Ladies, We Need To Talk

Do you have to pry your partner off the couch with a fork-lift? Are they living in skanky trackies 24/7? Yumi spills the tea on what to do if your other half has gone full slob. Got a life problem you just can’t solve? Help is at hand! We’re handing the mic over to you, our lush listeners and taking the burden of problem solving off your shoulders... because Ladies, We Need To Talk... Back! Send us your questions as a voice note to ladies@abc.net.au - we can’t wait to hear from you!

We live in a sex obsessed world, where hook-up culture is king and getting laid out like a spatchcocked chicken is a status symbol. But what if you’re a fully-fledged adult, paying your own bills and you’re still a “virgin”? Some women might hold off having sex for the first time because they want to meet the “right” person, others because they haven’t had the opportunity or are waiting until marriage. Whatever the reason, it can feel lonely and isolating when there so much noise around sex. Yumi Stynes talks to women who haven’t yet had sex, either by choice or circumstance and to another who waited to have sex for over 40 years, until she met her perfect person. We love hearing from you! Send us an email or a voice note to ladies@abc.net.au Featured in this episode: Amanda McCracken, writer on love and limerence

Are you a card-carrying virgin? Know what it's like to be the other woman? Horny as hell and can’t get enough? Ladies, We Need To Talk is back and we’re going deep! This season we’ll be meeting the truly gorgeous women who are eager to have sex for the very first time, but for whatever reason haven’t met the perfect person yet. You’ll find out about the mysteries of PCOS and why it’s one of the leading causes of infertility. And we’ll hear from the women who are horny with a capital H, and we can’t get enough of it! Also, for the first time ever we’re going weekly baby! With our new, spicy and short episodes of Ladies, We Need To Talk...Back! Your favourite hot Aunty Yumi will be dishing out her no-holds-barred advice on everything from slovenly partners and squishy vaginas and serious mum guilt. The Ladies, We Need To Talk team love getting your messages so please get in touch at ladies@abc.net.au Follow Ladies, We Need To Talk hosted by Yumi Stynes on the ABC Listen App and your fave podcast apps now so you never miss an episode, oh, and tell don’t forget to tell ALL your girls about us.

Have you ever had a problem you couldn't quite solve? An issue none of your mates could give you advice on? Enter Yumi Stynes! Your resident agony aunt and all around hottie with the best guidance for all your life problems. Whether you need help with your relationship, dating woes or friendships (just to name a few) Yumi is your gal and she would love to help you out! Send a voice note through to ladies@abc.net.au and the gorg ladies team will be in touch!

Ladies, do you feel like you might be hornier than your friends? Does your partner find it hard to keep up with your thirst for orgasms? Would you say you have a high sex drive? If so, we would absolutely love to hear from you for an episode that's in the works for your fave podcast! Please send us an email to ladies@abc.net.au and you can remain completely anonymous if you prefer.

It's a brand new year ladies and we'd love your input for our very first episode of 2024! Did you know the average age for someone to lose their virginity in Australia is 18 years-old? But what if, for whatever reason, you've made it well into adulthood and you’re still holding onto your v-card? It could be that you're waiting for marriage or the kind of person you'd want to have sex with for the very first time hasn't materialised. Whatever the reason, we would love to hear from you. And if you prefer you can be completely anonymous. Shoot an email to ladies@abc.net.au

Uh oh, what’s that you smell... a funky odour down below? The thought of having a stinky crotch is nightmare fuel for some women, but do we even need to worry about our musky bouquet? The delicate aroma of our lady-garden can be affected by things like our menstrual cycle and our lifestyle but how do we tell when the stank goes from normal to full on malodorous pudenda territory and what can be done about it? It’s time to take off those undies and confront the smelly minge in the room with your bestie Yumi by your side for support. Featured in this episode:

