On The Couch

On The Couch: Compassion in Transness, Culture and Relationships with Mai Nguyen 

Sit down with Mai Nugyen (she/her), as she opens up with Maddy to share her personal experience and the importance of understanding compassion and empathy when approaching conversations about transness and cultural identity.  

As a Vietnamese trans woman working in the trans healthcare space, Mai draws on her deep understanding of the communities she serves and the belief that inclusive healthcare relies on building bridges between people.  

Mai’s honesty, heart and passion bleeds through personal stories of navigating her transness and cultural identities in her re...

Listen as co-hosts Winnie and Maddy unpack the On The Couch podcast and vodcast series and reflect on season 4’s themes and guests. 

This episode was recorded in November 2025   

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References   

On The Couch full episode list

Young People’s Digital Cultures & Sexual Health with Professor Kath Albury 

Society, Social Scripts & the Study of Sex with Jennifer Power 

Sex, Relationships & Consent with Tom & Adie from Sticky Q’s 

Drag is a Perf...

With World AIDS Day around the corner, Maddy and Josef sit down to chat about what it really looks like to support a loved one diagnosed with HIV. You’ll hear powerful stories from family members, partners, and allies about connection, compassion, and reducing stigma and discrimination through everyday actions. 

This episode reminds us that listening to people’s stories and educating ourselves is one of the most powerful ways to reduce fear, challenge biases, and better understand the diverse human experience. 

This episode was recorded in November 2025  

CONTENT WARNINGS: This episode references suicide...

“Sexual well-being should be the baseline we are aiming for when we are talking about Comprehensive Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE), and sexual violence prevention is supplementary to that.”  

Join Maddy as she chats with author and researcher Katrina Marson to unpack the power of sex education. Katrina reflects on her work as a criminal lawyer specialising in sexual offenses and shares how her research on the implementation of relationships and sexuality education overseas on a 2019 Churchill Fellowship, has shaped her advocacy of RSE as a human right.  

This episode explores how the power of a whole...

Join Winnie as she chats with Kyla Lawson, to find out more about the invisible population Kyla works with as a Health Promotion Officer with Women Partners.  

Women Partners is a NSW based service that offers individual counselling, support groups and Sexual Health information for all women whose male partner is having sex with men or has come out as gay or bisexual.  

This passionate and inclusive discussion breaks down stigmas and discrimination. Listen and reflect on how we can advocate in the HIV space and engage with a growing movement that’s normalising sexuality and e...

What does it actually mean to create real cultural change? 

In this eye-opening and honest conversation, Winnie sits down with journalist and podcast creator Soaliha Iqbal to explore the intersections of politics, feminism, media trends, and anti-capitalism in a colonial world. 

Soaliha shares how her lived experience as a Muslim women in Australian has defined her voice within the Australian media landscape, using her platform to unpack the social, cultural, and political structures that shape our everyday lives. 

She reflects on the discomfort many people feel when talking about race, diversity, and inclusion. Ins...

“It's super powerful to go into a space, a group of people who don't know anything about you, and you have that connection and that community.” Drag is more than just a performance of heightened gender expression; it’s a safe and affirming space for exploration.  

This honest and nuanced conversation explores the intersection of drag and the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s not drag 101, it’s a deep and vulnerable conversation about the role that drag plays in LGBTQIA+ advocacy. 

Maddy and Winnie yap with three incredible local Wollongong drag stars; Cherry-Ripe (she/her), Roxee Horror (she/her...

Join us as we host Tom (he/him) and Adie (she/her) to discuss sex, relationships and consent and their work in answering young people’s sticky questions.   

Tom and Adie talk about their experiences working at Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS) and the inspirations that drove the production of the Sticky Q’s podcast as an educational tool. Sticky Q’s is a podcast where they answer anonymous questions, written on sticky notes from real life consent education classes. 

Listen as Tom and Adie share the frameworks they use to answer these sticky questions from young peo...

Join Naomi as she chats with Jennifer Power, a Principal Fellow at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University.  

Jennifer explores her research focused on sexuality, sexual health and HIV with Naomi, discussing her work on the Secondary Students and Sexual Health Survey and other studies relating to LGBTQIA+ wellbeing, young people and sexual health, and digital sexual health literacy.   

