Why aren’t we talking about this

Infertility is a complex topic. And while conversations and support around it have come a long way in the 9 years since I went through IVF, there’s still one side that remains largely closed off. Male infertility. It’s often framed clinically. Numbers. Tests. Procedures. Analysis. But emotionally, it hits something much deeper. For many men, fertility is tangled up with identity. We live in a culture shaped by toxic masculinity- one that links a man’s value to strength, competence, and legacy. Virility becomes a marker of worth. Of power. Of being “enough.” So when infertility arises, it doesn’t just feel like a medical problem, it can feel like a personal failure. There’s often shame, silence and avoidance. As most men do not have the language for this kind of vulnerability. In today’s episode, I’m speaking to Alex Wortley about his experience male infertility. We dive into feelings, perceptions, why we really need to talk about this more. This is a must listen for anyone in a fertility journey or has friends going through it, as whilst the lens on male infertility much of what we talk about is the importance of open, honest conversations. --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

We live in a world overflowing with health advice. Protocols. Hacks. Blueprints for the “perfect” routine. Everyone seems to have a plan, a stack, a morning routine that promises optimisation and longevity. And yet, most of us (and I raise my hand here) are still exhausted, disconnected, inflamed, wired, under-fed, over-stimulated, under-rested. We’re not short on information. We’re short on self-knowledge. Somehow, the most unsexy, foundational elements of health have become the most neglected:Sleep. Hydration. Light. Movement. Food. Rest. Nervous system safety. We know them. We talk about them. We measure them obsessively on apps and devices, yet we seem to have lost the ability to actually embody them. In todays episode of Why Aren’t we talking about this, I speak with Brigid Fox, an integrative health and performance coach about what happens when we stop treating health as a performance  and start treating it as a relationship.  --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

I’d guess around 70-80% of people are somewhat miserable in their jobs. Many have done well - climbed the ladder, earned the big title,  but sit there day after day, quietly hating everything about it.  Dreaming of a slower pace. Of finally exploring the hobby that makes them feel alive. Of that startup idea they can’t stop thinking about; the one they’re convinced could change everything. But most of them won’t do anything about it. They’ll spend the next 20 years in the same roles they once thought were a good idea, still dreaming on the side. And the none day, they’ll retire - maybe with a pang of regret. Why? Why are we so willing to settle for “good enough” in our careers? If this were a marriage, people would be shouting, “Get out! Leave! Put yourself first!” But when it comes to jobs and drastic career changes, the advice flips - you have to stay, you can’t possibly leave. In today’s episode of ‘Why aren’t we talking about this’ I’m speaking with Gilly Ridley Whittle about the midlife pivot. Gilly had the big job, the big title, and then said fuck it to the system. In her 40s, she set out to build a lingerie brand Peachaus, that, I genuinely believe, will change the industry forever. --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

“Grieving people don’t need wise words. They need lasagna.” Death. It happens to all of us -  and to everyone we love -  but no one wants to talk about it. In Western society, death is hidden away. Out of sight. Out of polite conversation. As a result, many of us simply don’t have the language to talk about it. Several of my dear friends have recently had loved ones die, and I find myself not knowing what to say. And then the worse thing happens, I say nothing at all. And then there is the practical side. We’ve built a formulaic approach to funerals -  one that often strips away the person’s personality, their story, their identity. And compassionate leave. Three to five days to “get over” the death of someone you love. What utter BS.  Grief doesn’t work like that. It’s not linear, it’s not tidy, and it doesn’t fit into a policy. In todays conversation with ‘Why Aren’t We Talking About It’. I’m speaking with Poppy Mardall, founder of Poppy’s Funerals, a business changing the conversation around death -  and helping us find a new way to face it. Two weeks into 2026, the resolutions are in the bin, the fresh faced unstoppable January energy has faded, and you are now right back in the treadmill of life. Plodding on, doing the same old thing. But, what if, instead, you paused for a second and asked yourself this important question 'will I give these people one more year of my life?'. This can apply to work, but it can also apply to friendships and relationships. In todays conversation with Richard Robinson we talk about what happens if the answer is no, what can you do about it (spoiler its not go out and burn it all down). And, conversely what can you do if the answer is yes, what can you do now to make sure that if the answer ever became a no you are set up for success. --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

