Ladies, We Need To Talk

ABC Australia

Ladies, We Need to Talk goes deep on the women's health and relationship issues that are setting your group chat on fire.

Come hang with the fabulous Yumi Stynes as she takes a candid, non-judgemental and often hilarious look at the deeply personal stuff that's hard to bring up, even with your closest mates.

You'll meet incredible experts to help you improve your wellness, manage the mental load; survive break-ups and prioritise your mental health.

With sensitivity, personal stories from real women, and serious smarts, this show is for women who feel the squeeze between work, their private life, and their pelvic floor.

Get in touch with episode ideas, feedback, or just say hi! Ladies@abc.net.au

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20 episodes
Updated Monday
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

Monday · 25 min
"Traded a husband for a bestie" Why these mums moved in together
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
July 27 · 26 min
Worst ever dates, with Alita Brydon
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
July 20 · 29 min
The grief no parent expects
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 awa
July 15 · 34 min
The cost of birth trauma
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). Featured in this episode: Dr Jessica Caudwell-Hall
July 13 · 24 min
How to deal with an empty nest
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 gri
July 6 · 27 min
Jess Mauboy steps into her boss lady era
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 r
June 29 · 28 min
Am I stuck in a sex rut?
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
June 22 · 26 min
The ugly side of the beauty industry with Jess DeFino
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
June 15 · 29 min
The women who've never had sex
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
June 8 · 27 min
I’m in love with a narcissist
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 narci
June 3 · 29 min
The health gap no one talks about
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
June 3 · 31 min
The relationship spectrum
"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 wha
June 3 · 32 min
Girls don't get autism
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 l
June 1 · 30 min
Either I'm autistic, or I'm a cat
"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 fi
May 31 · 2 min
Introducing — Autistic AF with Grace Tame
"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
May 25 · 24 min
Orgasm coach Dr Lori Brotto
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
May 18 · 26 min
I love you but I hate your politics
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 husb
May 11 · 26 min
Antoinette Lattouf opens up on fight with the ABC
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, tak
May 4 · 27 min
Are you mum or grandma? Having a baby at 47
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 judg
April 27 · 24 min
One true love or many: Monogamy vs. open relationships
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 episod