Episodes
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Have you been at it like rabbits in Lockdown 3 or have you found sex is the last thing on your mind? Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams discuss the trials of lockdown love, why Anniki wants a chin-lift, sexy new TV – from Lover's Rock to Bridgerton – and the now-legendary BBC dildo appearance. There's also a guest spot from Dr Karen Gurney, who offers her top tips for reviving a long-lost libido. Recorded via Zoom (please forgive some minor sound issues)
Edited and produced by Alex Graham
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Good sex starts with doing the recycling, Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams have always maintained. To develop this thought, they discuss what socialist ideals – more free childcare, laundry and food services - would lead them to having better sex, prompted by Lisa reading Professor Kristen R Ghodsee’s book Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism. Lisa then speaks to Prof Ghodsee about what we can learn from socialism, what the pitfalls of past systems have been, why women in East Germany had more orgasms than their counterparts in the West, and why the huge amount of unpaid work women do can have a negative impact on their sexual satisfaction and relationships. Recorded at home, produced by Alex Graham. This series of The Hotbed has been kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the UK’s original silicone reusable menstrual cup. If you’d like to try one, you can use the code HOTBED at mooncup.co.uk to get a 10% discount (until the end of June 2020).
If you would like to hear more from Prof Kristen R Ghodsee she hosts the podcast A.K. 47 - Selections from the Works of Alexandra Kollontai
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes manquant?
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Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams record a special socially-distanced episode to talk about the lives under lockdown, the BBC Three adaptation of Sally Rooney's Normal People, and how they're feeling about their lockdown looks. There's also a guest spot by Dr Karen Gurney, giving advice on living such at close quarters with your partner, why this time has been make or break for some couples, and what to do when you're feeling the tension rising.
Recorded from home, produced by Alex Graham.
This series of The Hotbed has been kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Visit their website www.mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Hotbed welcomes its first-ever co-host: Karen Arthur of #WearYourHappy to talk about menopause, mental health and things we’re too old to care about any more. Lisa also interviews Dr Philippa Kaye about what the perimenopause is, what treatment there is for menopause symptoms, and how female pleasure is important for women of all ages. Recorded at Acast, produced by Alex Graham. This series of The Hotbed has been kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Visit their website www.mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Hotbed Collective's book More Orgasms Please: Why Female Pleasure Matters is out in pretty paperback now: Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams talk about how they wrote it and why they wrote it, give their tips on getting a book published and their thoughts on why female pleasure matters. Anniki's novel Motherwhelmed is also out and she talks about sexism in the corporate world, balancing parenting with the demands of a job, and why she decided to fictionalise her experience to help other working mum. Recorded from our respective homes, produced by Alex Graham. This series of the Hotbed is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Visit mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED to get 10% off.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams talk about vulvas: cervical screenings, gynae cancer, thrush and nicknames for ‘vulva’. They set up a folk duo and do an impromptu song about incontinence, while Lisa interviews the ever-calm and ever-clever Dr Anita Mitra, AKA Gynae Geek about The Eve Appeal's Get Lippy campaign, and gynae conditions, the taboos around women's health, and the worrying rise in labiaplasty (cosmetic surgery to the vulva) . This series of the Hotbed is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original reusable silicone menstrual cup. Go to mooncup.co.uk before the end of June 2020 and use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount. Recorded at Acast, produced by Alex Graham. [Image of Dr Anita Mitra kindly supplied by The Eve Appeal. To support their #GetLippy campaign, you can buy a fundraising beauty product during May - to find out more, click here.]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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At a special live show of The Hotbed, recorded live at Soho Radio pre-lockdown, Hotbed favourite Dr Karen is here to explain why everything you believed about desire is WRONG! We talk about the 237 reasons we have sex, what (and who!) makes us feel sexy, how contraception can mess with your mood, why you should get listening to some audio porn, and how to make trying-to-conceive sex hotter than hell. We also have the multi-talented Kelly Ford, AKA Book of Mum, to talk about girl-crushes and to deliver a one-off performance of her super-sexy poem. This episode is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Go to mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED to get 10% off until the end of June 2020. Recorded at Soho Radio, produced by Alex Graham.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jacqueline Gold CBE is the chief executive of Ann Summers and estimated to be the UK’s 16th richest woman. She talks to Cherry Healey and Anniki Sommerville about the sex toy made famous by Sex in the City, how she turned the chain around to make it more welcoming for women, and her experience of sex and body image after cancer.
This episode is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup. Go to mooncup.co.uk and use the code HOTBED to get 10% off until the end of June 2020. Recorded at Soho Radio. Produced by Alex Graham.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Cherry Healey and Anniki Sommerville are back with the first episode of the sixth series! Recorded in COVID-19 free times, this is stress-free listening that may be particularly appropriate now we’re living in lockdown. If you’re in a long-term relationship and struggle sometimes, you will love listening to their interview with Cat Sims, the blogger behind 'Not So Smug Now', who reveals all about marriage counselling and the strategies she has learnt to keep her relationship on track even when life gets tough.
