The Penis Project Podcast: Breaking Taboos in Men’s Sexual Health

Episode Overview: 

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa is joined from the UK by Ollie Matthews of OJay Health. Ollie is a certified functional medicine health consultant, nutritionist, health coach and trainer with close to twenty years working with high performers, business owners, Olympic and endurance athletes. He is not a clinician and does not claim to be. This is functional medicine coaching, not medical treatment. But his lane, sleep, stress, cardiovascular and metabolic health and energy, sits directly upstream of a great deal of what walks into Melissa’s clinic as an erectile functio...

Episode Overview: 

On this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett speaks with Tom Jenkins, an author based in rural Colombia, about his memoir The Drunk Gambler with Erectile Dysfunction. Tom is not a clinician, and this is not a clinical conversation. It is one man’s honest account of shame, addiction and disconnection, and how he found his way through it. 

Tom describes how his erectile difficulties first appeared during his early sexual experiences and continued to show up specifically with women he genuinely liked, rather than in lower-stakes encounters. He talks openly...

Episode Overview: 

On this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa speaks with Magnus, an aeronautical engineer from Sweden and long-time listener of the show, about discovering a significant bend in his penis, and the sometimes frustrating, sometimes funny, journey to work out what to do about it, largely on his own. 

Magnus had been listening to the podcast for a few years out of general curiosity about men's health, never expecting he'd need it. Then, in November last year, he noticed his penis had developed a sudden and significant bend, up and to the left...

Episode Overview: 

On this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett speaks with Adam, an exercise physiologist, content creator (@balancedbyadam) and father of two, about being diagnosed with prostate cancer at just 43 years old. 

Adam's story starts with a routine blood test. As an exercise physiologist with a family history of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease, Adam had been adding a PSA test to his own annual bloods since turning 40. At 42, his PSA jumped, a follow-up biopsy found early, low-grade, prostate-confined cancer, and Adam was left with a decision most men his age nev...

Episode Overview: 

On this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett speaks with Steve Bartley, a 61-year-old filmmaker and television researcher, about his experience with advanced prostate cancer, hormone therapy, and rebuilding his sex life along the way. 

Steve's diagnosis in 2024 came out of nowhere. With no family history of prostate cancer, he only had blood work done after noticing unexplained, rapid weight loss. His PSA came back at 8, and his doctor was blunt: this could be cancer. What followed was a fast and frightening escalation, from an MRI scored at the highest le...

Episode Overview: 

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa talks with Mark, a 56-year-old rural firefighter from the South West of Western Australia, about a prostate cancer journey that has had just about everything in it: an aggressive cancer, surgery, a rising PSA, salvage radiation, penile rehabilitation, one very memorable trip to the emergency department, and a bloke who simply refused to sit down and feel sorry for himself. 

Mark had never been crook in his life. He only asked for a PSA test because a mate who had been through prostate cancer kept...

Episode Overview: 

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa sits down with Will McDonald, Channel 9 news reporter, PCFA ambassador, Ironman finisher, skydiver and father, for a candid and inspiring conversation.   

Will was 42 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer that had metastasised to his hip. He was fit, active and had no urinary symptoms whatsoever. The first sign anything was wrong was a nagging pain in his left hip that simply never got better. Six weeks later an MRI revealed lesions that were almost certainly cancerous, and his PSA, when it was finally...

Episode Overview: 

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa speaks with Kerry, whose partner Matt was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 41. Kerry was 33. This is her story, told from the seat we don’t hear enough, the partner’s. 

It starts with a motorbike. Matt has a vintage Honda CB750, his pride and joy and he is always looking for a reason to ride it. So, in September 2019 when they saw the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride advertised, they thought “let’s do it”. They bought suits, made their donation, and rode up the freeway in open-faced helme...

