Well this is all a little emotional isn’t it?!  This is the final episode (FOR NOW) in the current instalment of Strong Tea & Quick Brews.  With a lot happening in our personal lives right now, we’ve decided to take a break until 2024 to give us chance to focus on other areas and also to plan ahead to Strong Tea 2.0! We want to come back with a BANG!  We’ve been so lucky that we grew the Strong Tea brand and podcast from nothing, just with a love of talking about the things that matter and the things that we should be talking about more and that has grown into over 16k downloads in less that 2 years which for us is HUGE!  We’ve also had a huge number of people approach the show to come on and tell their story. Each person that chooses to open up and talk about their experience is extremely important to us, it’s important that we give that person the time and dedication they deserve and so, our choice to take a break is important for them too. We want to plan out some new and incredible episodes with even more incredible people in the hope that shared and lived experience will help others. We have had an absolute blast the last 2 years and have met some truly awe-inspiring and wonderfully amazing people, we have heard moving, traumatic, inspiring and thought provoking accounts from people all over the world about their own personal experiences, something which has left us truly humbled. So, whilst this is goodbye for now, it certainly isn’t goodbye forever. Rest assured that we are beavering away in the background planning to come back bigger and better than before and to do what we love, to talk more about the things that matter.

Now, you know we love a fan girl moment and this is the ultimate for our Katie. The incredible Naomi Channell from the brilliant true crime podcast Real joins us today to chat all things true crime and we can’t get enough! As a follow up to our Quick Brew episode (Why Are We Obsessed With True Crime - Quick Brew, ep 20), we wanted to chat to someone who produces one of the best loved podcasts in the UK. Naomi has been touched by crime with the murder of her best friend and wanted to develop a platform to bring justice for victims of unsolved murders. This podcast has developed into one of the best loved podcasts in the UK and around the world as it tells Real stories from all across the globe with one important difference, the victims are always at the centre of everything Naomi does. There are so many true crime podcasts out there these days with some sensationalising hugely traumatic events and crimes, this is where Real is different. Naomi dedicates a huge amount of time and effort to researching not only the crimes that she covers, but also the victims. In this episode, we chat all things true crime, serial killers and the justice system, we touch on some of Naomi’s episodes that she’s covered including some of the deep dive, six parter episodes including - “His Name Was Stuart Lubbock”, “Her Name Was Claudia Lawrence” and “Through The Wall - The Case Against Luke Mitchell”. If you’re a fan of true crime, this is definitely an episode not to be missed!

Trigger Warning: This episode and description contains details of suicide, eating disorders and depression. This episode features a truly inspiring guest. Sandeep Saib is a lived experience mental health advocate, Rethink Mental Health Charity committee member, Time to Change London champion, Samaritans volunteer, South Asian Health Action Mental Health ambassador ....and so much more. Basically she is one of the most interesting, honest, and passionate people you could ever have the pleasure to meet.  We spoke to Sandeep on the 9th anniversary of the day she attempted to take her own life. We were honoured she had chosen to share this important date with us and sharing her story to help others. Sandeep talks about the beginnings of her mental health struggles through to her diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder, anorexia nervosa, and obsessive compulsive disorder.  She explores with us the importance of race and how it is often overlooked when it comes to mental health, and how her faith and family have been paramount in her journey. Sandeep also featured in a powerful film called Breaking the Silence which you can watch here (391) The Angel and the Devil (from the 'Breaking the Silence' documentary series) - YouTube If you would like to find out more about Sandeep or contact her then you can find her socials via this link: Sandeep Saib | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree A massive thank you again to Sandeep and all the incredible work she does.

Valen Vain. The Filth Wizard. What can we say about the incredible Valen?!   Valen is the founder and the face behind KEN - Kinky Erotic Nature events in Hull - Yorkshire's Largest Kinky Cabaret, he’s a compere, a singer, a pole & aerial hoop dancer, he’s the founder and presenter of the podcast Thirsty Work (see the link below) and he’s a sexual educator! Is there nothing this man can’t do?!   We certainly learned a heap of things in this episode, our final in the sex series.   Today, we delve into the world of kink and fetish, of safe words, BDSM and sex education.   Valen is, in his own words, a hedonist, a pleasure seeker. His mind is more open than the majority of people when it comes to what pleasure might be, what to try and what turns him on. The world of kink and fetish is a wild one if you’re on the outside looking in and the fabulous Valen gives us a cheeky glimpse inside to understand a little more.   But that’s not the only thing that Valen excels at, he’s also a sexual educator and runs the popular podcast Thirsty Work, check out the link here!   Valen Vain had gained notoriety in the North East for running KEN, the kinky erotic nature which are events allowing people to explore their sexual intricacies, interests and desires. You can find out more about KEN here!

