What sustains a 10-year friendship? What questions would you still like to ask your parents? How comfortable are you talking about death? What’s it really like being a single mother? Would you ever emigrate to another country? These were some of the questions that came up in the podcasts featured this week.

1. The Self Love Revolution

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Self-help and sex

For anyone at a relationship crossroads, or who has been through divorce, this week’s episode of The Self Love Revolution may be a bit of a lifeline.

Lu Featherstone is a 53-year-old ‘recovering people-pleaser’ and is on a journey of self-love in middle age – helping listeners with feel good about themselves too.

This week she’s joined by guests – therapist Jodie Cariss and co-founder of sex toy company Hot Octopuss, Julia Margo – to talk candidly about all of their divorce experiences.

It’s beautifully candid and raw, all three women speak so openly about the positives of leaving and what they’ve found on the other side (including younger boyfriends and the joy of living alone), as well as the pain.

There are tears, laughter, touching moments of connection and sensitive conversations about why ‘staying for the kids’ never works – and how to tell them what’s happening. A must listen.

(By Lauren Taylor)

2. The Tooney & Russo Show

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Football

What are the necessary ingredients to build and sustain a friendship that’s over 10 years old? Well, Radio 1’s Vick Hope is on a mission to find out and become part of a trio with two of football’s most famous friends: Ella Toone and Alessia Russo.

In their new BBC Sounds podcast, The Tooney & Russo Show, listeners get to be part of the conversion where nothing is off-limits – but they are going to see how it goes – especially in their first episode where they talk through some memorabilia in the studio – almost like a living room – that captures the different stages of their friendship.

The first was a picture of Russo doing Toone’s hair, bucket hats, and a lobster, which has a very funny story attached to it, just to name a few.

But at the heart of this episode was getting to know the genesis of this strong friendship, which I think listeners will really enjoy learning more about.

(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

3. FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Comedy

People know that Martin Kemp and Roman Kemp are related, but there’s a specific reason why Roman decided to start a podcast with his dad. He wanted to immortalise some of his brilliant advice in the form of an audio library, which he could maybe show to his children one day.

FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp – an Insanity Studios production – is where Roman asks his dad a series of questions about life, and no topic is off the table, which is very clear from the first episode.

“Do you think about the moment you are going to die as you get older?” Roman first asked his dad.

After beating a brain tumour scare when he was age 34, Martin took on a different approach to life and continues to see every year that he lives as a bonus.

It was interesting hearing him reflect and be content about the life he has already lived. However, he still wishes he had spoken to his parents about love because they were “great about it”.

Talking about death can be very uncomfortable, especially when talking to a parent about when they think you may lose them, but it was a refreshing conversation about why we need to make the most of our time with our parents, whilst they are still here.

(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

4. Exhibit A

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Business

Listening to entrepreneurs talk about how they launched their groundbreaking companies often leaves you feeling rejuvenated. And that’s what Abbey Clancy’s conversation with real estate mogul and serial entrepreneur Becky Fatemi, on her new podcast Exhibit A – launched with Acast – did for me.

From being separated from her mother at just six months old, leaving home at 15 to sexual abuse, homelessness and watching her ex-boyfriend die in her arms from an overdose, Fatemi’s powerful story is one of great triumph and determination.

Clancy and Fatemi discovered that they had quite a lot in common as they got to know each other more, to their love of Hip Hop, being mothers, and the values they uphold in their lives.

But my biggest takeaway was when Clancy asked Fatemi what success looks like. “Happiness,” she said.

(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

Spotlight on…

5. Mum’s The Word! The Parenting Podcast

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Parenting

Mum’s The Word! The Parenting Podcast is a weekly podcast that launched with Create in 2021. It’s hosted by model and presenter Kelsey Parker, DJ and presenter Ashley James and writer and YouTuber Grace Victory – the trio you never knew you needed.

In the latest episode, Victory has a very candid conversation with Chloe Pierre, the founder of wellness brand thy.self, about why she decided to leave the UK as a single mother. But before they delved in, she shared some of her mum-related wins she’s had this week: more patience with her kids and mum rage hasn’t taken over – something she has been working on in therapy.

Pierre and Victory went on to talk about her growing up around single-parent families, why there is so much more to life than just working and making money, and how alienating the wellness space can be – it’s what prompted her to start her business in 2018 – and why it’s important to write everything down, execute your ideas and refuse to live with regret.

If you are a parent who has some questions and are looking for real, honest advice – whatever stage you are at in your parenting journey – this podcast has got you covered, with relatable stories, expert insights and plenty of laughs along the way. Truly, nothing is off limits on Mum’s The Word! The Parenting Podcast.

(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

6. The Interview

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Personal stories

The Interview, a new podcast from The New York Times with hosts David Marchese and Lulu Garcia-Navarro, was a masterclass on interviewing itself.

In the first episode, Marchese speaks to American actress Anne Hathaway ahead of her new film, The Idea of You, about a woman healing her heart after a period of trauma. She admits that even after all of these years doing interviews, she still finds it more natural to express herself through the characters she chooses to play.

Hathaway briefly speaks about why she didn’t feel connected to her body early on in her life, the gift of movement and expression acting gave her, being a former people pleaser from New Jersey, how she overcame “Hathahate” and pushed back on societal expectations.

It’s great when an interviewee is willing to go the extra mile and speak from the heart. She dug deep.

(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)

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