Feminist Hotdog

Yep, we’re still inside. Is anyone else scraping the bottom of their self-care toolkit? If virtual happy hour and Tiger King aren’t cutting it anymore, you need this episode. The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on our mental health, especially for the millions of people in this country who suffer from mental illness or have a history of sexual trauma. My guests this week are two mental health providers who each have unique and helpful resources to share. Stephanie James, host of The Spark podcast, joined me to talk about techniques she uses to help her clients stay grounded. She also extends an invitation to a free online summit for survivors of sexual abuse seeking to reclaim their power. Alexandra Pajak provided mental health services in the prison system for a decade, and has composed a gorgeous album of music inspired by mental illness and recovery from trauma. Sample a few tracks and then buy the album; all proceeds go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. (Music by Ava Luna and Loyalty Freak Music.)Stuff We Talked About on This EpisodeMonochrome CandlesThe Spark PodcastThe Spark BookWomen Emerging: Reclaiming Our Souls from Sexual AbuseSacred Sexuality SummitMind/Electric on Spotify Mind/Electric on Amazon Mind/Electric on iTunes National Alliance on Mental Illness

Unique times call for unique episodes. This week, I spoke to four different people about how they are experiencing the COVID-19 epidemic and their visions for how they see the virus influencing our human future. Listen in on my conversations with Erin and Maria of the podcast Feminists Without Mystique, my good friend Joanna Williams, and my 8-year-old niece and first-time podcast guest Evelyn. (Music by Ava Luna and Loyalty Freak Music.)Stuff We Talked About on This EpisodeCOVID-19 Mutual AidStill ProcessingJenna Wortham"The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism""Ohio, Texas Use COVID-19 to Stop Abortions"Energy Hygiene Meditation (scroll to bottom to register)Compassion in the Time of the CoronavirusPost by Rachel CarglePost by Erika Hart"In Italy, Coronavirus Takes a Higher Toll on Men"Four US Senators Sold Stocks After COVID-19 Briefings"A Feminist's Response to COVID-19"

Get ready for some REAL TALK, y’all! Pelvic floor issues can cause—and be caused by—incontinence, constipation, and painful vaginal intercourse among other concerns. The good news is you can treat pelvic floor issues with physical therapy, and Dr. Lauren Crigler is here to enlighten us about the options. She’s on a mission to help women and people of all genders connect with their bodies and their sexual partners and empower themselves to have pleasurable, pain-free sex. If you’re one of the 40 PERCENT of people who have vaginas and find vaginal intercourse painful, don’t miss this episode! (Music by Ava Luna, Loyalty Freak Music, Make My Love Your Home, Katrina Stone, Clepsydrae, Monako, and Borrtex.)Stuff We Talked About on This Episodedrlaurencrigler.com

What do you do when you and your chosen family member are diagnosed with cancer within days of each other? If you’re Brooks Nelson and Yee Won Chong, you eat a lot of pie—and then you make a movie. As two transmasculine people who were treated for cancers often (and incorrectly) associated only with cisgender women, Brooks and Yee Won are using their story to educate and to inspire change. Hear how their documentary, Trans Dudes With Lady Cancer, is busting myths, opening minds, and challenging medical establishments across the country to embrace trans-inclusive healthcare. (Music by Ava Luna, Loyalty Freak Music, Make My Love Your Home, Katrina Stone, Clepsydrae, Monako, and Borrtex.)Stuff We Talked About on This EpisodeTrans Dudes With Lady Cancer‘Chosen Families’ Gain Legal Recognition in Sick-leave LawsBeyond the Gender Binary (Yee Won's TED Talk)

For the third and final episode in the Feminism and Sobriety series, I spoke with Jocellyn Harvey, author of Recovering the Home. Jocellyn’s sobriety story led her to a place where she felt the need to recover not only her body and her mind, but also her living space. She developed a four-part framework for women who want to clear their homes of the energy created by their drinking and replace it with a safe, nurturing environment where they can feel comfortable and relaxed without alcohol. Jocellyn is inspiring for many reasons, but one of the biggest things I took away from our conversation was how committed she is to resisting perfectionism and giving herself grace. Listen and learn about how she overcome not only her problem drinking, but also the endless cycle of feeling like we’re never doing enough. (Music by Ava Luna, Loyalty Freak Music, Gradient, Borrtex, Stanley Gurvich, Monako, and Katrina Stone)Stuff We Talked About on This Episode@SharingmysobrietyRecovering the Homerecoveringthehome.com

CW: sexual assault There is a tremendous amount of tension in the conversation about alcohol and sexual assault; Nina is here to help us name it AND address it. As someone who claims both the labels alcoholic and rape survivor, Nina is using her voice to help banish the shame and stigma so many people associate with addiction and sexual trauma through her online platform @thesobrfeminist. Hear Nina’s story, and learn how getting angry and publicly protesting sexual assault and rape culture have been pivotal to her recovery and her identity as a feminist. (Music by Ava Luna, Loyalty Freak Music, Katrina Stone, Rew, Kola, Space Doves, Borrtex, and Josh Leake.)Stuff We Talked About on This EpisodeThe Sober Feminist @thesobrfeministNina’s sobriety storyFederalist Society protest of Brett Kavanaugh Ask a Former Drunk: It’s Time to Talk About Alcohol and SexResourcesRAINN sexual assault hotlineMen Can Stop Rape16 Ways You Can Stand Against Rape CultureLGBTQ resources (scroll down for resources)

