Ladies, We Need To Talk

For all her life, Chloe Hayden, star of Heartbreak High, has struggled to get doctors to take her health complaints seriously. And she’s not alone.  

Autistic women have poorer physical and mental health than neurotypical people. From shorter life expectancy to higher rates of suicide, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. In this episode Grace speaks to autistic women about being misunderstood and misdiagnosed and the toll this has taken on her health. She also investigates the root causes behind these co-occurring conditions and how medical and social systems can better support autistic women and girls to be healthier and live their best lives.  

Listen to more from the Autistic AF with Grace Tame series:

Watch the first episode on ABC Australia YouTube.

"It can be difficult…when your approach to socialising and relationships doesn't look like what other people might expect."

There's a long-held stereotype that autistic people are not empathetic and aren't interested in relationships. The reality is that, like everyone, autistic women and girls want connection, they may just come to it in different ways. In this episode, Grace looks at how autism and relationships intersect, from friendships and partnerships to parenthood. She also explores what autistic women bring to relationships and what becomes possible when they stop pretending to be "normal"?

Listen to more from the Autistic AF with Grace Tame series:

Watch the first episode on ABC Australia YouTube.

For decades autism was thought of as a "boy thing" and girls were overlooked by science. According to research, three boys are diagnosed with autism for every girl. While experts point to genetic differences, there are other reasons why girls often go undiagnosed, including their ability to mask their autistic traits, leading to what's referred to as the "female autism invisibility cloak". In this episode, Grace meets women and gender diverse people who have been diagnosed with autism later in life or are still waiting. She also speaks to neuroscientist Dr Gina Rippon about what the latest research has to say.

Featuring The Assembly's Bethany Woodman.

Listen to more from the Autistic AF with Grace Tame series:

Watch the first episode on ABC Australia YouTube.

"It's only been in recent years that I've had a public platform and people have asked me specifically about being autistic."

In the first episode of this special four-part series, Grace Tame speaks candidly with Yumi Stynes about her experiences as an autistic woman, from feeling on the outer and being labelled "weird" to experiencing the world in "high definition".

In this exclusive interview, Grace opens up about the ways that she fought her own brain, using alcohol and masking to try and fit in. She also reveals how exploring relationships with women has been a "profound shift".

After sharing her own story, Grace takes over hosting duties for the rest of the series, speaking with experts and other autistic women to find out why so many women are misunderstood and diagnosed late.

"I was bullied for being quirky… I would have these very intense special interests."

Join Australian of the Year Grace Tame for a special four-part take over of Ladies, We Need to Talk as she meets leading experts in autism research and connects with other neurodivergent women to get a better understanding of what life is like as an autistic person, beyond the stereotypes.

Autism comes wrapped in a lot of stigma and misunderstandings. Grace knows this firsthand. She struggled socially as a kid before finally getting a diagnosis in her late teens. Grace's experience isn't unique, with girls far more likely to get a late diagnosis than boys. So, what's going on? Why did science leave girls behind for so long, and at what cost?

The female orgasm deserves better PR. Straight women are climaxing way less than the men they are banging (by about 35%). We know this but what can we do about it?

Medical research has focused on male bodies and male pleasure for too long and it's time we got a smart woman on the case. Enter renowned professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Lori Brotto, who is changing the game for women's sexual health. Dr Lori shares her deep understanding of female anatomy and psychology and cutting-edge research on how to climax.

This episode will answer questions like:

• Can women climax during penetrative sex? 
• How do women orgasm? 
• What happens physiologically during women’s orgasm? 
• Why can’t I orgasm? 
• Can women have a premature orgasm? 
• Should sex be painful? 
• Does menopause affect sex? 
• Should I get a vibrator? 
• How can I improve sexual pleasure? 

What to listen to next:  Great sex: What we wish men knew

What to read next:   

Why these women have never had a partner 

The joys of having babies in your 40s

Why these women took marriage sabbaticals — and how it went

This episode contains references to orgasms, sex, partners, relationships, dating, open relationships, menopause, sexual dysfunction, pornography, mindfulness, anorgasmia, vaginismus. 

You've found your person, but you can't stand their politics. Awks! It's a phenomenon that's been on the rise in the last 30 years. Around the world, women are increasingly leaning left and men right. In 2022, 50% of Australians voted for a different political party than their partner. 

Having different preferences to your partner is a given. But political views can get under our skin in ways that can threaten the entire relationship. So how do you manage, say, if you’re a greenie and your husband is a raging capitalist? What if you’re a carnivore and she’s a vegan? And can you have a fulfilling relationship when you’re misaligned at the ballot box? 

Some couples sweep their disagreements under the rug, some couples erupt in heated arguments at dinner parties, while others are pushed to breaking point. Yumi Stynes meets the women who’ve fallen in love across the political divide and how they’ve navigated the highs and lows. 

This episode features:  

• Associate Professor Cynthia Peacock from the University of Alabama 

This episode will answer questions like:  

• How much does politics matter in relationships? 
• Can you have a great relationship and disagree on politics? 
• What makes someone more likely to be in a politically dissimilar relationship? 
• How does politics impact relationships? 
• Are younger people more likely to be in politically different relationships? 
• Are people happier if they share the same political views as their partners? 

What to listen to next: 

Antoinette Lattouf opens up on fight with the ABC

Is your attachment style messing with your love life?

Are men stealing our exercise time?

Family Feuds: Is estrangement the new normal?

What to read next:

Why these women have never had a partner - ABC News

Two mums on having babies in their 40s

This episode contains references to relationships, dating, politics, division, left wing, right wing, partners, looksmaxing, progressive, conservative, Gaza, Israel, conflict, war, news, Voice to Parliament, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson.

In December 2023, Antoinette Lattouf was asked to leave ABC Sydney. Since that day, her life has never been the same.

A seasoned broadcaster, she was part way through a week-long stint hosting local radio. Behind the scenes however, a coordinated lobbying effort was underway to have Antoinette taken off air.

The flashpoint was a Human Rights Watch post she shared on her personal socials. Soon after, she was told to collect her bags and leave.

But Antoinette refused to accept the decision, taking the ABC to Federal Court for unlawful termination. Inside the court room, her life was pulled apart in forensic detail. Outside it, the press scrutinised every move and outfit.

In her first interview back in the building, Antoinette sits down with Yumi Stynes to unpack the legal fight, who gets to speak and who gets silenced, and her next chapter, starting an independent Australian media company with journalist Jan Fran.

Antoinette Lattouf's book Women Who Win is published by Penguin Books Australia.

Content Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation.

This episode will answer questions like:

• What happened to Antoinette Lattouf?
• Why did Antoinette Lattouf leave the ABC?
• Did Antoinette Lattouf win her court case?
• What is Ette Media?
• What is Antoinette Lattouf doing now?
• What did Antoinette Lattouf post?

What to listen to next:

What to read next: 

This episode contains references to: ABC, media, legacy media, independent media, Australian legal system, Antoinette Lattouf, Jan Fran, Ette media, Women who win, Gaza, middle-east conflict, Israel, Lebanon.

Mid-life is hard enough, but what happens when you add a baby to the mix?

The average maternal age has been creeping up over the past twenty years, with more women than ever becoming first time mums in their 40s, delaying motherhood to build careers, travel, find the right partner, secure housing, or navigate infertility.

Having a baby later in life can be exhausting. Sleep is elusive, many women are edging perimenopause and the risks to both mother and baby can increase. Then there's the judgement — the sideways looks, the inevitable question: are you the mum or the grandma?

Yumi Stynes meets two first time mums who fell pregnant in their mid-40s to talk about the challenges and the joys of being an older mum.

Plus women's health expert Dr Karin Hammarberg weighs in on the risks- and rewards- of waiting.

This episode will answer questions like:

• Can I get pregnant after 40?
• Can you get pregnant when you're 45?
• Why do women delay getting pregnant?
• Should I wait to get pregnant?
• What are the chances of getting pregnant over 40?
• What is a geriatric pregnancy
• Is it harder to get pregnant after 40?

What to listen to next:

What to read next: 

 This episode contains references to pregnancy, dating, marriage, babies, toddlers, children, conception, TTC, sex, IVF, in vitro fertilisation, motherhood, donor eggs, maternity, parenthood, cancer, geriatric pregnancy, Advanced maternal age, pregnancy after 40, fertility after 40, Hilary Swank, Gisele Bundchen

Is monogamy a tired social contract — or a deeply meaningful way to build a life with someone you love? Is opening up your relationship an act of honesty and freedom, or just another complicated commitment in an already overbooked life?

Roll up, Ladies, as monogamy and Ethical non-monogamy go head-to-head. Arguing in favour of fidelity is comedian and Deadloch actor, Nikki Britton. Meanwhile, sex therapist, Aleks Trkulja goes in to bat for ENM.

Will one relationship style prevail?

This episode will answer questions like:

• What is Ethical non-monogamy?
• Should I open my relationship?
• Was Lindy West in an open marriage?
• Are there rules in an Non-Monogamous relationship?
• How can I date more than one person?
• Is monogamy the same as marriage?
• Is ENM the same as Polyamory?

What to listen to next: 

What to read next: 

This episode contains references to dating, monogamy, non-monogamy, heterosexuality, ethical non-monogamy, ENM, polyamory, sex, relationships, orgasms, partnerships, tinder, bumble, Hinge, dating apps, ghosting,