The Penis Project Podcast: Breaking Taboos in Men’s Sexual Health

The Penis Project Podcast: Breaking Taboos in Men’s Sexual Health

With over 219,000 streams and nearly 200 episodes, The Penis Project Podcast—hosted by Australian Nurse Practitioner and Sexologist Melissa Hadley Barrett —offers groundbreaking conversations about men’s sexual health. Launched in 2020 by Melissa and physiotherapist Jo Milios, the podcast combines expert knowledge, scientific insights, and interviews with her patients and their partners to address sensitive topics men often struggle to discuss, including erectile dysfunction, prostate and bladder cancer recovery, Peyronie’s disease, premature ejaculation and intimacy in relationships. Melissa, who refers to herself as the ”Unexpected Sexologist,” brings decades of clinical experience and compassion to every episode, highlighting that sexual wellbeing involves both physical and emotional health. Join this global community in breaking down stigma, finding support, and accessing practical solutions to common yet overlooked men’s health issues. Available on all major podcast platforms, with new episodes every fortnight—start listening today.

Episodes

April 29, 2025 34 mins

In this candid and heartfelt episode, Melissa chats with Richard and Pauline, a 75-year-old couple who generously share their personal experience with prostate cancer—from diagnosis to recovery. They open up about the emotional and physical aspects of his journey, including the moment a routine PSA test led to further investigation and, eventually, robotic prostate surgery. 

This conversation shines a light on topics that are often...

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Today on the Penis Project Melissa chats to Professor Eric Chung who is recognised as one of Australia's leading urologists and has been invited as a speaker at many international and national meetings as well as received numerous national and international awards and research grants. In this candid and science-backed conversation, they discuss Spontan—a revolutionary nasal spray delivering the PDE5 inhibitor Vardenafil to treat er...

In this powerful and honest episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett speaks with Dave and his partner Jen about their journey dealing with premature ejaculation (PE) — a common but often misunderstood sexual health condition affecting many men and couples. 

Dave opens up about his experience living with PE since adolescence, the impact it had on his confidence and relationship, and how alcohol became a coping me...

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In this episode of The Penis Project podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett interviews Scott, an avid listener of the podcast and founder of the Facebook group Let's Talk All Things Men's Health. Scott shares his personal journey battling hereditary hemochromatosis, a genetic condition that leads to excessive iron accumulation in the body, and how it resulted in severe erectile dysfunction (ED) and other health complications. 

Scott discu...

In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, we sit down with Frank, a 74-year-old prostate cancer survivor who has meticulously tracked his recovery through data and milestones. Frank’s journey is a testament to the power of knowledge, proactive health management, and the importance of open conversations about men’s health. 

Frank shares his experience from diagnosis to post-op recovery, including: 

✅ His prostate cancer diagnosi...

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In this enlightening episode of The Penis Project Podcast, Melissa Hadley Barrett chats with Chris Robson, co-founder of the revolutionary app, Squeezy. Designed to improve pelvic floor health for men and women alike, Squeezy helps users build a habit of effective pelvic floor exercises through tailored plans and regular reminders. 

Chris shares the story behind Squeezy’s creation, its impact on users globally, and its role as the ...

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This episode gets real as Melissa and Kate talk to Shannon who opens up about her personal experience with painful sex and vulvodynia and vaginismus. She shares how these challenges have shaped her live, relationships, and self-esteem, while also tackling the pressures society places on sexuality. It’s a candid, heartfelt conversation that’s all about breaking the stigma and encouraging empathy. 

What We Talked About: 

  • Real-Li...
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In this episode of The Penis Project Podcast, we’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Justin Lehmiller, a renowned research fellow at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and one of the leading voices in the field of human sexuality. Dr. Lehmiller, author of Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life and The Psychology of Human Sexuality, shares groundbreaking insights into the fas...

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In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Nazanin licensed clinical psychologist specializing in addictions, eating disorders, sexual health, and mental wellness. She is also the host of the renowned Sexology podcast, which boasts over 400 episodes exploring various facets of intimacy and relationships. 

Together, we delve into one of the most common challenges faced in long-term relationships: reigniting passion and navigati...

In this episode, Melissa and Shane dive deep into health topics encountered by Shane, including  personal experiences with prostate cancer, low testosterone, and hormone replacement therapy. They cover: 

  1. Health Management and Responsibility 
  • The significance of individual responsibility in monitoring and managing personal health. 
  • Exploring the role of hormone levels in cell regeneration and cancer develo...
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In this episode, Melissa welcomes Richard, a 71-year-old gay man, who shares his journey through prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, offering an honest look into the physical, emotional, and relational changes that come with it from the perspective of a gay man.  

 Key topics include: 

  1. Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment 
  • Richard’s decision to opt for robotic prostate surgery over radiotherapy and t...
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Recently Kate and I attended this conference in Brazil. It was 4 days jam packed with information in the sexual health field. People from all over the world attended and from many different professions. Many urologists, sexologists, a few nurse practitioners, occupational therapists and many more. I have attended this conference in previous years and it is always exciting to update skills and think about what we can incorporate int...

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This episode on The Penis Project we are excited to interview Dr. Declan Murphy and Dr. Renu Eapen, both who have a wonderful podcast called GU CAST. In this episode we will discuss advanced prostate cancer among many other topics, such as:

 - PSA anxiety is a very real feeling that many men and their families feel when waiting for PSA results.

 - What a rise in PSA means and why you don’t need to panic and why you shouldn’t compar...

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This is another exciting episode which came highly requested by you, The Penis Project audience. We have interviewed David previously on the podcast in episode 46, and two patients who have undergone this procedure (episodes 83 and 174) so listen here for the backstory 

Mr Dangerfield in conjunction with Prof Chris Coombs have developed a surgical technique to restore erections utilizing nerve grafting.  

Listen to Melissa have an ...

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This is a very special episode featuring none other than Victoria Cullen from “A touchy Subject” and Robert, a longtime patient of both Victoria and me (Melissa Hadley Barrett).

Robert had an open prostatectomy in May 2009 and has been on a journey of self-discovery ever since. He initially saw men’s health Dr in Brisbane for 4-5 years until he went searching for other options. He injected twice a week for years a mysterious mix …...

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September 3, 2024 43 mins

Today we speak with Emily, a sexologist with a psychology background. Emily has a great podcast,  “That’s Orgasmic” of which I am a keen listener. Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed on Emily’s podcast and thought The Penis Project audience would benefit from her education, view point and information.   

 In this episode we discuss; mismatched libidos (takeaway message – you are not broken), how to build desire, premat...

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Today we talk to John who had a prostatectomy in February 2024. Joh has taken his recovery very seriously and has paid particular attention to the products and practices that made his recovery easier. Today he was kind enough to share what he has learnt. We hope that these tips and tricks will help you have smoother sailing.

 

We talk about pads, travelling with pads, penile clamps, underwear he found comfortable, pumping tips and ...

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So, we have talked a lot about the pelvic floor on this podcast, but usually it is about strengthening it to maintain/ improve continence post prostate cancer treatment. But what happens if your pelvic floor is too tight? Well, you can have too much of a good thing.  

Today we talk to Archie, a 29 year old guy who has a tight pelvic floor. This caused him issues in the bedroom. When your pelvic floor is too tight it can be a contri...

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Today we speak with Frank, who was 49 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is now 16 months post-op and has had an unremarkable healing journey. He has no incontinence, and his erectile function has returned. It hasn’t all been plain sailing as you will hear, but with ‘stickability’ following the rehab roadmap he is back on track and now the surgery feels like a blip on the horizon.  

Frank talks about how he now wants to...

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This is another episode where you the listeners asked for it, so you got it. Most exciting this week is we have guest interviewer Victoria Cullen from ‘A Touchy Subject’ on the interview.  If you don’t know about Victoria and you have had prostate cancer treatment- you, should, she has awesome information for people in this area so check out her website https://www.atouchysubject.com/

Many of you saw the TV show where Dr. David D...

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