‘Real people with real problems’: Mamamia recruiting for on-mic therapy podcast
Mamamia is expanding its extensive podcast network, this time with a show that offers participants on-mic therapy sessions.
A casting callout, seen by Mumbrella, says it is looking for “real people with real problems who want real therapy”. The show is recruiting pairs who are interested in receiving qualified psychotherapy for issues such as betrayal, grief, fractured family relationships, co-parenting and broken trust.
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Mamamia’s head of content, Eliza Sorman-Nilsson, told Mumbrella the show’s host will be revealed at the publisher’s 2026 Upfronts in September, but noted they will be a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor with DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) certification.
She told Mumbrella the show is casting the “worried well”, rather than those who are in crisis or who need acute mental health support. She noted that every participating couple will be anonymised and offered additional therapy sessions off-mic with the host.
“From the early development of this show concept we have had really strict casting and show requirements to ensure we are respecting the practice of therapy, our volunteer participants and our audience,” Sorman-Nilsson said in response to Mumbrella’s questions.
“We’ve worked with lawyers, a casting agency, and our host/psychotherapist on this. We have conducted pre-screenings and pre-therapy sessions with participants that are not recorded to best prepare them for the interview. We have also conducted police and background checks,” she said.
Eliza Sorman-Nilsson is Mamma’s head of content
Sorman-Nilsson said the Mamamia team was inspired to create the podcast because people come to the brand “to understand and make sense of relationship dynamics”. She cited the 200% uplift in the Mamamia podcast Everyone Has An Ex, hosted by Georgia Love, as well as Mamamia’s State of Women research as further examples of the appetite for the upcoming project. The research showed that the surveyed women had suffered a 10% decline in happiness with their relationships, across all demos.
“The aim is to tell universal stories that people can relate to, but also help break down the taboo of therapy in a controlled and safe environment,” Sorman-Nilsson added.
Sorman-Nilsson said the bullseye audience for the upcoming, unnamed podcast is 25-54 year-olds navigating complex relationships, but this extends out to a “halo audience” of anyone who’s ever been in a challenging relationship.
On how the company can navigate monetising people’s real-life therapy sessions, she said: “We have strict filters on what brands we align with as well as the type of advertising they can do”.
More details will be revealed at Mamamia’s Upfronts in September.
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