On today's episode host Jennie is joined by Chartered Psychologist Mark Rackley to tackle online safety, internet access, devices, screen time and social media. More specifically, they impact it all has on our kids mental health and brain development. What are the long term ramifications? For most parents, this is a complex issue which poses many challenges both in the home and schools and amongst peers. Child and teenage Mental Health is declining and suicide rates are rising, and rapidly so. So many parents have their heads in the sand about the correlation between screen time, internet and social media access/exposure and this mental health decline. Dr Mark provides listeners with VALUABLE expert guidance, clarity and advice on this complex issue. Parents: This episode is a MUST listen - we cannot afford to ignore this any longer. Our kids' futures depend on it!

You can find Dr Mark Rackley on:

Instagram: @drmarkrackley

Podcast: I Have Issues, the Mental Health Podcast

You can also follow Why Are We Whispering? on:

Instagram: @whywhisperpodcast and @whywhisperthewholestory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So you've survived your dysfunctional childhood with your toxic mom or dad. Congratulations! But now, you're an adult (perhaps with your own children and partner), and you've decided to go no contact, or have set hard lined boundaries with that toxic parent. What can you expect from that toxic parent as a response? What can you expect from other family members who enable that toxic parent or serve as their "flying monkey's"? OR perhaps you are parallel parenting (as co parenting is an impossibility) with a toxic or personality disordered ex. Do you know how this person is impacting the growth and development of your child(ren)? Growing up with a toxic or personality disordered parent can have massive long term and lasting implications and can have massive impacts on your own romantic and familial relationships, as well as your mental health and self esteem. Do you know how to mitigate the risks of this with your child(ren)?

Joining host Jennie on today's episode is UKs top mental health advocate and author of "It's Them Not You: How to Break Free from Toxic Parents and Reclaim Your Story", Josh Connolly. Together, they candidly discuss the very complex and challenging world of toxic parents and sharing tips and tactics on how to not only navigate it as the adult child of one, but also as the parallel parent of one.

Unless you've lived it or are currently living through it, you just DON'T GET IT. Josh and his active work in this space makes you feel seen and heard. Both Jennie and Josh provide the listeners with a sense of understanding through shared experience. If this was/ is your childhood or parenthood experience, this episode is a MUST LISTEN!

You can find expert and advocate Josh Connolly on:

website: Come Back To Yourself

Instagram: @josh_ffw

Podcast: 115 Miles

You can follow Why Are We Whispering? on:

Instagram: @whywhisperpodcast and @whywhisperthewholestory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 in 3 girls don't feel prepared for their first period

2 in 5 girls have been shamed or teased because of their period

85% of girls have tried to hide the fact they are on their period

50% of girls don't know what's happening to their bodies when they get their period

60% of girls feel scared and embarrassed when they get their period

81% of women feel concerns around their periods are not taken seriously

Think back to the moment when you first started your period, or learned a bit about puberty and how babies are made. For most of us, these were tough years filled with confusion, angst, feelings of discomfort, nervousness... but also, excitement for what's to come. Whilst we were provided with some education in school and maybe the occasional home about what to expect, unfortunately, for most of us, this time was not met with an abundance of information and facts, so we were ill prepared and left to navigate this on our own.

Today, whilst puberty and menstruation and sex are taught in schools to some degree, kids also have the internet. They have iphones, ipads and devices that parents have given them, where, with the stroke of a key, they can find images, videos (many pornographic in nature) and information (or misinformation) on anything and everything related to puberty and sex. Something we didn't have, or if we did, was extremely limited in comparison to today. There are HUGE risks associated with this that parents may not be wise to.

On todays episode, host Jennie is joined by Libby Tanswell-Gidney. She is the 22 year old Founder of Ove Care, which is an age appropriate App providing children of all ages with information on puberty and menstruation. Jennie and Libby not only dive into the features and functionality of the Ove Care app, but the ever growing NEED for it in todays online climate. They talk about issues surrounding misinformation and accessibility to dangerous content online, the importance of both girls and BOYS understanding menstruation, fertility and the female body and how parents can utilise the app as a tool to navigate this complex time in their child's life and development.

This episode is a MUST listen for parents with pre teen children - boys and girls!

You kind find more information on Ove Care here:

Website: www.ovecare.com

Instagram: @ove.care

TikTok: @ove.care

You can follow the Why Are We Whispering? podcast on:

Instagram: @whywhisperpodcast and @whywhisperthewholestory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 6 people globally are affected by infertility.

Since the 1970's, 8 million babies have been born through medical/fertility intervention.

The requirement for fertility treatment is on the rise. And it's not just due to fertility issues with heterosexual couples, rather, in recent years, there has been a steady increase in single people and same-sex couples building and expanding their families through fertility treatment. Regardless of your reasoning for requiring it, fertility treatments are costly, time consuming and physically and emotionally taxing. In addition to the personal challenges that we face during fertility treatment, shockingly 40+ years on, there are STILL societal challenges that many people face; causing intense feelings of shame, guilt and embarrassment.

