After a few good months of radio silence, we're back with a Christmas special to warm you up for an exciting season coming up in 2020.

The 2018 Commonwealth Bank Christmas Consumer Spending Study* found that some 15% of Millennials are splurging over $1000 on gifts, with most saving only a month in advance and finishing their festive shopping less than a week before Christmas day.

If we think about the notion of "Spreading Christmas Joy" - are we really achieving it through consumption and materialism? With Christmas shopping in mind, in this episode, we will attempt to understand what drives our spending, and are there any adverse effects to the habits that surround what some may call "the most wonderful time of the year".

A big thank you to my wonderful guests Mark Chenery from Common Cause Australia, and Kathleen De Rooy for joining me for this episode.

*https://bit.ly/2se72cG

We're are back with part two of #Floodlight's MEGA sex episode!

With the help of our trusted sex and relationship therapist, Dr Margaret Redelman, we are breaking down the biggest bedroom misnomers and delving into the world of sex.

While polyamory has people thinking Mormons, threesomes and jealousy. With the help of writer @Memphis Jones we break down what it really means to be polyamorous. What is it? How does it work? Can you really be in a relationship with more than 1 person?

If multiple people isn't your style, we've got solo work covered too.

They say one can be the loneliest number but we disagree. We are shining a light on female masturbation and the sexual and health benefits of going it solo. With a 30% orgasm gap between heterosexual men and women, we've made it our personal mission to get people talking about female masturbation and what makes them tick.

Everyone likes different things in the bedroom, but that doesn't mean societal stigmas don't sneak their way in. Who we sleep with? How with sleep with them? How many people we sleep with?

While sex is everywhere right now there aren't many realistic portrayals about what sex is like for different people.

During this two part extended episode, with the help of our trusted sex therapist, Dr Margaret Redelman, we break down some of the biggest bedroom misnomers and give you a little insight into the lives of people in unique (and surprisingly common) sexual positions.

We are starting off trying to answer the question 'does it get better?' as we talk about re-entering the dating world and sex after trauma. Then we move to the not so underground world of sex work with Georgie Wolf from the The Art of the Hook-Up.

Public servants are often thought of as lazy, leeches on taxpayers who contribute little and are largely bureaucratic. People think they achieve little, take constant coffee breaks and go home at 4pm. Some of these are true, some aren't, and it depends on where that public servant works.

Meanwhile private graduate employers are thought of as demanding long hours with incomplete reimbursement for the level of work and time demanded. Graduates sometimes think they are they like fresh blood to be worked hard by high level employees like partners out-earning them far more substantially than the managers in government agencies do over their graduates.

Who has the more meaningful work? Are private stuck doing low level admin work for those with more experience? Are public mostly concerned with training for long periods and so achieve little in terms of real work?

Let's explore the differences between the perceptions we have on the two career paths and the realities that we actually observe from the perspectives of one public service graduate (Jeremy) and one private industry graduate (Sophia).

Australia has one of the highest rates of Cannabis use in the world, and has recently opened up medicinal, industrial and commercial avenues for production and medicinal consumption. Cannabis is increasingly being accepted for its healing properties, and research continues to reinforce is the minimal nature of its harm; especially when compared with alcohol, tobacco and many prescription pharmaceuticals. However, strong stigmas surround those who use cannabis, alienating and categorising them while also paradoxically encouraging use of more harmful substances. We will deconstruct those stigmas, tracing the path that Dr Towpik took from reinforcing the stigma to educating to remove it.

"About a year ago I used to hold very, very biased and limited views on cannabis," she said, describing herself as almost "brainwashed" by prevailing attitudes to the subject.

She thought it was dangerous and addictive and in her mind equivalent to heroin.

But when she started to investigate more closely, her views changed.

"I started reading and researching and became quite fascinated by the possibilities," she said.' - https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/4640743/gp-cannabis-crusader/

We focus on this transformation from stigma to awareness in Dr Towpik's life; as an individual, a GP, and now a fierce advocate for medicinal cannabis. We will engage with some of Dr Towpik's arguments for the value of cannabis but generally focus on the negative effects of ostracization and the positive effects of a welcoming environment of research, medicine, and debate. Conversation will also invoke Dr Towpik's efforts to educate others and demystify the stigma.

Keen to learn more? Contact Dr Towpik at: [email protected]

Website: https://medihuanna.com

The Pew Research Centre found that millennials are the most socially progressive of the adult generations.

But where happens to millennials who don't fit the political mould?

Across the globe we are seeing cases of conservative and Liberal-aligned students becoming increasingly stigmatised on university campuses in recent years. There are a variety of images we associate with these students; wealthy, pretentious, sexist, self-hating etc.

We will unpack these perceptions and reveal the impacts they have on valuable discourse, the exchange of ideas, inclusiveness, and the students themselves.

With some help from our guests we will try answer the question: Can you be young and conservative?

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Disclaimer: Floodlight is a non-partisan platform that seeks to encourage constructive debate and discussion irrespective of one's political affiliation.

Endometriosis or "endo" is one of the most common, devastating diseases most people have NEVER heard of. It affects 1 in 10 girls and women. That's approximately 176,000,000 people on the planet!

Despite its prevalence, women see an average of 8 doctors for 10 years before diagnosis. All the while they're often told that the pain is normal or in their heads. During that time, many are forced to miss school, leave careers they love, abandon dreams of having children and watch their personal relationships suffer.

It's time to break that cycle. It's time for a new normal that doesn't mean multiple doctors, drugs, surgeries, misdiagnoses and years of pain.

With this episode we seek to give a platform and stage to young women with endometriosis to discuss those struggles, in an attempt to educate and raise awareness on the topic of women's health.

Bi-sexuality has always been a hot topic (and no, no that kind of H-O-T). Often Bi-sexual people face damaging stereotypes which create a stigma around bi-sexuality. This stigma can discourage bi-sexual people from coming out leading to under representation and an even bigger stigma.

With this episode we seek to give a platform and stage to bi student/ young adults to discuss those struggles, in an attempt to educate and encourage a safer more accepting community irrespective of sexual preferences.