Shows
From Now OnTHE TRANSFORMATION: She Created Her Vagina and Confronted the ShameWhat does it take to reclaim your body and rewrite your story when society labels you as broken? How do you confront shame head-on and emerge stronger than ever?Today, we’re tackling the deep connection between shame, stigma, and self-worth.In this episode, Lisa welcomes Ally Hensley, author of Vagina Uncensored: A Memoir of Missing Parts. Diagnosed as a teenager with a rare medical condition, Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome (MRKH), which changed her life forever, Ally faced decades of shame, self-blame, and disconnection from her body. But through her journey of creating her vagina and con...2025-01-301h 03
Stigma ShakersGrief Is Love That Has Nowhere To Go: The Stigma of Death at ChristmasNicky Elkington is a hairdresser, Kylie Minogue fan since she was 7 years old, cat enthusiast, cancer survivor, and a cold-cap ambassador. When Nicky was 15 years old, her world was turned upside down when her mum died suddenly. In March 2019 just a few short weeks after her 40th Birthday, Nicky was diagnosed with breast cancer and began aggressive treatment. Then, on the 27th December 2019 her husband unexpectedly and suddenly died. And most recently, she’s had to grieve her dad’s death. She’s has faced unimaginable loss but has come out stronger on the other side. Nicky has been cancer-f...2024-12-2256 min
Stigma ShakersEven Rock Bottom Has a Basement: The Stigma of Addiction and Homelessness with Iain AndersonIain Anderson is a Scottish comedian based in Barcelona. Since he exploded onto the Barcelona comedy scene last year, he has been making waves with his quick-wittedness, charisma and a lethal turn of phrase. He recently returned from the Edinburgh Fringe after completing a full run of his amazing debut one-man show TRAUMEDY: A Guide To Being A Fabulous Homeless Addict, which was a huge success and audiences praised it for being a clever blend of hilarious, moving and uplifting storytelling. He has been using this show as a vehicle to challenge people's ideas about homelessness and addiction and to r...2024-12-021h 09
Stigma ShakersBehind Closed Doors: The Stigma of Domestic Violence with Jennie GiradoJennie Girardo is an award-winning director and producer with hundreds of behind-the-scenes, social, and branded content efforts under her belt. She’s created content for Apple TV’s Masters of the Air, Amazon Prime's Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and HBO's Game of Thrones and more. In 2024, Jennie made her narrative directorial debut with short film The Fuscos, which touches on the subject of domestic violence. She hopes that this film will help encourage women to use their voices to rise above the taboo, share their stories, and ultimately put an end to this epidemic. In her free time, you can f...2024-11-2551 min
Healing PlaceVagina Uncensored: A Journey of Missing Parts with Ally Hensley✨SEASON FINALE: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ✨ The season finale is here and it's a powerful listen! Vagina Uncensored: A Journey of Missing Parts with the extraordinary Ally Hensley.Ally is a true inspiration, openly sharing her experiences with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH), a rare condition that causes the vagina and uterus to be underdeveloped or absent.Despite the challenges and trauma, Ally has turned her experiences into a platform to raise awareness and support people. She is now a powerful global voice and advocate for breaking the stigma.She's co-produced a pio...2024-11-0634 min
WomenKind CollectiveAnxiety & MenopauseWKC Spill The Tea on Anxiety and Menopause In our new series, we will be spilling the tea on topics that affect our health and well-being from the extra-ordinary women that are raising their voices for positive change. This week we spill the tea on what it’s like living with anxiety in menopause, from our personal experiences. We discus what anxiety disorder is and what it isn't, and a little bit of its history as a disorder.We talk about driving anxiety, why so many women leave the wor...2024-10-2636 min
5 Live News SpecialsThat Time of the Month: Born without a wombNaga Munchetty speaks to Betty Mukherjee, who took part in the BBC’s Race Across the World, about being diagnosed with MRKH at the age of 16 and her decision to talk publicly about it on the programme. MRKH, or Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome, is a rare condition that means a woman is born with ovaries but no womb. Naga is also joined by Ally Hensley, who has written a book about her experience of the condition, as well as the regular experts Dr Nighat Arif and Dr Christine Ekechi to listen to your stories and answer your questions.
