I'm With Her

Just me and Cal talking about it stinging when you pee for about 10mins. Or as Cal puts it "trying to piss a knife"...Yup...most women will know exactly what I am talking about. Urinary Tract Infections are common as hell, in fact the second most common bacterial infection in the world. Half of all adult women will have experienced it. So why is this common thing so difficult to diagnose??

This episode is all about womens safety. This topic is really personal both both Cal and Izzy. Following the deaths of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa in the UK, there has been an increase in ‘advice’ from politicians and police focussing on how women can keep ‘safe’ from sexual assault and violence. The argument is often that the advice offered by police and various organisations protects women. So If we disregard the hugely problematic narrative of victim-blaming, are they simply pragmatic tips that keep us safe? Or surely there’s another way to tackle the endemic issue of gender-based violence that doesn’t involve putting all the onus on women to protect themselves...

This is a hugely personal topic for Cal and Izzy. If you are affected by the information discussed or you are struggling in anyway please do not hesitate to reach out. We are always here for you x

The best way you can support the show is by subscribing on apple podcasts or following on Spotify. Come join in the convo at our Facebook group or follow us on Insta or even Twitter for more IWH content xxx

Resources and contacts for women in need of support:

Australia: 

For immediate support call 000 - Victoria Police and Ambulance

For emergency support after hours:

1800 737 732  - 1800RESPECT

1800 015188  - Safe Steps

VICTORIA: further resources

Men's Referral Service - Call 1300 766 491

Rainbow Door Free information, support, and referrals LGBTQIA+ Call 1800 729 367 or Text 0480 017 246

Djirra

Culturally safe family violence and legal support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Call 1800 105 303

United Kingdom:

All numbers below are 24 hour for domestic violence:

England: 0808 2000 247

Scotland: 0800 027 1234

Northern Ireland: 0808 802 1414

Wales: 0808 80 10 800

LGBTQIA+ 0800 999 5428 [email protected]

Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 0327 [email protected]

Karma Nirvana, UK Helpline for ‘honour’-based abuse and forced marriage: 0800 5999 247

Victim Support: 0808 1689 111

Bitesized stuff is the cutest! But gaslighting is NOT...this mini segment is designed to weed out those gas-lighters and empower each of us to tell them to stick it! We talk about how to spot if you are being gas lit, how you might identify these traits and how you can respond to someone who is gas lighting you - remember, you are not alone and we are here to support you xxx

If you want to support the show the best thing you can do is SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW the podcast and please share it with a friend!

Come join in the convo at our Facebook group or follow us on Insta or even Twitter for those with a strong stomach! x

This week Cal and I discuss the downfalls of "white feminism" and how this is letting women down. We discuss how we can participate in feminism in an intersectional way and keep driving the movement forward so no one is getting left behind. 

Plus, did you know that labiaplasty is fastest rising cosmetic surgery worldwide? Many people with vaginas are getting them nipped and tucked and we what to know WHY? In a poll of more than 3,600 readers, the online women’s magazine Refinery29 found that almost half (48%) had concerns about the appearance of their vulva. Of those, 64% were worried about the size and 60% about the shape of their vulva, with almost one-third (30%) worried about the colour of their genitals.

And I think it comes down to thinking that our vulva isn't "normal" well, before you make that assumption, have a look at these vulva positive influencers who can educate you on what "normal" actually looks like...

Check out Ying Lee (@sativaplath69), who posts about their “phat coochie” and got an incredible 6.4m views for their video on “gatekeeping phat coochie culture” and you may also want to have a look at gynaecologists Jennifer Lincoln (@drjenniferlincoln) and Jen Gunter (@drjengunter) - the author of The Vagina Bible – who make videos explain the vast spectrum of what is normal.

Cal let's rip another glorious rant and this one will hit you hard and we end with a confession from Izzy who is a self-described pervert...uh oh...lot's to discuss!

Resources:

The book Cal refer to is Against White Feminism by Rafia Zakaria. And if you loved that then have a listen to Koa Beck chatting about the racism imbedded in white feminism.

Thanks again for your support! The best thing you can to support us is to follow and subscribe to the podcast and share it with a friend! :)

Keep sharing, keep talking and keep supporting each other. xxx

Introducing our bite sized chucks for those of you wanting a little bit of I'm With Her in your ears while you are on the run! We have gathered our most popular segments and snipped them into their own episode no longer than 15mins so you can go straight to the issue you care about. 

This week we are throwing back to our chat about breastfeeding. During pregnancy and after birth there is so much focus on the baby that mothers can often be overlooked. The stress of breastfeeding can be incredibly overwhelming for new mums. We chat about the reality of this experience for many women and hope that if this is something you have experienced or are stressed about that this gives you some comfort xxx

This week we talk about abortion, Izzy took the 60 second rant segment really seriously and made it into a sort of poem, it's cringing but will make you laugh and we get a confession from Cal.

This episode comes with a trigger warning as we appreciate abortion is an emotional topic for many people.  

This is not about whether abortion is right or wrong but we wanted to put the stories of people who have had an abortion at the forefront which is why we start with Cal sharing her own experience of having an abortion.  We discuss some of the pro-life core arguments and discuss how we feel about these, plus we talk through the procedures recommended for safe abortions in case anyone needs to know or curious to find out. There is a lot of misinformation out there at the moment and we want to make sure the right information is out there for people so they can make informed choices.

