The Defenders

Since the Dobbs decision, activists, organizers, and leaders are turning to state legislatures to protect and expand reproductive rights. This November, 44 states will hold legislative elections, and these races are often won or lost by tiny margins. Two champions of state power, Gaby Goldstein from Sister District and Jennifer Driver from the State Innovation Exchange, share what’s in store for state races across the country this November, and which ones we need to keep an eye on when it comes to our reproductive freedom.

Find out who your state legislators are at stateinnovation.org. 

To take action with Sister District, go to sisterdistrict.com. 

Visit vote411.org to find out more about the candidates and choices that will be on your ballot. 

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May 2024, a six-week abortion ban went into effect in Florida, dramatically limiting access for women across the South. While Floridians are living with this new reality, they’re also gearing up to change it. Gloria talks with Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for Floridians Protecting Freedom / Yes on 4, who is fighting for the November ballot measure that would protect abortion access in the state constitution and reverse the 6-week ban.

Learn more about Florida’s Amendment 4 ballot initiative at floridiansprotectingfreedom.com.

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start Season 2 of The Defenders in Arizona, where abortion rights have been in turmoil since the overturn of Roe. Now, a citizen-led effort is trying to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution through a ballot measure. November’s election may not only change the fate of abortion in this crucial swing state; it could also flip the state legislature and impact control of the U.S. Senate and the fate of the White House.

Learn more about Arizona’s abortion ballot measure at arizonaforabortionaccess.org, and Reproductive Freedom For All’s work in Arizona at reproductivefreedomforall.org/state/arizona.  

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defenders is back. This season, all roads lead to Nov. 5, because abortion is on the ballot this Election Day and the stakes are higher than ever. Host Gloria Riviera interviews organizers, activists, and experts from Arizona to Florida to Texas – the people on the front lines of this fight. From building state power to voting for judges, we’ll arm you with everything you need to know to stand up for reproductive freedom this election. Coming September 12. 

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. 

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. 

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re excited to drop in your feed today to tell you about a new Lemonada Media series called The Pink House with Sam Smith. Hosted by five-time Grammy winner Sam Smith, The Pink House is about the people and places that make us who we are. One of those places was Sam’s childhood home in the English village of Great Chishill, literally called The Pink House. It was a space of total warmth and love where Sam felt safe enough to find their voice. Each week, join Sam in conversation with icons and friends like Trixie Mattel, Gloria Estefan, Elliot Page, Joel Kim Booster, Ben Platt, Rebecca Sugar and Michelle Visage as they explore their own “Pink Houses” and how they navigated early struggles and ultimately found their place in the world. 

You’re about to hear a preview of the first episode of The Pink House, where Sam chats with Elliot Page about his upbringing in Canada, his breakout role in the film Juno, and how seeking time away from it all has helped him embrace a whole new, exhilarating life. 

To hear more of The Pink House head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/thepinkhousefd

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are dropping in your feed today to share a new series that we know you will enjoy. Pack One Bag is epic true story of an Italian family, split apart by love, fascism and war. Through shocking discoveries - and Stanley Tucci’s artistry - an enthralling personal history comes to life. 

When documentarian David Modigliani was a kid, his grandfather, Franco, won the Nobel Prize. But, David’s always been more fascinated by the love story that made it possible -- his grandparents' romance on the run from Fascist Italy. When he digs into their story, he uncovers a darker side to their fairytale escape: a brother left behind to face the Nazi occupation - and startling personal connections between his family and Benito Mussolini. In the Tribeca-winning podcast, PACK ONE BAG, he returns to Italy to investigate his family's past, carrying a pressing question: if Fascism takes over your country, do you stay, or do you try to flee? And what happens if you can’t? 

You’re about to hear a preview of the first episode of Pack One Bag. After you listen, head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/packonebagfd to hear more. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re dropping in your feed to let you know that Julia Louis-Dreyfus has returned for Season 2 of her award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me™! Each week, she has funny, touching, personal conversations with iconic older women who are brimming with the kind of unapologetic attitude and wisdom that only comes with age. Julia sits at the feet of some extraordinary teachers this season (discover who in this trailer), and of course her 90-year-old mom, Judy. Tune in to laugh, cry and get wise. All Hail Old Women! 

To hear more of Wiser Than Me, head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/wiserthanmefd

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are dropping in your feed today to share another Lemonada Media series with you. Last Day is a show about the moments that change us, fundamentally and forever. Each week, host Stephanie Wittels Wachs (Lemonada’s co-founder and award-winning queen of darkness and light) sits down with a new guest to explore happy/sad stories of survival, resilience, and transformation. 

There are few modern photos more iconic than the image of Christine Blasey Ford with her hand raised in the U.S. Senate chamber, vowing to tell nothing but the truth about being sexually assaulted by then-nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. From that moment on, Christine’s life was forever changed, exposing her to vicious hate and shaking the deeply rooted respect for government that had motivated her to come forward in the first place. Now, almost six years later, Christine sits down with Stephanie to give her a look into this new life. She shares how, even though many things got harder for her after her testimony, if she had the choice to do it all again, she would.

Lemonada has teamed up with Apple Books to bring you the Lemonada Book Club. The March pick is One Way Back by Christine Blasey Ford. For more details, visit http://apple.co/lemonadabookclub

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Introducing Archetypes, a refreshing and dynamic podcast where Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, dives into the labels that try to hold women back. During these intimate and candid conversations with guests from around the world, we discover how these archetypes impact our everyday lives in ways big and small. With experts and historians, Meghan also uncovers how we got here in the first place – unearthing the origin of words such as ‘diva’, ‘slut’, ‘the B word’, ‘hysterical’, and many more, and asks the question: can we change this? 

In this episode, Meghan talks to the one and only Serena Williams about the double standard women face when they are labeled "ambitious" and the ripple effect this has on other aspects of their lives. This groundbreaking premiere episode also features Dr. Laura Kray, a leading expert on gender in the workplace.

To hear the full season of Archetypes, head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/archetypesfd 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we are dropping in your feed to introduce you to When We Win, a new podcast from Lemonada Media that asks, is the impossible possible? What will it take to create a truly engaged democracy that represents all of us? Each week, Maya Rupert talks to some of the most incredible women of color in office today who ran against insurmountable odds and won, from the all-women city council in St. Paul, Minnesota, to the youngest Black woman to serve in Congress. So stop asking yourself if we can win, and start imagining what we’ll do when we win.

You’re about to hear a clip from episode one of the podcast. After you listen, head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/whenwewin to hear the rest of the episode. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.