Come As You Are with Helen Duff

Dr Amy Kavanagh is an award winning disability rights activist and campaigner. Amy advocates for a more accessible world through consultancy, writing, policy influencing, media and public speaking. She is engaged with a variety of disability issues including, public transport, social inclusion, video games, accessible social media, feminism and the built environment; all with a core commitment to challenge negative attitudes towards disability.In this episode we discuss what fires Amy up to keep diving back into the social media maelstrom; how her ongoing relationship with blindness has shaped her presence online; how the ableist slant of our society leaves disabled people more exposed to sexual abuse; and why orgasms might well be better for visually impaired people. PLUS the extremely important subject of seating arrangements in fetish clubs.Dr Amy Kavanagh's work can be found on:Twitter @BlondeHistorianAnd her website amykavanagh.co.ukSupport the podcast with a one off donation on https://ko-fi.com/helenduff or to get access to all sorts of extra audio / video content become a regular subscriber on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HelenDuffIntro / Outro music by Luisa Gerstein of Deep Throat Choir; musical interludes written and performed by Helen Duff, arranged by Torch & Compass; edited by Helen Duff; produced by Helen Duff.Follow the podcast on:Instagram: @comeasyouarepod Twitter:  @ComeAsYouArePo2 Facebook: @ComeAsYouArePodFind Helen Duff www.helenduff.comInstagram: @DuffMarvelTwitter:  @DuffMarvelFacebook: @helenduffcomedyThis podcast would not have been possible without the support and advice of Sam Sapin, Ben Target, Alice Freedman, Hayley Stirling, Catherine Brinkworth, Kate Watson, Lorna Rose Treen and Daisy Grant.

Carmen Ali AKA April Fiasco is a multidisciplinary performer and writer, co-artistic director of Sexquisite Events and co-organiser & dancer at Cybertease. She reveals why stand up can feel so much more exposing than sex work; how she's started bringing the funny to burlesque; creating spaces for sex workers to explore their creativity on stage; the overwhelm of group sex and how orgasming late taught her to respect her own boundaries better.The Guardian article Helen mentions can be found here: ‘Why did this young man have such a hold on me?’ How dating someone half my age rebooted my sex life"The website Helen and Carmen both shout out can be found here: OMG Yes!Carmen Ali and the sex worker collectives she is a part of can be found on:Instagram @harlotgoddessAnd her website carmenali.comSupport the podcast with a one off donation on https://ko-fi.com/helenduff or to get access to all sorts of extra audio / video content become a regular subscriber on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HelenDuffIntro / Outro music by Luisa Gerstein of Deep Throat Choir; musical interludes written and performed by Helen Duff, arranged by Torch & Compass; edited by Helen Duff; produced by Helen Duff.Follow the podcast on:Instagram: @comeasyouarepod Twitter:  @ComeAsYouArePo2 Facebook: @ComeAsYouArePodFind Helen Duff www.helenduff.comInstagram: @DuffMarvelTwitter:  @DuffMarvelFacebook: @helenduffcomedyThis podcast would not have been possible without the support and advice of Sam Sapin, Ben Target, Alice Freedman, Hayley Stirling, Catherine Brinkworth, Kate Watson, Lorna Rose Treen and Daisy Grant.

Olga Koch is a comedic force to be reckoned with - since debuting to a Best Newcomer nomination for her show "Fight" at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018, she's appeared on Mock the Week (BBC Two), QI (BBC Two), Frankie Boyle's New World Order (BBC Two), Late Night Mash (Dave), Richard Osman's House of Games (BBC Two), Guessable (Comedy Central), Question Team (Dave) all over BBC Radio 4 with her own specials, and is currently co-presenting the "Obsessed with... Everything I Know About Love" podcast for BBC Sounds with Sophie Duker.On this episode we discuss being a self confessed "pick me girl" whilst studying computer programming; Olga's obsession with the internet from an early age; why dating a fellow comedian is less competitive than you might imagine; how learning about feminism and the #MeToo movement has influenced Olga's stand-up and when a new hotel room can help relight an old flame. Plus Lil Bow Wow, natch.Catch Olga on:Instagram: @kolga300Twitter: @rocknrolgaSupport the podcast with a one off donation on https://ko-fi.com/helenduff or to get access to all sorts of extra audio / video content become a regular subscriber on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HelenDuffIntro / Outro music by Luisa Gerstein of Deep Throat Choir; musical interludes written and performed by Helen Duff, arranged by Torch & Compass; edited by Helen Duff; produced by Helen Duff.Follow the podcast on:Instagram: @comeasyouarepod Twitter:  @ComeAsYouArePo2 Facebook: @ComeAsYouArePodFind Helen Duff www.helenduff.comInstagram: @DuffMarvelTwitter:  @DuffMarvelFacebook: @helenduffcomedyThis podcast would not have been possible without the support and advice of Sam Sapin, Ben Target, Alice Freedman, Hayley Stirling, Catherine Brinkworth, Kate Watson, Lorna Rose Treen and Daisy Grant.

