Ladies, We Need To Talk

Have you ever had a sexual dry spell? And when we say dry, we mean years and years. Getting naked and doing the bedroom rodeo with another person can be daunting at the best of times, but especially if it’s been such a long time you’re worried you may have forgotten how to ride the horse.  Anxieties begin to take over...Will everything work like it used to? What if they don’t like my body? And what if the dog walks in?  So, how can you break the dry spell and get back in the saddle? Yumi Stynes and Jess McGuire strip bare and give no-holds-barred advice on how to reclaim your sexual power after a long absence.  

In life, there are a lot of random rules women stick to. One of them is not telling loved ones about a pregnancy until after the first trimester. But why???The answer is more often than not, miscarriage.  

Being in love feels so damn good, right? But what if you fall so deeply into your relationship, you start to forget who you are?  

Swipe left, swipe right, match, meet, hook up, repeat. We all know the dating dance, but is it really serving us as women?Enter Hannah Ferguson, the 25-year-old media queen who isn’t afraid to tell us how it is.  When Hannah was in her late teens and dating for the first time, Tinder ruled the scene and sex was available at the swipe of a finger. But a string of sub-par experiences left her wondering if hookup culture is selling women a lie. Have we come to expect scraps because that's all that's on offer? And how can we push back and have the sex and relationships we deserve? Featured in this episode: Hannah Ferguson, CEO of Cheek Media Co. and author of Bite BackLifeline: 13 11 14   1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 

Women bear the load of most of the invisible (thankless) work in a household. And that shit gets heavy.  School lunches, laundry, dentist appointments, shopping, snot-wiping, cleaning, care-giving – and don’t forget to get those 10k steps in while you’re at it! We're exhausted just thinking about it.  Yumi dishes out advice on how to even out the mental load and take the weight off your shoulders.  If you’ve got a snag in your life that you just can’t figure out, let us take on the burden! Send an audio note to ladies@abc.net.au

What if your appetite for sex was insatiable? Would you love to be boning every day, multiple times a day?  There's this idea that it's men that are always lusting after sex. But guess what? Women can be horn dogs too! But that horniness often comes with the label "slutty". Yumi Stynes chats to women who are relishing their pleasure and enjoying plenty of orgasms while they’re at it.  

When you’re stuck in the daily grind of working-mum life, sometimes it can be hard not to feel like a shitty mum.  School lunches, getting them dressed (FFS), raising good humans, endless meetings – it's exhausting and soul-destroying. Yumi has some advice to ease the mum-guilt, when your heart is being yanked in opposite directions and backing away from work isn’t an option.  If you’ve got a problem that not even your girl gang can help you solve, let us take on the burden! Send an audio note to ladies@abc.net.au 

Yumi has been cheeky and stolen the keys to the ABC archive to bring out one of our favourite episodes.

If you’ve carried a baby, you may have had to deal with the fall out (literally) of pelvic prolapse. But having your organs pop out of your vagina isn’t limited to mammas, getting older is also a big factor. 

Rosie Waterland’s mum was, to put it mildly, chaos personified. Charming and caring one minute, abusive and cruel the next.  This year, she died. A moment Rosie was strangely prepared for. But her mum’s death left her to contend with the conflicting emotions of grief and relief. Yumi Stynes sat down with Rosie for a heart to heart about growing up with an abusive parent, grieving and coming out of the other side of childhood trauma.  Featured in this episode:  Rosie Waterland, author and podcaster Lifeline: 13 11 14  1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 

Would you like to flip the script and peg your partner? Yumi spreads the word on pegging your boo, how to introduce anal play into your sex life and the ins and outs of doing it (or not) so everyone feels good.  If you’ve got a problem that’s doing your head in, never fear because your hottest, coolest agony aunt is primed and ready to help you out! Send us an audio note to ladies@abc.net.au

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 with ladies who’ve been battling PCOS for years and finds out how they get on top of it. Featured in this episode: Professor Helena Teede, female endocrine specialist from Monash University 

Do you have to pry your partner off the couch with a fork-lift? Are they living in skanky trackies 24/7? Yumi spills the tea on what to do if your other half has gone full slob. Got a life problem you just can’t solve? Help is at hand! We’re handing the mic over to you, our lush listeners and taking the burden of problem solving off your shoulders... because Ladies, We Need To Talk... Back! Send us your questions as a voice note to ladies@abc.net.au - we can’t wait to hear from you!

We live in a sex obsessed world, where hook-up culture is king and getting laid out like a spatchcocked chicken is a status symbol. But what if you’re a fully-fledged adult, paying your own bills and you’re still a “virgin”? Some women might hold off having sex for the first time because they want to meet the “right” person, others because they haven’t had the opportunity or are waiting until marriage. Whatever the reason, it can feel lonely and isolating when there so much noise around sex.  Yumi Stynes talks to women who haven’t yet had sex, either by choice or circumstance and to another who waited to have sex for over 40 years, until she met her perfect person. We love hearing from you! Send us an email or a voice note to ladies@abc.net.auFeatured in this episode:Amanda McCracken, writer on love and limerence

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