Best Gemma Ray Podcasts (2026)

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And So F*cking What: Cracking On Without Cracking Open with Gemma Ray 49:05

Play Pause

11d ago49:05

49:05

What happens when life throws you the biggest plot twist imaginable and you’ve no choice but to crack on? In this raw, funny and beautifully honest episode of It’s Got Pockets, I sit down with the brilliant Gemma Ray, author, speaker, podcast host, mum and kinship foster carer to talk about what happens when “having it all” turns into holding it al…

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Hungary: Béla Kiss and the Lonely Hearts Murders 23:18

7d ago23:18

23:18

Episode 14 of 15 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History In a locked storage chamber in rural Hungary, seven sealed metal drums waited to reveal their terrible secrets—each containing the perfectly preserved body of a woman who had answered a marriage advertisement. The investigation into Hungary's most prolific lonely hearts killer reaches its chil…

51
Marrakesh: The Shoemaker Who Buried 36 Women 26:23

14d ago26:23

26:23

Season 36, Episode 13 of our Serial Killers in History series. This episode examines one of North Africa's most notorious crimes and the execution that shocked the world. In the spring of 1906, authorities in Marrakesh make a discovery that will reverberate across continents. Beneath the packed-earth floor of a modest shoemaker's workshop, they unc…

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Your path doesn't need to be tidy to be valuable. 15:35

20d ago15:35

15:35

Why your zigzags were never a problem... Your career doesn’t look like a neat ladder. It looks more like a patchwork map. Different roles. Different sectors. Breaks. Detours. Chapters you didn’t plan and moments you just cracked on through. This episode is for women who have lived a bit and are done apologising for it. In this solo episode, I unpac…

101
Netherlands: The Angel of Death's 27 Victims 32:32

21d ago32:32

32:32

In the fog-shrouded streets of 1880s Leiden, a woman everyone called "Good Mary" brought food to the sick, consoled the grieving, and prepared the dead for burial. For three years, she was the angel of her neighborhood—the trusted caregiver who helped when no one else would. No one suspected that the porridge she served was laced with arsenic. No o…

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El Chalequero - Francisco Guerrero Pérez 44:13

27d ago44:13

44:13

The shepherd saw everything—watched as El Chalequero dragged an elderly woman toward the Consulado River, pulled a knife from his Episode 11 of 15 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History Mexico City's first documented serial killer hunted working-class women for nearly three decades. This episode examines the systemic failures that allowed Francisco…

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Permission To Crack On: From seeking permission to self-permission 51:48

28d ago51:48

51:48

If you’ve ever sat on the edge of your bed thinking, is this it, or felt that weird itch under your skin that whispers you’re ready for something else, something more, then this episode will feel like someone finally turned the big light on. Today I’m joined by the brilliant Jillian Reilly, author of Ten Permissions, social change expert, former go…

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The Quiet Revolution: Women with all the wisdom craving less noise and more peace 13:12

1M ago13:12

13:12

Season 2. Let's crack on. In this first episode of the new season of It’s Got Pockets, we are not talking about louder goals or bigger hustle. We are talking about the quiet revolution happening inside ambitious women with experience. The women in business, the founders, the leaders, the ones who have held the sky up for everyone else and are sudde…

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Finland: Matti Haapoja and the Great Famine Murders 31:19

1M ago31:19

31:19

Episode 10 of 15 | Series 36: Serial Killers in History Finland's first documented serial killer terrorized two continents across three decades. This episode traces Matti Haapoja's brutal journey from famine-ravaged Finland to Siberian exile and back—a life defined by escape, violence, and ultimately, one final act of defiance. Victim Humanization …

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The Rough & Ready Car Ride Colposcopy Confessional 17:00

1M ago17:00

17:00

This week’s episode of Honest to Gob with me, Gemma Ray, comes to you straight from my headphones on the drive to Liverpool Women’s Hospital. No video version this week! My house is currently a DIY war zone, and recording at home aint happening as the windows get changed, the roof is completely off, and the builders are taking a sledgehammer to mul…

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Geneva: The Nurse Who Poisoned Her Patients 30:30

