This week on the Big Sister Hotline, we’re talking about family conflict: what happens when the people we’re meant to love unconditionally wound us the most. Our listener has had a painful falling out with her sister after a string of cruel remarks, leaving her torn between setting boundaries and missing the niece she adores. Clem explores the grief of sibling estrangement, the shadow work buried inside cruelty, and why projection often hides unspoken unhappiness. Family ties can bind us in complicated ways; but love, boundaries, and self-respect must coexist if we’re to truly heal.

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, we’re talking about protest; why it matters, what it achieves, and how it keeps us human in fractured times. From Gaza to the streets of Melbourne, protest is both a moral stand and a collective lifeline, reminding us that people power has always shaped history. Clem dives into the difference between war and genocide, unpacks the double standards in how resistance is framed, and explores why both nonviolent and violent protest have been essential to liberation struggles. Protest isn’t just about policy- it’s about solidarity, hope, and refusing to give up our humanity.

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com.

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Big Sister Hotline, we’re talking about the heartbreak of friendship; when someone you trusted goes silent, when a workplace turns toxic, when connection crumbles and you’re left wondering what went wrong. Friendship breakups can hurt just as much as romantic ones, but we don’t always give ourselves permission to grieve them. In this episode, Clem explores how we cope, what pop culture can teach us about rupture and repair, and why letting go can sometimes be the most loving thing we do for ourselves.

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com.

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Big Sister Hotline, Clem responds to a listener who has just left an emotionally abusive relationship and is navigating the challenges of co-parenting a young child. Clem talks about the courage it takes to leave, why emotional abuse and coercive control are real and damaging, and how survivors can begin to rebuild their sense of self-worth. She shares strategies for resisting old dynamics, setting boundaries through tools like grey rocking, and finding strength in the knowledge that leaving is an act of protection and love for both yourself and your child. Clem also reflects on the bigger picture; how society teaches women to absorb blame, and why we must reject the idea that our worth lies in cushioning men’s chaos.

It’s messy, it’s complicated, and it’s exactly the kind of real talk you come here for.

Content note: This episode contains discussions of emotional abuse, alcohol abuse, and co-parenting in the aftermath of both. If you or anyone you know needs help, please contact 1800RESPECT or call 000 in an emergency.

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com.

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Big Sister Hotline, Clem responds to a listener in her fifties who writes about feeling lonely and unsure how to make new friends. Clem talks about the importance of friendship at every age, how capitalism and ageism shape our connections, and why it’s normal for relationships to drift as we change. Clem shares some practical ideas for meeting people later in life, the role of solidarity across generations, and ways to soften loneliness while building new bonds.

It’s messy, it’s complicated, and it’s exactly the kind of real talk you come here for.

Media mentioned in this episode:

Consumed by Aja Barber

She Shapes History Tours

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com.

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Big Sister Hotline, we hear from a listener who is nearly 40, co-parenting with her ex, and longing for another baby. They still orbit each other - fighting, sleeping together, even going to kink workshops - but she knows how much the arrival of their first child strained their relationship. Should she risk diving in again, or is she courting disaster?

In classic Clem style, we unpack the myths of the nuclear family and its role in upholding capitalism, why babies don’t “fix” relationships, and the importance of building a village around motherhood regardless of the model your family takes. We also talk about grieving the children we may never have, the pressure of the ticking clock, and remembering that a woman’s worth isn’t defined by her fertility.

It’s messy, it’s complicated, and it’s exactly the kind of real talk you come here for.

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com.

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of the newly relaunched Clementine Ford's Big Sister Hotline, Clem dives deep into a listener's struggle with intimacy, trust, and the emotional and physical scars we carry with us.

Today's caller shares her painful experience of body-shaming, sexual humiliation, and abuse from a man, leaving her torn between wanting to explore sexual connections and feeling hesitant to trust anyone with her body and emotional well-being.

In this unapologetically honest, yet heart-led session, Clem delivers no-nonsense truths about the toxic dynamics of hookup culture, misogyny, and how some men exploit women’s vulnerabilities to impress other men. From sharp rebukes of damaging behaviour to practical advice on rebuilding sexual trust, Clem reminds us fiercely that your body is your own, and you deserve every intimate encounter to leave you feeling empowered, not diminished.

Content note: This episode contains discussions of body shaming and image-based abuse.

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com.

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Big Sister Hotline: the no-nonsense feminist advice line that doesn’t mince its words but always leads with love.

Best-selling author, writer, and fearless feminist trailblazer Clementine Ford returns with her newly relaunched award-winning podcast, here to guide you through life's most tangled, uncomfortable moments with the kind of wisdom you may not want to hear but absolutely need to.

Each week, Clem answers your calls, cutting through the noise with unapologetic clarity, raw honesty, and a resolute refusal to indulge in patriarchal bullshit. Whether it’s love, boundaries, breakups, body image, politics, sex, career, or finding your voice in a world that constantly tries to silence you, no topic is too taboo, no feeling too big, and no question too difficult.

She’s the big sister you always deserved, the mum you never had, the aunty who listens without judgement, and the friend who won’t let you settle for anything less than the best.

So, plug in, speak your truth, and let Clem help you navigate the chaos and claim your power.

If you would like to submit a question for a future episode, please email bigsisterhotline@gmail.com

Follow Clem on Instagram & Facebook

Subscribe to her Dear Clementine Substack

Join her Patreon

This podcast is part of the Kind Regards Network. Follow @kindregardsnetwork to stay in the loop, meet your next audio obsession, and more.

Interested in collaborating? Drop us a line at partnerships@kindregardsnetwork.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/clementineford-bigsisterhotline.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.