Ladies, We Need To Talk

Have you ever fantasised about raising kids with your bestie? Well, some women are doing it for real. And these mum communes or ‘mummunes’ don’t look like your average share house.  

These women are sharing a roof, chores, bills and the mental load of raising their kids. For some, it’s the antidote to a nuclear family structure that left them drained and resentful. For others, it’s a handy, albeit overcrowded solution to the struggles of single motherhood. 

Yumi Stynes speaks to women who are rewriting the rules of motherhood and finds out what there is to...

It’s truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in the modern world has endured at least one truly disastrous date. It is, regrettably, a rite of passage. 

Author Alita Bryson has been on hundreds of them! One guy asked her if it was okay to marry your cousin, another trolled people online for fun while yet another literally drove off mid-date. 

While her dating life was catastrophic, Alita realised it made great fodder for entertainment and so she started the Instagram page Bad Dates of Melbourne, publishing anonymous submissions of terrible dates so that women...

At some point in life, we all lose someone we love. But losing a baby is an unimaginable heartbreak. Our children are not meant to die before us.

In the wake of that loss, families are left reeling. Navigating shock, confusion, and overwhelming grief as they face a future without a much-loved child.

Yumi Stynes meets two women who have experienced infant loss. They share how they moved through their grief, how they celebrate their babies, and how people in their life stepped up- or stepped away.

And registered psychologist, Rachel Ficinus explains...

One in three Australian women describe their births as traumatic.

Long labours, health scares, emergency interventions, feeling ignored, and lasting physical and psychological injuries can turn what's meant to be one of life's biggest moments into something deeply distressing.

Yumi Stynes hears from women still coming to terms with their birth experiences, sometimes years later, and finds out what can be done to prevent traumatic births. (R).

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For most mums, the day their kids leave feels like a victory.

You might even be planning what you'll do with all that free time. No more mountains of laundry, arguments over dinner or acting as a free taxi service.

But for many women, an empty nest isn't just freedom, it's loss. When motherhood has shaped so much of your daily life and identity, the silence can be unsettling as you move around a house that was once loud, busy and joyful.

Yumi Stynes chats with women who have navigated the grief of...

Jessica Mauboy was just 16 when she burst onto our screens, barefoot in the red dirt of Alice Springs, belting out Whitney Houston at her Australian Idol audition.

She may have finished runner-up, but it launched one of Australia's most enduring music careers including starring in The Sapphires and representing Australia at Eurovision in 2018.  

Despite two decades in the spotlight, fame hasn't changed Jess, and she's never lost touch with her connection to Darwin, returning between tours to reconnect with her family and culture.

Yumi Stynes sits down with Jess to talk about her Ind...

When we're dating someone new, the rush is electric. The pull towards sex can feel immediate, an almost magnetic urge to rip each other's clothes off.

But as the years stretch on and the demands of life ramp up, sex becomes just one more activity on a chaotic checklist; competing with the demands of chores, kids and sleep.

And when the urge does strike, it's intimacy vs. doom scrolling in bed, and somehow, the phone wins every time.

Yumi Stynes meets women who are trying to wriggle free from a sex rut and...

Botox, vampire facials, bone smashing and now cadaver fat fillers: the beauty industry is expert in selling extreme (and painful) treatments in our endless pursuit of perfection and eternal youth.

For years, Jess DeFino worked at the heart of this machine as an assistant editor for the Kardashian family. She saw firsthand how the goalposts of beauty are constantly shifting, making it out of reach, no matter how much time, money and energy we pour in.

Now Jess is calling bullsh*t on the beauty industrial complex and the ever more bonkers methods being employed.<...

Botox, vampire facials, bone smashing and now cadaver fat fillers: the beauty industry is expert in selling extreme (and painful) treatments in our endless pursuit of perfection and eternal youth.

For years, Jess DeFino worked at the heart of this machine as an assistant editor for the Kardashian family. She saw firsthand how the goalposts of beauty are constantly shifting, making it out of reach, no matter how much time, money and energy we pour in.

