ABOUT
BOTTOMING is the LGBTQ+ mental health podcast, about rock bottoming and beyond.
This is not a sex podcast, but if you came here for that, stay anyway.
Stemming from personal experiences, Bottoming was created as a way for Brendan and Matthew to navigate difficult conversations and topics in their own life, but with a dark and humorous twist - the only way they know how.
The aim of Bottoming is to show that although anyone can suffer from poor mental health, it can and does impact LGBTQ+ people on a larger scale. The conversation isn’t always pretty, but the boys want to show it can be done with a few laughs to help you get through, making the topics more accessible, approachable and easy to digest.
Photography by Sam Taylor-Edwards.
MATTHEW lives in Hackney and works in the LGBT+ housing/charity sector as a communications manager. He’s a lover of houseplants, Robyn, and is a newly identified gay-mer.
BRENDAN is also Hackney-based, currently studying his MSc Psychology at the University of Greenwich. A man of many lives, he is an over-active listener with a love for baking and writing.SEASON 4
RELATED LINKS
MHAW BONUS
- Will Young says gardening has helped his anxiety on Gardeners' World
- The Wellbeing Lab
- Be Yourself and Happier: The A-Z of Wellbeing
- Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert
- Wellbeing and Loneliness - Community Life Survey 2020/21
- Mental Health in the Pandemic
- Growing up LGBT+
- Combating loneliness amongst older LGBT people
- Loneliness in Later Life
- Big Boys on Channel 4
- Cheer the F**k up
- The funny thing about grief, by comedian Jack Rooke
- Jack Rooke: ‘We should teach mental health’
- “Jack began working with CALM at just 18 years old...”
- BBC Radio 4: Jack Rooke: Good Grief
- 'I’ve always felt like gay and straight male relationships are really important'
- Stonewall Strategy: Free to Be
- New Stonewall boss suggests fresh approach to division on trans rights
- The data is clear: most people are supportive of trans rights
- Stonewall boss says charity had no real influence on BBC
- Stonewall CEO Nancy Kelley: ‘It’s important to celebrate the power of queer women’
- ILGA: Rainbow Europe
- NML: LGBTQ + Audio Trail
PLEASURE PAIN
- Josef Salvat talks Modern Anxiety and why he rejects the ‘gay music’ label
- Josef Salvat warns of the dangers of chemsex on the gay scene in 'paper moons' video
- “Now the only thing I care about is whether the people who listen to me are going to feel fed”
- London Friend - Chemsex support
- CALM - United against suicide
- UK’s first Pride march couldn’t be further from Pride in London
- I was at the first Pride march 50 years ago today. Here’s what it taught me
- Gay Liberation Front retrace original Pride march route on 50th anniversary
- Pride in London should return to radical roots, says Peter Tatchell
- Stories from the first London Pride march in 1972
- Don’t Say Gay Kickstarter
- Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants
- Schools OUT UK
- Pink Singers
- LGBT+ Traveller Pride
- The King is Dead by Benjamin Dean
- ‘The gayer you are the better!’: BAYLI is making fashion bangers for queers
- Meet BAYLI, Rihanna’s Future Pool Girl
- 7 Best New Songs by Queer Artists
- BAYLI on singing to & for the gay community
- BAYLI: The Future Star Already In Her Own Lane
ARCHIVE
LISTENER REVIEWS
STUNNING
★★★★★
Great podcast, the guys have lovely chemistry and some great guests! Especially love the episodes focused on people’s individual experiences.
AWESOME PODCAST
★★★★★
What an amazing job you both do, I have listened to a few episodes and your ability to take people on a journey with each topic or issue is great and your perspective based on both your experiences is so unique.
UR DOING AMAZING SWEETIE
★★★★★
Loved the ep with Jason Okundaye and Marc Thompson. They’re doing amazing and so are yous!
LOVE THIS
★★★★★
The quality of topics and guests is absolutely amazing. The hosts are really welcoming and are great at sharing relevant resources and alternatives that may not spring to mine immediately. Easily one of my favourite podcasts to listen to.
SPECIAL
★★★★★
For a podcast which shapes itself upon traditionally ‘difficult’ subject matters, it’s light, conversational, and most importantly feels like there’s a little something that’s personal for everyone.
HONEST AND EASY LISTENING
★★★★★
Feels like I’m sat in a room chatting with my mates, something I’ve missed over the past year. I’ve ended up listening to both seasons in a few weeks & recommended my friends do the same.
MUCH NEEDED
★★★★★
An important and timely podcast with relatable hosts.
SOULFUL, HONEST AND OPEN HEARTED
★★★★★
Possibly one of my favourite podcasts by far! The hosts are utterly wonderful. They provide a friendly approach into raw and sometimes difficult topics, with great insight; adding personal experiences which are relatable and often reassuring. The podcast is both joyful and heartwarming.
CAN’T STOP LISTENING
★★★★★
Brendan and Matthew could both open their own comedy show, their host chemistry is incredible and keeps you engaged throughout every episode. Plus, the podcast has given me the opportunity to discover some amazing people within the LGBTQ+ community that I can now follow too. It’s also very refreshing to listen to discussions around mental health that involve people that aren’t experts! It’s easy to medicalise the topic (I would know as I’m a clinician!) and hearing people talk so frankly about their experience is really empowering.
KEEP TALKING...
★★★★★
The more space to talk & listen around this subject the better. Keep talking & laughing.
SO MUCH LOVE AND HOPE
★★★★★
It’s so important to keep talking about our issues openly and this does such a good job of helping that! With a very relatable tone and some light hearted witty humour. I can’t wait for more episodes. So much love x
SO DAMN GOOD
★★★★★
Just discovered this and even on my first listen I found that I related to a lot of what was being discussed on a very personal level. I think it’s really important to tell our stories just so people can understand that we’re all the same really. Can’t wait to listen to more!
BRILLIANT, HONEST PODCAST
★★★★★
One of my fave podcasts. So refreshing to hear such honesty especially around such an important topic.
GOOD, HONEST & OPEN DISCUSSION!
★★★★★
Love this podcast. It feels honest, authentic and to the point. Great work guys.
TONIC FOR THE SOUL
★★★★★
Wonderful hosts finding a great balance in being able to talk about very difficult issues in a friendly, conversational way that feels reassuring and relatable. Good people doing good things. It warms my heart.
MARVELLOUS
★★★★★
These guys tackle important and often-ignored issues in witty, insightful and hilarious ways. Keep it up x
GLORIOUSLY AUTHENTIC
★★★★★
Absolutely stunning listen! A perfect mix of light hearted realness and genuinely real chat about mental health and queerness! A new favourite! Xoxo
PRESS
GAY TIMES
WILL YOUNG OPENS UP ABOUT “LONELINESS” AND “ABANDONMENT” FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK“The bonus episode, which was released on 9 May to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, also saw the Leave Right Now share his experiences of how therapy has helped him overcome issues he has faced in life.“
READ MORE
MR PORTER
LGBTQ+ MEN ON WHAT THEIR CLOTHES MEAN TO THEM“The podcast – named after the idea of hitting rock bottom mentally – is like dropping in on a very honest and heartfelt conversation...It’s an exploratory conversational style that’s reflected in our chat about style and identity.”
READ MORE
HAPPIFUL MAGAZINE
10 THINGS TO DO IN JULY“Hosts Brendan and Matthew discuss everything from LGBTQ+ community spaces, to how we can learn more about those who identify as transgender, and why LGBTQ+ people can have a strained relationship with exercise. With their frequent humour, the hosts prove that a friendly tone can make difficult and raw conversations accessible for anyone.”
READ MORE
MENTAL
THE PODCAST TO DESTIGMATISE MENTAL HEALTHSTUFF.NZ
OBSESSED WITH...“Another UK podcast this week, this time focused on LGBTQ+ mental health. Hosted by LGBTQ+ charity worker Matthew Riley and psychology academic Brendan Geoghegan, Bottoming is focused on opening up discussions of mental health specific to the queer experience, looking at how LGBTQ+ individuals experience mental health issues and the pathways to healing that are most effective. With experts from mental health charities and media commentators regularly guesting on the show, Bottoming is memorable for its calming and intimate tone; listening feels like entering the exact kind of safe space one needs when struggling mentally. Though many issues are UK-specific, the themes are universal, and will speak to the experiences of many LGBTQ+ people in Aotearo.”
READ MORE
LIVERPOOL ECHO
LGBTQ+ TRAIL WITH PETE BURNS AND 'HIDDEN BISCUIT JAR' STORIES COMING TO CITY“...the feature will guide visitors through the museum with... hosts of Bottoming podcast – ‘using their own experiences and conversational tone to add a personal, relevant touch to experiencing the collections.’”
READ MORE
PODCAST
RADIO HOUR
GREAT BRITISH PODCAST NEWSLETTER
WEEKLY PICKS“An amazing name for a podcast, Bottoming is an LGBTQ+ podcast that explores mental health (and dealing with your own rock bottom), presented by Brendan Geoghegan and Matthew Riley. They’ve been exploring some interesting issues to coincide with LGBT+ History Month, from the horrors of conversion therapy to homelessness, with queer youth making up a quarter of the youth homeless population.
I especially liked their most recent episode, which explores how growing up in the country could cause issues in shaping your identity, especially if there’s poor representation of LGBTQ+ role models on television and in wider media. A lot of the time seeing someone like you somewhere else makes yourself feel seen and validated. Things are changing for the better, but are they moving fast enough?”
READ MORE
MENTALLY YOURS
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAYBUSTLE
10
OF THE BEST LGBTQ+ PODCASTS FROM UK CREATORS“Using their own personal experience, Hackney-based Matthew and Brendan host in-depth conversations surrounding mental health in the LGBTQ+ community. Along with the occasional guest, the boys aim to explore difficult subject matters with a sense of humour, which they hope makes each topic ‘more accessible, approachable, and easy to digest.’”
READ MORE
ACAST
MENTAL HEALTH PANEL
WATCH HERE
VADA MAGAZINE
BOTTOMING: MEET THE MINDS BEHIND THE LGBTQ+ MENTAL HEALTH PODCAST“And despite the fact that the podcast is about what happens when you hit rock bottom, Riley and Geoghegan’s natural chemistry brings a humorous twist to sometimes challenging conversation topics. Listening to these episodes will leave you with both tears in your eyes and a warm feeling of hope inside your chest.”
READ MORE
PROPER MENTAL
POD BIBLE
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PODCASTS #15
READ MORE
GAY TIMES
CLAP FOR CREATIVESSPRING 2021
SUPPORT
If you or someone you know needs a little extra help, take a look at the links below to reach out for support.
- ANXIETY UK
- CALM
- NHS EVERY MIND MATTERS
- NHS WEBSITE
- MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION
- MIND
- MIND OUT
- RETHINK MENTAL ILLNESS
- SAMARITANS
- SURVIVORS UK
- SWITCHBOARD LGBT
- THE SURVIVORS TRUST
- ELOP
This is not an exhaustive list, if you need specialist help, please contact your GP or visit the NHS website for more info.
If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis, follow this LINK where you can find local support options.
You’re doing amazing sweetie.
