Embodied (WUNC)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Embodied
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 2021 | Trailer: Season Two | 00:02:54 | |
Embodied is back for a second season! | |||
| 24 Mar 2021 | Shaved: Our Tangled Relationship With Body Hair | 00:21:54 | |
Anita combs through her own tangled relationship with body hair and asks why so many of us invest time and money on removal methods. Meet the guests: - Scholar Rebecca Herzig explains when and why we started caring so much about body hair and how hair removal practices have evolved over the centuries. - Sharan Dhaliwal, founder and editor-in-chief of Burnt Roti, talks about about coming to terms with being a hairy Indian woman. - Photographer Kristie DeGaris shares how she's raising her daughters to think about their own body hair and trying to normalize NOT removing it. - Anita's parents on how their upbringings and aging have shaped their views on body hair. | |||
| 31 Mar 2021 | Terminated: Abortion Stories You Won't Hear From Hollywood | 00:25:13 | |
Anita appreciates how movies and TV are now more representative in portraying narratives about pregnancy termination. But those stories can't compete with talking to real people about their experience having an abortion. Meet the guests: - Gretchen Sisson, a sociologist, talks about how television and real life diverge when it comes to abortion — and how fictional portrayals influence our understanding of the procedure and the people who get it. - Ruth and Margaret share their experiences terminating wanted pregnancies for medical reasons. Both women use pseudonyms in the conversation to protect their privacy. - Anita's parents on their own abortion story. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 07 Apr 2021 | Played: What Today's Generation Of Gamers Get Right | 00:21:23 | |
Anita is over adulting and would love to lose herself in some serious play time. She's never been a gamer but is intrigued by how video games help us tap into the fun side of our brains while creating spaces designed to help us strengthen our connections with others. Meet the guests: - Hadley Causey talks about founding Spectrum, a queer exclusive server on Discord (a social network for gaming communities) that helped them create a safe space they didn't have in real life. - Tess Tanenbaum, an assistant professor in the department of informatics at University of California, Irvine, talks about the link between game design and relationships that can form within games. - Adriana de Souza e Silva, a professor in the department of communication at NC State, talks about how location-based games like Pokémon GO can connect adults and kids and help everyone integrate more play into their lives. - Nikilesh, Anita's little brother, talks about his relationship with gaming, and how it was a lifeline for him when his family moved to the South while he was in high school. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 14 Apr 2021 | Infected: Putting Misinformation About Herpes To Bed | 00:21:56 | |
Anita, like many of us, was essentially taught that a herpes diagnosis means the end of a good sex life. Now it's time for a real education about the sexually transmitted infection, which is extremely common and far less terrifying once you open the door to conversation about it. Meet the guests: - Sex and culture critic Ella Dawson talks about her experience navigating a herpes diagnosis and how opening up about it publicly has shaped her life and relationships. - Infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Leone shares the science of herpes and clears up common misconceptions about the virus. - Anita's good friend shares the range of responses she's gotten while disclosing her diagnosis and how she hopes the conversation around herpes will evolve. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 21 Apr 2021 | Returned: Bouncing Back With Boomerang Love | 00:35:28 | |
If Anita weren't boo'd up, she might wonder if there's someone in her life she already knows who is a good romantic match for her. But is it healthy to look to the past for a chance at future happiness? With help from the podcast Dating While Gray, we examine the pros and cons of "boomerang love." - Jeannie Thompson talks about her own boomerang heartbreak that led her to leading online discussion forums on reconnecting with former loves. - Grace shares what happened when she reconnected with a childhood crush after her long marriage had gone stale. - Mary and Del, who split after the flame of desire went out in their 20-year marriage, answer the question: Can living separate lives reignite a spark? Read the transcript | More Dating While Gray | |||
| 28 Apr 2021 | Adopted: Claiming Space For Transracial Kids | 00:27:33 | |
Anita has the skin privilege of a white woman and the upbringing of an Indian-American girl. That can make belonging a challenge, something like what transracial adoptees often experience in their own families. Meet the guests: - Shruti Shah talks about growing up as a transracial adoptee in a mixed-race family in Memphis. She also brings on her parents to ask them some lingering questions. - Writer Andrew Lee and his father are both Korean adoptees. Andrew shares how his family's story fits into the bigger, geopolitical history of Korean-American adoption in the U.S. - Rebekah Hutson talks about what it's like to be the "Only Black Girl" in a lot of spaces and how she hopes the adoption industry will do a better job supporting transracial adoptees moving forward. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 05 May 2021 | Disabled: Dating And Sex In The Body You Have | 00:20:29 | |
Anita surprised herself with judgements she made about others with only a photo to go on during her years of online dating. Such bias and misconceptions are something folks with physical disabilities contend with every day on the apps...and IRL. - Julie-Ann Scott-Pollock, a performer and communication studies scholar, talks about living with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and what non-disabled people can learn about consent and communication from the disabilities community. - D'Arcee Charington, a disabilities advocate and English doctoral student, shares stories about online dating as a wheelchair user and talks about how ableism shows up in romantic relationships. - Ariella Barker, an attorney and communications specialist, talks about how her approach to online dating has evolved and the intersection of gender discrimination and disability discrimination. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 12 May 2021 | (Un)Rested: Awakening Our Understanding Of Sleep | 00:29:30 | |
Anita has little trouble knocking out for a good night's sleep. But feeling well rested all the time? That's a little more complicated. Why do our bodies struggle to do what we know is good for us? Meet the guests: - Jade Wu, a psychologist and sleep specialist, gives us some sleep science 101 and shares her top tips on battling insomnia. - Andre Royal Sr. shares how narcolepsy affects his relationships and why he's trying to help folks better understand what narcolepsy looks like through his organization Suddenly Sleepy. - 15-year-old Jordan tells us about being diagnosed with narcolepsy in third grade, and how he's navigated friendships, school and life ever since. - Anita's parents talk about what they've learned from dreamland and making sleeping a priority. - Dayna Johnson, an epidemiologist, tells us about sleep disparities for Black folks and why we should think about sleep as a public health issue. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 19 May 2021 | Discussed: Tips On Taking Conversations Into Tough Territory | 00:35:10 | |
Anita may not shy away when conversations get uncomfortable, but approaching difficult topics can depend on who you're talking to and which self you're bringing to the discussion. In this special episode, she exchanges notes and kinship with Anna Sale and Allison Behringer, hosts of the podcasts "Death, Sex & Money" and "Bodies" respectively. Meet the guests: - Anna Sale, host of "Death, Sex & Money," shares lessons learned from 7 years of hosting hard conversations on the microphone and personal insights detailed in her new book "Let's Talk About Hard Things." - Allison Behringer, creator and host of "Bodies," a feminist documentary podcast, shares what exploring the mysteries of our health & bodies with has taught her about creating space for hard conversations. Read the transcript | Watch the event | Review the podcast | |||
| 26 May 2021 | Incarcerated: Love In Lockdown | 00:34:04 | |
Anita loves a good romantic story — especially when lovers prevail against all odds. There are a million reasons to give up on happily ever after when one or more people in a relationship are incarcerated. But for those who stay together despite prison walls, a special kind of connection is created, as we learn in the season two finale. - Monae and Adriel Alvarado share their one-of-a-kind love story — from meeting inside prison while they were both incarcerated and sending love notes while in solitary confinement to building a life together on the outside. - Sutina and Steven Green reflect on building a relationship and growing a family while Steven was serving a life sentence without parole in California. - Jenesee Green, Steven & Sutina's 17-year-old daughter, talks about growing up with an incarcerated father and what she's learned from her parents' love and relationship. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 27 Aug 2021 | TLDR: You'll Be Hearing More From Us | 00:01:25 | |
| 03 Sep 2021 | Naked: No Clothes, No Problem | 00:32:35 | |
Anita learns about non-sexual, social nudity and why opting to live life mostly in the nude could actually make her think about her body LESS. - Naomi Prioleau, a reporter and host at WUNC, talks about her personal journey to becoming a practicing naturist. - Jay Shapiro, lead coordinator and president of Triangle Area Naturists LLC, shares how to separate sex from nudity. - Sam and Aleah, creators of Our Natural Blog, share how they're working to bring more young folks into the naturist movement in Florida. - Earl runs the website Clothes Free Life, an online resource about naturism around the globe. - Patricka is one of the founders of the Black Naturists Association, which advocates nudity through naturist environments for those in the Black community. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 10 Sep 2021 | Transitioned: Death Doulas On Dying Well | 00:30:24 | |
Anita's only had a handful of up-close experiences with dying people, and it's something she'd rather not think about. It's the antithesis to the philosophy of some folks she admires: death doulas. They say: Spend more time looking head-on at the inevitable. Respect death, don't fear it. Turns out, this uncomfortable approach may make things more comfortable in the end. Meet the guests: - Vivette Jeffries-Logan, a citizen of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, a person who holds healing space for those processing death and dying and a founding partner of biwa| Emergent Equity, talks about how she learned to hold ceremonies for folks who are dying. - Angela Zimmer, a death doula based in Charlotte, talks about how her own experiences of grief informed her desire to help others. - Dr. Aditi Sethi-Brown, a hospice physician, end-of-life doula and co-founder of the Center for Conscious Living and Dying, shares how she builds relationships with clients like Sara who are in the end-of-life planning process. - Sara Jenkins, an editor and writer living in Western North Carolina, talks about working with Aditi and preparing for her death amidst a pandemic. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 17 Sep 2021 | Accepted: Why Feeling Neutral About Your Body Can Be A Good Thing | 00:32:27 | |
