We Don't Talk About That Podcast

In this special collaborative episode of We Don’t Talk About That, host Linda Coogan Byrne steps back and the show is led by guest Sangeeta Kalsi, development editor at Fourth Wave Feminist Magazine, to mark five years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.Our special guests are Afghan journalist Zahra Joya, founder and editor-in-chief of Rukhshana Media, and Akriti Saraswat, Protection Officer for Safety and Gender at Free Press Unlimited.Zahra founded Rukhshana Media to ensure that the lives of Afghan women were documented by Afghan women. Now working from exile, she leads a team of female journalists who continue reporting from inside Afghanistan, often secretly and at enormous personal risk.Akriti works internationally to protect journalists facing violence, persecution, displacement and gender-based threats and speaks about what meaningful support must look like when physical safety is only one part of survival.Together, they discuss what five years of Taliban rule have meant for women and girls, the systematic erasure of women from education, employment and public life, the dangers faced by female journalists, exile, trauma and the international community’s failure to hold the Taliban accountable.This is a conversation about journalism, resistance and what happens when women’s rights are treated as negotiable. Above all, it is a call to listen to Afghan women, support their work and use the freedoms we still possess to demand political action.How you can help support Afghan women:Support Rukhshana Media and help Afghan women journalists continue reporting from inside the country.Support Free Press Unlimited and its emergency assistance for journalists facing threats, violence and displacement.Support the Malala Fund’s Afghanistan Initiative, which funds Afghan-led organisations working to keep girls learning.Support online education for Afghan women and girls, including the Herat Online School.Support Sahar Education, which provides educational and digital-skills programmes for Afghan girls and women.Support the Afghan Women’s Fund, providing emergency assistance to women's rights defenders and at-risk Afghan women.Support UN Women’s work in Afghanistan, including urgent services and programmes defending women’s rights.Join the campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid and call for gender apartheid to be recognised as an international crime.Listeners can also contact their elected representatives and foreign ministers and ask their governments to publicly recognise Taliban rule as a system of gender apartheid, support its codification as a crime against humanity and refuse any political normalisation of the Taliban that abandons Afghan women and girls.This episode contains discussion of gender-based violence, persecution and trauma.Follow We Don’t Talk About That for future conversations exploring culture, equality, power and the stories we are too often told not to discuss.

In this episode of We Don't Talk About That, hosts Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O are joined by Irish artist, performer and activist Dee Mulrooney. Dee discusses art, exile, class, trauma and the transformative power of female rage. We also meet Growler at the end of the podcast, Dee’s award-winning alter ego: an 80-something-year-old drum-banging shamanic vulva with a tongue like a lash and a heart of gold. Through storytelling, song, comedy and performance, Growler gives voice to the forgotten woman and transmutes collective pain into something fierce, sacred and gloriously unruly.Intro music:"Call Me Queen"Written and performed by Ndidi O.Used with permission.Follow We Don't Talk About That for future conversations exploring culture, equality, power and the stories we are too often told not to discuss.

In this episode of We Don't Talk About That, hosts Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O are joined by Irish comedians and storytellers Anne Gildea and Aoife Dunne.Anne Gildea is a comedian, writer and founding member of The Nualas. Her solo work has tackled cancer, menopause and the magnificent absurdity of being a woman in Ireland. Her latest show, Further Adventures in Womaning, continues that journey, with her new production, You’re Welcome, arriving next year.Aoife Dunne’s debut show, Good Grief, grew from the sudden death of her mother when Aoife was just 23, the years of responsibility that followed and her eventual return to the creative life she had set aside.Together, they talk candidly about grief, cancer, menopause, caring for others, women in comedy and what happens when life dismantles the person you thought you were. It is funny, frank and gloriously unsentimental, because sometimes laughter is not a distraction from the difficult stuff. It is how we survive it.Intro music:"Call Me Queen"Written and performed by Ndidi O.Used with permission.Follow We Don't Talk About That for future conversations exploring culture, equality, power and the stories we are too often told not to discuss.

In this episode of We Don't Talk About That, hosts Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O are joined by Jada Watson, founder of SongData and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa.Through SongData, Jada uses music industry data to uncover gender and racial inequalities across radio, streaming and the wider music business. Her research has helped shape broadcasting policy and challenge long-held assumptions about representation in music.Together they discuss gender equity, radio airplay, music policy, industry gatekeeping and how data can drive meaningful cultural change.At its heart, this is a conversation about who gets heard, who gets overlooked, and why the numbers tell a story the music industry can no longer ignore.Intro music:"Call Me Queen"Written and performed by Ndidi O.Used with permission.For more information about Fourth Wave, visit:https://fourthwave.onlineFollow them on medium: https://medium.com/fourth-wave Follow We Don't Talk About That for future conversations exploring culture, equality, power and the stories we are too often told not to discuss.