Today we meet with the absolutely lovely Dr Ellie Birtley. You only need take a peek at her website, which you can do here, to see what a brilliantly talented woman this is.   Dr Ellie explains the top reasons that people come to sex therapy, we ask just how she helps her clients and delve into why sex is STILL (in 2023) a taboo topic!   If you'd like to find out more about Dr Ellie or the services that she offers, you can find her here: https://drelliebirtley.co.uk

We are once again, extremely honoured to have the wonderful Finlay Games joining us, this time to get a little intimate to talk all about sex and trans.    One reoccurring theme that we seem to continue to trip over with our wonderful trans guests is that other people always seem to be obsessed with what’s in their pants. You wouldn’t ask a cis person about their junk, so why do people feel its ok to ask trans people?   In this episode, Finn is wonderfully open about his experience of his physical transition and what that has meant for him, he talks about sex and becoming comfortable in a new body. Learning to use an entirely new body part is something that the majority of people cannot even begin to fathom yet Finn talks openly to help and support others who may be considering bottom surgery.   He talks candidly about his book “Top to Bottom” which you can get your hands on here and all about dispelling myths surrounding trans sex.   To find out more about Finn, please check out his website here: https://finlaygames.com

Sex Toys. Gone are the days of skulking into a seedy back alley shop to purchase them. Sex toys are now more readily available than ever and the number of companies and distributors in the UK is growing all the time.   And so, we came across the wonderful Sam Evans from Jo Divine (see the links below), the most wonderful and customer centred toy shop we could have teamed up with!   Sam and her husband, Paul, set up Jo Divine in 2007 after finding that most sex toys and lubes were not skin-safe. Jo Divine became a store that only sells skin-safe products, allowing you to shop in confidence. They've been discreetly shipping sex toys ever since.   But Jo Divine is not simply a sex toy company, Sam has an extremely wide and varied knowledge of sexual health and uses her experiences to help guide her customers through the purchasing process if they need help and support.   Sam has spent a long time working to educate people on better sexual health, quality toys and how sexual pleasure has no age or health limits. She’s done extensive work with the perimenopausal, menopausal (with the wonderful Davina McCall - check it out here) and cancer communities.   Here are some of the amazing products that were talked about on the show:   Sutil Lube - https://www.jodivine.com/products/sutil-luxe Yes Vaginal Moisturiser - https://www.jodivine.com/products/yes-vaginal-moisturiser Sonic Wave - https://www.jodivine.com/products/lelo-sona-2 Lipstick Bullet - https://www.jodivine.com/products/rocks-off-bamboo Mimi Soft - https://www.jodivine.com/products/je-joue-mimi-soft A Spot Toy - https://www.jodivine.com/products/rocks-off-regala   If you’d like to check out the incredible products or maybe even make some purchases, you can click here:   https://www.jodivine.com and also use our EXCLUSIVE discount code:   Get 10% discount by using the code: STRONGTEA (£5 minimum spend on full priced products excluding P&P) Be quick! Offer ends 08/10/2023.   Sam and Jo Divine’s contacts are: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodivineuk Twitter for Sam: https://twitter.com/SamTalksSex Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo.divine/ Instagram for Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samtalkssex/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoDivineShop

When we first interviewed our wonderful friend of the show, Dom Smith (episode 24 if you haven’t listened - you really should!), we were stunned as he talked about his journey with Cerebral Palsy and the questions he gets asked - so many of those questions are extremely personal and normally about sex.   Dom is the first person to put his hands up and be open and honest about this kind of stuff and he became the inspiration behind our sex series - lets talk about the things that people need educating on. Asking the questions that people want to know but are (sometimes!) too afraid to ask!   Dom’s life has had some wild and interesting encounters and he’s not afraid to talk about them and what it’s like for disabled folk. We won’t steal his thunder, you can hear what he has to say on his episode out now!

