Welcome to WHAT ABOUT WOMEN, with Milli Hill

A place where we come together to ask the question that just keeps slipping people’s minds: what about women?

Hi there! Welcome to my space on Substack.

I’m Milli Hill, a bestselling non-fiction author and somewhat inflammable witch.

I started writing a blog called The Mule all the way back in 2010 and since then I’ve developed as a writer, becoming a freelance journalist and author. My books to date are The Positive Birth Book, 2017; Give Birth like a Feminist, 2019; and My Period (for preteen girls), 2021. Book four, Ultra Processed Women, is coming out with Harper Collins on June 3rd 2025. I also have a fifth book coming out in 2026, and to date my books have been translated into seven languages.

The question that runs through all of my writing is What about women? It’s a question that I think all policy makers and people of influence should have set as their screensaver, or maybe even be gifted as a semi-compulsory tattoo.

Here on this substack I’ll keep asking it and asking it, as I explore a variety of topics, from sex, gender and the erasure of women’s language; to the underestimated power of female biology; to the effect of big industries like food and pharma on women’s health; to the neverending impact of patriarchy; to the unique experiences of motherhood; life in a female body; feminism and more.

I also run a women’s writing group here called Writing for Change and of course I keep you posted with my own writing and book progress. It’s a community here where a lovely bunch of like-minded women come together and it’s constantly evolving - I hope you decide to join us!

How it works

You can subscribe by clicking the button below:

At this point you’ll be offered the choice between becoming a paid or a free subscriber.

You don’t have to pay to become a subscriber, but it helps! WHAT ABOUT WOMEN is a ‘reader supported publication’ - which essentially means that it’s the paid subscriptions that keep me going.

I now have over 8000 free subscribers and over 300 paying subs. Because these paid subs now make up a substantial part of my income, I put almost all of my working energy into this substack. It’s changed my life as a writer.

For this reason, I focus on paid subscribers as much as I can, giving them full access to every single post, the complete archive, the comment section, subscriber only chats in the app, a round-up of my week every Sunday and my monthly writing and activism group via zoom, Writing for Change. You’ll even be invited to my book launch!

Many of my posts are open access initially but then go behind a paywall after a few days, so only paid subscribers can refer back to them. You’ll get regular articles written by me, be the first to hear my book news, and also receive The Word is Woman, my weekly posts documenting the erasure of women from language and life.

As a paid subscriber, you can also interact with me and the WHAT ABOUT WOMEN community, not only supporting my writing but also influencing it. Here at WAW I have full creative freedom, I am uncensored and unedited and I answer only to myself. You will also notice that there are no adverts on substack, because all the revenue is generated by this subscription model.

With a paid subscription - which costs from only £1.05 a week - you are supporting this new model of writing, as well as supporting me and enabling me to keep giving and creating. I would say ‘all for the price of a coffee’ but to be honest, you’d be lucky to get a glass of water for £1.05 right now!

Paid or unpaid?

I’m always glad to have subscribers, whether you choose to pay or not. Free subscribers will get access to some posts, but won’t be able to comment or join in community discussions. They’ll also miss out on Writing for Change, my monthly writing group, and they won’t get The Nosebag each Sunday. The best way to support me to keep writing is - if you possibly can - to take out a paid sub. But if you genuinely can’t afford a sub and want to be part of WHAT ABOUT WOMEN, drop me a line.

A bit more about my books

You can buy my books from any good book seller. Here’s a brief summary so you know what they are about:

Ultra Processed Women (Harper Collins 2025)

Coming out on 3rd July, this book was conceived when I found myself reading a great deal of books and articles about the impact of ultra processed food (UPF) on health, and wondering, but what about women? I didn’t see women’s health being give much specific focus - nor did I see much discussion of how the food industry has played on feminist ideas about liberation from drudgery whilst selling us their toxic products. Ultra Processed Women is a deep dive into this topic, an empowering read which I hope will help to bring about positive change. Feminist

You can preorder Ultra Processed Women now - it comes out in hardback on July 3rd 2025.

The Positive Birth Book (Pinter and Martin 2022)

First published in 2017, this book rapidly became a much loved bestseller. It’s the only guide a pregnant woman and her partner need to prepare them for whatever kind of birth they hope for, or end up having! It’s Mumsnet’s Best Overall Pregnancy Book 2023, The Bump’s Most Empowering Birth Book 2023, Evening Standard Best Pregnancy Book 2022, it’s in Tommy’s top 10 reads for mums to be, and it has been praised by everyone from the Unmumsy Mum who said it was, “…everything I ever googled pre-birth rolled into a friendly, warm format and is full-to-bursting with USEFUL information”, to Ella Mills who said it, “completely changed my way of looking at giving birth”, and wrote the foreword to the 2022 edition.

Give Birth like a Feminist (HQ Stories / Harper Collins 2023)

First published in 2019, Give Birth like a Feminist is now republished in a brand new edition for 2023, including a new chapter. Featured on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 5 Live with Emma Barnett, and selected as one of the Independent’s best pregnancy books, Give Birth like a Feminist blasts the feminist spotlight into the labour ward, insisting that birth is no longer left off the list in discussions about female power, control and agency. You can read this book if you are pregnant and it will help inform you of the power imbalances in the modern birth room, and how to challenge them. You can also read it if you are not pregnant but are interested in feminism, women’s rights and bodily autonomy.

My Period (Wren and Rook / Hachette 2021)

This book puts information into the hands of girls aged 9 to 12 about the power of their female bodies, and the wonder of biology. It teaches them about cycles and cycle charting, the different energy and moods they may have during each cycle, and how to tune into their bodies needs and take care of themselves. It’s also full of practical tips on everything from period products to what periods are any why we have them. TV’s Dr Chris van Tulleken has called it ‘phenomenal’ and children’s author Onjali Rauf says it’s ‘a must have for every girl’. It’s a one stop puberty guide, and girls love it!

All four books are available on kindle. The Positive Birth Book and Give Birth like a Feminist are both audiobooks read by me. All three books are translated into Dutch by Samsara. GBLAF is available in German and also available in the USA, and is coming soon in Ukrainian and Czech. My Period is now available in simplified Chinese!

Please note that some of the links to purchase my books are Amazon affiliated. This means I earn a small commission when you use them. Thanks!

Image credit @triselly7

Other stuff

As a journalist since 2013 I've written for many publications including Telegraph, Guardian, ipaper, GoodtoKnow, Daily Mail and Mother&Baby. I’ve been a columnist for Best Magazine and Telegraph Women. You can see a portfolio of my journalism here.

I’ve also spoken globally on women’s experience in the birth room and I’ve appeared on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2, BBC 5 Live, talkradio, and many leading podcasts - there’s a playlist of most of them over on Spotify.

Prior to turning to writing as a creative outlet when my kids were smaller, I was a Dramatherapist (a form of Arts Psychotherapy), and worked with a wide range of clients from children in foster care to adults in rehab and with a diagnosis of personality disorder. I do draw on this experience - as well as finding it helpful to unpick the psychological dimensions of my writing topics, I also offer occasional coaching and consultancy - contact me if this is of interest but please be aware that I only work pro bono in exceptional circumstances.

My agent is Jane Graham Maw of Graham Maw Christie.

You can also find me on instagram, twitter (x), and facebook, but mostly I’m here on substack.

Image credit Louise W-S