Crossed Wires is in full swing and one of Friday’s many shows was The Psychology of our 20s, a podcast that can be heard whether you listen to them and as of recently seen on Netflix. Where other podcast shows at the festival intend to be funny or pure entertainment, this one is genuinely insightful.
The first thing that became obvious in the intimate Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse is this podcast has very specific target audience (as given away by its name) – how refreshing it was for your reviewer not be the youngest in the theatre for a change!
Jemma Sbeg, who hails from Australia, is the host of this podcast (and yes, she does a psychology degree!). Sbe brings her authentic self to the stage. She isn’t trying too hard to make us laugh or entertain us, although there are still a good number of laughs and it’s certainly an engaging hour long show. Sbeg takes us on a whistlestop tour of how her podcast started (and therefore how we can start our own), some reflections on the title of the podcast following some research she did and finally some deep dives into things to be aware of when engaging psychology content online. This final section was particularly fascinating – celebrating the fact that people have the language to discuss psychology but encouraging us to think critically because a) not everyone really is an expert and b) psychology studies are often flawed.
The Psychology of your 20s was slightly different to other podcasts during the festival – this was a live show Sbeg had developed inspired by the podcast, almost an extended teaser trailer, rather than simply a podcast episode live on stage. But that’s the joy of Crossed Wires – there is a wonderfully varied programme giving audiences the chance to taste a few new podcasts (or see their favourites in person) and maybe add some to their regular listening schedule. Your reviewer will certainly be checking out The Psychology of your 20s to see what other insights can be gained from Jemma Sbeg (and friends)!
Runs until 3rd July 2026
Crossed Wires is the world’s biggest podcast festival, returning to Sheffield for its third year. The
festival brings the biggest names in podcasting together for a weekend of live shows, never-
seen-before performances, special guests, DJ sets, Q&As and fan events.
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
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8
