Hysterical Hysteria

Tituba: The Enslaved Woman at the Center of the Salem Witch Trials

The hosts of Hysterical Hysteria share a content warning, briefly chat about being overworked, and announce they won’t release a full episode the first week of November, though they may post a short voting reminder. They conclude their witch-story series with Tituba, an enslaved indigenous woman likely from Venezuela with Arawak ancestry, whose identity has often been misrepresented as Black in later literature and The Crucible. Kidnapped and enslaved in Barbados, Tituba was brought to Salem by minister Samuel Parris, where his daughter Betty and cousin Abigail accused her after fortune-telling games drew attention. After Tituba baked “witch cakes” under a neighbor’s direction, she was beaten, arrested, tortured into confessing, and pressured to name others, leading her to accuse Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. Tituba later recanted; after 13 months jailed, she was purchased, freed, and disappears from records.

00:00 Content Warning

00:16 Recording Mishaps

00:44 Allergies and Sweater Talk

02:46 Busy Work Schedule

03:52 Break and Voting Plan

05:55 Meet Tituba

08:03 Tituba Origins and Slavery

10:43 Parris Moves to Salem

12:14 Stories and Fortune Telling

14:46 Accusations and Possession

17:32 Witch Cake Ritual

18:16 Witch Cake Fallout

19:09 Torture And Confession

20:50 Naming Salem Scapegoats

23:06 Trials Spiral Out

24:53 Cat Desk Detour

26:06 Tituba Not Voodoo

27:09 Survival And Legacy

29:21 Sources Halloween Wrap

30:38 Break And Goodbyes

32:23 Where To Find Us

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Sources

YouTube "The Mysterious Slave Behind the Salem Witch Trials/Tituba" by Forgotten Lives, 2/9/2021

YouTube "Tituba of the Salem Witch Trials" by Black Gems Unearthed, 11/25/2020

thoughtco.com "Tituba's Race" by Jone Johnson Lewis, 3/23/2019

Bonus Episode: Why Voting Matters—Midterms, Local Impact, and Voting Rights

The hosts record their first bonus episode focused on why voting matters, with Gina leading the research and emphasizing that government decisions affect daily life through schools, transportation, housing, healthcare, public safety, and taxes. They argue midterm elections can be especially important as a “temperature check” and because voters choose Congress members and many state and local officials, including judges and school boards, with an example of local misconduct affecting snowstorm preparedness in Prince George’s County. They discuss holding officials accountable, combating apathy, and making voting a community tradition, including Maryland’s applause for first-time voters. Gina outlines key U.S. voting-rights milestones—the 15th Amendment (1870), 19th Amendment (1920), and Voting Rights Act (1965)—noting ongoing barriers. They encourage early voting, mail voting, knowing state rules, and planning ahead, highlight the 2026 midterms (Nov. 3, 2026), and Gina recounts attending a 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris voting-rights forum as a Maryland election judge.

00:00 Forgot To Hit Record

00:39 Bonus Episode On Voting

01:49 Why Midterms Matter

02:50 When Leaders Fail

04:47 Your Life Is Policy

05:42 Midterms Choose Local Power

08:45 Local Elections Hit Home

11:44 Holding Officials Accountable

14:58 Voting When You Feel Unheard

17:57 Make Voting A Tradition

19:56 Learn The Ballot Questions

21:12 Plan Your Vote Early

23:20 Voting Rights Timeline

25:12 Suffrage And Exclusion

28:22 Why Vote Early

31:04 Work Leave And Mail Voting

34:54 Midterms Matter 2026

36:24 Voting Prep Checklist

40:16 Meeting Kamala Harris

44:22 Final Call To Vote

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Sara and Gina talk about Mother Shipton who lived in the 14 and 15 hundreds, and lived in a cave most of her life. Although she was said to be a classic "ugly witch" she had a personality to die for. She was made fun of most of her life, but she also was the town healer and midwife her town knew they needed. 

