Novara Media
If I Speak
Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean sort the personal from the political, tackle listener dilemmas and air their opinions on the frustrations of modern life.
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Episodes
72: Why does it always have to be me taking responsibility? 22.07.2025 1:07:20
*We’ve got merch! The If I Speak Baggu bag is ethically made, comes in two colours and is available now from shop.novaramedia.com* Ash and Moya descend into the guilt vortex for a conversation about family, responsibility, and parents who need to be parented. Plus: advice for a special one with a workplace crush. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
71: If I’m so angry then why am I crying?! 01.07.2025 1:00:12
*We’ve got merch! The If I Speak Baggu bag is ethically made, comes in two colours and is available now from shop.novaramedia.com. Support the show and find fellow Special Ones.* On this episode, Moya presents an intrusive thought from a Special One about why some women struggle to express their anger. Should our ‘outlaw emotions’ be brought to the surface? Plus: help for a listener wh...
70: Can you ever change what you want? 24.06.2025 1:10:33
*We’ve got merch! The If I Speak Baggu is ethically made, comes in two colours and is available now from shop.novaramedia.com . Support the show and send a signal to fellow Special Ones.* In this episode, Moya and Ash talk about what to do with their impossible desires. Plus: Britain’s drinking problems, and and advice for a gay man whose female bestie has ditched him. Got a problem? ifispeak@nova...
69: Is marriage a hard border? w/ Jeremy Atherton Lin 17.06.2025 1:00:39
Is marriage like an island, or more of an open house? Ash talks about state-sanctioned relationships with memoirist Jeremy Atherton Lin, whose new book Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told, is out now. Plus, advice for a listener whose money worries aren’t shared by her partner. Are you in big trouble? Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
68: Help! My housemate is a pig 10.06.2025 1:10:02
Moya and Ash deal with your dilemmas, including a daughter who wants to give away her inheritance, a scared mum facing up to her prejudice, a singleton wondering if moving home was a mistake, and a renter whose housemate is a total pig. Are you in big trouble? Email us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
67: What’s up with Generation Alpha? 03.06.2025 56:05
Moya and Ash wonder what’s up with kids these days, thinking about parenting, advertising, social media and anxiety. Plus, advice for a bereaved listener who’s furious with her stepmum. Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
66: I’m right, you’re wrong, end of! 27.05.2025 58:43
Moya has an intrusive thought about our need for certainty and Ash responds with an idea about how the internet has polarised our thinking. Plus, advice for a singleton with avoidant tendencies. Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
65: Has your smartphone broken your brain? 20.05.2025 54:36
Ash and Moya face up to all the ways their smartphone has warped their minds. Plus, advice for a trans woman struggling to interact with the world in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. Come and see If I Speak in London on 21st May! Final tickets are available now from Dice . Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
64: What is the female gaze? 13.05.2025 57:29
What do straight women find attractive? Too many men think the answer is ‘big muscles’ says Ash, who has a big theory about sensuality. Plus: what to do when your boss is a bigot. Come and see If I Speak LIVE in London on 21st May! Join Ash, Moya and special guest Monica Heisey – comedian and author of Really, Good Actually – at EartH in East London, followed by a social. Tickets are available fro...
63: Do people just want to be told what to do? 06.05.2025 1:02:14
Moya has a big theory and you’re not going to like it: most of us would rather be told how to live our lives by someone else than work it out ourselves. Could it be? Plus, advice for a broken-hearted student. Seats for our live show in London are going fast! Join Ash, Moya and special guest Monica Heisey – comedian and author of Really, Good Actually – at EartH in East London on 21st May. Ge...
62: I’m not sure I want to call myself a feminist anymore… 29.04.2025 56:40
Ash and Moya confront their feelings after a bad fortnight for feminism, from Katy Perry in space to the Supreme Court’s anti-trans ruling. Plus: advice on divorcing parents and compulsive exercising. PSA: We’re going live at EartH in London on 21st May! Special guest TBA! Tickets are available from Dice . Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
61: Can friendships cross class lines? w/ Natasha Brown 22.04.2025 56:02
Ash speaks to author Natasha Brown about the big questions raised by her acclaimed second novel Universality, a ‘whydunnit’ mystery about identity, class and how we (re)invent ourselves. Plus: a dilemma about selling your soul. PSA: We’re going live at EartH in London on 21st May! Tickets are available from Dice . Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
60: Are we too addicted to convenience? 15.04.2025 51:43
Ash and Moya answer a mystery question and wonder if our quest for a life of convenience was a mistake. Plus: advice for a listener dating a much, much older man. PSA: We’re going live at EartH in London on 21st May! Stay tuned for tickets next week. Music by Matt Huxley.