Episode Overview: 

Jamie is 10 months on from a radical prostatectomy for Gleason 7 prostate cancer. He is single, in his late 60s, and refreshingly, bracingly honest about what the journey back to sexual function has been like. In this episode, Kate takes the hosting chair and draws out a conversation that goes well beyond the mechanics of rehabilitation and into desire, connection, what it means to pleasure a partner, and why prostate cancer recovery is never just about the man. 

Jamie's prostate cancer was under observation for a couple of years before it began to progress. When h...

Episode Overview: 

Steve Fisher is 77 years old, lives in Nebraska, and has been through more than most men can imagine. In 2020, he and his wife were both diagnosed with cancer at the same time. Her lung cancer surgery was followed by a catastrophic complication, and Steve lost her in late 2020, while still carrying his own prostate cancer diagnosis. 

In the first half of 2021, Steve went ahead with treatment: low-dose brachytherapy (permanent seed implants) followed by 20 sessions of external beam radiation, plus a short course of Lupron (a prescription hormonal therapy). His PSA is now sitting at...

Episode Overview: 

Melissa has been wanting to have this conversation for over a year. She first came across Cathy's work when two quite conservative couples independently told her a weekend tantra retreat had genuinely changed their relationship. Intrigued, Melissa enrolled (without mentioning what she did for a living) and attended with her husband. They both found it valuable. This episode is the result of that curiosity. 

Cathy has been teaching tantra for decades, having first encountered the philosophy at age twenty through a GP who introduced her to the idea of loving and accepting her own...

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa is joined by Dr Eve Tiong, a radiation oncologist with Icon Cancer Centre in Western Australia, for a deep dive into how prostate radiotherapy has changed and why many of the horror stories people associate with radiation no longer reflect modern practice. 

Dr Tiong walks through the shift from older, broad-field radiation techniques to today's highly targeted approach, explaining how image guidance and modulated delivery now concentrate dose on the prostate while sharply reducing exposure to the bladder and bowel. She and Melissa unpack what this means in p...

Watch the Webinar 

This episode was recorded live at one of Melissa’s free monthly webinars, held exclusively for our subscriber community. To watch the full video, including the implant demonstrations, head to: https://vimeo.com/1192108833?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci 

 If you’d like to be notified about upcoming webinars and other events from Restorative Health Clinic and Melissa, subscribe here: https://rshealth.com.au/#subscribe 

 In this special webinar episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa is joined by Shane, a highly experienced urological surgeon and founding partner of Perth Urology...

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa sits down with Don and Clare, a couple who have lived through the messy, emotional and often under discussed reality of prostate cancer recovery. 

Don was diagnosed just before his 65th birthday after his PSA rose from around 4 to over 9. A biopsy showed aggressive Gleason 9 prostate cancer, and within six weeks his prostate was removed. His PSA is now undetectable, which is the result everyone hopes for. But, as Don and Clare explain, being “cancer-free” did not mean life went back to normal.  

After surgery, Don experienced...

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa speaks with Sophie Smith, a prostate cancer specialist nurse based in the UK, about what prostate cancer nursing looks like on the other side of the world. 

Sophie has been nursing for 23 years, with her entire career connected to urology and prostate cancer care. She now works with Prostate Cancer UK, providing information, support and guidance to men, partners and families navigating prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment decisions, side effects and life after treatment. 

Melissa and Sophie compare the UK and Australian systems, including the role of prost...

Host: Melissa Hadley Barrett  
Guests: Rob and Linda 

Category: Penile Implants| Prostate Cancer | Buried Penis | Penile Rehabilitation | Erectile Dysfunction| Men’s Health | Peyronie’s Disease 

Episode Summary:  

On this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett speaks with Rob about his experience of prostate cancer, recovery after treatment, and the very real ups and downs of getting back to life after diagnosis. 

This is a practical, honest, and hopeful conversation that walks through what recovery can look like for a man after prostate cancer treatment. Rob shares his story with openness and humour, t...

What started as one man trying to make sense of prostate cancer became poetry, advocacy, and a way of helping other men feel less alone. 

In this episode of The Penis Project, Melissa is joined again by Steve Jones, known to many listeners as the poet who didn’t know it. Steve is now five years on from prostate cancer treatment and he reflects on PSA anxiety, recovery, poetry, weight loss, peer support, and finding purpose in the aftermath of a life-changing diagnosis. This is an honest, moving, and hopeful conversation for men, partners, and anyone navigating life aft...

Host: Melissa Hadley Barrett  
Guest: Richard Connell  

Category: Men’s Sexual Health | Peyronie’s Disease | Penile Rehabilitation | Erectile Dysfunction  

Episode Summary:  

Peyronie’s disease can affect much more than the penis. It can impact confidence, intimacy, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. Many men suffer in silence or give up on treatment when it feels too hard, too uncomfortable, or too embarrassing to talk about. 

Episode Description: 

In this follow-up episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett welcomes back Richard Connell, inventor of the Comfort Grip, to talk about what’s changed since h...

Host: Melissa Hadley Barrett  
Guest: Carlotta Thomas  

Category: Partner Support | Prostate Cancer | Intimacy and Sexuality | Penile Rehabilitation  

Episode Summary:

Prostate cancer does not just affect one person. It can affect the couple, the relationship, the way intimacy feels, and the confidence both people bring into the bedroom. Many men and their partners feel alone in that. This episode reminds listeners that they are not broken, they are not failing, and they are definitely not the only ones trying to work out what comes next. 

It also gently challenges the old idea that intimac...

In this eye-opening episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa chats with Chris Bustamante—better known online as Injector Chris — a New York and San Diego–based Nurse Practitioner who has become one of the world’s leading experts in penile aesthetics, including penis fillers, scrotal enhancement, ShowTox, Scro-Fill, HoleTox, and more. 

Chris brings a unique combination of artistry, anatomy, and sexual-health expertise to a niche area of men’s health that is rapidly growing but often misunderstood. Together, Melissa and Chris unpack the science, the artistry, the risks, and the motivations behind male cosmetic procedures—from girth fillers...

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa is joined by internationally recognised intimacy expert and relationship coach Allana Pratt for a wide-ranging conversation about emotional healing, embodiment, vulnerability, and what it truly means to build meaningful, intimate relationships. 

With over a decade of podcasting experience and more than 20 years working with individuals and couples, Allana brings a powerful blend of psychology, spirituality, body-based awareness, and practical tools to help people reconnect — with themselves first, and then with others. 

This episode goes far beyond sex, exploring how unresolved emotional pain, self-rejection, and disconnection from the b...

In this an honest and emotional episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa and Kate shift the spotlight to a voice that is far too often missing in prostate cancer conversations — the partner. 

Rachel bravely shares her lived experience of navigating intimacy, grief, love, patience, and reconnection after her partner underwent prostate cancer surgery. What unfolds is not a clinical education session, but a raw, validating conversation about what happens to relationships when erections, continence, desire, and confidence change overnight. 

Together, they explore how prostate cancer is not just a medical diagnosis, it is a life changing eve...

In this candid and surprising episode, Melissa is joined by guest host Kira and anonymous guests “George and Mildred” for a deep dive into their relationship story, how menopause and erectile dysfunction impacted their marriage, and how a journey into the swinging lifestyle ultimately strengthened communication, intimacy, and connection. 

This conversation explores the real relationship work behind non-monogamy, including boundaries, ground rules, consent culture at clubs, the importance of emotional safety, and how past breaches of consent can shape future intimacy. 

What You’ll Hear in This Episode 

Let’s talk bollocks — literally. In this candid and funny episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa chats with Kurt Brookes and James McConnell, co-hosts of the bold new podcast Never Mind My Bollocks, produced by Made in Manchester. Together, they’re breaking the silence around vasectomy — a topic often buried in myths, awkwardness, and outdated notions of masculinity. 

Kurt, a comedy creator, and James, an NHS scientist and geneticist, bring their lived experience and friendship to the mic. What started as a casual post-comedy-night confession (“You’ve had one too?!”) became a mission to normalise the conversation ab...

