My guest today is Freya Bennett musician, illustrator, writer and founder of the digital magazine Ramona.

Ramona Magazine is full of content from cis and trans women, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centres the experiences of women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and BIPOC (black, Indigenous and people of color). It’s a place to share stories and experiences of womanhood and feminine energy and feminism. To fan girl over Harry Styles, to learn about our bodies, to explore sexuality and to ultimately relish in our power and diversity.

Freya herself is passionate about teaching other women and humans how hormones and cycles and fertility work and why it is so important we understand our periods. She isn’t afraid to speak openly about her battle with anxiety and also about this complex thing many of us are embarking on called motherhood. In this chat we talk about the origins of Ramona, about her period educator mother, about creative expression and feminism and self doubt and we also talk about the book series that inspired the title of Ramona – Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary. The series follows Ramona Quimby and her family. One of the best things about this children’s book series is that Ramona is able to be both loud and brash while also sensitive, constantly questioning herself and her place in things. It’s special particularly to Freya as it was a formative text in allowing her to understand that girls can be many things – something which in a lot of children’s literature they don’t always get to be. We also chat about her deep love of the Brady Bunch and Harry Styles. Can we all just have a moment to pause and appreciate the gift that is Harry. Anyway I digress. After the mikes were turned off I talked to Freya for another hour and I could have kept going. I hope you feel like this too – in the book series Ramona Quimby (of which I own the box set and can’t wait to share with my kids) Beverly Cleary writes (of Ramona) she was not a slow poke grown up. She was a girl who could not wait. Life was so interesting she had to find out what happened next. AND that my friend is the energy Freya moves with. Not sure if I’ve ever related to something more in my life. I’ve never been a slow poke grown up and as Freya so rightly demonstrates through her Instagram and her work. There’s SO MUCH to be and do and see and find out. One shouldn’t ever be afraid to be enthusiastic and love things and fan girl all over the place. Life is simply too short for not caring. And Freya is someone who clearly lives caring about A LOT. Let’s all be fan girls and relish in it. Here she is Freya Bennett on TONTS.

For more from Freya you can head to @freya___bennett or follow @ramona_mag

For more from Claire you can head to www.clairetonti.com or @clairetonti on instagram

You can email the show through [email protected]

Show credits:

Editing - RAW Collings and Claire Tonti

Theme music - Avocado Junkie

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