This week we’re revisiting our ep on the dark side of the therapy boom, from unqualified therapists planting false memories in vulnerable people and an obsession with labels to ‘therapy boasting’ on Hinge and the weaponisation of ‘therapy speak’. Plus, what makes a good therapist, and can AI offer an accessible alternative to what has become a luxury? We’ll be back with our usual pop culture debrief next Thursday!

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Recs:

• Dangerous Memories podcast 
• My therapist told me Mum had abused me. She hadn’t, Times
• The therapist who planted false memories, Pandora Sykes, Substack
• How the language of therapy took over dating, NYT
• Nobody has a personality anymore, Substack
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns users not to trust ChatGPT agent with sensitive or personal data, Decoder 
• Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens, NYT
• He Had a Mental Breakdown Talking to ChatGPT. Then Police Killed Him, Rolling Stone
• What does bad therapy actually look like? Stylist
• Can AI therapists really be an alternative to human help? BBC

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Mega-influencer Alix Earle’s new reality show has dropped on Netflix and so we’re unpacking it all, from all the details of her feud with Alex Cooper to the family’s bizarre dynamics. Could Earle Meets World be Gen Z’s answer to The Kardashians? Also this week: series two of The Gentlemen starring Maya Jama, as well as the brilliant film spin-off of French comedy Call My Agent! featuring an excellent cameo from George Clooney.   

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Recs/ reviews: 

• Where Are The Kings, Donal Ryan 
• The Gentlemen, Netflix
• Call My Agent! The Movie, Netflix 
• Earle Meets World, Netflix 

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Ali G is back after more than 20 years, sparking a backlash over the character’s racist stereotypes with cinemas saying they’ll boycott the new film. And speaking of controversial comebacks, the planned John Galliano exhibition at the Met has been pulled, so this week we’re discussing cancel culture, second chances and when some things are better left in the past. Also on the show: the sky-rocketing of push-up bra sales, breastfeeding in public, Bonnie Blue’s baby announcement and Olivia Wilde’s new film, plus the Lindsay Clancy trial.

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Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

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Recs/reviews

• Get our book club pick Where Are the Kings here
• FRIENDSHIP BREAKUPS: ghosting, group dynamics and comparison culture (our ep) 
• Outcome, AppleTV
• Toy Story 5, SkyTV
• Furious, Disney Plus
• I Want Your Sex, in cinemas
• Eyes Down Here: Push-up bras are back with a vengeance, The Cut 
• Not My G, More Brit (ish) Than Ever Substack, Afua Hirsch
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art Is Making a Very Bad Mistake, New York Times
• Lucky Boy, Tortoise Investigates

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Why do so many adult men seem stuck in arrested development? We review the buzzy new novel from the “male Sally Rooney” Jem Calder, whose rom-com I Just Want You to Be Happy charts a dysfunctional age-gap relationship between a 35-year-old man-child and 23-year-old woman. Also on the show: our thoughts on the backlash to North West’s “age inappropriate” Dazed cover, Meghan Markle’s new career move, Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi’s hard launch and a possible sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

We’ve released a final batch of tickets to our book club on Wed 2 September! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and order Where Are the Kings here 

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/reviews

• I Want You to be Happy, Jem Calder
• I Want You to Be Happy is the excruciating millennial novel everyone will be reading this summer, The Independent
• Alice and Steve, Disney Plus
• Prue Leith – On leaving Bake Off and finding love again at 70, Experience is Everything
• Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi’s Dating World Tour Continues in London, Vogue
• North West: ‘Music is what I wanna do with my life’, Dazed
• Fresh Hell, Tina Brown’s Substack

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Ariana Grande’s tour has been getting rave reviews, but the increasingly feverish discussion around her weight has us asking whether it’s more harmful to comment or stay silent, and what this and the tragic case of Jason Arday tell us about how journalists can lose sight of the real people behind headlines. Also this week: romantasy fans rejoice as Sarah J Maas reveals the covers, titles and blurbs for ACOTAR 6 and 7, Nicole Kidman faces backlash for looking “unrecognisable” on the cover of Vogue and the passing of actor Hayden Panettiere.

Join the ticket waitlist for our book club on Wed 2 September via Ticket Tailor and order Where Are the Kings here 

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/reviews

• DTF St Louis, HBO Max  
• The A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Sarah J Maas 
• The Last House, Netflix 
• The Invite
• Camp Miasma
• How do you assign a star rating to Ariana Grande? Ellie’s Substack
• When the Snowflakes Pretend They Played No Part in the Avalanche, Conquest of the Useless Substack
• “Where Am I Going? And What’s Next?”: Nicole Kidman Is Keeping Her Heart Open, Vogue
• We call her Emma podcast
• This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hayden Panettiere

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Nara Smith came on Call Her Daddy to rebuke her status as “poster girl” for the tradwife movement, but do we buy her rebrand? We discuss whether her content glamourising hyper-feminine domesticity causes real-world harm or whether she’s being held to unfair standards. Plus, rave reviews of masterpiece non-fiction thriller London Falling, the epic third season of House of the Dragon, and Epstein-coded serial killer drama Furious.

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and order Where Are the Kings here 

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/reviews

• London Falling by Patrick Radden-Keefe 
• Patrick Radden-Keefe on How to Fail
• Where Are The Kings, Donal Ryan
• House of the Dragon, NOWTV 
• The House That Dragons Built, HBO 
• Furious, Disney Plus
• “Furious” Is a Crime Drama for a Post-Epstein World, New Yorker
• Cape Fear, AppleTV
• Nara Smith: Stop Calling Me a Tradwife, Call Her Daddy
• Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke 
•  The Tradwife Illusion Meets the Anti-Trump Reality, New York Times
• “You Can’t Just Be Showing Matcha-Pilates-Alo”, Vulture
• Influencers Are Being Paid to Spread the Mormon Church's Gospel, Bloomberg
• Emilie Kiser: The Loss That Changed Her Forever, On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in cinemas
• Gary Stevenson: “I was obsessed with making money”, The Louis Theroux Podcast
• We Call Her Emma, Tortoise Investigates

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This week we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes on a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of lots of deeply honest and moving DMs from the huns. A friendship ‘breakup’ is an experience more than 80% of women have been through and it can be even more gut-wrenching than ending a romantic relationship. Yet in our society that prioritises romantic over platonic love, there’s no social script for dealing with it. We cover everything from ghostings and estrangement to boundaries and therapy-speak, as well as how politics, exes and different life stages can lead to rifts and resentment. If you’ve been through something similar, then hopefully this ep will help you feel less alone! 

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of Where Are the Kings here 

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs

• Bad Friend, Michelle Elman
• Bride Wars 
• We Need to Talk about Our Ex Best Friends, Elle
• Bad Friend, Tiffany Watt Smith
• The Lingering Wounds of Friendship Breakups, Elle 
• The White Lotus S3 E8, HBO 
• Will Our Friendship Survive Your Baby, New York Magazine 

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This week we’re diving into Jia Tolentino’s viral essay on the new age of cosmetic enhancement, from how algorithms are changing our faces to whether Botox really helps women get ahead at work – and why our own feelings on tweakments have recently radically changed. Also on the show: Olivia Wilde’s brilliant new film The Invite, where she and Seth Rogen play a miserable middle-class married couple, Apple’s sci-fi dystopia Silo, dispatches from the newborn trenches, and the latest doc exploring the ethics of reality TV, The Love Island Curse. Enjoy huns!