This episode was recorded in March 2025  

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Recommend...

Join Maddy as she sits down with Kath Albury to explore the digital cultures and sexual health of young people in Australia. 

Kath, an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow and Associate Investigator in the Swinburne Node for ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADMS), shares her Fellowship research which explores the impacts of digital transformation, ranging from enterprise technologies to everyday digital practices, on the sexual and reproductive health workforce.  

This episode was recorded in February 2025 

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“Awareness doesn't come about by silence”. Naomi is joined by Naomi Hoffman, a clinical sexual health nurse and HIV positive speakers Tasha and Mel. Listen as they discuss testing and treatment options available in Australia and the importance of raising awareness of women and HIV. 

Naomi shares her clinical experience working with and supporting women living with HIV in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Sexual Health Clinic. As a proud Kamilaroi women, Naomi works to educate the wider community to remove stigma associated with HIV. 

Tasha and Mel, from the Positive Speakers Bureau, share their lived experience with HI...

Join Naomi as she chats with Rachel Wotton and Mohammed Samrah about the importance of people with disability’s access to sexual and reproductive health services. Rachel, a sex worker and academic in the field and Mohammed, a man of lived experience have a dynamic and eye-opening conversation about sex as a human right. 

Rachel shares parts of her PhD research and elaborates on the role the NDIS plays in the disability communities' access to sex worker services. Mohammed eloquently shares his own lived experience and how sex worker services have transformed his life. 

This epis...

In this special edition mini-episode, Maddy and Winnie sit down with Public Health Placement Student Jade Scott at the University of Wollongong recording studio. Listen as they reflect on Jade’s project that explored podcast production and how it can be better used as an innovative tool for sexual health education and promotion.  

This episode was recorded in October 2024 

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References  

Caddyshack Project On The Couch 

The Infinite Dial 2023...

Join Winnie as she sits down with Tessa Opie and Kerrin Bradfield in a nuanced discussion on consent, sex education and porn literacy education for young people. Tessa and Kerrin are dedicated and passionate in empowering others to develop healthy attitudes toward relationships, consent and sex. Listen as they share their dynamic collaboration in creating the Respect Collective: Relationships and Sex Education for the Real World. Respect Collective is an online hub for High School educators to create safe and engaging spaces where students can explore and develop health attitudes toward relationships and sexuality.

This episode was rec...

"Young people are experts in their own experiences." Maddy chats with Laura Crozier a victim survivor, passionate youth advocate, Affirmative Consent Project Officer, a podcast co-host and ice hockey enthusiast. Laura shares how our life experiences shape not only who we are, but how we can help others. In this episode we are reminded the importance of centering young people in our work and ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

This episode was recorded in August 2024  

CONTENT WARNINGS: This episode references sexual, physical and emotional trauma

Read transcript here<...

People are not the problem, the problem is the problem. Maddy sits with mental health social worker Danyelle Mei Kaplan and massage therapist Egan Magee. They spend time sharing their coordinates of belonging and explore autonomy and dignity over their own fields of existence. A powerful conversation collating thoughts on collective holding, mutual aid and healing centered approaches. Working within the LGBTQ2IA+ community, they dream of helping people heal their relationships with themselves and others to create systemic change and liberate each other. A thought-provoking episode full of depth, this is one not to miss. 

This e...

Have you ever wanted to know more about sexological bodywork? Together, Naomi and Stella Topaz from Abundant Body talk through the wheel of consent and the somatic therapy approach of sexological bodywork and how it varies from other types of therapy and sexology. Stella reveals the inside of a sexological bodywork session and walks us through how she works with compassion and gratitude.  

This episode was recorded in March 2024 

CONTENT WARNINGS: This episode references sexual, physical and emotional trauma

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Check out our webpage for more inf...

Spend some time and listen to an honest and open conversation about medical consent, consent culture, TransHealth, queer and disability healthcare with Axel Nathaniel Rose. Axel shares with Naomi his lived experience as a queer, transgender, and disabled man, reflecting on the life-long impacts of when medical consent is not given. An empowering episode challenging necessary system change and inspiring individual advocacy. 

