The Life Of Bryony - The Life of YOU: "If He Has a Big Penis, He Probably Knows About It!" with Helen Flanagan

Episode Date: November 1, 2024

It’s the Life of YOU, where your dilemmas take centre stage, and we’re here to navigate them together (or at least not make them worse!). This time, I’m joined by the fantastic Helen Flanagan, diving into your latest, juiciest questions. Today… 🍆 Penny’s 'Sizeable' Situation: Penny is smitten, but her new partner’s ahem attributes are proving a little overwhelming. Can she find a way to communicate her concerns without hurting his feelings? 🩸 Crampy Cathy’s Period Predicament: Cathy’s housemate Rory thinks periods are a minor inconvenience. She’s ready to set the record straight but could use some backup explaining the reality of “biblical” period pain. ✨ Freya’s Too-Muchness Crisis: Freya has always been told she's "too much" for the subdued world of PR. How can she embrace her enthusiasm without alienating her colleagues—or should she even care? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU You know what they say: a problem shared is a problem… halved?! Get in touch! 🗣️ Send a text or voice note to 07796657512 and start your message with LOB 💬 WhatsApp Shortcut: Click here to send a message! 📧 You can also email me at: [e-mail] Bryony xx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is that erectile dysfunction, do you think? Oh, absolutely. Welcome to The Life of You, where we dive into your dilemmas and help you find solutions to life's most challenging moments. I'm joined again by the wonderful Helen Flanagan. If you missed my catch up with Helen earlier in the week, do go back and listen. Today, Freya's having a crisis in crisis PR. Kathy needs us to mansplain periods to her housemate Rory. And Penny's got a sizable issue in the bedroom. When you have sex with somebody that like, you know, and it's a healthy relationship, it's so much better.

All of your problems solved right after this have you heard of anything more chilling than frozen beef until november 3rd get an always fresh never frozen dave single from wendy for only $4. Nothing scary about that. Taxes extra at participating Wendy's until November 3rd. Terms and conditions apply. If you like this episode, we think you'll love this. This week on The Life of Briony, I'm joined by the wonderful Helen Flanagan. We'll be chatting about how she's navigated the ups and downs of ADHD

and postnatal depression while balancing life in the public eye and motherhood. Struggling to find balance or feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges? This episode is very much for you. The Life of Bryony, available now. first problem Helen it's a meaty one dear Helen and Briony I recently started seeing this amazing guy he's charming witty and makes a killer sundae roast everything was going splendidly until we decided to take things to the next level I can't wait to I can't wait let's just say he's exceptionally well endowed like guinness world records might be knocking soon well some might see this as a big plus i'm finding it a bit overwhelming that's amazing i love that penny is the name penny is such an innocent name for someone

and who to have written this doggy style hearts. And I'm worried that this sizable issue might become a stumbling block in our budding relationship. How do I broach the topic without making him feel self-conscious? It's like a Picasso, beautiful to look at, but I wouldn't want all of it inside me. Would love your thoughts on navigating this sizable situation from Penny. I mean, I don't I don't like how can you navigate it with him because it's like he can't make himself smaller i think you know like loop penny you need some good old-fashioned loop oh my god actually i'm gonna okay i'm going to from the kindness of my heart share a story with you of a person I had a relationship with who had a huge penis. Absolutely massive.

And one of the reasons I knew he was nice, and now obviously he was an arsehole because he dumped me eventually, but was that very early on. And he obviously encountered this problem before. He bought some lube. And I was a bit like, what the fuck? And then I was like oh yes now I understand why I don't know but how do you have these conversations with like partners without making them feel self-conscious yeah and I think that's the whole thing as well like with sex is like you if you're having sex with someone you

always want to feel good about themselves as well yes it's quite hard isn't it because yeah but I do think as women like I've realized that a lot of the pleasure I derive from sex has been about giving other people pleasure if that makes sense and actually maybe we do have to put ourselves first a little bit more and pleasure needs to come from our own experiences if you get what I mean not giving pleasure to someone else yeah definitely and I think also like if the relationship that Penny has with this guy as well like if it's a good healthy relationship as well she should feel it more natural to have a conversation about things as well you know I think when you have sex with somebody that like you know and it's a healthy relationship it's so much better also there are loads of ways to have sex aren't there I keep hearing yeah you know the young people say

they say oh sex doesn't just have to be penetrative yeah I mean listen I'm not a sex but sadly but I think you know maybe that's what you've got to do you've got to think of different ways to sort of like enjoy yourselves yeah if it hurts should always be like enjoyable and respectful for both as well so it's not you know you should be enjoying having sex as well so it's like if it's making you feel uncomfortable yeah ditch the doggy style penny just so you know the fact he has a big penis is not news to him yeah so you know he you know, he might actually take it as a massive fucking compliment. He probably will as well. Dear Helen and Bryony, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm having particularly dreadful periods lately. Think less time of the month, a more biblical

plague. Cramps, mood mood swings the works the problem is i've started living with my gay best mate rory who having never had a girlfriend or a sister seems to think periods are like a mild 24-hour stomach bug although i have to say a 24-hour stomach bug is there's nothing mild about that is there anyway that's just me coming in early the other day as i was curled up on the sofa, spooning a hot water bottle, Rory waltzed in and asked if I'd fancy a jog to shake it off. Shake it off? Do I look like Taylor fucking Swift? I keep telling him it's not a hangover. I can't sweat it out. What's the best way to explain to Rory just how ghastly periods can be? We've been mates for ages and he treats me like one of his guy friends. So I think he'd be more receptive if he heard it from

someone else. I'm hoping you can help me enlighten him if you read this out I'll play this out to him so feel free to address him directly crampy Kathy Rory if you're listening to this how to explain the nightmare of bleeding every month yeah I remember one of my best friends Kelvin I love you Kelvin I remember I was due my period and I've got PMDD and I literally I'm like I'm not saying the day before my period and I'm very snappy I ended up getting him a little crocodile curing to say sorry for how snappy I was that day oh really yeah matching one because my periods and we were I think we're an ocean club in Ibiza and I just didn't want to be there.

But now he really gets my cycles, my gay best friend. So I think if you explain, really explain in detail how your hormones affect your brain and you can't help it. Show him things on social media, TikTok, Instagram, articles about it for him to read. And then he probably will really start to understand it and the more he's gonna live with you the more he's gonna be like oh this is a thing yeah i do think though i mean this is just like it is annoying that we have to explain this shit to men like because and then we get told off for talking too much about it like that's the other thing like oh that's enough i don't want to hear any more about periods or the menopause and i'm like do you know

what if men got if men got periods and went through the menopause and i'm like do you know what if men got if men got periods and went through the menopause it's the only thing we'd ever hear about like we would we'd be like oh right come on let's carry on talking about it there'd be like television programs hosted by jeremy clarkson where him and his mates like tested out all the different types of ways to you know like feminine hygiene or masculine hygiene, as it would not be known. They just call it what it was. Or HRT or whatever. And, you know, we'd never hear the fucking end of it.

Yeah. So that's just me letting off a bit of steam about how annoying it is that Rory hasn't got a fucking clue what it is like to have a period. And you can't control the hormones. No. And when people go, oh, it's just hormones. I'm like, what do you mean just hormones? Like hormones are the most powerful chemicals known to humankind. Why are we dismissing the female ones? Yeah. That's another episode. I just want to let you know, I don't get periods anymore. And it is a fucking revelation.

