Today's episode grapples with the intense feelings of love and hate that can collide in the all-consuming, life-altering, identity-shifting role that is motherhood. We ask: Is it possible to love your child and hate motherhood? What does it mean to be a mum in today's society and do these expectations and idealisms need an overhaul? How is motherhood different to parenthood? Have you ever felt intense loneliness, rage or even regret in your mothering journey? And who do you turn to to offload with brutal honesty, without fear of judgement? We hope this conversation helps to encourage more safe spaces for sharing - where we can lift the lid on motherhood and banish the romantic ideals. And as always, we hope you'll have permission to feel whatever you feel about your own precious and complex experience of being mum - love, hate and everything in between.

Join me @biglucook and my guests @jenwrensquirrel @hannahjayne_1990 and @jess_u_22 as we dive in.

TRIGGER WARNING: This conversation may not be for you if you're currently trying for a baby or if you're about to have your first. Be kind to yourself and give this one a miss for now.

As the celebratory vaccination pics flood our grids, life beyond Covid feels so tantalisingly near we can almost smell it. But dare we? After more than a year of lockdowns, social distancing and isolation, working from home, masks, long queues just about everywhere, hand sanitiser, 2m gaps, tiers, three word governmental slogans... and all the rest! What exactly IS the new normal? What can we expect life beyond Covid to look like? And just how might we be feeling as we approach it? Relieved? Ecstatic? Anxious? Confused? Yep - probably a bit of all of that. We discuss the emotional debt we might pay for being in survival mode for so long, whilst losing so much. A tidal wave of emotion at the very point we can finally relax. Just as we find 'freedom' - BAM! It's confusing, it's complicated, but it's normal. And we'll need permission for whatever bubbles up! We hope this episode gives you that.

Join me @biglucook and my guests @jenwrensquirrel and @mattcrossmanuk as we do just that. 

Does the idea of bigging yourself up fill you with terror? Are you more comfortable sharing your sins than your wins? When you see other women owning their success, do you feel an unnerving twinge of envy? Why, as women do we pit ourselves against each other, and how to we learn to celebrate each other instead? In today's episode we look at all this and more. How we think, feel and talk about ourselves is important if we are to take up our space in the world. And how we model this for our kids is just as key. Bragging is nuanced, no doubt. But let's ask why we feel the way we do about it before we draw conclusions. 

Join me @biglucook and my guests @jenwrensquirrel and @adelejk as we do just that. I also recommend checking out @keri_l_jarvis who i quote from at the start of the episode. 

Do you enjoy sex in the years after having children? If not, why not? Is it painful? Does your vagina feel... baggy!? Dry? Different to before? Maybe you're just knackered and no longer care about sex too much anyway. You can live with the twice a year ritual of his birthday and your anniversary. Or is it possible to cultivate a healthy, pleasurable sex life post-partum - if you want it??? Dive into this episode with us as we talk all things sex after kids with pelvic health physio, Clare Bourne. What even is a prolapse and why should we care in our THIRTIES? Should a woman's body be sacrificed on the alter of childbirth? Or do we deserve something more? Welcoming for the first time on the pod, Carrie Cook alongside our expert Clare @clarebournephysio With host and editor Lu Cook @biglucook.

This one turned out to be a hefty therapeutic nudge in my direction. I am a definite WIP in this area and I want more permission to ball it abandonly. If you're a natural or a novice, a secret or a 'shout it from the rooftops' kind of crier, jump into this topic with me and my guests @jenwrensquirrel and @allanmcgrath82 (yes, a man!!) as we discover why we need to cry, what stops us and how we can give ourselves MORE PERMISSION! Hosted and edited by me, Lu Cook(@biglucook)

Covid. Unemployment. Poor health. Social isolation. A bad marriage. A dead-end job. Kids are with you ALL THE TIME. Whatever your 'this' is, you have permission to find it hard. Oh and find out what Lu's special skill is... (Encore en fois!) Welcoming for the first time @ms_clotilde alongside regular guest @jenwrensquirrel Hosted and edited by Lu Cook(@biglucook) 

When it comes to sex, where do you need more permission? Do you have a healthy sex life and what exactly does that mean? Do you want it more or less? Are you free to play, experiment and explore? Or are you a bit stuck and sick of the whole thing? Where do you go to talk about your sex life or is it too much of a taboo? What advice would you give the younger you about sex? And why did my cheeks blush the whole way through recording this episode?

Join me @biglucook and my guests @jenwrensquirrel and @adelejk as we go well beyond our comfort zones, discussing all things 'sex'. I also recommend checking out @estherperelofficial who has taught me most of what I know about all things erotic.