Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Illuminating Identities: Personal Growth & Palatable Representation with Kath Ebbs!This week I am joined by queer actor, presenter, writer and Australian ICON, Kath Ebbs. With over 75,000 followers on Instagram, their work focuses on visibility and advocacy with storytelling at its heart.Arguably one of the original Instagram influencers, Kath grew their online following through meme culture as part of one of the first content collectives and has continued to foster that community whilst harnessing the power of new-age advertising. They have partnered with brands such as Nike, Bonds, The Iconic and SBS to name a few, having most recently starred in Nike’s global campaign for the Women’s World Cup. Kath is also the co-creator and star of their own TikTok web series titled Self Care, which follows the fictional character of Grace on their journey of self-discovery after dealing with a sudden breakup. In 2022 Kath graced Aussie TV screens as Asher on Neighbours, the first non-binary character ever to appear on an Aussie soap. When speaking to Variety, they said: “If just one child that is struggling with their gender identity sees Asher on screen and feels as though their feelings are valid and okay and accepted – and not only accepted but celebrated – or a parent seeing Asher becomes more accepting of their child or kids at school, that would be a huge achievement and success point for me.” In addition to being a regular panelist on ABC’s The Drum, they are also the producer and host of their own online talk show titled Conversations with Kath, where they sit down to have hard, soft and sometimes silly conversations with diverse guests on a variety of topics. This has expanded into a podcast allowing Kath to bring some of their life experiences to the table. In this episode, we talk about self-discovery, identity, personal growth, gender representation and the media, tokenism and palatable representation, the importance and value of community, self-care, inclusivity and so much more.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Healing from Within: Self Love and Resilience with Ayesha Perry-Iqbal!This week I am joined by women's advocate, model, and influencer, Ayesha Perry-Iqbal! Ayesha was the first Pakistani plus model in the US, and has grown an Instagram following of over 700,000 people, inspired by her mission to encourage women to embrace their bodies at any size, color or shape. The platform Ayesha has built has allowed her to delve into the topics she's passionate about, including body issues, current affairs and domestic violence. As a survivor of and advocate for domestic violence, she wants to raise awareness and help make positive change for all women. In this episode, we discuss Ayesha's journey as an online creator, her feminism advocacy, her work in the domestic violence space, gender equality when it comes to dating, body image, self-love and so much more. Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Finding Confidence with Bec Putna!This week I am joined by athlete and content creator, Bec Putna! Bec is currently training for her first half ironman triathlon and is documenting the process on her Instagram and TikTok to show what it’s really like to balance working out, career and the rest of life. She loves reading at the beach, podcast walks and her cat, Sorbet. In this episode, we discuss Bec’s personal journey towards finding self-confidence, feminism and equality in sport, being the only woman in a male-dominated degree or profession, the importance of hobbies as an adult, using exercise to be social and meet like-minded people, and so much more. Buy one of Bec's Quieten The Head Noise here, $5 from every purchase is donated to Beyond Blue. Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Hyperfocus & Heartbreaks: ADHD and Dating with ADHD Coach Charlotte Forbes!This week I am joined by ADHD Coach and content creator, Charlotte Forbes! Like many others, Charlotte discovered she had ADHD via learning about it from TikTok following the pandemic. She now coaches people to help them better understand themselves and creates content to entertain and educate people about ADHD on ADHDClub.co.uk and on socials. In this episode we discuss the importance of self-compassion, obviously Charlotte's funniest dating stories, her journey to becoming an ADHD Coach. how ADHD typically impacts relationships and dating experiences, her best tips and advice on dating someone with ADHD, and so much more.Useful Links, Podcasts and Books: ADDitude MagazineIs it my ADHD?ADHD Women’s Wellbeing PodcastADHD ExpertsADHD ChatterADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction - from Childhood through Adulthood Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your LifeADHD an A-Z: Figuring it Out Step by StepUnderstanding ADHD in Girls and WomenClick here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to The Internet's Boyfriend: Modern Masculinity (and just being really silly) with Oliver Mills!This week I am joined by TikTok creator, podcast host and comedian and Oliver Mills. Oliver has taken social media by storm over the last 10 months and amassed almost a million followers with his energetic and charismatic content combining dance, music, comedy and engaging storytelling. His podcast, An Attempt At Existence, is available on Spotify and it’s a bloody banger so please go and check it out after this. This is probably the silliest podcast ep I’ve ever recorded but it’s so much fun and I was genuinely pissing myself trying to edit this. In this episode, we talk about the most unhinged messages Oliver has received in his rise to fame, our favourite pop culture moments, chaotic virginity stories, Oliver’s fave things about his TikTok community, and our thoughts on the modern ideals of masculinity and stereotypes men are faced with when it comes to being a man in 2023.