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Sources:

historic-uk.com "Mother Shipton and Her Prophesies" by Jessica Brain, 4/5/2022

annabelfrage.com from Stolen Moments Blog/Marching Through History "Marching Through Time-Mother Shipton and her Prophesies" by Anna Belfrage, 3/17/2025

Marie Laveau: The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans (and a Slavery Disclaimer)

Sara opens with a disclaimer apologizing for sarcastic remarks about slavery in the episode, clarifying she condemns slavery as violent, unethical, and immoral and wants the history taught. Sara and Gina share podcast updates (86 downloads as of Aug. 30, roughly top 25% of new podcasts), ask listeners for five-star reviews to boost visibility and attract advertisers, and thank several listeners by name. They then discuss Marie Laveau’s background through her maternal lineage from Senegal to New Orleans, the complexities of slavery and racial caste terms like “mulatto” and “quadroon,” and Laveau’s upbringing in a matriarchal, Catholic-yet-African-ritual tradition. Marie becomes a renowned hairdresser, counselor, midwife, nurse, and voodoo leader, blending Catholicism with voodoo, leading St. John’s Eve celebrations, aiding prisoners and the sick, and guarding secrets. They cover her relationships, children, death in 1881, tomb pilgrimage traditions, and legends of Marie II and modern sightings, then list sources and explain they are banking episodes due to a busy work season.

00:00 Content Warning Disclaimer

02:39 Podcast Milestones Update

04:25 Reviews and Listener Shoutouts

05:52 Meet Marie Laveau

07:11 Roots in Slavery Era

08:29 New Orleans Changing Laws

10:34 Rita and Marie Birth

11:56 Derogatory Terms Explained

14:11 Matriarchal Upbringing

16:51 Hairdresser to Power Broker

19:55 Marriage and Caste Labels

21:03 Widowhood and New Partner

22:37 Money Myths and Hard Times

23:12 Midwife to Voodoo Leader

24:28 St Johns Eve Rituals

25:10 Legacy Death and Tomb

27:08 Marie II and Immortality Rumors

29:07 Why Men Feared Her

30:34 Sources and Research Notes

32:07 Podcast Scheduling Update

33:08 Life Updates and Farm Event

36:09 Wrap Up and Contact Info

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Sources

You tube, "Marie LaVeaux-The Real Life of New Orleans Legendary Voodoo Queen" by Darkest Lives, a Bing Video

You Tube, "Marie LaVeaux: The New Orleans Voodoo Queen" by Legends of History

cemeteryneworleans.com "The Real Marie LaVeaux: Truths Behind Her Tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1" 11/1/2025

64parished.org "Marie LaVeaux" by Carolyn Morrow Long, 10/12/2017, updated on 2/9/2021

Britannica

Dame Alice Kyteler: Ireland’s First Witch Trial and the Scapegoating of Petronella de Meath

The hosts of Hysterical Hysteria open with a trigger warning and discuss starting a Halloween “witchy” series, noting historical witch hunts targeted unconventional or wealthy women and drawing parallels to modern “witch hunt” rhetoric. They cover Alice Kyteler (born circa 1263), considered the first woman in Ireland accused of witchcraft and sentenced to burn. A wealthy businesswoman with four husbands—three dying under unclear circumstances—Alice was targeted after husband Richard DeVault’s adult children spread rumors when he left her money. Bishop Richard de la Dread brought sensational charges including demonic sex, secret rituals, and murdering husbands for wealth, despite church-state limits and creditors’ motives. Alice, her son William Jr., and servants were arrested; Alice escaped, but servant Petronella de Meath was tortured and burned in 1324, the only recorded Irish witch burning. William Jr. received penance and a costly roof repair punishment.

