clementine ford big sister hotline

PSA: Everybody Should Be Listening To The ‘Big Sister Hotline’ Podcast

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There’s a misconception when we’re younger, that once we all hit adulthood we’ll magically have our shit together and be able to tackle any drama that comes our way and wrap it all up neatly like it’s a 90 minute rom-com.

Except the stark reality is, of course, most of the time none of us have any f*cking idea what we’re doing and that’s normal and OK, regardless of what we see on TV or on social media.

While some of us grew up seeking advice on dating, relationships, sex and body issues through Dolly Doctor, as we get older we’ve gotta learn lessons the hard way – through life experience. And sometimes a helping hand or just some good advice can go a long way.

This is how I finally got onto listening to Clementine Ford’s podcast, Big Sister Hotline.

I say finally, because I have to admit at the best of times I am not a podcast person. But isolation and living alone has made me listen to more podcasts than I ever have in my life (mainly to fill in the silence between my usual screaming sessions and/or to drown our my neighbour’s classical singing training), and while I started on the true crime track years after everyone else, I felt myself craving something that was a little more personal.

Plus, as I have now discovered so, so late, finding a good podcast also makes me finally do all that annoying shit I’ve been putting off in life, like “scrubbing the shower” or “using a white vinegar rinse to destroy the mould in my shitty Sydney apartment” or “trying to hit 10,000 steps a day.”

I know I am not describing anything new to you, in fact I am just admitting I am terribly behind in life but I also just want to say Big Sister Hotline is the absolute bees knees.

It’s chatty, educational, and engaging and has me left yelling “oh my god, YES” so many times I think my neighbours might actually think I’m having a special kind of visitor over.

Whether it’s advice on relationships, sexuality, sex, or all of the above, Clementine and her weekly guest of choice navigate all questions sent in a warm, friendly way. It’s the kind of advice I wish I had paid attention to in my teens or early-20s, but also the kind of discussion that resonates so hard with me years later, whether it’s about recognising your self-worth or the instilled values of the patriarchy that still may lie deep within.

Overall, it’s a life-affirming, confidence-boosting, best friend wrapped up in a podcast and in case you can’t tell, I freakin’ LOVE IT.

So if you’re nostalgic for your teen years or want Dolly Doctor brought to life, I cannot recommend listening to this enough.

Also, if you are someone who has struggled getting into podcasts then you can take it from me as a person who’s been in the same boat – I have flown through the majority of the episodes super fast, and even deep-cleaned my kitchen in the process. Finally.

And it’s gotta be said: men, don’t let the name “Big Sister” put you off. Y’all need this in your life too, because who doesn’t need a big sister?

Listen to Big Sister Hotline here.