In this special crossover episode between Big Sister Hotline and Cherchez La Femme, lifelong friends Clementine Ford and Karen Pickering have a gasbag in Clem's kitchen. Topics covered: middle age and why it's powerful to embrace it; the first two episodes of And Just Like That and why revisiting cultural icons from times past can be so deeply cringeworthy; and their respective Best Of lists for 2021. Hey, let us know if you like this episode and would like to see more of Karen and Clem in...

This week, I talk to filmmaker, podcaster and story doula, LAURA NAGY. Laura's most recent work is a podcast series on Audible. When Laura experienced a bad break up, she turned to the world of ASMR and 'partner experiences' to find comfort. What she didn't expect to encounter was her own healing from past sexual experiences. This week's episode focuses on: SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Portugal has recently announced it will make it illegal for employees to be contacted by employers outside of...

CN: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault and rape, homicide and vigilantism. Hello there everyone! I've tinkered with the format of the show this week, quite by accident. However, it turns out I like the tinkering and I'm curious to know what you think about it. New format might look something like this: Intro, followed by a short segment called SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT in which my guest and I unpack something that's widely accepted as being standard or traditional but is...

CN: This episode contains very fleeting references to body image, eating disorders and fatphobia. It is the recollections of a teenage girl. Welcome to a very special episode of the hotline! This week's episode features just me, reading an excerpt from my SO SOON TO BE RELEASED book, How We Love: Notes On A Life! Remember the insecurity of adolescence? The pain of unrequited love? The school dance, where you hope for it to all come together only to have it spectacularly crash? It's all right...

Hello, and welcome to the Big Sister Hotline! We’re back this week with the wonderful LAUREN LATELY! Lauren is a public servant and book lover who lives in Canberra on Nunnawal Country, and she’s become prolific in the fight against health misinformation in a Covid era.  Lauren and I talk here about vaccines (WHICH WE LOVE), the scourge of wellness women and toxic positivity, and the use of social media to build communities. From little sisters, we answer questions about feeling insecure and...

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussion of racism, colonisation, and reference to Aboriginal deaths from Covid. There is also a question that relate to stalking and threatening behaviour. Hello, and welcome to the Big Sister Hotline! I took a break last week because I was recording my audio book (HOW WE LOVE, out on November 2!) But I’m back this week, and joined by the very wonderful RACHEL MCPHAIL!  Rachel is a proud Gomeroi woman and activist, whose campaign to establish a database...

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussion of gender dysphoria, transphobia and a brief reference to eating disorders. Hello, and welcome to the Big Sister Hotline! We’re coming to you from Melbourne, home of lockdowns, riots and earthquakes! It is a very strange time to be alive!!! What has made it easier this week is reading the BEAUTIFUL new memoir “All About Yves: Notes From A Transition”, by the extraordinary Dr. Yves Rees. At the age of 30, Rees became aware that they were trans....

Hello, and welcome BACK to the Big Sister Hotline! I’ve been on hiatus for a few months, partly because I was taking time off to finish my book (out on November 3!) and partly because of lockdown fatigue. But here we are, launching back into the hotline with enthusiasm and vitality!  In this first episode back, I’m joined by the phenomenal AJA BARBER. She’s a writer, an activist and a content creator using her platform to campaign for true change in the fashion industry and its deplorable...

In November 2020, an Instagram account began to publish anonymous stories of harassment, abuse and assault in the Australian music industry.These were stories that journalist Ruby Jones had heard whispers about before. But when she started looking into them, she found that the allegations were much worse than she had thought, and that they were an open secret in the music industry. Everybody Knows is a new five-part podcast series from the makers of Australia's number one daily news...

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussion of men’s violence against women, sexual assault, rape, historical allegations, and reference to suicide I’m joined this week by one of my friends and Hotline alum, the marvellous Karen Pickering! Karen is a feminist organiser, an author, host of the feminist salon Churchez La Femme and all round excellent human. We had a frank and candid chat in my kitchen about the disastrous state of affairs with misogyny in Australian politics right now....

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussion of men’s violence against women, domestic abuse, domestic homicide and men’s behavioural change In this week’s episode, my wonderful friend Ada Conroy welcomed me into her kitchen to discuss men’s behavioural change, domestic abuse, working in the family violence sector and how our own shame can be confronted to create meaningful change and accountability. Ada does incredibly important work in the family violence sector, and shares some of...

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussion of fatphobia, eating disorders and disordered eating, sexual experiences involving men’s desires that may be triggering for some people Hurrah! This week’s episode features the amazing Cara MacB, creator of the brilliant “OBCC Helpline”. As Nanny MacB, she uses TikTok and Instagram to call out fatphobia in an hysterically funny way. We have an incredible conversation in this episode about how people end up co-opted into internalised systems of...