Anita acknowledges that looking in the mirror and loving everything she sees may be unrealistic. Fat activists teach her about radical reframes, including body positivity and a newer term to her: body neutrality. Meet the Guests: - Virgie Tovar, a fat activist, host of the Rebel Eaters Club podcast and author of “The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color" talks about why body neutrality is a helpful step for some in their body liberation journey - Tigress Osborn, thee chair of the board of directors for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, shares the history of fat liberation and what's been lost as the movement has shifted away from its black, radical roots - Zoë Bisbing, a psychotherapist and co-founder of the Full Bloom Project, talks about building a research-informed resource for those who want to foster a body-positive next generation Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 24 Sep 2021 | Snipped: Why A Vasectomy Is A Great Idea | 00:27:10 | |
Anita learns the science behind the most effective form of birth control and hears from a sociologist about how getting a vasectomy transformed his relationship with his masculinity. - Dr. Matt Coward, an associate professor of urology at the UNC School of Medicine, talks about the science of the vasectomy. He is also the director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at UNC Fertility. - Ryan Cragun is a sociology professor at the University of Tampa. He shares his experience getting a vasectomy — and the reflections on masculinity and manhood it inspired. | |||
| 01 Oct 2021 | Overnighted: 24-Hour Childcare Center Workers Are An Extension Of Families | 00:33:35 | |
Anita learns daycare for children can continue well into the night thanks to facilities open around the clock meeting the needs of parents working nontraditional hours. Two 24-hour care providers take her into their day-to-day operations and discuss the unique bonds they form with the families they work for. Plus a single mom shares her story of relying on a 24-hour facility to help meet her needs. - Deloris Hogan, co-founder of Dee’s Tots Childcare in New Rochelle, New York, talks about building and running a 24-hour childcare center for more than 30 years. - Evy Hart, co-owner of Molly’s Daycare Center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, tells Anita about the unique needs of children and families who use overnight care. - Ayana Moore, clinical research manager, tells Anita about how 24-hour childcare has supported her schedule as a working single parent of two. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 08 Oct 2021 | Cleansed: Skip The 10-Step Routine, But Not Your SPF | 00:32:09 | |
Anita finally learned how to put on sunscreen properly and care for her body’s largest organ, thanks to medical and skincare industry experts who give advice she revisits in this episode. Their tips helped her figure out what to focus on in her skincare routine, and how to resist the temptation to fall down Tik-Tok beauty rabbit holes. Meet the guests: - Dr. Chesahna Kindred, a board-certified dermatologist at the Kindred Hair & Skin Center in Maryland, teaches Anita about the science of the skin and why focusing on a few small things consistently will go a long way - Anay Castro is a certified physician assistant at the North Carolina Center for Dermatology. She talks about how our skin changes as we age, and why she works to give culturally-sensitive skincare advice - Leo Louie takes Anita inside the beauty and skincare industry. He shares insights from years working jobs ranging from Sephora brand representative to writer for the website Beauty Tap | |||
| 15 Oct 2021 | Coordinated: The Making Of A Sex Scene | 00:21:27 | |
Anita now knows why sex scenes in some of her favorite recent TV shows look a whole lot more like real life: intimacy coordinators. Two of them join her to talk about their work choreographing intimacy and training everyone on set about how boundaries and structure makes things sexier and more fun. - Mia Schachter is a consent educator and intimacy coordinator who takes Anita behind the scenes of their work on set. - Teniece Divya Johnson is a stunt performer and intimacy coordinator who shares how we can expand our definition of intimacy. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 22 Oct 2021 | Tracked: How Tech Can Be A Tool Of Abuse | 00:33:22 | |
Anita learns about how the smart devices that keep many of us connected have also contributed to the rise of a new type of intimate partner violence. Survivors share stories of tech-enabled domestic abuse and a cybersecurity expert discusses what folks can do about it. - Ashley, a survivor of digital domestic abuse who runs a TikTok account under the name MerelyAshley - Kathryn Kosmides, a multi-time gender-based violence survivor and founder and CEO of Garbo.io, a background check nonprofit set to launch later this year - Audace Garnett, technology safety specialist with Safety Net at the National Network to End Domestic Violence - Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a founding partner of the Coalition Against Stalkerware Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 29 Oct 2021 | Menopaused: Life's Misunderstood Chapter | 00:33:12 | |
Anita sometimes fantasizes about no longer having to deal with having a period. But folks along the perimenopausal parkway remind her that menopause is no quick and easy road. Anita's mom and others navigating the change share how it's shaped their relationships with their bodies, sex and where they turn for support. Meet the guests: - Sheila Rao, Anita’s mom, shares her experience of bodily changes once menopause set in - Dr. Anna Camille Moreno, certified menopause practitioner at Duke Health, explains what's happening in the body during menopause and some of the options for symptom management - Omisade Burney-Scott, Embodied guest host and creator of the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause, interviews Paris Hatcher, founder of Black Feminist Future, about her experience going through menopause in her 20s | |||
| 05 Nov 2021 | Feminized: Aligning Your Inner And Outer Selves | 00:34:33 | |
Anita meets folks who've undergone facial feminization surgery as part of their gender confirmation process. FFS is a set of bone and soft tissue surgical procedures that reshape the forehead, brow, jaw and more. They share what the surgery meant for them, plus a medical anthropologist helps unpack who gets to decide what femininity looks like. Meet the guests: - Emma Ward, songwriter, producer and community manager, shares her experience of facial feminization surgery - Eric Plemons, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona, discusses some of the history of this set of procedures and how we define a "feminine" face | |||
| 12 Nov 2021 | Aced: Love, Romance And Asexuality | 00:23:13 | |
Anita learns from folks who identify as the A on the LGBTQIA spectrum. It's a sexual identity that's long been ignored, minimized and misunderstood. They share their differing experiences of not being sexually attracted to anyone and a reminder we could all use: love and sex are not the same. Meet the guests: - Angela Chen, journalist and author of “Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society and the Meaning of Sex,” talks about the range of experiences in the ace community, including her own - Yasmin Benoit, model and asexuality activist, pushes back on assumptions about asexuality with her campaign #ThisisWhatAsexualLooksLike - Sebastian Yūe writer, editor and model discusses how to increase representation of asexual characters in literature and fiction | |||
| 19 Nov 2021 | Primed: Getting Ready To Grow Old | 00:24:23 | |
Anita's parents have told her that they want their aging process to be easy on her and her siblings. But how does that intention become reality? Anita talks to folks who are looking at the aging process head-on and thinking about how to build webs of community and care for their older selves. Meet the guests: - Steven Petrow, journalist and author, talks about how watching his parents age has informed what he does and doesn't want for his older self and shares his tangible preparations and mindset shifts about aging - Vega Subramaniam and Mala Nagarajan, nonprofit social justice consultants, coaches and life partners, share their vision for creating a community in which they can age in place with other queer older folks | |||
| 03 Dec 2021 | Napped: The Right To Remain Rested | 00:32:03 | |
Anita doesn't slow down...until her body demands it. That's thanks in part to a culture that values productivity, making true rest a challenge for many, especially people from marginalized backgrounds. For Black folks in particular, sleep deprivation has roots in slavery and racial oppression — which makes rest a form of resistance. Hear from people who are reclaiming their right to rest and pushing back against hustle culture through art, therapy and activism. Meet the Guests: - Gabrielle Zhuang-Estrin, clinical social worker and psychotherapist, explains how her own relationship with rest has evolved and why rest is so important - Dom Chatterjee, meditation and yoga teacher of South Asian descent and the community organizer behind Rest for Resistance, discusses the relationship between community and rest - Fannie Sosa, artist and co-creator of Black Power Naps, a sculptural installation and curatorial initiative, shares the history and philosophy behind their art - Navild Acosta, artist and co-creator of Black Power Naps, gets into the cultural roots of his art | |||
| 10 Dec 2021 | Unbuttoned: The Surprising History Of Lingerie | 00:27:52 | |
Anita stopped wearing real bras in the pandemic. But that doesn't mean she's stopped eyeing lingerie. Lingerie aficionados — including a historian, model and designer — take her inside the world of undergarments: from the history of crotchless panties to how folks are rethinking intimate apparel design to fit a wider range of bodies. Meet the Guests: - Cora Harrington, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lingerie Addict blog and author of "In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear and Love Lingerie" shares the history of certain pieces of lingerie, like crotchless underwear - Jake DuPree, burlesque artist, fitness instructor and lingerie lover with *killer* intimate apparel photo shoots on Instagram, talks about the power he feels when he wears and performs in lingerie - Catherine Clavering, founder of the UK based lingerie brand Kiss Me Deadly, takes Anita into the lingerie design industry | |||
| 17 Dec 2021 | Muscled: Competitive Bodybuilders On Strength And Sacrifice | 00:22:34 | |
Athletes who push their bodies to muscular limits take Anita inside their physique sport. She explores their personal motivations and talks with a health professional about the toll this kind of training takes on competitors' physical and mental health. Meet the Guests: - Coryne Butler, a bodybuilding lifestyle and transformation coach with FitBody Fusion, shares her experience as a woman in the sport of bodybuilding - Tommy Murrell, a personal trainer and former bodybuilding competitor, explains how his time in the gym helped him to improve his mental health — and grappled with his gender identity - James Leone, a professor of health and kinesiology at Bridgewater State University, talks about the consequences both physically and mentally of bodybuilding-style training This episode also features the voices of bodybuilders Joshua Langbein, Alex Edwards, Luke Nathan, Elijah Busier and Alex Tilinca. | |||
| 07 Jan 2022 | Dieted: Unlearning Lessons From Thin-Obsessed Culture | 00:30:50 | |
