Breaking the Taboo with Theo Clarke

This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined by entrepreneur, author and Peanut founder Michelle Kennedy to discuss loneliness in motherhood, building support networks and why no mother should feel alone.
Topics discussed on the show include: the emotional reality of new motherhood; loneliness and isolation after having a baby; expectations versus reality; building a support network; asking for help; identity and motherhood; what women need most in the early weeks after birth; and the importance of community and connection throughout motherhood.
BIOGRAPHY
Michelle Kennedy is founder and CEO of Peanut, one of the fastest-growing social networking apps for women focusing on fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause, which has raised $23m to date. Michelle was formerly Deputy CEO of dating behemoth Badoo, and during her tenure was integral to and inaugural board member of Bumble, (which IPOd at a $13bn valuation).
Having worked in social discovery for ten years, Michelle has unprecedented experience and understanding of the safety and growth components of building a social network for women and continues to execute on her mission to make Peanut the leading network to connect women when they need each other most. She is also a strategic investor in several early and late stage startups, and institutional venture capital funds.
Michelle is also the author of It Takes a Village: And Other Essential Truths for New Mothers, which brings together stories from women in the Peanut community alongside expert insights on fertility, pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
RESOURCES
Peanut
https://www.peanut-app.io
It Takes a Village: And Other Essential Truths for New Mothershttps://www.peanut-app.io/book
ABOUT THE HOST
Theo Clarke hosts the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which ranks in the Top 5 most listened to shows in the UK for alternative health. She has also published a bestselling memoir Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. She was the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in the UK. Theo was included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row.
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.
www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Instagram: @theoclarkemp
Breaking The Taboo production team
Host and Founder: Theo Clarke
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio Manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined by Ryan Libbey, father, writer and storyteller, to discuss the hidden impact of birth trauma on fathers.
Topics that we discuss on the show include: Ryan and Louise Thompson’s experience of pregnancy, miscarriage and birth trauma; the expectations of becoming a father compared with the reality after a traumatic birth; what it was like for Ryan to support Louise during labour, emergency surgery and recovery; the experience of seeing his son in NICU; the pressure on fathers to stay strong; guilt, fear and helplessness after traumatic birth; how trauma affected Ryan and Louise’s relationship; the importance of vulnerability and honest conversations; bottle feeding, breastfeeding pressure and the need for a post-birth plan; becoming a hands-on father; Ryan’s writing through Letters to Leo; support for dads after birth trauma; and the campaign to appoint a maternity commissioner.
Biographies:
Ryan Libbey
Ryan Libbey is a father, writer and storyteller whose work explores modern fatherhood, resilience and the everyday moments that shape who we become. Through his weekly newsletter, Letters to Leo, he writes letters to his young son that have grown into a community of thousands of readers seeking more meaningful conversations about family, wellbeing and life.
Following his family’s experience of birth trauma, Ryan has become a passionate advocate for greater awareness and support for parents, sharing his perspective as a dad navigating caregiving, recovery and the realities of family life after trauma. Through his writing, podcasting and outdoor adventures, he hopes to encourage more honest conversations about connection, vulnerability and the values we pass on to the next generation.
Ryan also co-hosts the podcast He Said, She Said with his fiancée Louise Thompson.
About the Host
Theo Clarke hosts Breaking the Taboo and A Thread of One’s Own. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford, where she chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma. She won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and has been included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row. Theo is campaigning to improve maternity care and for the appointment by the UK Government of a Maternity Commissioner.
Follow Theo: https://www.instagram.com/theoclarkemp/
Resources:
Dad Matters:
https://dadmatters.org.uk/
Fatherhood Solutions: https://linktr.ee/fatherhoodsolutions
Secret Life of Dads podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thesecretlifeofdads/
Letters to Leo:
https://ryanlibbey.beehiiv.com/
Maternity Commissioner petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/
This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell:
https://www.irwinmitchell.com/
DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice – please seek advice from a GP or doctor.
Website:https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Breaking The Taboo production team:
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio Manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

This week on Breaking the Taboo, Theo Clarke hosts a special live panel recording from the Birth & Beyond Tent at the Everywoman Festival in London: State of the Nation: What Needs to Change in Maternity Care?Joined by investigative journalist Hannah Barnes, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Susie Crowe, and Birth Trauma Association CEO Dr Kim Thomas, Theo explores the current state of maternity services in England and asks what meaningful reform should look like for women, babies and families. Topics discussed on the show include: the rise in birth trauma; whether maternity care faces a crisis of safety, trust, or both; why women often feel unheard during pregnancy and birth; accountability and learning when things go wrong; improving care throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period; variation in outcomes between maternity units; the role of data in NHS care; what a truly woman-centred maternity system could look like; and an update on the current investigations into maternity care led respectively by Baroness Amos and Donna Ockenden.BIOGRAPHIESHannah Barnes is Investigations Editor at the New Statesman, where she focuses on the topics and stories shaping the world we live in. An award-winning journalist, she spent 15 years at the BBC specialising in analytical and investigative journalism on both television – for BBC Newsnight – and radio. Hannah produced, edited and reported for many of Radio 4’s best known news and current affairs shows. She is the author of Sunday Times Bestseller, *Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children*.England’s maternity crisis is in desperate need of reform, and Hannah Barnes has already established herself as the reporter best placed to deliver it, exposed legal gaps that left bereaved families without answers, and stayed with those families long enough to ensure the promises made to them were kept.Dr Susie Crowe, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist at Barts Health NHS Trust and President of the British Intrapartum Care Society (BICS). Susie also serves as the National Workplace Behaviours Adviser for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and previously led the joint RCM/RCOG safety programme Each Baby Counts Learn and Support. With a wealth of leadership experience – from intrapartum lead and clinical director to regional lead obstetrician for London – Susie is passionate about improving maternity care. She believes that delivering high-quality care starts with creating nurturing, compassionate environments where teams feel safe to thrive.Dr Kim Thomas is CEO of the Birth Trauma Association. She authored the 2024 Parliamentary Inquiry report into birth trauma and has written two books on birth trauma, including on PTSD.
