Madness Cafe

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In this week's episode author Emily Meg Weinstein joins us to discuss her memoir Turn to Stone. Emily does so much more than just chronicle a significant time in her life or regale the reader with tales of her rock climbing adventures, she examines her own fears and desires, leading to realizations that are simultaneously personal and universal. This is a conversation of and for the heart. We hope you enjoy it.

More about Emily Meg Weinstein:

Emily Meg Weinstein is the author of Turn to Stone, her début memoir. An essayist, educator, and activist, Weinstein is a founding member of Climbers for Palestine California, the sole proprietor of her own tutoring company, and holds a Bachelorette of Arts with honors from Brown University in the self-created major "Human Freedom and Education." Her work has been featured in Orion, LitHub, Electric Lit, Salon, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Longreads, Climbing, Rock and Ice, and other publications, and her essay, “Mating Habits of the Asterisk,” received a notable mention in Best American Essays 2015. Born in New York and raised in Queens and Long Island, Emily lives, writes, and teaches on a houseboat in the San Francisco Bay, roams in her minivan, and roots for the New York Mets.

Where to find Emily Meg Weinstein:

Website: emilymegweinstein.com 

Instagram: @emilymweinstein

Facebook: @emilyweinstein

Her book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Turn-to-Stone/Emily-Meg-Weinstein/9781668047859 

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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 week's episode, we discuss Just Pills: The Extraordinary Story of a Revolution in Abortion Care by Rebecca Kelliher. This book details the history of mifepristone and misoprostol - the two pills used in medication abortions. 

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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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This month's installment of our Banned Books Series is all about The Vagina Monologues - the play written by V (formerly known as Eve Ensler) in 1994. "Based on dozens of interviews V conducted with women, the play addressed women’s sexuality and the social stigma surrounding rape and abuse, creating a new conversation about and with women." The Vagina Monologues is just as important and powerful now as it was more than 30 years ago. Tune in to hear our thoughts about the play, vaginas, and the role men need to play in the movement to address the violence against women. 

Where to find The Vagina Monologues: https://www.vday.org/

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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We talk often on this show about the collapse of patriarchy, listening to new and different voices and perspectives, and the envisioning of a new way forward for society. It's also important to talk about how women are supporting patriarchy. This week's guest is one of those voices examining our present while envisioning a new future - Mansi Sethiya is an advocate, teacher, and institutional critic whose work bridges the classroom and the courtroom. She is also a TEDx Speaker who spoke about empowering voices and challenging societal norms through public speaking and education. Mansi's blend of TEDx speaking experience, academic excellence, and advocacy make her a powerful voice for conversations on law, education, and social change. 

Where to find Mansi Sethiya:

Instagram: @mansi_sethiya

TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/32-Jj3TMcME?si=UcGk28oAeN--S13U

Mentioned in this episode: https://goettner-abendroth.de/en/publications/books

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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Content warning: In this week's episode, we share our thoughts about The Epstein Files. This is a heavy topic riddled with powerful emotions. Please take care of yourself and prepare yourself however you need to in order to listen. Or sit this one out if that is what is best for you. 

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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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Although this week's guest, Melissa Tiers, focuses professionally on coaching the unconscious mind via hypnosis, she speaks passionately and often on social media about issues near and dear to our hearts here at Madness Cafe; specifically, patriarchy, decentering men, and how we've all been primed to act (and, yes, believe) in certain ways by the world we live in. And that world is shaped in very large part by patriarchy. In this discussion, we wrestle with the following questions: How much are we effected by our environment? Are we even aware of the ways in which we're influenced by the world around us? How does that show up in our day-to-day interactions? What can we do about it? Heady stuff but, we're here for it. 

Melissa Tiers is a multi-award-winning author, speaker, and hypnosis trainer. She is also the founder of The Center for Integrative Hypnosis and The Ethical Coaching Collective with an international private practice.

Where to find Melissa Tiers:

Instagram: @melissatiers

Facebook: @melissa.tiers

Website: Melissa Tiers | Coaching the Unconscious Mind

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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The next book in our Banned Books Series is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Published in 1993, this near dystopian, post-apocalyptic allegory explores themes of adaptation and change, environmental and social breakdown, survival and resilience, and hyperempathy and interconnectedness. Tune in to hear our discussion about the book, its relevance, and why society needs to hear the message contained in its pages.

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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Cheri Bergeron always knew that motherhood was in her future. Indeed, she made it her mission to become a mother. Cheri chronicles all that she went through on the way to motherhood in her memoir Mission Motherhood: Writing A New Fairy Tale of Love and Family. Tune in to this candid discussion to learn about all that our guest goes through to build her family. "If the glass slipper doesn't fit, screw the fairy tale! Become a mother on your own terms."

Where to find Cheri Bergeron:

Website: https://www.cheribergeron.com/

Cheri's Choice: https://www.cherischoice.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheribergeron/

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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According to Psychology Today, parasocial relationships are "one-sided relationships in which a person develops a strong sense of connection, intimacy, or familiarity with someone they don’t know, most often celebrities or media personalities. These relationships exist only in the mind of the individual, who experiences a bond despite the lack of reciprocity. The term was coined by psychologists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in 1956 when televisions became widely available, they noted that TV viewers began to develop the 'illusion of intimacy' with the characters on the screen.”

In our increasingly digital and online world, parasocial relationships can develop with YouTubers, content creators on social media, podcasters, celebrities - the list is practically endless. Tune in to hear about our parasocial relationships and our feelings about the phenomenon. Don't forget to share whether you have any parasocial relationships and with whom?

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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"Dry January", "Sober Curious", "taking a break" - does any of this sound familiar? Many of us have questioned our relationship to alcohol, whether because of a rough morning after a night of debauchery, just because, or for any number of reasons. Our guest, Suzanne Warye, had her own reasons for stopping drinking. She writes about her experience in her new book The Sober Shift: A Moder-Day Guide to Living an Abundant Sober Life. In sharing her sober journey, Suzanne also provides helpful information and tools along with stories of other women's journeys with sobriety. Our conversation with Suzanne is hopeful, helpful, and full of compassion and humor. 

Where to find Suzanne Wayre:

Instagram: @suzannewayre, @thesobermomlife

Podcast: The Sober Mom Life

Book: The Sober Shift

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!