Diet culture is the water we're all swimming in. Anita unpacks the science that props it up with a registered dietician and certified internal medicine physician. She also hears how folks are pushing back against the ways it manifests in the doctor's office, on the trails, and in the gym. Meet the Guests: - Christy Harrison, an anti-diet registered dietician and a certified intuitive eating counselor takes us inside the history she explores in her book: "Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating." - Dr. Louise Metz, an internal medicine physician and the owner of Mosaic Comprehensive Care in Chapel Hill, NC talks about being a Health At Every Size healthcare provider - Mirna Valerio, also known as "The Mirnavator," is an ultrarunner, marathoner and the author of "A Beautiful Work in Progress," which tells the story of her experience as an athlete in a fat body - Ilya Parker, a physical therapist assistant, certified medical exercise specialist, and the owner of Decolonizing Fitness, talks about building an online education resource for breaking down toxic fitness and diet culture - Natalia Petrzela, a historian and a professor at The New School in New York City shares the history of fitness culture Go deeper with the Anti-Diet series discussion guide | |||
| 14 Jan 2022 | Intuited: Trusting Your Body On What And When To Eat | 00:27:34 | |
Intuitive eating is an approach to food and health that encourages tuning into your body’s signals about when, what and how much to eat. Anita talks to a neuroscientist about how our brains respond to dieting and two registered dieticians walk her through the 10 principles of intuitive eating and what can change for folks when they relearn their body's food cues. Meet the Guests: - Sandra Aamodt, a neuroscientist and author of Why Diets Make Us Fat: The Unintended Consequences of Our Obsession With Weight Loss, talks about the neuroscience of our how we response to food - Vincci Tsui, a registered dietician and certified intuitive eating counselor, shares her approach to coaching folks through the 10 intuitive eating principles - Christyna Johnson, a registered dietician and host of the podcast Intuitive Eating for the Culture, explores how moving away from diet culture can help you embrace your cultural heritage Go deeper with the Anti-Diet series discussion guide | |||
| 21 Jan 2022 | Accepted: Bringing Body Neutrality Into The Conversation | 00:33:25 | |
Anita brings the RESOLVED series to a close by revisiting a conversation about body neutrality. Fat activists teach her about radical reframes, including body positivity and a newer term to her: body neutrality. Meet the Guests: - Virgie Tovar, a fat activist, host of the Rebel Eaters Club podcast and author of “The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color" talks about why body neutrality is a helpful step for some in their body liberation journey - Tigress Osborn, thee chair of the board of directors for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, shares the history of fat liberation and what's been lost as the movement has shifted away from its black, radical roots - Zoë Bisbing, a psychotherapist and co-founder of the Full Bloom Project, talks about building a research-informed resource for those who want to foster a body-positive next generation Go deeper with the Anti-Diet series discussion guide | |||
| 28 Jan 2022 | Painted: The Politics Behind Every Red Lip | 00:27:37 | |
Anita applies herself to learning the fascinating history of her favorite item of makeup: bold red lipstick. Experts and aficionados tell her about influencers who have shaped makeup throughout history, from Rosie the Riveter to Rihanna, and how the cosmetics industry has evolved over time. Meet the Guests: - Rae Nudson, the author of "All Made Up: The Power and Pitfalls of Beauty Culture from Cleopatra to Kim Kardashian," takes us through the history of products like bold red lipstick and blue eyeshadow - Dawn Mitchell, a licensed cosmetologist, talks about the history of inclusivity in the makeup industry and why she founded her own beauty and skincare line Pretty Till Dawn - Natasha Noir Nightly, an activist and the winner of the Miss Blue Ridge Pride 2018, shares her makeup philosophy and the technique behind her signature look as a bearded drag queen | |||
| 04 Feb 2022 | Vocalized: The Sound Of Who You Are | 00:30:31 | |
Anita's voice is her bread and butter, but yours likely means a lot to you too. How we sound speaks volumes about our identities...but should it? A vocalist, a vocal coach and an artist sound out the links between voice and gender, and what our built-in instruments reveal about who we are. Meet the Guests: - Tona Brown, a violinist and vocalist who founded Aida Studios, talks about becoming the first trans vocalist to headline at Carnegie Hall and the space she's creating for other students as a music instructor - Kevin Dorman, a speech-language pathologist and vocal coach at their business Prismatic Speech Services, talks about helping folks change their voice to better reflect their identity - Andrea Oliver Roberts, a multi-disciplinary artist based in Winnipeg, shares their work explores the intersections of technology, capitalism, and identity | |||
| 11 Feb 2022 | Floored: The Pelvic Muscles You Need To Know | 00:24:48 | |
Anita figures out why everybody's talking about the pelvic floor. Turns out, getting-to-know the hammock-like structure of muscles we carry around has helped some people heal their relationships with sex and their bodies. She also uncovers the game-changing ways her own dad has contributed to pelvic floor medicine. Meet the Guests: - Ijeoma Nwankpa, a certified specialist in pelvic health, trained sexuality counselor and owner of the Center of Pelvic Excellence Physical Therapy & Wellness LLC, gives us an education in pelvic floor health - Allyson Byers, a freelance writer and editor, shares her personal experience seeking help for pelvic floor pain - Dr. Satish Rao (Anita's dad), a professor of medicine at Augusta University and a specialist in gastroenterology, hares his work pushing for more collaborative study of the pelvic floor as it relates to the bowels | |||
| 18 Feb 2022 | Estranged: When Family Bonds Break | 00:33:13 | |
Anita has a close nuclear family unit but knows that's not the case for everyone. Meeting folks who — by choice or circumstance — are estranged from members of their family, she hears reflections on finding belonging elsewhere and seeking support from non-traditional sources. She also learns from two siblings who were estranged for more than 40 years that while reconciliation is possible, it's not for everyone. Meet the Guests: - Raksha Vasudevan, a writer, talks about her estrangement from her father, mother and brother and how being an immigrant shapes how she thinks about her family story - Tiffany Scott's father left their family and stopped speaking with her in 2016. She talks about what it was like to be ghosted by her dad and how she's still making sense of her family's experience - Siblings Fern Schumer Chapman and Scott Schumer share their 40-year estrangement story and what led to their reconciliation eight years ago. Fern wrote the book “Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation" | |||
| 25 Feb 2022 | Uncoupled: Thank U, Next | 00:33:58 | |
Anita has no qualms about being an armchair therapist for friends going through a breakup. But sometimes she wonders how her advice aligns with what relationship experts say. Advice columnists Meredith Goldstein and Stacia Brown give guidance on breaking up "well," going no-contact, navigating social media, and finding the right breakup anthem for the moment. Meet the Guests: - Meredith Goldstein, writer and podcast host behind The Boston Globe column and podcast "Love Letters," shares insights from her personal and professional experiences with love and heartbreak - Stacia Brown, writer and producer, talks about her own pandemic breakup and shares wisdom akin to what she delivers regularly in her role as a columnist for Slate's parenting advice column "Care and Feeding" | |||
| 04 Mar 2022 | Unfriended: When Your BFF Breaks Your Heart | 00:24:04 | |
Anita got friend dumped for the first time in 6th grade, and she's still not over it. She talks to folks about the distinct pain of a platonic breakup and gets some tools for building strong friendships, setting boundaries and figuring out when it's time to let go. Meet the guests: - Michelle Elman, an author and life coach best known for her activism campaign Scarred Not Scared, tells Anita about "the mass exodus" — a period of time in which she went through multiple friend breakups - Tony Liu, a medical student and former radio and podcast producer for NPR and "On Being"shares how tenderness informs how he makes and breaks up with friends - KB Newton, the founder and creator of HEART Convos talks about being a recovering "trash friend" | |||
| 11 Mar 2022 | Dreamed: Inside Your Night Brain | 00:29:38 | |
The name Embodied came to Anita in a dream, and she's on a quest to figure out how that happened. She talks to a dreamworker about strengthening the bridge between dreaming and creativity, unpacks weird COVID-19 dreams and learns about nightmare therapy. Meet the guests: - Angel Morgan, an artist, filmmaker and the founder of Dreambridge, gives Anita a Dream Science 101 lesson and shares how folks can better connect their dreams to their creativity - Chris Ufere, the founder and CEO of uDreamed, a free online service for dream logging, talks about analyzing 3,000 COVID19 dreams and what patterns emerged - Michael Nadorff, an associate professor of psychology at Mississippi State University, shares his research on the link between nightmares and suicide | |||
| 18 Mar 2022 | Hooked Up: The Myth Of Sex With No Strings Attached | 00:32:05 | |
Anita is confused about hook up culture. Is it a thing, and if so, who makes the rules? She talks to a recent college grad about her research on the sex lives of her peers, plus a therapist who shares her take on why it doesn't feel as liberating as we think it should. Then she dives into Celibacy TikTok — a space where Gen Zers are committing to being sex-free. Meet the guests: - Sophie Aaron, a writer, researcher and 2021 graduate of Oberlin College shares insights from her senior thesis on hookup culture on her campus in the time of COVID - Dr. Cherlisa Jackson, a sexual health educator and counselor based in Atlanta, talks about the myths vs. realities of hookup culture - Cindy Noir, a motivational speaker and TikTok creator, talks about why she has experimented with abstinence in response to hookup culture | |||
| 25 Mar 2022 | Parented: Raising A Gender-Expansive Kid | 00:32:54 | |
Anita declines invites to gender-reveal parties, but she gets why some expectant parents look to gender as a way of organizing the world — they've been socialized to do so. So what happens when a kid comes out as trans or gender nonbinary? Anita talks to three parents of gender-expansive kids about learning to support and advocate for their children. The parents, and one of their kids, share what it's looked like for them to push back on the gender binaries present everywhere: from doctors offices to summer camps and schools. Meet the guests: - Harrison Casey Garcia, a member of the Youth Leadership Team at the LGBT Center of Raleigh, talks about their advice to other gender-expansive kids - Vincent Garcia, Harrison Casey's dad, shares their family's journey to embracing and affirming Harrison Casey's gender identity - Marlo Mack, a mom, blogger, the host of the podcast “How to Be A Girl" and author of the memoir “How To Be a Girl" tells us about documenting her daughter's transition and confronting her own assumptions about gender - DeShanna Neal, the founder of the Intersections of Pride Foundation and the co-author with her daughter Trinity of the children's book “My Rainbow" shares how her approach to parenting has evolved through raising two gender-expansive kids | |||
| 01 Apr 2022 | Purified: The Lasting Legacy of The Abstinence Pledge | 00:28:17 | |
Anita grew up in the 1990s, the era of Purity Culture. Unlike Britney (Spears) and Jessica (Simpson), she had no purity ring, but she's seen how abstinence messaging shaped her generation's relationship with sex, religion, pleasure and their bodies. She talks to two folks who've been unraveling their own indoctrination, and meets someone who's on an mission to help parents recover from purity culture and raise a more sex-positive generation. Meet the guests: - Lyz Lenz, the author of "God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss and Renewal in Middle America" and "Belabored: A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women," talks about growing up immersed in purity culture - Nathanael Novero, a former youth pastor, shares how he's exploring his relationship with purity culture through filmmaking in a new genre called holy erotica - Cindy Wang Brandt, author of "Parenting Forward: How to Raise Children with Justice, Mercy, and Kindness" and the creator of the "Parenting Forward" podcast talks about how her own break with purity culture informs how she is raising her kids. | |||
| 08 Apr 2022 | Reimagined: The Sex Ed You Deserve (But Didn't Get) | 00:31:00 | |
Anita remembers only a few things about her in-school sex education: humor-laden condom demos and pregnancy fear. It's safe to say, she had a lot to figure out on her own after class, and that's typical. Only half of U.S. students get info that meets national standards, so it's clear that something has gotta change! Two high schoolers share why they've taken it upon themselves to give their peers inclusive, shame-free sexuality education. Plus, an expert on college sex lives tells us how the sex ed we receive shapes our adult interactions. And we meet a sex therapist who details how she's talking to her kids without references to birds or bees. Meet the guests: - Kyndia Motley, high school student and member of Planned Parenthood’s Teen Council talks about the sex ed she's helping her peers access - Linden James, high school student and youth advocate for SafeBAE and iNSIDEoUT shares what's at stake if our sex ed curriculums don't change - Dr. Lexx Brown-James, sex therapist, shame-free sex educator and founder of The Institute for Sexuality and Intimacy talks about the importance of starting conversations with kids early about sex and their bodies - Dr. Lisa Wade, associate professor at Tulane University and author of "American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus" shares how limited sex education shapes the experiences of college students | |||
| 15 Apr 2022 | Televised: 'Sex Education' On Screen | 00:34:04 | |
Anita has been inhaling the Netflix show "Sex Education." It's bold, not just in its approach to representation and inclusivity, but also sex. A critic, sex therapist and show superfans join her and guest host Anthony Howard (Embodied's intern) to talk about what the show taught them about self-pleasure, boundaries and methods for healthier sexual relationships. Meet the guests: - Drew Gregory, screenwriter, staff writer for Autostraddle, and co-host of the podcast “Wait Is This a Date?” shares the reasons why she's (for the most part) been impressed with how the show handles representation - Dr. Rosara Torrisi, founding director and senior therapist at The Long Island Institute of Sex Therapy talks about what the show gets right and wrong about the sex therapy profession - Claire Holland, a writer and host of the Sexy Books Podcast talks about what the show taught her about self pleasure - Tyra Blizzard, a social activism influencer, shares what they want to see from the show in future seasons | |||
| 22 Apr 2022 | Widowed: Living With 'Great Grief' | 00:28:32 | |
Anita shares an episode of a podcast produced by her colleagues that gets her teary every time she listens (but in a good way). “Black Widow” from the podcast Great Grief features Grammy-nominated musician Nnenna Freelon reflecting on what’s changed for her in the years since her husband Phil’s passing. Nnenna’s now grappling with a brand new identity: widow. | |||
| 29 Apr 2022 | Scented: Life According To Your Nose | 00:31:44 | |
Anita sniffs out what's so fascinating about the science of smell — and gets her mind blown. A psychologist shares why smell is our most emotional sense, plus stories about the mental health consequences of anosmia (losing your sense of smell), and a scent designer describes how to re-create memories through candles. Meet the guests: - Bonnie Blodgett, author of “Remembering Smell" talks about what it was like to lose her sense of smell - Rachel Herz, neuroscientist and author of “The Scent of Desire" shares how our brain processes scents - Christina Degreaffenreidt, founder and creator behind Multifaceted, a candle-making company based in Greensboro, talks about the art of scent design | |||
| 06 May 2022 | Counseled: How Sex Therapy Works | 00:33:53 | |
Anita's clocked hundreds of hours in therapy, and she's a fan. But there's a part of the profession she hasn't tapped yet: sex therapy. This kind of counseling is designed to support couples — and individuals — through challenges with their bodies and in the bedroom. Some experts join her to share how it can help people reconnect, plus she tests a smartphone app that helps folks broach uncomfortable sexual conversations. Meet the guests: - Dr. Lauren Walker, a registered clinical psychologist and an associate professor at the University of Calgary, talks about the role of sex therapy for folks with cancer diagnoses - Dr. Donna Oriowo, a sex and relationship therapist based in Maryland, shares why she invites clients to work at the intersection of where their race meets their sexuality - Zoë Kors, a consultant for the sexual wellness app Coral, shares how new technology is making sexual wellness more accessible | |||
| 13 May 2022 | Fated: Terminal Illness & No-Limit Love | 00:28:26 | |
Anita knows there's no way she can prepare herself or her loved ones for the ways a terminal illness can alter their lives. But meeting people with incurable conditions, and their loved ones, helps her understand what is possible when time suddenly becomes limited. A couple navigating a terminal ALS diagnosis share their story and how their definition of intimacy has evolved. Plus, a woman in her 20s talks about building a dating profile and keeping her sense of humor when her life expectancy is unknown. - Andrea Lytle Peet, triathlete, person living with ALS and creator of Team Drea Foundation talks about how her definition of intimacy has evolved - David Peet, Andrea’s husband shares how he and Andrea are constantly in conversation about how to best support one another - Megan Yaeger, blogger, contributing writer for theMighty.com and an aspiring photographer talks about dating with a life-threatening illness | |||
| 28 Jul 2020 | Embodied: Trailer | 00:03:03 | |
| 13 Aug 2020 | Pleasured: The Sex Talk That Wasn't | 00:24:02 | |
Anita realizes she never got 'the sex talk' growing up. And even if she had, it probably wouldn't have gone like this. Meet the guests: - Emily Nagoski, author and sex educator, introduces a new framework for thinking about sex and pleasure. - Carin Bondar, biologist and science communicator, talks about what humans can learn from understanding how sex works in the animal kingdom. - Anita's parents reflect on why they never gave her the sex talk and what they hope to do differently with their grandkids. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | Explore the podcast discussion guide | |||
| 20 Aug 2020 | SeXXXed: Porn For All | 00:24:08 | |
Anita questions whether her inner feminist will ever let her come around to enjoying porn without shame. Meet the guests: - Monèt Noelle Marshall, an artist and activist, talks about creating an artistic project exploring sexual shame. - Shine Louise Houston, founding director and producer of Pink and White Productions, takes us behind-the-scenes of creating ethical porn. - Mia Little, an adult film actor and content creator, talks about challenging the sexual stereotypes about Asian people while they are hard at work. - Gina Gutierrez, co-founder and CEO of Dipsea, talks about why audio erotica can help folks access their sexuality. - Anita's parents talk about their relationship with porn...and Anita's dad surprises them both on mic. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | Explore the podcast discussion guide Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram | |||
| 27 Aug 2020 | Burned: The Stress Threshold | 00:23:35 | |
Anita is a workaholic. Being overworked stresses Anita out. Too much stress leads to poor health. Don't be like Anita. Meet the guests: - Amelia Nagoski, conductor and co-author of "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle" talks about the physical and psychological signals our body sends when its in distress. - Emilio Vicente, activist and communications manager for Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, shares the unique burnout challenges for activists and how changing his relationship with success has helped him experience less burnout. - Anita's parents talk about where Anita's tendency to overwork comes from (her dad) and how he's learned the health consequences of burnout the hard way. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | Explore the podcast discussion guide | |||
| 03 Sep 2020 | Pooped: The Second Brain Inside Us | 00:22:26 | |
Anita has a gut feeling none of us know as much as we should about the connection between our intestinal health and how our minds work. - Ian Carroll, assistant profession of nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill teaches us what we need to know about our gut microbiome. - Lin Chang, a gastroenterologist and co-director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, explains the science behind the "gut feeling." - Lydia Greene, a postdoctoral fellow at the Duke Lemur Center, explains what lemur poop teaches us about humans. - Anita's parents talk about why it was okay to talk about poop at their family dining table. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | Explore the podcast discussion guide | |||
| 10 Sep 2020 | Othered: The Only One In The Room | 00:35:47 | |
Anita loves podcasts, especially ones that make space for intimate, unexpected conversations. "The Only One In The Room," hosted by Laura Cathcart Robbins, is one of those shows. This episode explores the excitement and emotions of being in an open marriage. | |||
| 17 Sep 2020 | Mothered: Raising Kids Radically | 00:27:24 | |
Anita is thinking more and more about entering the club of motherhood. But first, she'd appreciate a reality check on things we don't often talk about — like child care and health concerns around pregnancy and labor. Meet the guests: - Angela Garbes, writer and author, talks about the cultural baggage surrounding American motherhood and how she separates the signal from the noise - Dani McClain, journalist and author, outlines how racial bias shapes the personal and professional experiences of Black mothers - Katherine Goldstein, journalist and creator of "The Double Shift," talks about rethinking the nuclear family - Anita’s parents talk about the changes they’ve noticed in their aging bodies and how it’s affected their relationship. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | Explore the podcast discussion guide | |||
| 24 Sep 2020 | Gendered: What It's Like To Be Trans In The Exam Room | 00:23:16 | |