That Time of th...2024-10-1648 min
Up First from NPRWaiting For Milton, States Sue TikTok, New Rules For Lead PipesHurricane Milton is expected to be catastrophic when it makes landfall Wednesday. Fourteen attorneys general sue TikTok, saying it places profit over kids' mental health. The EPA issues a rule requiring replacement of all lead pipes within 10 years.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Scott Hensley, Russell Lewis, Kara Platoni, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfe. It was produced by Paige Waterhouse, Nia Dumas and Ana Perez. We get engineering support from Carleigh...2024-10-0912 min
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis HensleyTV Writer & Author Stan Zimmerman (The Girls: From Golden To Gilmore) Part 1: "I Wanted To Be An Ernie Flatt Dancer On The Carol Burnett Show"Dennis is joined via Zoom by television writer Stan Zimmerman to talk about his memoir The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore, which documents his career working on such iconic shows as Roseanne, The Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls as well as The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel. In this first part of a two-part interview, Stan talks about his midwest upbringing and how his mother bought him the ballet shoes he wanted behind his father's back. He also talks about meeting his longtime writing partner Jim Berg, why they work wll together and how they landed a...2024-10-0354 min
Up First from NPRElection Workers Voice Concerns, Influencers In Springfield, Sickle Cell TreatmentsFormer President Donald Trump tried to overturn the election results and slander election workers in 2020. Less than two months before this year's election, officials are preparing for new conspiracy theories. Online influencers are trying to find evidence of debunked events in Springfield, Ohio, and many people with sickle cell disease are slow to sign up for new genetic treatments.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ben Swasey, Brett Neely, Scott Hensley, HJ...2024-09-2012 min
The Sexual Wellness SessionsUnderstanding MRKH With Ally Hensley and Ellamae FullaloveThere is a real lack of conversation around many medical conditions, and especially those which are not immediately visible, and MRKH falls into this category. Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a congenital condition which is characterised by the vagina and uterus being underdeveloped or absent, alongside other symptoms. As there are no physically outwards signs until someone reaches puberty and doesn't start their period, this leaves many discovering that they have the condition and everything that comes with it, typically around ages 16-18.
There are so many factors that can impact someone with the condition from being u...2024-09-201h 38
Real Estate Mega Moms PodcastEpisode 443 The Mega Moms Get REAL - Part 1💖🎙️Listen as Jessica and Stefanie dive into how calendars can lead to big changes, mama!🎙️ Protecting your time with loved ones is a must for work-life balance. Hear how Jessica and Stefanie learned to embrace (and schedule!) what truly matters to them both. 🗓️✨ Balancing family and business as life shifts is key. When you focus on what makes your heart and your loved ones' hearts sing, and let that guide your planner, you'll find renewed purpose in everything you do! 👩👧👦🫶🏠 So let the ladies bend your ear, and discover how your calendar can be y...2024-09-1015 min
Stigma Shakers“Believe Me”: The Stigma of Transgender with Kenny Ethan JonesKenny Ethan Jones is a writer and activist that is widely recognised for making history by being the first trans man to front a period campaign. Since then he's gone on to campaign about menstruation, body politics, mental health and intimacy. He engages in open, honest and respectful conversations about all things trans in hopes of tackling misinformation and creating allies. His debut novel Dear Cisgender People: A Guide to Trans Allyship and Empathy is due for release in June 2024.Episode DescriptionIn this profoundly important and moving episode, Kenny and Ally discuss...2024-05-2956 min