2M ago30:30

30:30

On a warm June afternoon in 1868, a 24-year-old woman accepted a glass of lemonade from her nurse at a Geneva boarding house. Within moments, her pupils dilated grotesquely, her heart pounded violently, and reality dissolved into nightmare. That glass of lemonade broke open one of Switzerland's most disturbing criminal cases. SEASON & EPISODE CONTE…

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Drills, Drama, and Milking Cows on a Digital Farm: My Mental Health Meltdown 31:34

2M ago31:34

31:34

Drills, Drama, and Milking Cows on a Digital Farm: My Mental Health Meltdown Ever found yourself catastrophising over everything in your life, crying over a broken nail, and farming digital cows at 2am? Same. In this week’s episode, Gemma gets brutally honest about a full-blown mental health wobble triggered by building work, social services delays…

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Philippines: The Priest Who Murdered 57 Parishioners 35:28

2M ago35:28

35:28

In 1826, fellow priests caring for an ailing Father Juan Severino Mallari made a horrifying discovery in his residence: bloodstained clothing belonging to dozens of missing parishioners. Over the next ten years, investigators would uncover fifty-seven murders committed by the parish priest of Magalang, Pampanga—a man who believed killing his congre…

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Australia: The Berrima Axe Murderer of 1842 36:35

2M ago36:35

36:35

In February 1842, a dingo unearthed a shallow grave near Ironstone Bridge, revealing the decomposing body of an Irish immi Kearns Landregan was twenty-seven years old when he died on a dusty colonial road seven miles from Berrima. An Irish immigrant who'd traveled halfway around the world seeking opportunity in Australia, Landregan worked as a carr…

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BERGCAST - Episode 39 - The Blu Ray Xperiment 1:26:10

2M ago1:26:10

1:26:10

Andy and Jon meet with Steve Rogers from Hammer to discuss the work involved getting the first two Quatermass films out in those stunning box sets released last summer. And they're also joined by writer/filmmaker Simon Guerrier, whose two part Nigel Kneale documentary straddles both releases. You can buy the Quatermass films (and much more besides)…

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India: Thug Behram and the Thuggee Stranglers 13:56

2M ago13:56

13:56

In colonial India, travelers befriend strangers on the road, sharing meals and stories, unaware these companions will be. Episode 5 of 15 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History Thug Behram's 40-year reign of terror across colonial India reveals the most prolific serial killer ever documented, whose ritualistic methods would help shape modern crimin…

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I Went Viral! (In More Ways Than One) | The Toilet Brush Story 36:20

2M ago36:20

36:20

Gemma manifested going viral… just not like this. One vegan café, one potty-training toddler, and one silicone toilet brush later, she became the internet’s latest cautionary tale. Three million views, a Radio 2 feature, and a lifetime’s worth of trauma (and Dettol). Gemma's mum’s always telling her to wash her potty mouth out, and apparently, the …

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Accidentally Unemployed (On Purpose) 27:44

3M ago27:44

27:44

Eight weeks ago, Gemma left her job with 24 hours’ notice, expecting to take on another child through kinship foster care. That didn’t happen (for reasons she can’t go into), but what did happen was a huge wake-up call. She realised she couldn’t go back to the way things were. In this episode, Gemma talks about taking the scariest risk of her caree…

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The One With a Man: I Know Men Can Be Better 1:04:52

3M ago1:04:52

1:04:52

“Male violence against women and girls is a men’s issue that manifests as a women’s problem.” For the finale, I’ve only gone and let a man on. Very Important note: this isn’t me letting a man have the last word - it’s me calling all of us in. Because change needs everyone in the room if we’re going to do better. I sit down with Andrew Bernard (aka …

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Knackered but Not Done Yet: The Energy Episode 16:25

3M ago16:25

16:25

This one’s for the fixers, the do-it-all queens, the women holding up the sky. Time management? Crock of Shit. Totally useless when your brain is running a marathon in stilettos and everyone’s “can you just…” is knocking on your door every 11 minutes. Today we get real about energy management - the only metric that matters when you’re scaling a bus…

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Testing, Testing! The Accidental Recording That Broke My Perfectionist Brain 14:33

