Bodies

For years, KalaLea experiences debilitating periods.  It gets so bad that she has to stay in bed two days every month. And  even when she’s not on her period, she’s exhausted and in pain.

Jeromey is sixteen when the hair appears on her  cheeks. She thinks she is transforming into a monster and gets taunted  by kids at school. California Medicaid doesn't offer the specialized  health care she needs. That feeling of otherness stays with her through  adulthood and at 26 years old, she’s still a virgin.

Every year, Independent Producer Project puts on a competition. It’s called the 24-Hour Radio Race and audio makers from around the world have one day to create a short  nonfiction story from scratch. The theme this year was The New Normal  and the winners were announced in September.

In the season one finale of Bodies, Allison looks back and asks: Why are intimate conversations about our bodies so hard and so rare?

There’s a piece of advice we hear over and over: Trust your gut! Listen to your body! The assumption here is that our bodies will tell us the truth. But Angie has a body she can’t trust. Instead of bringing her closer to people, her body often leads her into danger — and makes her feel dangerous herself.

It was 2006 and life for Melynda was very good. She was 32 years old. She and her devoted husband were raising two young sons.

Krystal Kim was 10 years old when she joined her town’s baseball team. It was the 1970s. It was a big deal because it was the first year that they were allowing girls to play. Before her first practice, her mom had a talk with Krystal about body odor. And from that day forward, she used Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder almost everyday, sprinkling it on her body and in her underwear.

As COVID-19 takes over most aspects of our lives, many of us are putting milestones like weddings and birthday parties on hold. But if you’re pregnant, the baby is coming and you can’t press pause. 

At 32, Stacie found herself single and without children. Her first marriage had ended after years of trying for a child. She was lonely.

Is your body more like a machine or a body of water? An excerpt from Here Be Monsters, a podcast about fear and the unknown.