Now Jess is calling bullsh*t on the beauty industrial complex and the ever more bonkers methods being employed.<...

We live in a sexed-up world. From chiselled fictional teenagers in steamy high school dramas to Sabrina Carpenter’s innuendos, it feels like everyone’s doing it. But what happens when adulthood arrives and you're still a virgin? 

Plenty of women haven’t had sex. Some are waiting for the right person, some are waiting for marriage, and some haven't had the opportunity.  

Virginity has gone from being something women were expected to protect to something they feel they have to explain. So how do we ditch everyone else's expectations and figure out what we actually...

Love bombing. Gaslighting. Coercive control. Narcissists can crash into your life on the charm offensive. They begin with intense affection, compliments and grand gestures. But behind that charm can be manipulation and intense criticism. In the worst cases, they control every aspect of their partner's life. 

It’s disorienting to be with a narcissist, and often people with narcissistic traits have very little insight into their behaviour. Yumi Stynes chats to women who’ve been in love with narcissists to understand what got them under their spell and why they're so difficult to leave. Plus, clinical Tamara Cavenett explores...

For all her life, Chloe Hayden, star of Heartbreak High, has struggled to get doctors to take her health complaints seriously. And she’s not alone.  

Autistic women have poorer physical and mental health than neurotypical people. From shorter life expectancy to higher rates of suicide, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. In this episode Grace speaks to autistic women about being misunderstood and misdiagnosed and the toll this has taken on her health. She also investigates the root causes behind these co-occurring conditions and how medical and social systems can better support autistic women and girls to...

"It can be difficult…when your approach to socialising and relationships doesn't look like what other people might expect."

There's a long-held stereotype that autistic people are not empathetic and aren't interested in relationships. The reality is that, like everyone, autistic women and girls want connection, they may just come to it in different ways. In this episode, Grace looks at how autism and relationships intersect, from friendships and partnerships to parenthood. She also explores what autistic women bring to relationships and what becomes possible when they stop pretending to be "normal"?

Listen to more fr...

For decades autism was thought of as a "boy thing" and girls were overlooked by science. According to research, three boys are diagnosed with autism for every girl. While experts point to genetic differences, there are other reasons why girls often go undiagnosed, including their ability to mask their autistic traits, leading to what's referred to as the "female autism invisibility cloak". In this episode, Grace meets women and gender diverse people who have been diagnosed with autism later in life or are still waiting. She also speaks to neuroscientist Dr Gina Rippon about what the latest research has...

"It's only been in recent years that I've had a public platform and people have asked me specifically about being autistic."

In the first episode of this special four-part series, Grace Tame speaks candidly with Yumi Stynes about her experiences as an autistic woman, from feeling on the outer and being labelled "weird" to experiencing the world in "high definition".

In this exclusive interview, Grace opens up about the ways that she fought her own brain, using alcohol and masking to try and fit in. She also reveals how exploring relationships with women has been...

"I was bullied for being quirky… I would have these very intense special interests."

Join Australian of the Year Grace Tame for a special four-part take over of Ladies, We Need to Talk as she meets leading experts in autism research and connects with other neurodivergent women to get a better understanding of what life is like as an autistic person, beyond the stereotypes.

Autism comes wrapped in a lot of stigma and misunderstandings. Grace knows this firsthand. She struggled socially as a kid before finally getting a diagnosis in her late teens. Grace's experience is...

The female orgasm deserves better PR. Straight women are climaxing way less than the men they are banging (by about 35%). We know this but what can we do about it?

Medical research has focused on male bodies and male pleasure for too long and it's time we got a smart woman on the case. Enter renowned professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Lori Brotto, who is changing the game for women's sexual health. Dr Lori shares her deep understanding of female anatomy and psychology and cutting-edge research on how to climax.

This episode will answer...

You've found your person, but you can't stand their politics. Awks! It's a phenomenon that's been on the rise in the last 30 years. Around the world, women are increasingly leaning left and men right. In 2022, 50% of Australians voted for a different political party than their partner. 