3M ago14:33

14:33

This episode wasn’t planned. It started as a simple mic test during the first time I tried my camera and audio setup. It turned into a full-blown rant about perfectionism, procrastination, and getting in my own way. Filmed at home at 10 pm with bad lighting, a snoring dog, and my husband watching conspiracy docs in the background, it was meant to s…

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Fame Tested, Resilience Rose: Leanne Brown on reinvention, belief & bravery 56:04

3M ago56:04

56:04

What happens when you walk away from the limelight, the marriage and the life that everyone else thought was perfect - and decide to start again? In this episode of It’s Got Pockets, I sit down with Leanne Brown - Real Housewives of Cheshire star, holistic coach, speaker and woman on a mission of self-discovery. Leanne shares the raw, unfiltered st…

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Sort Your Life Out (But Not With Stacey Solomon, Apparently) 24:12

3M ago24:12

24:12

I didn't know whether to be appalled or over the moon that I made it to the telephone audition stage of Stacey Solomon's TV show, Sort Your Life Out. Sadly, the TV appearance was not to be. However, I did do my own version of the show on my patio with a bajillion Barbie shoes and a shit load of patience. Because clutter was ruining my life. Clutter…

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Unstoppable. Unbreakable. Unrelenting. The weight we carry and the joy we refuse to lose 12:56

4M ago12:56

12:56

Life at this stage? It’s a paradox. It’s brilliant and brutal. It’s laughter that makes your eyes leak and pressure that makes your chest tight. It’s rich tea biscuits when you really want a caramel hobnob. It’s dropping kids at uni, holding parents through illness, running businesses, leading businesses, keeping homes together and still showing up…

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Parenting Without Losing Your Sh*t: An Honest Take on NVR (Non Violent Resistance) 39:25

3M ago39:25

39:25

If you have ever thought “I cannot do this parenting sh*t anymore” or found yourself Googling “is it bad to hide from your children in the shed” this episode is for you. Author and kinship foster carer Gemma Ray did not exactly choose Non Violent Resistance parenting, now often called New Vision for Relationships, out of curiosity. She arrived at i…

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Burnout, Bow Ties & The Book of Joy with Celia Gaze 55:10

4M ago55:10

55:10

From NHS burnout to llamas in bow ties… Celia Gaze’s story is one hell of a plot twist. Celia didn’t set out to be a founder. She set out to survive stress. But what started as a piece of coursework about wellbeing turned into The Wellbeing Farm – a wedding and events venue in Bolton where the llamas wear bow ties (yes, really) and joy is stitched …

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Take a Break Headline or Real Life? My Kinship Foster Care Story 51:58

4M ago51:58

51:58

What happens when you think your family is complete, your husband’s had the snip, and then life hands you two more children overnight? In this deeply personal episode, I open up about the unexpected journey into kinship foster care from the trauma, the family politics, the social worker chaos, to the moments I thought I couldn’t go on. It’s also a …

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Vasectomy Fail, Toilet Roll Rage & Typhoid - WE'RE BACK! 48:39

4M ago48:39

48:39

We’re back after three years away… and honest to God, it feels like we’ve lived a whole other lifetime since you last heard from us! In this comeback episode, we catch you up on everything from broken bones to bonus kids, vasectomies that didn’t do the job, and why Claire got so furious about empty toilet rolls that she packed her bags and moved ou…

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Why I laughed when I should’ve led - The self-deprecation trap 15:37

4M ago15:37

15:37

Hello, hello you bloody lovely humans. Today I’m dismantling my long-term love affair with self-deprecation - the jokes I used to make so nobody else could beat me to it and I’m showing you how I swapped being the punchline for backing my bloody brilliance. Why this matters (the science bit): Self-deprecation ≠ strategy: It can boost likeability bu…

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Who’s On Your Bus? With the joyous and frankly fabulous Penny Haslam 1:01:32

4M ago1:01:32

1:01:32

Everyone needs a Penny in their pocket. Today I’m joined by my new best mate, the fabulous Penny Haslam - award-winning speaker, ex-BBC journalist, professional truth-teller and fellow square peg. We cover the lot: friendship politics, midlife rage, confidence wobbles and why trusting your gut is not a “nice to have”, it’s the ultimate sat-nav. Thi…