00:00 Content Warning

00:12 Catch Up Banter

00:48 Halloween Witch Series

02:29 Why Women Were Accused

04:00 Alice Kyteler Origins

06:25 Husbands One and Two

08:18 Husbands Three and Four

12:14 Money Motive and Bishop

16:56 Arrest and Escape

18:51 Petronella Tragedy

19:33 Willie Punishment Fallout

22:30 Sources and Wrap Up

24:10 Outro and Contact Info

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historickilkenny.com "Dame Alice Kyteler" no author/date listed

historyireland.com "The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyteler" by Bernadette Williams

"The Imfamous Medieval Witch Case of Alice Kyteler" Youtube video by Medieval Madness

"The Witchcraft Trial of Alice Kyteler" Youtube, by Footnoting History, hosted by Kristin

Coming Out of the Broom Closet: A Personal Witchcraft Story

The host opens with a content warning about violence against women and explains Gina is off for the day, then celebrates October and Halloween by introducing a month-long plan to cover four historical “witches.” She shares her personal story of identifying as a witch after becoming disillusioned with mainstream religions and reconnecting spiritually through gardening, describing Mother Earth as the feminine divine and paganism as rooted in nature’s life-death cycles. She discusses sensing energy in places, including a negative experience in a stagnant apartment and a visceral reaction at Sachsenhausen, and criticizes religious hypocrisy and harm done in religion’s name while urging nonjudgment and alignment between beliefs and actions. She outlines her rituals and tools (broom, wand, crystals, herbs, spells).

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Beyond the Panini Press: New Alternatives to Mammograms

Two hosts discuss mammograms as breast-cancer screening, describing the painful “squeezing” process, especially for dense breast tissue, and how mammograms can be less useful for them, often requiring follow-up ultrasounds that may not be covered by insurance. They review emerging alternatives: photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) using laser light and sound to create 3D maps without radiation; VeraScan, a face-down 3D scan with less radiation and no compression; dedicated breast CT (IzoView) for fast 360-degree imaging, helpful with implants; an experimental fingerprint sweat test using mass spectrometry and AI; molecular breast imaging as a supplement after mammograms using radioactive tracer; AI-enhanced mammography to improve detection and reduce false positives; “Blue Box” at-home urine testing using AI modeled on dogs’ olfaction; and an MIT smart-bra wearable ultrasound. They argue more women in STEM and better funding could make screening more tolerable and increase participation.

00:00 Content Warning

00:17 Catching Up

02:03 Mammograms Today

02:16 Pain and Dense Tissue

04:06 First Mammogram Story

06:26 Why Mammograms Fail

08:47 New Tech Hope

10:07 PACT Explained

13:10 VeraScan 3D Scan

15:02 Dedicated Breast CT

15:59 Fingerprint Sweat Test

17:59 Molecular Breast Imaging

19:48 AI Enhanced Reads

21:45 Blue Box Urine AI Test

23:34 Smart Bra Ultrasound Patch

24:38 Why Mammograms Get Avoided

25:45 Funding AI and Women in STEM

27:04 Insurance and Hospital Pushback

29:21 Pap Smear Tech Gets Easier

31:12 Family Health Talk Bowel Habits

33:12 Plans Money and Sign Off

35:50 Where to Find the Show

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Painful sex can come from an array of different reasons. What are they and what we can do about it. From trauma to genetics, the most important part of the equation is your partner and patience. 

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sources

Healthline.com "Busting the Myths Behind Vaginal Tightness" by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH, OB/GYN

intimaterose.com "Common Causes for a Tight Vagina and How to Loosen Things Up" by Dr. Amanda Olson, DPT, PRPC

Hingehealth.com, cancer.uthscsa.edu for yoga poses

Why Women Are Obsessed With True Crime (and What We Can Change)

The hosts discuss women’s fascination with true crime, noting the audience is about 80% female while around 90% of violent crimes are committed by men, and that when women are victims it is often by a partner or someone they know. They share favorite true crime shows and podcasts, then outline AI-suggested reasons for the interest: education and recognizing warning signs, empathy for victims, psychological “control” by consuming fear safely, satisfaction when cases are solved and accountability is delivered, and empowerment through learning protective strategies and “red flags.” They connect the genre’s rise to online dating and the need for women to vet matches, citing statistics on vetting and unmatching. They also address media bias toward missing/violated white, attractive, middle-class women, urging fans to demand coverage of underreported cases involving Black, brown, and especially Indigenous women and those labeled as living “riskier lifestyles,” and they list cited sources.