59: Does my ex owe me money for the house we renovated? 08.04.2025 1:01:16
Moya and Ash offer advice to a special one who’s lost everything after renovating a house with their ex. Plus: what if some of us are ‘relationship people’ while the rest are better off alone? We’re now yapping on TikTok! Follow us @ifispeakpod . Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
58: I want to be fun again. Help! 01.04.2025 57:01
Ash has an intrusive thought that she thinks Moya can help with: make me fun again! Plus advice for a listener navigating the identity politics of the student council. We’re now yapping on TikTok! Follow us @ifispeakpod Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
57: Do you really want to know about your partner’s past mistakes? 25.03.2025 1:09:39
Nicola Dinan returns to the show to talk about her second novel, Disappoint Me, and respond to Moya’s question about how to deal with a partner’s past mistakes. Plus, dilemmas about lip filler and bottom surgery. CW: Contains discussion of sexual assault. We’re now yapping on TikTok! Follow us @ifispeakpod Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
56: The one where Moya grills Ash on her new book 18.03.2025 1:03:11
[Updated audio! Please refresh, redownload and/or clear your cookies for fixed version] Moya has a bone to pick with Ash about Minority Rule and the conversations sparked by her book tour, while posing the big question: why is it so hard to form your own opinions? Plus: what to do when a newly sober friend starts drifting away. We’re now yapping on TikTok! Follow us @ifispeakpod Send us your...
55: Joy is an act of resistance… right? 11.03.2025 1:02:54
Moya and Ash discuss the uses and abuses of self-care culture and its roots in Black feminism. Plus: how to get over homesickness. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
54: Forget the boycott, gimme that brand deal 04.03.2025 53:37
Why did Stormzy delete his pro-Palestine posts just before unveiling a Happy Meal tie-in with McDonald’s? Ash asks Moya if big artists are all just businesses in the end. Plus: how to deal with a delusional friend. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
53: Getting ‘the ick’ 25.02.2025 47:04
When did we all start ‘getting the ick’? And why does it mainly seem to be women who get it? Ash and Moya unpack the gender politics behind the ‘ick-course’. Plus: when is the right time to have the big money chat with your partner? Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
52: Happy birthday IIS! Now ask us anything… 18.02.2025 1:06:25
One whole year of If I Speak! Moya and Ash celebrate with an #AMA, tackling your questions on career growth, love songs, role models, Irish politics and whether they’re friends in real life. Plus: listener feedback on last week’s “return of the slur”. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
51: Am I feminine enough for you? 11.02.2025 1:00:22
Ash and Moya respond to a mystery question about femininity with a conversation about desire, agency and sexual politics. Plus: advice for a listener tangled up in their in-laws’ finances. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
50: The return of the slur 04.02.2025 1:03:58
After hearing the R-word on a comedy podcast, Moya offers an intrusive thought about the limits of language policing. Plus: what to do about a horrible housemate. Send in your questions for If I Speak’s birthday AMA episode on 18th February! ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
49: We need to see more wrinkles on screen! 28.01.2025 1:00:37
Ash and Moya discuss women’s changing faces on screen and the intensifying obsession with ageing. Plus: tough love for a Special One who’s getting in their own way. Email your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
48: Is it time to cut off my lying dad? 21.01.2025 1:01:28
Ash and Moya tackle a mailbag full of dilemmas, including a committed couple arguing over money, a daughter considering cutting off her dad, and a student struggling to overcome the trauma of rape. Plus: Ash blushes her way through your emails about gay porn. CW: suicide, rape. Resources: https://thesurvivorstrust.org/support-in-your-area Email your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Ma...
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