Having different preferences to your partner is a given. But political views can get under our skin in ways that can threaten the entire relationship. So how do you manage, say, if you’re a greenie and your husband is a raging capitalist? What if you’re a carnivore and she’s a veg...

In December 2023, Antoinette Lattouf was asked to leave ABC Sydney. Since that day, her life has never been the same.

A seasoned broadcaster, she was part way through a week-long stint hosting local radio. Behind the scenes however, a coordinated lobbying effort was underway to have Antoinette taken off air.

The flashpoint was a Human Rights Watch post she shared on her personal socials. Soon after, she was told to collect her bags and leave.

But Antoinette refused to accept the decision, taking the ABC to Federal Court for unlawful termination. Inside the...

Mid-life is hard enough, but what happens when you add a baby to the mix?

The average maternal age has been creeping up over the past twenty years, with more women than ever becoming first time mums in their 40s, delaying motherhood to build careers, travel, find the right partner, secure housing, or navigate infertility.

Having a baby later in life can be exhausting. Sleep is elusive, many women are edging perimenopause and the risks to both mother and baby can increase. Then there's the judgement — the sideways looks, the inevitable question: are you the mu...

Is monogamy a tired social contract — or a deeply meaningful way to build a life with someone you love? Is opening up your relationship an act of honesty and freedom, or just another complicated commitment in an already overbooked life?

Roll up, Ladies, as monogamy and Ethical non-monogamy go head-to-head. Arguing in favour of fidelity is comedian and Deadloch actor, Nikki Britton. Meanwhile, sex therapist, Aleks Trkulja goes in to bat for ENM.

Will one relationship style prevail?

This episode will answer questions like:

The uterus is central to womanhood: it's the baby house, and allows for menstruation. So, what's it like to have it removed?

Each year around 30,000 Australian women have a hysterectomy — to relieve pain, to treat cancer, or as part of gender affirming care.

The path to surgery isn't always straightforward or quick. It can involve years of heartache, confusion and BS from specialists. But for most women, a hysterectomy is a game changer, bringing lasting relief and restoring quality of life.

Yumi Stynes speaks to women who've a had hysterectomy and finds out wh...

Ever been called too clingy? Or felt overwhelmed by your partner's needs? Blame your attachment style!

Attachment theory is a cornerstone of modern psychology; chances are you've read about it in Attached or spent hours spiralling on TikTok as you tried to identify your attachment style and what it means for your relationship.

The theory breaks our attachment styles into three main categories: anxious, avoidant and secure and suggests that the way we're raised shapes how we show up in relationships.

We might hold on too tight, we might shut down and reject...

The Beckhams know about it. Hilary Duff's been through it. Harry and Meghan could write a handbook. Family estrangement is brutal, but when there's a rift, can it be repaired?

Beyond the celebrity headlines, the "no contact" movement has been gaining traction online as children cut themselves off from their parents, parents find themselves out in the cold and rigid boundaries strain what's left of family bonds.

In this episode, Yumi Stynes talks to women who've been through the pain of family estrangement. She finds out what led to the rift and how letting go...

Comedian Felicity Ward started having the best sex of her life after the worst time in her life.

After years of fertility struggles, Felicity finally fell pregnant at 38. But being a mum to a newborn wasn't the Instagram highlight reel she'd imagined. Felicity wrestled with perinatal depression, zero sleep and a loss of identity…and then she became a single mum.

At 40, Felicity was dating again but her expectations were low. She reluctantly joined the apps and started swiping…and what was on the other side amazed her. Felicity found a babysitter for her toddler and...

Comedian Felicity Ward started having the best sex of her life after the worst time in her life.

After years of fertility struggles, Felicity finally fell pregnant at 38. But being a mum to a newborn wasn't the Instagram highlight reel she'd imagined. Felicity wrestled with perinatal depression, zero sleep and a loss of identity…and then she became a single mum.

At 40, Felicity was dating again but her expectations were low. She reluctantly joined the apps and started swiping…and what was on the other side amazed her. Felicity found a babysitter for her toddler and...

