Ahh Christmas, the festival of eating, drinking and cranky mums. Because in order to have the beautifully set table, thoughtful presents and delicious glazed ham, someone's got to prepare and plan it all. And that someone, is usually a woman, who, by 5pm, has had enough.

Is there a Christmas elf who can help out? Or maybe it's time for blokes to step up and take on their fair share of the mental load.

Yumi Stynes and Monty Dimond share their tips on how to redistribute the labour on and before the 'most wonderful time of the year'.

Note: This episode contains explicit content.

What is it like to be a professional dominatrix? To indulge in the power play between dominant and submissive for a living?

In this special bonus episode, Yumi Stynes goes into a domme's dungeon to find out what really goes on beyond the whips and chains. She discovers a world that's full of power, sexual fantasy, pleasure and pain.

Note: This episode contains explicit content.

Kink, or BDSM is often played out behind closed doors. Because it's hidden from view, there's an assumption that it's just a few people at the fringes who are into kink, while the majority of us have vanilla sex. But what if interest in kink was more common than you think?

Yumi Stynes meets three women embracing their kinky side. From findom (financial domination) to humiliation and cuckolding, their tastes go well beyond missionary.

We've got big news to share with all our Ladies crew! It involves something smooth and shiny, that has us all very excited. And no, it doesn't vibrate.  

We also wanted to take a chance to welcome all our new listeners, and help guide you on starting your Ladies We Need To Talk listening experience!

Here are some classic episodes to start you on your journey:

Horny women

Pongy vaginas

Time to name (and shame) the mental load

Being cheated on

Or you can always start from scratch and go back to Season 1... we promise you will love it all! 

Psychotherapist Esther Perel is one of the most influential thinkers on sex and relationships in the world.

She helps us make sense of how we relate to the people around us and what it means to be intimate. Is intimacy just in the bedroom? Or can we have intimacy with our closest friends? How about with the guy at the coffee shop?

And when we do disrobe and have sex with someone, how can we get what we desire out of the experience, whether it's a one-time thing or for the hundredth time.

Esther entered the zeitgeist with her book Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence, which gave us language for the opposing promises of marriage — romantic passion and long-term security.

She's since drawn millions of listeners to her podcast, Where Should We Begin, where she publishes live couples therapy sessions. (R)

It's no surprise your sex life takes a hit as a parent. You're thinly spread. There are so many things to manage in your head, from cutting up cucumbers to potty training and paying the plumber on time. Getting it on with a partner, or even by yourself drops down the priority list, below napping.

Masturbation can seem like a laughable indulgence. Because when, oh when, does a sleep deprived mum with a job, a partner and a kid get time, and a dimly lit room to bring herself to O-town?

Yumi Stynes and self-pleasure coach Chloe Adriana talk about how to bring mazzing back on the menu when you’ve lost your appetite. 

Egg freezing is sold as a way for women to hack their fertility and buy some more time on the biological clock.

Fertility companies are marketing the procedure as an insurance policy, but some experts argue it's better thought of as a lottery.

Rates of egg freezing have almost doubled in recent years but the number of people coming back to use those eggs are staggeringly low and even then, there's no guarantee of a baby. Then there's the cost, between $5000-$10,000 per cycle.

Alongside egg freezing, the AMH test, or egg timer test, is also being promoted as a way for women to take control of their fertility but the only way to know if you're fertile is to try and get pregnant.

This episode sorts the science from the sell around egg freezing and fertility tests.

Featured in this episode:

Dr Tessa Copp, University of Sydney School of Public Health.

Samhita had it all. As the executive editor of Teen Vogue she was living the Devil Wears Prada life — fashion shows, fancy dinners and towering heels.

She was a girlboss. But at the height of her success, cracks began to appear. She was anxious, burnt out and her body was falling apart.

But Samhita was at New York Fashion Week in a fur coat and clutching a Gucci handbag, having just put Malala Yousafzai on the cover of her magazine, who was she to complain?

After spending a lifetime trying to climb the corporate ladder, she started to wonder whether it was possible, as a woman, to have it all. And if so, was it worth the cost?

Samhita sits down with Yumi Stynes to talk about redefining success and happiness.

There's an expectation that couples share a bed, but what if sleep isn't compatible with being in the same room as your other half? Maybe they snore, maybe they starfish, or maybe you just need a few hours without another human touching you.

Is a sleep divorce, AKA, having separate bedrooms, the answer?

There's a trend towards normalising sleeping separately from your partner. Cameron Diaz is doing it. So are the Beckhams. But does this arrangement spell the end of sex and intimacy? Or does it make for a better night's sleep and a better waking relationship?

Ladies is making a special series about WTF happens when we go through perimenopause and how to make it to the other side intact. There’s a ton of information out there about this phase, some of it confusing, a lot of it nonsense. Never fear, we’re here to help you sort fact from fanny fart!

We want to hear your stories of change, from what’s going on with your bodies and brains, to sex and relationships. Has your libido hidden in a cupboard? Is the sound of your children fighting enough to send you over the edge? Does it feel like your brain has turned to sludge and your waistline is breaking new barriers? Whatever it is, we want to know!  Send a voice note or an email to [email protected]

Is Ozempic the drug of our lifetime? Since it burst onto the scene it's become synonymous with weight loss, with everyone from A-list celebrities to your next-door neighbour rapidly slimming down.

The popularity of the drug and others like it such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, has led to demand outstripping supply, with the price of these medications falling out of reach for some. 

And along with the cheekbones Ozempic face has unearthed, it's also forcing us to have some uncomfortable conversations around fatness, fatphobia and what it means to be 'healthy'.

For some Australian women, it's changed their lives. Others are still grappling with how the world treats their new body.

In this episode of Ladies, We Need to Talk, Yumi Stynes finds out what the Ozempic era means for all bodies.