If I Speak – with Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar

If I Speak

11: Help! My partner's too posh

10: Do I have to be nice to my friend's partner?

09: Should you ever shag a Tory?

08: How to cultivate optimism

07: What do straight men know about dating?

06: Do you owe your parents anything?

05: Are we trapped in a fantasy?

04: Can you teach an adult to have empathy?

03: The dating trap

02: Is my long-distance relationship doomed?

01: Should I give my mum an allowance?

13: I'm the problem, it's me

12: How to be a good friend

Ash presents a big theory about disposability and social shame prompted by a wardrobe clearout, and Moya responds to a dilemma about dating while living with parents. Plus: spot remedies.

Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now.

Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com

*Gossip, elevated.*

Music by Matt Huxley

18: Why does everything feel so disposable?

Moya and Ash talk to Chimene Suleyman, author of The Chain, about uncovering her ex-boyfriend's secrets and why society lets abusive men get away with it again and again. Plus: a listener needs help with their sexless relationship.

Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now.

Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com

Music by Matt Huxley

16: How do you recover after betrayal? w/ Chimene Suleyman

Does the body keep the score? Ash and Moya explore the border between grief and trauma and how to embrace being emotionally messy when disaster strikes. Plus: an “accidental incel” writes in.

Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com

Music by Matt Huxley

15: Dissociation is my superpower

Ash and Moya talk to Evenings And Weekends author Oisín McKenna about living authentically, intense female friendships, and how financial precarity limits our self-exploration. Plus: compulsory heterosexuality and suspicious new boyfriends.

Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com

Music by Matt Huxley

14: What does it mean to live authentically? w/ Oisín McKenna

Moya and Ash talk to Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies, about why we crave external validation yet hate to be perceived. Plus: advice for a listener who got engaged while drunk.

Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now.

Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com

Music by Matt Huxley

17: Feeling seen w/ Nicola Dinan

Moya has a big theory about why everyone’s on such a short fuse these days and Ash responds to a listener with a debilitating crush. Plus: science or magic?

We're going to Glastonbury! Moya will be joined by Shon Faye and a legendary special guest for a Radical Connections session and a live recording of the show. Find us on the Nomad stage in Shangri-La at 12pm and 2pm on Thursday.

Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com

*Gossip, elevated.*

Music by Matt Huxley

19: We're boiling with rage

Prompted by Kendrick’s anthemic Drake diss, Ash claims it's the summer of the hater. But what does it mean to hate so hard? Plus: a listener who feels rejected by her English in-laws.

Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com

Got your tickets for If I Speak IRL yet? We're at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September. Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk/ now.

Music by Matt Huxley.

If I Speak – with Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar

Novara Media