The Pieces with Bimini

Elizabeth Day on Rock Bottom, Societal Pressures On Women & Failure

Elizabeth Day is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist and the creator and host of How To Fail, one of the UK's most beloved podcasts. With over 300 episodes and millions of downloads, Elizabeth has built a global community around the radical idea that failure isn't something to be ashamed of — it's what makes us human. From her novels including One Of Us and Magpie to her Sunday Times bestselling memoir How to Fail: Everything I've Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong, Elizabeth's work centres on the messy, complicated, beautiful truth of being alive. Beyond her creative output, Elizabeth is a fierce advocate for redefining success, challenging societal expectations around relationships and motherhood, and celebrating the power of chosen family. On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Elizabeth dive into the formative moment that changed everything: being dumped three weeks before her 39th birthday, staring down the barrel of her 40s alone after a decade of intense transition — divorce, failed fertility treatment, three miscarriages, and the collapse of what she thought would be her second chance at love. They discuss how sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to break through, why failure is what happens when life doesn't go according to plan and how that heartbreak led to the creation of How To Fail. The conversation touches on the time limits society places on women having children, redefining family as chosen rather than conventional, and why the Virgin Mary is the ultimate IVF queen. Elizabeth and Bimini also bond over their shared love of Real Housewives before Elizabeth reveals where she finds her power... Don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes of The Pieces every Tuesday! Follow The Pieces with Bimini Listen Now on Global Player Instagram: @thepiecespod [https://www.instagram.com/thepiecespod] TikTok: @thepiecespod [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepiecespod] YouTube: @thepiecespod [https://youtube.com/@thepiecespod]

Is Entertainment Always Political?

In this powerful solo episode of The Pieces, recorded on Bimini's birthday, pop and politics collide in a way that refuses to be separated. With Eurovision 2026 approaching and five countries boycotting in protest, Bimini tackles the myth that entertainment can ever be apolitical — reminding us that Eurovision was literally invented in 1956 to bring a war-torn Europe together through song. Also - it's Trans History Week, marking the 6th of May 1933 — the day Nazi students and brownshirts ransacked Magnus Hirschfeld's Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin and burned its library to the ground. Bimini draws the line between then and now: Jewish people being attacked on the streets of London in 2026, synagogues firebombed, the UK terror threat level at severe. This episode refuses to let you pick a side between caring about Palestinians and caring about Jewish people, because the lesson of 1933 is that the same forces come for the same communities. But joy is also the discipline. Bimini finds power in people who refuse to be erased, in community, in Magnus Hirschfeld dying in exile on his birthday 91 years ago, in Marty Davies building Trans History Week, and in a kid from Great Yarmouth who got off the train in 2012 with a fake Louis Vuitton bag and didn't know any of this was coming. Don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes of The Pieces every Tuesday! Follow The Pieces with Bimini Listen Now on Global Player Instagram: @thepiecespod [https://www.instagram.com/thepiecespod] TikTok: @thepiecespod [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepiecespod] YouTube: @thepiecespod [https://youtube.com/@thepiecespod]

Sam Buttery on Therapy, Sobriety & Having A Shameless Drive

Sam Buttery is a comedian, writer and actor whose sharp wit and unapologetic honesty have made her a beloved figure in the UK queer scene. From scene-stealing turns on stage to unforgettable vocal performances, Sam has built a reputation as one of the most distinctive and dynamic performers in UK theatre. Most recently, Sam has starred in Netflix's KAOS, the London Palladium production of The Addams Family Musical and the Sheffield Crucible production of Little Shop of Horrors. Sam has built a reputation for her advocacy for mental health and addiction recovery, turning personal struggle into powerful performance. Much of her work centres queer stories with humour, heart and unflinching truth. Beyond the stage, Sam is nearly six years sober and uses her platform to support others navigating addiction, mental health and gender identity — all while maintaining the shameless drive and delusions of grandeur that got her out of Tamworth in the first place. On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Sam dive into the formative moments that shaped who she is today: therapy and sobriety. They discuss how she didn't realise she was trans until she stopped drinking nearly six years ago, why good mental health support was necessary before positive thinking could begin, and how childhood gender dysphoria felt like just "feeling weird" without the language to name it. The conversation touches on the complexity of sleeping with people whose politics are abhorrent, shameless drive as something that confronts people who want you to stay in your place and imagining different parts of yourself at different ages in therapy. Don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes of The Pieces every Tuesday! Follow The Pieces with Bimini Listen Now on Global Player Instagram: @thepiecespod [https://www.instagram.com/thepiecespod] TikTok: @thepiecespod [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepiecespod] YouTube: @thepiecespod [https://youtube.com/@thepiecespod]

Mae Muller on Eurovision, Burnout & Breakthroughs

Mae Muller has become one of the UK's most exciting and authentic pop voices. From her breakthrough hit "Better Days" to representing the United Kingdom at Eurovision in 2023, Mae has built a devoted fanbase through her unflinchingly honest songwriting and razor-sharp wit. Her music tackles everything from toxic relationships and self-worth to mental health and navigating your twenties, all delivered with the kind of candour that makes you feel like you're having a chat with your best friend. Beyond the catchy hooks and infectious melodies, Mae is unafraid to use her platform to speak out on issues that matter — from Palestine solidarity to calling out industry exploitation. On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Mae dive into the formative moment that changed everything: discovering Lily Allen's album "Alright, Still" which showed her that honesty in songwriting was possible and made her want to become an artist. They discuss the toxic music industry machine and how it tried to change her, experiencing burnout after Eurovision and mistaking it for PTSD, learning to trust her gut and her taste again after being told she was wrong, and why she walked away from her major label to become an independent artist. The conversation touches on the pressure to be vocal about world issues as a public figure, why being against genocide shouldn't be a political opinion, finding power in lifelong friendships that ground you when work identity wavers, and making the conscious decision to be happy despite everything. Don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes of The Pieces every Tuesday! Follow The Pieces with Bimini Listen Now on Global Player Instagram: @thepiecespod [https://www.instagram.com/thepiecespod] TikTok: @thepiecespod [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepiecespod] YouTube: @thepiecespod [https://youtube.com/@thepiecespod]

Lucia Blayke on Injustice, Partying, Surviving & Liberation

Lucia Blayke is a Liverpool-born, London-based activist, cultural icon and force of nature who has dedicated her life to fighting for trans rights and creating spaces of joy in a world that too often reduces trans lives to debate and suffering. From organising a vigil for the Orlando shooting at just 16 years old, to founding Harpies — the legendary queer party night — and establishing the Transpire Foundation, an organisation working to bring down unemployment rates in the trans community, Lucia's work is driven by one clear mission: justice, celebration and survival. There's a reason why GAY TIMES called her "the voice of a generation". On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Lucia dive into the formative moments that made her who she is, including her working-class roots and family history of standing up to injustice. They discuss why she organised the Orlando vigil and the backlash she received from right-wing media and why representation matters — from believing everyone is sexy (except Nigel Farage) to creating spaces where trans people can just exist. The conversation touches on the Transpire Foundation's workshops for trans people, why transphobia has quadrupled since Brexit and the importance of celebration as survival. Don't forget to subscribe and don't miss new episodes of The Pieces every Tuesday! Follow The Pieces with Bimini Listen Now on Global Player Instagram: @thepiecespod [https://www.instagram.com/thepiecespod] TikTok: @thepiecespod [https://www.tiktok.com/@thepiecespod] YouTube: @thepiecespod [https://youtube.com/@thepiecespod]