Recorded at Soho Studios. Produced by Alex Graham, and kindly sponsored by Mooncup. If you would like to try a Mooncup, the original silicone reusable menstrual cup, use the code HOTBED for a 10% discount at mooncup.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Hotbed Collective are back with series six of their hit podcast The Hotbed. Life is weird but stick in your headphones and listen to Lisa Williams, Cherry Healey and Anniki Sommerville discuss topics such as sex shops, perimenopause and marriage counselling with a variety of brilliant guests. This series is kindly sponsored by Mooncup, the original reusable menstrual cup.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this the finale episode in the series, ‘The Hotbed’ trio are reunited: with Lisa, Anniki and
Cherry taking on Camp Bestival in a special LIVE podcast also starring Carrie Anne AKA
@mre.soeur and Kate from @lesbemums. They discuss why relationships are so hard after
kids, how communication can be reduced to who defrosted what for dinner and the
importance of talking about the ‘emotional load’ and finding ways to divvy up tasks. The
show needed to be more child-friendly than usual (Camp Bestival is a family festival) so
there are some interesting euphemisms along the way.
We hope you enjoyed this season and we’ll be back soon with more chat, more laughs and
more tips on how to stay sexy and sane.
Resources:
Buy The Hotbed book ‘More Orgasms Please’ here
Couples counselling information can be found here
And the waiting list for tickets to Camp Bestival 2020 can be found here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Cherry Healey talks to ‘the fit feminist’ Shona Vertue about the many reasons to be fit and strong (none of which
are to look a certain way), they talk about Cherry has been doing her pelvic floor squeezes all wrong until now,
and Shona answers some listeners’ questions about diastasis recti and getting into fitness at an older age. In the
studio, Lisa Williams talk about the Nike mannequin, body positivity and Lisa reviews Wuka period pants.
Recorded at Acast. Produced by Alex Graham and Lisa Williams. Thanks to the two people who have reviewed
our book on Amazon. Yeah two people. If anyone wants to be a mate and leave us a review we will thank you in
next week’s show notes.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hotbedder-at-large Cherry Healey is back in the fold for this episode, which centres on sex and ageing, and what that can mean for a relationship, the stairpile and your orgasm rate. She interviews comedian Tova Leigh about the midlife crisis which led to her rediscovering her sexuality, confidence and personality, and about how, when your partner has a lower sex drive than you, you have to take matters into your own hands. Meanwhile, Lisa Williams reviews Wuka menstrual pants, designed to be worn instead of tampons, pads or cups, or as well as, if you have heavy periods. Recorded at Acast, London. Produced by Alex Graham and Lisa Williams. Thanks to John at Acast for the studio support.
Don’t forget that our book More Orgasms Please: Why Female Pleasure Matters is out now (it was listed by Stylist magazine as one of the top non-fiction books of 2019), and if you review it on Amazon we will find you and give you a biscuit.
And if this episode made you think, please follow us on Instagram @thehotbedcollective and let us know your thoughts. Or tell us what the last messages you and your partner, if you have one, sent to one another.
Until next week!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We have a juicy chat with sex educator, YouTuber and all-round good egg Hannah Witton about hormones, sex education and masturbation, in which we reveal orgasm tips, what we’d wished our parents has taught us about sex, and why talking about sex is important work. Hannah’s book The Hormone Diaries is out now, as is our book More Orgasms Please: Why Female Pleasure Matters. Produced by Alex Graham.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How do we resist the pressure to get 'beach body ready' as summer holiday season approaches? Lisa Williams quizzes Natalie Lee, AKA Style Me Sunday, about how to be a warrior woman on the beach and by the pool, how being a midwife helped her become body positive, and how body positivity compares to body neutrality. They also discuss their favourite sex toys and how some self love helps sleep and mood, and how self-image can affect sexy time. Anniki Sommerville and Lisa also talk about "fanny flutters", holiday romances and banishing bad sex memories.
To order the Hotbed Collective's brand new book: More Orgasms Please: Why Female Pleasure Matters, click here.
Don't forget to message us your thoughts on this episode via Instagram @thehotbedcollective
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this week's episode The Hotbed talk frankly about what they’ve been up to since season 4
ended (for a start they’ve got a BOOK coming out called ‘More Orgasms Please,’). They also
discuss Love Island, and what their favourite sexual position is (as an ode to More
magazine’s 'Position of The Fortnight') . Anniki interviews the lovely Lisa Smosarski, Stylist
magazine editor and they talk about sex, relationships and how on earth you edit a
magazine, have 3 kids, a husband and have your fingernails still intact! Recorded at
Acast Studios. Produced by Lisa Williams, Anniki Sommerville and Alex Graham.
