Melinda French Gates is an advocate for women and girls around the world. As co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Pivotal Ventures, Melinda works to dismantle systemic barriers that leave people behind.
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This story was produced by Haley Dapkus with sound design and mixing by Mumble Media. It was written by Gina Gotsill and edited by Abby Sher. Fact-checking by Joe Rhatigan. Narration by Sara Blakely. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. Our executive producers are Joy Smith and Jes Wolfe. Thank you to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this podcast possible. Stay rebel!

Melinda French Gates: Let Your Heart Break

A fairy tale podcast for kids about real life extraordinary women from all over the world. Based on the bestselling series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, each episode explores the lives of women from the books, encouraging young listeners to ask questions and explore their interests.

Kids & Family

Education for Kids

Stories for Kids

Poorna Jagannathan brought us the story of Indian Olympic boxer and politician, Mary Kom. Poorna is an actress and the producer of "Nirbhaya" ('Fearless'), the critically-acclaimed play written and directed by Yael Farber. Based on real-life events, the play breaks the silence around sexual violence and was called by The Telegraph as one of the "most powerful pieces of theater you’ll ever see.”
Poorna gained international recognition for her portrayal of a journalist in the 2011 Bollywood film "Delhi Belly" and has appeared as series regular on HBO's "The Night Of" and Netflix's "Gypsy." In 2018 she was a member of the ensemble cast of HBO's "Room 104," created by the Duplass brothers.
Most recently, Poorna plays Nalini Vishwakumar in Mindy Kaling's comedy series "Never Have I Ever." [This episode originally aired in April 2019.] 
This episode of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is produced by Elena Favilli, Joy Fowlkes, and Meg Murnane, with writing by Grace Boyle and narration by Poorna Jagannathan. Jestine Ware edited all scripts. Sound design and original theme music by Elettra Bargiacchi. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer.

Get to Know Poorna Jagannathan

Once upon a time, there was a girl who grew up to be the most successful boxer in India’s history. Her name was Mary Kom. Mary was an energetic child who was naturally drawn towards sports. So she enrolled herself in a sports academy where she discovered her love of boxing, but her trainers thought she was too small. Still, Mary sparred until she improved her technique, showing up early and staying late to train. She was terrified her parents would stop her, but they eventually grew to be her biggest supporters. With her nation and family’s support, Mary boxed her way to the Olympic Games and inspired generations to come. [This episode originally aired March 2019.] 

About the Narrator:
Poorna Jagannathan is an award-winning actress and producer. Critically acclaimed for her performance on HBO's "The Night Of," Jagannathan will soon be seen in season 2 of HBO's "Big Little Lies," and on Hulu's two most anticipated shows of 2019: "The Act" and "Ramy." Her past work on HBO's "Room 104" and AMC's Better Call Saul" garnered critical attention and some of her recent film credits include A24's "Share," directed by Pippa Bianco, Peter Berg's “Mile 22,” and Aamir Kahn’s trailblazing Bollywood comedy, “Delhi Belly,” for which she won a Stardust and a L’Oreal Femina award for best supporting actress. Jagannathan is the winner of the 2013 Amnesty International Award for the play “Nirbhaya” by Yael Farber, which she initiated, produced and acted in. The play was called by The Telegraph as “One of the most powerful pieces of theater you’ll ever see."

Credits:
This episode of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is produced by Elena Favilli, Joy Fowlkes, and Meg Murnane, with writing by Grace Boyle and narration by Poorna Jagannathan. Jestine Ware edited all scripts. Sound design and original theme music by Elettra Bargiacchi. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer.

Mary Kom Read by Poorna Jagannathan

Get to know inventor Ann Makosinki, who brought us the story of movie star Anna May Wong. Ann talks about how she became a young inventor, and how we can become inventors ourselves. And she explains why the story of Anna May Wong is so important to her, especially as an Asian-American woman today.

Get To Know Ann Makosinski

Hailed as the first Asian American movie star, Anna May Wong’s groundbreaking career spanned from the silent film era to 1950s TV, when she starred in her own television show. Though bound by the racist and sexist stereotypes of Hollywood in the 1900s, including laws forbidding on-screen interracial relationships, Anna May Wong carved a path for herself in Hollywood and beyond, eventually appearing in 60+ films and performing on stages around the globe. [This episode originally aired May 2021.] 

About the Narrator
Ann Makosinski is a 23 year old Filipina-Polish Canadian inventor, global keynote speaker, and aspiring writer. She is best known for her invention of the Hollow Flashlight, a flashlight that runs off the heat of the human hand, and the eDrink, a coffee mug that harvests the excess heat of your hot drink and converts it into electricity to charge your phone. Ann has given 5 TEDx talks, is one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30, Times Magazine’s 30 Under 30 World Changers, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Young Millionaires, and Glamour Magazine’s College Women of the Year. She recently completed her work on a line of children's toys that run off of green energy. 

Credits
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Isaac Kaplan-Woolner, sound designed and mixed by Camille Stennis. This episode was written by Alexis Stratton. Proofread by Ariana Rosas. Executive Producer is Katie Sprenger. A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. For more, visit www.rebelgirls.com.

Anna May Wong Read By Ann Makosinski

Marie Curie and Irène Joliot-Curie were brave pioneers in science who devoted their lives to helping others. A mother-daughter team with fierce curiosity and determination, they helped save millions of lives by exploring radioactivity. 
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This story was produced by Haley Dapkus with sound design and mixing by Brian Skipworth and Mumble Media. It was written by Abby Sher. Fact-checking by Joe Rhatigan. Narration by Eve Rodsky. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. Thank you to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this podcast possible. Stay rebel!

Melinda French Gates: Let Your Heart Break

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