Catch up on previous episodes from Season 4
S04 E01 – Deafness as a superpower: How we embraced hearing loss, featuring Tasha Ghouri and Kaye Adams
This episode delves into the reality of hearing loss and deafness. Tasha Ghouri, Love Island’s first ever deaf contestant, has been deaf since birth and has a cochlear implant in her right ear. Loose Women’s Kaye Adams was recently told she would need hearing aids in both ears after gradually losing her hearing.
Both guests detail their specific diagnoses, the impact (both positive and negative) it has had on their lives, how they overcome any stigma, and how speaking out about their experiences has helped both themselves and the community.
Please note: this episode was live-signed by a qualified British Sign Language interpreter during recording with the video available to watch on the Boots YouTube channel and bootshearingcare.com.
S04 E02 – IBS: How to love your gut when it seems to hate you, featuring Steph McGovern
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition of the digestive system and affects about 15% of people in the UK (twice the number of women as men). With symptoms ranging from stomach pain, cramps, bloating, diarrhoea, incontinence, constipation, flatulence, fatigue and nausea, IBS is not a barrel of laughs.
Here, broadcaster Steph McGovern discusses her own experience of IBS, explaining how it’s affected her daily life – both physically and mentally – how she manages the symptoms, and why she feels we should all tackle the taboo and talk about it.
S04 E03 – Premature births: the personal stories behind the preemies, featuring Carlene Brown, Simon Thomas, and midwife Lesley Gilchrist
A premature (‘preterm’) birth happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy with around 60,000 ‘preemie’ babies born every year in the UK. Here, Boots’ own marketing manager, Carlene Brown, joins broadcaster Simon Thomas to share their personal premature-birth stories, covering everything from what happened and why, to what it’s meant for them, their families, and of course, their children. With ‘My Expert Midwife’ founder Lesley Gilchrist on hand to provide specialist information, advice and support.
S04 E04 – The Imposters: Why do we all feel like frauds? Featuring Scarlett Moffatt and Gershon Portnoi
In this episode, Vogue is joined by Scarlett Moffatt and psychotherapist Gershon Portnoi to discuss ‘imposter syndrome’. Characterised by a persistent doubting of your own abilities and a sense that any success is undeserved, imposter syndrome is not officially a diagnosable medical or psychological condition. However, it has been all over the news recently as many famous faces have admitted to often feeling like frauds. Here, Scarlett discusses her own personal experience of imposter syndrome, and we investigate why it affects so many of us – be it at home, work, or with friends and family. How can we learn to accept that actually we do (sometimes) know what we’re doing?
S04 E05 – Sex Therapy: Why we all need to get better at talking about sex, featuring Pete Wicks and Charlene Douglas
In this episode, Vogue is joined by Pete Wicks, and sex and relationship therapist Charlene Douglas( of Married At First Sight fame), to discuss how we all need to get better at talking about sex. They’ll cover why it’s healthy to talk about all aspects of sex and desire; the taboos and stigmas that may hold people back from having open and honest conversations; how to tackle those taboos in a safe way; the most common issues that lead people to sex therapy, i.e. sexual compatibility, libido, fantasies, confidence, health issues and self-worth; the role of popular culture, porn, only fans, etc.; and how discussions like these can be beneficial.
S04 E06 – Hair loss: tackling the biggest beauty taboo, featuring Natalie Lee @StylemeSunday and Jenna Robinson from Married at First Sight ’22
Hair loss is one of the biggest taboos in health and wellness – some people fear it, hide it, and will seek all-manner of remedies to halt it or reverse it. However, because societal beauty standards commonly associate femininity with thick, strong hair, hair loss can be particularly distressing for women. In this episode, Style Me Sunday’s Natalie Lee and Married at First Sight’s Jenna Robinson discuss their experiences of different forms of alopecia, explaining what’s happened, how they manage it, and how they’ve learned not to let it define their lives.
S04 E07 Bonus Episode – Gut health Q&A: Your 101 on proactive gut-health, featuring the Mac Twins
In this bonus Q&A episode, Alana and Lisa Macfarlane, aka the Mac Twins and founders of The Gut Stuff, will reveal how to ensure your gut is in the best shape to help keep both body and mind as healthy as possible. They’ll be covering all the basics, so, if you’ve ever found yourself wondering what exactly the gut is and why it matters, or whether you need to download a poo-colour chart (answer: probably), then trust your gut and tune in.
'BOOTS PRESENTS TABOO TALK' PODCAST
Taboo Talk is a podcast series by Boots hosted by Vogue Williams that cuts through the jargon to provide real health and wellbeing advice in an accessible and entertainingway. Each episode focuses on one aspect of physical or mental health, providing personal insights as well as expert takeaways. Taboo Talk won’t shy away from tackling themore awkward, embarrassing or serious parts of everyday life.
We ask the taboo health and wellbeing questions so you don’t have to.
Host: Vogue Williams
Vogue Williams is an Irish presenter, DJ and fitness fanatic. She’s currently a regular guest presenter on Channel 4’s The Steph Show, has her own TV series: Spencer, Vogue and Baby Too and co-hosts two podcasts: Spencer & Vogue (with husband Spencer Matthews) and My Therapist Ghosted Me.
