Boots presents Taboo Talk

To celebrate October being Menopause Awareness Month, Boots presents Taboo Talk hosted a one-off special featuring three incredible guests: Shaparak ‘Shappi’ Khorsandi, Sally Phillips and Andrea McLean. Together with Vogue, they discussed their own personal experiences of perimenopause and menopause, covering everything from night sweats, fatigue and forgetfulness, to gaining immense wisdom, buyin...

Losing your virginity is a momentous moment in anyone’s life – a milestone, the importance of which is ramped up through pop culture, peer pressure, and historical, societal and religious connotations. Some people want it to be special, some want to get it over with, while others don’t know what all the fuss is about. In this episode, comedians Russell Kane and Desiree Burch will discuss their fir...

How often do we all discuss vulvas and vaginas? Answer: not nearly enough – a problem this episode hopes to rectify. What is and is not ‘normal’ when it comes to our genitals is a subject steeped in secrecy, leaving many too embarrassed to ask questions about which bits do what, what they’re called, and what they ‘should’ look like. In this episode, Vogue is joined by Naked Attraction host Anna Ri...

Body positivity, body neutrality and body acceptance are all terms that will be familiar to any active users of social media, especially those suffering from self-esteem issues. They are movements that have been formed in direct response to the explosion of body-image related mental-health problems affecting the nation (many of which may have been exacerbated by social media itself). In this episo...

This bonus episode was inspired by the huge listener response to our previously-released show, “Why acne is more than skin deep”, featuring Scott McGlynn and Izzie Rodgers. We knew we had to dive deeper into the subject of skincare and so called on Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme for an expert Q&A session. The founder and director of Adonia Medical Clinic in London, Dr Ejikeme is a medical consultant, advan...

About 95% of people in England will be affected by acne at some point in their lives, and yet discussing it and its effects is still considered taboo by many. With symptoms ranging from mild to severe, acne is caused when hair follicles become blocked, resulting in spots, oily skin and sometimes skin that’s hot or painful to touch. It can be both physically painful and emotionally distressing, and...

Can we all get our sun-fix safely? That’s the question this episode will strive to answer as we separate fact from fiction when it comes to sun damage. Vogue is joined by Dragon’s Den investor Deborah Meaden, who was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2015, as well as skincare expert and aesthetician Dija Ayodele. Together they’ll address important questions such as: what is the minimum SPF every adult...

 With 10 - 20% of people experiencing mental health issues during pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth, it’s time to break the taboo surrounding maternal mental health. In this episode, entrepreneur and broadcaster Luisa Zissman, and author, life coach and broadcaster Anna Williamson, share their personal experiences of perinatal anxiety and depression. Prepare for some serious sti...

Welcoming both returning and new listeners to the third series of Taboo Talk – the empowering and entertaining podcast brought to you by Boots, hosted by Vogue Williams. Series three will feature more frank, funny, and informative chats with guests including Luisa Zissman, Anna Williamson, Russell Kane, Desiree Burch, Scott McGlynn, Izzie Rodgers, Iskra Lawrence, Anna Richardson, Dr Dawn Harper an...

It’s recap time! We revisit some of the very best moments from series two of Taboo Talk – the things that made us gasp, cry, wince, and laugh out loud. Discover, or rediscover, the frank and funny chats that continue to make Taboo Talk resonate with so many people as we deep-dive into everything from chronic pain, menopause and safe sex, to male mental health, bladder control and fertility. Featur...

This bonus show is the sister episode to the previously released “My fertility journey: What I wish I’d known”. Featuring GP and IVF mum, Dr Stephanie Ooi, it answers practical questions surrounding the subject – all of them sent in by Taboo Talk listeners. Dr Stephanie debunks myths and delivers advice on fertility-related worries and queries surrounding age, IVF, egg freezing, lifestyle factors,...

Whether you know if you do, don’t, or might want children, fertility is a subject fraught with strong emotions. It’s a personal choice that can feel very public, with everyone having a point of view or a story to tell. Nowadays, thank goodness, there are more options for more people as science and society catches up to the fact that there’s no one-size fits all when it comes to expectations around...

