If I Speak

By Novara MediaSociety & Culture Relationships

Favorites
22
Followers
Typical duration
61 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

If I Speak episodes

March 10 104: Why are young Brits flocking to Dubai?
Moya and Ash wonder what’s attracting young British ex-pats (and influencers) to cities like Dubai and Bali. Is emigration the new face of aspiration? Plus: a dilemma about being stuck in a dead-end job – or so it seems.
Got a dilemma? Email [email protected]
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
54 min
March 03 103: Will getting back to nature heal my feelings of burnout?
Ash wants to cultivate a better relationship with nature, but Moya detects a deeper issue around burnout, and the lure of the countryside for busy city dwellers. Plus: advice for a listener who’s lost sexual interest in her partner.
Got a dilemma? Email [email protected]
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
1 hr 9 min
February 24 102: I’m not ready for a relationship – but I don’t want him to see other people
CONTAINS WUTHERING HEIGHTS SPOILERS! What else would two literature lovers (and actual Brontë experts) be talking about this week but the film of the moment. Is Jacob Elordi too white? Is Margot Robbie too old? How much adaptation is too much? Plus: tough love for a special one in a situationship.
Still got a dilemma? Email [email protected]
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026.
Music by Matt Huxley.
58 min
February 17 101: Her toxic ex returned and now our friendship is ruined
It’s a dilemmas special! (Because the Special Ones have a lot of problems.) Ash and Moya answer your emails about: two student housemates who don’t really like each other, a friendship ruined by the return of a toxic ex, a depressed boyfriend who won’t get help, a good friend with a possibly evil job, and a romantic reunion that seems like a good idea… Plus: casting Hollywood stars as Greek gods and mortals.
Still got a dilemma? Email [email protected]
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026.
Music by Matt Huxley.
59 min
February 10 100: We’re 100 episodes old – ask us anything!
We’re 100 episodes old! To celebrate, our audience of Special Ones ask us anything, from the personal to the political to the completely potty. What do Ash and Moya love and hate about each other? Whose greatest skill is cod psychology? And do they ever get anxious after sharing on the podcast?
Got a dilemma? Email [email protected]
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
1 hr 7 min
February 03 99: How do you know when it’s time to quit?
Moya has been breaking the habit of a lifetime by choosing to stick with her choices rather than quit. She asks Ash how to trust your gut when it comes to leaving or staying, whether it’s a job, friendship or romance. Plus: would you use Chat GPT to name your baby?
Next week it’s our 100th episode – so ask us anything! Email [email protected]
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
1 hr 4 min
January 27 98: Are we obsessed with having our feelings validated?
Have we become reliant on having our feelings validated instead of taking valid criticism? Ash and Moya offer their own strategies for worrying less about what other people think. Plus: how to deal with an ex who’s found God and turned rightwing but is still hanging around.
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available from https://crossedwires.live/ now!
Send us your dilemmas: [email protected]
Music by Matt Huxley.
57 min
January 20 97: When will I start feeling like a grown-up?
Ash has a big theory about what makes someone into a proper adult – and it’s less about age or wisdom than the experiencing of caring for someone else. Plus: can you make a casual hook-up turn serious?
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/ now!
Send us your dilemmas: [email protected]
Music by Matt Huxley.
44 min
January 13 96: Why are women choosing looks instead of books?
Sure, you look great – but can you spell pharaoh? Ash and Moya start the year with a tough conversation about the beauty regime that rules over us all. Has women’s freedom been undermined by a fixation on beauty? Are men experiencing 2000s-levels of body dysmorphia? Plus: advice for a listener who wants more intellectual conversations with her husband.
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/ now!
Send us your dilemmas: [email protected]
Music by Matt Huxley.
1 hr 16 min
January 06 95: Does British culture need saving? w/ Lanre Bakare
Culture writer Lanre Bakare joins Ash and Moya in Manchester to talk about the precarious state of arts and nightlife around the UK, Black cultural identity outside of London, and the rise of ‘cultural deserts’ – as well as the unofficial launch of the ‘BAMÉ Army’. Plus: a dilemma about a difficult houseshare.
Lanre’s book, We Were There, is out now.
Recorded at Contact Theatre in Manchester on 25 November 2025.
Send us your dilemmas: [email protected]
Music by Matt Huxley.
1 hr 37 min

About If I Speak

From the publisher's feed

Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean sort the personal from the political, tackle listener dilemmas and air their opinions on the frustrations of modern life.