Love Lives

*Trigger warning: This episode contains themes of rape, sexual assault and sexual violence which some viewers may find upsetting* This week on Millennial Love we chat with Soma Sara, author and founder of Everyone’s Invited, an anti-rape movement that focuses on exposing rape culture by allowing survivors to share their own experiences of misogyny, harassment and sexual assault. We discuss how exp...

This week, we’re joined by actor, writer, and stand-up comedian Jack Barry who discusses sex and comedy, and how he avoids joking about certain topics due to his privilege as a straight white man.  Jack opens up about being in a non-monogamous relationship, debunks some of the myths around polyamoury, and argues that, with proper communication, being polyamorous can strengthen a relationship....

This week on Millennial Love, we’re thrilled to be joined by writer, journalist and creator of the iconic @beam_me_up_softboi Instagram account, Iona David. Iona unpacks what it means to be a softboi, how to spot one, and why we should be wary of dating them. She also recounts her own dating experiences which, yes, might have included one or two softbois… Iona’s book, Is This Love Or Dopamine?: A...

Welcome back to a brand new season of Millennial Love! We're thrilled to be joined by author and Love Island star Amber Rose Gill to discuss finding a holiday romance and whether a summer fling can lead to lasting love. Amber opens up about her viral Tweet where she discussed “switching teams”, and how heteronormative society places unfair pressure on LGBTQ+ people to come out. And of course, we c...

This week, we're joined by the brilliant author and actor Rebecca Humphries to discuss her memoir, Why Did You Stay? A memoir about self-worth. The book details what happened after Rebecca's boyfriend was caught kissing his Strictly Come Dancing partner and how she later reclaimed the narrative, posting a powerful statement about gaslighting on social media that swiftly went viral. In this episode...

We’re back with another episode of Millennial Love where this week, we’re joined by registered nutritionist, best-selling author, and founder of ‘The Food Medic’ podcast, Dr Hazel Wallace.   We chat with Hazel about the taboos around women’s health, the ‘orgasm gap’, and how better sex can lead to better sleep.   She also reveals which foods to eat and which to avoid during your period,...

This week, we are joined by author and ex-Love Islander Yewande Biala. We chat with her about racialised renaming and the microaggression she faces every time someone can’t—or indeed won’t—correctly pronounce her name. Yewnade also opens up about her time on Love Island, the difficulties of being the only Black woman in the villa, and why she doesn’t watch the show now. Yewande’s debut book, Recla...

This week, we’re joined by writer and presenter Salma El-Wardany to discuss her debut novel, These Impossible Things . Salma chats with Olivia Petter about celebrating female friendship, writing Muslim women into popular culture, and why she’ll never post about her relationship status on social media. The two also discuss why we should include men in the conversation around misogynistic abuse, and...

This week, we chat with intimacy coordinator and movement director Ita O’Brien. Ita is one of the most in-demand people working in the field, and specialises in developing the best practice for sexual and intimate scenes on screen. She’s worked on Normal People, Sex Education and I May Destroy You, to name but a few. Ita and Olivia discuss the role of intimacy coordinators, how they work with acto...

This week, we’re joined by Roxie Nafousi, a self-development coach, manifesting expert and author of the Sunday Times bestselling book: Manifesting: 7 steps to living your best life. She describes how manifesting actually works and why practicing it could transform your romantic life. Roxie also opens up about her own journey to manifesting, revealing how she overcame addictions and bad habits to...

This week, we speak to Carrie Hope Fletcher, an award-winning West End star, YouTuber, and bestselling author. Carrie discusses her latest book, With This Kiss. She spoke about the process of writing romance novels, where she gets her inspiration from, and what drew her to write about a woman whose kiss gives her the ability to see how someone is going to die. She also opened up about breaking up...

This week, we speak to Lalalaletmeexplain, the bestselling anonymous author and relationships educator with more than 200,000 followers on Instagram. Lala posts about all sorts of subjects on her account, from abusive relationships and cyberflashing to f*** boys and coercive control. On the show, Lala talks about how she started the account, her former role as a social worker, and delves into some...