Trigger Warning: This episode contains details of addiction, depression and other mental health issues. Bella Goode is the very definition of the term strong woman. Bella has tackled many hard times and traumas in her life and it’s never once stopped her.  For years, after suffering with depression, addiction and PND amongst damaging relationships, raising children and work, Bella was finally diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. A diagnosis which has, in many ways, helped and supported her control of her mental health. Bella realised that talking about her story has and is helping others with their own journeys and as such, she continues to speak to spread the word about mental health and her experience with bipolar to help and support others. Her book, “Living With Bipolar - My Story” has been written under the pen name of Clare Marchant is not yet available but will be soon - we will post up when it is available. If you’ve been affected by anything you’ve heard in this episode of Strong Tea, you can reach out for further support here: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk  https://www.bipolaruk.org  If you’d like to get in touch with Bella, you can reach her at: Facebook Bella’s Beauty & Hair Lounge - https://www.facebook.com/BellaGoodeBeauty  Instagram Bella Goode Beauty - https://www.instagram.com/bellagoodebeauty/  Her website is www.bellagoodebeauty.co.uk

Katie Neeves calls herself the gobby trans woman and we love her for that.   Katie is a woman on a mission - but not just any woman and not just any mission!  She lived for 48 years as a man while struggling with her gender from the age of 3 and hiding her big secret to the World.  She was thrown into turmoil when her gender dysphoria increased dramatically, causing her to go on a voyage of discovery before finally admitting to herself that she is a transgender woman and that she needed to change her body.     She then came out very publicly via a coming-out video which she posted on her social media and sent to all the clients of her photography business, risking her livelihood and reputation in the process.   This was a massive risk, as she had built up a great reputation over 31 years as one of the UK’s top photographers, photographing everything from royalty, to wars and riots.  She needn’t have worried though, as she was inundated with hundreds of messages of support.  This led to her vlogging about her transition journey in a very open, honest and humorous way, which makes the subject accessible to all.  Her story was picked up in the media and it wasn’t long before she was a regular in the radio and TV studios, becoming a trans ambassador along the way.   Katie formed Cool2BTrans to support and inspire other trans people and also to educate everyone else about trans people by showing them that trans people are just ordinary people who want to be happy - just like everyone else.  She helps organisations with diversity and inclusion by providing trans awareness training and inspirational speaking in an entertaining way, using humour to break down barriers.     Katie appears regularly in the media, being on both ITV's and the BBC's lists of experts as well as being a BBC Sounds presenter.  She was awarded British Diversity Awards "Hero of the Year 2023", the Trans in the City "Trans Community Champion 2022 Award", the This is Us "Training & Development 2023 Award" and Fellowship of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.  She was a Diva Awards "Unsung Hero of the Year 2023" finalist and she was listed on the DIVA Power List 2023.   Participants and audience members will leave Katie’s uplifting talks and training feeling both entertained and educated.  Katie said “Many people focus on the negative aspects of being trans, but I prefer to approach the subject from a much more positive angle.  I am exactly the same person I was before my transition - but far happier!”   For more information about Katie, please visit her website at www.cool2btrans.co.uk - there are also more contact details for Katie available on our website.

The history of witchcraft is a long and harrowing one. Witchcraft was not made a capital offence in Britain until 1563 although it was deemed heresy and was denounced as such by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484. From 1484 until around 1750 some 200,000 witches were tortured, burnt or hanged in Western Europe.   Brett, know as the Witch of Salopia grew up surrounded by stories of spirits and witches, and even had a few in the family according to legend. He took his first steps as a witch aged thirteen when he found a collection of spells online. He was soon feared on the schoolyard for his curses, and kept seeking out more knowledge.   Unfortunately his journey would not always be a smooth one. Just as his practice was beginning to flourish, he found himself caught in an abusive relationship. Cut off from his spirituality, he was forbidden from practicing for five years. But the universe had other plans for him, and he was helped to escape that awful situation.   With a renewed passion and gratitude Witch of Salopia threw himself into his practice. The spirits of his home county welcomed him as an old friend, giving him a deep sense of comfort and protection. This close connection with these spirits of his land remains a key part of his practice.   You can read more about Brett here: https://mossmatthey.com/witch-of-salopia/

Trigger Warning: Episode discusses mental health disorders, intrusive thoughts and self harm.   Brooke Miller joins us all the way from Wisconsin for this episode to discuss her mental health advocacy journey.   Brooke discusses her own journey and experiences of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, eating disorders, panic attacks, panic disorder and Bipolar disorder to help educate and inform others.   Brooke's experiences are unique in the sense of the combination and mental health issues that she suffers but 1 in 4 people will suffer with mental health issues at some point in their life and as such, talking about these and smashing stigmas is so important to let people know that they aren't suffering alone.   Brooke has her own wonderful blog on which she details her journey for others to read about and she's also highly visible on social media. We've popped all her links on our blog if you'd like to read more about or connect with Brooke.