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Home-made granola and winning Olympic Gold for Procrastination 13:59

4M ago13:59

13:59

Well, hello you bloody brilliant lot - welcome back to It’s Got Pockets, the podcast for women who are done shrinking to fit and rewriting the rules one plot twist (and one swear word) at a time. This week, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my Olympic-level procrastination skills. Picture this: I had a game-changing proposal to write - the kind o…

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Money, Mortgages & Messy Middle-Aged Plot Twists: The Financial Chat Every Woman Needs 43:25

5M ago43:25

43:25

Well hello, my brilliant bunch - this one is a must-listen. Especially if you’ve ever muttered, “I really should get my financial shit sorted” and then promptly buried your head in a planner and poured a wine. In this episode of It’s Got Pockets, I’m joined by the absolute powerhouse that is Katy Eatenton - mortgage adviser, insurance strategist, f…

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Sit the F*ck Down, Doris - The Power of Stopping Before You Burn Out 11:24

5M ago11:24

11:24

Well hello, you bloody brilliant humans. This one’s for every woman still holding the sky up while her soul’s quietly sobbing for a break. In this solo episode, I’m sharing the truth behind the smiling, functioning, got-it-together mask we wear - even when we're running on empty and calling it leadership, strength, or “just cracking on.” Spoiler al…

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Grief, love & all the joy — with the brilliant Alison Larkin 50:15

5M ago50:15

50:15

In this unforgettable episode, I'm joined by the gloriously funny, deeply wise and utterly disarming Alison Larkin - bestselling author, actress, award-winning audiobook narrator and creator of Grief, A Comedy. What begins as a conversation about grief quickly unfolds into a masterclass in living, loving late, choosing joy, and rewriting the rules …

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The Shovel Sisters – A Survival Guide for Hormonal Carnage 11:47

5M ago11:47

11:47

Ever fantasised about checking yourself into a silent retreat (aka jail) just for a bit of peace and bloody quiet? Welcome to The Shovel Sisters episode – a love letter to every woman who’s ever had to educate someone (a partner, a colleague, a child... the bloody dog) on the absolute hormonal rollercoaster that is perimenopause, menopause and ever…

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Vaginas, Boundaries & Friendshits - What We’d Say If the World Was Listening 46:44

6M ago46:44

46:44

This episode kicks off with a question no one saw coming (literally): do vaginas have nostrils? And from there… it’s glorious, gritty and unfiltered. I’m joined by the brilliant Jennie and what starts as knicker chat turns into the kind of real, raw conversation women usually only have in the loos - when the bra's off, the mascara’s smudged and you…

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Portugal: The Foundling Wheel Killer (1772) 37:28

6M ago37:28

37:28

In the olive groves of 18th-century Portugal, a caretaker discovered a shallow grave containing an infant's body with Episode 4 of 15 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History The investigation into Luísa de Jesus begins, revealing a systematic pattern of infant murders that would expose fatal flaws in Portugal's child welfare system and lead to her e…

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The Proving Trap: Why You're Still Performing Even When You're Exhausted 13:19

6M ago13:19

13:19

This episode starts with a cancelled Sunday. But it unpacks something far bigger. Something I know you’ll feel in your bones if you’ve ever: Held the sky up for everyone else Put your needs last Kept going when your body and brain were screaming “enough” I’m talking about the invisible trap of proving - where you perform your value, your right to r…

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BERGCAST - Episode 38 - The Spores of Nigel Kneale with Joel Morris 1:04:01

6M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

Comedy writer Joel Morris explains why the ideas and concepts of Nigel Kneale have infected popular culture like a Quatermass monster.By BERGCAST

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From the Hacienda to Heartbreak to Hope: Turning pain into purpose with Nicky Wake 53:01

6M ago53:01

53:01

Trigger warning: This episode contains themes of grief, loss, trauma, addiction, and recovery. This episode is special; I get to talk to my fabulous friend Nicky Wake and I can confirm it is completely unfiltered. In this fiercely honest episode of It’s Got Pockets, I sit down with the phenomenal Nicky Wake - powerhouse entrepreneur, sober and foun…