Joining host Jennie on today's episode is Natalie Silverman. She is the coFounder of 'Fertility Matters at Work' and the creator and host of ' The Fertility Podcast' which is in its 10th year! Together, Jennie and Natalie tackle many of the taboos still surrounding fertility treatment, including why we still associate it with women only, when there is an equal split of men and women who face fertility challenges/infertility. Both Natalie and Jennie share their own experiences with fertility treatments and the challenges they face(d) and tackle the current lag in workplace understanding and support and the ways in which Fertility Matters at Work are helping companies and organizations catch up in terms of policy creation and implementation.

You can find and follow Natalie Silverman on:

Instagram:@fertilitymattersatwork and @fertilitypoddy

Podcast: The Fertility Podcast

Website: www.fertilitymattersatwork.com

You can find and follow the Why Are We Whispering? podcast on:

Instagram: @whywhisperpodcast and @whywhisperthewholestory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Confidence and Self Esteem, whilst are crucial components to achieving and feeling happiness, often get over looked in terms of what we teach our children in schools and in the home. We don't tend to focus on HOW to develop confidence and self esteem, rather we mostly assume one should just HAVE it. As a result, many of us grow into people pleasers, or focus on others needs above our own. Which causes deep rooted feelings of loneliness, loss, and uncertainty; unsure of who we truly are and what makes up the essence of us.

A lack of or low self esteem is a significant developmental problem for kids currently.

According to a recent study, in the US, 80% of kids entering year 1 at school score high on self esteem inventory. By year 5 that starts to decrease significantly down to only 20% of kids scoring high on self esteem and by high school graduation, that number plummets to a mere 5% of kids leaving high school with any semblance of confidence or self esteem.

On todays episode, host Jennie is joined by Holly Matthews. She is the founder of the award winning self development brand "The Happy Me Project" and best selling author of "The Happy Me Project: The No Nonsense Guide to Self Belief". Together, they tackle the hard questions of what is contributing to the plummet in children's self esteem, who is responsible for ensuring our kids are taught how to cultivate their confidence and self esteem, and why it is VITAL to our well being and personhood.

We are living in a world where false confidence rules and self esteem is virtually non existent. Jennie and Holly bring a no nonsense and real conversation about where we are going wrong with our kids and why we have generations of adults faking their confidence.

Follow Holly on:

Instragram: @iamhollymatthews

Website: I AM HOLLY MATTHEWS – SELF DEVELOPMENT COACH | SPEAKER & FOUNDER OF THE HAPPY ME PROJECT

Follow Why Are We Whispering?:

Instagram: @whywhisperpodcast and @whywhisperthewholestory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every 2 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with Cancer.

Nearly 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.

There are currently 3 million people in the UK living with Cancer, and it's anticipated that this number will rise to 3.5 million people by 2025, and 4 million people by 2030.

Cancer is on the RISE.

But this episode is not about the facts of Cancer. This is an episode about hope, resilience, healing and recovery. Joining host Jennie, is Stephanie Crawshay-Ralston. She is a highly sought after stylist and mother of 3. She is also a former guest of the podcast.

Around this time last year, Steph was speaking to us about her recent terminal cancer diagnosis. Her treatments hadn't worked and she was about to embark on experimental treatment It wasn't looking good. She was scare, angry and completely unsure of what her future held. Nearly 12 months later, Steph can now say she is a Cancer survivor!

From the feeling she had when she first received her terminal diagnosis, to the devastating affects of her multiple treatments, the affect her diagnosis had on her family and kids, to being at deaths door and coming out the other side, Steph and Jennie have a real authentic conversation about Cancer and all of the ways it touches and impacts your life.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word 'narcissist' is often times over used these days. It's often used to describe ex's who are more than likely just incredibly selfish and ego-centric people. But, what if you are in a relationship with a true clinical Narcissist and/or Personality Disordered person. What if you are truly in the throws of a real trauma bond and an emotionally/psychologically/physically/sexually/and or financially abusive relationship. Would you be able to recognise it? And, if you did recognise it, would you be able to escape it and truly heal from it?

In the UK, according to a recent study conducted by Refuge:

• The police receive a domestic abuse related call every 30 seconds
• 1 in 4 women in the UK will experience some form of domestic abuse in her lifetime
• On average, 1 woman is killed by an abusive partner or ex every 5 days in the UK
• 3 women a week die by suicide as a result of domestic abuse
• It takes, on average, 7 attempts before a woman is able to leave her abuser for good

Joining host Jennie in today's episode is Dr. Nae (Nadine Macaluso). After leaving her ex, most will know him as The Wolf of Wall Street - Jordan Belfort, she channelled her energy into becoming a licensed therapist, specialising in trauma bonds, personality disordered abuse and CPTSD. She is also the author of 'Run Like Hell'. Dr. Nae shares her own story of surTHRIVING abuse/domestic violence at the hands of her ex, the complexities around being in a trauma bond with a personality disordered person, how to mitigate the risk to your children and how to heal.

This is a powerful discussion, that will provide you will tangible applicable strategies and tips on how to identify if you are in a trauma bond with a personality disordered person and the things you can do to get out and HEAL.