Jennie is an award-winning freelance health journalist, writing features for national newspapers and magazines. Her work has appeared in The Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail,  the i paper, Red magazine, Women’s Health, Grazia, ELLE UK, the Guardian, and the Observer, among others.   Jennie's first book, Life, Almost: Miscarriage, misconceptions, and a search for answers from the brink of motherhood, was published in February 2023.   Jennie also is the author of the blog The Uterus Monologues, where she writes about her own experience of recurrent miscarriage and share the stories of others who have not had a straightforward path to parenthood.   In this episode, Jennie shares her story of recurrent miscarriage and the path she travelled to the birth of her son.   Jennie's experience is sadly not unique with one in four women experiencing loss whether it be miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death and it is just not talked about enough.   At Strong Tea, we want to share Jennie's story to open up the conversation to supporting those that have experienced loss to know that they are not alone.

Madeleine Black is the courage cultivator. And my goodness, there couldn't be a more appropriate phrase for her if we'd come up with it ourselves!   Madeleine Black grew up in London in the late 1970’s and she was brutally raped at the age of 13 by two American teenagers.   In 2014, having come to terms with how the trauma had shaped her life, she decided to share her story to help others and wrote the incredibly moving memoir, Unbroken: One Woman's Journey to Rebuild a Life Shattered by Violence.   In this incredible episode, Madeleine shares with her experience, her life after and her journey to forgiveness.

Today’s episode is with a fantastic human, author of the book OCDad: Learning to be a Parent with a Mental Health Disorder, Jason Adams. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is something we should all know more about as it is frequently mis-referenced when people say they are “a little bit OCD” because they like cleaning or symmetry. Miseducation is sadly rife. OCD is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. It can affect men, women and children. People can start having symptoms from as early as 6 years old, but it often begins around puberty and early adulthood. OCD can be distressing and significantly interfere with your life, but treatment can help you keep it under control. If you have OCD, you'll usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. An obsession is an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease.A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that you feel you need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought. In this episode, Jason shares his experiences after the birth of his twins, which included persistent obsessive and intrusive thoughts and overwhelming compulsions which were taking over his life.  This is an informative and insightful episode and a must for everyone to learn more about Obsessive-Complusive Disorder. Jason’s book can be purchased here: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/ocdad-learning-to-be-a-parent-with-a-mental-health-disorder/jason-adams/paperback/9781039109544.html Or from selected independent bookshops.

Trigger Warning: Episode contains descriptions of childhood sexual abuse.   Strong Tea podcast is all about talking about issues which people find difficult to discuss, the things that people shy away from talking about and this was one of the hardest topics to talk about.   Our guest "Sam" has asked to remain anonymous as she tells her story of childhood sexual abuse by family members and her journey of recovery.   Today's episode was not an easy episode to record or to listen to but it is so important that we stand with victims of abuse to ensure that they know they are not alone and are supported.

Bisexual Erasure.  A pervasive problem in which the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality (either in general or in regard to an individual) is questioned or denied outright. In this episode, we chat with our own fabulous Vikki and our fantastic, returning Strong Tea family favourite April Kelley, all about their own experiences of bisexual erasure and overall bisexual representation.  We chat and, more appropriately, challenge views and opinions of bisexuality and how the world views these FABULOUS humans.

Marianne Oakes is an extraordinary woman, not only has she been through her own transitional journey, she now dedicates her life to helping and supporting others in the LGBTQ+ community.  Assigned male at birth, Marianne grew up with a feeling of not fitting in her body, that something wasn’t quite right. She started presenting female in the privacy of her home in her teens, her journey from meeting her incredible partner Vikki to being outed behind her back to transitioning to living as female is quite simply incredible.  Marianne then chose to retrain as a therapist and now works daily to support the trans and wider LGBTQ+ community with their mental health. This really is an episode not to be missed!

Welcome to the third episode in our 2023 Pride series!  This is a hugely important episode for us. Terminology and what you can and can't say these days can be incredibly confusing in an ever changing culture so, as part of our Pride series, we've decided to round up an extensive (but not exhaustive) list of LGBTQ+ terminology to help you understand what it's ok to say.

We are so lucky to be bringing you the second episode in our Pride series with the incredible Tom Hayes-Isaacs who is a passionate HIV activist and advocate. Working across the UK and Europe he aims to both help reduce the number of new diagnoses, and improve life for those living with HIV.   Born in October 1985, Tom grew up in the the Midlands. Tom was diagnosed HIV positive on August 4th 2011, a day that changed his life, and work forever.   From the week following his diagnosis, Tom started blogging his journey – anonymously at first as UKPositiveLad. The blogs followed the ups and downs he experienced as he grappled with his new status, his fragile mental health and the minefield of sex and relationships as a newly diagnosed gay man.   Since then Tom has dedicated myself to tackling stigma and improving education around HIV, sexual health and mental health – with an aim of improving life for people living with HIV, and bringing down the number of new diagnoses.   Please check out our blog for all the links to follow Tom.