Breaking Down Patriarchy

Amy is joined by guest Maxine Hanks to discuss Gender Trouble by Judith Butler. Topics include complicating the distinctions between sex and gender, sex as a social construct, intersex and transgender issues, and the importance of controlling our own identity.

Maxine Hanks is a historian and theologian who lectures and writes on Women’s Studies, History, and Religious Studies, particularly Mormon and Christian traditions and liturgy. Her bachelor’s degree was in Gender Studies and her master’s degree was in History, with additional graduate work in Theology and Religion.

Amy is joined by guest Vanessa Loder to discuss The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf. Topics include internalized patriarchy, how patriarchy profits off the beauty industry, beauty qualifications in the professional world, and how beauty standards can leave us exhausted.

Vanessa Loder is an inspirational keynote speaker and sought-after expert on women’s leadership, mindfulness, stress management and sustainable success. Vanessa’s work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, the Huffington Post and Glamour magazine, among others. Her TEDx talk “How To Lean In Without Burning Out” has over 150,000 views, over 18,000 people have taken Vanessa’s paid online courses and her guided meditations have been streamed over 787,000 times globally. After spending close to a decade working in finance on Wall Street and Silicon Valley, Vanessa felt that she had climbed to the top of the wrong ladder. Her personal transformation and soul awakening, subsequent research and work have led to thousands of brilliant, overwhelmed women finding their way back to soul. Vanessa received her MBA from Stanford University and her BA from Columbia University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude. Loder is a certified Executive Coach, trained in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, past life regression and Vipassana meditation with Jack Kornfield. Vanessa currently lives in Lafayette, CA with her husband and two children, who remind her to take “mommy time-outs” when she’s about to lose her marbles. Visit her at www.vanessaloder.com.

Amy is joined by guest Suzette Duncan to discuss Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde. Topics include the daily toll of hatred, modeling action instead of guilt, Black hair, and code switching.

Suzette Duncan is a proud first generation American, born to parents from the Caribbean nation of Guyana. She has spent most of her adult life working in education and has been lucky enough to work in both Japan and the United States, and to teach students ranging in age from 5 to 80. Her working life is now paused because of disabling chronic illnesses, but she is fortunate to be able to continue to learn and to create, two of her favorite parts of working in education. Suzette is currently learning a lot about music theory, philosophy, history, economics, and baseball, and is making a lot of music, as well as doing a bit of writing. She is also a butch lesbian, and a wife and mother, to the most amazing early childhood education expert, and 18 year old Shakespeare nerd, respectively.

Amy is joined by guests Manuela Zoninsein & Ashley Jackson to discuss ain’t i a woman by bell hooks. Topics include sexual repression, the reclamation of Black beauty standards, having difficult conversations, and the importance of making our feminism intersectional.

Manuela Zoninsein is a Brazilian-American passionate about accelerating the transition to a sustainable and circular economy as an entrepreneur, investor, and educator. She believes that solving for the climate crisis means identifying root causes, not just reducing emissions. Existing oppressive structures, beginning with colonialism, must be deconstructed to ensure a world where all can prosper and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Currently, Manuela is the CEO and Founder of Kadeya, a closed-loop water vending service (think Citi Bike, for water bottles). As an angel investor, Manuela has invested in over 30 women-led companies focused on sustainability. Her interests span materials science, circularity, hardware, software, energy, and consumer.

Ashley Jackson is a neurobiologist currently residing in New York City. She is also a wife, a mom, expert foodie, and Star Trek enthusiast. Ashley hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Amy is joined by guest Brianna Jovahn to discuss Women, Race and Class by Angela Davis. Topics include the legacy of racialized violence in the United States, the significance of natural hair, having integrity in our beliefs, and the challenges Black women face in the workforce.

Brianna Jovahn was born August 7th, 1992 in Cedar Hill, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas and her master’s from Grand Canyon University. Brianna is the Founder of the What’s Good Productions platform. Podcasting is not only her full-time job, but for her is something that fulfills her as she serves others in her journey. In the beginning, the goal was to learn more about Dallas’ business owners and creatives, but later it became a celebration as she connected with them. She is on a mission to build genuine and authentic connections through storytelling, and the podcast allows her to do just that.

Amy is joined by guest Jenn Lee Smith to discuss This Bridge Called My Back by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua. Topics include the burden of being a cultural ambassador, false equivalencies, and how white supremacy hurts people of all races.

Jenn Lee Smith was born on the friendly, vibrant island of Taiwan. She is a filmmaker who focuses on women-led stories of underrepresented people. In a previous life, she worked on a PhD in feminist geography. She began her producing career focused on stories at the intersection of religion and sexual/gender orientation, and has since collaborated on BIPOC and environmental films. She welcomes your recommendations for live comedy and films of all genres @bewilderfilm

Amy is joined by guest Lindsay McPhie Hickok to conclude their discussion of Roe V. Wade. This is Part Two of Two and covers personal stories of loss, the health and life of mothers, the right to privacy, the remaining text of the decision. 

Lindsay McPhie Hickok is a labor and delivery nurse and a mother of three children. She loves biochemistry, the Rocky Mountains, and water slides. She especially loves caring for new babies and empowering mothers because the process of labor and delivery is, to her, a true miracle.

Amy is joined by guest Lindsay McPhie Hickok to begin their discussion of Roe V. Wade. This is Part One of Two and covers the language of Pro-Choice and Pro-Life, the preamble to the supreme court decision, the life of Jane Roe, and the history of abortion.

Lindsay McPhie Hickok is a labor and delivery nurse and a mother of three children. She loves biochemistry, the Rocky Mountains, and water slides. She especially loves caring for new babies and empowering mothers because the process of labor and delivery is, to her, a true miracle.

Amy is joined by guest Whitney McPhie Griffith to discuss the congressional bill known as Title IX authored by Patsy T. Mink. Topics include sexual assault on school campuses, lived experiences with Title IX, and how much progress still needs to be made to keep our students safe.

Whitney McPhie Griffith is a musician, graphic designer, and interdisciplinary artist. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, she eventually made her way to the Pacific Northwest by way of Utah and Northern California. Now living in Portland, she sails the Columbia River, plays Mario Kart, and goes for bike rides with her partner.

Amy is joined by guest Jessica Harder to discuss Our Bodies, Ourselves by the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Topics include shortcomings of representation, birth control, shame, and the liberation that comes with knowing our bodies.

Jessica Harder has spent her life revolved around the human body. She began filtering her creativity into designing clothing for the body at the age of four, which led into a fifteen-year career in the fashion industry. At the age of 23 she moved to the Netherlands, where she ,met her husband and lived for six years. After moving back to the United States she changed careers and began teaching yoga and meditation. As a yoga teacher, Jessica has taught athletes training for the Olympics, rock climbers, senior citizens, babies, children, convicted convicts, people with drug and alcohol addiction, yogis, mothers, and pregnant women. She has devoted her career to teaching individuals to come into a deeper awareness of the body and mind. During the pandemic, she started a women’s group called Moms Together Six Feet Apart, which provides support to mothers giving birth during the pandemic. Jessica is currently working on her first book about prenatal yoga and raising her two children.