Talking Taboos: The Podcast

At Talking Taboos we deep dive into a range of taboo topics to try and better understand what's going on, why they are taboo, and how taboo and stigma impacts people's experience, ultimately we want our work to help people feel seen, understood, and better able to get the support they deserve. Our Today's Taboos 2026 research has identified sexual assault by someone you know, and specifically, sex...

At Talking Taboos we deep dive into a range of taboo topics to try and better understand what's going on, why they are taboo, and how taboo and stigma impacts people's experience. ultimately we want our work to help people feel seen, understood, and better able to get the support they deserve. Our Today's Taboos 2026 research has identified sexual assault by someone you know, and specifically, sex...

You're listening to Talking Taboos: The Podcast… where we deep dive into a range of taboo topics to try and better understand what's going on, why they are taboo, and how taboo and stigma impact people's experiences. Ultimately, we want our work to help people feel seen, understood, and better able to get the support they deserve. Over the next few episodes, we're going to be exploring a taboo tha...

Welcome back to part two of our Today's Taboos launch event from 2025. If you haven't listened to part one yet, that's where we unveil the year's four taboos - silent suicidal thoughts, surviving child sexual abuse, body bias, and shamed SEND parenting - we'd recommend starting there. In this second half, our director Flo and chair of trustees Louise are joined by Benji Kusi, inclusion and wellbei...

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we're taking you inside our annual Today's Taboos launch event from 2025, where we revealed the four taboos our research identified as needing the most urgent attention for the year. Every year, Talking Taboos sets out to answer a strange question: what are people not talking about? Our directors Flo Nolan,  Kat Jennings and chair of trustees Louise...

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we're taking you inside a live event held the day after World Suicide Prevention Day 2025. We brought together lived experience, mental health expertise and community voices to talk about one of our most silenced taboos: suicidal thoughts. When life is difficult, Samaritans are here, day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 12...

Welcome back to part two of our conversation on shame and SEND parenting. If you haven't listened to part one yet, we'd recommend starting there. A quick explainer of the words we use here - SEND is the acronym used for Special Education Needs and Disability which relates to the support for children who have extra learning needs or disabilities.  In these two  episodes we’re  joined by Lisa (ASD w...

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we're tackling one of the most requested topics from our community this year: shame and SEND parenting. This conversation explored the experiences of parents of  children who are neurodivergent and have additional needs - not the version filtered for the school gates or social media, but the reality behind closed doors. A quick explainer of the words...

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we're live from the Unruly Bowels event that we ran back in 2024. It brought together lived experience, health expertise and industry to talk about one of the most universal taboos… a topic that makes many of us very uncomfortable to talk about: poo! Taboos aren't just difficult topics,  they are systems of silence, sustained by embarrassment and sha...

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we speak to artist Andy Farr.  Many of Andy’s paintings - including those from his exhibition Being Seen come from conversations with people who have experienced trauma - often around topics that remain taboo and hard to talk about.  We explore how these conversations unfold, what helps people feel safe enough to open up, and why some stories remain...

This year, through our annual Today’s Taboos research, Talking Taboos uncovered feeling addicted to porn as one of the most difficult and uncomfortable issues that many people are struggling to talk about. Our research found that 1 in 3 18-44 year olds have experienced or know someone who has experienced pornography addiction. This rises to 1 in 2 for men aged 18-44.  However 1 in 4 people in this...

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we’re joined by Dr Paula Hall - a sexual and relationship psychotherapist, author and broadcaster who founded The Laurel Centre and Pivotal Recovery. We talk about the taboo of feeling addicted to porn through the lens of therapy, recovery, and mental health. Drawing on more than 30 years of clinical experience, Paula explains how porn use exists on...

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we’re joined by Kit Green - an artist working across theatre, music, experiential performance, comedy and cabaret.  Kit talks about her immersive theatre piece, Prurience, where she placed audiences inside a fictional self-help group for people struggling with porn addiction.  The piece challenged people to confront their assumptions about addiction...

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, suicide, grief, and mental health. Please listen with care. In our first episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we’re joined by Ore Oduba - presenter, performer, broadcaster and change maker - to talk about the taboo of feeling addicted to porn through the lens of lived experience, vulnerability and what it means to come out the othe...