Useful links:
To order The Hotbed’s fabulous new book released July 4th 2019 click here
For The School of Life video about sex-starved relationships:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSs2dXDf1Zs
Please subscribe, rate and review our show if you like it, and send any feedback to
You can also follow us on Instagram @thehotbedcollective
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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*Trigger warning: This episode makes references to self-harm and suicide** To round off the fourth series we interview a MAN for the first time on the podcast! Buck Angel is an LA-based activist who is known in the trans community as ’Tranpa’ because he enjoys teaching and preaching about self-acceptance and love. He tells Lisa Williams about his journey to transition, what it’s like to live as a man versus as someone with a female body, what cis-women can learn about self-acceptance about their bodies from him, and how he has learnt to banish body shame. In the studio, Anniki and Lisa talk about if they enjoy being women, Dolly Parton and Instacrushes. They also reveal a bit more about their forthcoming book More Orgasms Please… Why Female Pleasure Matters. Produced by Alex Graham and Lisa Williams. Recorded at Great Big Owl Studios and via Skype.
If you are feeling suicidal, please call the Samaritans on 116 123 or see their website [https://www.samaritans.org/]
To find out about how to access more information about trans rights, see Stonewall. [https://www.stonewall.org.uk/]
Follow Buck Angel on Instagram @buckangel [http://bit.ly/2XybfSk]
To see Buck's sex toy range at Sh! Women's Store click here [http://bit.ly/2PpecC1]
Follow the Hotbed Collective on Instagram @thehotbedcollective
You can pre-order The Hotbed Collective book’s More Orgasm’s Please from Waterstones [http://bit.ly/2UztAN2]
or Amazon [https://amzn.to/2JH3tDE]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode Anniki and Lisa discuss what happens to your relationship after you have kids. Why is it that we often get locked into the same arguments and are there any strategies to break free? Why do some new mothers resent their partner when they try to help and then hate them when they don’t? They also discuss the joys of Lidl and why it's often Anniki's friends want to talk about. There’s also an interview with US author- Jancee Dunn, who wrote the brilliant book, 'How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids'. She offers up lots of advice on practical things you can do to improve your relationship including some tips she picked up from FBI hostage negotiators. Finally, The Hotbed will be appearing at this year's Camp Bestival so hear details of that too! Keep your eyes on our Instagram account - @thehotbedcollective - for details of a prize draw to win a copy of Jancee's book.
Resources:
Jancee Dunn’s book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hate-Your-Husband-After-Kids/dp/1784754773/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=jancee+dunn&qid=1554576013&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spell
More info on how to communicate more effectively with your other half:
https://www.hprc-online.org/articles/performance-strategies-basic-training-for-couples-communication
Counselling info:
https://www.relate.org.uk
Camp Bestival line up and tickets:
https://www.campbestival.net
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Our lives are getting increasingly stressful and the overwhelm is real, so how do we carve out time for self-love and what does it look like? For this special live episode, recorded at White City House, we explore self-love in all its forms. Co-hosts Lisa Williams and Anniki Sommerville haven’t had much time for self-love recently, hear about their paltry efforts. Dr Karen Gurney answers the question, ‘If you don’t love yourself, can you love anyone else?’, Nadia Deem advocates masturbation as self-love and offers up some tips, Deborah James (AKA Bowel Babe) talks about why it’s important to her to stay glam during treatment for cancer, and Kath from Mooncup (which sponsored the 3rd series of the Hotbed) reveals how businesses can encourage their employees to look after themselves. Headlining the evening is comedian Karen Hobbs, who somehow finds lols in her experience of cervical cancer. With huge thanks to Anna Butterworth of Ultra Violet agency for organising the night’s amazing self-love marketplace and brilliant raffle in aid of the Eve Appeal, the only charity which focuses on prevention of the five gynaecological cancers. Produced by Shola Aleje, Alex Graham and Lisa Williams. Thanks also to Pop Shop London for the balloons, to White City House for hosting the event, and to all the fierce, feminist brands who took part in the marketplace.
To donate to the Eve Appeal or to find out about the signs and symptoms of the five gynae cancers, click here.
To pre-order The Hotbed Collective’s book More Orgasms Please, click here.
To sign up to Nadia’s Appointment A.M mailing list, click here.
Follow the line-up on Instagram here:
The Hotbed Collective
Appointment A.M
Dr Karen Gurney
Mooncup
Deborah James
Karen Hobbs
The Eve Appeal
Thank you for listening to the Hotbed podcast. If you liked the podcast, please leave us a (5-star!) review in iTunes, or drop us a line with any feedback.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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*Trigger warning: This episode contains mild references to consent* Anniki Sommerville and Lisa Williams were over the moon to host Charmed and Grindhouse star Rose McGowan in the Hotbed. She talks about the male gaze, the #MeToo the movement, growing up in a cult and her book Brave, her frank evisceration of what she calls ‘the cult of Hollywood’. Also, big news, people, the Hotbed Collective have a book out this July! It’s being published by Penguin Square Peg and it’s called More Orgasms Please: Why Female Pleasure Matters. You can pre-order it here. Episode recorded at Acast and Soho Studios. Studio support from Jennifer Dollard and Clare Lynch. Produced by Lisa Williams and Alex Graham. This episode wasn't sponsored by a mattress company, although we would have liked it to be. Please note that Harvey Weinstein has denied all charges against him.
To buy Rose McGowan’s book Brave click here.
Follow the Hotbed Collective on Instagram @thehotbedcollective
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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