This week, I’m proud to welcome to the Hotline an incredible educator, anti-racism activist, mother and friend KIRSTY RUTHERFORD! Kirsty is a passionate anti racism activist who educates people daily on Instagram, and she joined me to talk about all these things.  From little sisters, we answered questions about how to deal with the mad that you feel and channel it into something healing, and also how to set boundaries from the get go with potential partners who have experienced a lot of...

APRIL HELENE HORTON aka THE BODZILLA returns to the hotline for her second appearance! April has recently become the face of Curvy Swimwear, the first plus size bikini model to feature on a billboard in Australia. What a win! She joined me to talk about what young April would think of this, finding joy in life and how to drown out the haters.  From little sisters, we answered questions about how to deal with your friend’s loser boyfriend and how to move on from a relationship where you...

This week, I'm joined by KOA BECK, author of the incredible new book, "White Feminism". The book is a blistering examination of how white feminism aligns with capitalism, individual ambition and, ultimately, patriarchy in order to secure some version of liberation for the minority while ignoring the masses of women whose labour and subjugation is required to maintain those systems. I found myself writing notes furiously throughout it but also feeling deeply uncomfortable in parts, which is...

Welcome to the very first episode of the hotline’s SECOND SEASON! My guest this week is the extraordinary Laura Bates. She’s a writer, activist and educator based in the UK, and her latest book “Men Who Hate Women” is a blistering take on misogyny and how it proliferates in men’s groups both online and off. She joined me for a very special episode (no listener questions on this one I’m sorry - there was too much to discuss!) to talk about incense, men’s rights activists, pick up artists,...

Replaying this amazing episode from season 1, with human right lawyer and all round excellent person, SAYOMI ARIYAWANSA! We talk about Sayomi's work, migrant women and colonialism and answer questions from little sisters. Season 2 of Big Sister Hotline back on Jan 30! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this very special episode of the BSH, I'm joined by the incredible IEOMA OLUO. Ijeoma is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, "So You Want To Talk About Race?" In her latest book, "Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male Power", Ijeoma explores white male medicority, whiteness as a pyramid scheme and white masculinity in general. This is a fasinating conversation with an expert in her field. I hope you enjoy it! Support this show...

I'm joined this week in a special DOUBLE HEADER with one of my best friends, LOU SANZ. Lou is a filmmaker, screenwriter, creator and working mother living in Melbourne. In this episode, we talk creativity, mothering, the slow road to career success and how to be patient. . From little sisters, we answer questions about the healthy sytem and patriarchy, falling in love with your friends, and drilling down more into the emotional conquistador thing. Feedback/Question submission:...

This week’s episode features the sensational DANI ADRIANA, a noted body positivity and fat liberation activist living in far North Queensland. Dani has toured workshops around the world speaking about mental health and fat liberation, and she joined me for a wonderfully insightful conversation about bodies, size inclusivity and the evolution of one’s own activism. I had so many lightbulb moments during this, and you will too! From Little Sisters, we answered questions about how to deal with...

I was so pleased to welcome someone I admire enormously and am also proud to call friend onto the Hotline this week. NEVO ZISIN is a non-binary, Jewish queer writer who has authored two books (Finding Nevo and the forthcoming The Pronoun Lowdown). They facilitate educational workshops educating workplaces and organisations about gender and trans inclusivity, and we talked at length about how cis people can be allies not just in action but also thinking and language usage. This was such an...

This week, I’m joined by my good friend JILL STARK to talk about anxiety, lockdown and some of the tools we can use to ground us when we’re feeling fizzy brained. Jill’s first book, “High Sobriety” was about the year she spent sober. She has since become sober again, and we talk about what this means for a person’s mental health and some of the emotional challenges that come with committing to and maintaining sobriety. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of my own relationship to...

I had an excellent conversation this week with ALEXANDRA COLLIER, a writer, theatre maker and sole mother by choice. Ally is one of the growing number of women choosing to become sole mothers through sperm donorship. She joined me to talk about motherhood, choices, the narratives we set for our own lives and the beauty we find in them, and why we need to separate maternal desires from our romantic ones.  From little sisters, we answer questions about always being considered the casual FWB...

Hello listeners! So, I was TWO HOURS into the edit on this week's planned episode with Alexandra Collier and Audition crashed and swallowed everything. This happens so frequently that I don't know why I continue bothering. I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided TO STOP TRYING. I am now surrendering all my editing over to a professional who will hopefully also make it sound way better than I ever have. What that means is that the planned episode for this week will come out next week...