In this episode of We Don't Talk About That, hosts Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O sit down with Patsy Fergusson and Sangeeta Kalsi of Fourth Wave, one of Medium's leading independent feminist publications. Together they explore feminist media, representation, digital activism and the role independent journalism plays in amplifying the voices of women and marginalised communities around the world. Drawing on their experiences as editors, writers and advocates, Patsy and Sangeeta discuss power, storytelling, online culture and why creating spaces for women to be heard remains as important as ever. At its heart, this is a conversation about visibility, voice and the stories that have the power to shape culture.Intro music:"Call Me Queen"Written and performed by Ndidi O.Used with permission.For more information about Fourth Wave, visit:https://fourthwave.onlineFollow them on medium: https://medium.com/fourth-wave Follow We Don't Talk About That for future conversations exploring culture, equality, power and the stories we are too often told not to discuss.

In this episode of We Don't Talk About That, hosts Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O sit down with consultant child and adult cyberpsychologist, psychotherapist, speaker and author Dr Catherine Knibbs for a timely and thought-provoking conversation about the realities facing children, young people and families in an increasingly digital world.Together they explore cyberbullying, online harm, trauma, grief, social media, digital resilience and the growing challenges facing parents, educators and carers navigating childhood in the internet age.Drawing on decades of experience working with children, families and organisations, Catherine shares practical insights into how online experiences can shape mental health, self-esteem and relationships, while explaining why understanding a child's experience is often more important than trying to immediately solve the problem.The conversation examines the psychological impact of online abuse, the responsibilities of technology platforms, the pressures facing today's parents and what meaningful support looks like when children experience harm, both online and offline.At its heart, this is a discussion about connection, communication and the simple but profound act of listening.Because sometimes children do not need us to have all the answers. They simply need to know that someone is willing to hear them.Intro music:"Call Me Queen"Written and performed by Ndidi O.Used with permission.Follow We Don't Talk About That for future conversations exploring culture, equality, power and the stories we are too often told not to discuss.For more information about Dr Catherine Knibbs, visit:www.childrenandtech.co.uk

In this episode of We Don't Talk About That, hosts Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O sit down with acclaimed Brazilian-born soprano Gabriella Di Laccio, founder of the groundbreaking Donne Foundation and creator of the global campaign Donne, Women in Music.Together they explore the hidden histories of women composers, the barriers that continue to shape the classical music industry, and why representation in concert halls, conservatoires and cultural institutions still matters. Gabriella reflects on her own journey as an artist and advocate, the creation of the Donne Foundation, and the work being done internationally to ensure that women composers are no longer erased from musical history.The conversation moves beyond classical music to examine wider questions around power, visibility, cultural gatekeeping and what meaningful change looks like in the arts.This is a discussion about legacy, leadership and the women whose stories deserve to be heard.Intro and outro music used with permission:"Che desia di saper"Composed by Francesca Caccini (1587-1640)Performed by Gabriella Di Laccio (Soprano) and the Audacium Baroque Ensemble.For more information on Gabriella's work and the Donne Foundation, visit:www.donne-uk.orgFollow We Don't Talk About That for future conversations exploring culture, equality, power and the stories we are too often told not to discuss.

In the first episode of We Don't Talk About That, hosts Linda Coogan Byrne and Ndidi O are joined by Amanda Stanhope and Jennifer Wilenta, two survivor advocates whose experiences have helped drive the EndEyeCheck campaign.Together they discuss drug-facilitated rape, image-based abuse, the failures of policing and justice systems, and the devastating impact these crimes have on survivors. They also explore the power of collective action, survivor-led advocacy, and why challenging the culture of silence around violence against women matters now more than ever.This is a conversation about survival, accountability, justice and the women refusing to look away.Content warning: This episode contains discussions of rape, sexual violence, coercive control, image-based abuse and trauma.Follow: @wedonttalkaboutpodcastSupport & Further InformationIf you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this episode, including rape, sexual assault, drug-facilitated rape, image-based abuse or online sexual exploitation, support is available.United KingdomRape Crisis England & Waleshttps://rapecrisis.org.ukRape Crisis Scotlandhttps://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.ukThe Survivors Trusthttps://www.thesurvivorstrust.orgIrelandDublin Rape Crisis Centrehttps://www.drcc.ieRape Crisis Network Irelandhttps://www.rcni.ieWomen's Aidhttps://www.womensaid.ieUnited StatesRAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)https://www.rainn.orgEndEyeCheck CampaignLearn more about the EndEyeCheck campaign and the work being carried out by survivors and advocates:https://www.endeyecheck.comIf you are in immediate danger, please contact emergency services in your country or seek support from a trusted person, healthcare professional or local crisis service.