Stigma ShakersThe Swipe Right Effect: The Stigma of "Singledom" with Lauren JosephineLauren Josephine is long-time dater, turned dating and relationships author. After going on over 200 dates throughout her 20s and 30s, she felt called to write about and normalise all of the struggles modern daters deal with today, especially when using dating apps. She recently published her first book called ‘Looking for Something Serious', in which she uses her 10-year dating journey to discuss the many pitfalls of dating today, like ghosting, situationships, repeated rejection, and losing hope in dating altogether. Lauren is passionate about sharing practical, optimistic dating advice to help single people build the confidence, patience, and hope they n...2024-05-2252 min
Stigma ShakersThe Pleasure Portfolio: The Stigma of Male Sex work with Samuel HunterSamuel Hunter, from Sydney Australia, has been working as a sex worker for the last four years. While admitting he's held dozens of different jobs, including working as a chef, working for a sex shop and writing blogs for a brothel, his interest in sex work began when he heard about a charity called Touching Base, that put people with disability in touch with sex workers. Now one of Australia’s most high-profile male sex workers, Samuel sees women from all walks of life, generally aged 50+, with some in their thirties and twenties on occasion. As a mature gent, bot...2024-04-3033 min
Stigma ShakersAt What Point Do You Question Your Own Mortality?: The Stigma of Too Young to Die with Lucy YoungerLucy Younger is a 23-year-old young women’s health advocate and writer. After finishing her second year of university, she was diagnosed with a rare low grade brain tumour which required a craniotomy to treat. Post surgery and recovery, Lucy went on to graduate with an English degree, phenomenally followed by a Master's Degree, however similarly to her undergraduate experience, she was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer at the end of her master’s, which led her to start her blog and page “Living low grade”. This traumatic experience inspired Lucy to create an uplifting blog to raise awareness about low grade tu...2024-04-1645 min
Stigma Shakers"The 237 Reasons Humans Have Sex": The Stigma of Sexual Hang-UpsKate Moyle is a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist, Certified Psycho-Sexologist, host of The Sexual Wellness Sessions Podcast and author of The Science Of Sex. In her psychotherapy practice she works with people to help them understand the challenges and difficulties that they are having in their sex lives and relationships, what's maintaining them and how they can get to a place of improved sexual wellbeing. She is a regular media contributor and expert on the topic of sexual wellbeing, and has been a guest on podcasts such as Diary Of A CEO hosted by Simon Barlett, Giovanna...2024-04-0150 min
This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine“Everything I Learned, I Learned In A Chinese Restaurant”Curtis Chin’s family owned the famed Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine in Detroit, and growing up gay in the 1980s he discovered a world of diversity in the restaurant’s clientele. He’s interviewed by Dennis Hensley of “Dennis Anyone? A podcast about making things up and making things happen” (dennisanyone.net).
And in NewsWrap: Canada’s terrorism assessment agency says anti-queer groups present an “extreme threat” of violence, Russian security forces step up their “unlawful propaganda” raids on LGBTQ venues, Tennessee allows authorized officials to use their religious beliefs to opt-out of performing same-gender wedding ceremonies, a bill to guarantee marriage equ...2024-02-2728 minThis Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine“Everything I Learned, I Learned In A Chinese Restaurant”Curtis Chin’s family owned the famed Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine in Detroit, and growing up gay in the 1980s he discovered a world of diversity in the restaurant’s clientele. He’s interviewed by Dennis Hensley of “Dennis Anyone? A podcast about making things up and making things happen” (dennisanyone.net).