Theo Clarke (Chair) hosts the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo on women’s health which ranks in Top 5% most listened to shows around the world. She has also published a bestselling memoir ‘Breaking the Taboo: why we need to talk about birth trauma’. She was the Member of Parliament for Stafford, chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and previously set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma in the House of Commons. Theo has served as parliamentary private secretary at the Departments for Education, Business and Trade and HM Treasury, in addition to being Trade Envoy for the Prime Minister. She won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and was included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list in 2025 and 2024. 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.http://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
RESOURCES
Birth Trauma Association
British Intrapartum Care Society
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology
Postnatal PTSD
Independent Investigation into Maternity Services in England
Maternity Commissioner Petition with Louise Thompson
Breaking The Taboo production team
Founder and host: Theo Clarke
Producer and Studio Manager: Adam WoodwardResearcher: Kate KenyonDesigner: Emily RyderSocial Media: Bella CarterStudio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, former UK Cabinet Minister Gillian Keegan speaks to our host Theo Clarke publicly for the first time about her experience of infertility and IVF. She reflects on the challenges of undergoing fertility treatment while building an international career, the heartbreak of unsuccessful IVF, finding purpose after infertility, and the unexpected joys of becoming a stepmother. Gillian also shares lessons from public life and why she believes women’s health must become a greater national priority.
Topics discussed on the show include: IVF; infertility; fertility treatment; balancing career and family aspirations; being a stepparent; building resilience; improving women’s health policy; fertility awareness; support for women trying to conceive; and breaking the stigma around reproductive health.
BIOGRAPHIES
Gillian Keegan has had a long career which took her from an apprenticeship in a car factory in Liverpool, the start of a successful 30 year business career, and led her to the top of the UK Government. She served as the Secretary of State for Education from 2022-2024 and held various other ministerial portfolios during her seven years in Parliament. Since leaving Parliament she has continued to invest in businesses and is a broadcaster and political commentator regularly appearing on Good Morning Britain and Sky News. She lives in Petworth with her husband Michael and has been a step-mother to two stepsons for the past 27 years.
Follow @gilliankeegan
Theo Clarke is a podcaster, author and former Member of Parliament. She chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has been included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row. Theo hosts the hit podcast ‘Breaking the Taboo’ which ranks in the Top 5% most listened to shows globally, and a monthly book club at ‘A Thread of One’s Own’. She has also published a bestselling memoir ‘Breaking the Taboo: why we need to talk about birth trauma‘ which was shortlisted for the Westminster Book Awards.Follow: @theoclarkemp
Resources
Fertility Network UK
https://fertilitynetworkuk.org
HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority)https://www.hfea.gov.uk
NHS IVF Informationhttps://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ivf/
How to Fail by Elizabeth Day
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.
www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Breaking The Taboo production team
Founder and Host: Theo Clarke
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio Manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined by broadcaster, psychotherapist, author and mental health campaigner Anna Williamson to discuss postnatal depression, birth trauma, recovery and motherhood.
Topics discussed on the show include: mental health challenges during pregnancy; Anna’s experience of birth trauma, including forceps delivery and anaesthesia complications; postnatal depression, breastfeeding difficulties, masking and intrusive thoughts; self-referral to specialist perinatal mental health services; and how she approached her second pregnancy and birth differently.
BIOGRAPHY
Anna Williamson is an experienced TV, radio and podcast broadcaster, No.1 bestselling author, psychotherapist, life coach, counsellor and NLP practitioner. She is the dating expert and presenter on Celebs Go Dating (E4) and hosts The Affair Podcast, as well as co-hosting the chart-topping podcast LuAnna alongside Luisa Zissman.
Anna first found fame presenting children’s television before speaking publicly about her own experiences of generalised anxiety disorder. She subsequently trained as a therapist and has become one of the UK’s leading voices on mental health, relationships and emotional wellbeing.
She is the author of several bestselling books including Breaking Mad: The Insider’s Guide to Conquering Anxiety, Breaking Mum and Dad, How Not To Lose It: Mental Health Sorted and Where is the Love? The Honest Guide to Dating and Relationships. Anna is also a celebrity ambassador and spokesperson for Mind, The Prince’s Trust and Childline, and works closely with PANDAS and the Birth Trauma Association to raise awareness of maternal mental health and birth trauma.
RESOURCES
Birth Trauma Association
https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/
PANDAS
https://pandasfoundation.org.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.
www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Breaking The Taboo production team
Founder and host: Theo Clarke
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio Manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com