Do you have a conundrum you can’t talk to your mates about? Or maybe you’ve tried, and they’ve awkwardly mumbled something while staring at the ground. Well, help is at hand! Next season, as well as our regular episodes we’re also launching Ladies, We Need to Talk...Back with me, Yumi Stynes, as your personal agony aunty. Does your partner live in their dirty old trackie daks while you make an effort to look good, and you don’t know how to raise it with them? Are you looking after your parents while also trying to raise your kids and feel like you’re failing at both? Maybe you have an STI and don’t know how to talk to potential partners about it? Nothing is off the table - LET ME SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS! Send your question for me as voice memo or an email to ladies@abc.net.au

What happens when you want a divorce but the cost of leaving your marriage would cripple you financially? Would you ever stay in an unhappy marriage for the security money offers? It’s no secret, life is bloody expensive right now. From soaring rents to the cost of a bunch of broccoli, times are tough! So, sticking it out in a relationship you’re no longer happy in can seem appealing. Yumi Stynes talks to women who’ve had to make that extremely difficult choice. Featured in this episode: Victoria Devine, host of She’s on the Money Emily Maguire, CEO of Respect Victoria Rachel Voysey, Founding Director of the Relationship Room Some names have been changed to protect identities Life Line: 13 11 14 1800 Respect: 1800 737 732

What if we put a stop to marriage...for good? Like, just stop with flouncy white dresses, walking down the aisle and having a dude give us away. In her new book, I Don’t, Clementine Ford is calling for just that. She reckons that a ring on a finger is a bridal march to losing your identity. From the moment we come screaming into the world, we’re pushed the line that to find “the one” to get married and settle down is the be all and end all. You might discover a cure for cancer, scale Mt Everest and be a total baddie but if you’re unwed you haven't quite made it in the eyes of society. Clem Ford talks to Yumi Stynes about her call to arms for us to ditch the bouquets and our man's dirty laundry for a life on our own terms. Featured in this episode:

Do you wizz when you sneeze? Or avoid star jumps at the gym? One in four of us (!) have pelvic floor problems which can lead to incontinence and prolapse (eek). But don’t stress! Yumi Stynes has kegel’d her way back to the Ladies archives and dug up some reassurance that you can definitely turn things around. Just be prepared to clench.

You think you’ve met “the one” and they seem totally perfect for you, but is it all too good to be true? Could you be dating a narcissist? What starts out as a dreamy relationship filled with fancy presents and compliments galore, suddenly turns sour and you’re left wondering if you’re slowly losing your mind. Narcissists make up only 1% of the population but the impact they have on the women who date them can be truly devastating. Yumi Stynes meets women who have fallen in love with a narcissist and uncovers the psychology behind their charm. Featured in this episode: Some names have been changed to protect identities Life Line: 13 11 14 1800 Respect: 1800 737 732

Having sex can be exposing, nerve wracking. When we strip down, we reveal ourselves – and not just our bits. No wonder we sometimes reach for courage in a bottle. For some women, a few shots can make them feel comfortable enough to go home with that hottie from across the bar, for others the relationship between alcohol and sex can be more toxic. Yumi Stynes chats to women who are putting the lid back on the bottle and embarking on sex...stone cold sober. Featured in this episode:

We're excited to introduce you to a new podcast we think you're gonna love! The Golden Couple of News are back. And so are the spiral perms, shoulder pads and boxy 80s cars. The Newsreader Podcast is the ABC’s official companion podcast to the hit ABC TV drama The Newsreader, returning on September 10. Hosted by journo buddies of over 20 years, Leigh Sales and Lisa Millar, The Newsreader Podcast gives an access-all-areas pass to on-set gossip; never before heard stories from the writers' room and the inside rail on the real-life news events that inspired the series. Join Lisa and Leigh as they meet the stars of the show, chat with the creators and dive-deep, episode-by-episode into the nostalgic 80s world of The Newsreader. The Newsreader Season 2 airs on ABC TV and iView, Sundays from September 10, with podcast episodes dropping straight after the show. Credits: Hosted by: Leigh Sales and Lisa Millar Executive Producer: Alex Lollback Producer: Michele Weekes Sound Engineer: Angela Grant Manager, ABC Podcasts: Monique Bowley Original Music Composer: Cornel Wilczek Production credits: A Werner Films Production for the ABC. Major production investment from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and financed with support from VicScreen. Worldwide distribution is managed by Entertainment One (eOne). Created by Michael Lucas. Written by Michael Lucas, Kim Ho, Adrian Russell Wills and Niki Aken. Directed by Emma Freeman. Produced by Lucas and Joanna Werner. Executive Producers Werner, Stuart Menzies and Emma Freeman. ABC Executive Producers Brett Sleigh and Sally Riley.