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Behind The Swipe: Dating App Moderation with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's Niamh McIntyre!If you’re new here and have been enjoying the show, please remember to subscribe rate, and review, as it’s the simplest way to help out the show! Or find me on social and tell your friends.This week I am joined by Big Tech reporter at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), Niamh McIntyre! In her work with TBIJ, she investigates powerful technology companies and has published stories on TikTok's overworked and traumatized content moderators, organized crime gangs running crypto scams, and Amazon’s sprawling surveillance systems. Before joining TBIJ, she was a data journalist at the Guardian for four years. Her most recent article for Wired explores the dating app content moderators who are struggling to keep platforms safe for users, due to the challenges faced on dating apps such as Bumble, Grindr, and Hinge. The piece sheds light on the psychological toll of their work, with moderators exposed to explicit and harmful content, including instances of harassment, violence, and other illegal activity. The job involves making rapid decisions on flagged content, often leading to emotional distress and trauma for the moderators. In this episode, we discuss her investigation including the working conditions of moderators in the online dating industry, the challenges they face, how handling sensitive content is approached, mental health, improving working conditions for moderators, and future developments on the horizon.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Porn This Way: Redefining Modern Erotica with AURORE Founder Carly Pifer!This week I am joined by writer and creator of digital platform AURORE, Carly Pifer! With a history of exploring taboo topics, including sex and sobriety, abortion, abusive relationships, and of course, real erotica, Carly has also helmed digital content and creative for several more vanilla interests including work with Perrier, burrow and even Blake Lively. With her writing and marketing experience combined, Carly has created an accessible digital magazine for the new dawn of sex-positivity—AURORE. Aurore is an online curation of confessional erotic stories written by amateur writers about their personal experiences. Users can submit their own spicy content based on their intimate, emotional, and raw stories and also subscribe for access to hundreds of inspirational, educational, and real erotica written by and for women and the LGBTQI+ community. In this episode, we discuss what inspired Carly to create Aurore, the challenges that come with curating so many submissions, her most memorable examples of submissions that didn't meet the quality standard, the key issues writers face when submitting sexy stories, her advice to aspiring writers and more! Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to I'm Bi, Actually: Navigating Bisexuality & Sex Education with Cassie Rattray!This week I am joined by two-time award-winning sex-positive, queer, neuro-divergent content creator, Cassie Rattray! Cassie co-hosts the podcast, From Tops to Bottoms, with her best friend, where they talk about sex, queer life, and feminism. Cassie is an accredited sex educator who prides herself on her honest, inclusive, consent-focused RSE. She is a feminist activist who admittedly spends a lot of her time being angry at the world. Aside from the rage, Cassie is heavily involved in her local kink scene, is a big Liverpool fan, and loves a thriller novel! In this episode, we discuss defining bisexuality, coming to terms with bisexuality, Cassie’s experiences dating as a bisexual person, navigating sexuality in everyday life, how we can make sex ed more inclusive, myths and tropes in the media about bisexual people and so much more!Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to A Voice for Choice: Abortion & Reproductive Rights with Comedian Lilly Burton!This week I am joined by performer, writer, and creative: Lilly Burton! An Executive Committee Member for Abortion Rights UK, Lilly is aiming her slingshot at no-go social constructs with song, comedy storytelling, and of course, she loves to throw in some dance moves too. We caught up just as Lilly was hot off the heels of her debut show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival “All Aboard! At Termination Station”, a comedy cabaret about her personal experiences of abortion.In this episode, we chat about Lilly’s comedy journey, finding balance in creating a comedy show centred around abortion, how she hopes the show will contribute to the wider conversation of reproductive rights, backlash she's received as a result of her show, her personal challenges when creating a show around such a sensitive subject, and so much more!Trigger warning for this episode, there is in-depth discussion about abortion, reproductive rights and sexual assault.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hellooo, and welcome to Season 10 of Mads World! You're about to listen to When Love Gets Lit: Writing Romantic Comedy Fiction with Sophie Gravia!This week I am joined by best-selling author, Sophie Gravia. Sophie grew up in a town just outside Glasgow and has always had a love for the English language. At a young age, she found herself writing funny stories or poems to friends and family for special occasions, and after high school, she undertook a performing arts diploma, flourishing in her creative writing class. Sophie now works full-time as a nurse in a busy city hospital.In 2020, Sophie started writing again as a distraction from the ongoing pandemic, cheered on by fans of her hilarious blog: Sex in the Glasgow City.Sophie is now the author of three best-selling novels. Her first book ‘A Glasgow Kiss’ quickly became an overnight sensation as it topped the number one spot on Amazon, and her second sequel novel ‘What Happens in Dubai’ shot straight to number one in the charts. Sophie’s third book ‘Meet Me in Milan’ was released in August this year!In this episode, we discuss Sophie's journey as a writer, how she finds the inspiration to write romantic comedy fiction, what she loves about the genre, her writing process, creating authentic characters, and approaching deeper themes without overshadowing the core of her stories.