Oh, my God. Wonderbar. Wow. As my father would say, not about periods. He doesn't understand what they are. If you like this episode, we think you'll love this. if you like this episode we think you'll love this this week on the life of briny i'm joined by the wonderful helen flanagan we'll be chatting about how she's navigated the ups and downs of adhd and postnatal depression while balancing life in the public eye and motherhood struggling

to find balance or feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges? This episode is very much for you. The Life of Bryony, available now. Final question, dear Bryony and Helen. I recently started my first job at a PR firm and I'm feeling a bit like a square peg in a round hole. All my life I've been told I'm too much, too enthusiastic, too expressive, too eager. I genuinely thought that the dynamic world of PR would be the perfect place for my energy and creativity. However, the office is more subdued than I expected. During meetings I can't help but share a flood of ideas and get visibly excited about

projects, but my colleagues seem taken aback by my enthusiasm. In casual conversations, I dive deep, but others keep things on the surface. I'm beginning to worry that my intensity is overwhelming everyone. I don't want to suppress who I am, but I also want to fit in and build good relationships at work. How can I embrace my authentic self without becoming a barrier in my professional environment? Is there a way to be true to myself while adapting to the office culture? I'd really appreciate any insight you can offer Freya. Oh, bless Freya. I feel for her so much. I actually think I am Freya. You know, Helen, how people like, they often go, I feel like I'm not enough. I have the complete opposite often go, I feel like I'm not enough.

I have the complete opposite, which is I feel like I'm too much. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Which I guess is the same, but it's kind of just, it's two sides of the same coin, right? Not in an arrogant way, but who cares what people think? As long as Freya, you know, she's a good person and people probably will get used to your ways. She sounds amazing. It's good to be enthusiastic.

Yeah. Why would you rather be a bore? I know. Also, I think Freya should consider that she might actually be helping people in loads of ways without realising it. So they may be quiet and they may be like not talking about their feelings

or enthusiastic, but they may really admire the fact that Freya is and that may give them permission outside of the office to dive a little bit deeper with their friends yeah and I don't think you should ever edit yourself because if it is a problem it's probably not the right place for you to be working at like if someone is telling you to edit yourself just get them the fuck out of your life yeah like Freya the one thing I'll say is that you are you you are supposed to be you the universe wants you to be you right and you are not responsible for

other people's feelings and the way they experience stuff and you know I just think turn up and be authentically you and trust that when you share with people you're helping them in ways that you might never know definitely I think Freya will maybe struggle a little bit more mental health wise if she suppresses who she is. Yes, I think you're right. I think a lot of like depression and anxiety comes from basically us resisting being ourselves. Yeah. Like that's what it comes from.

It's like I'm not able to be true to myself today. And our brains will let us know like when that is happening yeah i mean i'd say to freya maybe just see how the job goes but maybe that isn't the right environment if she continually feels like that all the time you know it's not good for you is it but also freya question is this something you've been told from your childhood like have your parents told you that you're too much? Because it may be that no one at work has even noticed how you are. And what you're actually bringing isn't lots of, you know, excess energy. You're actually just bringing your own, like, faulty core beliefs from your childhood. And actually, everyone just thinks you're exactly the right amount of Freya.

Everyone's like, yeah yeah Freya's great and what you're bringing is just kind of a weird belief that you have that has been drummed into you by someone that isn't actually true and so many times as well some people are so busy with their own shit in their own head they actually probably don't even realize oh my god yes and if they do have a problem with it, it is totally their problem, not yours, Freya. Just be you. Episode 14, You've Been Wonderful. Hello? What's that? There's going to be an episode 15? Hooray!

This week, I'm recommending something that you've probably already sat down and binge-watched, because everyone has. But if you haven't, you need to do it. And that is Rivals on Disney+. Oh my God, it is so much fun, so much escapism, and there is so much Aidan Turner in it. And he's just... One week, I'll tell you about the time I got drunk with Aiden Turner. But that was obviously before I got sober. This week... Can I just say, everyone, that the producer makes me do these ridiculous outros. This week, he's making me ask you to subscribe in a TikTokiktok asmr style like subscribe tell a friend maybe even

leave a review next week i'll be joined by dawn o'porter where we'll be talking all about the power of female friendship see you on monday if you like this episode we think you'll love this this week on the life of briny i'm joined by the wonderful helen flanagan we'll be chatting about how she's navigated the ups and downs of ADHD and postnatal depression while balancing life in the public eye and motherhood. Struggling to find balance or feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges? This episode is very much for you. The Life of Briony, available now.