Recovering after domestic abuse, Black women in music, Bicycle saddles

We discuss the process of recovery after domestic abuse, the way that these relationships can stay with you but also how you can build a new life after. How do those who have survived abuse find their behaviour affected? What do they wish that their friends and family had understood? And how can friends and family can help? With Sue Penna, co-founder of Rockpool who deliver trauma-informed training programmes for those working with survivors of abuse, and Jennifer Gilmour, an author and advocate for women in abusive relationships, and founder of #AbuseTalk on twitter and the Abuse Talk podcast.

The school summer holidays are underway across the UK – but this year they’re going to be a bit different. Thanks to coronavirus there’s a shortage of childcare and holiday clubs, helpful grandparents are mostly off-limits, parents are already exhausted from juggling home-working and home-school for four months, and teenagers are faced with another six weeks of restricted freedoms. So how are people planning to make it through to September? Joeli Brearley is the founder of Pregnant then Screwed, and Leann Cross is the director of Home Start Greenwich.

Now that cycling may soon be on prescription and bikes are soaring in popularity due to the pandemic, how can women ensure they have a pain-free ride? Endurance cyclist and coach Jasmijn Muller talks about what she’s learned from years of serious pain, and specialist women’s cycling physio Bianca Broadbent gives her top troubleshooting tips for everything from saddles to lubricating cream, and not wearing pants.

We explore what it’s like to be a black woman and work in the music industry. Jacqueline Springer is a music lecturer and journalist. Fleur East is an artist and songwriter who rose to fame after coming second on the X Factor in 2014. Lioness MC is a Grime rapper who has been making songs for over 10 years.

In her book Sex Robots and Vegan Meat, journalist Jenny Kleeman explores seismic changes in four core areas of human experience: birth, food, sex and death. We hear about the implications of fully functioning artificial wombs and what sex robots mean for future relationships between men and women.

In the next of our summer series of How to guides, we discuss how to end your relationship well. It seems lockdown has accelerated the process for some couples, with one UK-wide legal services firm reporting a 42% increase in enquiries about divorce between March and May. We offer you expert suggestions on managing the practical, emotional, legal and financial aspects of splitting up, with the least damage to you and others. Jenni is joined by family lawyer and mediator Rebekah Gershuny, FT Money digital editor Lucy Warwick-Ching, family therapist Joanne Hipplewith and founder of amicable Kate Daly.

Presenter: Jenni Murray Producer: Rosie Stopher