In this updated episode, originally aired in Season Two, Amy is joined by Dr. Kristin Neff to discuss the generative power of anger, the danger of rote gender roles, and the radical power of self-compassion.

Kristin Neff (she/her) received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley, and is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

During Kristin’s last year of graduate school she became interested in Buddhism and has been practicing meditation in the Insight Meditation tradition ever since. While doing her post-doctoral work she decided to conduct research on self-compassion – a central construct in Buddhist psychology and one that had not yet been examined empirically. Kristin is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, creating a scale to measure the construct almost 20 years ago. She has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential research psychologists. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she is author of the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, and her latest Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive.

In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has developed an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which is taught by thousands of teachers worldwide. They co-authored The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook as well as Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. She is also co-founder of the nonprofit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.

Amy is joined by Ben Blair to discuss Gabrielle Blair's Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion, plus contraception, sex education, and how to get to the roots of unwanted pregnancy.

Amy is joined by Jen Lumanlan to discuss her book, Parenting Beyond Power: How to Use Connection and Collaboration to Transform Your Family and the World, exploring the ways power-over parenting teaches patriarchy to the next generation, plus needs-based alternatives and practice scenarios to help listeners put these anti-patriarchal parenting approaches into use.

Jen Lumanlan, M.S., M.Ed., (she/her) obtained Bachelor’s degrees (Forestry, English) from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s in Environmental Management from Yale University and enjoyed a career in sustainability consulting before having her daughter, when she realized she was in for her toughest challenge yet. She went back to school for a Master’s in psychology focused on child development and another in education to understand how to raise her child, and launched a podcast, Your Parenting Mojo, to share what she was learning with others.

Amy is joined by Ashley Brichter of Birthsmarter to discuss her journey into doula work, the witch hunt against midwifery, and how through education and advocacy we can create better birth stories for ourselves and our children.

Ashley Brichter is an educator, birth worker, consultant, and entrepreneur. She is a champion for maternal health and for systemic reforms to improve the lives of families by rebalancing division of labor at home and funding parental leave, universal healthcare, and early childhood education. She founded Birthsmarter in 2019, which provides unbiased, inclusive, and award-winning practical wisdom and guidance to the next generation of families. Ashley is a proud Bi-Co graduate and currently lives in Salty Lake City with her husband and two kids. She a Certified Fair Play Facilitator, a Tory Burch Fellow, and she sits on the board of ProNatal Fitness.

Amy is joined by Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald to discuss her book, Unbroken, exploring the ways we talk (or don't talk) about trauma, the wear and tear of patriarchy on our nervous systems, plus exercises for responding to trauma, grounding, and empowering ourselves.

MaryCatherine McDonald, PhD, is a research professor and life coach who specializes in the psychology of trauma, stress, and resilience. She has been researching, lecturing, and publishing on neuroscience, psychology, and the lived experience of trauma and stress for over a decade. She's passionate about destigmatizing trauma, stress, and mental health issues in general, as well as reframing our understanding of trauma in order to better understand and treat it. After receiving her master's degree at The New School, where she researched traumatic loss and mourning, she went on to complete her PhD at Boston University. She has published several research articles and book chapters, as well as three books on trauma. Her most recent book came out in March 2023 with Sounds True Publishing and is called Unbroken: The Trauma Response Is Never Wrong, and Other Things You Need to Know to Take Back Your Life.

Amy is joined by friend Kristy Carter to discuss how the institution of divorce always has and continues to fail women, placing divorcees and their children at risk. Kristy bravely shares her personal story of re-starting life in a society which continues to treat women like children.

Amy is joined by Dr. Sarah Hernandez to discuss her book, We Are the Stars: Colonizing and Decolonizing the Oceti Sakowin Literary Tradition exploring the devastating affects of missionary mistranslations and the ongoing effort to reclaim sacred stories in the Oceti Sakowin tradition.

Sarah Hernandez (Sicangu Lakota) is an assistant professor of Native American literature and the director of the Institute for American Indian Research at the University of New Mexico. She is the literature and legacy officer for the Oak Lake Writers Society, an Oceti Sakowin-led nonprofit for Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota writers. Under Sarah’s leadership, the Society launched #NativeReads: Great Books from Indigenous Communities, a national reading campaign that increases knowledge and awareness of the Oceti Sakowin literary tradition. She has also published articles in the Wicazo Sa Review, Studies in American Indian Literature, English Language Notes, and Great Plains Quarterly.

Sarah's book, We Are the Stars: Colonizing and Decolonizing the Oceti Sakowin Literary Tradition, was published February 2023 by the University of Arizona Press in the U.S. and the University of Regina Press in Canada. 

Amy is joined by Dr. Julianne Newmark to discuss the book Red Bird, Red Power: The Life and Legacyof Zitkala-Ša by Tad Lewandowski and dive deep into the story of author, activist, and artist Zitkala-Ša.

Dr. Julianne Newmark is the  Director of Technical & Professional Communication and Assistant Chair for Core Writing at the University of New Mexico. As a researcher, she focuses on usability/UX/UCD and TPC pedagogy.  She also teaches, conducts research, and publishes in Indigenous Studies, particularly concerning early-20th-century Native activist writers’ rhetorically impactful bureaucratic writing, particularly in Bureau of Indian Affairs contexts. In recent years, she has received multiple grants to fund archival research for this project, including grants from CCCC/NCTE and the American Philosophical Society.  Her second monograph is provisionally titled "Reports of Agency: Retrieving Indigenous Professional Communication in Dawes Era Indian Bureau Documents.” Her 2015 book The Pluralist Imagination from East to West in American Literature was published by University of Nebraska Press. She is Editor-in-Chief of Xchanges, a Writing Studies ejournal.

Amy uses Dr. Henrietta Mann's book, Cheyenne Arapaho Education, to explore the history of the Cheyenne (Tsitsistas) people of the Great Plains, investigating historical gender roles, the devastating effects of white supremacy and colonialism, and the shameful history of American Indian Boarding Schools.

Amy is joined by Hitha Palepu to discuss her book, We're Speaking: The Life Lesson of Kamala Harris, and learn more about Vice President Harris's history, the breadth and depth of her experience, and the mold-breaking significance of her current presidential campaign.

Hitha Palepu is a woman of multitudes: a feminist, a lifelong politics enthusiast, a daughter of immigrants, and a mother raising feminist sons. These multitudes spill into her multi-hyphenated career as an entrepreneur, investor, writer, and speaker. Hitha’s passion for the news and politics is captured in #5SmartReads, a Webby honored social series that shares five must-read articles every day to keep our community informed without being overwhelmed. Hitha's longtime blog, Hitha on the Go, established her as an authority on lifestyle topics and gave way to her book and collaborations with leading brands such as Headspace, Google, and Northwestern Mutual. Her book How to Pack was published by Clarkson Potter in 2017, and her book We're Speaking: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris was published in 2021.

As CEO of Roshan Pharmaceuticals, Hitha oversees financing, partnerships, and strategy for the company. Hitha also puts her money where her values are through early-stage investing. A partner in Adama Ventures, which is her family office, she has invested in innovative companies primarily founded by women and focused on women. She is a sought-after speaker on politics and the news, investing, entrepreneurship, work-life juggle, and motherhood.