You can find Dr. Nae on:

Instagram: @therealdrnadine

Tik Tok: drnaelmft

Buy the book in Amazon: Run Like Hell: A Therapist’s Guide to Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds eBook : Macaluso LMFT PhD, Nadine : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

You can follow Why Are We Whispering? on:

Instagram: @whywhisperpodcast AND @whywhisperthewholestory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to a recent UK Study, 59% of girls and young women aged 13-21 have faced some form of sexual harassment at school or college in the past 12 months. 30% of 16 -18 year old girls say they have experienced unwanted sexually touching by boys at school. Nearly 71% of all 16-18 year old (boys and girls) say they hear sexual name calling towards girls, such as slut and slag, at school on a daily basis. 90% of girls and 50% of boys in secondary school have been sexually harassed by being sent explicit/pornographic pictures and videos to their devices.

These stats are just the stats on our children.

1 in 4 women will be sexually assaulted/raped in their lifetime. A mere 2 in 100 rapes that are reported will result in a conviction - and 4 out 5 rapes go UNREPORTED; leaving a massive amount of rapists (men) to roam our streets and rape freely .

Joining host Jennie on this weeks episode is Emma Kay. She is the Founder and CEO of WalkSafe App. It is the UK's leading personal safety App which combines journey sharing features and national safe space maps. Emma's vision, work and purpose with the WalkSafe App has been and continues to be a much needed literal lifeline for women and school girls, each time we leave the safety of our homes.

You can download the WalkSafe App on: WalkSafe+ on the App Store (apple.com)

You can Follow the WalkSafe Team and Emma Kay on Instagram: @walksafe.io

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many of us grow up wondering who we will fall in love with and marry and the children we may have. But nobody grows up dreaming about having a smooth divorce, parenting alone, having a slick divorce attorney, fleeing an abusive marriage, being a step parent or sharing your kids with your ex's new spouse. This is a far cry from what we envision for ourselves when we are young. For some this is your reality, For others, their inevitable futures.

Many things can happen before, during and after divorce. For a small few, it's amicable; co-parenting works and you can both agree you weren't met to be married, but can be friends. For the rest, divorce and what comes after it is not just riddled with complexities, challenges and heartbreak, but in some cases, presents new ways your ex can abuse you (and in some cases, your kids as well).

In today's episode, host Jennie, is joined by world leading Divorce Coach and Author Sara Davison. She is a global media commentator on breakups, divorce and domestic abuse. Sara launched Breakup and Divorce Coach Practitioner Accreditation Programmes in 2018 and has founded the International Divorce Coach Centre of Excellence, which now has a coaching community of over 600 coaches spanning across 26 countries and 5 continents.

The inspiration behind Sara finding her niche in Divorce Coaching, is her own divorce and the trauma that ensued. Sara has turned her tumultuous experience with her own divorce into supporting thousands of others through theirs and equipping them with the tools to not just survive leaving their high conflict ex, but thrive.

Sara and Jennie speak candidly about the harsh realities of the family court system, and what to expect from your "high conflict"/abusive ex's behaviour before, during and after divorce. If you or someone you know are about to embark on the battle of your life, this episode is a must listen!

You can find Sara Davison on:

Website: Homepage – Sara Davison

Instagram: @saradavisondivorcecoach

Podcast: Heartbreak to Happiness Heartbreak to Happiness Podcast Series – Apple Podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trigger Warning

• 1 in 10 children in the UK experience sexual abuse.*
• 500,000 children are estimated to be sexually abused in any given year in the UK**

This weeks episode, host Jennie is joined by Jeremy Indika. Jeremy Indika is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. His abuse started at age 8. His abuser was a trusted 35 year old male family friend, more specifically, his fathers friend and colleague. Like most paedophiles, Jeremy's abuser hid in plain sight in a profession that provided him access, and that deemed him caring and trustworthy; a nurse at the hospital his father worked in as a doctor. Jeremy was 27 years old when he finally came to terms with his childhood sexual abuse and trauma. And he decided to turn his trauma into something positive. He is a very active Child Abuse Prevention Advocate and is the Founder of 'Something to Say'.

Not only does Jeremy share his story on this weeks episode, but Jennie and Jeremy, have a very real, very honest and open (and uncomfortable) conversation about many of the contributing factors that increase your child's exposure and risk to being sexually abused/exploited, including internet access, device use, social circle engagement. They also dive into the role mainstream pornography has taken in increasing the instances of paedophilia and sexual abuse, and our responsibilities as parents and a collective society to mitigate the risks to our kids.

With the statics and instances of child sexual abuse on the rise, we have a duty of care to be talking openly about this. Saying it out loud is the first step in tackling and eradicating this (or at the very least, stopping the rise, in its tracks). It's ugly and it's uncomfortable, but we must have the bravery and courage to call this increasing issue out...our children's lives depend on it.

You can find Jeremy Indika on Instragram:

@jeremyindika

@somethingtosayofficial

You can follow the Why Are We Whispering? podcast on Instagram:

@whywhisperpodcast

You can follow the making of the docu-series 'Why Are We Whispering?: The Whole Story' on Instagram:

@whywhisperthewholestory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.