It's So Hard is the podcast about life in and around the sex industry. Here, we unpack the news and politics affecting sex workers and the people around us.
I'm Tess Lyrez, a Western Australia-based sex worker. In 2020, as online surveillance ramped up and I feared deplatforming, I thought a podcast might be easier to promote than sex.
I pitched the idea to my childhood friend Jenn Brown, a social worker and inclusion researcher. She was instantly on board — and It’s So Hard was born.
As industry guests and I demystified our corners of sex work, and Jenn shared her mental health journey, the podcast evolved into a space for political discourse.
In 2024, Jenn sadly stepped back from the platform, but I’ve kept the mic on, and guests continue to share insights into sex work and its intersections.
Thank you, Jenn, for bringing this to life with me. And many thanks to the sex workers, guests, and listeners who continue to collaborate on It's So Hard, both on record and behind-the-scenes.
All opinions are our own; we don’t represent broader communities.
This podcast contains explicit descriptions.