In the words of Nina Bo'nina Brown... well, it's over. It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the end of Bottoming. It's been an incredible four years, but as things change and our personal focuses have shifted, we have to take a little step back to review and reset. We use this final episode to reflect on the decision, what it means for us, and how we feel being able to have produced such a fulfilling and special podcast. Whether you've been with us from the start, or joined us...

Hello! This episode we speak to Marianne Oakes, a therapist who works on supporting trans people and their families. We discuss her own journey transitioning via the NHS, how healthcare looks for trans people in the UK at the moment and lots, lots more. If you'd like to find our more about supporting the trans community whether you're an individual or business, check out TransMission PR. Be sure to check out our next episode too - as we're sharing quite a big update... *gulp* Check out...

This week, we're chatting to Brooklyn artist and songwriter, BAYLI. We chat about her debut as an independent artist, how she’s navigated the past couple of years as a performer, and why she’s determined to sew a deeper message into every song she writes. There's also chat about being a queer musician and the responsibility that holds, our interactions and place within the various Pride Movements... and SUSHI! Before we deep-dive with BAYLI, we catchup about the weeks since our last episode,...

Friday 1st July marked 50 years since the UK's first Pride march, led by the Gay Liberation Front through London. To mark this, thousands of people took to the streets to retrace the exact same route and to protest the current state of the world for LGBTQ+ people, with the parade being led by some of the original GLF members. We marched the route, and recorded some live interviews with people to find out why they'd wanted to take to the streets today, including Philip, who was one of the...

This week we’re chatting to the incredible Josef Salvat - about his approach to making music (including his beautiful albums Modern Anxiety and most recently, Islands), about dealing with the pressures of social media and churning out content, and bringing a difficult few years to a close. We also catch up about our medication and how we’ve been feeling recently, after both experiencing similar moods. Check out linktr.ee/bottomingpod, follow on Instagram and Twitter @bottomingpod and find...

It's Pride Month, and we're so pleased to share this episode with the powerhouse that is Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall. She opens up about the gravity of being CEO in the current climate, the impact of abusive trolls on her and the rest of the Stonewall team, and sheds light on the positive work they continue to do despite it all. Stonewall have been a game-changer and leader in LGBTQ+ rights in the UK and that remains true today - including their staunch support of trans rights. Check out...

We're baaaaaack! To kick off our brand spanking new season, we're speaking to Jack Rooke, comedian, writer and creator of new Channel 4 series, Big Boys! In a Bottoming first, we cover death and grief, and Jack's personal experiences with them both of which led him to writing his book, Cheer The F**k Up. Jack was a perfect guest for us, and we gab away about finding ways to use humour to get through the darker times, as well as very essential topics, like Charli XCX and our personal...

Hello sweeties! We're back for a sneaky little bonus episode, with the one and only, gay AND pop icon, Will Young! May 9th to 15th 2022 is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, and this year's theme is loneliness. In this special episode, we explore loneliness in relation to LGBTQ+ people, before diving into our gorgeous interview with the incredibly open Will Young. As Will celebrates the 20th anniversary of winning Pop Idol this year, we talk about what he remembers from that historic...

Ever considered therapy? If you’re 18+, LGBTQ+, UK-based, and have ever considered or undertaken therapy in the UK, then your time would be greatly appreciated! Follow this link to find out more about how you can be involved in this new piece of research by our very own Brendan Geoghegan. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/bottomingpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Surprise! We've reached the final episode of season 3, and this week we have a few things on the agenda. First up, we speak to Danny Keeling about their own mental health journey, political campaigning for the Green Party**, and their experience with stem cell donation for Anthony Nolan. Anthony Nolan are a blood cancer charity in the UK - and they need more donors! There are no restrictions like blood donation, so if you're LGBTQ+ and aged 16-30, join us and sign up now and you could save a...

Cultural producer, Big Flower Fight champion and all-round creative powerhouse, Ryan Lanji is with us this week to talk all things culture! We discuss his motivations behind founding queer Bollywood club night HUNGAMA and queer/QTBIPOC fitness collective NDY GLOBAL. Ryan then gives us a little background on his latest project with BBC Three, The Big Proud Party Agency, due to air this spring. We then have our usual catch up to see how we've been the last couple of weeks - including a mention...

It's LGBTQ+ History Month and we're back with another two-parter! For part 2, we chat to Sabah Choudrey, author of Supporting Trans People of Colour, trans youth activist and recent winner of the GAY TIMES Amplifund Future Fight Award. Hear us chat about their experience of their Tedx Talk, 'Brown, trans, queer, Muslim and proud', how their experience in psychology and counselling helps shape their work now and lots more. If you missed it, head back to part 1, where we speak to Christine...