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Beyond Stereotypes: Being Queer & Working Class with @SophGalustian aka TikTok Lesbian!This week I am joined by writer, actor comedian, and author Soph Galustian. Hailing from Manchester, Soph says she specializes in being gay and working class, whilst also being working class and gay. She has written and starred in her own comedy on BBC Three called Peck Eds, appeared as a series regular alongside Simon Bird in Everyone Else Burns, and her debut book, No Worries If Not, has just been released coming in at No.1 in Lesbian Poetry!Soph started posting TikTok's less than 6 months ago and she has already amassed over 130k followers, and has gone viral many times for her stereotypical impression of a TikTok lesbian, which is why I've asked her on the podcast!In this episode, we discuss the funniest comments on Soph's videos, opportunities she's encountered through her growth on TikTok, misconceptions, and stereotypes, how being queer and working class has defined her, the role models she had growing up, and how she hopes to impact people's lives within the gay working-class community.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Silver Linings: The Positive Side of Ghosting with Emma Kenny!This week I am joined by psychologist, TV presenter, writer and expert media commentator Emma Kenny! Emma is recognised as one of the UK’s leading TV psychological experts. She is perhaps best known for her role as resident therapist and agony aunt on ITV’s This Morning where, during the viewer phone-in segment of the show, she provides expert advice on a whole range of sensitive issues. A regular voice on the airwaves, Emma provides expert opinion on many radio stations, including BBC Radio, Heart, Magic and many of the popular stations across the globe. Emma has featured on popular podcasts including Russell Brand’s Under the Skin and True Geordie.Contributing regularly to editorial for publications including Grazia and Cosmopolitan, Emma’s weekly column and On the Couch therapy sessions are a popular feature in Closer magazine.Emma has been working with Plenty of Fish on some research aiming to flip the narrative on ghosting so single people can explore the silver lining of ghosting! The research has shown that:Singles save nine days every year from being ghosted54% actually welcome being ghostedSingles are using the time to invest in themselves including practising more self-care (33%), and prioritising relationships with family and friends (31%)56% are choosing to reflect positively on the times they have been ghosted47% of Brits would raise a toast to their ghostIn this episode, we discuss how mental health impacts our dating experiences, how self-esteem and mental health are intertwined, how handling ghosting appropriately can be seen as a positive tool for self-preservation, communication techniques or strategies, viewing ghosting as an opportunity and how ghosting could be seen as a healthy option.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Better Together: Female Friendships with comedian Rosalie Minnitt aka Lady Clementine!This week I am joined by London-based writer and comedian, Rosalie Minnitt! Rosalie is an alumnus of the award-winning sketch comedy group The Durham Revue, the Soho Comedy Labs and is currently training in improv at the Free Association in London. She is a member of the VAULT Festival Young Company and won the Hello Grads Writing Award in 2020. She has written for Funny Women, Times Higher Education and her writing has been featured on BBC Radio and CBBC. She also has recently taken her debut character comedy show, Clementine, up the Edinburgh Fringe this year.In this episode, we discuss the unique challenges and joys of female friendships, how comedy plays a role in friendship, female friendship tropes in pop culture, life lessons from our female friends, what we can learn about ourselves through friendship, and how female relationships have changed throughout history.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee. Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Marvellously Mismatched: Poland Syndrome Chest Deformity with Becca Butcher!This week I am joined by social media sensation Becca Butcher, who was born with a rare chest muscle deformity condition called Poland Syndrome. Poland Syndrome is a condition that causes a lack of muscle development on one side of the body. It’s primarily characterized by the lack of chest wall muscles, so as a result, Becca only developed one boob. Becca uses her social media pages to share her story, educate people and raise awareness of Poland Syndrome. She's a bloody rockstar and I loved recording this episode with her so much. In this episode, we discuss her experiences with a catfish, her personal experience with Poland Syndrome, her diagnosis journey, the impact it has on her daily life, the misconceptions people have about the syndrome, societal pressures around femininity, and how society can better support people with differences.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee. Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Look Who Loves Me: Erectile Dysfunction & Dating Out of Your League with Rich Spalding!This week I am joined by award-winning comedian and writer, Rich Spalding! A regular at comedy clubs in London and around the country, his cerebral, story-telling stand-up has seenhim win a couple of awards and not get booed off anywhere yet. He’s recently supported Eshaan Akbar on tour and is currently missing, presumed dead.In this episode, we discuss the themes explored in Rich's latest comedy show, Look Who Loves Me, including his experience dating someone out of his league, navigating insecurities, sexual and erectile dysfunction, societal expectations on men and sex and using comedy to challenge the perceptions around all these things.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Unapologetically Fabulous: Embracing Radical Fat Acceptance with Stephanie Yeboah!This episode of Mads World is sponsored by LUVISS and their luxury water-based lubricants. Check them out here for 20% off with the code MADS20.This week I am joined by multi-award-winning content creator, host, author, and body image advocate, Stephanie Yeboah. With a blog spanning over 14 years, Stephanie has been an active and influential presence within the creator space; writing and creating content surrounding a variety of subjects including plus-size fashion, beauty/skincare, travel, and lifestyle, as well as providing witty, raw takes and perspectives on all things to do with pop culture.She also dedicates her time towards advocacy within the body positivity, mental health, and self-love communities, sharing her own challenges and traumas involving experiencing fatphobia, bullying, self-esteem, and confidence issues and the ways in which she’s been able to turn it around while encouraging others to do the same.In 2020, she released her debut non-fiction novel ‘Fattily Ever After: A Fat Black Girl’s Guide to Living Life Unapologetically‘, which became an Amazon bestseller in its first week of publication. In the same year, she became the first British plus-size black woman to grace the cover of Glamour Magazine UK.Stephanie has appeared on Sky News, BBC Radio 4, ITV News, MTV UK, and Good Morning Britain, just to name a few, as well as a plethora of podcasts. Stephanie currently has an active social media presence with over 350,000 followers across her social media accounts worldwide.In this episode, we discuss Steph’s journey towards self-acceptance, the role mental health plays, maintaining mental well-being, inclusivity and acceptance for diverse populations, the influence of social media and advertising industries, plus size fashion and radical fat acceptance. Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Egg-spress Yourself: Worst Hinge Opening Lines with @BrattyCosgrove!This week I am joined by fashion entrepreneur turned TikTok content creator, Brittany Cosgrove. Britt is usually based in New Zealand living in a van, however, we squeezed this chat in right before she flew to Thailand for a 3-month soul-searching trip to learn the art of trapeze. I asked Britt to come on the podcast to talk about the worst dating app opening lines, after I saw her viral TikTok about selling someone a rotten ostrich egg during the pandemic. More on this in our chat.In this episode, we discuss what we'd do in a zombie apocalypse, some of the funniest DMs Britt has received, our least favourite modern dating trends, and of course, all of your submissions to our request for the worst dating app opening lines.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Embracing the Unseen: Fibromyalgia & Invisible Disabilities with LaLa Love!This week I am joined by wardrobe stylist, public speaker, and gamer, LaLa Love. LaLa is known for her extensive pink wardrobe and her hair to match. She's a member of 'high fashion Twitter', and is also a part of the EA Creator Network.She's also a food connoisseur, a sneakerhead, and loves taking trips to Whole Foods. LaLa also lives with an invisible disability, Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness. It's a complex condition that affects the central nervous system, causing amplified pain signals and heightened sensitivity to stimuli. While the exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, it is believed to involve a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.In this episode, we discuss what it can be like living with an invisible disability, the impact it can have on friendships and relationships, how social media impacts those with invisible disabilities, and the importance of intersectional feminism.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Tinder Tangles: Funniest Date Stories with TikTok creator Fred Asquith!This week I am joined by TikTok & Instagram content creator Fred Asquith. Fred is responsible for comedy sketches and rants of (in his own words) sometimes large but usually average acclaim. Originally from Yorkshire, he’s lived in London for 7 years. My favourite videos of his include his skits about corporate life, the deep dive into The Fast & The Furious franchise naming conventions, and his impressions of cross-eyed estate agents. Please go check out his Insta and TikTok after this episode, you will love it.In this episode, we discuss Fred's funniest date story, the cringe DMs he has received, our fave viral moments and trends, and most importantly, we go through your worst and funniest date submissions to the podcast.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helloooo, and welcome to Season 9 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Desirable Dating: Eliminating Bad Habits with Michelle Elman!This episode is sponsored by Beducated! Click here to check them out and use the code MADS for 40% off when you sign up: https://beducate.me/pd2323-madsThis week I am joined by best-selling author, five-board accredited life coach and body positive advocate, Michelle Elman. Named as one of the most inspirational women in the UK, Michelle has established herself as the Queen of Boundaries, and empowers singles to embrace who they are, show themselves love, and prioritise their own wants and needs.Michelle teamed up with dating app Plenty of Fish to create the Desirable Dating Guide. a new study of 4,000 British singles, exploring modern day dating behaviours to define the dos and don'ts of dating in 2023. Becuase let's face it, the dating landscape is always changing with so many different ways to meet people, the universal dating experience (both online and offline) can be a bit of a mixed bag.In this episode, we discuss the UK's top dating pet peeves, positive dating behaviours, communicating boundaries, looking inwards and preparing in the lead up to a date.Click here to find Mads World social media, submit questions to the website, or buy me a coffee.Cover Art: VeredienMusic: The.Jones.Project_93 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.