? What to listen to next:Women who cheatIs everyone having better sex than me?The new way to dateHow pop culture f*cked us up, with Sophie GilbertYou can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  What to read next:Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgeryHow Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhoodWhat loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look likeThe dark side of being a perfectionistThis episode contains references to sex, marriage, cheating, West End Girl, Lily Allen, Madeline, Beyonce, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Becky with the good hair, Shakira, Lemonade, infidelity, women, family, emotional cheating.

How pop culture messed us up, with Sophie Gilbert

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 about ourselves as women.Sophie chats to Yumi Stynes about how pop culture turned a generation of women against themselves and what we can do about it.What to listen to next:Emotional labour with Rose HackmanClare and Jessie Stephens on twinning, pregnancy and envyHas Ozempic killed body inclusivity?Are our boys ok? Fighting online misogyny with Kate ScottYou can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  What to read next:  Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgeryHow Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhoodWhat loving someone with an addiction or dependence can look likeThe dark side of being a perfectionistThis episode will answer questions like: What were the messages being sent about womanhood in the 1990s and 2000s? How did the Spice Girls rise to popularity? What did the term ‘girl power’ mean? How did pop culture impact body image and fashion? What did pop culture teach us about women’s sexuality? What is pop culture today teaching us about womanhood? This episode contains references to sexuality, pop culture, music, performance, girl, woman, gender, gender roles, Britney Spears, Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, the Spice Girls, Pamela Anderson, body image, thinness, beauty, capitalism, entertainment industry.