Sex and relationships are intimate — and sometimes intimidating to talk about. In this weekly podcast from North Carolina Public Radio WUNC, host Anita Rao guides us on an exploration of our brains and our bodies that touches down in taboo territory.Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter @embodiedwunc. You can find Anita on Twitter @anisrao.

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:- <a href="https://www.christinacampodonico.com/">Christina Campodonico</a>, 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- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/xniseyx/?hl=en">Denise Valenciano</a>, a Replika app user, shares how her interactions with her AI companion Star have taught her boundaries and preferences for human relationships- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamccool/">Melissa McCool,</a> 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 entitiesDig Deeper:Read more about Christina's experience dating on Blush in her article, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/06/i-dated-a-robot/">What’s It Like To Date AI? We Tried</a>Denise and her AI partner Star's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;t=885&amp;fbclid=IwAR0X5SEmLV7t0Rc7ZeaDlL0x7mjhby6rtuuGdlQmtRRW64--eJDij9m2ntA&amp;v=j1Vflm4yNCw&amp;feature=youtu.be">NBC Nightly News interview</a>More about Denise and Star's story: <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/3778169-meet-the-artificially-intelligent-chatbot-trying-to-curtail-loneliness-in-america/">Meet the artificially intelligent chatbot trying to curtail loneliness in America </a>, <a href="https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mental-health-ai-how-replika-users-find-support-chatbots-1716264">Mental Health and AI: How Replika users find support from chatbots | IBTimes UK</a>, <a href="https://www.thecut.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-chatbot-replika-boyfriend.html">The Women Falling in Love With Their AI Boyfriends (thecut.com)</a>Investigate the <a href="https://replika.com/about/story">Replika</a> and <a href="https://blush.ai/">Blush</a> appsTo read TJ Arriaga’s interviews with his AI companion, Phaedra, check out <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vinyl_idol/">his Instagram</a> highlight ‘AI7’<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-02-07/auto-mated-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform<a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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
Leave a message for Embodied

AI chatbots fill a variety of roles from customer support to text generator. But what about their romantic potential? 

[Simulated Part One] Auto-mated: When A Bot Becomes Your Boo

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 <a href="https://www.carolinaswc.org/">Carolina Sexual Wellness Center</a>, explains her sex-positive approach to hypersexuality and treatment- Erica Garza, author of “<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Getting-Off/Erica-Garza/9781501163395">Getting Off: One Woman’s Journey Through Sex and Porn Addiction</a>," shares her history with sex addiction and how she's recovering in a sex-positive way- Mz. Cici, a content creator on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mz.cici_/?hl=en">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mzcici308">TikTok</a>, talks about her efforts to bring more awareness to hypersexuality and her experiences with hypersexuality and bipolar disorder<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-05-15/hypersexualized-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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
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Anita 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.

Hypersexualized: Understanding Sex Addiction (Revisited)

Since late 2020, Jordyn Hakes has been on a quest to bring more pleasure and playfulness into her own relationship and those of her many listeners. Anita talks to Jordyn about the upheaval in her life that set her on this path and her best tips for sustaining connection in long-term intimate relationships.Meet the guest:- Jordyn Hakes, host of "<a href="https://www.thehornyhousewifepodcast.com/">The Horny Housewife</a>" podcast, shares tips to keep the connection alive in the wake of parenting, body changes and other changes that long-term relationships weather<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-05-13/meeting-the-horny-housewife-transcript">Read the transcript</a>

Since late 2020, Jordyn Hakes has been on a quest to bring more pleasure and playfulness into her own relationship and those of her many listeners. Anita talks to Jordyn about the upheaval in her life that set her on this path and her best tips for sustaining connection in long-term intimate relationships.
Meet the guest:
- Jordyn Hakes, host of "The Horny Housewife" podcast, shares tips to keep the connection alive in the wake of parenting, body changes and other changes that long-term relationships weather
Read the transcript

Bonus Episode: Meeting ‘The Horny Housewife’

There's a growing number of women challenging the expectation that you need a partner to have a child. In honor of Mother's Day, Anita meets two single moms by choice. They talk about why they chose this parenting path and how they navigate everything from false assumptions to dating. Plus, one of their daughters – 10-year-old Estela – joins the conversation to share her take on growing up in a nontraditional family.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://heramcleod.com/">Hera McLeod</a>, mother and civil rights activist, walks us through her decision to become a single mother and how she's made some of the logistics work — like living in an intergenerational household with her parents- Estela McLeod, Hera's oldest daughter and cohost of the "<a href="https://seekingdifferent.buzzsprout.com/">Seeking Different</a>" podcast, shares what questions she gets from her peers and how she's thinking about the family she wants to build in the future- <a href="https://iamcnicolemason.com/">C. Nicole Mason</a>, president and CEO of <a href="https://iamcnicolemason.com/future-forward-women/">Future Forward Women</a>, talks about how she's balanced dating with being a single mom of choice and how she's reflecting on her parenting journey now that her twins are teenagers<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-05-09/single-mothered-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

There's a growing number of women challenging the expectation that you need a partner to have a child. In honor of Mother's Day, Anita meets two single moms by choice. They talk about why they chose this parenting path and how they navigate everything from false assumptions to dating. Plus, one of their daughters – 10-year-old Estela – joins the conversation to share her take on growing up in a nontraditional family.
Meet the guests:
- Hera McLeod, mother and civil rights activist, walks us through her decision to become a single mother and how she's made some of the logistics work — like living in an intergenerational household with her parents
- Estela McLeod, Hera's oldest daughter and cohost of the "Seeking Different" podcast, shares what questions she gets from her peers and how she's thinking about the family she wants to build in the future
- C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of Future Forward Women, talks about how she's balanced dating with being a single mom of choice and how she's reflecting on her parenting journey now that her twins are teenagers
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In honor of Mother's Day, Anita meets two single moms by choice — and one of their daughters.

(Single) Mothered: Choosing To Parent Solo

Something Special for you all: an episode from "<a href="https://www.meandmymuslimfriends.com/">Me and My Muslim Friends</a>," featuring Sameera Qureshi. She is a therapist and founder of <a href="https://sexualhealthformuslims.com/">Sexual Health for Muslims</a>. Her approach to sex education, therapy, and health is grounded in the Islamic framework and the Islamic understanding of the soul. Unfortunately, most Muslims don’t have access to a comprehensive sex education growing up. Host Yasmin Bendaas and Sameera dive into the consequences of that and talk about some of the most common issues Sameera hears in her counseling practice.

Something Special for you all: an episode from "Me and My Muslim Friends," featuring Sameera Qureshi. She is a therapist and founder of Sexual Health for Muslims. Her approach to sex education, therapy, and health is grounded in the Islamic framework and the Islamic understanding of the soul. 
Unfortunately, most Muslims don’t have access to a comprehensive sex education growing up. Host Yasmin Bendaas and Sameera dive into the consequences of that and talk about some of the most common issues Sameera hears in her counseling practice.

Anita hands it over to Yasmin Bendaas of "Me and My Muslim Friends," and Sameera Qureshi, a therapist and founder of Sexual Health for Muslims.

Bonus Episode: The Birds and the Bees, from Me and My Muslim Friends

Religion and sexuality are often pitted against one another...so where does that leave folks who feel attuned to both? Anita interrogates that question alongside Lamya H., the author of "Hijab Butch Blues," a memoir they wrote to be "unapologetically queer and unapologetically Muslim."Meet the guest:- <a href="https://www.lamyah.com/">Lamya H.</a>, author and activist, explains how their identity as a Muslim and as a queer are intertwined and talks about the intersection of both<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-05-02/expanded-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

Religion and sexuality are often pitted against one another...so where does that leave folks who feel attuned to both? Anita interrogates that question alongside Lamya H., the author of "Hijab Butch Blues," a memoir they wrote to be "unapologetically queer and unapologetically Muslim."
Meet the guest:
- Lamya H., author and activist, explains how their identity as a Muslim and as a queer are intertwined and talks about the intersection of both
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
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Anita talks to Lamya H., the author of "Hijab Butch Blues," a memoir they wrote to be "unapologetically queer and unapologetically Muslim."

Expanded: Sexuality in Conversation with Islam

People with disabilities are disproportionately affected by climate change yet often sidelined from policy conversations. Anita marks Earth Day by meeting three disability activists working to turn the tides. They share how their lives and bodies have been impacted by global warming — and how their wisdom could shift climate conversations.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://www.daphnefrias.com/">Daphne Frias</a>, youth activist, shares how some policies aimed at addressing climate change disproportionately affect people with disabilities and about how her activism philosophy has been shaped by her cancer diagnosis- <a href="https://disasterstrategies.org/shaylin-german-bio/">Germán Parodi</a>, Co-Executive Director of The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, details his on-the-ground experience providing aid in the immediate aftermath of hurricanes and other climate crises- <a href="https://www.juliawattsbelser.com/about">Julia Watts Belser</a>, director of Georgetown University’s Disability and Climate Change: Public Archive Project, takes Anita into the public archive and talks about how the policy conversations about climate change could benefit from the wisdom in the disability community <a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-04-25/advocated-episode-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

People with disabilities are disproportionately affected by climate change yet often sidelined from policy conversations. Anita marks Earth Day by meeting three disability activists working to turn the tides. They share how their lives and bodies have been impacted by global warming — and how their wisdom could shift climate conversations.
Meet the guests:
- Daphne Frias, youth activist, shares how some policies aimed at addressing climate change disproportionately affect people with disabilities and about how her activism philosophy has been shaped by her cancer diagnosis
- Germán Parodi, Co-Executive Director of The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, details his on-the-ground experience providing aid in the immediate aftermath of hurricanes and other climate crises
- Julia Watts Belser, director of Georgetown University’s Disability and Climate Change: Public Archive Project, takes Anita into the public archive and talks about how the policy conversations about climate change could benefit from the wisdom in the disability community 
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
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Anita marks Earth Day by meeting three disability activists who share how their lives and bodies have been impacted by global warming — and how their wisdom could shift climate conversations.

Advocated: How Disabled Activists Are Shaping Climate Justice

Sharing something special today, an episode of the Love Letters podcast. Love Letters tells stories about romance, marriage, partnership, sex, loss and the human heart, all served with a side of advice by Boston Globe columnist Meredith Goldstein. On this episode: When Nimish left Nepal for college in the United States, he expected some serious challenges, like adjusting to a new culture and studying in a new language. Finding love was not top-of-mind. But as he got older and started to date more, Nimish’s romantic life became his biggest source of anxiety. Because with each budding relationship came an all-consuming question: How do I explain this to my parents? You can listen to more Love Letters episodes <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/loveletters?sid=embodied">here</a>.<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kTNRkk3KTLWZmbm_m8Yherj3KGQ5H2Z8ywxIAztZVUM/edit">Read the transcript</a>

Sharing something special today, an episode of the Love Letters podcast. Love Letters tells stories about romance, marriage, partnership, sex, loss and the human heart, all served with a side of advice by Boston Globe columnist Meredith Goldstein. 
On this episode: When Nimish left Nepal for college in the United States, he expected some serious challenges, like adjusting to a new culture and studying in a new language. Finding love was not top-of-mind. But as he got older and started to date more, Nimish’s romantic life became his biggest source of anxiety. Because with each budding relationship came an all-consuming question: How do I explain this to my parents? 
You can listen to more Love Letters episodes here.
Read the transcript

Sharing something special today, an episode of the Love Letters podcast. Love Letters tells stories about romance, marriage, partnership, sex, loss and the human heart, all served with a side of advice by Boston Globe columnist Meredith Goldstein. 