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of Where Are the Kings here 

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Recs/ reviews: 

• On whether having a baby ruins your life or not, Sam Parker, Substack
• Silo, AppleTV
• The Invite, in cinemas
• The Drama, available to rent
• Half Man, iPlayer
• The Curse of Love Island, Prime Video 
• Our incredible September book club pick Where Are the Kings, by Donal Ryan – pre-order your copy here 
• Our Plastic Surgery Nightmare, The New Yorker 
• How 'The Botox Psyop' Broke Our Brains in the Name of Beauty, Diabolical Lies

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We are so excited to be reunited and resuming normal service this week with a very overdue pop culture catch up! First up: reviews of Christopher Nolan's much talked-about Hollywood epic The Odyssey and "perimenopausal" crime caper Ride or Die starring Hannah Waddingham, before we dive into the fascinating new Katie Price docu-series. Plus: the new data showing that nine out of 10 of Britain's best-selling novels feature a murdered woman, and the Chris Martin-curated World Cup halftime show, from its bizarre performances to Madonna and Justin Bieber's reported feud. Enjoy huns and don’t forget to put Wednesday 2nd September in your diaries for our next book club at The Hoxton Holborn! 

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/ reviews:

• The Odyssey, in cinemas
• Sex, beds and grisly executions: what Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey changed, invented – and left out, Guardian
• Chastity, nodding and enormous pores: will women also love Nolan’s Odyssey?, Guardian
• Obsession, in cinemas
• Ride or Die, Amazon Prime 
• ‘An overnight success after 25 years? Delicious’: Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham on sexism, stunts and stardom at 51, Guardian
• Lucky, Prime Video
• Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, NOWTV/ Sky
• Nine out of 10 bestselling novels in UK have one thing in common: a woman is murdered, Guardian
• 9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why, Marie Claire
• Hawk, Netflix

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This week we’re sharing our favourite reads of the year so far, from the novels we couldn’t put down and 2026’s most-talked about titles to the memoirs that kept us up at night. Consider this your summer reading inspo: including the ultra-hyped Strangers by Belle Burden, Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash and Devil Wears Prada-style thriller Workhorse. As promised, we’re also reviewing the trad-wife thriller Yesteryear again, as well as the addictive true story of how actor Hannah Murray found herself sucked into a creepy wellness cult. Enjoy huns and please do share your book recs in the comments! 

Our next book club will be announced in the next couple of weeks – watch this space hunnies! You can also find our 10 best books of all time over on Patreon, where we drop bonus eps every month and offer our main eps completely ad-free.

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/ reviews: 

• Strangers, Belle Burden 
• Belle Burden on the Collapse of Her 20 Year Marriage & Her Bestselling Memoir, The Oprah Podcast
• Why I Don't Feel Sorry for Belle Burden, Kathleen Harmer on Substack 
• Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke
• I’m obsessed by the trad wife world — this was the best way to expose it, The Times 
• The Caro Episode, Diabolical Lies
• Lost Lambs, Madeline Cash 
• “I Always Felt Ripe for a Cult”: Meet Madeline Cash, Author of the Year’s Buzziest Debut, Interview Magazine 
• The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness, Hannah Murray
• Workhorse, Caroline Palmer 
• Hooked, Asako Yuzuki

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We have more entertainment than any generation in history, so why does everything feel boring now? Fatigue, the death of originality and digital overwhelm are things we’ve been mulling over a lot recently, after finding ourselves sick of the onslaught of mid-level media, the memeification of politics, nihilism, AI slop and remake after re-release upon algorithm-driven copycat. Is this all just a symptom of the attention economy in overdrive? And what can we do to reclaim our interest? This week we’re deep-diving into why we all feel so bored of everything and how we fight back in the age of average.

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs / reviews: 

• “Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?” The Atlantic
• The decline of Hollywood talent and originality, Brad Starks on LinkedIn
• This is what it looks like when nothing matters, The Atlantic
• What Does '6-7' Mean? Don't Expect Gen Alpha to Explain It. New York Times
• What Does Boredom Do to Us—and for Us? New Yorker
• When Did Reading Become A Competitive Sport? Elizabeth Day on Substack

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