Jay Simmons is a student and a transgender teenager. I met Jay at a TEDx talk, where she delivered a – quite frankly – incredible talk aiming to address those misunderstandings. She said, “if you love transgender people, listen to this talk. If you hate transgender people, also listen to this talk.” 

Her motivation to do the TEDx talk and to speak with me on the podcast today, comes from a desire to help people understand and to give other transgender people a way to explain it to their families.

6:30: Feeling different as a child, but not knowing what that was about. Jay explains that puberty felt like an out of body experience. She eventually found a website that suggested that this is how some transgender people feel. That didn't resonate - Jay thought she would have known if she was transgender, so it took a while for her to realise. When her voice dropped, that was when she really realised she didn't feel like herself as a boy. 

10:25: What is: 

• Trans-feminine 
• Dissociation
• Depersonalisation

Who is Jay Simmons?

Jay is a 6th form student studying media, drama and computer science. A few years ago, she realised she was transgender and with that, also realised that there are a lot of ways that transgender people are misunderstood.

Click the link to watch Jay's TEDx talk What does transgender mean anyway? 

Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

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There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.

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Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.