No topic, or word, is off limits on The Receipts. The podcast’s unfiltered discussions and advice on sex and relationships is exactly what gives it such a refreshingly unique selling point. From dating to race and everyday millennial situations, this is the unadulterated “sisterhood” talk that we need.

Since its launch in 2016, Tolani Shoneye (Tolly), Milena Sanchez and Audrey Indome have engaged with their loyal audience through dishing out hard truths, sharing personal experiences and interviewing guests. This is what’s led to The Receipts’ success and achievements, which now includes an exclusive deal with Spotify where fans can listen to the series. 

“I think that the honesty and no-filter aspect is what people love, especially at a time now when everything seems so ‘perfect’ on Instagram,” Indome tells Stylist. “When we first started we literally made a pact that if we’re going to be this, we’re going to be as honest and open as possible. There’d be no point in doing it if we weren’t going to expose everything for being what it is.”

The story of how The Receipts came to be is an example of just how powerful a feminist podcast is in a media landscape traditionally dominated by white, middle-aged, middle-class men.

All three girls met on Twitter after a male podcast presenter said “women couldn’t do a show like his” and decided to prove him wrong by being “as open and transparent” about women’s issues as possible.

“I know that in our kind of circle, from when we first launched on Twitter, a lot of the people that we were in close proximity with have started to copy us and now there are so many [podcasts].

“I think there’s definitely a shift, there are so many people who are creating them now. What’s great about podcasts is that you don’t need a lot of money to do it. That’s what’s amazing about media now, you can just go out and create your own stuff.

“I think the flexibility of just being able to make them yourself means that it’s definitely becoming a lot more diverse than it originally was.”

Proving the ripple effect of using more diverse voices in the media, the lack of negative responses received by the show is very telling.

“From what I can remember in the three years that we’ve been doing it I’ve only seen two or three bad tweets,” adds Indome. “I think we get corrections on things more than anything, but we always put the statement out there that we’re not doctors or experts - these are our opinions.”

With ambitions of getting Beyoncé and Michelle Obama on the podcast, the three women aren’t shy of aiming high – and rightly so. Past guests have included Maya Jama and Ray BLK. It’s not bad going for a group who had little expectations of the podcast’s success.

“When we first started this, I don’t think any of us saw it as being able to possibly be another career,” explains Indome, who still works her 9-5 job at a media agency. “Once we realised the size of the audience we built, I think we realised that actually we were so much bigger than what we thought it would ever turn out to be, so I think Spotify was just the next logical step in terms of progression.

“It’s nice to be paid for what we’re doing and not just putting out content, even though we would absolutely continue doing it for free because we genuinely love doing it and know how much the audience love it.”

It’s inspiring talk for anyone wanting to vocalise their own under-represented voice out there. People definitely want to hear it. 

Listen to The Receipts podcast on Spotify here. 

Images: W Communications and The Receipts