In episode 365 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with academic Dr Emily Setty.

Emily is currently Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Surrey. Emily has a particular focus on young people’s online and offline sexual behaviours and the evolving challenges of digital sexual cultures.

We first checked in with Emily in JCIP #210 in November 2023.

In that podcast we talked about her wider academic journey and a whole range of issues she’s passionate about, including: the fear of false allegations young boys have, breaking down the myth of 'oppressor vs oppressed' paradigm and how we bridge the divide between young men and young women..

For Emily’s mental health journey, we discussed the sudden death of her father when she was 21 years old and why it was one of several factors which led to her developing an Eating Disorder, which thankfully she overcame.

In Part 2, we discuss the continued work she’s done with men and boys, particularly around the issue of consent.

She is also about to start a new project about how men and boys engage with online content. Emily adopts a mantra of ‘less pathologising, less problematising’.

In addition, Emily is working on a new educational model designed to help all young people and can provide a framework for teachers and educators working with young people.

And finally, Emily is working with a charity about sexual harms online for young boys – both in how they can become victims of it, and what impact does online grooming have on young boys with additional needs or vulnerabilities.

For Emily’s continued mental health journey, she became a mum in October 2025, and we discuss how her life has changed from that moment.

We finish by talking about how she feels about the conversation around motherhood online, particularly given the advocacy of great friend of the pod Freya India and her highlighting of 'The Femosphere’, which she spoke about first in her landmark book GIRLS. This work was then popularised by the viral piece in the New Statesman, which we also discuss.

As always, #itsokaytovent

Support Us:

• Patreon
• PayPal
• Merchandise

In episode 364 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Dr Sophie King-Hill.

Sophie is currently Associate Professor at the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham and has worked in academia since 2013.

She published her latest book, ‘Reframing Masculinity for Young Men and Boys’ in 2025, and her areas of academic expertise are in masculinity and young men and boys, and children and young people and sexual behaviours.

In this episode we discuss her academic journey, her working-class background and how that’s shaped her work and the issues she writes about. We also discuss her TedX talk in 2022 entitled ‘Stop Talking about the Weather and Start Talking about Sex’ and her pride in that achievement.

We also talk about something Sophie calls ‘precarious masculinity’, the impact of pornography on men and boys, both positive and negative, something Sophie calls ‘the porn paradox’ and the role of consent for men and boys.

For Sophie’s mental health journey, we discuss her social class through a mental health lens and motherhood.

As always, #itsokaytovent

Support Us:

• Patreon
• PayPal
• Merchandise

In episode 363 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Simon Whitmore.

Simon is part of an organisation called Spoke To A Bloke.

Spoke To A Bloke is a men’s mental health charity, which was founded in Australia by three men called Scott, Paul and Matt after their friend Nick Dunn tragically took his own life in 2021. Before he did, he would organise an annual 25k men's mental health walk in the country.

After they did the first memorial ‘Nick’s Walk’ in 2022, Spoke To A Bloke was formed.

Simon came on board through charity ambassador James Kennedy, and became the Brighton Walk Leader for the annual occasion.

Since then, he has started more events on a more regular basis, including ‘Climb For A Bloke’ at his local climbing centre.

In this episode we talk about his mental heath journey, which involved a lot of issues with his family during his childhood, which carried on into his adulthood.

These traumatic childhood memories eventually led to Simon's mental health state becoming so severe that he came very close to taking his own life at the start of 2026.

This rock bottom was also his turning point and since then he has taken ownership of his mental health and gotten the support he needs to turn his life around.

We talk about him getting involved in Spoke To A Bloke, leading the Brighton leg of the annual Walk event, and the impact it had on him and the thousands of other men who got involved with it.

As always, #itsokaytovent

You can follow Spoke To A Bloke on social media below:

• Instagram
• TikTok

TRIGGER WARNING: this podcast contains a deep discussion about suicide and suicidality, which some listeners may find distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution.

Support Us:

• Patreon
• PayPal
• Merchandise