We are kicking off 2020 with a guest I have wanted to interview forever: Holly Whitaker, founder of Tempest Sobriety School and author of the fabulous new book Quit Like a Woman. If you’ve ever questioned your relationship with drinking or you're thinking about making a change for 2020, this episode is a MUST LISTEN.Today's topic is particularly personal. This is the first in a three-episode series about feminism and sobriety that I wanted to do, in part, to create some space to talk about my own recovery and to come out as a sober person and what that means as a feminist. (Have questions? Let’s talk!)Holly dropped so many mind bombs in this interview, it was almost impossible to edit. We talked about her story, why she tried and then left AA, and the origins of Tempest. We also dug into why our recovery culture needs a feminist overhaul and what it really means to “quit like a woman.” (Music by Ava Luna, Loyalty Freak Music, Katrina Stone, Rew, Space Doves, Borrtex, and Josh Leake.)Stuff We Talked About on This EpisodeQuit Like a Woman by Holly WhitakerTempest Sobriety SchoolThe TemperAt the Root of This Longing by Carol Lee FlindersThe Easy Way to Control Alcohol by Allen CarrAdrienne’s sobriety storyAdrienne's Quit Lit FavoritesBlackout by Sara HepolaDrinking: A Love Story by Caroline KnappThe Sober Diaries by Clare PooleyThis Naked Mind by Annie GraceThe Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine GrayGirl Walks Out of a Bar by Lisa F. SmithNothing Good Can Come From This by Kristi CoulterAlcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck

It’s the last episode of Season 2! I can’t think of a better way to mark 30 episodes of Feminist Hotdog than by talking to Amelia Hruby, podcaster extraordinaire, who is traveling to EVERY STATE in the country to interview gender justice and queer liberation activists for her show, Fifty Feminist States. Learn along with Amelia as she talks about the amazing people she’s met on her recent trip to the Deep South (including Montgomery!), her forthcoming book of feminist mantras, and what’s inspiring a whole choral arrangement of singing in her feminist heart.Stay tuned for season 3 coming in January!

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

Fifty Feminist Stateshttps://www.fiftyfeministstates.com

Sister - Feminist Business Schoolhttps://sister.is/

Living a Feminist Life by Sara Ahmedhttps://www.dukeupress.edu/living-a-feminist-life

Violet Valley Bookstorehttps://www.violetvalley.org/

SisterReachhttps://www.sisterreach.com/

Cherisse Scotthttp://www.womenofachievement.org/vision/cherisse-scott/

Jasmine Tasakihttp://bigdoorbrigade.com/2019/07/10/interview-with-jasmine-tasaki-about-trans-mutual-aid-work-in-tennessee/

Sometimes I wish I could go back and meet my 20-year-old self. I’m sure she’d be cool, but there’s no way she’d be as woke, witty, and together as this week’s guest—Leah Abrams! She’s a feminist college student with a mind for policy, history, and grassroots organizing, and she has a lot to say about the way feminism has already positively influenced her life. Listen in as we talk about feminism on campus, unsung climate change heroes, things we’re REALLY good at, two media groundbreakers who belong in the Hotdog Hall of Fame.Mothers of Invention Podcasthttps://www.mothersofinvention.online

22  Diverse Voices to Follow on Twitter this Earth Dayhttps://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/04/22-diverse-voices-to-follow-on-twitter-this-earth-day/

"13 Things I Am Really, Really Good At" by Manchit Sachdevahttps://www.makemuse.online/content/read/13-things-i-am-really-really-good-at

Make Musehttps://www.makemuse.online

Maura Sheedyhttps://strategygirl.nyc/2019/04/19/interview-with-maura-sheedy-founder-of-make-muse/

Nikole Hannah-Joneshttps://nikolehannahjones.com

If you’re not tuned in to Jana Schmieding and her awesome podcast Woman of Size, you’re missing out. Jana is a comedian, writer, educator, and artist with a talent for getting to the heart of why we need to expand our vision of justice. She is also a Lakota woman who navigates feminism in white and decolonized spaces and has a lot to say about both. We talked about how she uses her platform to advance both Native and fat liberation, dug into the distinctions between body positivity and fat positivity, and celebrated the badassery of Wilma Mankiller. (P.S. Check out her essay in the new YA book The Other F Word!)Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

Woman of Size podcasthttps://www.womanofsize.com

Woman of Size on Instagram (@womanofsizepod)https://www.instagram.com/womanofsizepod/

Check out Jana’s beadwork here! (@janaunplgd)https://www.instagram.com/janaunplgd/

All My Relations podcasthttps://www.allmyrelationspodcast.com

Native Appropriations bloghttp://nativeappropriations.com

"Stop Apologizing, Start Thanking"https://medium.com/@severinevct/stop-apologizing-start-thanking-9dd000236fdf

"Stop Saying 'Sorry' and Say 'Thank You' Instead"https://www.boredpanda.com/stop-saying-sorry-say-thank-you-comic-yao-xiao/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Mankillerhttps://www.pbs.org/show/mankiller/

The Other F Wordhttps://diversebooks.org/qa-with-angie-manfredi-the-other-f-word/