This episode was recorded in February 2024.  

CONTENT WARNINGS: This episode references medical abuse, explicit transphobia, sexual violence, and transphobic and misogynistic public policy.

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Chec...

How can we include pleasure in the consent conversation? Listen as founder of Learning Consent Dr Joy Townsend goes beyond the traditional definition of consent and discusses effective role modelling and consent culture in todays society. Learning Consent delivers comprehensive relationships, sexuality and consent education programs for educational institutions and organisations. Joy shares with Naomi her passion for helping young people to catch a vision for how great communicative, connected and pleasurable sex can be.

This episode was recorded in March 2023

CONTENT WARNINGS: This episode references sexual assault and sexual violence  

...

Naomi is joined by Maggie Smith, a Clinical Nurse Consultant from the T150 clinic at the Albion Centre in Sydney. T150 is an innovative specialist HIV and Sexual Health Service providing holistic care for the transgender and gender diverse community in a dedicated clinical space. Maggie provides clinical insight into TransHealth and unpacks the importance of community advocacy in ensuring accessible healthcare for the trans and non-binary community.  

This episode was recorded in August 2023

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Join Maddy as she sits down with Ruiqi Fan, a clinical nurse specialist working at the Sydney Sexual Health Clinic. Ruiqi talks about being an international student to now working with international students in a clinical setting, providing insight into the experience. Listen as we better understand why having multilingual nurses and interpreters is important in delivering sexual health services for the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities in Australia.

This episode was recorded in June 2023 

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How can we treat ourselves with kindness when unexpected emotions arise? Naomi sits down with psychologist Chris Cheers and reflects on the mental health impacts of lockdown on the queer and creative community. His book, The New Rulebook is a practical game changing guide to embracing uncertainty offering radical, evidence-based solutions to improve wellbeing. Providing individual psychology services and workshops to artists and creatives, and the LGBTQIA+ community, Chris is passionate about creating accessible, accepting and safe spaces.

This episode was recorded in May 2023

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Maddy catches up with Kirli Saunders and dives into the importance of language, decolonization, feminism and queer space. Kirli is a proud Gunai Woman and award-winning multidisciplinary creator and consultant. Awarded NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year in 2020, Kirli is an experienced speaker and facilitator advocating for the environment, gender, racial equality and LGBTIQA+ rights. In this episode Kirli shares her passion for continuing connection to Country and reads a powerful poem called Based On Us from her book Returning.

This episode was recorded in October 2022

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are a...

Curious about sexology and the difference between a sex therapist, body therapist, sex coach and sex worker? Maddy chats with Aleks from The Pleasure Centre to explore why an individual or couple may seek sex therapy. Offering a safe and inclusive place, Aleks' practice is guided by multiple evidence-based therapeutic approaches. Hear about the Sex Buffet and Queering Sex concepts and how to put pleasure and desire on the menu. 

This episode was recorded in September 2022

CONTENT WARNINGS: This episode references sexual trauma  

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Join Maddy in conversation with Frances Turner from Nurse Nettie, answering the most commonly asked sexual and reproductive health questions by young people. Nurse Nettie is an online service that provides qualified sexual health information to young people living in New South Wales, Australia. Fran provides a glimpse behind the curtain of how the team approach answering questions without judgement, making health information accessible and inclusive. 

This episode was recorded in June 2022

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Listen as Naomi chats with Liz and Jan from Relationships and Private Stuff about their lived experience of working with people with disability. People on the autism spectrum, with disability or brain injury face the same issues as other people when it comes to relationships. Friendship is important. And the desire to love and be loved, whether as a friend or an intimate companion, is a drive that defines a person in a way that no disability ever can.

This episode was recorded in May 2022

CONTENT WARNINGS: This episode references sexual assault  

...

Join Naomi as she unpacks the transgender experience with Sophie from ACON’s TransHub. TransHub is a digital and resource platform providing clear and easy information about gender affirmation and healthcare for all trans and gender diverse people in NSW. Sophie dives deep into the history of transgender language and provides insight into the trans and non-binary experience.

This episode was recorded in February 2022 

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Recommendations

Transhub & Disclosure 

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