BOOTS PODCAST
Where to listen
Choose from an option below to listen to our podcast
Choose your episode
S01 E01
Worry lines: What's it like to have anxiety?
The world’s mental health is not in a good way. A year of lockdown, health scares, grief, strains on decimated public health services, and untold professional and personal upheaval has wreaked havoc on, well, everything. Anxiety is here in a big way. Even pre-pandemic, a whopping one in four people suffered from a mental health issue every year in England.* So, let’s talk about anxiety, the elephant in the room. Jamie Laing joins host, Vogue Williams to discuss his experience of suffering from anxiety – what does living with it actually mean in reality, and what can be done about it?
S01 E02
Gut instinct: What's your stomach trying to tell you?
Gut health is a relatively young science. Investigations into the effect of the gut microbiome on general health and wellbeing are ongoing, but one thing everyone agrees on is that it is a lot more influential than previously thought. This episode features Lisa and Alana Macfarlane, aka The Mac Twins and founders of The Gut Stuff – Scottish DJs and presenters who have made it their mission for the last few years to better understand what the gut is all about – and rugby icon Jonny Wilkinson whose interest in gut health spawned a new business. This episode will deliver listeners an entertaining – and very necessary – Gut Health 101 lesson.
S01 E03
What having a baby does to your body
From leaky bladders to leaky boobs – what really happens to our bodies during pregnancy and birth? And how does that affect us mentally? This no-holds barred episode features Rochelle Humes and Ashley James, who will share all the gross, unexpected, hilarious and awful things they experienced while pregnant, during birth and postpartum.
S01 E04
A bloody good chat about periods
An informative and funny chat about periods and hormones with body confidence campaigner and ‘You’ve Gut This’ founder Lottie Drynan and ‘Obgyn Mum’ Dr Brooke Vandermolen. This episode will be strictly periods and hormones-focused and will cover such things as: why Lottie started talking about her periods, why she thinks there’s still a stigma around discussing them, her personal experience with her cycle and how hormones affect her body and moods. We’ll then bring in Dr Vandermolen to get the science on hormones/periods/moods/pain/cramps. What is “normal”, what’s “worrying” and, in her experience, is the conversation becoming less taboo?
S01 E05
Sex: Everything you were afraid to ask
Yes, we go there - so get ready for the frankest episode yet. Hannah Witton and Jessica Megan get down and dirty about everything from the magic of masturbation to orgasms (or lack thereof), arousal, physicality, partners and STDs to name a few (we even find out what 'edging' means). Plus, Vogue asks questions from listeners that we really want to know the answers to. It's time to break down the taboo around our bodies and sex and debunk some myths while we’re at it.
S01 E06
Can't sleep, won't sleep: When counting sheep just won't cut it
This episode will focus on many aspects of sleep problems we simply don’t talk about: how, if you’re a bad sleeper, it can affect every aspect of your life – your work life, social life, sex life, etc. How you may try to avoid sleep through fear of what you’ll do when you’ve finally dropped off – i.e. sleepwalking, sleep eating, sleep talking, or having night terrors.
Sleep therapist Dr Nerina Ramlakhan will start by putting the topic into context for us: how well do we sleep as a nation and why does sleep matter so much?
Then we’ll hear from Sky Sports, F1 and BBC presenter Natalie Pinkham who’s spoken only about her experience of night terrors and sleepwalking. She’ll discuss things such as her inability to fall asleep, her fear of what she’ll do when she does finally sleep, her maddest sleepwalking mishaps, and the effect it’s had on her daily life and relationships. Nerina will be on hand to explain what’s happening, why it’s happening and provide helpful tips for fellow bad sleepers.
S01 E07 BONUS EPISODE
"There’s no shame in self-care – it’s the ultimate act of love for mind and body"
To many people in this time poor world, it can seem we’ve reached peak self-care – it seems self-indulgent, even selfish. But taking a little time out for some self-care is actually essential to help you mentally and physically deal with this thing called life. Host Vogue Williams and Laura Whitmore discuss why being kind to yourself is so under-rated (and why saying ‘no’ is Laura’s favourite self-care strategy)! They also chat about how they fit it into your lives while juggling children, work schedules and not having parents nearby to help out. Run a bath, light some candles and have a listen…
'BOOTS PRESENTS TABOO TALK' PODCAST