In this special episode of The Penis Project Podcast, the tables are turned — and Melissa Hadley Barrett is the one being interviewed! 
Joining her is Sangeeth Sebastian, a journalist and sexuality writer from Kerala, India, and the founder of VVOX — a groundbreaking platform with a mission to make accurate, science-based sexual and mental health knowledge accessible to everyone and end sexual shame. 

With nearly two decades in journalism, Sangeeth brings empathy and investigative depth to the conversation as he and Melissa explore everything from erectile dysfunction and Peyronies disease to libido, body image, and the silence surrou...

In this special Christmas edition of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa is joined by members of the Restorative Health Clinic team for a candid, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt look back at the year that was. 

From awkward inbox messages and clinic mishaps to deeply meaningful patient moments, the team reflects on what it’s really like working in men’s sexual health — a space where humour, vulnerability, trust, and life-changing conversations collide every day. 

This episode is part thank-you, part behind-the-scenes, and part reminder that sexual health work is serious — but laughter matters too. 

 Key Take...

In this deeply insightful episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett sits down with Jeremy Lipkowitz — a former Buddhist monk turned mindfulness teacher and men’s recovery coach — to explore how compulsive behaviours like porn addiction can quietly undermine men’s sexual health, relationships, and sense of self. 

Jeremy shares his personal journey from genetics research at Duke University to living as a monk, and how mindfulness, neuroscience, and self-compassion became the tools that helped him (and now others) break free from addiction. Together, Melissa and Jeremy unpack the neuroscience of porn use, its impact on intima...

In this deeply human episode of The Penis Project podcast, Melissa sits down with former NRL legend and now men's mentor Ryan Girdler, whose life after professional football has taken an unexpected and transformative turn. 

Ryan talks candidly about growing up in a blue-collar household in the 70s, the pressures of masculinity, and how being driven hard as a child shaped his identity. He reflects on his footy career, the unspoken expectations to “be tough,” and how those patterns carried over into life after retirement—leading him to overwork, burnout, and eventually, a total personal reset. 

Throug...

In this heartfelt and humorous episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett is joined by husband-and-wife duo David and Denise Price — a couple who’ve faced prostate cancer together with courage, curiosity, and a lot of laughter. 

David, a professional speaking coach and keynote presenter, and Denise, a writer and storyteller, open up about how prostate cancer changed (and strengthened) their relationship — from navigating continence and erectile recovery to rediscovering pleasure, communication, and connection in new ways. 

They share how pelvic floor exercises became a “couples’ activity,” why David calls his penis “Neville,” and how humour, lo...

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa reconnects with Mike and Shirley from the USA, who first joined us back in 2023. Now celebrating an incredible 48 years of marriage, they share how life, love, and sex have evolved nearly four years after Mike’s prostate cancer surgery. 

Together, they open up about recovery, resilience, and rediscovering intimacy after cancer — proving that sexual function and emotional connection can keep improving long past the two-year mark many men are told is the “limit”. Their journey is one of teamwork, trust, and trying everything from pumps to performance rings to inject...

In this powerful and uplifting episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett is joined by Dr Jane Foster, an educator and author who’s spent more than 40 years helping people understand and manage their emotions. 

Jane’s groundbreaking “steering-wheel” metaphor teaches us that while we can’t control life’s bumpy roads, we can control how we steer through them. Her simple, evidence-based approach to emotional resilience encourages us to replace judgment and blame with choice and responsibility. 

Together, Melissa and Jane explore how our emotions, stress responses, and everyday habits shape mental and physical w...

In this Episode which marks the 5th anniversary of the Penis Project Podcast, Kate and Melissa, practitioners from Restorative Health Clinic talk to Kirk (59), who shares his very recent journey with prostate cancer — from vigilant PSA screening due to a strong family history, through biopsy and robotic prostatectomy(Gleason 9), to an unusually swift return of continence and erections (yes, really… at 5 weeks!). We chat about why a good GP relationship matters, common myths (no, PSA screening is not a finger-up-the-bum), and practical rehab steps that set you up for the best outcome. We also touch on the challenges recent Medi...