Anita knows how frustrating it can be to find the right doctor and get good healthcare. Transgender people have to navigate all those challenges and take extra measures to advocate for their wellbeing with medical providers who are too often untrained to treat them. Meet the guests: - Max Brown, a transgender teenager living in North Carolina, talks about being misgendered in the healthcare system and how finding a supportive healthcare provider has changed his physical and mental health. - Frances Brown, Max's mom, talks about advocating for her son and advice for parents of other trans teens. - Katherine Croft, nurse and program manager for the UNC Transgender Health Program, shares the importance of delivering gender-affirming care. - Rebby Kern, director of education policy at Equality NC**,** talks about the role in-classroom educators play in creating positive experiences for trans kids. - Morgan Givens, storyteller and audio producer, talks about his long road to finding a supportive healthcare provider and the difference that doctor has made in his life. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | Explore the podcast discussion guide | |||
| 01 Oct 2020 | Aged: Sexual Desire And Dating After 50 | 00:29:55 | |
Anita is admittedly anxious about aging and what she'll have to re-negotiate about her body and her relationships as she gets older. Wisdom wanted. Meet the guests: - Omisade Burney-Scott, creator and host of "The Black Girls' Guide To Surviving Menopause" talks about how aging has affected her mind, body and spirit - Pepper Schwartz, a sociologist, sexologist and relationships expert, talks about how the cultural myths around aging shape how people approach sex and relationships - Ellen Ashley, talks about getting divorced at 60 and her varied experiences of dating online - Laura Stassi, host and creator of the podcast "Dating While Gray," shares her personal story that inspired the project - Anita’s parents talk about the changes they’ve noticed in their aging bodies and how it’s affected their relationship Read the transcript | Review the podcast | Explore the podcast discussion guide | |||
| 10 Dec 2020 | Transitioned: The Double Shift | 00:30:29 | |
Anita is all kinds of in love with her newborn niece, a relationship that has her thinking more about motherhood. Her thoughts on the matter are at least somewhat informed by listening to "The Double Shift" podcast, which challenges the status quo for moms. This episode explores the roles of gender and community in raising kids through the story of a transgender man named Ted. Plus, Anita extends an invitation for a virtual hangout. | |||
| 14 Jan 2021 | Embattled: Trans Troops On A Mission For Equality | 00:24:06 | |
Anita says all the time "what's personal is political." So, she's interested to see how a new presidential administration will affect the ability of transgender Americans to serve in the U.S. military, which has long suffered from barriers to equity for troops and veterans from marginalized communities. Meet the guests: - Lt. Col. Bree Fram, the highest-ranking, out transgender officer in the Department of Defense, shares what it meant to come out after Obama lifted the ban on trans service members and the challenges with Trump's reversal of the policy. - Marine Sgt. Samson Gibbs talks about how he's experienced more support than transphobia as an active duty military. Read the transcript | Review the podcast | |||
| 24 May 2024 | Balanced: Love & Bipolar Disorder | 00:49:08 | |
When you’re living with a stigmatized mental illness like bipolar disorder, opening up to romantic partners can be tough, but Anita brings on two people who’ve found their own way through love and mental health. A writer-poet talks about navigating new romantic connections, and a married couple shares how they’ve built a strong foundation for weathering mental health ups and downs over 15 years together. Meet the guests: - Michelle Yang, a writer and advocate, shares her journey to a bipolar I disorder diagnosis, how she navigated disclosure of her diagnosis early on in her relationship with her husband and her work to separate trauma from culture - Bob Zammit, Michelle's husband, gives his perspective on managing mental health in their family and how he and Michelle have thought about raising their 10-year-old son to be conscious of mental health - Hannah Blum, author of “Oh Mind, Where Have You Gone Today?”, explains how she approaches disclosure of her bipolar II diagnosis in romantic connections and what kind of mental health support she appreciates from intimate partners Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 19 Apr 2024 | Undertaken: The Next Generation Of Funeral Directors | 00:49:16 | |
A significant portion of the funeral home workforce is entering retirement...but there's a crop of young people who are ready to take the helm. Anita meets two young funeral directors who felt called to this work at a young age. They take her inside their world -- from organizing end of life ceremonies to learning how to embalm for the first time. Plus, they share their hopes for a more death-positive future. Meet the guests: - Jasmine Berrios, licensed funeral director and embalmer, shares how she got into the industry, how being a funeral director impacts her dating life and how she tries to create boundaries around her work [@jasminethemortician] - Joél Simone Maldonado, grief care professional and educator known as The Grave Woman, talks about how her family influenced her career choice, how she educates her peers around culturally competent care and the importance of open conversations around death [@thegravewoman] Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 15 Sep 2023 | Dominated: Getting Kinky With BDSM | 00:37:03 | |
Anita discovers just how wrong “Fifty Shades of Grey” was about BDSM. A dominatrix and community leader introduce her to kink spaces rooted in community and healing. Plus, a scholar talks about the long history behind our understanding of masochism. Meet the guests: - Smoky, the co-founder of Obsidian, shares how she became interested in the world of BDSM, what draws her to the role of submissive and what inspired the creation of Obsidian - Dia Dynasty, a professional dominatrix based in New York City, talks about the importance of being trauma-informed in domination and the healing opportunities in the BDSM community - Amber Jamilla Musser, the author of “Sensational Flesh: Race, Power and Masochism” and an English professor at the CUNY Graduate Center, explains the history of the term "masochism" and some of the controversy around masochism in feminist circles Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! Dig deeper: | |||
| 30 Jun 2023 | Sexted: Authoring Your Own Erotica | 00:33:00 | |
Anita is a bashful sexter, and she's ready to get over her insecurities. A pleasure enthusiast advises her on the art of a good sext; a sexting expert traces the short and spicy history of sexting in this country; and a high schooler breaks down the relationship between sexting and consent. Meet the guests: - Penda N’diaye, founder and CEO of Pro Hoe and pleasure enthusiast, shares tips to help Anita get more comfortable with sexting and outlines the importance of consent - Amy Hasinoff, associate professor in the communication department at the University of Colorado Denver, breaks down the legal landscape of sexting and puts the moral panic over this kind of communication into historical context - Aaliyah, graduating high school senior and peer educator, explains the role of sexting in her and her peers' relationships and talks about how she's navigated sexting Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! Dig deeper: More information about sexting laws by state Penda’s “How to Talk Dirty Without Sounding Fake” workbook | |||
| 12 Jan 2024 | Normalized: Speaking Up About Erectile Dysfunction | 00:33:05 | |
Erectile dysfunction affects as many as 30 million people in the U.S. — yet the fears of not being “normal” prevent folks from speaking up about it. Anita meets a man who was silent about his ED for 10 years before getting surgery and opening up to partners…and talks with a sex therapist who challenges the word “dysfunction.” Plus, a 72-year-old describes how he’s redefined intimacy in his 30 years of experiencing ED. Meet the guests: - Ven Virah, a public speaker and global healthcare staffing professional, talks about experiencing erectile dysfunction for 10 years before seeking help - Dr. Reece Malone, a sexologist, sexuality educator and sex therapist, discusses how ED can be a gateway to discussing other relationship, mental or physical problems - George Marx, a retiree in his 70s who started experiencing ED in his 40s, talks about how he's developed intimate relationships without penetration Dig Deeper: Reflections on ED from George's blog An interview with author Will N. Richards, and his book "Mother" that features a character with erectile dysfunction Steve Jones’s new book of poetry, Words Woke Me: My Prostate Cancer Journey in Poetry. The blog, A Touchy Subject, which Steve credits for preserving his sanity during his ED experience The documentary Hard: The Fight to Solve Erectile Dysfunction, which features personal ED stories and info about inflatable penile prosthesis Shannon's Facebook group Please leave us a rating and review in the app you're using to listen to us! | |||
| 10 Apr 2025 | A Doctor’s Intuition Lost And Found | 00:50:21 | |
Doctors are expected to make high-stakes decisions quickly and often. And while plenty of medical guidelines exist, sometimes finding the right answer relies on intuition as much as logic. So what happens when suddenly that intuition is … gone? Retired anesthesiologist Dr. Ronald Dworkin tells Anita about the day he lost his intuition and how he got it back. She also talks to one of her favorite medical minds (her brother-in-law, Dr. Amit Gupta) about training intuition in the next generation of doctors. Meet the guests: - Dr. Ronald Dworkin is a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia and a retired anesthesiologist - Dr. Amit Gupta is a gastroenterologist, assistant professor of medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill and Anita's brother-in-law Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram You can check out Climbing the Walls here. | |||
| 09 Dec 2022 | Navigated: The Rao Sisters On Holiday Conversations | 00:22:55 | |
Anita has a lot of practice talking about taboo topics with strangers. But when it comes to having these conversations in her own family, especially around the holidays, she gets squirmy like the rest of us. She invites her older sister Priyanka onto the podcast to reflect on tricky — but often inevitable — conversations with family members. Priyanka, a mom and pediatrician, talks about her ongoing journey to broach difficult subjects that come up a lot this time of year: loss, family dynamics and parenting boundaries. Meet the guest: - Priyanka Rao, a mom and pediatrician (and Anita's older sister!), shares her parenting philosophy when it comes to some of the thornier issues that come up around the holidays | |||
| 05 Apr 2024 | Stimulated: How Vibrators Became America's Favorite Sex Toy (Revisited) | 00:32:57 | |
True or false? Victorian doctors invented the vibrator to cure women's "hysteria" by bringing them to sexual climax. The answer may surprise you...as it did Anita! She gets the truth about vibrator history from journalist Hallie Lieberman and meets Anna Lee, the engineer behind the first-ever “smart” vibrator that can help you better understand your arousal patterns. Meet the guests: - Hallie Lieberman, author of "Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy," shares the history of the vibrator and debunks myths and misconceptions around how this sex toy evolved - Anna Lee, co-founder and head of engineering at Lioness, talks about how her company designed their smart vibrator, how they collect data and what they've learned from their users so far Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24! Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Dive deeper: | |||
| 26 Sep 2024 | Reimagining The Wedding Ceremony | 00:49:43 | |
The marriage rate in this country has fallen nearly 60% in the last half century. So what’s motivating those of us still choosing to say I do? On her one-year wedding anniversary, Anita ponders this question with the Hindu officiant who helped her build a ceremony that bridged the gap between her values and her dad's traditional desires. Plus, a comedian and queer ex-nun explains how she takes people from the place of "marriage is a dumpster fire" to a ceremony they're excited about. Meet the guests: - Raja Gopal Bhattar is a consultant, author and officiant who Anita and her family worked with to design her wedding ceremony - Kelli Dunham, a comedian, nurse and queer ex-nun who officiates weddings and funerals — and refers to herself as "queer secular clergy" Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram If you want to hear more of Satish Rao on Embodied: Mixed (Parent Edition), where Anita talks to her parents about growing up mixed race Pooped, where Satish gets to share his expertise as a gastroenterologist | |||
| 27 Mar 2025 | Why We Need Trans Tech In 2025 | 00:50:20 | |
When technology creators see problems … they fix them. No less is true for trans designers, who for decades have responded to emergent needs in their community with technological innovation. Trans scholar Oliver Haimson tells Anita why it's vital to understand the role of trans technology in this particular political moment. He shares stories from the hundreds of technologies he’s explored — everything from bathroom-finding apps to augmented reality — that both support trans folks’ tangible needs and help reimagine new worlds. Meet the guest: - Oliver Haimson is the author of "Trans Technologies" and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Information Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram Special thanks to Hibby Thach for her contributions to this episode! | |||
| 08 Sep 2023 | Mourned: Life After Losing A Parent | 00:31:55 | |
Anita has heard one resounding truth from her friends who lost a parent in early adulthood: That death was the biggest thing that has ever happened to them. She meets two people who've built specific communities around their grief on the internet and a writer who experienced losing his dad twice. Meet the guests: - Liz Zorn, photographer and model, talks about the sudden loss of her father and how it's changed her views on the afterlife - Naomi Edmondson, grief educator and space holder, shares how the experience of losing two mother figures in her 20s inspired her to create a community group for Black folks who are grieving - Jeff Dingler, author and journalist, explains how he lost his father twice: first to mental illness when he was 14 and then to death when he was in his 20s Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! Dig deeper: Liz’s YouTube video, “What no one tells you about losing a parent” | |||
| 12 May 2023 | Delivered (Part Two): No More Postpartum Silence (Revisited) | 00:34:12 | |
Anita treasures sleep and moments of silence. So when she hears typical narratives of early parenthood that include unending cries and restless nights, she has concerns for the mental toll on new parents. But culturally there is a lot of silence around how challenging it can be and recognizing deteriorating mental health while caring for another person can be isolating. In part two of the postpartum series "Delivered," she meets a prolific artist whose experience with postpartum depression catalyzed a mental health journey and a diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder. She also talks to a couple about what folks should know about sex and relationships postpartum and why the mental health of non-birthing partners should be part of the postpartum conversation. Meet the guests: - A’Driane Nieves, artist and mother of two - Shannon Purdy Jones, co-owner of Scuppernong Books in Greensboro and mother of two - Darren Jones, Shannon’s husband and director of Pricing at Mack Trucks, Inc Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! | |||
| 26 Dec 2024 | Traveled: The Lives Of Third Culture Kids | 00:31:03 | |
As a child of two immigrants, Anita has a tumultuous relationship with the question: "Where are you from?" So, too, do many third culture kids — people who spend a significant number of their developmental years living in places that are not their parents' homelands. She talks with two third culture kids — one 35 and one 12 — and their moms about growing up between cultures and how they’ve built identity and relationships along the way. Meet the Guests: - Rayla Heide, a senior narrative designer at Blizzard Entertainment, talks about establishing cultural identity as a third culture kid and the grief and joy involved in moving around in childhood - Madeleine Maceda Heide, an international school leader and modern elder as well as Rayla's mother, shares the advantages of being a third culture kid and the ways she helped their family feel at home wherever they lived - Phuong Tran, and international journalist and communications consultant for overseas non-profit organizations, talks about her and her son's recent move from Thailand to North Carolina, and what they gained and lost in making that transition - Kaden Tran, a middle school student, talks about why moving to the US didn't meet up with his expectations and how its impacted his friendships Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Please note: This episode originally published November 10, 2023. Update: Rayla Heide is now the Franchise Narrative Director on a new game in development at Scopely. | |||
| 15 Mar 2024 | Tingled: Your Brain And Heart On ASMR | 00:36:25 | |
Anita finds a lot of ASMR videos to be deeply relaxing, but she doesn't get the well-hyped/well-documented 'brain tingles.' Why? She puts the question to a physiologist who's been exploring the science of ASMR for the past decade. Plus, she meets an ASMR artist who's entranced hundreds of thousands of people with her medical role play videos and a woman who turned to the world of Boyfriend ASMR to heal her broken heart. Meet the guests: - Craig Harris Richard, ASMR researcher and professor of biopharmaceutical sciences at Shenandoah University, digs into the data on what we know about ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response - Semide, an ASMR artist, talks about the emotional work in her content creation and the parasocial relationships she forms with viewers - Laura Nagy, filmmaker, writer and podcaster behind the 2021 Audible Original podcast “Pillow Talk,” shares how ASMR content helped her to open up to being vulnerable again Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Check out Craig's ASMR podcasts: “Sleep Whispers” and “Calm History” Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24! | |||
| 26 Mar 2024 | Bonus Episode: Can Couples Learn to Argue Better? from The Happiness Lab | 00:34:58 | |
No matter how much you love your partner, your relationship will never be totally free from disagreement. And nor should it be, say researchers Dr John Gottman and Dr Julie Schwartz Gottman. We actually just need to learn to argue better. Enjoy this episode from our friends at The Happiness Lab. The Gottmans join Dr Laurie Santos to talk us through how to raise complaints with our partners and how to react when they complain about us. Further reading: Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection by Dr John Gottman and Dr Julie Schwartz Gottman. | |||
| 28 Jun 2024 | Journeyed: Crossing State Lines For Abortion | 00:49:36 | |
It’s been two years since the Supreme Court revoked the federal right to an abortion. Now, nearly one in five people seeking abortion care has to cross state lines to get it. Anita meets someone who spent 20 hours on the road to get her abortion, learns how folks afford thousands of dollars worth of travel and reviews the ways that Hollywood has taken on the abortion road trip. Meet the guests: - Taylor Shelton, abortion-seeker who traveled from her home state of South Carolina to North Carolina three times to get her abortion, shares the emotional toll that all that travel took and why she decided to join a lawsuit suing South Carolina over its abortion law - Serra Sippel, interim executive director of the Brigid Alliance, talks about some of the tangible ways that her organization supports folks who have to travel for abortion care and how they navigate an ever-changing legislative landscape - Gretchen Sisson, sociologist who studies portrayals of abortion in TV and film, traces the abortion road trip subgenre and explains how these representations affect the audiences who watch them Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here. Dive deeper: A visualization of abortion travel from The New York Times From NPR | |||
| 27 Oct 2023 | Masked: Coming Out As Autistic In Adulthood | 00:33:35 | |
Many autistic people assigned female at birth remain undiagnosed at 18, so what's it like to get an autism diagnosis in your adulthood? Anita meets two women whose paths to a diagnosis started on the internet. Plus a non-binary photographer shares how their late autism diagnosis has informed their marriage and sense of self. Meet the guests: - Irene Chon, neurodivergent creator and self-empowerment coach, talks about the challenge of getting assessed for autism as an adult and why working in customer service was kind of the perfect job for her as an autistic person - Kofi Robinson, a lawyer and TikTok creator, shares how her autistic traits coincide with the expectations for a good lawyer and how she makes solid friendships - Jenni Chapman, a queer and nonbinary photographer, draws parallels between coming out as queer and coming out as autistic, and how she's preparing to handle noise sensitivity as a parent Dig Deeper: A 2022 study on autism and people assigned female at birth The TikTok account that made Irene realize she was autistic Jenni's podcast, The Queer Soul Spotlight | |||
| 09 Sep 2022 | Destined: Using The Stars As A Guide | 00:34:55 | |
Guest host Omisade Burney-Scott is a proud Aries Sun-Leo moon-Virgo rising and has been looking to the stars since the ‘70s. She and her best friend of over 50 years look back on how astrology influenced their relationship growing up and how they move in the world today. Plus, she talks to two astrologers about how this practice can play a role in social justice movements and in the intersections of our identities. Meet the guests: - Cheyanne Headen, a community and de-escalation specialist and Omisade's cousin and best friend, talks about how astrology influences her work and parenting styles - Jessica Lanyadoo, astrologer and host of "Ghost of a Podcast," explains how our cultural understanding of astrology has evolved and how this practice can be applied to social justice - Zacchary Powell, astrologer and former president of the Association of Young Astrologers, explores how a spiritual practice of astrology can deepen self-understanding | |||
| 12 Jul 2024 | Written: Disability Love Stories | 00:49:41 | |
When you live in a disabled body, you don’t always get to see yourself in the love stories you consume. Anita talks with three folks changing that through their own writing. She meets a novelist, essayist and activist who share their disability love stories and how writing has changed their relationships with others and themselves. Meet the guests: - Keah Brown, journalist and author of "The Pretty One," talks about her experience with cerebral palsy and her multi-year journey to self-love - Maria Town, activist and CEO and president of the American Association of People with Disabilities, discusses opening up about her romantic relationship for the first time in her essay, ”This is My Solemn Vow” - Talia Hibbert, British romance author, digs into how her own experiences as a disabled person inform the romantic leads that she writes Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here. Dive deeper: “Disability Intimacy,” edited by activist Alice Wong | |||
| 17 May 2024 | Hypersexualized: Understanding Sex Addiction (Revisited) | 00:30:11 | |
Anita learned in the early days of this show that there's no such thing as "normal" sexual behavior. But what *is* worth considering: how your relationship with sex affects your life. She meets two women whose compulsive sexual behaviors led them to seek support, and a sex-positive psychologist shares how she helps folks with sex addiction in their recovery. Meet the guests: - Krista Nabar, the executive director and founder of the Carolina Sexual Wellness Center, explains her sex-positive approach to hypersexuality and treatment - Erica Garza, author of “Getting Off: One Woman’s Journey Through Sex and Porn Addiction," shares her history with sex addiction and how she's recovering in a sex-positive way - Mz. Cici, a content creator on Instagram and TikTok, talks about her efforts to bring more awareness to hypersexuality and her experiences with hypersexuality and bipolar disorder Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 01 Dec 2023 | Gripped: The Passion For Pole Dancing | 00:34:13 | |
Anita walked away from her first pole dancing class slightly bruised … but very intrigued. She talks with a veteran stripper about the history and politics of modern pole dancing and meets a pole sport athlete and studio owner who is trying to build an inclusive space for pole practitioners. Plus, a nonbinary pole dancer shares how their relationship with the pole has evolved alongside their gender identity. Meet the Guests:
Dig Deeper: Paige Gabert’s studio, Midwest Movement Collective Advocacy organization Strippers United, where Nats is on the leadership board Anita’s pole lesson studio, Aradia Fitness Triangle | |||
| 24 Nov 2023 | Commodified: When 'Wellness' Makes Us Unwell (Revisited) | 00:29:35 | |
Anita has fallen down her fair share of wellness rabbit holes [including a certain alliterative family's beauty and shapewear brands...]. Wellness industry insider and journalist Rina Raphael shares how this $4 trillion industry misleads all of us, and 'Dope Black Social Worker' Kim Young gives us the wellness reframes we all need. Meet the guests: - Rina Raphael, author of "The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop and the False Promise of Self-Care,” shares how insidious wellness industry marketing can be - Kim Young, licensed clinical social worker known as the Dope Black Social Worker, explains how we can take charge of our own wellness ... without buying anything Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! | |||
| 02 Dec 2022 | Co-Worked: The Good, Bad & Ambivalent Of The Office Bestie | 00:32:52 | |
Anita wouldn't have made it through her 20s without her work friends. But now that she's a manager and working in a hybrid office, she's noticed that work friendships don't come as easily as they used to. A psychologist answers her burning workplace relationship questions and dives into the surprising amount of data about work besties. Plus, a Gen Z writer urges her to re-think the importance of work as a primary social hub. Meet the guests: - Dr. Marisa G. Franco, a psychologist and author of "Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — and Keep — Friends," shares the benefits of a work bestie and talks about why employers are invested in these positive relationships in the workplace - Katherine Hu, assistant editor at The Atlantic, talks about how her generation is navigating the social scene at work | |||
| 03 Apr 2025 | Decades Of ‘Death Cramps’ Later, A Search For Answers To Period Pain | 00:50:21 | |
Ever since Kate Downey got her first extremely painful period at age 14, every month feels like playing Russian roulette with her uterus. Will she get “normal” abdominal discomfort — or excruciating, life-disrupting “death cramps”? After decades of not knowing the cause of her pain, Kate set out to find an answer to her very own medical mystery…and she shares with Anita how what she uncovered has implications for many other menstruating people. Meet the guest: - Kate Downey is the creator and host of CRAMPED, a podcast investigating period pain Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram | |||
| 11 Nov 2022 | Plucked: The Calm And Chaos of A Hair-Pulling Disorder | 00:33:20 | |
Anita agrees to a suggestion posed by a listener: Explore why the hair-pulling disorder trichotillomania is so taboo. She talks with an artist who started pulling their hair more than two decades ago but only recently told her parents…after publishing part of their story in a national news outlet. A psychologist on the front-lines of studying trich treatment talks about the importance of acceptance; and a hairstylist with trich takes us into why her salon is a safe haven for other folks with hair loss. Meet the guests: - Haruka Aoki, a writer and illustrator who recently published a comic about their trichotillomania journey in The Washington Post, shares what it was like to learn a term for the disorder later in life - Dr. Suzanne Mouton-Odum, a licensed psychologist and board member for the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, describes her counseling work with folks who experience trich - Dorin Azérad, a hair loss hairstylist, shares how her ongoing journey with trich shapes the services she offers to other folks with hair loss at her salon Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Dive deeper: | |||
| 07 Jun 2024 | Adjusted: Second Puberty After Testosterone | 00:49:10 | |
Puberty is a right of passage that most of us experience as teenagers. But for some trans folks, big hormonal changes happen again in adulthood. Anita meets three transmasculine people who started taking testosterone as adults...and experienced everything from emotional fluctuations and voice changes to acne and new body hair in a period of second puberty. Meet the guests: - Julian Socha, actor, shares his experience of second puberty after being on T for eight years and how the physical changes have influenced his acting and how he's read in social situations - Gibby Armijo, a chef, has been on testosterone for just about three years and talks about his journey of taking the hormone more intermittently and how it's influenced his ideas about masculinity and adulthood - Luckie Alexander Fuller, the founder and CEO of "Invisible Men," spells out how his medical transition at age 30 influenced his relationships with his kids and helped his outer appearance align with the way he sees himself Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here. | |||
| 19 May 2023 | Sobbed: Why We Cry | 00:33:59 | |
Anita usually feels better after a good, long cry. But why is that? She explores that question with a poet who spent years diving deeply into the science and culture of crying. And a forerunner of the "crying selfie" trend shares how he pushes back on toxic masculinity by embracing tears. Meet the guests: - Heather Christle, poet and author of "The Crying Book," takes us into some of the science of crying and looks at tears through a political and gender-informed lens - Viorel Tanase, a model and creative director, explains why he decided to share a crying selfie (before the trend took off) and how being vulnerable is part of the human experience Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! | |||
| 01 Aug 2024 | Amplified: Building Intimacy With Hearing Loss (Revisited) | 00:40:27 | |
Anita and her partner John have started talking more openly about how his hearing loss informs their relationship and how they'll continue to navigate that as they age. She meets another interabled couple (Anna and Vika) who share the sometimes humorous, sometimes challenging moments that accompany sex and dating with hearing loss. Plus, former guest Yat Li returns to talk about deafness, disclosure, and disabled identity. Meet the guests: - Anna Pulley, author and columnist, talks about her journey with sex and intimacy as a deaf and hard of hearing person - Vika Mass, Anna's fiancee, shares how she has adjusted as part of an interabled couple - Yat Li, disability advocate, inclusive model and creator of “Let There Be Ears” on YouTube, talks about how he learned to self-disclose his deafness Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 21 Jul 2023 | Polished: Why We Care About Our Nails | 00:35:28 | |
Anita's nail habit has evolved in the past decade from $10 drop-in manicures to 90 minute appointments with a nail artist. That artist joins her for a conversation about how Black women have shaped nail culture. Plus a fashion historian details nail history from Egyptian mummies to ‘90s Chanel colors, and a Vietnamese-American woman tells the story of growing up inside her parents' nail salons. Meet the guests: - Crystal Sanders, nail artist and entrepreneur, shares her business and artistic philosophy and talks about the overlooked role Black women have played in the history of nail art - Suzanne E. Shapiro, fashion historian and author of "Nails: The Story of the Modern Manicure," explains the historical context of manicures and nail art and ties both art forms into larger cultural forces - My Ngoc To, Vietnamese-American writer, talks about her experience growing up in the nail salons that her parents owned and how that has influenced her relationship with nail art today Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! Dig deeper: More context on Black women in nail art | |||
| 31 Oct 2024 | What Kids' Books Teach Us About Our Bodies | 00:49:45 | |
A new crop of children’s book authors are trying to help kids develop curiosity about their physical bodies. But how exactly do they turn fraught body politics into compelling children's stories? Anita gets answers when she meets Tyler Feder and Shelly Anand, the creators behind the books "Bodies Are Cool" and "Laxmi's Mooch." Meet the guests: - Tyler Feder, the author and illustrator behind the book “Bodies are Cool" - Shelly Anand, the author of “Laxmi’s Mooch" Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 09 Jan 2025 | Boomers On Psychedelics | 00:49:21 | |
It's been half a century since the psychedelic era, but some baby boomers are returning to the drugs of their youth — not for rock and roll, but to confront aging. Writer Abbie Rosner re-experienced mushrooms in her 60s, and she tells Anita about her subsequent investigation into why other boomers are taking psychedelics to grapple with aging. Plus, a medical professional shares what it’s like to facilitate these experiences for her peers. Meet the guests: - Abbie Rosner is a writer who shares her own experience and the stories of other baby boomers, which she plans to publish in a book called “ELDEREVOLUTION: Psychedelics and the New Counterculture of Aging” - Dr. Crystal Dawn is a physician who's board-certified in family medicine and provides ketamine-assisted therapy Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 31 Mar 2023 | Stuttered: Diversifying The Way We Speak | 00:34:43 | |
Stuttering occurs in every culture with a spoken language. So why do many communities treat it as a source of shame? Two speech-language pathologists and a comedian help Anita question cultural assumptions about stuttering and explore the growing movement to embrace speech diversity. Meet the guests: - Dr. Derek Daniels, licensed and certified speech-language pathologist and associate professor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wayne State University, shares his own experience of stuttering and what we know about what causes stuttering - Jia Bin, doctoral student at Michigan State University, talks about growing up in rural China with a stutter and what she's hoping to bring back to the stuttering community there - Nina G, comedian and author of "Stutterer, Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen," explains why she decided to embrace her dream of doing stand-up and shares how her stuttering has impacted romantic and platonic relationships Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! Dig deeper: | |||
| 09 Feb 2024 | [Simulated Part One] Auto-mated: When A Bot Becomes Your Boo | 00:34:49 | |
When human romance isn't working out, can an AI chatbot successfully take its place? Anita hears varied perspectives on that question. She meets a journalist who got dumped by her AI crush and talks with a woman whose AI companion turned her life around. Plus, psychologist Melissa McCool, the clinical product consultant for AI tech company Luka, takes Anita behind the scenes of making AI companions. Meet the guests: - Christina Campodonico, the senior reporter of arts and culture at The San Francisco Standard, talks about her experience dating a bot named Kyle through the app Blush, and how the relationship met an untimely demise - Denise Valenciano, a Replika app user, shares how her interactions with her AI companion Star have taught her boundaries and preferences for human relationships - Melissa McCool, a clinical product consultant at Luka, licensed psychotherapist, and chief product officer at Ellipsis Health, talks about her behind-the-scenes work with building AI companions and why we build strong bonds with digital entities Dig Deeper: Read more about Christina's experience dating on Blush in her article, What’s It Like To Date AI? We Tried Denise and her AI partner Star's NBC Nightly News interview More about Denise and Star's story: Meet the artificially intelligent chatbot trying to curtail loneliness in America , Mental Health and AI: How Replika users find support from chatbots | IBTimes UK, The Women Falling in Love With Their AI Boyfriends (thecut.com) Investigate the Replika and Blush apps To read TJ Arriaga’s interviews with his AI companion, Phaedra, check out his Instagram highlight ‘AI7’ Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 11 Aug 2023 | Uncoupled: Thank U, Next (Revisited) | 00:34:22 | |
Anita has no qualms about being an armchair therapist for friends going through a breakup. But sometimes she wonders how her advice aligns with what relationship experts say. Advice columnists Meredith Goldstein and Stacia Brown give guidance on breaking up "well," going no-contact, navigating social media and finding the right breakup anthem for the moment. Meet the guests: - Meredith Goldstein, writer and podcast host behind The Boston Globe column and podcast "Love Letters," shares insights from her personal and professional experiences with love and heartbreak - Stacia Brown, writer and producer, talks about her own pandemic breakup and shares wisdom akin to what she delivers regularly in her role as a columnist for Slate's parenting advice column "Care and Feeding" Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here! | |||
| 22 Aug 2024 | (Un)Circumcised: How Parents Decide (Revisited) | 00:32:09 | |
It's a small procedure, but a big question. Anita talks with a urologist about what medical advice to consider while making the circumcision decision (and where medicine doesn't have the answers). She also meets a rabbi and mother who offers alternatives to centuries-old circumcision rituals and hears from a circumcised father raising an uncircumcised son. Meet the guests: - Dr. Emilie K. Johnson, a pediatric urologist and associate professor of urology at Northwestern University, answers Anita's questions about the procedure and shares her research on disparities in access to circumcision - Rabbi Elyssa Cherney, founder of Tackling Torah, talks about the role of circumcision in the Jewish faith tradition, how she works with interfaith couples on what parts of that tradition to follow or preserve — and she explains how she handled the circumcision decision with her son - Chris Silva, a father, talks about how his thinking on circumcision evolved after his son was born prematurely, from assuming they would have the procedure for his son to ultimately decided not to circumcise Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 23 Dec 2024 | BONUS: Food, Friends and Cultural Roots | 00:19:26 | |
Anita hands over the mic to Embodied’s intern, Nina Scott. After listening to our episode about food and cultural identity from a couple of weeks ago, Nina started talking to her friends about how their family recipes help them feel connected to their heritage. She shares some of those conversations and reflections. Meet the guests: - Sari Ghirmay-Morgan, Nina’s friend who is of Ethiopian and Eritrean heritage - Rebecca Wu, Nina’s friend who is of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage - Britney Watson, Nina’s friend who is Caribbean heritage Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 14 Jun 2024 | Isolated: The Silence Around Male Infertility (Revisited) | 00:31:37 | |
Male fertility issues make up half of all infertility cases … but you’d never know it from consuming fertility content through culture, media and even medicine. Anita meets three men breaking the silence in hopes that others get the help and support they need. Meet the guests: - Jared Wright, journalist who wrote a piece about his infertility journey for VICE, talks through his first time in a fertility clinic, the treatments he and his wife have undergone since their marriage in 2020 and about his experiences in the infertility space as a Black man - Dr. Paul Shin, urologist at at Shady Grove Fertility in Washington D.C., explains some of the potential causes of male infertility and what treatments are available - James D'Souza, a teacher, blogger and podcaster, breaks down his decision to stop pursuing parenthood after a ten year fertility journey with his wife Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here. | |||
| 20 Feb 2025 | ‘I’ve Got The Same Thing You Do’: Ehlers-Danlos Across Generations | 00:49:06 | |
Soph Myers-Kelley and his mom, René Myers, have always been close. As of five years ago, they also share a diagnosis: the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Soph and René were diagnosed one year apart – Soph was 25; René was 60. EDS explained symptoms they’d both been experiencing for decades, including waking up with jaw or shoulder dislocations and having chronic pain.The two talk with Anita about how their diagnoses began a new chapter of their lives, including the decision to move in together last summer. Meet the guests: - Soph Myers-Kelley is a medical librarian at East Carolina University - René Myers is Soph's mom and a retired educator Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram | |||
| 24 Oct 2024 | Intersex Reframes On Sex & Gender | 00:49:54 | |
While early biology lessons often teach us about sex as a binary, our bodies tell a different story. An intersex physician tells Anita about the decades-long attempt to erase intersex folks from existence, and a parent and two young adults share their advice on how to best support adolescents who defy the sex and gender binary. Meet the guests: - Suegee Tamar-Mattis, a physican who is also an intersex person, describes the decades-long attempt to erase intersex folks from existence, what support is available for intersex youth in their adolescent years and the importance of intersex community - Eric Lohman, parent to a 12-year-old intersex kid, explains how he and his wife have helped his tween explore gender and make decisions about his own body as he’s gotten older. - Hillel and Sam, two young intersex adults, share their thoughts on what it means to be intersex, the experience of puberty and gender identity and their hopes for the future in terms of intersex awareness and advocacy Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 05 Sep 2024 | Dating, Sex & Love With HIV | 00:48:46 | |
How does living with a condition that is so deeply stigmatized affect who and how we love? Anita meets a mixed-HIV status couple who shares how they've approached sex and intimacy in their 11+ year relationship. Plus, a woman who was born HIV positive talks about dating, disclosure and overcoming the fear of rejection. Meet the guests: - Rainer Oktovianus is a photographer and user experience designer living with HIV - Eka Nasution is a project management professional and Rainer's husband - Diana Koss is a content creator and host of the "Born Positive" YouTube channel Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 12 Dec 2024 | Why Are We Afraid Of Baldness? | 00:49:21 | |
Like the majority of American men over 35, Anita's partner is balding...and they're both a little distressed about it. But why? She brings her questions to two men who've interrogated baldness from all angles: race, sexuality, science, media, culture and lived experience. They'll explore where this fear comes from and how many other men feel this way. Meet the guests: - E. Patrick Johnson is dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor at Northwestern University and the author of “Scatter the Pigeons,” an essay on baldness, masculinity and Blackness - Glen Jankowski is an assistant professor in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin whose research includes the medicalization of baldness and the history of marketing anti-baldness products Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform | |||
| 03 Jun 2022 | Perceived: Disrupting The Blind Stereotype | 00:32:38 | |
Anita got glasses young, and as a kid every time her prescription got worse, her anxiety about losing her vision spiked. She realizes now how much of that fear was ableism at work. Three artists who've lost their sight and found myriad ways to fortify a culture of blind pride show her it's about disrupting the binary and pushing for a more accessible, creative future Meet the guests: - Dr. M. Leona Godin, writer, performer, educator, and the author of "There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness" talks about the term occularcentrism - James Tate Hill, author of the novel "Academy Gothic" and the memoir "Blind Man’s Bluff" shares his personal story of hiding his low vision from most folks his life for almost 15 years - Lachi, award-winning recording artist, songwriter, and inclusion advocate shares how she is pushing to make the Grammy’s more inclusive | |||
| 18 Jul 2024 | Committed: Life Inside A Psychiatric Hospital | 00:48:31 | |
Long-term stays in psychiatric institutions were once a relatively common treatment in this country. They’re not anymore, but that doesn’t mean they’ve gone away entirely. Anita meets someone who spent three years living in a psychiatric hospital in the early 90s and talks with an activist whose time spent in contemporary psychiatric hospitals pushed them to fight for alternatives. Meet the guests: - Suzanne Scanlon spent three years living inside the New York State Psychiatric Institute in her early 20s and is the author of the memoir “Committed: On Meaning and Madwomen” - Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkulu is an organizer, healer and the founder and director of Project LETs **If you or someone you know is in an emotional crisis, reach out to the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.** Special thanks to Chanika Svetvilas and Laura Lopez-Aybar, who contributed to this episode. Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here. Places to find diverse narratives about psychiatric institutionalization: | |||