If I Speak

Novara Media

Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean sort the personal from the political, tackle listener dilemmas and air their opinions on the frustrations of modern life.

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128 episodes
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Episodes128

Newest first

Aug 19, 2024 · 1 hr 4 min
27: I’m in big trouble! Your dilemmas answered
Ash and Moya dedicate a whole show to answering your dilemmas! Featuring a woman questioning her age-gap relationship, an infuriating parent who won’t budge on politics, a ghosted lover plotting her revenge, a loner who wants to start socialising, and a low-earner who resents her rich friends. You’ve only got a few weeks to grab your ticket for our live show at the London Podcast Festival on 15th September, with a very special guest… available from kingsplace.co.uk. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Aug 13, 2024 · 1 hr 11 min
26: I’m so sorry, I’m English
Moya has a big theory for Ash – but the script goes out the window when they start talking about the far-right violence engulfing the UK and unpacking their own emotional reactions to English racism. After that: playing matchmaker with the first batch of Missed Connections. Content note: This episode includes discussion of racist language and violence. Remember, we’ll be at the London Podcast Festival on 15th September with a very special guest. Grab your tickets now from kingsplace.co.uk. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Aug 6, 2024 · 1 hr 14 min
25: I hate the way that you walk, I hate the way that you talk
Prompted by Kendrick’s anthemic Drake diss, Ash claims we’re living through the summer of the hater. But what does it mean to hate so hard? Plus: a listener who feels rejected by her English in-laws. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Got your tickets for the If I Speak live show yet? We’re at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September. Tickets available from Kings Place now. Music by Matt Huxley.
Jul 30, 2024 · 1 hr 10 min
24: Help! What’s my purpose in life?
Moya and Ash butt heads over the lure of individualism and living a political life. Plus: Moya enters her busy-body era with a new segment, Missed Connections! Tell us about the brief encounters you just can’t shake, and we will hunt them down and make them bae. Email us your missed connections with as much detail as you can recall, and send those – and your dilemmas – to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from Kings Place now. Music by Matt Huxley.
Jul 23, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
23: Surviving your Saturn return
Moya and Ash debate the power of astrology and explain how they survived their ‘Saturn return’ era. Plus: Ash’s best anti-procrastination techniques. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from Kings Place now. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Jul 16, 2024 · 1 hr 21 min
22: How will I know if I really want kids? w/ Renay Richardson
Ash and Moya are joined by podcast entrepreneur and single mum Renay Richardson to talk about the realities of solo parenting, from being blocked from adopting to the shortage of Black sperm donors. Plus: a harrowing faux pas. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from Kings Place now. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Jul 9, 2024 · 54 min
21: What does it take to be effortlessly cool?
Ash has a theory of cool that involves nonchalance, style and timing – but Moya’s not so sure. Plus, advice for one listener who wants respect in their situationship, and someone dealing with a newcomer to the family. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Jul 2, 2024 · 56 min
20: Skinny is back in fashion. FFS!
The return of low rise jeans was a harbinger of something worse: being seriously thin is back in fashion. But why now? Moya and Ash have a Big Theory. Plus: the brown girl moisturising protocol. CW: weight, dieting, eating disorders, cosmetic procedures. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley
Jun 25, 2024 · 1 hr 2 min
19: We’re boiling with rage
Moya has a big theory about why everyone’s on such a short fuse these days and Ash responds to a listener with a debilitating crush. Plus: science or magic? We’re going to Glastonbury! Moya will be joined by Shon Faye and a LEGENDARY special guest a live recording of the show, and will host two Radical Connections sessions to get you matched up. Find us on the Nomad stage in Shangri-La. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley
Jun 18, 2024 · 58 min
18: Why does everything feel so disposable?
Ash presents a big theory about disposability and social shame prompted by a wardrobe clearout, and Moya responds to a dilemma about dating while living with parents. Plus: spot remedies. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley
Jun 11, 2024 · 54 min
17: Feeling seen w/ Nicola Dinan
Moya and Ash talk to Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies, about why we crave external validation yet hate to be perceived. Plus: advice for a listener who got engaged while drunk. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley
Jun 4, 2024 · 59 min
16: How do you recover after betrayal? w/ Chimene Suleyman
Moya and Ash talk to Chimene Suleyman, author of The Chain, about uncovering her ex-boyfriend’s secrets and why society lets abusive men get away with it again and again. Plus: a listener needs help with their sexless relationship. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley
May 28, 2024 · 1 hr 4 min
15: Dissociation is my superpower
Does the body keep the score? Ash and Moya explore the border between grief and trauma and how to embrace being emotionally messy when disaster strikes. Plus: an “accidental incel” writes in. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley
May 21, 2024 · 1 hr 11 min
14: What does it mean to live authentically? w/ Oisín McKenna
Ash and Moya talk to Evenings And Weekends author Oisín McKenna about living authentically, intense female friendships, and how financial precarity limits our self-exploration. Plus: compulsory heterosexuality and suspicious new boyfriends. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley
May 14, 2024 · 53 min
13: I’m the problem, it’s me
What’s the difference between tactics and standards? Ash explains with a Big Theory about how we behave in relationships. Moya brings a dilemma from an anxious people-pleaser. Plus, Myers-Briggs. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley
May 7, 2024 · 1 hr 1 min
12: How to be a good friend
Moya and Ash get deep and meaningful on the subject of true friendship, and help a listener who’s feeling weird about dating a “normie”. Plus: blame game pass-the-parcel. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley.
Apr 30, 2024 · 54 min
11: Help! My partner’s too posh
Ash and Moya answer a Mystery Question about what they’ll do on the left-wing commune of their dreams, before helping a listener deal with class envy in their dating life. Plus: The Tortured Poets Department. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley.
Apr 23, 2024 · 51 min
10: Do I have to be nice to my friend’s partner?
Ash and Moya ask if honesty is the best policy when it comes to our friend’s partners, before tackling two dilemmas about unwanted friendship and non-monogamous marriage. Plus: an important new personality test. Catch Moya in conversation with Yomi Adegoke, author of The List, at Intelligence Squared in London on 29 April – use the code SPEAK25 for 25% off tickets. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley.
Apr 16, 2024 · 49 min
09: Should you ever shag a Tory?
Ash and Moya tackle the politics of sex appeal in response to the show’s first ever Mystery Question, and respond to a listener struggling with guilt after cheating. Plus: things not say in bed. Catch Moya in conversation with Yomi Adegoke, author of The List, at Intelligence Squared in London on 29 April – use the code SPEAK25 for 25% off tickets. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley.
Apr 9, 2024 · 46 min
08: How to cultivate optimism
Moya and Ash think about how to stay hopeful when the future looks bleak, and give advice to listener whose marriage is suffering from major communication issues. Plus: Cowboy Carter. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com *Gossip, elevated.* Music by Matt Huxley.