CW: Descriptions of medical battery and drug use.

In the second and final episode about Christopher Duntsch (AKA Dr. Death), we discuss what it took to stop him from killing, maiming, and injuring more patients, plus the criminal proceedings that followed.

We also answer the million-dollar question: Could it happen again? (The answer, unfortunately, is yes - and it is happening right now in Texas and every other state in the country.)

Sources for this episode:

• Wondery: Dr. Death Podcast
• ProPublica: A Surgeon So Bad It Was Criminal
• D Magazine: Dr. Death: The Shocking Story of Christopher Duntsch
• Duntsch's email - "Occam's Razor"
• KXAN-TV (NBC, Austin): 5 years after ‘Dr. Death,’ doctors still come to Texas to leave pasts behind

CW: Descriptions of surgical procedures, medical battery, and drug use.

Buckle up because this episode is a doozy! This week, we're talking about Christopher Duntsch, better known as Dr. Death.

In 2010, Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Texas to start a neurosurgery practice. In the two years that Duntsch practiced medicine in Dallas, he operated on 37 patients, maiming 31 of them and killing two.

But the real tragedy of this story is the fact that it could have been prevented.

Safeguards designed to protect patients from dangerous doctors failed repeatedly. Hospitals chose to let Duntsch go quietly to protect themselves. Even as the Texas Medical Board investigated recurring complaints from fellow doctors and even lawyers about Duntsch, he continued to operate, severely injuring one patient after another.

Check back next week for Part Two of this story!

Sources for this episode:

• Wondery: Dr. Death Podcast
• ProPublica: A Surgeon So Bad It Was Criminal
• D Magazine: Dr. Death: The Shocking Story of Christopher Duntsch
• TIME Magazine: The True Story Behind Peacock's 'Dr. Death'

CW: Discussions about child abuse, transphobia, anti-trans legislation, LGBTQ+ violence, racism, and (most of all) Greg Abbott.

We are so excited to bring your our very first collab with Dr. Terry Dornak, a clinical psychologist and host of the Hello Wonderful podcast!

This week, we're discussing Texas Governor Greg Abbott's recent directive to investigate gender-affirming care for trans youth as child abuse. Although the directive is currently in legal limbo, the state is currently investigating a number of families.

What does this mean for trans people in Texas and beyond? Will we see copycat laws pop up in other states? Dr. Dornak helps answer all of our questions and more!

Resources:

• Equality Texas: 'Navigating the Paxton Opinion' Resource Page
• LGBTMap.org

Special thanks to Dr. Terry Dornak and the Hello Wonderful podcast for making this episode possible.

After a much-needed two-week break, we are back at it again!

What if I told you that Morpheus never said "What if I told you" in The Matrix? Or that there's no cornucopia in the Fruit of the Loom logo?

This week, we're talking about the Mandela Effect, an interesting phenomenon in which a large group of people shares a similar recollection of an event that they believe occurred when it did not. Some people say it's evidence for alternate universes. Psychologists say it's simply our mind playing tricks on us.

In this episode, we discuss possible explanations for the Mandela Effect and some popular instances of this phenomenon. Join us for yet another trip down memory lane as we try to separate fact from fiction.

Oh, there’s also a weird rant about the fact that we don’t know how to mail a letter at the end of the episode. (It was just too funny to cut, so - ENJOY!)

Stay Risky. Stay Bitchy.

Grab your hair crimper and flip phone! This week, we're taking a little trip down memory lane to the 1990s/2000s.

It was a wild, wonderful time before technology became "smart" -- and before the world completely went to shit. Join us for this nostalgia-filled episode, and let's party like it's 1999!

P.S. There’s quite a bit of singing in this episode…

Stay Risky. Stay Bitchy.

In celebration of Black History Month, we're sharing the extraordinary story of Henrietta Lacks, a 31 year-old wife and mother of five children. Though she died of cervical cancer in 1951, Henrietta held the key to unlocking tens of thousands of medical and scientific advancements. 

Unbeknowst to Henrietta and her family at the time, cells from her tumor were cultured, and it was discovered that the cells reproduced quickly and thrived outside of her body - a breakthrough that would change modern medicine.

In the decades since her death, Henrietta's 'immortal' cell line, referred to as HeLa, continues to be a vital tool and biomedical research. Researchers from 142 countries have authored more than 110,000 research publications and active 11,000 patents involving HeLa cells. Additionally, HeLa cells have been used in three - yes, THREE - Nobel Prize-winning discoveries. As inspiring as Henrietta's story seems, it has also raised questions about informed consent and medical racism.

This week, we're honored to bring you the story of the Mother of Modern Medicine, Henrietta Lacks.

Interested in learning more about Henrietta Lacks?

• Watch "Henrietta Lacks: Preserving Her Legacy," a TED Talk by Henrietta's grandchildren, David Lacks Jr. and Veronica Robinson.
• Read the New York Times Best-Seller "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," by Rebecca Skloot
• Watch "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," a film starring and produced by Oprah Winfrey on HBO Max

Stay Risky. Stay Bitchy.

Two years into the pandemic, workers are fed up, and they’re leaving their jobs in record numbers, searching for better pay, benefits, and work-life balance. But many are taking it a step further, asking if there’s a purpose to their work – or even the economic system itself.

Once considered a radical, fringe idea, the Antiwork Movement has gained some serious traction with people from all walks of life. The concept has been around for decades, but today, it centers on the r/antiwork subreddit, a rapidly growing online community with more than 1.7 million members (most of them in the U.S.) - up from just 100,000 members in March 2020.

Alongside pandemic and The Great Resignation, the antiwork movement is poised to make a lasting impact on the way we work... or don’t work. Let’s talk about it!

Stay Risky. Stay Bitchy.

CW: Sexual Assault/Harassment

Women are morally-superior prudes who rarely - if ever - think about sex, and men are never-satisfied sex maniacs... Right?

Wrong! Before the 18th Century, both men and women were viewed as equally sexual beings. That is until society villainized female sexual pleasure and desire in the 1700s. Still, the stereotype stuck, and even in the 21st Century, we struggle to understand the true nature of sexual desire in women and men. 

So, is there really a difference in the sex drives of men and women? The answer may not be as cut and dry as you think.

Stay Risky. Stay Bitchy.

This week, we're playing Truth or Drink, and whew! This episode, y'all... Believe it or not, the unedited version is 3.5 hours long and shall never see the light of day. (Podcast or not, some secrets are better kept between the two of us. Ha!) 

We had an absolute blast recording this one. What a delightful drunken mess it was. Things get a bit slurred toward the end, and we end with an Irish goodbye - but we think it adds to the charm of this episode!

Stay Risky. Stay Bitchy.

This week, we're talking about the unwritten (and even unspoken) rules and ethics of Girl Code.