00:00 Content Warning

00:13 Llama Day Banter

01:28 Women and True Crime Setup

01:42 Favorite Crime Shows

03:27 Podcast Obsessions

05:25 Knowing Cases Too Well

07:03 Why Women Watch

08:20 Stats and Reality Check

09:07 AI Explains the Appeal

10:37 Empathy and Control

12:26 Accountability and Justice

14:40 Coping and Dark Humor

16:15 Heroes and Victim Clues

17:09 Crowdsourcing and Sleuthing

18:09 True Crime Meets Dating Apps

19:11 Vetting Matches Like FBI

21:20 Multitasking and Getting It Done

22:31 Puzzles and Problem Solvers

23:58 Missing White Woman Syndrome

25:37 Demand Better Coverage

28:31 Indigenous Cases and Jurisdiction

29:24 Sources and Wrap Up

30:14 Life Updates and Goodbyes

31:57 Dog Check and Paw Injury

34:05 Where to Find Us

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Sources: 

pschyologytoday.com "Why the True Crime Audience is Predominantly Female" by Dr. Scott A. Bonn, PhD, 11/7/2023

oprahdaily.com "The Real Reason So Women Are Obsessed with True Crime" by Kate Rope, 11/10/2025

guardian.com "Why Do Women Love True Crime So Much? I Have a Theory." by Nancy Joe Sales, 7/5/2023

derby.ac.uk "Why Are We So Obsessed With True Crime?" from [email protected], issue 11

Lilith, “Schnitzy,” and the Demonization of Women’s Autonomy

The hosts open with a content warning and chat about a midsummer celebration at the Swedish Embassy, pole dancing jokes, and filming a nursing training video on perineal cleaning, which leads to discussing nicknames for their vaginas (Sara’s “Lily,” now short for “Lilith,” and Gina’s “schnitzel,” later “Schnitzy”). They then recount Lilith traditions: as Adam’s first wife created from the same clay, refusing submission, leaving Eden by speaking the divine name, and later being portrayed in Jewish and later texts as a demon/succubus blamed for infant deaths, miscarriages, and nocturnal emissions, including amulet lore and other depictions (owl, vampire, serpent body). They argue the story was used to enforce women’s submission and highlight Lilith’s modern feminist symbolism (Lilith Fair, a Jewish women’s magazine). They close with sources, talk about an armored Lexus loaner versus a broken old car, gardening plans, DC disruptions, age hypocrisy in politics, FIFA as a global unifier, and a dog wanting a walk.

00:00 Content Warning

00:17 Midsummer Maypole Banter

00:52 Pole Dancing Tangent

02:23 Nurse Training Video Explained

04:23 Naming Lily and Schnitzel

08:37 Lilith Adam First Wife

11:49 Lilith Flees Eden

13:10 Angels Threaten Lilith

16:12 Amulet Deal and Demon Blame

19:17 Translation Kabbalah Succubus

21:47 Gender Beyond Binary

22:14 Lilith Demon Origins

22:52 Patriarchy Warning Tale

23:43 Monsters and Symbols

24:56 Lilith Reclaimed

25:49 Lilith Fair Backlash

26:18 Rewrite the Narrative

27:44 Sources and Credits

28:50 Loaner Car Love

33:55 DC Chaos and Politics

37:02 FIFA and Global Joy

40:31 Dog Walk Goodbye

43:18 Outro and Contact

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Sources:

Biblicalarchaeology.com "Lilith" by Janet Howe Gaines, 3/23/2026

myjewishlearning.com "Lilith: Lady Flying in Darkness" by Rabbi Dr. Jill Hammer.

youtube video "The Most Famous Ancient Female Demon: The True Sumerian Story of Lilith