Becky Young is the Founder & Co-director of Anti Diet Riot Club CIC, a rebel community fighting body shame, fat phobia and diet culture. On a mission to help people accept their bodies and find freedom from diets ADRC hosts talks, educational and creative workshops, and creates safe spaces for people to share and learn from each other. From meeting with Sadiq Khan to hosting a body-positive festival in London and launching an online membership platform, they tackle the growing body image problem in the UK from an individual and collective level.As well as a social entrepreneur, Becky is an organiser for EarthPercent, a climate charity as well as having over 10 years of experience as an event producer and promoter. Having studied History & Politics at Oxford University, Becky is passionate about political movements, feminism, sex positivity, play and social justice; topics which inform a lot of her work. In this episode we discuss rediscovering your desires, pleasures and dreams; beating the algorithm to cultivate genuine community online; fighting for body justice whilst taking care of your own needs; the pressures the pandemic put on coupling with couples and the cross over between orgasms that come too quick and instant coffee.You can find Becky being kind, creative and kick ass on:Instagram: @antidietriotclubTwitter: @antidietriotSupport the podcast with a one off donation on https://ko-fi.com/helenduff or to get access to all sorts of extra audio / video content become a regular subscriber on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HelenDuffIntro / Outro music by Luisa Gerstein of Deep Throat Choir; musical interludes written and performed by Helen Duff, arranged by Torch & Compass; edited by Helen Duff; produced by Helen Duff.Follow the podcast on:Instagram: @comeasyouarepod Twitter:  @ComeAsYouArePo2 Facebook: @ComeAsYouArePodFind Helen Duff www.helenduff.comInstagram: @DuffMarvelTwitter:  @DuffMarvelFacebook: @helenduffcomedyThis podcast would not have been possible without the support and advice of Sam Sapin, Ben Target, Alice Freedman, Hayley Stirling, Catherine Brinkworth and Kate Watson.

Lindsey Bliss (she/they) is a seasoned birth companion, a childbirth educator, author ofThe Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth and mother of seven. Lindsey is considered to be a multiples expert after giving birth to two consecutive sets of twins.Lindsey has been practicing as a birth worker since 2009 and has supported first time parents, multiparas, single parents, LGBTQAI+ families, twin births, medicated and non-medicated vaginal births, cesarean births, and VBACs.In this episode we discover how to find the pleasure in birth, the ways in which repressed trauma can show up during and after, why Lindsey found herself laughing as her second set of twins were born, bodily autonomy, what we desperately need to change about the systems surrounding bringing babies into the world, and whether it's really possible - and appropriate - to orgasm in the process.You can find Lindsey giving radical care on Instagram @doulabliss - with a bunch of links in her stories - "contributions" section - to ways you can support birth workers across the USA.Support the podcast with a one off donation on https://ko-fi.com/helenduff or to get access to all sorts of extra audio / video content become a regular subscriber on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HelenDuffIntro / Outro music by Luisa Gerstein of Deep Throat Choir; musical interludes written and performed by Helen Duff, arranged by Torch & Compass; edited by Helen Duff; produced by Helen Duff.Follow the podcast on:Instagram: @comeasyouarepod Twitter:  @ComeAsYouArePo2 Facebook: @ComeAsYouArePodFind Helen Duff www.helenduff.comInstagram: @DuffMarvelTwitter:  @DuffMarvelFacebook: @helenduffcomedyThis podcast would not have been possible without the support and advice of Sam Sapin, Ben Target, Alice Freedman, Hayley Stirling, Catherine Brinkworth and Kate Watson.

Dr Fern Riddell is a cultural historian specialising in sex, suffrage and culture in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. She appears regularly on TV and radio and hosts the history podcast Not What You Thought You Knew, where she explores how history has made us who we are today. She was also the Historical Consultant on the BAFTA award winning BBC drama Ripper Street and as an on screen expert has appeared in documentaries for the BBC, ITV, C4, C5 and Sky Arts.In this episode we dive deep into Fern's new book, Sex: Lessons from History, in which she takes us on an illuminating journey to discover the sexual lives of our ancestors. From flirtation to masturbation and everything in between, we talk James Joyce's love letters, Victorian taboos, and when and why the female orgasm stopped being a top sexual priority.You can find Fern being curious, informative and erudite on:Instagram: @FernRiddelland Twitter @FernRiddellSupport the podcast with a one off donation on https://ko-fi.com/helenduff or to get access to all sorts of extra audio / video content become a regular subscriber on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HelenDuffIntro / Outro music by Luisa Gerstein of Deep Throat Choir; musical interludes written and performed by Helen Duff, arranged by Torch & Compass; edited by Daisy Grant; produced by Helen Duff and Daisy Grant. Follow the podcast on Instagram: Instagram: @comeasyouarepod Twitter:  @ComeAsYouArePo2 Facebook: @ComeAsYouArePodFind Helen Duff www.helenduff.comInstagram: @DuffMarvelTwitter:  @DuffMarvelFacebook: @helenduffcomedyThis podcast would not have been possible without the support and advice of Sam Sapin, Ben Target, Alice Freedman, Hayley Stirling, Catherine Brinkworth and Kate Watson.