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Ladies of the Class of the 1980s: Start now and still you are not as fat as you think you are 7:39

6M ago7:39

7:39

Back in 1997, a little essay called “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” was published in the Chicago Tribune. It was later turned into an unlikely global hit by the one and only Baz Luhrmann and “Wear Sunscreen” became a rite of passage for an entire generation. It was oh so wise, weirdly soothing and just the right amount of bi…

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Jamaica: The Mad Master of Edinburgh Castle 21:41

6M ago21:41

21:41

What drives a man from Scottish grace to Caribbean bloodshed, turning sun-drenched hills into a killing field, cloaking murdero Episode 3 of 6 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History Lewis Hutchinson's reign of terror from Edinburgh Castle in colonial Jamaica reveals how one man's twisted hospitality became a death trap for unsuspecting travelers in…

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Paving the Way with Purpose: The Fight, Fire and Fierce Truth of Stacey Copeland 1:08:03

7M ago1:08:03

1:08:03

In this episode of It’s Got Pockets, I sit down with the force that is Stacey Copeland - history-maker, changemaker, former professional boxer and England footballer, broadcaster, coach and founder of the brilliant charity, Pave The Way. From being told she couldn’t box because she was a girl… to becoming the first British woman to win the Commonwe…

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The Quietest Rebellion: Choosing You 11:40

7M ago11:40

11:40

This episode is for the woman who’s done the graft, held the sky up, made the tea, fixed the mess and forgotten what she actually wanted. You know what the real plot twist is? You finally choose you. Not the noisy reinvention. Not the performative hashtag blessed post. Not the shiny detour that looks good on paper but feels like wearing someone els…

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France: La Voisin and the Affair of the Poisons 21:43

7M ago21:43

21:43

In the glittering court of Louis XIV's France, where opulence and intrigue walked hand in hand, one woman built a criminal empire that would Episode 2 of 6 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History Catherine Monvoisin's poisoning network spreads through the French aristocracy as her connections to the royal court deepen, implicating some of the most p…

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Women Are Mad (And We’ve Got Every Right to Be): With Jennifer Cox 1:00:49

7M ago1:00:49

1:00:49

Well, this one’s a blink stinking belter. I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Jennifer Cox - psychotherapist, bestselling author of Women Are Mad and someone who gets it on a soul-deep level. Her book has been flying off the shelves (and rightly so), because it’s finally saying what so many of us have been feeling for years. We’re mad. And…

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Roman Empire: History's First Serial Killer 21:52

7M ago21:52

21:52

In the shadowy corners of the Roman Empire, a woman named Locusta perfected the art of murder, becoming history's first documented Season & Episode Context: Episode 1 of 15 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History Journey back to the 1st century AD, where we meet Locusta of Gaul—the poisoner who terrorized Rome's elite and changed criminal history fo…

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The most constructive 'F*ck You', you can deliver: The Success of You 19:03

7M ago19:03

19:03

Ever had a moment where life sideswiped you and you thought, “Well, that’s it then. That was my chance”? Where you thought "Is this it?" Where the plan you had came to a big fat, hard stop and you rocked in a corner wondering what the actual feck you are going to do now? Same. And this episode? It’s a reminder that that moment is often the start of…

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Your style isn’t fluff it’s self-care. It’s psychology. It’s permission. Dressing like the woman you’re becoming with Abbey Booth. 1:05:00

7M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

Right then. Let’s talk about clothes but not the “what’s trending on Instagram” kind. I’m talking about the kind of clothes that hold your hand on a hard day, remind you who the hell you are when you’re wobbling and walk you into the room like you’ve already claimed your seat at the table. The power of clothes is huge, dressing for our day can abso…

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BERGCAST - Episode 37 - Toby Hadoke's Quatermass Experiment book 1:09:42

8M ago1:09:42

1:09:42

BERGCAST stalwart Toby Hadoke's long awaited tome is out! Toby chats to Jon and Andy about its long gestation, the challenge of tenses and how to slay sacred cows respectfully.By BERGCAST