This week we’re addressing abortion because even though one in three women in the UK will get an abortion at some point in her life, it remains a taboo topic that is much under-discussed and around which there is woefully inadequate information.

Joining Emma-Louise is Alannah Ross, who discusses how her experience of getting an abortion several years ago ultimately prompted her to set up Seek, a platform whose mission it is to transform the experience of all forms of pregnancy loss by bringing together expert-led practices to support, educate and empower healing. 

Emma-Louise is also joined by nutritionist Le’Nise Brothers who specializes in women's health, hormones and the menstrual cycle. Le’Nise shares her expert insight on the hormonal impact of losing a baby and the differing ways she advises the women she works with to care for themselves following an abortion.

Le’Nise also happens to be as obsessed with busting taboos as we are at Daye, hosting the Period Story podcast featuring conversations focused on busting myths around menstrual health. Her first book’, You can have a better period, is out in March next year.

In part 2 of our focus on substance addiction, Emma-Louise speaks to Professor Judy Grisel, a behavioral neuroscientist with expertise in pharmacology and genetics, whose research focuses on determining root causes of drug addiction. She studies sex differences in the role of stress and endorphins on drug reward and works to identify innate factors that contribute to individual differences in the liability toward addiction. 

Professor Geisel has written a book about her personal struggle with alcohol and cocaine addiction, ‘Never Enough’.

In the first part of this episode, we heard from the brilliant writer, Kuchenga, about her experience with alcohol and drug addiction. If you haven't yet listened to that episode yet, we suggest you do right away. 

This week we’re turning to a more commonly discussed, but often greatly understood topic of substance addiction. Joining Emma-Louise to discuss her personal experience with drug and alcohol addiction is writer and journalist, Kuchenga. 

In her own words, Kuchenga is a “Black transsexual feminist whose work seeks to cleave souls open with truth and sincerity”, which is exactly what she does in this podcast episode as she recounts her journey to sobriety and the joy she has found since getting there. 

This week’s episode was so jam-packed with information and insight that we’ve broken it up into two parts, so head on over to ep 5 part 2 for Emma-Louise’s interview with an expert in the field of addiction.

On this week’s podcast episode we’re turning to the seldom-discussed topic of sex and porn addiction.

Joining Emma-Louise is journalist and author Erica Garza, whose debut memoir ‘Getting Off’ explores her experience of overcoming a sex and porn addiction and the shame that still surrounds it.

“At 30 , at 24, even at 12,” Erica writes at the start of the book, “it was impossible for me to think about sexual pleasure without immediately feeling shame. I felt bad about the type of porn I watched. I felt bad sleeping with people I didn’t like. I felt bad because of the thoughts I feasted on when I was having sex with people I genuinely loved.

"For as far back as I remember this is just the way it was. My sexual habits were sick and shameful. My thoughts were sick and shameful. I was sick and shameful. But nothing would stop me from getting off.”

To shed some expert insight on this less-understood topic (particularly as it concerns women) is Dr Daria Kuss, a Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Scientist and Associate Professor in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University whose work has largely focused on exploring addictive behaviours.

This week we’re turning to a topic shrouded in too many taboos to count and one that subsequently remains couched in so much shame for so many - sex. Particularly, sex after trauma.

Joining Emma-Louise this week is Billie Quinlan, co-founder and CEO of the sexual wellness app, Ferly.

Appropriately for this podcast, exists to bust taboos around sex - how we think about it and how we have it. Their in-app audio guides allow you to explore eroticism through some seriously sensual stories, and delve into your pleasure with guided practices that help build connection and intimacy as much with yourself as with a partner.

The motive for starting Ferly? Both Billie and her co-founder, Anna Hushkak, had been sexually assaulted previously and felt the impact on their respective sex lives profoundly.

To shed some expert insight on this critical topic, Emma-Louise is also joined by Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist, Kate Moyle. 

On the first episode of Talking Taboos with Daye, we tackle anorexia and the myths and misconceptions that surround eating disorders. While the numbers around the prevalence of eating disorders remain vague, it is estimated that between 1.4 to 2.3m people here in the U.K. suffer from some form of disordered eating. Moreover, anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness. 

To better understand this taboo topic from a first-hand perspective, host Emma-Louise is joined by eating disorder activist, author and public speaker, Hope Virgo.

After battling with anorexia for most of her teenage years, at one point even ending up in hospital, Hope eventually recovered and went on to write a book about her experience - Stand Tall Little Girl - published in 2017. 

Determined to use her experience to fight for change in how society sees and treats eating disorders, she launched a campaign and petition the following year #DumpTheScales which called on the government to review eating disorder guidance and introduce training for GPs. She’s recently updated this campaign via the hashtag #LetsTalkEDs, which we’ll discuss in the episode.

To shed some expert insight on the topic, Emma-Louise is also joined by Dr Natalie Kanakam,

a clinical psychologist at the Maudsley - a psychiatric hospital in south London, where she specialises in eating disorders.