This week, we’re joined by Sophia Smith Galer, a multi-award winning reporter, TikTok creator and now author. Her TikTok videos have garnered more than 75 million views. She discussed her debut book, Losing It: Sex Education for the 21st Century , which is all about busting the myths about sex we were taught at school. From virginity and virility to consent and porn, the subjects covered in this c...

This week, we’re joined by Laura Bates. She is the founder of the Everyday Sexism project and bestselling author of several books about violence against women, including her latest: Fix the System Not the Wome n. In this episode, Laura joins Olivia to discuss how systemic misogyny affects women’s relationships, why we need to keep talking about sexual violence in schools and beyond, and what men c...

This week, we've invited back Vogue columnist and author Raven Smith for his latest searing hot takes on life and love. Raven chats about his latest book, Raven Smith’s Men , and some of the issues it examines, like toxic masculinity, keeping the spark alive in long-term relationships, why men fake orgasms, and consent. https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/orgasm-toxic-masculinity-raven-smit...

Millennial Love is back! Season four sees Olivia Petter delving even deeper into discussions around love, dating and relationships. And now you can watch as well as listen on Independent TV and @Millennial_Love on Instagram and TikTok. https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/millennial-love-dr-michaela-podcast-b2068241.html For our first episode of the season, we’re joined by clinical psycholog...

This week, we have a special bonus episode featuring a conversation with the women of  The Tinder Swindler.  The new Netflix documentary tells the story of a notorious conman who allegedly used the Tinder dating app to live a life of luxury while defrauding women across Europe. In this episode, Olivia speaks to the film’s director, Felicity Morris, producer, Bernie Higgins, and its stars...

Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week Olivia speaks to model, actor and writer, Emily Ratajkowski. The two discuss the relationship with your body, self-worth through the male gaze, and what it means to be a commodifiable asset - and the nuances that surround being exploited by that asset while capitalising on it. Emily gives an honest...

This week we’re joined by the dynamic duo that is actor and musician Diana Vickers and singer-songwriter Chiara Hunter. Together, they are Ki and Dee, a hilarious comedy duo making light of the trials and tribulations of millennial life, covering everything from fears around turning 30, friendship, and of course, dating. Today, they join me to discuss the inspiration behind their hilarious viral v...

Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week we’re joined by author and writer Toni Tone to discuss her new book: I Wish I Knew This Earlier: Lessons On Love, which focuses on all the things Toni wishes she knew about relationships in her 20s. In this episode we talk about the importance of looking for green flags when you start dating someone...

Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia speaks to actor George Robinson, who is best known for playing Isaac in Netflix’s hit series Sex Education. The two discuss how George helped to shape the role of Isaac, what it was like working with an intimacy coordinator for his scenes with Maeve (played by Emma Mackey) and what some of t...

Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove Olivia will be hosting a live Millennial Love event on Wednesday - and there's still time for you to join! You'll get to hear from author of Alonement, and former Millennial Love guest, Francesca Specter, The Vida Consultancy's Director of Relationship Psychology Services Dr Madeleine Mason Roantree and Hinge...

Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia speaks to writer Aja Barber. The two discuss the fascinating links between sustainability and romance, looking at all the surprising ways with which consumption affects the way we behave and think in relationships. Touching on everything from wedding dress shopping and first date outfits to...

Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.acast.com/millenniallove This week, Olivia speaks to writer Paris Lees. The two discuss the joys of being single, how Paris found herself experimenting with the idea of celibacy, and why we fetishise authenticity so much in relationships. They also talk about transphobia in the dating world and Paris’s new book, What It Feels Like Fo...

This week, Olivia speaks to musician Maisie Peters. The two discuss the crucial differences between Soft Boys and F*** Boys, how to reclaim the power in relationships, the nuances of writing songs about your love life, and why she’ll never explain who a song is ‘about’. You can download Maisie’s new album here: https://lnk.to/YSUFT Support Millennial Love with a donation today: https://supporter.a...