This week Rachel is joined by the writer and historian Rachel Cockerell, whose debut book ‘Melting Point: Family, Memory and the Search for a Promised Land’ tells the story of the long-forgotten Galveston Movement. Together they discuss how Rachel stumbled upon the significance of her great grandfather, David Jochelmann, in the movement, after she searched his name as part of her research for her family memoir. Rachel also explains why delusion is a key ingredient for anyone wanting to become a writer, and even teases what her next book will be about.

This week's difficult woman is the senior firefighter, psychologist and author, Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton. From joining the fire service at just 18 years old when nationally only one per cent of firefighters were women, to being part of the response team for the aftermath of Grenfell, to becoming the first female to be Chief Fire Officer of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight, she tells Rachel about the prejudices she's faced throughout her career. They also talk about Rachel's experience living on the streets as a teenager, and the continued stigma surrounding homelessness.

This week’s difficult woman is truly a first for the podcast. First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan, aka Baroness Morgan of Ely, joins Rachel in the studio. From growing up in a home at the centre of Welsh Labour, to becoming the first woman to lead the country, politics is in Eluned’s blood. Together they look ahead to May’s Senedd Election, which could mark the end of Labour's dominance in Welsh Parliament since devolution. Eluned also tells Rachel the incredible story of how her family survived a plane crash when she was just a child.

This week’s difficult woman is the writer, researcher and intellectual Cat Bohannon, best known for her New York Times bestseller Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Millions Years of Human Evolution. Rachel is mind-blown as Cat tells her about the time she lived in a car for three months so she could continue teaching her students at the University of Arizona. Rachel also asks Cat about her upcoming book, which looks at why studying women’s health could save us all.

In this week’s Difficult Women, Rachel is joined by Investigations Editor at the New Statesman, Hannah Barnes. Hannah led BBC Newsnight’s investigation into the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). Her work helped lead to an extensive NHS review, and was nominated for an array of awards. Hannah is also the author of Sunday Times bestseller Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children, which was shortlisted for both the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Orwell Prize. Hannah tells Rachel about the challenges that come with reporting on complex and contentious issues.

Cindy Gallop is a true Difficult Woman: born in Buckinghamshire, raised in orthodox Brunei by a formidable “tiger mother,” and destined for marriage and motherhood. Instead, she became the founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, a radical platform challenging porn culture by showing real, consensual, emotionally honest sex. Fiercely single, unapologetic about dating younger men, and committed to designing her life entirely on her own terms, Cindy has spent decades dismantling the myths around sex, relationships, and what women are meant to want.

This week's difficult woman is the reality TV star Jazz Saunders, much loved for her kind, down to-earth nature, close friendships and fiery rows on Made in Chelsea. Jazz came out as bisexual on national tv and we have watched her in the first lesbian relationship of the whole series. We discuss all of this and we also hear from Jazz's mum Elyse. Enjoy!

This week’s difficult woman is Holly Tucker MBE. Nicknamed ‘Holly hurricane’ when she was growing up, she is one of those women who really do appear like they ‘have it all’. She co-founded the online marketplace Notonthehighstreet in 2006 and later founded Holly & Co, a purpose-led company supporting independent businesses. Rachel and Holly talk about balancing a career with family; the death of the high street and how to save it and, of course, Holly’s most difficult moment.

This week’s difficult woman is Penny Mordaunt, former Conservative minister for Women and Equalities. You may know her for holding the sword at the King Charles’ coronation or running against Liz Truss in the Conservative leadership race. There is much more to Penny than this however. She does not fit the posh Oxbridge stereotype that surrounds the Conservative party. Growing up in Portsmouth, she lost her parents at a young age and cared for her brother whilst he was ill. Her journey into politics is unconventional and frankly fascinating.

This week’s difficult woman is the global health expert Devi Sridhar. She tells Rachel how she became committed to improving public health after losing her dad at a young age and seeing the ‘medieval process’ of chemotherapy he experienced. She also shares some secrets on how to live forever…

This week’s difficult woman is the athlete, Dame Denise Lewis. She won gold in the Heptathlon in the 2000 Olympics and has continued to light up our screens with her punditry ever since. Denise is now the president of UK Athletics and is fighting for people not to experience the injustices that she did. Rachel and Denise discuss her tumultuous journey through motherhood and how she carved out a career after the gold.