In this episode, I talk about my season of guests, how the podcast has changed, and debating what will happen in the future with the podcast. I have some amazing guests lined up who are all in some way connected to me. 

Key Takeaways:

[3:28] My first season was about Jack and the second was about Molly

[4:21] My third season about trauma and the fourth season was about being a mom 

[6:17] Season 5 and 6 in high school and the next were about chaos 

[9:43] Sharing the journey of 3 amazing women who have gone through trauma 

[15:00] Talking to the dance kids connected to Molly

[16:34] Having a few episodes with my Boston University trackmates 

[23:13] Getting anxious about not progressing and thinking about next steps 

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

Filing a lawsuit came with its trials and tribulations, but it also came with a check: dead Molly money. It has taken me so much time to process Molly’s death and put together a foundation. I have finally decided it’s time to really make the foundation into something, instead of just giving money away because doing so will help the true spirit of Molly. 

Key Takeaways:

[1:45] Having to be quiet from the pain of settling lawsuits 

[7:40] The Dead Molly Money blog post 

[12:27] The amount of money I’ve given away and what the event will be like 

[15:01] The Spirit of MollyB Award and what it means 

[18:05] It’s become easier with me to deal with the money in a way that really helps 

[22:01] Come to the event!

Resources: 

• The MollyB Extravaganza 

• Dead Molly Money

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

This week, I sat down with my friend Jenn, a teacher who has helped create a thrift store and a period program for students. The Red Dot Program helps people have access to all types of period products and clothing without having to go to the nurse or make a big announcement. 

Key Takeaways:

[2:56] What the Red Dot Program is and Jenn’s first period 

[7:22] Periods are not taken as seriously as other health issues 

[8:54] What products are in the lockers as well as clothing 

[13:06] The pushback the program has experienced and giving education

[21:05] Jenn’s support and struggles with a period at a young age 

[25:26] Period underwear is too expensive 

[27:23] Homeless students dealing with their period 

[29:00] How to give items and donate 

[32:27] How the programs been perceived 

Resources: 

• Crimson Closet 

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

I’m just angry. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop feeling angry when it comes to certain trauma, but I’m learning new ways to mitigate it. In this episode, I dig into what people think anger is, how I’m mad at myself, and why it’s okay to be angry, but what really matters is how you express it.

Key Takeaways:

[2:07] I make plans, they don’t go my way, I know they won’t, and then I get angry 

[5:34] I’m mad at myself and the universe and people think grief is inappropriate 

[16:50] Anger is a natural emotion, it’s sinful, an exaggeration of events 

[19:14] Fear, powerlessness, and self protection are under the surface of anger  

[20:43] The danger of not releasing your anger and Molly’s emotions

[24:55] Men are quick to blame others for anger and how you view anger 

[30:02] How Jack views my anger, generational trauma, and how anger is expressed

[39:23] Mad at myself for not achieving my goals, types of stress, and looping behavior 

[45:58] Social media is making people angry

[52:27] Is it okay to be angry? Simplifying your life 

[57:19] Self blame, mindfulness, and clutching on tightly 

[1:01:18] Learning from my anger 

Resources: 

• Health Resource Network

• The Subtext of Anger 

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

Period poverty and the stigma surrounding getting products, learning how to use them, and having them on you is an uphill battle. People miss school, sports events, and other important life activities all because they might not be able to afford period products or are too ashamed to ask for free ones. 

Key Takeaways:

[2:07] The pop culture movies that shaped how many women feel about periods 

[9:54] Social stigma around not knowing how to use products or having a period 

[14:43] The marathon runner that bled while winning 

[16:23] Not having access to quality products, missing school, and the reality of prisons 

[22:23] India and Kenya’s unique culture problems surrounding periods and solutions 

[31:13] Decreased sports participation and taking pain seriously

[35:03] Experience teaching health, having boys take ownership, and my past athletes 

[42:55] Women with the worst outcomes medically and a transmans experience 

[47:59] Free period products in schools and how women are seen as gross 

[53:20] People shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about their periods 

Resources: 

• A Bloody Mess

• About Bloody Time

• Below the Belt 

• Period. End of Sentence. 

• Pandora’s Box 

• Pad Man

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation 

When you hear the word period, what word comes to mind? Probably not something happy or optimistic. It’s most likely something rooted in misogyny or self-hatred. There is still so much stigma surrounding periods today and how they are seen as something gross. They are seen as something to be hidden. 