Bonus Episode: The Parent Trap, from Love Letters

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:- <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jasminethemortician">Jasmine Berrios</a>, 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]- <a href="https://www.thegravewoman.com/about.html">Joél Simone Maldonado</a>, 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]<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-04-18/undertaken-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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
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Anita meets two young funeral directors who felt called to this work at a young age, and they take her inside their world.

Undertaken: The Next Generation Of Funeral Directors

Anita has many close friends who defy all stereotypes about only children. But when it comes to thinking about having her own kids, she still can't shake some of those ingrained ideas. She hears three perspectives on single-kid families (including that of former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins) and learns why the debunked mythology around only children still lingers today.Meet the guests:- <a href="http://www.laurenosandler.com/">Lauren Sandler</a>, journalist and author of "<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/One-and-Only/Lauren-Sandler/9781451626964">One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One</a>,” shares her personal experience and ways to reframe the negative stereotypes about being and having only children- Corinne Lyons, a middle school teacher in Detroit, talks about how her childhood being the only child of only children has shaped how she thinks about family- <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/billy-collins">Billy Collins</a>, former U.S. poet laureate, reads his poem "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/only-child-by-billy-collins/40ca58b2-fa1e-4d6a-b5b0-c98a84238d42/">Only Child</a>" and shares the joy of being an only child<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-03-10/singled-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform<a href="https://motorcomusic.com/event/confessed-a-family-secrets-variety-show-w-wuncs-embodied/">Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!</a>Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

Anita has many close friends who defy all stereotypes about only children. But when it comes to thinking about having her own kids, she still can't shake some of those ingrained ideas. She hears three perspectives on single-kid families (including that of former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins) and learns why the debunked mythology around only children still lingers today.
Meet the guests:
- Lauren Sandler, journalist and author of "One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One,” shares her personal experience and ways to reframe the negative stereotypes about being and having only children
- Corinne Lyons, a middle school teacher in Detroit, talks about how her childhood being the only child of only children has shaped how she thinks about family
- Billy Collins, former U.S. poet laureate, reads his poem "Only Child" and shares the joy of being an only child
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!
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Leave a message for Embodied

Anita hears three perspectives on single-kid families (including that of former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins) and learns why the debunked mythology around only children still lingers today.

Singled: Inside The Only-Child Family (Revisited)

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:- <a href="https://www.hallielieberman.com/">Hallie Lieberman</a>, author of "<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Buzz/Hallie-Lieberman/9781643130378">Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy</a>," shares the history of the vibrator and debunks myths and misconceptions around how this sex toy evolved- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/annaisaverage/?hl=en">Anna Lee</a>, co-founder and head of engineering at <a href="https://lioness.io/">Lioness</a>, talks about how her company designed their smart vibrator, how they collect data and what they've learned from their users so far<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-04-03/stimulated-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform<a href="https://motorcomusic.com/event/confessed-a-family-secrets-variety-show-w-wuncs-embodied/">Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!</a>Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>Dive deeper:<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/mb4way/von-song-made-from-orgasm-vibrations">Read more about Von’s music</a><a href="https://www.autostraddle.com/vintage-vibrator-ads-to-make-you-glad-you-live-in-2015-311018/">See some vibrator ads throughout history</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/opinion/vibrator-invention-myth.html">Hallie debunking the vibrator myth</a>

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 
Leave a message for Embodied
Dive deeper:
Read more about Von’s music
See some vibrator ads throughout history
Hallie debunking the vibrator myth

Anita gets the truth about vibrator history and meets the engineer behind the first-ever “smart” vibrator.

Stimulated: How Vibrators Became America's Favorite Sex Toy (Revisited)

A gender transition is a moment of personal flux that can also have a big impact on a romantic relationship. Anita meets two couples who continued to choose each other after one partner came out as trans: a South African couple in their 20s and an American couple who went through a transition after 22 years of marriage.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/summer.does.things/">Summer Tao</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lucillabeth/">Lucy Aalto</a>, partners and freelance writers in South Africa, describe the unexpected ways in which Summer’s transition brought them closer together and share advice to couples who may be at the beginning of their own queer journeys - <a href="https://medium.com/@kj.redman">Kate</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@kj.redman/patty-do-you-take-275bcd6ea454">Patty Redman</a>, wife and wife in Missouri, reflect on changes to their sex life, social circles and religious ties when Kate came out as trans after two decades of marriage<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-03-27/transitioned-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform<a href="https://motorcomusic.com/event/confessed-a-family-secrets-variety-show-w-wuncs-embodied/">Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!</a>Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

A gender transition is a moment of personal flux that can also have a big impact on a romantic relationship. Anita meets two couples who continued to choose each other after one partner came out as trans: a South African couple in their 20s and an American couple who went through a transition after 22 years of marriage.
Meet the guests:
- Summer Tao and Lucy Aalto, partners and freelance writers in South Africa, describe the unexpected ways in which Summer’s transition brought them closer together and share advice to couples who may be at the beginning of their own queer journeys 
- Kate and Patty Redman, wife and wife in Missouri, reflect on changes to their sex life, social circles and religious ties when Kate came out as trans after two decades of marriage
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 
Leave a message for Embodied

Anita meets two couples who continued to choose each other after one partner came out as trans: a South African couple in their 20s and an American couple who went through a transition after 22 years of marriage.

Transitioned: When One Partner Comes Out As Trans

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 <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos">The Happiness Lab</a>.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: <a href="https://www.gottman.com/product/fight-right/">Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection</a> by Dr John Gottman and Dr Julie Schwartz Gottman.

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.

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.

Bonus Episode: Can Couples Learn to Argue Better? from The Happiness Lab

American Sign Language is the third-most used language in the U.S. ASL has its own culture and art forms, and for many Deaf folks, ASL is about much more than just communication. Anita talks to Deaf author Sara Nović and Deaf ASL Slam poet Douglas Ridloff about how ASL gave them tools for self-understanding and artistic expression. Then she learns from scholars Carolyn McCaskill and Joseph Hill about Black American Sign Language (BASL), an ASL dialect that emerged because of school segregation.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://sara-novic.com/">Sara Nović</a>, author of "<a href="https://sara-novic.com/true-biz">True Biz</a>," outlines the history of ASL and how it has influenced her work as a writer- <a href="https://www.douglasridloff.com/">Douglas Ridloff</a>, visual storyteller, ASL master and executive director of <a href="https://www.aslslam.org/">ASL Slam</a>, shares how he learned ASL and became an ASL poet- Carolyn McCaskill, recently retired professor and director of the <a href="https://gallaudet.edu/center-black-deaf-studies/">Center for Black Deaf Studies</a> at Gallaudet University, talks about attending a segregated school for the deaf — and how integration raised her awareness of Black ASL (BASL)- <a href="https://www.josephchill.com/home">Joseph Hill</a>, associate professor in the department of ASL and Interpreting Education at Rochester Institute of Technology, talks about the impact of the research he, Carolyn and two other colleagues have conducted about BASL<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-03-21/signed-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformCheck out the video version of this conversation: part one is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ErJfcWTRw">here</a>, and part two is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G-p_x1UCHE">here</a>.<a href="https://motorcomusic.com/event/confessed-a-family-secrets-variety-show-w-wuncs-embodied/">Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!</a>Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

American Sign Language is the third-most used language in the U.S. ASL has its own culture and art forms, and for many Deaf folks, ASL is about much more than just communication. Anita talks to Deaf author Sara Nović and Deaf ASL Slam poet Douglas Ridloff about how ASL gave them tools for self-understanding and artistic expression. Then she learns from scholars Carolyn McCaskill and Joseph Hill about Black American Sign Language (BASL), an ASL dialect that emerged because of school segregation.
Meet the guests:
- Sara Nović, author of "True Biz," outlines the history of ASL and how it has influenced her work as a writer
- Douglas Ridloff, visual storyteller, ASL master and executive director of ASL Slam, shares how he learned ASL and became an ASL poet
- Carolyn McCaskill, recently retired professor and director of the Center for Black Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University, talks about attending a segregated school for the deaf — and how integration raised her awareness of Black ASL (BASL)
- Joseph Hill, associate professor in the department of ASL and Interpreting Education at Rochester Institute of Technology, talks about the impact of the research he, Carolyn and two other colleagues have conducted about BASL
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
Check out the video version of this conversation: part one is here, and part two is here.
Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave a message for Embodied

Anita talks to two Deaf artists about how ASL gave them tools for self-understanding and artistic expression. Then she learns from two scholars about Black American Sign Language (BASL).

Signed: How ASL Became A Language Of Resistance

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:- <a href="https://www.su.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/craig-richard/">Craig Harris Richard</a>, 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- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@semideasmr">Semide</a>, an ASMR artist, talks about the emotional work in her content creation and the parasocial relationships she forms with viewers- <a href="https://lauranagy.com/about-1">Laura Nagy</a>, filmmaker, writer and podcaster behind the 2021 Audible Original podcast “<a href="https://www.audible.com/podcast/Pillow-Talk/B09GKZZ5DC">Pillow Talk,</a>” shares how ASMR content helped her to open up to being vulnerable again <a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-03-14/tingled-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformCheck out Craig's ASMR podcasts: “<a href="https://podfollow.com/sleep-whispers/view">Sleep Whispers</a>” and “<a href="https://podfollow.com/calm-history/view">Calm History</a>”<a href="https://motorcomusic.com/event/confessed-a-family-secrets-variety-show-w-wuncs-embodied/">Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!</a>Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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!
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave a message for Embodied

Anita talks to a physiologist who's been exploring the science of ASMR for the past decade. Plus, she meets an ASMR artist and a woman who turned to the world of Boyfriend ASMR to heal her broken heart.

