Inside the FP Story
Inside the FP Story
A podcast exploring the details of family planning programming.
We made tremendous progress in the last decade to advance cutting-edge family planning frameworks, implement diverse programs, and expand the conversation on family planning funding within the health care system to meet the needs of women and girls, couples, and families. But much work still needs to be done. Learning practical ways to improve family planning programs often happens in casual conversations with peers and colleagues.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and listen in on honest conversations with family planning program experts around the world as they share what has worked in their settings — and what to avoid — in our podcast series, Inside the FP Story.
There are many interesting stories and perspectives to hear in the family planning and reproductive health field. Every season, we’ll dive into pressing questions and explore innovative approaches and solutions, focused along a different theme.
Currently featuring: Season 6 – Let’s Talk About Sex(ual and Reproductive Health)
Episode One: Let’s Talk About Sex(ual and Reproductive Health)
This season, we are exploring the larger context of sexual and reproductive health (or SRH) beyond family planning. Being able to understand the holistic framework—and the range of concerns that affect people’s sexual and reproductive lives—can help ensure access to higher quality information and services for all who need them. In this episode—and throughout this season—we are going to take a fresh look at SRH—how do bodily autonomy and gender fit into this? What about pleasure? How do we ensure that sexual and reproductive health programs consider the needs of young people, and of LGBTQI+ individuals?
Want to read along while you listen? Download the transcript in French or English.
Episode Three: FP-HIV Integration
This third episode will cover the integration of family planning with HIV services, an approach that shows significant potential to improve access to family planning and better meet SRH needs overall. Our guests this episode will provide their perspective on why integration is important, what challenges still exist, and what evidence-based recommendations they have for strengthening services to better meet people’s comprehensive SRH needs.
Want to read along while you listen? Download the transcript in French or English
This episode will dig deeper into a topic that we touched on briefly in our last episode—contraceptive-induced menstrual changes. To explore this topic, we will hear from guests as well as anonymous contraceptive users giving their own testimonies.
Episode Four: Why Has Menstrual Health Been Left Out of SRH Programs?
Featuring interviews from guests who specialize in this topic, this episode will focus on both the physical and social aspects of menstrual health and discuss the importance of inclusive integration of family planning and menstrual health—including adolescents and young people, those living in humanitarian settings, and people of all gender identities and expressions who menstruate.
Want to read along while you listen? Download the transcript in French or English
Episode Five: No Bad Blood
This episode will dig deeper into a topic that we touched on briefly in our last episode—contraceptive-induced menstrual changes. To explore this topic, we will hear from guests as well as anonymous contraceptive users giving their own testimonies.
Want to read along while you listen? Download the transcript in French or English
Past Seasons
Season Five: Intersectionality in Family Planning
Brought to you by Knowledge SUCCESS and VSO, Season 5 of the Inside the FP Story podcast explored the reasons why an intersectional lens is necessary for sexual and reproductive health programs, including family planning. Our guests also introduced tools and resources that can help us ensure that policies, programs, and services are more inclusive and accessible to all.
Want to listen to Season Five episodes? Visit the Season Five landing page and catch up on the episodes you missed.
Season Four: Family Planning in Fragile Settings
Brought to you by Knowledge SUCCESS and MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience, Season 4 of the Inside the FP Story podcast explored how to address family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) within fragile settings. It covered the topics of gender and social norms, quality of FP/RH care, and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH)– all in the context of fragile settings.
Want to listen to Season Four episodes? Visit the Season Four landing page and catch up on the episodes you missed.
Season Three: Gender Integration in Family Planning
Brought to you by Knowledge SUCCESS, Breakthrough ACTION, and the USAID Interagency Gender Working Group, Season 3 of the Inside the FP Story podcast explored how to approach gender integration in family planning programs. It covered the topics of reproductive empowerment, gender-based violence prevention and response, and male engagement. Over three episodes, this season featured a variety of guests as they offer practical examples and specific guidance on integrating gender awareness and equality within their family planning programs.
Want to listen to Season Three episodes? Visit the Season Three landing page and catch up on the episodes you missed.
The Q&A Season
Want to listen to Q&A Season episodes? Visit the Q&A Season landing page and catch up on the episodes you missed.
Season Two: Implementation Experiences
In this six-episode second season of Inside the FP Story, we collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) / IBP Network to explore issues around implementing family planning programs. Featuring six episodes, this season connects you with the authors of a series of implementation stories—published by the IBP Network and Knowledge SUCCESS. These stories offer practical examples—and specific guidance for others—on implementing high-impact practices in family planning and using the latest tools and guidance from WHO.
Want to listen to Season Two episodes? Visit the Season Two landing page and catch up on the episodes you missed.
Season One: Elements of FP Success
We began our podcast series taking you inside the stories of some of the most successful FP2020 countries. Join family planning experts from Afghanistan, Kenya, Mozambique, and Senegal as they discuss the details of family planning programs, how to integrate family planning into other health sectors, and how COVID-19 has impacted service delivery. Each episode offers new insights into best practices, lessons learned, and the continued challenges of working to reduce the barriers that restrict access to family planning.
Want to listen to Season One episodes? Visit the Season One landing page and catch up on the episodes you missed.
Why did we create this podcast?
In mid-2020, Knowledge SUCCESS hosted regional co-creation workshops for FP/RH professionals in Asia, Africa, and the US. Participants voiced a desire for new ways to learn and share practical lessons and experiences that they could access anywhere. A highly portable and short format, podcasts bridge the gap between traditional learning and the current pace of knowledge exchange.
