The ultra‑thin “waif” body ideal of the 1990s is quietly making a comeback, and it’s showing up everywhere from fashion trends to weight‑loss drugs to so‑called wellness culture.

In this powerful solo episode, host Rachel Beck, a Gen X woman who grew up in the height of 90s diet culture, reflects on her own experiences as a three‑sport athlete, cheerleader, and later a marathon runner who learned firsthand how deeply women are conditioned to shrink themselves. From eating disorders normalized in schools, to comments about women’s bodies in gyms, to the modern rise of Ozempic and injectable weight‑loss culture, this episode unpacks why getting smaller has never been about health.

This isn’t just a conversation about body image. It’s about control, power, and why women’s physical strength, autonomy, and independence still threaten outdated systems. Rachel explores how shrinking bodies often coincide with shrinking rights, and why staying strong, nourished, and grounded is an act of resistance.

If you’ve felt the pressure to disappear, to get smaller, or to apologize for taking up space, this episode is for you.

Rachel also shares why she created The Heroine Haven, a private community for women who are done shrinking physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and who are ready to build strength, community, and freedom together.

Here is the link to join The Heroine Haven Community.

Also, follow me for more info at:

Website: thefeistyheroine.com

YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

Instagram: @thefeistyheroine

Are women losing the right to stay single without consequence?

In this week’s Feisty Friday, host Rachel Beck unpacks a growing trend in policy, media, and culture — one that quietly pressures women to marry, settle down, and shrink their independence. From think tanks promoting marriage mandates to subtle shifts in government agendas, the freedom to live solo is being reframed as a societal problem.

But staying single isn’t a crisis. It’s a conscious, empowered choice.

Rachel explores why singleness is being politicized, what’s really behind this renewed focus on marriage, and why we must keep fighting for women’s autonomy — whether partnered, divorced, or proudly solo.

Because your worth isn’t tied to your relationship status — and your freedom isn’t up for debate.

🎧 Tune in, share with a friend, and please consider giving my podcast a 5 star review. :)

**Also, if you want to read more about this subject, here is a great article from NPR that focuses on this subject. Click here.

In this powerful solo episode, Rachel Beck returns to The Feisty Heroine Podcast with a bold message for 2026: you are not a crisis, and you are not broken for choosing a different path.

Rachel opens up about her own healing journey after divorce, the harmful narratives still pushed on women—from fairy tale endings to pronatalist policies—and why it's time to stop swimming upstream and start living life on your own damn terms.

She shares the inspiration behind her new community, The Heroine Haven, built for single, divorced, and sovereign women who are rewriting their stories outside of outdated molds. This episode explores the rising global birthrate panic, societal pressure on women to marry and procreate, and why fulfillment doesn’t come from a partner—it comes from purpose, peace, and personal freedom.

💥 Want to be part of a growing revolution of women who are done shrinking, settling, and pretending?
Become a founding member of The Heroine Haven today. For a one-time fee of $190, you’ll receive:

• Lifetime access (no subscriptions, ever)

• A 1:1 welcome call with Rachel

• A seat at the table to help shape this new space

Join The Heroine Haven here.

Follow me for more inspo:

YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

Instagram: @thefeistyheroine

Keywords:

solo travel, single women, birthrate decline, pronatalism, women empowerment, healing after divorce, self-worth, societal expectations, marriage pressure, solo female travel, feminism, aging single, women's communities, motherhood expectations, personal growth, freedom, emotional labor, women’s autonomy

More women are single — and some people are calling it a crisis. We call it a revolution.

In this Feisty Friday mini-sode, Rachel Beck unpacks the real reasons behind the rise of singlehood — and why it’s actually a sign of female empowerment, not a problem to be fixed. From her personal pandemic experience to rejecting the narrative that women are "too picky," Rachel shares why choosing yourself is the new love story.

👑 Plus: Find out how to become a Founding Member of The Heroine Haven — a powerful new community for women who are done shrinking.

💥 $190. Lifetime membership. No subscriptions. No settling.

Here is the link to join the community: https://the-heroine-haven.mn.co/plans/1943448?bundle_token=83b06a74ffce2b260b40b13c6209d454&utm_source=manual

🎧 Listen now. Share it with a woman who needs this.

This New Year’s Eve, we’re not making resolutions. We’re starting revolutions.

In this special comeback episode, I’m sharing the story — how I spent years chasing the fairytale, only to find that the most powerful love story was the one I had with myself. I’ll take you through the lessons I learned, the traditions I’ve changed, and how I’m entering 2026 more rooted than ever before.

Plus, I’m announcing something I’ve dreamed about since the very beginning…

✨ The Heroine Haven is here.
A community created for women rewriting the narrative — and doing it on their own terms.

👑 Become a Founding Member and get:
– 💸 Lifetime access for just $190 (one-time payment — no monthly fees, ever)
– 💬 A 1:1 welcome call with me, Rachel, your host
– 🛠 The chance to help co-create this space from the ground up

This is your space if you're single, starting over, healing, growing, or simply done settling — in love, in work, or in life. Whether you're divorced, child-free, navigating grief, or just want a circle that gets it — you're not alone. You're a heroine. And you belong here.