Tingled: Your Brain And Heart On ASMR

Egg donation in the U.S. is a multibillion dollar industry with high stakes and complicated dynamics. Anita talks with two egg donors about why they donated and what they wish they'd known earlier. Plus, a medical anthropologist shines a light on the messy world of donor compensation and why some eggs are valued higher than others.Meet the guests:- Julie Ventura, egg donor and <a href="https://www.nailknowhow.com/julieventura">nail artist</a>, shares her journey of donating eggs for her best friends to start a family- Claire Burns, egg donor and Canadian playwright, actor and advocate, explains her concerns with the industry after hearing about lots of varying experiences as the co-founder of the online support group, <a href="https://www.weareeggdonors.com/">We Are Egg Donors</a>- <a href="https://www.fordham.edu/academics/departments/sociology-and-anthropology/faculty/daisy-deomampo/">Daisy Deomampo</a>, associate professor of anthropology at Fordham University, breaks down her research into the racialization and commodification of the egg donor market, particularly for Asian American donors<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-03-07/retrieved-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform<a href="https://motorcomusic.com/event/confessed-a-family-secrets-variety-show-w-wuncs-embodied/">Buy tickets for our live event on 4/20/24!</a>Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

Egg donation in the U.S. is a multibillion dollar industry with high stakes and complicated dynamics. Anita talks with two egg donors about why they donated and what they wish they'd known earlier. Plus, a medical anthropologist shines a light on the messy world of donor compensation and why some eggs are valued higher than others.
Meet the guests:
- Julie Ventura, egg donor and nail artist, shares her journey of donating eggs for her best friends to start a family
- Claire Burns, egg donor and Canadian playwright, actor and advocate, explains her concerns with the industry after hearing about lots of varying experiences as the co-founder of the online support group, We Are Egg Donors
- Daisy Deomampo, associate professor of anthropology at Fordham University, breaks down her research into the racialization and commodification of the egg donor market, particularly for Asian American donors
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 
Leave a message for Embodied

Anita talks with two egg donors about why they donated and what they wish they'd known earlier. Plus, a medical anthropologist shines a light on the messy world of donor compensation.

Retrieved: What Egg Donors Want You To Know

The Brazilian butt lift (or BBL) is the fastest-growing cosmetic surgery in recent memory ... but why? Anita learns about the ins and outs of the procedure from a plastic surgeon and a BBL recipient. Then a scholar puts our obsession with big butts in historical context — tracing the conversation from Sir Mix-a-Lot to Kim Kardashian.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://culturamed.com/kelly-bolden/">Dr. Kelly Bolden</a>, a clinical assistant professor at Howard University and Medical Director and plastic surgeon at CulturaMed, details the procedure and safety factors to consider with a BBL- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@RonteJentel">Ronte’ Jentel</a>, a Youtube vlogger and personality, shares why he got a BBL and what the surgical process and recovery were like- <a href="https://english.fsu.edu/faculty/alisha-gaines">Dr. Alisha Gaines</a>, an associate professor of arts and sciences in the department of English at Florida State University, explains the historical roots of the cultural forces propelling the BBL to popularity<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-02-29/lifted-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

The Brazilian butt lift (or BBL) is the fastest-growing cosmetic surgery in recent memory ... but why? Anita learns about the ins and outs of the procedure from a plastic surgeon and a BBL recipient. Then a scholar puts our obsession with big butts in historical context — tracing the conversation from Sir Mix-a-Lot to Kim Kardashian.
Meet the guests:
- Dr. Kelly Bolden, a clinical assistant professor at Howard University and Medical Director and plastic surgeon at CulturaMed, details the procedure and safety factors to consider with a BBL
- Ronte’ Jentel, a Youtube vlogger and personality, shares why he got a BBL and what the surgical process and recovery were like
- Dr. Alisha Gaines, an associate professor of arts and sciences in the department of English at Florida State University, explains the historical roots of the cultural forces propelling the BBL to popularity
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
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Leave a message for Embodied

Anita learns about the ins and outs of the Brazilian butt lift from a plastic surgeon and a BBL recipient. Then a scholar puts our obsession with big butts in historical context.

Lifted: Wanting (And Getting) A Bigger Butt

When a loved one dies, a big part of the grieving process involves letting go of the role they once played in your day-to-day life. But with new developments in AI technology … the dead can live on in new and interesting ways. Anita meets a tech journalist who built bots of her parents to see how AI could preserve their memories for the long term. She also talks with a philosophy professor about the ways that ancient Chinese philosophy can address AI's emerging ethical issues and how grief tech fits into a long history of traditions around death and mourning.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/author/charlotte-jee/">Charlotte Jee</a>, news editor for MIT's Tech Review, shares the process of creating her AI parents and a survey of where we are with grief tech today- <a href="https://cahss.d.umn.edu/faculty-staff/alexis-elder">Dr. Alexis Elder</a>, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota Duluth, talks about how Chinese philosophy can guide communal conversations about the future of this technology and how it fits into our society's grieving process<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-02-22/immortalized-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

When a loved one dies, a big part of the grieving process involves letting go of the role they once played in your day-to-day life. But with new developments in AI technology … the dead can live on in new and interesting ways. Anita meets a tech journalist who built bots of her parents to see how AI could preserve their memories for the long term. She also talks with a philosophy professor about the ways that ancient Chinese philosophy can address AI's emerging ethical issues and how grief tech fits into a long history of traditions around death and mourning.
Meet the guests:
- Charlotte Jee, news editor for MIT's Tech Review, shares the process of creating her AI parents and a survey of where we are with grief tech today
- Dr. Alexis Elder, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota Duluth, talks about how Chinese philosophy can guide communal conversations about the future of this technology and how it fits into our society's grieving process
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave a message for Embodied

Anita meets a tech journalist who built bots of her parents to see how AI could preserve their memories for the long term. She also talks with a philosophy professor about the ways that ancient Chinese philosophy can address AI's emerging ethical issues and how grief tech fits into a long history of traditions around death and mourning.

[Simulated Part Three] Immortalized: Building An AI Afterlife

Science fiction and real-life tech experts have promised a future filled with sex robots. But how many of those predictions will actually come true? Anita talks to an artificial intelligence scholar who's traced sex robots from Greek mythology to the prototypes on the market today. Plus, a writer shines a light on the dark world of a futuristic brothel … explored from the perspective of an AI Sex Bot herself.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/kate-devlin">Dr. Kate Devlin</a>, a scholar in artificial intelligence and society in the department of digital humanities at King's College London, shares her research into sex robot technology and philosophy- Sarah Cho, writer and director, talks about her new graphic novel, <a href="https://awastudios.com/series/red-light/?_gl=1*ftcpm4*_ga*NDU4ODIzNzAyLjE3MDU4NzM1ODM.*_ga_L3EB3C3R91*MTcwNTg3MzU4Mi4xLjAuMTcwNTg3MzU4Mi4wLjAuMA..*_ga_EY1Z70T4BG*MTcwNTg3MzU4My4xLjAuMTcwNTg3MzU4My4wLjAuMA">Red Light</a>, which takes readers into a futuristic AI brothel from the perspective of an AI sex bot named LacyDig Deeper:Learn more about Kate's book <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/turned-on-9781472950871/">Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots</a>Find Sarah's graphic novel series Red Light in installments <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CN1853TC?ref_=dbs_p_pwh_rwt_anx_b_lnk&amp;storeType=ebooks">online</a> or find the full collection in <a href="https://shop.awastudios.com/products/red-light">paperback</a> July 2024<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-02-16/fantasized-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

Science fiction and real-life tech experts have promised a future filled with sex robots. But how many of those predictions will actually come true? Anita talks to an artificial intelligence scholar who's traced sex robots from Greek mythology to the prototypes on the market today. Plus, a writer shines a light on the dark world of a futuristic brothel … explored from the perspective of an AI Sex Bot herself.
Meet the guests:
- Dr. Kate Devlin, a scholar in artificial intelligence and society in the department of digital humanities at King's College London, shares her research into sex robot technology and philosophy
- Sarah Cho, writer and director, talks about her new graphic novel, Red Light, which takes readers into a futuristic AI brothel from the perspective of an AI sex bot named Lacy
Dig Deeper:
Learn more about Kate's book Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots
Find Sarah's graphic novel series Red Light in installments online or find the full collection in paperback July 2024
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave a message for Embodied

Anita talks to an artificial intelligence scholar who's traced sex robots from Greek mythology to the prototypes on the market today. Plus, a writer shines a light on the dark world of a futuristic brothel … explored from the perspective of an AI Sex Bot herself.

[Simulated Part Two] Fantasized: The Arrival Of The Sex Robots

In the 34 years that guest host Omisade Burney-Scott was a menstruating person, she always felt that blood held more significance than just the biological. She meets an OB/GYN who shares little-known facts about period blood, and talks with two menstrual health advocates about how art and community have connected them to their cycles. Plus, an attorney discusses what she's paying attention to this year in terms of period policy.Meet the Guests:- <a href="https://theperioddoctor.com/">Dr. Charis Chambers</a>, who is known as "The Period Doctor," talks about how period blood can inform menstruators about other things going on in their bodies, and why we don't want to think of a period as "a detox"- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vianey-blades-0630a6195/?trk=people-guest_profile-result-card_result-card_full-click">Vianey Blades</a>, a certified exercise physiologist and menstrual embodiment mentor, traces her connections to menstruation activism back to her grandmother and how art has helped her feel connected to her period- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashi-arora/">Ashi Arora</a>, a reproductive and menstrual health liberation activist and researcher, shares how complex trauma can affect menstruation and how community has been significant in her experience of her period- <a href="https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.overview&amp;personid=33480">Jennifer Weiss-Wolf</a>, attorney and executive director of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center at the NYU School of Law, discusses how and why she coined the term "menstrual equity" in 2015 and what she's paying attention to in terms of period policy this election yearDig Deeper:Omisade's work with <a href="https://blackgirlsguidetosurvivingmenopause.com/">Black Girl's Guide To Surviving Menopause</a>Dr. Charis Chamber’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theperioddoctor/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.charis?lang=en">TikTok</a> accounts (check her out on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ThePeriodDoctor">YouTube</a> too, why not!)Explore the <a href="https://www.menstruationresearch.org/">Society for Menstrual Cycle Research</a>Join Vianey's <a href="https://mailchi.mp/3c7f4d133440/womens-watering-space">newsletter or sign up for her interactive sister circle meetups</a>Jennifer Weiss-Wolf’s book <a href="https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/arcade-publishing/9781948924207/periods-gone-public/">Periods Gone Public</a>Why 2015 was the "<a href="https://jenniferweisswolf.com/the-year-the-period-went-public/snkjs">Year of the Period</a>"Learn more about the <a href="https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/tampon-tax/">"tampon tax"</a>Kiran Gandhi on <a href="https://medium.com/endless/going-with-the-flow-blood-sisterhood-at-the-london-marathon-f719b98713e7">bleeding and running</a>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy96vN0O4bA">trailer</a> for Lina Lyte Plioplyte's film "Periodical"<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-02-01/menstruated-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript </a>| Review the podcast on your preferred platform<a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

In the 34 years that guest host Omisade Burney-Scott was a menstruating person, she always felt that blood held more significance than just the biological. She meets an OB/GYN who shares little-known facts about period blood, and talks with two menstrual health advocates about how art and community have connected them to their cycles. Plus, an attorney discusses what she's paying attention to this year in terms of period policy.
Meet the Guests:
- Dr. Charis Chambers, who is known as "The Period Doctor," talks about how period blood can inform menstruators about other things going on in their bodies, and why we don't want to think of a period as "a detox"
- Vianey Blades, a certified exercise physiologist and menstrual embodiment mentor, traces her connections to menstruation activism back to her grandmother and how art has helped her feel connected to her period
- Ashi Arora, a reproductive and menstrual health liberation activist and researcher, shares how complex trauma can affect menstruation and how community has been significant in her experience of her period
- Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, attorney and executive director of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center at the NYU School of Law, discusses how and why she coined the term "menstrual equity" in 2015 and what she's paying attention to in terms of period policy this election year
Dig Deeper:
Omisade's work with Black Girl's Guide To Surviving Menopause
Dr. Charis Chamber’s Instagram and TikTok accounts (check her out on YouTube too, why not!)
Explore the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research
Join Vianey's newsletter or sign up for her interactive sister circle meetups
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf’s book Periods Gone Public
Why 2015 was the "Year of the Period"
Learn more about the "tampon tax"
Kiran Gandhi on bleeding and running
The trailer for Lina Lyte Plioplyte's film "Periodical"
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform
Leave a message for Embodied

Menstruation has long been stigmatized. Guest host Omisade Burney-Scott wonders: what can we learn by embracing it? 