Yumi has been on an adventure down to the depths of the ABC archives to uncover an absolute banger of an episode. On every form you ever fill out, there’s always a tick box about your romantic status — de facto, married, single. Why are we only judged on romantic relationships rather than some of the most important bonds in our life — our friendships? In this love letter to our friends, Yumi Stynes invites herself into the joyful friendship between Jamila Rizvi and Clare Bowditch and celebrates the deep platonic love we can only get from our besties.

Is the soundtrack to your life a ticking baby-making clock? What if you’re desperate to be a mother but the other half of the baby-making equation just hasn’t become available? Yumi Stynes meets women who have given the middle finger to the idea of the nuclear family and become solo mums by choice. From swiping for sperm; turkey-basting and solo sleep deprivation – find out what it’s really like to choose to parent on your own. Featured in this episode: Alexandra Collier – Author of Inconceivable Dr Karin Hammarberg - Senior Research Fellow, Monash University

If you’re having trouble getting hot for your long-term partner? You’re not alone. Domestic bliss, smelling our partner’s farts, demanding kids – it feels like it’s all part of a worldwide conspiracy to shrivel our sex drive. So come hang with Yumi Stynes and sex nerd Emily Nagoski to get some practical advice on how to brush off the cobwebs, bring back our lady-boners and actually want to have sex with our life mate again. Featured in this episode: Emily Nagoski PhD – Sex researcher and author of books, Come As You Are; Burnout and Come Together

Does your vagina give off a bit of a questionable waft? The smells emanating from our undies can be embarrassing and some women end up feeling massive shame about their malodorous pudenda. We want to know, do you have a chronic problem with a pongy vagina? What lengths have you gone to to remedy it? Or have you embraced the waft? Do you have a friend or workmate with a smelly vagina but you can’t bring yourself to tell them? We are looking for your deepest, most shameful, funniest and most embarrassing tales of when it’s all wrong down there. You can be anonymous but we are looking for people to be recorded for the podcast. If this is you, flick us an email: ladies@abc.net.au

Yumi Stynes has pinched the keys to the ABC podcast dungeon and has pulled out her absolute fave episodes for you. Are you team Dolphin or team Pubus Maximus? Pubic hair — it's one of the most scrutinised patches of hair on our bodies. Research says 80 per cent of women groom their Map of Tassie regularly. But why do we feel the need to pluck, shave, scrape, or zap our pubes at all? Yumi Stynes find out the meaning behind our pubey grooming choices. Featured in this episode: Mona Chalabi - Data journalist Maeve Marsden - Podcaster Christina Zheng – Comedian

Getting naked in front of someone you’re about to get down and dirty with is a really vulnerable thing to do for even the most confident among us. But what about when you’ve spent your whole life being told your body isn’t desirable or sexy? And those messages are hitting you from everywhere. From television, movies, strangers on the street and even from the very people who are supposed to be into you. That’s the reality for a lot of women living in fat bodies out there, so how do you say a big F*** you to that narrative and start having great sex? Two hot, fat babes, Bec Shaw and April Hélène-Horton got together with Yumi Stynes for a no-holds barred DNM to chat about all things sex. Featured in this episode: Bec Shaw – writer and podcaster April Hélène-Horton aka The Bodzilla – advocate and activist