And in NewsWrap: Canada’s terrorism assessment agency says anti-queer groups present an “extreme threat” of violence, Russian security forces step up their “unlawful propaganda” raids on LGBTQ venues, Tennessee allows authorized officials to use their religious beliefs to opt-out of performing same-gender wedding ceremonies, a bill to guarantee marriage equ...2024-02-2728 min
GETSOMEThe Woman Born Without A VaginaReady for an Unforgettable Journey of Strength and Resilience?We’re kicking off season 3 with a conversation with Ally Hensley, a woman who was born with a rare condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome, resulting in the absence of a vagina and reproductive organs. Our conversation follows her relationship with her body before and after diagnosis, and talks about her personal healing journey to unlearning the feelings of shame she came to feel surrounding sex and sexuality.Today, Ally is an author, speaker, writer, and advocate for women’s reproductive health.Show Notes...2024-02-1442 min
Stigma ShakersPutting Shame to Bed: The Stigma of the ‘V’ Word with Dr Aziza SesayDr. Aziza Sesay is an NHS General Practitioner, GP educator, Honorary Senior Clinical lecturer, host, speaker and health content creator. She has a strong passion for health education, awareness, advocacy and empowerment. She channels this through her platform ‘Talks with Dr. Sesay’ where she shares short informative videos, infographics, live discussions and tips on a variety of topics with a particular emphasis on women’s and gynaecological health, cancer awareness, mental health and health inequity. Dr. Sesay is the creative director of Black Female Doctors UK organisation, Charity fundraising lead for Keep it Fax charity, one of the...2023-11-0629 min
Xposed with Samantha XAlly Hensley | Her Medical Condition being her Biggest SuccessAlly was born with no vagina, womb or cervix, yet says her devastating condition has been her biggest career break. She talks to Samantha about shame, stigma and how she had to make her own vagina with medical dilators. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2023-10-2457 min
The Business Case For Women's SportsEp. #65 How Mercury 13 is Taking a Moonshot and Investing Big in Global Women’s Football, ft. Nancy HensleyIn episode #65 of 🎙️The Business Case For Women’s Sports, presented by Ally, we hear from Nancy Hensley - a Founding Member of Mercury 13 - which is a multi-club ownership group that is on a mission to invest $100 million in acquiring women's soccer clubs in Europe and Latin America. Led by sports entrepreneur Victoire Cogevina Reynal, Mercury 13 is aiming to become the industry standard of women’s football ownership by identifying the next decade’s super clubs and fueling their commercial power to attract a massive yet underserved market: female football fans.⚽️First up? Lewes FC - a club from...2023-10-1825 min
Stigma Shakers"You're Going Crazy!": The Stigma of Gendered Health with Sarah Graham Sarah Graham is an award-winning freelance health journalist and founder of the Hysterical Women blog, specialising in health, gender and feminism. She has written extensively on these subjects for the i newspaper, Refinery29, the Telegraph, Grazia, Guardian, the BMJ and many others. She was a finalist in the 2021 Medical Journalists’ Association Awards. In Rebel Bodies, my guest award-winning health journalist and founder of the Hysterical Women blog ,Sarah Graham, investigates what it will take to bridge the gender health gap, shining a light on the prevalence of the daily and dangerous disparities in the medical help women and men rec...2023-10-1145 min
Stigma Shakers“Grief Isn't Like the Movies”: The Stigma of Grief with Lissie Harper MBELissie Harper began a campaign after her husband, who she had married just four weeks earlier, was killed on duty in Berkshire in August 2019. Three people were convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder. Lissie used her profound grief and determination for justice and campaigned for legal changes – named Harper’s Law. With the support of the UK Government and Police Federation, Harpers Law was passed, which legislates the extension of mandatory life sentences to anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker, and unlawful killing of those on duty. In recognition of her efforts in introducing Harper’s Law, L...2023-09-2743 min
Stigma ShakersLeaning into Loneliness: The Stigma of Loneliness with Michelle AhernMichelle Ahern is an Australian-born writer, comedian and communications specialist. From poetry to blogs to her latest foray into the world of stand-up comedy, Michelle’s writing and performing always hones in on the guts of life. From the true story of loss that gave way to a new lease on life she has recently moved to Barcelona, Spain where she is starting over, in her 40s. Where there used to be a husband, a family, a home, a dog and a job … she now has a stage and a microphone where she thrives on telling stories of exploring new...2023-09-1835 min