Menstruated: What Our Period Blood Tells Us

You might have noticed that the word “y’all” is popping up everywhere. For decades, linguists have noted that regional American accents are disappearing. But at the same time, use of this traditionally Southern pronoun is rapidly spreading — and the reasons may surprise you. We hope you learn as much as we did from this special episode from The Broadside, produced by our colleagues at WUNC!Meet the Guests:- <a href="https://chass.ncsu.edu/news/2022/09/27/the-sprawl-of-yall/">Brody McCurdy</a>, Linguist and Researcher at NC State- <a href="https://americanstudies.unc.edu/coffee-chat-dr-antonia-randolph-assistant-professor-of-american-studies/">Antonia Randolph</a>, Assistant Professor of American Studies at the UNC-Chapel HillDig Deeper:- You can find a transcript of the episode <a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-09-28/the-broadside-transcript-how-yall-conquered-the-world">here</a>.- Check more of The Broadside's episodes <a href="https://www.wunc.org/podcast/the-broadside">here</a>.

You might have noticed that the word “y’all” is popping up everywhere. For decades, linguists have noted that regional American accents are disappearing. But at the same time, use of this traditionally Southern pronoun is rapidly spreading — and the reasons may surprise you. We hope you learn as much as we did from this special episode from The Broadside, produced by our colleagues at WUNC!
Meet the Guests:
- Brody McCurdy, Linguist and Researcher at NC State
- Antonia Randolph, Assistant Professor of American Studies at the UNC-Chapel Hill
Dig Deeper:
- You can find a transcript of the episode here.
- Check more of The Broadside's episodes here.

English speakers outside the South are embracing the word y’all. And the reasons may surprise you.

Bonus Episode: How y'all conquered the world

Anita is no stranger to anxiety, but her spirals are mostly short lived. In this episode she meets folks who often get caught in loops of extreme worry and compulsions with little relief. A married couple shares how OCD put them in survival mode, and a woman whose OCD symptoms began in kindergarten talks about learning how to open up about her experience in friendships and dating.Meet the guests:<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.nicolecomforto.com/">Mike and Nicole Comforto</a>, writers and married couple, talk about what led to Mike's diagnosis with OCD, what the experience was like for both of them as a couple and as new parents, and how Mike's OCD impacts other relationships in his life</li>
<li>
H.T., a writer using her initials for personal and medical privacy, explains how her OCD symptoms first showed up as a young girl, how she navigated getting an OCD diagnosis and how she discloses her OCD to those she is close to</li>
</ul>Dig Deeper:Nicole's <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/style/modern-love-marriage-stressed-by-obessive-compulsive-disorder.html">Modern Love essay</a>Mike and Nicole's Substack, <a href="https://heyhoney.substack.com/">Hey Honey</a>The website for psychologist <a href="https://www.monnicawilliams.com/">Dr. Monnica Williams</a>OCD advocate Alexandra Reynolds <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alexandraisobsessed/?hl=en">on Instagram</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-01-23/obsessed-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform

Anita is no stranger to anxiety, but her spirals are mostly short lived. In this episode she meets folks who often get caught in loops of extreme worry and compulsions with little relief. A married couple shares how OCD put them in survival mode, and a woman whose OCD symptoms began in kindergarten talks about learning how to open up about her experience in friendships and dating.
Meet the guests:


Mike and Nicole Comforto, writers and married couple, talk about what led to Mike's diagnosis with OCD, what the experience was like for both of them as a couple and as new parents, and how Mike's OCD impacts other relationships in his life
H.T., a writer using her initials for personal and medical privacy, explains how her OCD symptoms first showed up as a young girl, how she navigated getting an OCD diagnosis and how she discloses her OCD to those she is close to
Dig Deeper:
Nicole's Modern Love essay
Mike and Nicole's Substack, Hey Honey
The website for psychologist Dr. Monnica Williams
OCD advocate Alexandra Reynolds on Instagram
Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform

How does an OCD diagnosis affect a marriage? What about dating life and friendships? Anita asks three writers to find out.

Obsessed: Breaking the OCD Cycle (Revisited)

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:- <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/heather-christle">Heather Christle</a>, poet and author of "<a href="https://books.catapult.co/books/crying-book-the/">The Crying Book</a>," takes us into some of the science of crying and looks at tears through a political and gender-informed lens- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vioreltanase/">Viorel Tanase</a>, a model and creative director, explains why he decided to share a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVIzbWSPajV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">crying selfie</a> (before the trend took off) and how being vulnerable is part of the human experienceDig Deeper:More about the <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/crying-selfie">"crying selfie"</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-01-17/sobbed-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast via your preferred platform<a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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
Dig Deeper:
More about the "crying selfie"
Read the transcript | Review the podcast via your preferred platform
Leave a message for Embodied

Crying with emotion is a uniquely human phenomenon. Host Anita Rao digs into the science of why that is and what it tells us about ourselves.

Sobbed: Why We Cry (Revisited)

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:- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjY5cSUeilQ">Ven Virah</a>, a public speaker and global healthcare staffing professional, talks about experiencing erectile dysfunction for 10 years before seeking help- <a href="https://reecemalone.com/reece-malone/">Dr. Reece Malone</a>, a sexologist, sexuality educator and sex therapist, discusses how ED can be a gateway to discussing other relationship, mental or physical problems- <a href="https://www.georgemarx.org/">George Marx</a>, a retiree in his 70s who started experiencing ED in his 40s, talks about how he's developed intimate relationships without penetrationDig Deeper:Reflections on ED from <a href="https://www.georgemarx.org/2019/01/erectile-dysfunction-is-highly.html">George's blog</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MK_T-v5AKA">An interview</a> with author Will N. Richards, and his book <a href="https://willnrichards.com/fiction/">"Mother"</a> that features a character with erectile dysfunctionSteve Jones’s new book of poetry, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Words-Woke-Me-Prostate-Journey-ebook/dp/B0CF5ZWHTX/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1702236349&amp;refinements=p_27%3ASteve+Jones&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-2">Words Woke Me: My Prostate Cancer Journey in Poetry</a>. The blog,<a href="https://www.atouchysubject.com/"> A Touchy Subject</a>, which Steve credits for preserving his sanity during his ED experienceThe documentary <a href="https://www.bostonscientific.com/en-US/medical-specialties/urology/products/ams-700--inflatable-penile-prosthesis/video-series.html">Hard: The Fight to Solve Erectile Dysfunction</a>, which features personal ED stories and info about inflatable penile prosthesisShannon's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/186932836583612">Facebook group</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-01-11/normalized-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>Please leave us a rating and review in the app you're using to listen to us!

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
Read the transcript
Leave a message for Embodied
Please leave us a rating and review in the app you're using to listen to us!

Erectile dysfunction is more common than we think. Two men and a sex therapist share their stories.

Normalized: Speaking Up About Erectile Dysfunction

Anita is committed to self-improvement but skeptical of self-help. She brings her qualms and questions to the experts: Kristen Meinzer, a podcaster who has lived by the rules of more than 50 self-help books, and Beth Blum, a scholar who's traced the genre back to its roots. Plus Sondra Rose Marie, a former self-help fan, shares how the industry has failed her as a woman of color.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://www.kristenmeinzer.com/">Kristen Meinzer,</a> pop culture commentator and podcast host, shares what she learned from following the rules of over 50 self-help books- <a href="https://www.bethblum.com/">Beth Blum,</a> Harvard humanities professor and author, talks about the long history of the self-help industry, and how it's changed over the decades- <a href="https://sondrarosemarie.medium.com/">Sondra Rose Marie,</a> writer, talks about why she started following a self-help guru...and what events made her leaveDig Deeper:Kristen's podcasts <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/how-to-be-fine/id1217948628">How To Be Fine</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-fail/id1686589901">Daily Fail</a>Beth's book <a href="https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-self-help-compulsion/9780231194921">"The Self-Help Compulsion"</a>Sondra's <a href="https://sondrarosemarie.medium.com/as-a-black-woman-self-help-culture-continues-to-let-me-down-685a8061bddf">Medium article</a> on self-help<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2024-01-04/self-helped-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

Anita is committed to self-improvement but skeptical of self-help. She brings her qualms and questions to the experts: Kristen Meinzer, a podcaster who has lived by the rules of more than 50 self-help books, and Beth Blum, a scholar who's traced the genre back to its roots. Plus Sondra Rose Marie, a former self-help fan, shares how the industry has failed her as a woman of color.
Meet the guests:
- Kristen Meinzer, pop culture commentator and podcast host, shares what she learned from following the rules of over 50 self-help books
- Beth Blum, Harvard humanities professor and author, talks about the long history of the self-help industry, and how it's changed over the decades
- Sondra Rose Marie, writer, talks about why she started following a self-help guru...and what events made her leave
Dig Deeper:
Kristen's podcasts How To Be Fine and Daily Fail
Beth's book "The Self-Help Compulsion"
Sondra's Medium article on self-help
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Leave a message for Embodied

America loves self-help books. Why has this industry hooked us for decades?

(Self) Helped: Inside The Industry That Wants To Change Your Life

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:- <a href="https://clasprofiles.wayne.edu/profile/dx5074">Dr. Derek Daniels</a>, 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- <a href="https://stamma.org/your-voice/stammering-superpower-connect-people">Jia Bin</a>, 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- <a href="https://www.ninagcomedian.com/">Nina G</a>, comedian and author of "<a href="https://www.stuttererinterrupted.com/">Stutterer, Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen</a>," explains why she decided to embrace her dream of doing stand-up and shares how her stuttering has impacted romantic and platonic relationshipsDig Deeper:Follow Nina G's comedy on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/NinaGcomedian">Instagram</a>Jia on stuttering as a <a href="https://stamma.org/your-voice/stammering-superpower-connect-people">superpower</a>Stuttering content on YouTube by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/CourtlandCrain">Courtland Crain</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/MaticeAhnjamine/videos">Matice Ahnjamine</a>National Stuttering Association <a href="https://westutter.org/">website</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-12-19/stuttered-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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
Dig Deeper:
Follow Nina G's comedy on Instagram
Jia on stuttering as a superpower
Stuttering content on YouTube by Courtland Crain and Matice Ahnjamine
National Stuttering Association website
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
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Stuttering has long been the butt of many jokes. People who stutter are working to change that.

Stuttered: Diversifying The Way We Speak (Revisited)

Anita reconnects with the woman who changed her thinking on incarceration: her beloved college thesis adviser Ashley Lucas. Ashley reflects on her father's 20-year prison sentence and the untold stories of families navigating incarceration from the outside. Journalist Sylvia A. Harvey also shares how losing her mother to asthma and her father to a life sentence in prison before she was 6 years old led her to investigate the carceral system as a whole.

Meet the guests:

- <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/rc/people/faculty/lucasash.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ashley Lucas</a>, professor of theatre and drama at the University of Michigan, talks about how her experience growing up with an incarcerated father informs her research and led to her play "<a href="https://online.umich.edu/courses/doin-time-through-the-visiting-glass-seeking-justice/lessons/doin-time-through-visiting-glass-complete-monologu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Doin' Time: Through the Visiting Glass</a>"

- <a href="https://www.mssah.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sylvia A. Harvey</a>, a journalist and author, examines the intersection of the carceral, education and child welfare systems and investigates some of the larger forces shaping the experiences of families with an incarcerated loved one

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-10-04/separated-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

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Dive deeper:

<a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/18/my-dad-went-to-prison-when-i-was-5-now-i-write-about-families-like-mine" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Dad Went to Prison When I Was 5. Now I Write About Families Like Mine</a> by Sylvia A. Harvey

<a href="https://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu/resources/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Resources from SAH</a>

An article Ashley wrote about <a href="https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/social-justice/criminal-justice/the-end-of-rage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Russell Maroon Shoatz</a>, who served 49 years in Pennsylvania prisons and was the father of seven children

An interview Ashley did with Maroon’s son, Russell III, “<a href="https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/social-justice/criminal-justice/conversation-with-ashley-lucas-and-russell-shoatz-iii" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tell a Tale of Two Fathers</a>”

A virtual panel featuring Ashley called “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxtPuh3sKYo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Prison Does to Children</a>”

Anita reconnects with the woman who changed her thinking on incarceration: her beloved college thesis adviser Ashley Lucas. Ashley reflects on her father's 20-year prison sentence and the untold stories of families navigating incarceration from the outside. Journalist Sylvia A. Harvey also shares how losing her mother to asthma and her father to a life sentence in prison before she was 6 years old led her to investigate the carceral system as a whole.
Meet the guests:
- Ashley Lucas, professor of theatre and drama at the University of Michigan, talks about how her experience growing up with an incarcerated father informs her research and led to her play "Doin' Time: Through the Visiting Glass"
- Sylvia A. Harvey, a journalist and author, examines the intersection of the carceral, education and child welfare systems and investigates some of the larger forces shaping the experiences of families with an incarcerated loved one
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Dive deeper:
My Dad Went to Prison When I Was 5. Now I Write About Families Like Mine by Sylvia A. Harvey
Resources from SAH
An article Ashley wrote about Russell Maroon Shoatz, who served 49 years in Pennsylvania prisons and was the father of seven children
An interview Ashley did with Maroon’s son, Russell III, “Tell a Tale of Two Fathers”
A virtual panel featuring Ashley called “What Prison Does to Children”

Anita talks to two folks whose work is informed by their personal experiences growing up with incarcerated fathers.

Separated: Growing Up With An Incarcerated Father (Revisited)

Dealing with pimples and blackheads in middle school is practically a right of passage. But when acne is a defining feature of your adulthood... it’s a whole different experience. Anita meets two acne content creators and a photographer who talk about the emotional toll of severe acne, the myth of normal skin, and the responsibility of being today’s skincare influencers.Meet the Guests:- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cystur/">Patsy Chem</a>, an acne-positive skinfluencer, shares the experience of getting severe acne in her 20s and how that shaped her social life- <a href="https://www.peterdevito.com/">Peter DeVito</a>, photographer behind the <a href="https://www.peterdevito.com/acne-normalization">"Acne Normalization" project</a>, talks about creating a safe space in portrait photography for models with acne and the ripple effect of those photos- <a href="https://www.cassandrabankson.com/">Cassandra Bankson</a>, a medical esthetician, model and skinfluencer, discusses how she handles the responsibility of challenging beauty standards while also reviewing skincare products and practicesDig Deeper:Cassandra's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex33wtqnNz8&amp;t=0s">viral video</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CassandraBankson">YouTube channel</a>NYT on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/well/live/adult-acne.html">adult acne</a>Jessica DeFino in Teen Vogue on<a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/standard-issues-why-normal-skin-is-a-myth"> the myth of "normal skin"</a> and in Vanity Fair on <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/02/let-your-lover-touch-your-face">dermatology’s biggest rule that was meant to be broken</a>Patsy Chem on <a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/beauty/skincare/acne-acceptance-patsy-chem/801643">accepting her acne</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-12-12/popped-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

Dealing with pimples and blackheads in middle school is practically a right of passage. But when acne is a defining feature of your adulthood... it’s a whole different experience. Anita meets two acne content creators and a photographer who talk about the emotional toll of severe acne, the myth of normal skin, and the responsibility of being today’s skincare influencers.
Meet the Guests:
- Patsy Chem, an acne-positive skinfluencer, shares the experience of getting severe acne in her 20s and how that shaped her social life
- Peter DeVito, photographer behind the "Acne Normalization" project, talks about creating a safe space in portrait photography for models with acne and the ripple effect of those photos
- Cassandra Bankson, a medical esthetician, model and skinfluencer, discusses how she handles the responsibility of challenging beauty standards while also reviewing skincare products and practices
Dig Deeper:
Cassandra's viral video and YouTube channel
NYT on adult acne
Jessica DeFino in Teen Vogue on the myth of "normal skin" and in Vanity Fair on dermatology’s biggest rule that was meant to be broken
Patsy Chem on accepting her acne
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
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Adult acne is often seen as your skin's worst nightmare. These influencers and artists are working to change that.

Popped: Adult Acne In The 'Perfect Skin' Era

More Americans are living into their 90s and 100s than ever before, and it blows Anita's mind that so few people are talking about it! She meets a 94-year-old man who opens up about the changes in his romantic, platonic, and familial relationships, and his two kids join to share their perspectives. Plus, a woman in her 70s introduces Anita to an innovative model for combating social isolation in your senior years.Meet the Guests:- Charles Owens, a 94-year-old man living in North Carolina, talks about friendships, love, assisted living and saying goodbye to your waffle iron in old age- Eddie Owens and Rosa Rouse, Charles' adult children, talk about how their relationship with their father has shifted in the later decades of his life and how they supported him through the changes- Madeline Franklin, executive director of <a href="https://stlvillage.org/">STL Village</a> in St. Louis, talks about the "village" model that helps adults age in placeDig Deeper:Learn more about the broader Village Movement <a href="https://www.helpfulvillage.com/the-village-movement">HERE</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-12-07/cared-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

More Americans are living into their 90s and 100s than ever before, and it blows Anita's mind that so few people are talking about it! She meets a 94-year-old man who opens up about the changes in his romantic, platonic, and familial relationships, and his two kids join to share their perspectives. Plus, a woman in her 70s introduces Anita to an innovative model for combating social isolation in your senior years.
Meet the Guests:
- Charles Owens, a 94-year-old man living in North Carolina, talks about friendships, love, assisted living and saying goodbye to your waffle iron in old age
- Eddie Owens and Rosa Rouse, Charles' adult children, talk about how their relationship with their father has shifted in the later decades of his life and how they supported him through the changes
- Madeline Franklin, executive director of STL Village in St. Louis, talks about the "village" model that helps adults age in place
Dig Deeper:
Learn more about the broader Village Movement HERE
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
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More Americans are living into their 90s and 100s. What does this mean for friendships, relationships and combatting social isolation?

Cared: The Last Decades Of Our Lives

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:<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/natshoney/">NatsHoney</a>, a veteran stripper, pole artist, entrepreneur and mother talks about pole's roots in sex work and the ways pole fitness studios can appreciate rather than appropriate the work of strippers</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/paigeonapole/">Paige Gabert</a>, a pole dancer and the co-owner of Midwest Movement Collective in Grand Rapids, Michigan, discusses why she wanted to start who own studio and how pole has influenced other aspects of her life like motherhood</li>
<li>
<a href="https://celesteziehl.medium.com/">Celeste Ziehl</a>, a dancer and senior at Smith College, talks about coming out as nonbinary after starting pole dancing, and how they changed their relationship with pole to find gender euphoria in the movement</li>
</ul>Dig Deeper:Paige Gabert’s studio, <a href="https://www.midmovecollective.com/">Midwest Movement Collective </a>Advocacy organization <a href="https://www.strippersunited.org/">Strippers United</a>, where Nats is on the leadership boardAnita’s pole lesson studio,<a href="https://triangle.aradiafitness.com/"> Aradia Fitness Triangle</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-11-30/gripped-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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:


NatsHoney, a veteran stripper, pole artist, entrepreneur and mother talks about pole's roots in sex work and the ways pole fitness studios can appreciate rather than appropriate the work of strippers
Paige Gabert, a pole dancer and the co-owner of Midwest Movement Collective in Grand Rapids, Michigan, discusses why she wanted to start who own studio and how pole has influenced other aspects of her life like motherhood
Celeste Ziehl, a dancer and senior at Smith College, talks about coming out as nonbinary after starting pole dancing, and how they changed their relationship with pole to find gender euphoria in the movement
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
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
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Pole dance fitness studios have exploded in popularity in recent decades. Host Anita Rao investigates the sport's origins in strip clubs and the relationship between dance and identity.

Gripped: The Passion For Pole Dancing

Anita has fallen down her fair share of wellness rabbit holes [including a certain alliterative family's beauty and shapewear brands...<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/7dPX7FpTdknCPOQk2sHF1PQDWekN4z4vm2OnThRAXw7iZwfgmp_B0Uj3YFigRFgEaZZiLK4QGLRIIQreTwgq7qz3FwDc9FE8nrHtzeUjdO7cYeKyt6abZOLt2VnJsEu9HZ3skRJ65bSC5A4BMibAb84" alt=":shushing_face:">]. 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:

- <a href="https://www.rinaraphael.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rina Raphael</a>, author of "<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250793003/thegospelofwellness" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop and the False Promise of Self-Care</a>,” shares how insidious wellness industry marketing can be

- <a href="https://www.dopeblacksocialworker.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kim Young</a>, licensed clinical social worker known as the Dope Black Social Worker, explains how we can take charge of our own wellness ... without buying anything

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-10-04/commodified-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

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Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

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!

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.

Commodified: When 'Wellness' Makes Us Unwell (Revisited)

What happens when trauma occurs not as a single isolated event, but millions of smaller, ongoing incidents? Guest host Anisa Khalifa talks with an artist, psychotherapist and racial trauma expert about understanding complex post-traumatic stress disorder and the path to healing.Meet the Guests:- <a href="https://www.fariharoisin.com/">Fariha Róisín</a>, a multidisciplinary artist and writer, talks about her journey to healing from complex trauma and why her newest book is titled "Survival Takes a Wild Imagination"- <a href="https://www.chronicillnesscounselingnyc.com/">Dr. Karen Winkler</a>, a nurse-psychotherapist with a doctorate in clinical psychology and long-time advocate for people living with chronic illness, discusses the link between complex PTSD and chronic illness and the need for trauma-informed medical care. Dr. Winkler is also a public health advocate in New York City- <a href="https://www.monnicawilliams.com/">Dr. Monnica Williams</a>, professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa and the Canada Research Chair in mental health disparities shares how racism can lead to complex trauma, and her strategies for treating racial traumaDig Deeper:Fariha’s <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Survival-Takes-a-Wild-Imagination/Fariha-RA-isA-n/9781524878221">recent book of poetry</a><a href="https://www.outofthestorm.website/">Out of the Storm</a> forum and website for discussions and support on having C-PTSD<a href="https://www.monnicawilliams.com/racial-trauma.php">Racial Trauma &amp; PTSD resources</a><a href="https://www.chronicillnesscounselingnyc.com/resources/">Chronic Illness resources</a><a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-11-16/complicated-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

What happens when trauma occurs not as a single isolated event, but millions of smaller, ongoing incidents? Guest host Anisa Khalifa talks with an artist, psychotherapist and racial trauma expert about understanding complex post-traumatic stress disorder and the path to healing.
Meet the Guests:
- Fariha Róisín, a multidisciplinary artist and writer, talks about her journey to healing from complex trauma and why her newest book is titled "Survival Takes a Wild Imagination"
- Dr. Karen Winkler, a nurse-psychotherapist with a doctorate in clinical psychology and long-time advocate for people living with chronic illness, discusses the link between complex PTSD and chronic illness and the need for trauma-informed medical care. Dr. Winkler is also a public health advocate in New York City
- Dr. Monnica Williams, professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa and the Canada Research Chair in mental health disparities shares how racism can lead to complex trauma, and her strategies for treating racial trauma
Dig Deeper:
Fariha’s recent book of poetry
Out of the Storm forum and website for discussions and support on having C-PTSD
Racial Trauma & PTSD resources
Chronic Illness resources
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Leave a message for Embodied

What happens when trauma occurs not as a single isolated event, but millions of smaller, ongoing incidents?

Complicated: Healing from Complex PTSD

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:- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/raylaheide/">Rayla Heide</a>, 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- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleinemacedaheide/?originalSubdomain=ca">Madeleine Maceda Heide</a>, 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- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/phuongphantran/">Phuong Tran</a>, 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<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-11-09/traveled-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

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
Leave a message for Embodied

What is life like when your childhood is full of international travel in cultures outside of even your parents' experiences? Two third culture kids talk about identity, friendship and family.

Traveled: The Lives Of Third Culture Kids

Guest host Anisa Khalifa first became a fan in high school. She gets an explanation from a psychologist about how being in fandoms benefits mental health, and a journalist describes what role the internet has played in shaping fan culture. Plus, Anisa invites the co-hosts of her K-drama podcast to reflect on how fandom brought them together — and what it means to be a fan.Meet the guests:- <a href="https://www.wcupa.edu/education-socialWork/counselorEducation/lZubernis.aspx">Lynn Zubernis</a>, a psychologist and professor at West Chester University, talks about what poises some people to become superfans more than others, and how being in a fandom can be mentally beneficial- <a href="https://meetcandicelim.weebly.com/about.html">Candice Lim</a>, co-host of <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/icymi">ICYMI</a>, Slate's podcast about internet culture, talks about how different internet platforms shape fan communities, and the increasing ways that fandom and regular life are overlapping- <a href="https://www.paromachakravarty.com/">Paroma Chakravarty</a> and Saya, Anisa's co-hosts on the podcast <a href="https://www.dramasoverflowers.net/">Dramas over Flowers</a>, share how the K-drama fandom bonded them together, and what responsibilities fans hold in their communitiesDig Deeper:<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-fandom">Lynn's research and writing</a> on fan psychology<a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/icymi/2023/07/ao3-outage-causes-panic-in-fanfic-community">The ICYMI episode</a> on this summer's hacking of AO3<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-11-02/adored-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a>

Guest host Anisa Khalifa first became a fan in high school. She gets an explanation from a psychologist about how being in fandoms benefits mental health, and a journalist describes what role the internet has played in shaping fan culture. Plus, Anisa invites the co-hosts of her K-drama podcast to reflect on how fandom brought them together — and what it means to be a fan.
Meet the guests:
- Lynn Zubernis, a psychologist and professor at West Chester University, talks about what poises some people to become superfans more than others, and how being in a fandom can be mentally beneficial
- Candice Lim, co-host of ICYMI, Slate's podcast about internet culture, talks about how different internet platforms shape fan communities, and the increasing ways that fandom and regular life are overlapping
- Paroma Chakravarty and Saya, Anisa's co-hosts on the podcast Dramas over Flowers, share how the K-drama fandom bonded them together, and what responsibilities fans hold in their communities
Dig Deeper:
Lynn's research and writing on fan psychology
The ICYMI episode on this summer's hacking of AO3
Read the transcript | Review the podcast

We hear a lot about toxic fandoms — but guest host Anisa Khalifa has a lot to share about the brighter side.

Adored: How Fandoms Build Community 

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:- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thethoughtspot222">Irene Chon</a>, 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- <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@autisticallykofi?lang=en">Kofi Robinson</a>, a lawyer and TikTok creator, shares how her autistic traits coincide with the expectations for a good lawyer and how she makes solid friendships- <a href="https://jennichapmanphotography.com/about">Jenni Chapman</a>, 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 parentDig Deeper:<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35204992/">A 2022 study</a> on autism and people assigned female at birth<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ndwellness?lang=en">The TikTok account </a>that made Irene realize she was autisticJenni's <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1ah3SHnu5UPyXXI7W9072V?si=543dd58fe6b04a90%20">podcast</a>, The Queer Soul Spotlight <a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-10-05/guided-podcast-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO">Review the podcast</a>

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


Read the transcript | Review the podcast

Many autistic people assigned female at birth remain undiagnosed at 18, so what's it like to get an autism diagnosis in your adulthood?

Masked: Coming Out As Autistic In Adulthood

Anita hasn't always loved getting her photo taken, but seeing herself through the artistic eye of a close friend and photographer has changed her perspective. She meets two intimate photographers who take her behind the scenes of their shoots and share their philosophies on capturing the erotic in an image. Plus, she talks with a model about her intimate work that explores disability and sexuality.

Meet the guests:

- <a href="https://laquanndawson.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LaQuann Dawson</a>, an artist and community organizer, shares his passion for documenting the Black, queer community through intimate photography and what it's been like to turn the lens on himself

- <a href="https://shoogmcdaniel.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shoog McDaniel</a>, a queer, fat photographer and artist, describes the process of guiding others through intimate, mostly-nude shoots in nature and what it's like to witness them discover new ways of being in their bodies

- <a href="https://www.tristamarie.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trista Marie McGovern</a>, a writer, photographer, speaker and model, talks about using intimate photography as a tool to explore the intersections of disability and sexuality

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-10-15/posed-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram </a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Dive deeper:

- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/laquanndawson/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LaQuann’s on Instagram</a>

- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shooglet/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shoog on Instagram</a>

- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tristamariemcg/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trista on Instagram</a>

- <a href="https://www.tristamarie.com/disability-x-sexuality" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trista’s essays on disability and sexuality</a>

Anita hasn't always loved getting her photo taken, but seeing herself through the artistic eye of a close friend and photographer has changed her perspective. She meets two intimate photographers who take her behind the scenes of their shoots and share their philosophies on capturing the erotic in an image. Plus, she talks with a model about her intimate work that explores disability and sexuality.
Meet the guests:
- LaQuann Dawson, an artist and community organizer, shares his passion for documenting the Black, queer community through intimate photography and what it's been like to turn the lens on himself
- Shoog McDaniel, a queer, fat photographer and artist, describes the process of guiding others through intimate, mostly-nude shoots in nature and what it's like to witness them discover new ways of being in their bodies
- Trista Marie McGovern, a writer, photographer, speaker and model, talks about using intimate photography as a tool to explore the intersections of disability and sexuality
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Dive deeper:
- LaQuann’s on Instagram
- Shoog on Instagram
- Trista on Instagram
- Trista’s essays on disability and sexuality

Anita goes behind the scenes of intimate photo shoots.

Posed: Intimate Photography Goes Beyond Nudes (Revisited)

Meet the guests:

- <a href="https://esmewang.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Esmé Weijun Wang</a>, a writer, speaker and the author of "<a href="https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/collected-schizophrenias" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Collected Schizophrenias</a>," talks about navigating medical stigma and the ways that writing and performance have contributed to her understanding of schizophrenia

- <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@xoradmagical?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christopher Grant</a><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@xoradmagical?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">, </a>an artist and animator based in Canada, talks about how he uses drawing to process his moments of psychosis and what it's been like to share his story on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@xoradmagical?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TikTok</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/xoradmagical" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

- <a href="https://overcomingschizophrenia.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ashley Smith</a>, an author and writer who runs the blog "Overcoming Schizophrenia," talks about being a parent with schizophrenia, and what conversations about mental health look like with her 11-year-old son

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-10-12/seen-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

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Show Extras:

A sampling of Esmé's essays:

- “Perdition Days” - <a href="https://the-toast.net/2014/06/25/perdition-days-experiencing-psychosis/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://the-toast.net/2014/06/25/perdition-days-experiencing-psychosis/</a>

- “On the Ward” - <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/esmewwang/psychiatric-hospital-inpatient-collected-schizophrenias" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/esmewwang/psychiatric-hospital-inpatient-collected-schizophrenias</a>

Ashley’s books:

- <a href="https://overcomingschizophrenia.blogspot.com/p/book.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://overcomingschizophrenia.blogspot.com/p/book.html</a>

Meet the guests:
- Esmé Weijun Wang, a writer, speaker and the author of "The Collected Schizophrenias," talks about navigating medical stigma and the ways that writing and performance have contributed to her understanding of schizophrenia
- Christopher Grant, an artist and animator based in Canada, talks about how he uses drawing to process his moments of psychosis and what it's been like to share his story on TikTok and Instagram
- Ashley Smith, an author and writer who runs the blog "Overcoming Schizophrenia," talks about being a parent with schizophrenia, and what conversations about mental health look like with her 11-year-old son
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Show Extras:
A sampling of Esmé's essays:
- “Perdition Days” - https://the-toast.net/2014/06/25/perdition-days-experiencing-psychosis/
- “On the Ward” - https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/esmewwang/psychiatric-hospital-inpatient-collected-schizophrenias
Ashley’s books:
- https://overcomingschizophrenia.blogspot.com/p/book.html

When Anita first picked up “The Collected Schizophrenias" by Esmé Weijun Wang, she realized how rare it was to find a first-hand account of someone navigating periods of psychosis. She brings Esmé on to talk about the relationship between mental illness and identity. Plus, she meets an artist who explores his hallucinations through drawing and a blogger documenting her experience as a mother with schizoaffective disorder.

Seen: Living With The Schizophrenias

Anita first learned about surrogate partner therapy from the 2012 movie "The Sessions," and her curiosity was piqued. It's a widely misunderstood and stigmatized type of therapy work in which touch is a mechanism for healing. Two surrogate partners take her inside the day-to-day of their jobs, and a certified sex therapist shares why she hopes others in her industry will be more welcoming to the practice.

Meet the guests:

- <a href="https://www.briangibney.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brian Gibney</a>, a surrogate partner, educator and advocate, explains what makes surrogate partner therapy distinct and shares his experience in this work

- <a href="https://www.getsurrogatepartnertherapy.com/about-me" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arianna Fernandez</a>, surrogate partner and member of the <a href="https://www.surrogatetherapy.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">International Professional Surrogates Association</a>, talks about how her genderqueer identity impacts how they show up in the work

- <a href="https://therapydeva.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deva Segal</a>, a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist, breaks down her role in surrogate partner therapy and why she recently started incorporating this work into her practice

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-10-05/guided-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

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Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Anita first learned about surrogate partner therapy from the 2012 movie "The Sessions," and her curiosity was piqued. It's a widely misunderstood and stigmatized type of therapy work in which touch is a mechanism for healing. Two surrogate partners take her inside the day-to-day of their jobs, and a certified sex therapist shares why she hopes others in her industry will be more welcoming to the practice.
Meet the guests:
- Brian Gibney, a surrogate partner, educator and advocate, explains what makes surrogate partner therapy distinct and shares his experience in this work
- Arianna Fernandez, surrogate partner and member of the International Professional Surrogates Association, talks about how her genderqueer identity impacts how they show up in the work
- Deva Segal, a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist, breaks down her role in surrogate partner therapy and why she recently started incorporating this work into her practice
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Follow Embodied on X and Instagram 
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!

Two surrogate partners take Anita inside the day-to-day of their jobs, and a certified sex therapist shares why she hopes others in her industry will be more welcoming to the practice.

Guided: Practicing Intimacy & Sex With A Surrogate

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:

- <a href="https://harukaaoki.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Haruka Aoki</a>, a poet and illustrator who published <a href="https://harukaaoki.com/Trichotillomania" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a comic about their trichotillomania journey in The Washington Post</a>, shares what it was like to learn a term for the disorder later in life

- <a href="http://psychologyhoustonpc.com/staff/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Suzanne Mouton-Odum</a>, a licensed psychologist and board member for the <a href="https://www.bfrb.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors</a>, describes her counseling work with folks who experience trich

- <a href="https://dorinazerad.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dorin Azérad</a>, 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

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-09-28/plucked-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram </a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Dive deeper:

- <a href="https://www.bfrb.org/find-support/self-care-providers?states=North+Carolina" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Self-Care Provider Directory for folks with BFRB</a>

- <a href="https://www.bfrb.org/bfrbs/hair-pulling" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The TLC Foundation on Trich</a>

- <a href="https://harukaaoki.com/Fitting-In" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Haruka’s children’s book “Fitting In”</a>

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 poet and illustrator who 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 X and Instagram 
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Dive deeper:
- Self-Care Provider Directory for folks with BFRB
- The TLC Foundation on Trich
- Haruka’s children’s book “Fitting In”

Anita agrees to a suggestion posed by a listener: Explore why the hair-pulling disorder trichotillomania is so taboo.

Plucked: The Calm And Chaos Of A Hair-Pulling Disorder (Revisited)

Anita has no tattoos but plenty of admiration for the art form that gives us new ways to experience our bodies. She talks with a heavily-tattooed scholar who's interrogated how society treats tattooed women; a queer, Jewish tattoo artist reclaiming body art; and an artist who's pushing back on the misconceptions of tattooing melanated skin.

Meet the guests:

- <a href="https://www.siena.edu/faculty-and-staff/person/beverly-thompson/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beverly Thompson</a>, professor in the sociology department at Siena College in New York, talk about how gender impacts the perception of tattooed bodies

- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/joeyramonatattooer/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joey Ramona</a>, a queer tattoo artist, shares how their Jewish heritage has influenced their tattoo journey

- <a href="https://www.pushtattoos.com/oba" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oba Moori</a>, owner of <a href="https://www.pushtattoos.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PUSH Tattoo Studio</a> in Delaware, talks about tattooing melanated skin and the power of a great tattoo

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-09-21/inked-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

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Dig deeper…

…into tattoo history: <a href="https://theconversation.com/tattoos-have-a-long-history-going-back-to-the-ancient-world-and-also-to-colonialism-165584" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://theconversation.com/tattoos-have-a-long-history-going-back-to-the-ancient-world-and-also-to-colonialism-165584</a>

…into tattoos as body reclamation: <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2023/06/01/for-the-colonized-body-tattoos-are-reclamation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2023/06/01/for-the-colonized-body-tattoos-are-reclamation</a>

Anita has no tattoos but plenty of admiration for the art form that gives us new ways to experience our bodies. She talks with a heavily-tattooed scholar who's interrogated how society treats tattooed women; a queer, Jewish tattoo artist reclaiming body art; and an artist who's pushing back on the misconceptions of tattooing melanated skin.
Meet the guests:
- Beverly Thompson, professor in the sociology department at Siena College in New York, talk about how gender impacts the perception of tattooed bodies
- Joey Ramona, a queer tattoo artist, shares how their Jewish heritage has influenced their tattoo journey
- Oba Moori, owner of PUSH Tattoo Studio in Delaware, talks about tattooing melanated skin and the power of a great tattoo
Read the transcript | Review the podcast  
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Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Dig deeper…
…into tattoo history: https://theconversation.com/tattoos-have-a-long-history-going-back-to-the-ancient-world-and-also-to-colonialism-165584
…into tattoos as body reclamation: https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2023/06/01/for-the-colonized-body-tattoos-are-reclamation

Anita talks with a heavily-tattooed scholar who's interrogated how society treats tattooed women; a queer, Jewish tattoo artist reclaiming body art; and an artist who's pushing back on the misconceptions of tattooing melanated skin.

Inked: Rewriting Your Body’s Story With Art

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 <a href="https://www.obsidian-la.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Obsidian</a>, 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 

- <a href="https://www.dominadynasty.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dia Dynasty</a>, 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 

- <a href="https://www.gc.cuny.edu/people/amber-musser" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amber Jamilla Musser</a>, the author of “<a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479832491/sensational-flesh/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sensational Flesh: Race, Power and Masochism</a>” 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 

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-09-14/dominated-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Dig deeper:

<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@phrygian_monk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BDSM educator Phyrgian Monk on TikTok</a>

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/show/embodied-radio-show/2021-03-26/no-more-vigils-the-call-for-sex-worker-protection-in-the-wake-of-atlanta-shootings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dia Dynasty on Embodied in 2021</a>

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:
BDSM educator Phyrgian Monk on TikTok
Dia Dynasty on Embodied in 2021

A dominatrix and community leader introduce Anita to kink and BDSM spaces rooted in community and healing. Plus, a scholar talks about the long history behind our understanding of masochism.  

Dominated: Getting Kinky With BDSM

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:

- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lizorn/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Liz Zorn</a>, photographer and model, talks about the sudden loss of her father and how it's changed her views on the afterlife 

- <a href="https://www.glorioushum.com/about-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Naomi Edmondson</a>, 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 

- <a href="https://twitter.com/Jeffery_Dingler" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Dingler</a>, 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 

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-09-07/mourned-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Dig deeper:

<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejOaU3pjaAELZ3ai032ubt24GYTEsDRw3F4zBd95N2-Vh2wA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tough Times Guide</a>

<a href="https://www.glorioushum.com/support" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Naomi’s grief resources</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72pKrusTSXs&amp;t=21s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Liz’s YouTube video</a>, “What no one tells you about losing a parent”

<a href="https://www.insider.com/had-to-create-my-masculinity-after-losing-dad-at-14-2023-6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff’s Insider piece</a>

<a href="https://www.thecut.com/2022/12/doing-psilocybin-mushrooms-with-my-mom.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff’s piece about his mom</a>

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:
Tough Times Guide
Naomi’s grief resources
Liz’s YouTube video, “What no one tells you about losing a parent”
Jeff’s Insider piece
Jeff’s piece about his mom

Anita meets two people who've built specific communities around their grief around losing a parent on the internet and a writer who experienced losing his dad twice.  

Mourned: Life After Losing A Parent

Fifteen years ago Anita took Women's Studies 101 on a whim … and to this day, she still doesn't have an answer to the question: what is masculinity? In further pursuit of some clarity, she talks with a trans man and a non-binary person about what's possible when we take a more gender-fluid approach to manhood. The two share where their own beliefs about gender come from and how they're building a more expansive definition of masculinity in their own lives.

Meet the guests:

- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ocean-wei-81a6b4199/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ocean Wei</a>, a rising senior at Kenyon College and a trans writer, explains the roots of his views on masculinity and how they've evolved over time, as he's moved from Beijing to rural Missouri and come out as trans

- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sapasetty/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anjan Alavandar</a>, creator of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/masq.online/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Masq</a>, talks about how they create safe spaces for folks to examine and dissect their own relationships with masculinity

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-08-31/reconstructed-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Dig deeper:

<a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/15/1163667777/gender-what-is-masculinity-manhood" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Life Kit’s masculinity episode</a>

Fifteen years ago Anita took Women's Studies 101 on a whim … and to this day, she still doesn't have an answer to the question: what is masculinity? In further pursuit of some clarity, she talks with a trans man and a non-binary person about what's possible when we take a more gender-fluid approach to manhood. The two share where their own beliefs about gender come from and how they're building a more expansive definition of masculinity in their own lives.
Meet the guests:
- Ocean Wei, a rising senior at Kenyon College and a trans writer, explains the roots of his views on masculinity and how they've evolved over time, as he's moved from Beijing to rural Missouri and come out as trans
- Anjan Alavandar, creator of Masq, talks about how they create safe spaces for folks to examine and dissect their own relationships with masculinity
Read the transcript | Review the podcast  
Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Dig deeper:
Life Kit’s masculinity episode

Anita talks with a trans man and a non-binary person about what's possible when we take a more gender-fluid approach to manhood.

Reconstructed: Building New Definitions Of Masculinity

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:

- <a href="https://www.michelleelman.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Elman</a> is an author and life coach best known for her activism campaign Scarred Not Scared. She tells Anita about "the mass exodus" — a period of time in which she went through multiple friend breakups

- <a href="https://www.tonyliu.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tony Liu</a> is a medical student and former radio and podcast producer for NPR and "On Being." He shares how tenderness informs how he makes and breaks up with friends

- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/heart_convos/?utm_medium=copy_link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">KB Newton</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/heart_convos/?utm_medium=copy_link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>is the founder and creator of HEART Convos. She talks about being a recovering "trash friend"

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-08-04/unfriended-podcast-transcript-revisited" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

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 is an author and life coach best known for her activism campaign Scarred Not Scared. She tells Anita about "the mass exodus" — a period of time in which she went through multiple friend breakups
- Tony Liu is a medical student and former radio and podcast producer for NPR and "On Being." He shares how tenderness informs how he makes and breaks up with friends
- KB Newton is the founder and creator of HEART Convos. She talks about being a recovering "trash friend"
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!

Anita 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.

Unfriended: When Your BFF Breaks Your Heart (Revisited)

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:

- <a href="https://drmarisagfranco.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Marisa G. Franco</a>, a psychologist and author of "<a href="https://drmarisagfranco.com/about/platonic-the-book/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — and Keep — Friends</a>," shares the benefits of a work bestie and talks about why employers are invested in these positive relationships in the workplace

- <a href="https://www.katherine-hu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Katherine Hu</a>, assistant editor at The Atlantic, talks about how her generation is navigating the social scene at work

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-08-04/co-worked-podcast-transcript-revisited" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

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
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!

A psychologist answers Anita's 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.

Co-Worked: The Good, Bad & Ambivalent Of The Office Bestie (Revisited)

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:

- <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/about/staff-list/staff/meredith-goldstein/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Meredith Goldstein</a>, writer and podcast host behind The Boston Globe column and podcast <a href="https://loveletters.boston.com/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Love Letters,"</a> shares insights from her personal and professional experiences with love and heartbreak

- <a href="https://stacialbrown.com/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stacia Brown</a>, 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 <a href="https://slate.com/author/stacia-l-brown" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Care and Feeding</a>"

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-08-03/uncoupled-revisited-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

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!

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.

Uncoupled: Thank U, Next (Revisited)

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 <a href="https://oberlinreview.org/23772/this-week/sophie-aarons-love-in-the-time-of-corona-research/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hookup culture on her campus in the time of COVID</a> 

- <a href="https://www.sheerllc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Cherlisa Jackson</a>, a sexual health educator and counselor based in Atlanta, talks about the myths vs. realities of hookup culture 

- <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thecindynoir?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cindy Noir</a>, a motivational speaker and TikTok creator, talks about why she has experimented with abstinence in response to hookup culture 

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-08-03/hooked-up-revisited-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

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  
Read the transcript | Review the podcast  
Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!

Anita 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. 

Hooked Up: The Myth Of Sex With No Strings Attached (Revisited)

Anita invites her parents back to Embodied for a special bonus episode. She hears their take on our recent episode "<a href="https://kite.link/mixed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mixed</a>," about growing up biracial. Then she turns the tables and puts herself in the guest seat as her parents ask her a few questions.

Meet the guests:

- Sheila Rao, Anita's mom, shares some of the context surrounding her marriage to Satish and how that influenced the way they raised their children — and asks Anita how she's thinking about these issues as she's building her own mixed race family

- Satish Rao, Anita's dad, talks about the influence of where Anita grew up on their family and asks Anita about the strengths and weaknesses of being biracial

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-27/mixed-parent-edition-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Anita invites her parents back to Embodied for a special bonus episode. She hears their take on our recent episode "Mixed," about growing up biracial. Then she turns the tables and puts herself in the guest seat as her parents ask her a few questions.
Meet the guests:
- Sheila Rao, Anita's mom, shares some of the context surrounding her marriage to Satish and how that influenced the way they raised their children — and asks Anita how she's thinking about these issues as she's building her own mixed race family
- Satish Rao, Anita's dad, talks about the influence of where Anita grew up on their family and asks Anita about the strengths and weaknesses of being biracial
Read the transcript | Review the podcast 
Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!

Anita hears her parents' take on our recent episode "Mixed," about growing up biracial.

Mixed (Parent Edition): The Rao Family Talks Racial Identity

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:

- <a href="https://crissyshinednails.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crystal Sanders</a>, 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

- <a href="http://www.suzanneshapiro.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Suzanne E. Shapiro</a>, 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

- <a href="https://www.myngocto.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Ngoc To</a>, 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

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-20/polished-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Dig deeper:

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/crissyshinednails_/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crissy Shined Nails on IG</a>

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/blkgirlnailfies/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blkgirlnailfies on IG</a>

<a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/04/225614/nail-art-black-cultural-appropriation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">More context on Black women in nail art</a>

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/nyregion/nail-salon-workers-in-nyc-face-hazardous-chemicals.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NYT nail industry expose</a>

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/21/nail-salons-vietnam-refugees-atlanta-georgia-snellville" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Ngoc’s piece about her family’s nail salons</a>

<a href="https://www.adelepham.com/nailed-it.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nailed It documentary</a>

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:
Crissy Shined Nails on IG
Blkgirlnailfies on IG
More context on Black women in nail art
NYT nail industry expose
My Ngoc’s piece about her family’s nail salons
Nailed It documentary

Anita talks to her nail artist 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.

Polished: Why We Care About Our Nails

When Anita moved away to college, she experienced a big shift in her biracial identity. Turns out that the questions that emerged for her are ones that many mixed young adults still ponder today ...15 years later. She meets two college seniors and they talk through navigating everything from "Where do I belong?" to "How do I date?" Plus she hears wisdom from a life coach who helps mixed adults tell new stories about identity.

Meet the guests:

- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiah-siler-b70a3220b/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adiah Siler</a>, a senior at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, explains how moving out of her small town to go to college allowed her opportunities to explore her Blackness and has influenced her journey as a mixed race person

- <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-gallagher-585ba322a/?trk=public_profile_browsemap" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Claire Gallagher</a>, a senior at the University of Michigan, shares her own experiences growing up as a mixed race person and brings up some of the anxieties she's had about her identity, especially since attending a predominantly white college

- <a href="https://mixedbloomroom.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah Lotus Garrett</a>, a certified life and goal fulfillment coach, emphasizes the confidence and healing that being a part of a mixed race community can bring

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-13/mixed-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a>

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Dig deeper:

<a href="https://mixedbloomroom.com/mixed-adults" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah’s program for mixed adults</a>

<a href="https://www.michigandaily.com/michigan-in-color/the-secret-fetishization-of-mixed-race-identities/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Claire’s piece on the fetishization of mixed race identities</a>

<a href="https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/teenagers/what-its-like-to-grow-up-biracial-in-america-today/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adiah’s piece on being a mixed teen</a>

When Anita moved away to college, she experienced a big shift in her biracial identity. Turns out that the questions that emerged for her are ones that many mixed young adults still ponder today ...15 years later. She meets two college seniors and they talk through navigating everything from "Where do I belong?" to "How do I date?" Plus she hears wisdom from a life coach who helps mixed adults tell new stories about identity.
Meet the guests:
- Adiah Siler, a senior at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, explains how moving out of her small town to go to college allowed her opportunities to explore her Blackness and has influenced her journey as a mixed race person
- Claire Gallagher, a senior at the University of Michigan, shares her own experiences growing up as a mixed race person and brings up some of the anxieties she's had about her identity, especially since attending a predominantly white college
- Sarah Lotus Garrett, a certified life and goal fulfillment coach, emphasizes the confidence and healing that being a part of a mixed race community can bring
Read the transcript | Review the podcast
Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Dig deeper:
Sarah’s program for mixed adults
Claire’s piece on the fetishization of mixed race identities
Adiah’s piece on being a mixed teen

Anita meets two mixed race college seniors and they talk through navigating everything from "Where do I belong?" to "How do I date?" Plus she hears wisdom from a life coach who helps mixed adults tell new stories about identity.

Mixed: Owning Your Multiracial Story

Anita does not work with her boo, but after sharing home office space for two pandemic years, she's started to wonder how couples who *do* work together make it work. She talks with two sets of couples in very different professional industries about their strategies for tackling finances, alone time and intimacy. 

Meet the guests:

- Sarah &amp; Austin McCombie, the married duo behind the North Carolina-based band <a href="https://www.chathamrabbits.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chatham Rabbits</a> talk about how they learned to give each other constructive creative feedback 

- Brandé Elise and Danielle Gray, co-founders of CBD product and lifestyle company <a href="https://www.worldofunoia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unoia</a> share why they felt ready to start a business together just three months after they started dating 

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-06/partnered-podcast-transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript</a> | <a href="https://reviewthispodcast.com/Lrx3PYO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Review the podcast</a> 

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://twitter.com/embodiedWUNC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Leave us a message for an upcoming episode <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/243/lhgb5ubiqeg87um6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>!

Update: Chatham Rabbits is on tour this summer — learn more <a href="https://www.chathamrabbits.com/tour" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. And Unoia is making more of a shift towards CBD for pets — learn more <a href="https://www.worldofunoia.com/pets" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.

Anita does not work with her boo, but after sharing home office space for two pandemic years, she's started to wonder how couples who *do* work together make it work. She talks with two sets of couples in very different professional industries about their strategies for tackling finances, alone time and intimacy.  
Meet the guests:
- Sarah & Austin McCombie, the married duo behind the North Carolina-based band Chatham Rabbits talk about how they learned to give each other constructive creative feedback  
- Brandé Elise and Danielle Gray, co-founders of CBD product and lifestyle company Unoia share why they felt ready to start a business together just three months after they started dating  
Read the transcript | Review the podcast  
Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram
Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!
Update: Chatham Rabbits is on tour this summer — learn more here. And Unoia is making more of a shift towards CBD for pets — learn more here.