'The C Word with Catharine Redden'
START HERE → BLOODY HORRENDOUS
If you’re new and wondering where to begin, scroll nearly to the bottom and find Bloody Horrendous.
It was my second episode, and it’s still the one people land on.
It’s about first periods.
Not the neat version. The real one.
• What it was actually like
• What we weren’t told
• What’s changed (thank god)
• What hasn’t (of course)
It’s funny in parts, uncomfortable in others, and very recognisable if you’ve ever had a body that does things without asking your permission.
THE C-WORD WITH CATHARINE REDDEN
A podcast for difficult women.
Inside:
• Bodies that don’t behave
• Anxiety that doesn’t respond to medication tested predominantly on men, while being told to just meditate
• Ageing without apology
• Small, everyday moments where sexism just… hums in the background
No self-improvement arc.
No neat conclusions.
Just the ongoing, slightly absurd experience of being a woman paying attention.
This is what it sounds like from inside one life.
Not polished.
Not resolved.
Just said out loud.
Welcome to the party of women’s direct experience.
Episodes
23 episodes
“You Should Lose Weight” Isn’t a Diagnosis: An Interview with Amanda Levitt (GUEST CHAT)
“Health” research tells us that 60 to 70% of people in the Western world are overweight or obese. And they never say that like it’s a good thing.If you, like me, are one of the many people living in a body considered fat, and you’ve ever...
Pride Round and the Question the AFL Won’t Ask
A solo episode about Pride Round, psychological safety, queer inclusion, AFL culture, masculinity, and the difference between performative allyship and genuine cultural change in Australian Rules Football. Catharine explores...
Lou Nicholson: The MP, the Netballer, and the Cappuccino (GUEST CHAT)
This week, Lou Nicholson joins me on “The C-Word with Catharine Redden”.Lou is the newly elected independent member for Finniss in South Australia, the first woman ever elected to the seat, and in this conversation we talk about politic...
The Maths of Sex (GUEST CHAT) (PART TWO)
The Maths of Sex (Part 2)with Associate Professor Simon GrahamPart 2 of Catharine’s conversation with Associate Professor Simon Graham about sexual health, STI testing, condoms, contraception, harm reduction, public health,...
The Maths of Sex (GUEST CHAT) (PART ONE)
Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Associate Professor Simon Graham about sexual health, stigma, statistics, testing, HPV, bacterial vaginosis, public health, relationships, and the gloriously awkward reality of being a human with a body.
Your Cock Is Not a Divining Rod
In this slightly feverish, slightly feral episode, Catharine continues on from her commentary about David King publicly calling women’s armpit hair “repulsive,” and unpacks the much bigger question underneath it:Why are women expected to...
David King, You’re a Dick ~ The Armpit Hair Episode
Tiny unionised dinosaur chooks. Humid shoulder pelts at Pilates. AFL commentary. Pre-peeled grapes.This episode begins as a fruedian slip, turned into a feminist ranch fantasy and ends as a rant about women’s bodies, beauty standards, sp...
I Wasn’t Ever Told I Was Beautiful
A three-year-old in a fairy skirt, gumboots, dragon tail and Bob the Builder helmet thinks she’s beautiful.This episode is about what happens before the world talks her out of it.
I Recorded Myself Having a Panic Attack (FIELD NOTES)
We say “panic attack” all the time.This is what one actually sounds like.Includes a real-time recording of a panic attack.Content note: discussion of suicidal thoughts.Please take care. Support links are i...
Elijah Hollands: What We Saw… and What We Didn’t Do
On Thursday night at the MCG, during a game between Carlton and Collingwood, some things that happened on the field that did not look like football.This episode is about those moments.It is not about analysing the reasons or cause...
You Had a Baby. He Kept His Job (GUEST CHAT)
A conversation with my mum, Margaret Redden, about what it was like to grow up, work, and have children as a woman in South Australia in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and the kinds of inequality women were simply expected to accept.Show Not...
I Already Know The Name Of Your Street
Go for a walk.Look at what’s named.Then tell me you don’t see it.
I Was 11 and I Thought No One Would Miss Me (GUEST CHAT)
A raw conversation about suicidal thoughts, Lifeline, and what it feels like at a granular level to not be okay. ~~~In this episode I have a chat with Julia Ridout. (Find out more about Julia here:
Feminism Is Easy Until Someone You Love Says Something Shit
Feminism is easy… until it’s your family.This one’s about the dinner table.The comments that don’t sit right.And the moments where you stay quiet.Recorded in my car by the beach, with...
Wait… This Is Legal?
Last year, I worked on an egg farm.7am starts. No lunch break. One 15-minute smoko.Lifting a tonne of eggs a day. Collecting dead birds.Driving half an hour each way.And I was being paid less than the minimum wage.
I Thought Everyone Knew This
What is period underwear?What is Prozac?This episode started as a Q&A.It didn’t stay that way.From black “cheek to kidney” netball undies…to the very real experience of taking antidepressants…
I Was Just Ordering a Fucking Coffee (FIELD NOTES)
I was just ordering a coffee. (Decaf latte, two shots, two sugars, normal milk) Instead, I found myself in an unsafe conversation about women, worth, and who deserves what.This episode is a real-life moment.No...
I Thought I Was Watching the Whole Game
When I was a kid, I used to sit on the bonnet of an HR Holden and watch my dad play country footy.I thought I understood the game.But years later I realised something strange: I had only ever been watching half of it.In thi...
Not on My Bingo Card: A Panic Attack at Woolworths (FIELD NOTES)
If you’ve ever wondered what a panic attack actually feels like, this episode is a very honest answer.This episode was recorded while I was recovering from a panic attack. Earlier that morning I found myself lying on the floor...
Once You See It, You See It Everywhere
This episode of The C-Word with Catharine Redden comes to you from a spare bedroom in Loxton, South Australia. The sound is a little echoey. The ideas are not.Today is not a rage episode. It’s a recalibration.Using the Macquarie D...
This Is Not an Emergency. But It Feels Like One
If you are a survivor of sexual assault and you are experiencing re-trauma because of the (still partial) release of the Epstein Files this episode is for you (big warning though ~ only if you feel safe & well. Please get the help you need)...