Rebel Girls

Once upon a time, there was a girl from Japan with arms so strong she could serve a tennis ball at more than 120 miles per hour. Her name is Naomi Osaka - a powerful professional tennis player who has taken the sport by storm and has become an advocate for mental health. Naomi has been ranked No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles.

About the Narrator

Megalyn Echikunwoke is an actor, writer singer and dancer. Discovered at a high school theater camp by a Hollywood manager, she got her start in the industry at 14. She has a striking presence with an undeniable talent through her range of portrayals of characters in television, film and the theater. Though she was raised by a widowed, single mother who worked as a registered nurse on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, she is of Igbo-Nigerian, German, Irish and Scandinavian descent. She is also the granddaughter of a Igbo tribal leader which technically makes her African royalty. Inspired by her many cultural influences, Megalyn believes in the power of art and storytelling to expose injustice, shift culture and heal communities. 

Credits

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and is based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Camille Stennis. Sound design and mixing by Camille Stennis, Lu Miranda and Craig Billmeir. This episode was written by Jestine Ware and fact checked by Joe Rhatigan. Executive Producer is Katie Sprenger. Haley Dapkus is our Production Manager. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A big thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this show possible! For more, visit rebelgirls.com. And if you like what you heard, don’t forget to rate and review this episode, and share it with your friends! Until next time, stay REBEL!

Meet Brit Morin, the founder and CEO of Brit + Co, a modern lifestyle and education company. Brit brought us the story of princess, fashion designer and businesswoman Diane Von Furstenberg. In this interview she tells us more about the experience of being an entrepreneur and how you can get started on your OWN business adventure.

Diane Von Furstenberg is a fashion icon who made a huge impact on the way women dress today with her signature wrap dress in the 1970’s. In this episode we explore her life from her early days in Belgium and France to her becoming a real-life princess and then taking the fashion world by storm with a style and sense that is all her own.

About the Narrator

Brit Morin is the founder & CEO of Brit + Co, a modern lifestyle and education company providing classes, content, products and experiences geared towards women with a creative spirit and a do-it-herself attitude. With an engaged community of tens of millions of women per month, products distributed in mass retail stores nationwide, and millions of online class enrollments, Brit + Co is the leading destination for learning and discovery among females.

 Morin is a chart-topping podcaster, hosting the show Teach Me Something New with Brit Morin in collaboration with iHeartRadio. She’s also author of the bestselling book, Homemakers: A Domestic Handbook for the Digital Generation and is a regular lifestyle expert on Good Morning America, the Today Show, Live with Kelly & Ryan, Rachael Ray and more.

 As of June 2020, Brit added venture capitalist to her resume, helping to start the fund, Offline Ventures as a managing partner. She invests in early stage companies in various sectors that seek to make our offline lives better.

 Brit has been awarded various accolades, including Ad Age’s 40 Under 40, Adweek’s Creative 100, Forbes 30 Under 30, Fortune’s Most Promising Entrepreneurs, Refinery29’s 30 Under 30, one of Parents magazine’s Most Influential Millennial Moms, and one of ELLE magazine’s American Women at 30.

 Brit is a board member of Life360 as well as the Girl Scouts of the USA. She’s a Henry Crown Fellow and member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Prior to founding Brit + Co, she worked in product and marketing roles at Google and Apple. Her interests include tech, storytelling, design, women, photography, the great outdoors, and just about any creative project she can get her hands on.

 Brit was raised in San Antonio and attended the University of Texas. She currently resides in the Bay Area with her husband and two young sons.

Pearl Thusi narrated our story about former first lady, Michelle Obama. Thusi is a South African actress, model, television host, and radio personality. She plays the title character in Queen Sono, Netflix’s first African original series.

Michelle always aimed high– and inspired others to do the same. When Michelle was a little girl living on the Southside of Chicago, her mother always told her, "If it can be done, you can do it." Actress Pearl Thusi reads her story.

Breanna Stewart just dropped a 30-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist playoff game and is only the FOURTH player EVER to do so. The Liberty took down the top-seeded Lynx. And that's just the beginning of the women’s sports news this week…

🏆 Olivia Miles wins Rookie of the Year with ALL 74 votes!

👋 An emotional farewell to Nneka Ogwumike, the legend who changed the WNBA on AND off the court

⚾ Mo'ne Davis is BACK  12 years after her Little League history, she's a pro baseball CHAMPION

⚽ Ashley Sanchez ties the NWSL single-season goal record & earns a USWNT call-up!

🏒 The PWHL announces its first-ever All-Star event

And MORE! Plus, a VERY special Pep Talk: Rebel Girls CEO Jes Wolfe shares a powerful message about finding your path and building your dreams.

Play Rebel and Stay Rebel! ✌️

Get to know Cecile Richards, a national leader for women’s right and social and economic justice in this Rebel Girls Interview. Cecile brought us the story of Samantha Power who served as the U.S Ambassador to the United Nations. Here, Cecile tells us about the rebel women who inspired her growing up and why you should never wait to be asked!  [This episode originally aired October 2020.]

Once upon a time, there was a girl who told powerful stories, and helped solve world problems. Her name is Samantha Power. Samantha was born in Ireland and moved to the United States with her mom and brother when she was 9 years old. She was always interested in telling stories and explaining how the world worked so she became a journalist, first in sports and later as a war correspondent. But world events pushed her into a life of service to her adopted country. Samantha worked for President Barack Obama and eventually served as the U.S Ambassador to the United Nations.

About the Narrator

Cecile Richards is a national leader for women’s rights and social and economic justice, and a co-founder of Supermajority, a new organization fighting for gender equity. She is the author of New York Times bestseller Make Trouble. As President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund for 12 years, Richards worked to increase affordable access to reproductive health care and to build a healthier and safer world for women and young people. [This episode originally aired October 2020.]

Credits

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and Boom Integrated, a division of John Marshall Media. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. Our Executive Producers are Jes Wolfe and Katie Sprenger. This season was produced by John Marshall Cheary, Sarah Storm, and Robin Lai. Corinne Peterson is our Production Manager. This episode was written by Alexis Stratton and edited by Maithy Vu. Proofread by Ariana Rosas. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi who has also sound designed this episode. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer.

Kelsey Mitchell is the new single-season scoring leader, Angel Reese hit 500 rebounds — a league FIRST — and that's only the beginning! 

This week on the Weekly Sports Show, Pepper's got the scoop on:

🏀 Records everywhere: A'ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers & Rhyne Howard all made history 🎟️ The Valkyries sold out 44 STRAIGHT games  and the WNBA just passed 3.4 MILLION fans this season! 🗽 Lisa Leslie's statue "The First Lady" unveiled — capturing the first dunk in WNBA history 🏄‍♀️ 19-year-old Erin Brooks won her THIRD straight surf title — the first to do it in one season since 2008!

Plus, Gotham FC updates, a new speedsuit on the track, and team USA flag football star Ashlea Klam shares her advice on finding your place and staying true to your passions in this week's Pep Talk 💬

Play Rebel and Stay Rebel! ✌️

Meet Maya2960, a social media activist and political commentator, brought us the story of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Listen in as Maya shares the ups and downs of using her voice to influence social and political change. [This episode originally aired September 2021.]