Madness Cafe

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How do you respond to emergencies? Do certain emotions come up for you? Do you talk about those underlying emotions? We took the time to do just that in this minisode. video is about Noone Wants To Talk About The Underlying Feelings

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Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

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In this episode guest Becky Mollenkamp comes back to Madness Cafe to discuss her new book, Liberate Your Business. In the book Becky delves into how business can be more than, different than, better than what we've always seen; business (and work, in general) can be liberatory and can help bring about the changes that we're longing for. As Becky states on her website, "The mediocre white man's playbook was never written for you." Shaped by Black feminist thought, disability justice, and abolitionist frameworks, Becky has dared to dream bigger and encourages us to do the same.

Where to find Becky Mollenkamp's work:

Website: https://beckymollenkamp.com

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@beckymollenkamp

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Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

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Trigger warning: violence. If you need to skip this episode to protect your peace, please do so and come back for the next episode.

In this week's episode, we talk about how the recent violence against women and people of the global majority is affecting us.

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Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

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In this episode, we talk about the current literacy crisis among both children and adults in the U.S. 

Mentioned in or inspiration for this episode:

https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/2024-2025-literacy-statistics

https://edtrust.org/blog/the-literacy-crisis-in-the-u-s-is-deeply-concerning-and-totally-preventable/

https://edtrust.org/blog/how-complex-decoding-challenges-can-block-comprehension-for-older-readers/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/americas-reading-crisis-that-no-one-wants-to-talk-about/

About The Right to Read Film — The Right to Read Film

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Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

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This minisode was inspired by an episode of The New York Times podcast The Interview where guests Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor discuss end times fascism.

The Interview:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/naomi-klein-and-astra-taylor-say-the-end-of-the-world/id1624946521?i=1000789153139

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

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This month's banned book is The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, the second book in the MaddAdam trilogy. The first book in the trilogy, Oryx and Crake, was discussed in episode 189 which aired on February 6, 2025. We are fortunate to have our dear friend Carolyn Crane of The Whimsy Farm podcast on the show to discuss The Year of the Flood with us. 

Where to find Carolyn Crane: https://whimsyfarm.net/

Mentioned in this episode: https://swarthmorebookgroup.wordpress.com/2019/12/11/discussion-questions-for-margaret-atwoods-year-of-the-flood/

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Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

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This week's episode features return guest N.G. Avant joining us to discuss her new book Witchy Women: Hammer. In this book, the 4 main characters travel back in time for the greater good of women as well as that of society. Tune in to this episode to hear why storytelling is so important in imagining and bringing about a better future for all of us. 

Where to find N.G. Avant:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561615521907

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ngavantauthor/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@NGAvantAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49417296.N_G_Avant

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-g-avant

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ngavantauthor.bsky.social

Pinterest: https://ca.pinterest.com/ngavantauthor

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Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

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We’re back with another banned book discussion; this month’s book is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Tune in to hear our thoughts about The Giver.

Mentioned in this episode: https://thisbookisbanned.com/banned/the-giver-banned/

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Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

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At the young age of 14, guest Linda Gambill decided that she wanted to join the Peace Corps. In her early 20s, Linda took the plunge and became one of the many Peace Corps volunteers in 1978. In her memoir, The Geography of Desire, Linda takes us along as she revisits her time in The Gambia. If you ever wanted to know what it's really like to be a volunteer in a foreign land, this is the episode for you. 

Linda Gambill has been a therapist at a state psychiatric hospital, a Peace Corps volunteer, a nationally exhibited photographer, and a teacher of English as a Second Language. Her writing has appeared in Persimmon Tree and Parhelion Literary. The Geography of Desire is her first book. A fellow of the Hambidge Center, she lives in Tennessee with her husband and their talkative rescue cat.

Where to find Linda Gambill:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindaVgambill/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindagambillwriter/

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

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We're starting a new, periodic series on the show about envisioning matriarchy. This episode is such a great way to start this series. Our guest this week, Sam Cross, literally wrote a book about it - Manifesting Matriarcy. In this episode, we talk about what matriarchy really is, how it can show up now in our daily lives, and what we can do to help bring it about for all of us. 

Sam Cross is a spiritual teacher and artist. She channels the information she receives through her creative work, and she also helps other purpose-based creatives channel their work. As she sees it, "creativity" is the divine light we can all access. Sam's work centers around gender, purpose, soul embodiment, and understanding what we're really talking about when we use words like "divine feminine" and "matriarchy."

Where to find Sam Cross:

Instagram: @crosssam

TikTok: @cross.sam

Books: The Art of Being Light, my handwritten illustrated memoir (2025, digital and on Amazon) AND   Manifesting Matriarchy, another handwritten journey (2026, digital)

Course: The Grounded Creator

Podcast: Let's Get Metaphysical

Substack: Queerituality

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!