It's LGBTQ+ History Month and we're back with another two-parter! In part one, we speak to Christine Burns MBE, author of Trans Britain, political activist and all round trans trailblazer! We hear about her part in campaign group, Press For Change, her podcast back in the 2010's, Just Plain Sense, and the many incredible stories she has to tell about fighting for trans equality in the UK. As usual, you can hear us catch up about how we've been, including the not-so-nice experience of a hate...

It's LGBTQ+ History Month and we're doing things a little differently this year, giving you TWO episodes in one week! In part two, we chat to Adam Zmith, author of Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures, and third creator of the Log Books to we discuss some interesting findings from his new book! We round part two off with a brief note on the recent EHRC statement and the LGBTQ+ organisation statements that followed, plus our highlights of the week! Stay tuned to the end to hear...

It's LGBTQ+ History Month and we're doing things a little differently this year, giving you TWO episodes in one week! In part one, we speak to two of the creators of The Log Books podcast, Tash Walker and Shivani Dave, discussing the process in bringing Switchboard's written histories to life, some of their favourite stories and how they look after their own mental health. You'll also get exclusive vocals from Brendan, as he sings happy birthday and shares a cake for Matthew's birthday,...

After an extended festive break, we're back to kick off 2022 with a bang, speaking to our saviour of 2021, the incredible Self Esteem! We discuss her sell-out tour(s) and top billing on every 'Best of 2021' list, her new book, handling abuse online, her experience with therapy, plans for 2022 and more! As usual, we also catch up on how we've been since the last episode, with Matthew discussing a recent mental break, taking time off work and starting medication while Brendan gags at the memory...

This week we're serving up a double-episode to commemorate World AIDS Day, with three interviews plus some on-the-street chats with people, in a Bottoming first. In part 2 we hear from Andre, Postive East's Counselling Coordinator who tells about their holistic approach to helping those needing their services. We then visit Victoria Park, the site of the annual Red Run, hosted by Positive East, to hear from runners and supporters about why they committed to raising money for such an important...

This week we're serving up a double-episode to commemorate World AIDS Day, with three interviews plus some on-the-street chats with people, in a Bottoming first. Our first interview is with Calum from the National AIDS Trust, who tells us about the recent piece of research he authored, HIV and Mental Health and we discuss some of the key findings and recommendations. We also chat with activist José Mejía Asserias, who shares his experiences with mental health services in Columbia and the UK,...

Class is back in session this week, as we revisit a topic from our very first season: education! We have Dominic Arnall, CEO of LGBT+ young person's charity, Just Like Us with us, to discuss the amazing work they do with training programmes and ambassadors in schools, as well as some recent research they released: Growing Up LGBT+ . We also catch up on the last few weeks, discuss how we've been and have a bit of a rant about the state of LGBT+ progress and trans equality in the UK, before...

Get your passports ready, as this week we're talking travelling! We speak to Lorraine Pinto, from Black Queer Travel Guide to hear about why it was set up, considerations when travelling as a Black queer person and their hopes for the future of the BQTG community. We then chat with Liam Rezende, co-founder of LGBTQ+ hospitality network, Checking-In who tells us about how the over-representation of LGBTQ+ people in the sector has its ups and downs, while bringing an interesting viewpoint on...

This week we speak to singer-songwriter and absolute angel, Låpsley! In a Bottoming first, we talk sex and relationships (!), her feelings and experience with social media alongside her creative journey, returning to university to study again, and so much more. There's also an extra-special appearance from the superstar that is Peanut, Låpsley's doggy companion. Before that though, we catch up on how we've been recently, after both experiencing a little dip in our mental health, we talk our...

We had the pleasure of being invited onto the Mentally Yours podcast by Metro.co.uk with Yvette and Ellen to talk about why we love Bottoming so much, and why LGBTQ+ people might be more prone to mental health issues. #WorldMentalHealthDay Check out linktr.ee/bottomingpod, follow on Instagram and Twitter to see NEW BTS video content at @bottomingpod and find more resources from this season at bottomingpodcast.com. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/bottomingpodcast. See...

Ready, set, BAKE… this week we’re speaking with Bake Off star, Michael Chakraverty about his time in the tent dealing with anxiety and panic attacks while filming, taking up running to help his mental health, and how he processed becoming famous overnight.  We then catch up on what we've been up to since last episode, including the launch of the UK’s first LGBT+ affirming retirement community, Tonic@Bankhouse, heading back to university, and more. Check out linktr.ee/bottomingpod, follow on...

WE'RE BACK... a little later than expected but it's happening! We're kicking off our third season with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and producer, and all-around SUPERSTAR, MNEK. We gab about starting out in the music industry at an early age, how he’s learned to love his body, and his particular way of processing stress and emotion. We also share updates on what we've been up to since our last episode, Over and Burnout - including dating, covid and a new course of therapy! In the words...