Key Takeaways:

[5:49] Starting my period and how people feel about them when they hear the word

[9:15] Being shamed for my period and my worst experiences 

[16:40] Period pain is dismissed and how it’s celebrated but also minimized 

[19:20] How periods are seen in different cultures 

[23:55] How a Disney movie talked about periods, the taboos, and culture clashes 

[28:19] The issue with gender neutral bathrooms and getting time off for your period

[29:49] Teaching health, consent, bleeding everywhere, and mixed emotions

[35:58] Future episodes on periods 

Resources: 

• Turning Red

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

Birth control is big business and they will do anything to make a profit, even if it means putting people’s lives at risk. I looked into the historical and political aspects of the pill as well as the most dangerous ones. In the episode, I reveal the lies told to women about birth control and how it should all fall on us. 

Key Takeaways:

[2:01] My period and experience with birth control 

[9:57] How the short term pill was involved in politics 

[11:38] Margaret Sanger was considered a hero - until she was not 

[12:30] Blood clots on the pill, deaths, and men don’t want to be involved 

[16:20] The benefits of tracking your period 

[17:57] The pill can mask the true symptoms 

[22:49] The NuvaRing, the Yaz, IUDs, and fighting with Congress 

[25:54] Racism in medicine and the forcing of birth control

[28:36] Pregnancy is safer than the pill  

[29:30] Doctors don’t communicate and the need for more education 

[34:18] The pill is not medically necessary in any case and AIDS is worse than a baby 

[35:20] The responsibility can’t just continue to fall to women 

Resources: 

• The Business of Birth Control

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

I went to Bali for a month and it was the most unexpected experience. I saw the juxtaposition of wealth and poverty as well as pollution. But I also saw a culture of respect, beauty, and it opened up conversations in ways I could never talk about here. It helped me finalize my plans for the new year. 

Key Takeaways: 

[2:22] Expats in Bali 

[3:52] Seeing poverty next to wealth 

[7:05] Doing Boundless Life, the good and the bad 

[10:09] Indonesian history, culture of gratitude, and religion

[13:51] Respecting others choices 

[16:48] Bali is so polluted, limited drinking water, and traffic 

[19:47] The ocean, the gentrification, and seeing Jack experience it 

[22:20] Getting terribly sick, Balinese coffee, and the culture of family in Bali 

[27:12] Politics, open conversations, stereotypes, and the day of silence  

[29:40] My thoughts on Bali 

[30:51] Thoughts for the new year 

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

I watched a movie that went through how IVF was invented and it made me reflect on my IVF journey as well. But just because the science in the movie was real, does not mean anything else was. All the relationships, drama, and other mini storylines were made up to make - a good story. 

Key Takeaways: 

[2:15] My IVF journey 

[7:50] Often in religion women are seen as less than if they can’t have kids naturally 

[9:07] Stress does not cause infertility or cause cancer 

[9:51] IVF increases your risk of having multiples 

[11:53] Joy, the movie about the birth of IVF 

[14:29] The movie is mainly about Jean, religion, and her relationships 

[17:24] 1969, the first extraction attempt and people saying it as horrifying

[19:06] Jean’s thoughts on abortion - were they true? 

[21:28] They kept trying, but had ectopic pregnancies, Jean’s mom died, and she leaves

[24:28] They came back together to finish the science 

[30:10] Even after the success, they had to fight to get Jean’s name on the plaque

[32:03] All the relationship stuff in the movie was fake 

Resources:

• Joy

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation

Wow, the amount of movies that take someone’s life and completely misrepresent it? Too many to count. It hurts the lives of the people who the movie was made about, but also anyone that is like them. Because if they believe the story, they get false ideas in their head. 

Key Takeaways: 

[3:05] The Pocahontas movie was a downright lie 

[7:13] The I, Tonya movie was exaggerated 

[11:33] A Beautiful Mind left out abuse and misportrayed mental illness

[12:58] Erin Brockovich was oversexualized

[14:47] None of the characters actually existed in Newsies 

[16:04] Amadeus painted Mozart as a crazy man 

[18:33] Sully was a real event, but it was overdramatized to get viewers 

[20:45] The Greatest Showman - not so great himself, more like abusive 

[23:32] Remember the Titans is not how desegregation went down at all 

[26:58] The movie, Rudy, misrepresented the actual person 

[28:39] The Blind side made Michael look dumb, when he really just needed some help 

[31:53] Homeless to Harvard - spoiler alert she didn’t graduate from Harvard

[35:36] How we choose to tell a story and what we believe 

Resources:

• Pocahontas

• I, Tonya 

• A Beautiful Mind

• Erin Brockovich

• Newsies

• Amadeus

• Sully

• The Greatest Showman  

• Remember the Titans

• Rudy

• The Blind Side

• Homeless to Harvard

Connect with Barb:

Website

Facebook 

Instagram

Be a guest on the podcast 

YouTube

The Molly B Foundation