Stigma ShakersDon’t Mind If I do!: The Stigma of Masturbation with Ellamae FullaloveEllamae Fullalove, founder of @vavawomb_ and @mindovermkh, is a community and events founder, advocate, speaker, podcast host, workshop facilitator, poet and all round creative. Ellamae curated the stigma shaking community brand @vavawomb_ which provides educational, scroll-stopping content on gender equality, intersectional feminism, pleasure, infertility, health and well-being. She co-founded The Vagina Festival event using performing arts, story telling, workshops and poetry as a catalyst for change.She designs and delivers workshops to untangle shame, to self explore and to tap into your sexual mental health, as well as for mindfulness using art therapy as a method of...2023-09-0441 min
Stigma ShakersWe Marry As a Community But Divorce Alone: The Stigma of Divorce with Nikki ParkinsonNikki Parkinson is a separation strategist, family law expert, mother of three, and unmarried. Once upon a time, Nikki spent her 9-5 working in the corporate world of Family Law, ticking boxes and filing court orders. Then her marriage ended, and she found herself standing in the shoes of her clients — anxious, alone and lost despite all of her experience. She's lived through the difficulties of separation — both her own and her clients. Now, her goal is to take the fear-factor out of divorce and separation, reduce the shame, start important conversations around the practicalities of ending a relationship and t...2023-08-2943 min
Stigma ShakersOK, It’s Time to Talk Difference: The Stigma of Intersex with Sean Saifa WallSean Saifa Wall (he/him/his) is a Black queer intersex activist and rising scholar. Born and raised in the Bronx, Saifa attended Williams College and has since lived and worked in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, he is a Marie Skolowdska-Curie fellow at the University of Huddersfield in England examining the erasure of intersex people from social policy in Ireland and England. As an activist, Saifa is committed to racial equity and a radical vision of bodily autonomy for people with intersex variations. He is co-founder of the Intersex Justice Project w...2023-08-1355 min
Stigma ShakersHave We Got the Sex Industry All Wrong?: The Stigma of Sex Work with Amanda GoffAmanda Goff is a bestselling author, journalist, and former escort under the alter ego name of Samantha X. Amanda started her career as a tabloid journalist in her hometown of London before moving to Sydney in 2000, where she worked in TV and magazines. Then at 37, after two kids and separation, Amanda completely changed her life.After walking out of her nine-to-five job. Amanda became Australia’s most high-profile escort Samantha X. Since then, Amanda has written two best-selling books and was the focus of constant media attention, gaining fans and critics worldwide. Deciding to leave the es...2023-08-0634 min
Stigma ShakersPeople Pleaser Recovery: The Stigma of Saying No with Natalie LueNatalie Lue is an author, artist, and creator of one of the longest running self-help blogs in the world, Baggage Reclaim, and The Baggage Reclaim Sessions podcast. The England-born, Ireland-raised author helps people understand how their emotional baggage is interfering with their ability to live their lives happily and authentically. Natalie’s authored five books, including Mr Unavailable and the Fallback Girl and The Joy of Saying No (Jan 2023, HarperCollins). Her advice has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, NPR, USA Today, and the BBC, among many others. Natalie lives in Caterham, Surrey, on the edge of so...2023-07-3048 min
BeliefcastAlly JensenIn just five minutes with Ally Jensen, your life can be transformed. Despite suffering from Vascular Compression, she approaches each day with gratitude and love. Her symptoms began at the age of 11, exposing her to a level of struggle that would challenge even the strongest of individuals.
Ally embraces each day with love and gratitude, despite the challenges she faces. Rather than allowing her own struggles to overwhelm her, she uses her experiences to inspire and assist others.
Ally's daily life is characterized by her resilience and appreciation, despite facing numerous su...2023-04-241h 05
Mads WorldWays of Womanhood: Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome with Ally HensleyHelloooo, and welcome to Season 8 of Mads World! You're about to listen to Ways of Womanhood: Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome with Ally Hensley!
