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What makes one a good person – is it our actions or our motivations?
To answer some of these questions, Snailina Carpenter aka Aurora Brown is joined by Student Clinical Psychologists Jordynne Le Roux and Zabibu Ishimwe. Together they break down the music and mental health themes in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 Episode 5, titled “Josh and I Are Good People!”
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00:00:00 Short introduction to a psychological analysis of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S01E05
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You can contribute to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/
Bloom, R., & Schlesinger, A. (2015, November 9). I'm A Good Person (Reprise). MMXV CBS Studios; Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Is the fastest way to get over someone really to get under someone else?
To answer some of these questions, Aurora Brown is joined by healthy choices, Clinical Psychologist Nazneen Firfirey and Biodiversity and Conservation Biologist – and musical theatre extraordinaire – Lyle Wilson. Together they break down the music and mental health themes in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 Episode 4, titled “I’m Going on a Date with Josh’s Friend!”
Let's get weird.
Nazneen Firfirey: [email protected]
🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
00:00:00 Short introduction to the representation of mental health in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S01E04
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Bloom, R., & Schlesinger, A. (2015, November 2). Settle for Me (Reprise). MMXV CBS Studios; Warner Bros. Entertainment.
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How is Rebecca ever going to rekindle her romance with Josh, now that Valencia has warned her to stay away from them both?
To answer these questions, Aurora is joined by her definite friends, Student Clinical Psychologists HuiMei Lu and Darryn Williams. On this episode of the We're All So Broken Inside series, they analyse the representation of mental health and psychology in "I Hope Josh Comes to My Party!", Episode 3 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So swallow the barf and press play!
🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
00:00:00 Short introduction to representation of psychology in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S01E03
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You can contribute to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/
Bloom, R. (Writer), Brosh McKenna, A. (Writer), & Davis, T. (Director). (2015, October 26). I Hope Josh Comes to My Party! (Season 1, Episode 3) [TV series episode]. In R. Bloom, A. Bosh McKenna, & M. Webb (Executive Producers), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. MMXV CBS Studios; Warner Bros. Entertainment.
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Can Rebecca freely admit that she moved to West Covina for Josh, now that Paula has discovered her secret?
To answer these questions, Aurora is joined by her "cazh buds" Counselling Psychologist Rekha Kangokar and Student Clinical Psychologist Cailen Jonker. On this episode of the We're All So Broken Inside series, they analyse the representation of mental health and psychology in "Josh's Girlfriend Is Really Cool!", Episode 2 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So ready your resting Maggie Smith face and press play!
Learn about Rekha's practice on her website: https://harmonyunbound.co.za/
🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
00:00:00 Short introduction to representation of psychology and mental health in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S01E02
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You can contribute to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/
Bloom, R. (Writer), Brosh McKenna, A. (Writer), & Scardino, D. (Director). (2015, October 19). Josh's Girlfriend Is Really Cool! (Season 1, Episode 2) [TV series episode]. In R. Bloom, A. Bosh McKenna, & M. Webb (Executive Producers), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. MMXV CBS Studios; Warner Bros. Entertainment.
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Aurora Brown is joined by Registered Counsellor and Student Clinical Psychologist HuiMei "Lulu" Lu and award-winning actor, singer, director, and vocal coach Richard White to kick off We're All So Broken Inside -- a deep dive into the portrayal of mental health and psychology in the CW musical dramedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Together, they unpack the pilot episode, in which Rebecca Bunch quits her high-powered New York law firm and moves across the country to reconnect with a summer camp ex -- a decision that is, on paper, a terrible idea, and yet somehow completely compelling. So weird, right?!
The episode closes with the panel's first Fanon Test ratings for the series, scoring Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1, Episode 1 across all five scales. The verdict? A surprisingly strong opener -- with a few notable caveats.
Connect with Richard on Instagram at @RichardLloydWhite, and check out his LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/richardlloydwhite
🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
00:00:00 Short introduction to representation of psychology and mental health in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S01E01
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You can contribute to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/
Bloom, R. (Writer), Brosh McKenna, A. (Writer), & Webb, M. (Director). (2015, October 12). Josh Just Happens to Live Here! (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In R. Bloom, A. Bosh McKenna, & M. Webb (Executive Producers), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. MMXV CBS Studios; Warner Bros. Entertainment.
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Is economic empowerment really the fastest route to gender equality — or have we reduced liberation to a market strategy?
From microfinance and entrepreneurship to land ownership, migration, climate change, and unpaid care labour, this episode explores the gap between economic inclusion and actual power. We also explore the limits of neoliberal “empowerment,” the persistence of patriarchal power structures, and why representation without structural change can become little more than optics.
🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology. In this week's bonus segment, we connect these ideas to current legal debates, including a landmark case before the Supreme Court of the United States on transgender girls in school sports.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
00:00:00 Short introduction
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Arun, S., Annim, S., Bose, U., & Arun, T. (2023) ‘Gendered Financial Behaviour in Ghana: A Comparative Study with South Africa’, In J.A. Peprah et al. (eds.), Financial Sector Development in Ghana. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
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Why do some athletes get celebrated for their natural advantages — while others are treated as problems to be solved?
In this episode, we explore the case of Caster Semenya to unpack how gender, race, and power shape who is allowed to belong in sport. From international regulations on testosterone to media narratives about “fairness,” Semenya’s story reveals how institutions continue to police bodies that don’t fit narrow definitions of womanhood.
But this isn’t just about elite sport.
From women of colour on the global stage to transgender girls in school athletics, similar arguments about biology and fairness are being used to justify exclusion — often targeting those already marginalised. This episode asks:
🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology. In this week's bonus segment, we connect these ideas to current legal debates, including a landmark case before the Supreme Court of the United States on transgender girls in school sports.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
| 00:00:00 Short introduction
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You can contribute to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/
Adichie, C.N. (2009) 'The danger of a single story', TED Global, July [online]. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript (Accessed 7 July 2024)
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In this episode of Intersectional Psychology, we explore how religion shapes our understanding of justice in South Africa, particularly in relation to gender. From early moral teachings about "right" and "wrong", to the ways religious doctrine influences law, relationships, and social norms, faith plays a far more political role than it often admits.
Drawing on personal experience, psychological insight, and feminist and decolonial perspectives, this episode unpacks both the liberatory and harmful roles religion can play. This is not a conversation about whether religion is "good" or "bad".
It's about asking a more uncomfortable question:
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| 00:00:00 Short introduction
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Content Note: This episode discusses gender-based violence and femicide. Please take care of yourself while listening.
Gender-based violence is often described as a crisis. But what if it’s also a system?
In this episode of Intersectional Psychology, we examine how patriarchal ideology helps produce and sustain gender-based violence in South Africa. From early childhood socialisation to cultural practices, institutional failures, and historical inequalities, violence against women does not emerge in isolation — it grows out of deeply embedded power structures.
The episode also examines the profound psychological, social, and economic consequences of domestic violence for survivors, families, and communities. Finally, we explore what research tells us about prevention: why community-driven interventions are often more effective than isolated policy responses, and what it might take to dismantle the systems that allow gender-based violence to persist.
Because ending gender-based violence requires more than responding to individual acts of harm. It requires confronting the structures that make that harm possible.
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🌈 If this episode resonates, please share it, rate the show, and send us your thoughts.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
| 00:00:00 Short introduction
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You can contribute to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/
Gqola, P.D. (2015) Rape: A SA Nightmare. Johannesburg: MF Books.
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Content Note: This episode discusses gender-based violence, rape culture, and femicide. Please take care of yourself while listening.
South Africa doesn’t just have a “violence problem.” It has a patriarchy problem.
In this episode, Aurora unpacks how gender-based violence is sustained — not only through individual perpetrators, but through systems: colonial legacies, racial capitalism, religious discourse, media narratives, workplace hierarchies, and everyday gender socialisation.
🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology.
🌈 If this episode resonates, please share it, rate the show, and send us your thoughts.
📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.
| 00:00:00 Content note
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You can contribute to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/
Ademiluka, S.O. (2018) 'Patriarchy and Women Abuse: Perspectives from Ancient Israel and Africa', Old Testament Essays, 31(2), pp. 339-362 [online]. Available at: https://scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1010-99192018000200004&script=sci_abstract (Accessed 21 July 2024)
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