In this episode of The Penis Project podcast, Melissa sits down with world-leading urologist Dr Landon Trost to unpack Peyronie’s disease, traction therapy, and what’s next in men’s sexual health. Dr Trost shares his journey from training under Professor Wayne Hellstrom to leading research and innovation in Peyronie’s management, fertility, and penile rehabilitation. Together they explore the Restorex device, emerging treatments, and the vital role of early intervention.

Episode Overview:

In this raw and refreshingly honest episode of The Penis Project podcast, Melissa chats with Mitch—a 21-year-old who opens up about his journey with primary premature ejaculation (PE). From rural farm life and open family chats to medication mishaps and sexual self-esteem struggles, Mitch shares his experience with warmth and humour. 

Mitch talks about: 

In this episode, Melissa chats with David, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023 and underwent a prostatectomy. David candidly shares his journey—how a routine PSA test led to a life-saving diagnosis, what recovery was really like, and how he’s taken a scientific, data-driven approach to his penile rehabilitation. 

With warmth, wit and wisdom, David opens up about his experience with erectile dysfunction (ED), continence concerns, vacuum pump rehab, and using the FirmTech ring to monitor nocturnal erections—describing it as a “FitBit for your dick.” He also talks about the importance of talking openly about men's...

In this milestone 200th episode, the tables are turned as Dr Amy Pearlman interviews The Penis Project's own Melissa Hadley Barrett. From wet hair and time zone mix-ups to powerful patient stories and favourite sex toys, this episode is a heartwarming, hilarious, and deeply honest look into what Melissa has learned after 200 interviews about penises, pleasure, relationships, and recovery.

Amy has been a popular guest on The Penis Project and a friend and colleague to Melissa over the past few years and for something different the tables have turned, and Amy is interviewing Melissa to see what...

In this episode, Melissa is joined by Dr. Eric Chung, to dive deep into a topic that many men feel too embarrassed to ask about: tight/painful/unretractable foreskin- phimosis. Whether you've never been able to retract your foreskin or it's become tight and uncomfortable later in life, you're not alone—and you're not without options. This issue affects 2-6% of men worldwide. 

This episode explores the two main types of phimosis, how to recognise it, what causes it, and what treatments are available beyond circumcision, including the innovative Novoglan device. They also bust myths around hygiene, sen...

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Nurse Practitioner and Sexologist Melissa Hadley Barrett chats with Mish Middelmann — a prostate cancer survivor, men’s leadership coach, and founder of The Recovering Man. Mish is also the author of a book about sex beyond erections, called Beyond Erections - reclaiming sexual pleasure and intimacy with erectile differences.

Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019, Mish shares his raw and insightful journey of treatment, recovery, and rebuilding life as a man post-cancer. From Johannesburg to Canada, his story spans continents and emotions — and ultimately, his experience led him to create a space...

In this special episode, Melissa connects with longtime friend and renowned psychosomatic therapist Frida, founder of Body Nature Therapies in Byron Bay. Frida shares her personal and professional journey—from a background in fine arts to pioneering her Body Mapping Method, a therapeutic process that bridges the body-mind connection. 

Frida explains what psychosomatic therapy really is (hint: it’s simpler than you think!), and how disconnection between body and mind often lies at the root of illness, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction. With wisdom grounded in yoga, Ayurveda, remedial bodywork, and Eastern and Western healing philosophies, she shares how a...

In this refreshingly honest episode, Melissa chats with the inspiring and trailblazing Dr. Amy Pearlman—a US-based female urologist, twin, and co-founder of the Prime Institute in Florida. Known for her progressive and patient-first approach, Amy opens up about her journey into men’s health, the procedures she performs (including penile girth enhancement), and the power of confidence in sexual wellbeing. 

This episode dives deep into: