Ladies Who Lovebomb

Podcast friends, a little news: We shook things up, and we’re releasing new episodes in a brand new place. We've taken all of the best parts of the Ladies Who Lovebomb podcast over to our new show, called Having a Moment. Plus, we've added even more amazing content.

Be sure to subscribe to Having a Moment on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen. We’re also on Instagram @havingamoment_pod and at havingamomentpod.com. Hope you'll join us soon!

We're bringing back a listener-favorite episode with our friend Marcella: She's the VP of Project Street Beat at Planned Parenthood of New York City, and she's pretty rad. At PPNYC, Marcella's team uses mobile health labs to bring critical services, like HIV-preventive care, to people who live and work on the streets. Project Street Beat helps people get tested for STIs, find the right birth control, sign up for health insurance and even find info on affordable housing. In her spare time, Marcella's a street-style icon (Google her) and a triathlete. No big deal at all.

We're heartbroken over recent immigration news -- like the family separation "policy" at the U.S. / Mexico border. So, we're bringing back an episode from last summer with Amanda Doroshow, a New York immigration attorney who defends women and children at Her Justice. Even last year, her job was incredibly chaotic. Now, in the midst of shocking news, it's important for all of us to support people like Amanda...and to do our parts to be sure immigrants are treated with respect and dignity.

It's our last episode of the season, and Alexis Jones, the founder of ProtectHer, is telling us all about her mission to change locker room culture. You might have heard the term "locker room talk" used to explain that one lovely conversation that a certain Orange Man once had when he bragged about grabbing women by you-know-what. But Alexis is literally trying to reshape the conversation that happens when athletes get to chatting about women in the locker room. More about Alexis: when she was just 19, she started the nonprofit I Am That Girl to boost college women’s confidence. She calls it “a badass version of Girl Scouts.” She's also been a contestant on Survivor and a red-carpet TV host. (Casual.)

We're off this week, so we're bringing back an episode from January that's (unfortunately) as timely as ever. Shannon’s a mom of five who was heartbroken after the Sandy Hook school shooting in December 2012. A day after the shooting, she started a Facebook group asking Americans to do more to reduce gun violence. That group would eventually become an organization called Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. And since then, Shannon’s been called “the NRA’s worst nightmare.” In the past five years, Moms Demand Action has formed chapters in all 50 states, built up a membership of millions of supporters, and earned the financial backing of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. We talked with Shannon about passing common-sense laws to keep women and families (and everyone) safer.

Say hello to Cristina! She’s the executive director of Jolt, a nonprofit in Austin that works to increase the political power of the state’s 11-million-strong Latino population. Cristina’s work at Jolt began in November 2016 (any guesses on why?), but she also co-founded the Workers Defense Project in 2006 to help low-income workers get paid fairly and stay safe on the job. Oh and nbd, Cristina says the future of our country (how tolerant it is, how progressive it is...) hangs in the balance in Texas. Here we go!

This week, Allison Kave is giving life lessons on incorporating activism into your day job. Allison's the co-owner of Butter & Scotch in Brooklyn — it’s part bakery, part cocktail bar, all good vibes. Along with her co-owner Keavy Landreth, Allison has hired lots of women, to the point that it sometimes disorients guests. Every time her staff sells a cocktail, they donate a dollar to Planned Parenthood. And they host public phone-banking days, where customers can take a free shot of liquid courage and then call their elected officials. We love all of it!

Meet Marcella: She's the VP of Project Street Beat at Planned Parenthood of New York City, and she's pretty rad. At PPNYC, Marcella's team uses mobile health labs to bring critical services, like HIV-preventive care, to people who live and work on the streets. Project Street Beat helps people get tested for STIs, find the right birth control, sign up for health insurance and even find info on affordable housing. In her spare time, Marcella's a street-style icon (Google her) and a triathlete. Living her best dang life, every day! In this episode, Marcella shouts out: Living Sure: A New York City Health Department campaign encouraging the use of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medication that helps reduce HIV risk) among black and Latinx women. Ericka Hart: An incredible activist and sexuality educator (@ihartericka). Tagoe's Closet: Marcella's fashion connection for a certain leather jacket (@tagoescloset). Brooklyn Bike Crew: Marcella's bike squad (@brooklynbikecrew).

When Dana Marlowe changed clothing sizes and needed to get rid of a few bras several years ago, she learned that many homeless shelters are in short supply. She called for donations on social media...and yeah, you could say it went viral. In about 2 years, Dana and the organization she created, called I Support the Girls, have donated over 350,000 bras and 1 million+ menstrual hygiene products. We support the girls, and we support Dana!

When Monica Watkins traveled to Haiti in 2010 on an earthquake-relief mission, she was shocked to learn that human trafficking can spike in the aftermath of natural disasters. Monica, the daughter of two civil-rights activists, couldn't turn away. So she and her friend Jerry Chu co-founded the nonprofit Beauty for Freedom, which helps empower human-trafficking survivors through the creative arts. Since 2014, they've given more than $50,000 worth of supplies to global nonprofits and led workshops for more than 1,500 survivors. In the episode, Monica shouts out: GEMS, Challenging Heights, the Polaris Project, Rescue Foundation, New Light Kolkata and Mentari.