Practicing safe sex has a huge impact on the overall health of individuals and communities. Yet, the entirety of many people’s sexual health education involved a mortified teacher putting a condom onto a banana at school. Public figures speaking candidly about the importance of knowing an implant from an IUD are therefore playing an essential role in smashing taboos around the subject. In this epi...

We’ve come a long way since the days when masculinity was defined by a stiff-upper lip and a “man up” attitude, but stigmas around male emotional vulnerability still exist, and changing expectations come with their own challenges. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 – a sobering fact that reveals much about the general state of men’s mental health, with men far less likely to seek help a...

More than 14 million adults in the UK struggle with bladder control – a huge number which should reassure anyone who worries about leaking when sneezing, having sex, exercising, or laughing (amongst many other triggers), that they’re absolutely not alone. However, bladder leakage is never ideal, so learning that there are things you can do about it, and that it doesn’t have to affect your daily li...

Half of the world’s population will experience perimenopause and menopause – and yet barely anyone’s talking about it. It’s estimated that around 13 million women are going through this natural biological process right now in the UK – experiencing such joyful symptoms as hot flushes, fatigue, insomnia, loss of libido, and mood swings – but still stigma, secrecy and shame surround the subject. In t...

Chronic pain affects around two fifths of the UK population, meaning millions of us are living with pain that has lasted for three months or longer. Most commonly taking the form of back and neck pain, fibromyalgia (widespread musculoskeletal pain), and osteoarthritis (a form of arthritis), chronic pain can impact absolutely everything – from work and exercise, to sleep, socialising, and sex. Hell...

Welcome back to the second series of  Taboo Talk  – the empowering and entertaining podcast brought to you by Boots. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for a trip down memory lane as we revisit some of the best moments from series one of Taboo Talk. Discover, or rediscover, what made Boots’ very first podcast resonate with so many listeners as we discussed everything from anxiety, gut health, pregnancy, and periods, to sex, sleep, and self care. Featuring Jamie Laing, Rochelle Humes, Ashley James, Jonny Wilkinson, Laura Whitmore, Natalie...

To many people in this time poor world, it can seem we’ve reached peak self-care – it seems self-indulgent, even selfish. But taking a little time out for some self-care is actually  essential  to help you mentally and physically deal with this thing called life. Host Vogue Williams and Laura Whitmore discuss why being kind to yourself is so under-rated (and why saying ‘no’ is Laura’s fa...

This episode will focus on sleep issues we simply don’t talk about - like sleepwalking, sleep talking, even night terrors. And, how, if you’re a bad sleeper it affects  every  aspect of your life. Sky Sports, F1 and BBC presenter Natalie Pinkham speaks openly to host Vogue Williams about her night terrors and sleepwalking experiences and the impact this had on her life (including so...

Host Vogue Williams gets 'under the covers' with YouTuber, broadcaster and author, Hannah Witton alongside A Bloody Good Period ambassador and sex positivity influencer, Jessica Megan, to get down and dirty about all things sex. Because, despite it being 2021, sex is still one of the most ‘taboo’ topics there is. Everything from the magic of masturbatio...

An informative and funny chat about periods and hormones with body confidence campaigner and ‘You’ve Gut This’ founder Lottie Drynan and ‘Obgyn Mum’ Dr Brooke Vandermolen. Host Vogue Williams gets Lottie talking about her periods, why she thinks there’s still a stigma around discussing them, her personal experience with her cycle and how hormones affect her body and moods - even her...

From leaky bladders to leaky boobs – what really happens to our bodies during pregnancy and birth? And how does that affect us mentally? This no-holds-barred episode features Singer, presenter, author, and hair and skincare brand founder, Rochelle Humes, alongside DJ, presenter, model, and body acceptance and mental health campaigner, Ashley James, who will share all the gross, unexpected, hilario...

Gut health is a relatively young science. Investigations into the effect of the gut microbiome on general health and wellbeing are ongoing, but one thing everyone agrees on is that it is a lot more influential than previously thought. This episode features Lisa and Alana Macfarlane, aka The Mac Twins – Scottish DJs, presenters and founders of The Gut Stuff, who have made it their mission...