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Breaking the taboo

Breaking the taboo

By: Theo Clarke
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About this listen

 'Breaking the Taboo' is my new podcast on women’s health. In series one, I’ll be looking at the issue of birth trauma by speaking to affected mothers, families, healthcare professionals and campaigners for practical advice.

Like many women - my daughter's birth was not straightforward and this led me to chairing the UK Birth Trauma Inquiry as an MP in Parliament. So listen in and let’s break the taboo!

This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell. Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting & Families Relationships
Episodes
  • S2 Ep7: Inequalities in maternal health

    S2 Ep7: Inequalities in maternal health
    Jul 10 2025
    This week our host Theo Clarke is joined by Sandra Igwe, founder of The Motherhood Group, and Neya Joshi, peer supporter for the Birth Trauma Association, to discuss inequalities in maternal health and birth trauma.
    Topics that we discuss on the show include: racial disparities in maternal health outcomes; black maternal health and wellbeing; the power of community and culturally safe support; mental health being a taboo in Asian culture; how to access psychological support post birth; advice on navigating pregnancy and motherhood; and ways to improve postnatal care for new mothers.
    Sandra Igwe is a maternal health advocate, author, and founder of The Motherhood Group, a social enterprise supporting Black mothers through culturally safe peer support, events, and community engagement. She is also the creator of the BlackMums App — a femtech innovation designed to connect and empower Black mothers through AI-powered community tools. Sandra leads the annual Black Maternal Health Conference UK, founded Black Maternal Mental Health Week, and regularly works with the NHS, government bodies, and international partners to drive policy and practice change in maternal care. Her work has been featured in Vogue, BBC, Channel 4, and The Guardian.

    Neya Joshi is mum to a 5 year old son and 2.5 year old daughter. In May 2020, after the birth of her son by emergency c-section she was abandoned on the postnatal ward. Covid visiting restrictions meant her husband wasn’t allowed to visit at all, and she was unsupported for the first 30 hours after major surgery. The ordeal left her with PTSD and she found adjusting to life as a new mum difficult. She recovered with therapy and is now passionate about raising awareness of birth/postnatal ward trauma to help others feel less alone. She is currently training to be a postnatal doula so she can be a source of support and comfort to mothers during such a transformative time in their lives. She also volunteers as a peer supporter for the Birth Trauma Association.

    Birth Trauma Association: https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/
    The Motherhood Group: https://themotherhoodgroup.org/
    Instagram: @sandeeigwe @themotherhoodgroup @birth_trauma_association_uk

    This podcast is sponsored by the law firm     Irwin Mitchell.

    DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice please seek advice from a GP or Doctor.

    Website: http://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast

    Instagram: @theoclarkemp

    Breaking The Taboo production team:

    Producer: Natasha Feroze

    Researcher: Max Austin and Elliott Malik

    Designer: Emily Ryder

    Social media: Bella Carter

    Studio manager: Adam Woodward

    Studio: Studio 55 part of Wolfe Power Club
    Show more Show less
    42 mins
  • S2 Ep6: Everywoman Festival on changing landscape in women's health

    S2 Ep6: Everywoman Festival on changing landscape in women's health
    Jul 3 2025
    This week in a special episode our host Theo Clarke takes the podcast on the road to the Everywoman Festival in Cardiff. She joins the panel on the changing landscape in women's health which was recorded live in the main tent.

    Topics that we discuss on the show include: changing the narrative and how women’s health is portrayed in the media; lessons from the UK Birth Trauma Inquiry and the perspective of a clinician in the House of Lords.
    Rosie Taylor is an award-winning freelance journalist, specialising in women’s health. She write for publications including The Times, the Independent, the Telegraph, the Guardian, the Daily Mail and the i paper, and is the host of Mother Bodies, the podcast about postnatal health and why it matters.

    Baroness Finlay is a Deputy Speaker and Crossbench Peer, was on the Assisted Dying Bill Select Committee and co-edited “The Reality of Assisted Dying: understanding the issues”. A palliative medicine doctor, she established Marie Curie’s Penarth Hospice and is Vice-President of Cardiff’s City Hospice.

    Theo Clarke was the Member of Parliament for Stafford. She chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and previously set up the All Party Parliamentary Group on Birth Trauma in the House of Commons. She won 'Political Speech of the Year' at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and was included in the Top 100 Women in Westminster in 2024. Theo is the author of a bestselling memoir 'Breaking the Taboo: why we need to talk about birth trauma'.

    Diane Danzebrink (Chair) is a personal and corporate consultant, speaker, educator and the author of Making Menopause Matter. She founded the purpose over profit organisation Menopause Support in 2015 and has led the call for better menopause care and support in the U.K. with her national #MakeMenopauseMatter campaign since 2018

    Don’t suffer in silence! Listen in and let’s break the final taboo in women’s health #breakingthetaboo.

    This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell.

    DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice please seek advice from a GP or Doctor.

    Everywoman Festival: Offering education, empowerment and support for women's health across generations https://www.everywomanfest.com/aboutus

    Website: http://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast

    Read 'Breaking the Taboo' here.

    Instagram: @theoclarkemp @rosietaylorjournalism @dianedanzebrink

    Breaking The Taboo production team:

    Producer: Natasha Feroze
    Researcher: Max Austin and Elliott Malik
    Designer: Emily Ryder
    Social media: Bella Carter
    Studio manager: Adam Woodward
    Studio: Studio 55 part of Wolfe Power Club
    Show more Show less
    43 mins
  • S2 Ep6: Maternity care: what difference will an investigation make? Special podcast with Rosie Duffield MP

    S2 Ep6: Maternity care: what difference will an investigation make? Special podcast with Rosie Duffield MP
    Jun 27 2025
    This week in a special episode our host Theo Clarke is joined by Rosie Duffield MP, the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma in the UK Parliament. We discuss the Health Secretary’s recent announcement of a rapid national maternity investigation.

    Topics that we discuss on the show include: the Government’s approach to maternity care; lessons and recommendations from the Birth Trauma Inquiry; the work of the cross party APPG for birth trauma; campaigning to improve postnatal care and why women’s heath is often ignored in Government policy.

    Rosie Duffield is the Member of Parliament for Canterbury, Whitstable and the Villages and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma. She co-chaired the Birth Trauma Inquiry in Parliament with Theo in 2024 which resulted in changes to NHS policy and improvements to maternity care announced by the then UK Government.

    UK Birth Trauma Inquiry Report
    https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/birth-trauma-report

    Birth Trauma Association
    https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org

    Don’t suffer in silence! Listen in and let’s break the final taboo in women’s health #breakingthetaboo.

    This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell.

    DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice please seek advice from a GP or Doctor.

    Website: http://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast

    Instagram: @theoclarkemp

    Breaking The Taboo production team:

    Producer: Natasha Feroze
    Researcher: Max Austin and Elliott Malik
    Designer: Emily Ryder
    Social media: Bella Carter
    Studio manager: Adam Woodward
    Studio: Studio 55 part of Wolfe Power Club
    Show more Show less
    42 mins
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