The Making of Emma Barnett - Ambition, Fertility, IVF and Endometriosis

Welcome to the second episode of The Making Of from The Female Lead. Our guest this week is the broadcaster, journalist and author Emma Barnett. We asked her to choose six key life moments that have made her who she is today. The list she came up with is full of surprises, and all delivered in her wonderful straight-talking style.

Our conversation covered a lot of ground - Emma’s naughty school days, her burning ambition, struggles with fertility, dealing with IVF and the agony of endometriosis. It sounds heavy, but Emma always delivers even the most painful stories with a big helping of irreverent humour. 

The episode was recorded during lockdown, over zoom, so please bear with us as some bits may sound a little wobbly. That’s the new normal!

Emma Barnett is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster.  She presents The Emma Barnett Show on BBC Radio 5 Live, where she has gained a reputation as a fearless political interviewer. She’s also one of the regular Newsnight hosts and has just announced that in January 2021 she will be taking over the national treasure that is BBC Woman’s Hour.

Emma and her radio show have won a string of industry awards, with Emma named Radio Broadcaster of the Year 2018 by the Broadcasting Press Guild and Broadcaster of the Year 2017 by the Political Studies Association.

Prior to joining the BBC, Emma worked in newspapers, while cutting her broadcasting teeth at LBC.

In 2019 Emma launched her first book, Period: About Bloody Time, which examines the taboos around menstruation. The book was inspired by the major reaction she received after announcing she was on her period while debating on Sky News, and her own recent diagnosis with endometriosis. The book looks at the history of myths and misconceptions about periods,  tells women’s untold stories and aims to instil a sense of period pride in both women and men.

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If you think you might be suffering from Endometriosis here is a good place to find out more. As Emma says on this podcast: if you’re suffering from period pain do try to find answers. https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/

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The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby and is edited by Lauren Lind. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma