98: Are We Obsessed With Having Our Feelings Validated?
Ash and Moya offer their own strategies for worrying less about what other people think. Plus: an ex who’s found God and turned rightwing.
If I Speak...
If I Speak is a podcast from Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar where the personal meets the political. Every week they tackle social dilemmas, cultural phenomena and the frustrations of modern life.
97: When Will I Start Feeling Like a Grown-up?
Ash has a big theory about what makes someone into a proper adult. Plus: can you make a casual hook-up turn serious?
96: Why Are Women Choosing Looks Instead of Books?
Ash and Moya start the year with a tough conversation about the beauty regime that rules over us all.
95: Does British Culture Need Saving? W/ Lanre Bakare
Culture writer Lanre Bakare talks to Ash and Moya about the precarious state of culture in post-Covid Britain, live in Manchester.
94: Resentment, Hostility, Scarcity… Is This Modern Dating? W/ Jordan Stephens
Ash and Moya are joined by Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens to talk about changing attitudes to gender and relationships.
93: I’m Addicted to Guilt. What’s Wrong With Me?
Ash and Moya debate the pros and cons of feeling shame and advise a listener whose best friend has a mean streak.
92: Should We Say Something About Women’s Shrinking Bodies?
Moya wonders if politeness is stopping us from seriously addressing women’s shrinking bodies and changing faces.
91: If There’s No ‘Ethical Consumption’, Can I Just Buy What I Want?
Ash and Moya talk about the urge to beautify and shopping as a numbing mechanism.
90: Are Rightwing Politics Affecting My Sex Life? W/ Dr Annabel Sowemimo
Moya and Ash talk to Dr Annabel Sowemimo about STI stigma, period trackers and how to afford another baby.
89: Am I Doomed to Get More Conservative As I Get Older?
A mystery question leads Ash and Moya into conversation about whether their politics are changing as they age.
88: What Are the Ethics of Oversharing?
After listening to the new album by Lily Allen – the patron saint of oversharing – Moya and Ash debate the ethics of spilling your guts in public.
87: I’m Losing Interest in My Fiancée. Should She Make More Effort?
Moya and Ash tackle a quiz about the culture that shaped them, and offer advice to a fiance who's losing interest in his partner.
86: Why Do We Lap up Other People’s Horror Stories?
Moya and Ash offer a thought for spooky season and solve a dilemma about a mentoring relationship.
85: Has Pop Culture Turned to Slop?
Has pop turned to slop? Or should we take responsibility for our algorithmic intake?
84: How to Ace a First Date (By Two Very Different Daters)
Are you a stranger dater or a fan of the ‘indeterminate hang’? Moya and Ash explain their very different approaches to dating.
83: Is Jealousy the Spice of Life?
Prompted by Elena Ferrante’s novel My Brilliant Friend, Ash wonders what makes Moya jealous.
82: Help! I Can’t Stop Hating Men
Moya wants to stop hating men, leading to a dialogue about all the things that make that difficult.
81: Is It Wrong to Love My AI Boyfriend?
A mystery question prompts a conversation about secrets in romantic relationships. Plus: advice for an autistic dater.