Posts tagged #adoption

12/9 - An Abortion

“There’s a huge amount of guilt about the decision that I didn’t feel that I had an option but to make.”

LISTEN: Apple // Spotify // Google // MP3 // RSS // TuneIn

Pippa spent eight months struggling to conceive her second child. Then, on the brink of beginning IVF, she discovered she was pregnant.

But, at ten weeks, she discovered there was a more than 99% chance that her foetus had Down's Syndrome. She and her husband Joe had already decided that, in this situation, they would have an abortion.

In this brutally honest conversation with Olly, Pippa explains how the experience left her feeling guilty, compromised, and unsupported; and how she still struggles to reconcile the fact that she chose to terminate the baby she had wanted so much…

The NHS has a page offering support for those considering termination for foetal anomaly here.


————————————

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart, fresh from accruing sixty (60!) followers on Spotify with his musical pseudonym Captain Spronk - has spent the past month learning to knit.

Is this trend for young men taking up knitting limited to influencers like Tom Daley and Ryan Gosling? Where do hipsters go to discover the latest patterns? And can Ollie make an actual full-length SCARF on his first attempt?

With the help of Mann-fan Tom Adkins, Wool and the Gang, and some ancient episodes of The X Files, Ollie will reveal all…

If YOU would like to challenge Ollie to test out a trend on a future edition of the show, submit it via our feedback form.

Ollie catches up with The X Files

Ollie catches up with The X Files

Ollie with his baby beanie AND snood!

Ollie with his baby beanie AND snood!

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by Manscaped, the only men’s brand dedicated to below the waist grooming. Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code ‘Mann’ at Manscaped.com

————————————

Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox  is intrigued by the release of a male contraceptive device, the ‘Andro-Switch’ ring - and tackles a listener query from a lady who wants to know how she and her partner should refer to her vagina in bed.

Is there a catch-all term that’s fit for purpose? How should a couple begin an erotic conversation? And is ‘willy’ an acceptable designation for men?

If YOU would like to ask Alix a question of sex - you can remain anonymous if you wish - submit it via our feedback form.

The Foxhole is sponsored by Handy - a WiFi-enabled sex toy for men, designed and developed in Norway. For free express shipping, use our code ‘Foxhole' at TheHandy.com.

————————————

Finally, our record of the month is the surprise new drop from Biffy Clyro - an epic six minuter! It’s called ‘Unknown Male 01’ 👇

This show is free to download, but it isn’t free to produce.

If you can afford to, please buy us a beer once per month - or as often as you like - using our secure, customisable form here. Thanks!

————————————

We’ll see you again on October 10th.

LISTEN: Apple // Spotify // Google // MP3 // RSS // TuneIn
Posted on September 11, 2021 and filed under Season Twelve.

12/2 - My Dad, The Stranger

“Why would I want to have a relationship with a man who didn’t want to have a relationship with me?”

LISTEN: Apple // Spotify // Google // MP3 // RSS // TuneIn

Olivia hardly knew her father. Her parents divorced when she was two, and she was brought up by her Mum.

Sent to boarding school at the age of eight, she was estranged from her Dad for a decade.

————————————

image.jpg

Struggling financially, and weakened by bulimia, she got a call from out of the blue: it was her father, wanting to rekindle their relationship.

But - as her health deteriorated, and the UK went into lockdown - her Mum dropped a bombshell that changed everything Olivia thought she knew about her family…

Names have been changed.  

If you’ve been affected by an eating disorder, BEAT or Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous may be able to help. If you’re dealing with emotional abuse, CRISIS Text Line offer free 24/7 support.

If YOU have a story you’d like to share with Olly, send us an email via our feedback form.

————————————

Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has a 21st century spring clean - testing out Karcher’s new ‘electric cloth’, Samsung’s VS90 Jet and CleanStation, Lupe’s Pure Cordless Vacuum, and Cleen, a subscription box of environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

[Cleen have kindly created a 10% discount link just for Mann-fans: click here for 10% off your first box.]

If YOU would like to challenge Ollie to test out a trend on a future edition of the show, submit it via our feedback form.

The Zeitgeist is sponsored by below-the-waist grooming experts Manscaped, and their new cologne, Refined

For 20% off and free shipping use the code MANN at Manscaped.com.

————————————

Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox checks out the new bedroom toy that ‘turns your balls into a torpedo’, and advises listener James, who lusts after casual sex with his close friends.

Is James demisexual? Is hypersexualised gay culture, online and offline, spurring him on? And is it really a ‘kink’ to have a crush on your mates? Alix investigates, with the help of Skyler Wang, Topher Talyor, and Justin Myers.

If YOU have a question of sex you’d like Alix to answer in a future show, head on over to our feedback form.

————————————

Finally, our record of the month is ‘Personal Shopper’, a dystopian synth pop classic-in-the-making from Steven Wilson.

You can stream the full glorious TEN MINUTES now on his album, The Future Bites:

Love the show? Then SEND US A DONATION.

Every contribution, no matter how small, helps keep this podcast afloat!

BUY US A BEER HERE. Thanks!

————————————

Stay safe, and we’ll see you with a brand new episode on March 10.

LISTEN: Apple // Spotify // Google // MP3 // RSS // TuneIn
Posted on February 8, 2021 and filed under Season Twelve.

10/2 - Air Born

Jen Bricker was abandoned at birth by her biological parents. Due to a genetic defect, she had been born without legs.

Her adoptive family showered her with love and self-belief, and, inspired by her idol, Olympic gold-medalist Dominique Moceanu, she went on to pursue gymnastics.

She competed against able-bodied entrants at the Junior Olympics. She won a state championship.

But an astonishing family secret was about to rock her world…

LISTEN NOW:

Now 31, Jen is a gifted aerialist and trampolinist, who has performed in stadiums around the world and toured with Britney Spears. Her book, Everything Is Possible, has been translated into ten languages.

P1022660.jpg

Meanwhile, for this month’s Zeitgeist, Olly heads off to NYC with Ollie Peart to sample the trend for ube ice cream and experiment with the real-time crime monitoring app, Citizen.

If you’d like to come and see Ollie mess up a magic trick for his next challenge, come to the Best of British Podcast Awards show at The Underbelly in London on 16th June. Tickets here.

Plus, what’s the best way to get kinky when you live in a small community? In this month’s Foxhole, Alix Fox assists a listener who wants to put together a voyeuristic MMF threesome - in the Isle Of Man…

Finally our Record of the Month is ‘The Cracks’, the second track taken from Another Sky’s upcoming EP Life Was Coming In Through The Blinds, out 14th June via Fiction Records:

If you have a question of sex for Alix, would like to suggest a challenge for Ollie, or propose a guest for Olly to interview, please reach out via our Feedback form.

If you’re enjoying the show, please tell your friends on social media, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. And, if you’re able to support us financially, please buy us a beer - every penny goes back into making the show.

And, speaking of beers - remember to get your free case of eight delicious beers from our sponsors Beer52 - just visit beer52.com/mann.

This episode is brought to you in association with Thriva, the at-home fingerprint blood test. Get £25 off your first test at Thriva.co by using our code MANN.

Posted on June 1, 2019 and filed under Season Ten.