This week I am joined by author, speaker, ghost-writer, content creator and stigma shaker of the best kind, Ally Hensley. As a teenager, Ally Hensley discovered that she had been born with a rare condition, Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), resulting in the absence of a womb and a vagina. Discovering her infertility just months after her sweet sixteen, Ally had a job to do: create a vagina from scratch. What followed, was a life of de...2023-03-0740 min
Be That B*tchBE THAT BITCH.... THAT HAS HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE & IS OBSESSED WITH THE RIGHT THINGSHIIIIIII bitches!!!! Not gonna lie it's been struggleville USA over here with the post Thanksgiving slump be we getting back together slow + steady LOL... In this episode I answer your most burning questions & address the idea of health at every size... Questions answered:Being obsessed with the right vs wrong thing.Not obsessing over your apple watch rings.coming back from major surgery/sickness and how to navigate it.Getting back on track.Not allowing social media to tear you down.BOOKS...2022-11-3040 min
Sass & Something!Behind the Scenes on a Book Deal & How to Sell Your Life StoryToday, we're joined once again by Ally Hensley, who you might remember from episode 3 of season 2. When we last spoke, Ally was just finishing writing her memoir about the rare condition, which transformed her sexual identity. Since then, she's signed a book agent in the UK (no small feat!). This episode is a must, if you dream of writing a book but you believe you have to be famous for people to care about your story (spoiler alert: you don't!) In this episode, we talk about: Dealing with rejection during the pitching process Writing about a...2022-11-2125 minSass & Something!Ally Hensley: Breaking Trauma Bonds & The Power of Uncensored FriendshipTW: This episode includes references to self-harm and disordered eating. ALLY HENSLEY is a writer, speaker and advocate, who has built a global community for girls and women living with the rare disorder she was born with. Her story and content has spread across the world, but she is sooo much more than “the woman born without a vagina.” Since the age of 16, when she began the journey to ‘create’ her own vagina canal — without surgery – she has been on a path to body love and sexual acceptance. She is also Amy’s best friend — a friendship for...2022-09-2634 min
Mind Over MRKHAlly Hensley - Trauma to triumph and Global MRKHTRIGGER WARNING- SELF HARM/SWEARING.I loved speaking to my good friend (who I've only met in the flesh once!) because we prefer to just wing it and take away the filter from our MRKH stories with a truly candid chat.Be prepared to hear the word vagina 100 times or more and get the secret to protecting your story.Ally talks about the ingredients to turning pain into Power and tells us why sharing isn't copingFind Ally over on Global MRKH and her personal account Ally Hensley is a...2022-01-141h 09
Womb RoomBorn without a womb - with Ally Hensley (mrkh, mental health, surrogacy, childfree)Ally was diagnosed at 16yo with MRKH. With firing ovaries - boobs, hips and a typical vulva, you would never know that internally her body had failed to form a womb, cervix and vaginal canal. While she spent 9 months pushing tubes into herself to create a vagina, she remained infertile. Ally shares with us the poignant, heartfelt and heartbreaking road this diagnosis led her down - from self destruction, sexual shame and surrogacy to international speaking on turning trauma into triumph. Her story is immensely powerful and incredibly inspiring. Her words tug at the human frailties inside all of...2021-10-0547 min
Women's Biz GlobalWomen’s Biz Global Podcast Ep 24 - Annie Gibbins in Conversation with Ally HensleyIn this episode of Memoirs of Successful Women, Transformation Specialist Annie Gibbins interviews Ally Hensley, Founder and Vice President of MRKH Australia.
Ally Hensley is a Brit to Bondi convert, women’s writer, speaker, global ambassador and advocate in women’s health. As the co-founder of MRKH Australia, Ally is motivated to improve the health and wellbeing for those touched by this unique condition. As part of her ongoing work with MRKH, Ally also works to reduce the stigma surrounding differences of sexual development and sexual (mental) health. Ally was diagnosed with MRKH in her late teens. Consumed wi...2021-06-0448 min
A Scary Home CompanionMassacre at Blacksite OneSend us a textHe was turned into a monster. He was set loose on the world. Now Razormouth has been captured, contained, and locked away. But they have underestimated the rage of the posthuman abomination... nor do they realize he has found an ally.For more details on the backstory, check out The Thing in the Basement, The Machinist, and Night of the Long Knives.Edited and produced by Jeff DavidsonGuest voice by Eric TaylorLobo Loco - Dream Softly BabySecret Birds - Black Teeth2020-02-2147 min