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.
Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: novaramedia.com
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Episodes
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...
47: Is the era of public shaming over? w/ Yomi Adegoke at London Podcast Festival 14.01.2025 1:22:29
Recorded live at London Podcast Festival last September, Ash and Moya are joined by Yomi Adegoke – author of The List and Slay In Your Lane – to talk about public shaming. Is the era of the online pile-on over? Plus, our audience of special ones help to solve some listener dilemmas. Email your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
46: Porn is everywhere. How damaging is it really? 07.01.2025 1:15:41
What happens when sex becomes an online stunt? Ash and Moya discuss OnlyFans creator Lily Phillips, who challenged herself to have sex with 100 men in one day, and wonder if the radical feminists were right about porn. Plus: advice for a listener struggling to build deeper friendships. Email your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
45: Surviving end-of-year burnout 31.12.2024 1:07:00
What has 2024 taught us? Ash and Moya reflect on a year of discomfort and grief, from personal challenges to political setbacks. Plus: what classic dance track does Ash have stuck in her head? Email your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
44. How to deal with people who can’t deal with you 24.12.2024 1:00:53
Moya and Ash swerve the fuzzy festive feelings in order to get some things off their chest. Plus, advice for a listener who feels trapped in their happy relationship. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
43: How far would you go to be yourself? w/ Amrou Al-Kadhi 17.12.2024 1:01:00
Moya and Ash talk to writer and director Amrou Al-Kadhi about their brilliant debut film, Layla , which follows a young drag queen in chaotic pursuit of self-expression. Plus, advice on how to handle a partner with a porn addiction. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
42: Why won’t they just break up? 10.12.2024 53:41
[Updated file!] Moya has a theory for Ash about unhappy couples who will do anything except break up. Why are we sometimes so hesitant to pull the plug? Plus, advice for a special one dealing with guilt after the end of a relationship. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
41: When do good habits become dark obsessions? 03.12.2024 1:01:48
Moya and Ash tackle a mystery question about breaking bad habits, with a frank discussion about open relationships, exercise and disordered eating (content warning). Plus, a listener with a question about cross-racial dating, and verdicts on Gladiator II and GNX. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
40: Do aesthetic trends offer clues to political shifts? 26.11.2024 1:03:36
Moya has a big theory for Ash about aesthetic trends as a harbinger of the US election results, which prompts a very adult discussion (read: argument) about the purpose of the podcast. Plus a bundle of your Missed Connections, including hotties spotted in Glasgow, Manchester, at the Palestine protest and – where else! – an NTS street party. Moya’s favourite print is from Headway East London: https...
39: I’m in big trouble! Your dilemmas answered 19.11.2024 57:48
Ash and Moya tackle another bumper crop of your dilemmas, including a special one who wants to stop mothering her friends, a burned-out student struggling to get back on track, a self-confessed slacker looking for a meaningful career, and an expat looking for laughs. Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
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