Comedian Felicity Ward started having the best sex of her life after the worst time in her life. 

After years of fertility struggles, Felicity finally fell pregnant at 38. But being a mum to a newborn wasn't the Instagram highlight reel she'd imagined. Felicity wrestled with perinatal depression, zero sleep and a loss of identity…and then she became a single mum.

At 40, Felicity was dating again but her expectations were low. She reluctantly joined the apps and started swiping…and what was on the other side amazed her. Felicity found a babysitter for her toddler and s...

Life as a perennially single woman can be lonely. Coupled-up friends often too busy to catch up, family constantly asking "So, have you met anyone yet?" What's a gal to do?

The truth is, we live in a world that celebrates coupledom. And while there are women who love the single life, for others being called to the front to catch the bouquet at every friend's wedding is painful.

Yumi Stynes meets three women who have never been in a serious relationship. They've tried it all, psychic readings, blind dates, even auditioning for MAFs, but...

Narelda Jacobs and Karina Natt announced their pregnancy online. Then came the trolls.

The pair were over the moon about starting their rainbow family but were pulled back down to earth by the haters who said that they had "no right" to have children as a gay couple.

Their response was to write and release a satirical book for adults called 'If Queers weren't meant to have kids.' The book is a celebration of the queer community and raising a child with your chosen family. 

The couple sat down with Yumi Stynes f...

We all want to sex to be hot, intimate and above all else, enjoyable. But sometimes when we're getting it on, things can go south and disaster ensues.

These naked encounters are excruciating in the moment but hilarious when shared with friends.

Comedian Lizzy Hoo and Yumi Stynes join forces to walk through the sexual hall of shame and come out the other side laughing.

Expect rogue fluids, a limp erotic massage, and one unfortunate hospital visit.

This episode will answer questions like:

In the exercise race, women are falling behind. Two out of five women aren’t moving enough and it’s bad for our health. 

Between being time squeezed, feeling crappy about our bodies and guilt about taking a break from caring duties, women have less room for exercise than blokes. But ladies, it’s time to put on our sports bras and get sweaty! 

In this episode, you’ll hear how to get your fitness mojo back and prioritise your wellness. You’ll meet exercise-hater-turned-evangelical-runner, Amanda Hooten. Plus, clinical psychologist Professor Lyndall Strazdins from the ANU shares t...

What if, instead of being the best time of your life, new motherhood was miserable? Perinatal depression and anxiety affects one in five women in Australia. But the shame of it is carried in silence.

Yumi Stynes speaks to women about their darkest days as new mums; sleep deprived, fearful and feeling alone. She hears how these women came through their suffering and got the help they needed.

Featured in this episode:  

If you need help:

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...

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: 

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...

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...

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...

What’s it like to switch teams mid-season? Nicola was married to a man for 25 years before she fell in love with a woman. Jennifer and Marija were in their 40s when everything they knew about their sexuality changed.  

Yumi Stynes chats to later-in-life lesbians to hear what they’ve learned from swapping sides. She also gets the low-down on sexuality research across the life span, and why so many women are coming out in their second act. 

What to listen to next:

How swapping a husband for a wife made this economist better...

MasterChef’s Julie Goodwin has a bubbly exterior but underneath are demons she’s fought for decades.  

The celebrity cook opens up to Yumi Stynes about the anxiety and depression she’s kept hidden for so long, and how it almost undid her. 

Julie’s path to recovery wasn’t straight, but she learnt how to manage what she calls the ‘monster under the bed’ and change her life for the better.  

If you need someone to talk to, call:

Lifeline on 13 11 14  

Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467  

Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46...

If you've ever been with a guy who thinks jackhammering is a virtue or who can't tell your clitoris from your clavicle, this episode is for you! (Pssst share it with a bloke you know).

Yumi Stynes chats to comedian and expert dater Nikki Britton about what makes for good sex.

Plus, sex therapist Aleks Trkulja, from The Pleasure Centre, gives tips on how to take on feedback in the bedroom.

This episode will answer questions like: