Strong Tea

Well this is all a little emotional isn’t it?!  This is the final episode (FOR NOW) in the current instalment of Strong Tea & Quick Brews.  With a lot happening in our personal lives right now, we’ve decided to take a break until 2024 to give us chance to focus on other areas and also to plan ahead to Strong Tea 2.0! We want to come back with a BANG!  We’ve been so lucky that we grew the Strong Tea brand and podcast from nothing, just with a love of talking about the things that matter and the things that we should be talking about more and that has grown into over 16k downloads in less that 2 years which for us is HUGE!  We’ve also had a huge number of people approach the show to come on and tell their story. Each person that chooses to open up and talk about their experience is extremely important to us, it’s important that we give that person the time and dedication they deserve and so, our choice to take a break is important for them too. We want to plan out some new and incredible episodes with even more incredible people in the hope that shared and lived experience will help others. We have had an absolute blast the last 2 years and have met some truly awe-inspiring and wonderfully amazing people, we have heard moving, traumatic, inspiring and thought provoking accounts from people all over the world about their own personal experiences, something which has left us truly humbled. So, whilst this is goodbye for now, it certainly isn’t goodbye forever. Rest assured that we are beavering away in the background planning to come back bigger and better than before and to do what we love, to talk more about the things that matter.

Now, you know we love a fan girl moment and this is the ultimate for our Katie. The incredible Naomi Channell from the brilliant true crime podcast Real joins us today to chat all things true crime and we can’t get enough! As a follow up to our Quick Brew episode (Why Are We Obsessed With True Crime - Quick Brew, ep 20), we wanted to chat to someone who produces one of the best loved podcasts in the UK. Naomi has been touched by crime with the murder of her best friend and wanted to develop a platform to bring justice for victims of unsolved murders. This podcast has developed into one of the best loved podcasts in the UK and around the world as it tells Real stories from all across the globe with one important difference, the victims are always at the centre of everything Naomi does. There are so many true crime podcasts out there these days with some sensationalising hugely traumatic events and crimes, this is where Real is different. Naomi dedicates a huge amount of time and effort to researching not only the crimes that she covers, but also the victims. In this episode, we chat all things true crime, serial killers and the justice system, we touch on some of Naomi’s episodes that she’s covered including some of the deep dive, six parter episodes including - “His Name Was Stuart Lubbock”, “Her Name Was Claudia Lawrence” and “Through The Wall - The Case Against Luke Mitchell”. If you’re a fan of true crime, this is definitely an episode not to be missed! 

Trigger Warning: This episode and description contains details of suicide, eating disorders and depression. This episode features a truly inspiring guest. Sandeep Saib is a lived experience mental health advocate, Rethink Mental Health Charity committee member, Time to Change London champion, Samaritans volunteer, South Asian Health Action Mental Health ambassador ....and so much more. Basically she is one of the most interesting, honest, and passionate people you could ever have the pleasure to meet.  We spoke to Sandeep on the 9th anniversary of the day she attempted to take her own life. We were honoured she had chosen to share this important date with us and sharing her story to help others. Sandeep talks about the beginnings of her mental health struggles through to her diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder, anorexia nervosa, and obsessive compulsive disorder.  She explores with us the importance of race and how it is often overlooked when it comes to mental health, and how her faith and family have been paramount in her journey. Sandeep also featured in a powerful film called Breaking the Silence which you can watch here (391) The Angel and the Devil (from the 'Breaking the Silence' documentary series) - YouTube If you would like to find out more about Sandeep or contact her then you can find her socials via this link: Sandeep Saib | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree A massive thank you again to Sandeep and all the incredible work she does. 

Valen Vain. The Filth Wizard. What can we say about the incredible Valen?!   Valen is the founder and the face behind KEN - Kinky Erotic Nature events in Hull - Yorkshire's Largest Kinky Cabaret, he’s a compere, a singer, a pole & aerial hoop dancer, he’s the founder and presenter of the podcast Thirsty Work (see the link below) and he’s a sexual educator! Is there nothing this man can’t do?!   We certainly learned a heap of things in this episode, our final in the sex series.   Today, we delve into the world of kink and fetish, of safe words, BDSM and sex education.   Valen is, in his own words, a hedonist, a pleasure seeker. His mind is more open than the majority of people when it comes to what pleasure might be, what to try and what turns him on. The world of kink and fetish is a wild one if you’re on the outside looking in and the fabulous Valen gives us a cheeky glimpse inside to understand a little more.   But that’s not the only thing that Valen excels at, he’s also a sexual educator and runs the popular podcast Thirsty Work, check out the link here!   Valen Vain had gained notoriety in the North East for running KEN, the kinky erotic nature which are events allowing people to explore their sexual intricacies, interests and desires. You can find out more about KEN here!  

Today we meet with the absolutely lovely Dr Ellie Birtley. You only need take a peek at her website, which you can do here, to see what a brilliantly talented woman this is.   Dr Ellie explains the top reasons that people come to sex therapy, we ask just how she helps her clients and delve into why sex is STILL (in 2023) a taboo topic!   If you'd like to find out more about Dr Ellie or the services that she offers, you can find her here: https://drelliebirtley.co.uk

We are once again, extremely honoured to have the wonderful Finlay Games joining us, this time to get a little intimate to talk all about sex and trans.    One reoccurring theme that we seem to continue to trip over with our wonderful trans guests is that other people always seem to be obsessed with what’s in their pants. You wouldn’t ask a cis person about their junk, so why do people feel its ok to ask trans people?   In this episode, Finn is wonderfully open about his experience of his physical transition and what that has meant for him, he talks about sex and becoming comfortable in a new body. Learning to use an entirely new body part is something that the majority of people cannot even begin to fathom yet Finn talks openly to help and support others who may be considering bottom surgery.   He talks candidly about his book “Top to Bottom” which you can get your hands on here and all about dispelling myths surrounding trans sex.   To find out more about Finn, please check out his website here: https://finlaygames.com

Sex Toys. Gone are the days of skulking into a seedy back alley shop to purchase them. Sex toys are now more readily available than ever and the number of companies and distributors in the UK is growing all the time.   And so, we came across the wonderful Sam Evans from Jo Divine (see the links below), the most wonderful and customer centred toy shop we could have teamed up with!   Sam and her husband, Paul, set up Jo Divine in 2007 after finding that most sex toys and lubes were not skin-safe. Jo Divine became a store that only sells skin-safe products, allowing you to shop in confidence. They've been discreetly shipping sex toys ever since.   But Jo Divine is not simply a sex toy company, Sam has an extremely wide and varied knowledge of sexual health and uses her experiences to help guide her customers through the purchasing process if they need help and support.   Sam has spent a long time working to educate people on better sexual health, quality toys and how sexual pleasure has no age or health limits. She’s done extensive work with the perimenopausal, menopausal (with the wonderful Davina McCall - check it out here) and cancer communities.   Here are some of the amazing products that were talked about on the show:   Sutil Lube - https://www.jodivine.com/products/sutil-luxe Yes Vaginal Moisturiser - https://www.jodivine.com/products/yes-vaginal-moisturiser Sonic Wave - https://www.jodivine.com/products/lelo-sona-2 Lipstick Bullet - https://www.jodivine.com/products/rocks-off-bamboo Mimi Soft - https://www.jodivine.com/products/je-joue-mimi-soft A Spot Toy - https://www.jodivine.com/products/rocks-off-regala   If you’d like to check out the incredible products or maybe even make some purchases, you can click here:   https://www.jodivine.com and also use our EXCLUSIVE discount code:   Get 10% discount by using the code: STRONGTEA (£5 minimum spend on full priced products excluding P&P) Be quick! Offer ends 08/10/2023.   Sam and Jo Divine’s contacts are: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodivineuk Twitter for Sam: https://twitter.com/SamTalksSex Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo.divine/ Instagram for Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samtalkssex/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoDivineShop  

When we first interviewed our wonderful friend of the show, Dom Smith (episode 24 if you haven’t listened - you really should!), we were stunned as he talked about his journey with Cerebral Palsy and the questions he gets asked - so many of those questions are extremely personal and normally about sex.   Dom is the first person to put his hands up and be open and honest about this kind of stuff and he became the inspiration behind our sex series - lets talk about the things that people need educating on. Asking the questions that people want to know but are (sometimes!) too afraid to ask!   Dom’s life has had some wild and interesting encounters and he’s not afraid to talk about them and what it’s like for disabled folk. We won’t steal his thunder, you can hear what he has to say on his episode out now!

Trigger Warning: This episode contains details of addiction, depression and other mental health issues. Bella Goode is the very definition of the term strong woman. Bella has tackled many hard times and traumas in her life and it’s never once stopped her.  For years, after suffering with depression, addiction and PND amongst damaging relationships, raising children and work, Bella was finally diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. A diagnosis which has, in many ways, helped and supported her control of her mental health. Bella realised that talking about her story has and is helping others with their own journeys and as such, she continues to speak to spread the word about mental health and her experience with bipolar to help and support others. Her book, “Living With Bipolar - My Story” has been written under the pen name of Clare Marchant is not yet available but will be soon - we will post up when it is available. If you’ve been affected by anything you’ve heard in this episode of Strong Tea, you can reach out for further support here: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk  https://www.bipolaruk.org  If you’d like to get in touch with Bella, you can reach her at: Facebook Bella’s Beauty & Hair Lounge - https://www.facebook.com/BellaGoodeBeauty  Instagram Bella Goode Beauty - https://www.instagram.com/bellagoodebeauty/  Her website is www.bellagoodebeauty.co.uk 

Katie Neeves calls herself the gobby trans woman and we love her for that.   Katie is a woman on a mission - but not just any woman and not just any mission!  She lived for 48 years as a man while struggling with her gender from the age of 3 and hiding her big secret to the World.  She was thrown into turmoil when her gender dysphoria increased dramatically, causing her to go on a voyage of discovery before finally admitting to herself that she is a transgender woman and that she needed to change her body.     She then came out very publicly via a coming-out video which she posted on her social media and sent to all the clients of her photography business, risking her livelihood and reputation in the process.   This was a massive risk, as she had built up a great reputation over 31 years as one of the UK’s top photographers, photographing everything from royalty, to wars and riots.  She needn’t have worried though, as she was inundated with hundreds of messages of support.  This led to her vlogging about her transition journey in a very open, honest and humorous way, which makes the subject accessible to all.  Her story was picked up in the media and it wasn’t long before she was a regular in the radio and TV studios, becoming a trans ambassador along the way.   Katie formed Cool2BTrans to support and inspire other trans people and also to educate everyone else about trans people by showing them that trans people are just ordinary people who want to be happy - just like everyone else.  She helps organisations with diversity and inclusion by providing trans awareness training and inspirational speaking in an entertaining way, using humour to break down barriers.     Katie appears regularly in the media, being on both ITV's and the BBC's lists of experts as well as being a BBC Sounds presenter.  She was awarded British Diversity Awards "Hero of the Year 2023", the Trans in the City "Trans Community Champion 2022 Award", the This is Us "Training & Development 2023 Award" and Fellowship of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.  She was a Diva Awards "Unsung Hero of the Year 2023" finalist and she was listed on the DIVA Power List 2023.   Participants and audience members will leave Katie’s uplifting talks and training feeling both entertained and educated.  Katie said “Many people focus on the negative aspects of being trans, but I prefer to approach the subject from a much more positive angle.  I am exactly the same person I was before my transition - but far happier!”   For more information about Katie, please visit her website at www.cool2btrans.co.uk - there are also more contact details for Katie available on our website.