Thanks to Cal once again for her vulnerability and raw honest story telling. And thank you to all of you for your support xxx

If you want to find out more about abortion not just if you live in Australia, you can find supportive information here on the Marie Stopes website - a national, independently accredited safe abortion, vasectomy and contraception provider helping women and men take full control of their reproductive lives. www.mariestopes.org.au

Main contact for the UK- www.bpas.org

If you want to show your support for the people in Texas you can donate to the following organisations:

Lilith Fund:https://www.lilithfund.org/

Texas Equal Access Fund https://teafund.org/

Fund Texas Choice https://fundtexaschoice.org/

Jane's Due Process https://janesdueprocess.org/

Frontera Fund https://fronterafundrgv.org/

Buckle Bunnies Fund https://www.bucklebunnies.org/

West Fund https://www.westfund.org/

Today we’ve created a segment based on how we can be good allies to the women who are facing danger in Afghanistan. These situations often make us feel helpless and powerless but there is significant change you can make as an individual. We’ll talk you through what you need to know and how you can help.

Plus we’ll discuss the rise of the incel movement following a tragic mass shooting in the UK, and ask why violent misogyny isn’t considered a terrorist act. (spoiler alert – it fucking should be!)

But, during these testing times it isn’t all doom and gloom, Cal let’s rip with her 60 second rant around the one thing women have been desperately deprived of for years…(pssst it’s pockets!)

And Izzy gives one of her biggest confessions yet.

In the segment around the Afghanistan crisis we give info on what we can do to help. Below are the links to follow:

Donate to support humanitarian aid

https://unwomen.org.au/get-involved/donate/

https://donatenow.wfp.org/afghanistan-emergency

https://www.wfp.org/support-us/stories/families-afghanistan-need-help

https://crisisrelief.un.org/t/afghanistan

https://www.unicef.org.au/appeals/help-children-in-afghanistan

Support women’s media and female reporters:

https://twitter.com/RukhshanaMedia

https://twitter.com/Sahar_Speaks

https://www.iwmf.org/2021/08/iwmf-calls-for-urgent-support-of-women-journalists-in-afghanistan/

Amplify the voices of Afghan people on social media:

People to follow:  @omar.haidari, @theafghan, @middleeastmatters @sajjad_askary @bbatoor @najeebawazwfadost @mariamveiszadeh @asrc

Use the hashtags - #actforafghanistan #Afghanistan #HelpAfghanistan #AfghanLivesMatter

Put pen to paper (or hit those keyboards)

Here are some incredible letter templates written for you, it takes 45 seconds:

https://bit.ly/3DeBXFt

https://freeafghanistan.good.do/aidtoafghanistan/

How to find your local MP:

UK: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

Australia:

https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian_Search_Results?q=&sta=WA

https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/electorates

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/Who-is-my-local-member.aspx

A document shared by the ASRC with the main contacts all over Australia, you can call and email ALL of them! - https://docs.google.com/document/d/106mYuYD3FAMJyd-KA23TwrGxKhVA-xpXXFgT4PJi8P8/edit

Support Amnesty International stop your tax payer money being spent on military weapons:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/arms-control/

This week we chat to the gorgeous Emily Mcnish; a Naturopath passionate about women's health. 

Emily talks to us about why it might be beneficial to include a naturopath into your medical circle (for those that can) and the benefits to have them a resource alongside your GP. She answers all our questions on periods, PMS, pain management, heat regulations during your cycle and how to become more in-tune with your body. She also touches on some common symptoms of PCOS and endometriosis, and smashes some common misconceptions for these health concerns. It was an absolute pleasure to talk to someone so open and genuinely passionate about health and the women around her and hope you find some joy in this conversation too x

We couldn't NOT talk about the ridiculous clothing rules for women in sport after a week of Olympics and some seriously cool women standing up to the sexist rules. We chat about how this intersects with racism, ableism and why it's not just about bikini bottoms.

Plus, after the recent announcement that a women only hospital is opening up in Melbourne, we wanted to dig a little deeper to see if this is a step forward for womenkind...

I debut my first ever 60 second rant and it's a bout a giant dick rocket floating through space

and Cal lets her guard down more than once with more raw honesty mixed with hilarity! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did recording it ❤❤😃😃

Find out more about the women only hospital here and about the fabulous women behind it Jayashri Kulkarni.

Thank you for coming by and joining us, we see you and we got your back xxx

I’m With Her is a safe space to share uncomfortable truths.

We talk openly about the experiences we all  have whether - that’s about periods, love, babies, abortions, sex, beauty standards, body image, sexual violence, the gender pain gap and whatever else is making us women feel angry, energised or electric. It’s awkward, embarrassing and sometimes pretty damn hilarious

We chat honestly in hope that it makes you, our listeners feel less alone in your own experiences in life. We can cringe our way through together and rid ourselves of that shame we carry around with us…

Our one rule is that we believe women and listen to what they have to say. This community is changing the way women see themselves and it is powerful and a space we are really proud of.

We hope you’ll come and join us in the discussions because I’m with Her, that’s you 😉 xxx