🔗 Join now here

Only 25 founding spots available. Let’s build something real — together.

This isn’t goodbye — it’s an intentional pause. In this final episode of the year, I’m unpacking the viral “boyfriend is embarrassing” trend, why I’m tired of women being treated like fads, and what it really means to choose yourself without apology.

While I step back to build the next evolution of The Feisty Heroine Project, stay connected with me here:
📲 Instagram: @thefeistyheroine
🌐 Website: thefeistyheroine.com
🎥 YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

After a life-changing breakup, 36-year-old chef Zoe Annett didn’t fall apart—she reimagined everything. In this inspiring episode, Zoe joins host Rachel Beck to share how she left behind the “shoulds” of life, became a certified chef, and set off solo across Southeast Asia through the Workaway program.

From volunteering in beach towns to journaling in the jungles of Sri Lanka, Zoe reveals how heartbreak became her greatest catalyst for freedom.

Follow Zoe's journey here: @zodas.compass

In this episode we dive into:

• Life after heartbreak and choosing to pivot

• Reframing your story outside of timelines

• Solo travel, reinvention, and Workaway adventures

• The healing power of female friendship

• Designing a life that fits now—not someday

Whether you're navigating grief, craving change, or dreaming of a brave new chapter—this episode is your sign that you're right on time.

Please share this episode with a friend and follow me below for more inspiration:

- Instagram: @thefeistyheroine

- YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

- Website: thefeistyheroine.com

You can also reach me at [email protected]

Keywords:
solo travel, breakup recovery, life reinvention, Workaway stories, women’s empowerment, personal transformation, podcast for women, healing after heartbreak

This week, Rachel sits down with Jess, an attorney from New Mexico and the managing partner of a women-led law firm who’s rewriting what fulfillment looks like at 50. For two decades, she’s guided clients through divorce with clarity and compassion—while quietly defying the script herself.

Jess shares how growing up in a generation where women couldn’t even get their own credit cards shaped her fierce independence, and how she built a thriving practice without apology or a safety net.

They dive into:
 - Setting boundaries (and why “no” is a full sentence)
 - The myth that a partner is the only solution
 - How singlehood sharpens perspective—in the courtroom and in life

Reclaiming confidence and competence, one decision at a time

If you’ve ever been asked “what’s the catch?” for simply loving your life as it is, this conversation will hit home.

Tune in and remember: you are allowed to design a life that adds to you—right now.

Follow me for more inspo:

Instagram: @thefeistyheroine

YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

Website: thefeistyheroine.com

Keywords: women over 40, women over 30, single women, independence, financial freedom, resilience, female empowerment, divorce recovery, boundaries, self-trust, women lawyers

AI dating isn’t sci-fi anymore — it’s here. In 2025, people are building “perfect” AI partners through platforms like Replika or even ChatGPT, choosing how they look, act, and respond. But here’s the catch: most of these bots are designed as women.

In this episode, Rachel Beck breaks down why AI chatbots and humanoid “AI girlfriends” aren’t just harmless fantasy. What does it mean when technology keeps casting women — even in machine form — as endlessly available, endlessly agreeable caretakers? And what happens to real intimacy when bots are programmed to give instant validation instead of honest connection?

Drawing on insights from this WBUR article, Rachel explores the cultural patterns behind AI companions, how they reflect (and reinforce) gender roles, and why this trend is especially concerning for women navigating today’s dating world.

👉 Does the rise of AI “perfect partners” creep you out, or do you see a silver lining? Tune in and decide for yourself.

Follow me for more:

Insta: @thefeistyheroine

YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

Website: thefeistyheroine.com

Keywords: AI dating, chatbot partners, women and AI, gender roles in technology, Replika AI, humanoid robots, modern dating challenges, female AI companions

This week marks one year since I hit publish on The Feisty Heroine Podcast—and what a ride it’s been.

In this special solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing more of my own story: what it means to grow up emotional in a non-emotional family, to follow the “safe” script of marriage and career, and to finally break free and choose my own road.

From counseling teens in NYC public schools to leaving my marriage, to starting over (again) in hospitality, I talk about the resilience, stubbornness, and reinvention that have shaped me—and this podcast.

✨ What you’ll hear:

• Why being sensitive and stubborn became my superpowers

• How I learned that the “safe” path isn’t always safe

• My story of reinvention after marriage, education, and career pivots

• Why resilience and feistiness matter now more than ever

• The Hunter S. Thompson quote that sums up how I want to live my life

Whether you feel like a black sheep, a cycle breaker, or simply a woman searching for her next chapter, this episode is for you.

👉 Subscribe, share, and let’s keep rewriting the rules—together.

Connect with me at the following:

Website: thefeistyheroine.com

YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

Instagram: @thefeistyheroine

Keywords woven in: resilience, reinvention, cycle breaker, sensitive empath, black sheep, women empowerment, choosing your own path, life transitions.