Two weeks into 2026, the resolutions are in the bin, the fresh faced unstoppable January energy has faded, and you are now right back in the treadmill of life. Plodding on, doing the same old thing. But, what if, instead, you paused for a second and asked yourself this important question 'will I give these people one more year of my life?'. This can apply to work, but it can also apply to friendships and relationships. In todays conversation with Richard Robinson we talk about what happens if the answer is no, what can you do about it (spoiler its not go out and burn it all down). And, conversely what can you do if the answer is yes, what can you do now to make sure that if the answer ever became a no you are set up for success. --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

Christmas is supposed to be all twinkly lights and joy and chaotic family WhatsApps… but for a lot of people, it’s also the time when grief hits the hardest. The quiet moments get louder. The empty chair feels bigger. According to YouGov research for Co-op Funeral Care, 13 million people in the UK who’ve recently lost someone are struggling with loneliness and their mental health this Christmas. Thirteen million. It’s a reminder that grief doesn’t pause just because everyone else is wearing matching pyjamas and drinking mulled wine. So this is for anyone moving through December with a heavy heart. Grief isn’t neat. It isn’t linear. Your “first” Christmas without someone might feel impossible. Your fortieth might surprise you with a wave you didn’t see coming. There isn’t a right way to feel. There isn’t a wrong one either. Today I am speaking with Jennie Cashman, about her experience with grief at Christmas and how you can support yourself and others at this time. --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

I’ve been sober for almost three years now-  after a long, grey relationship with alcohol. One that swung between binging and self-loathing. Eventually, the morning-after anxiety just became too much, and I gave up drinking. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t the full-blown reckoning that followed. I hadn’t realised how much of my life was centred around alcohol. Celebrate something? Have a drink. Bad day? Have a drink. Out and about? Let’s get another bottle. So much of my identity, my fun, my freedom, even my friendships, had become wrapped up in drinking. Today’s conversation with Helen Masters, founder of Sober AF, we talk about the warped perspective of drinking that we have as a society and how it is very possible to divorce sobriety and fun.   --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

A passing comment at an ultrasound, that I didn’t think anything of to sitting in a conference room years later, going into a full state of panic. Dense breasts. Not a term that I knew anything about, yet, having them increases my chance of getting breast cancer 4-6X, AND breast cancer within dense breasts is often undetectable within regular mammograms, putting women with dense breasts at even higher risk. Breast Cancer is something that is very present in my life today, with a number of very dear friends having been diagnosed in the last few years. All women in their late 30s, early 40s.  Todays conversation with Adrian Waller is one that I think all women need to hear. Not to freak anyone out, but to help them understand and advocate for themselves. All the details about the Micrima breast screening can be found at www.micrima.com --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

GLP-1s are everywhere- whispered at school gates, dissected on Reddit at 2am, dropped casually into brunch chat like everyone suddenly got a medical degree. A year ago most of us had never heard the term. Now it’s Hollywood’s worst-kept secret, the NHS’s newest headache, and the quiet pressure sitting behind half the conversations women have about their bodies. But beneath the glossy “skinny reveal” culture and celebrity confessions lies a far messier truth. one nobody seems willing to say out loud. On this week’s episode of Why Aren’t We Talking About This? I sit down with Bertie Stringer: former TV and PR insider turned nutritionist, hormone-health founder. She’s spent the past decade helping people rebuild their relationship with food… and now she’s watching that entire landscape detonate in real time. In our conversation, Bertie pulls back the curtain on what GLP-1s really are- the tool, the trap, the cultural tidal wave, and why so many women are stepping into something that feels like salvation, only to discover a silence no one prepared them for. This isn’t a story about weight loss. It’s a story about confusion, honesty, malnourishment, identity, and a generation of women navigating a drug that can switch off hunger but not the emotions that live underneath it. --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

When it happened to me, coming up to 5 years ago, I was mortified. Humiliated even. How could it happen to me. I was the person who worked hard, was focused delivered, and yet the business no longer wanted me. Enter shame spiral. I had equated my self worth with my job title. According to studies 44% of people will get made redundant at som point of their careers, yet despite the likelihood of this happening, redundancy is still shrouded in shame and embarrassment.  This weeks ‘Why aren’t we talking about this’ episode with Jarrod Cocksedge is talking about Redundancy. How for many people the experience is akin to grief, how LinkedIn is the last place you should be hanging about on and how to use it as a reframe and reset. It’s raw and frank and for anyone who is in the middle of it, hopefully it shall give you some comfort and support. --- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?

Intuition. I would say mine's pretty strong- whether I actually listen to it is another story. In today’s episode, I talk with Sim Stevens about intuition: how it looks, how it feels, and how to tell when it’s really intuition talking. ---- Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human. Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?