Catherine Hardwicke is an iconic American filmmaker  best known for capturing the reality of the teenage experience on screen - from Twilight to Lords of Dogtown.  

Today we're reflecting on the cultural impact of Catherine's directorial debut "Thirteen" -- which was released over twenty years ago in 2003.  

Co-written with Nikki Reed,  "Thirteen" is a poignant and raw portrayal of adolescence, focusing on the turbulent life of a thirteen-year-old girl named Tracy. The film delves into Tracy's descent into rebellion and self-destructive behavior after she befriends a troubled peer, exploring themes of peer pressure, family dysfunction, and the search for identity in the midst of adolescence. 

In this episode we discuss: 

• The cultural impact of "Thirteen" 
• Depicting mental health, self-harm, and girlhood on screen 
• Euphoria 
• Advice for aspiring filmmakers 

You can follow Catherine on Instagram @catherinehardwicke to keep up with her
newest projects.

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Host: Adwoa Aboah 

Guest: Catherine Hardwicke 

Executive Producer: Gurls Talk, Inc. 

Producer: Wicked Child Studio 

Producer: Hailey Rovner Malach 

Production Assistant: Ginger Roberts 

Editor: Morgan Muse 

Composer: Mikey Long 

Today we're talking about the opioid epidemic. 60 million people around the world struggle with opioid addiction and traditional methods of rehabilitation are failing our friends and family.

In this episode you'll meet Sarah Laurel the founder of Savage Sisters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After recovering from substance use disorder, Sarah sought to build an organization that would provide thoughtful, trauma-informed resources for those recovering from substance use disorders. Sarah says "Our goal is to attack addiction ferociously with radical love through connection." Sarah is a force to be reckoned with, we hope you're as inspired by Sarah as we are. 

You can learn more about Savage Sisters by heading to: http://www.savagesisters.org/

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Executive Producer, Gurls Talk, Inc. 

Producer, Wicked Child Studio 
Producer: Hailey Rovner Malach
Production Assistant: Ginger Roberts
Editor: Morgan Muse 

Music composed by Mikey Long 

Mad excited to have my dear friend Chelsea Leyland on the podcast today.

Chelsea is a DJ, cannabis and epilepsy activist, the co-founder of menstrual-health platform Looni, and she's a new mum!

We discuss Chelsea's incredibly moving documentary Sisters Interrupted. The doc follows Chelsea and her sister Tamsin as they both battle forms of epilepsy and together fight for access to medical cannabis that could save both of their lives.

We also chat about Chelsea's pregnancy journey, becoming a new mum, the importance of period literacy, and Chelsea's newest venture Looni.

 You can follow Chelsea @chelsealeyland

You can find where to watch "Sisters Interrupted" by heading to @sistersinterruptedmovie

You can learn more about Looni by going to www.looni.co

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Executive Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc.

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio.

Edited by Morgan Muse.

Composed by Mikey Long.

Special thanks to Ginger Roberts.

 

Sophie Compton is a BIFA longlisted documentary director and producer who tells women’s stories of injustice and healing.

"Another Body" is an 2023 British-American documentary film that follows a college student who seeks justice after finding deepfake pornography of herself online.

You can follow Sophie on Instagram @sophietaracompton 

You can find where to watch "Another Body" by heading to https://anotherbodyfilm.com/the-film/

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Executed Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc. 

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio. 

Edited by Morgan Muse. 

Composed by Mikey Long. 

Special thanks to Ginger Roberts.

It's a dream come true! AOC has joined the chat. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an American politician and the youngest woman EVER elected to the United States Congress. A member of the Democratic Party, she gained national attention for her progressive policy positions, including advocacy for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. We celebrate AOC for her passion and unwavering commitment to social justice reform. 

In this episode Adwoa and AOC discuss redefining positions of influence, embracing your authentic self, online activism, and facing fear head-on. 

You can follow AOC on Instagram @AOC. 

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Executive Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc.

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio.


Composed by Mikey Long.


Edited by Morgan Muse. 


Special thanks to Ginger Roberts. 


Generously supported by Jo Malone London.

We're thrilled to have Dina Gachman the author of So Sorry for Your Loss: How I Learned to Live with Grief, and other Grave Concerns  on the podcast today.

In 2018 Dina lost her mother to cancer and then her sister to alcoholism less than three years later. Dina's own experience with grief led her on a journey to understanding what it means to grieve, healing after loss, and the ways we stay connected to those we miss.

The holidays are a difficult time of year for so many of us. We hope you find comfort in this episode for those who are grieving and for those who have loved ones who are grieving.

Mad, mad, mad amounts of love this holiday season!

You can purchase So Sorry for Your Loss: How I Learned to Live with Grief, and other Grave Concerns  at all major book retailers. 

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Executive Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc. 

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio. 

Composed by Mikey Long. 

Generously supported by Jo Malone London. 

Richie Shazam is a queer model, artist, and activist (and a New York legend!!) who seeks to subvert the gender binary in everything she does.

With the holidays around the corner, we're talking about grief, coping with difficult familial relationships, and the beauty of found family.

You can buy Richie's book SHAZAM here

You can follow Richie here

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Executive Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc.

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio.

Composed by Mikey Long.

This podcast is generously supported by Jo Malone London.

We're excited to welcome one of Adwoa's dear friends Tilly Lawless on the podcast!

Tilly Lawless is a queer, Sydney-based sex worker who advocates for sex worker rights.

In this episode Tilly and Adwoa explore the stigmas sex workers face, the gig economy, and grief among many other topics. 

You can learn more about Tilly by following @tilly_lawless 

You can also watch her powerful Ted Talk here

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Executive Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc. 

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio. 

Composed by Mikey Long.

Generously supported by Jo Malone London. 

What is the "I" in LGBTQIA+?

Today we're giving voice to the long-silenced intersex community. 

According to Amnesty International, 1.7%  of the population is born with intersex traits -- comparable to the number of people born with red hair.

On this episode you'll hear from Sean Saifa Wall (he/him/his) a Black queer intersex activist and rising scholar.  Saifa is committed to racial equity and a radical vision of bodily autonomy for people with intersex variations. Currently, he is a Marie Skłowdoska-Curie fellow at the University of Huddersfield in England examining the erasure of intersex people from social policy in Ireland and England.

You can learn more about Saifa by visiting his website: https://www.seansaifa.com/

You can watch Saifa's (INCREDIBLE!) documentary Every Body on most streaming services. 

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Executive Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc. 

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio. 

Composed by Mikey Long. 

Special thanks to Jo Malone London. 

Ai-jen Poo is a next-generation labor leader, award-winning organizer, author, and a leading voice in the women’s movement. Ai-jen is the President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Director of Caring Across Generations, Co-Founder of SuperMajority and Trustee of the Ford Foundation. 


In this episode we discuss the future of work, gender equality,  immigration, narrative change, and grassroots organizing.



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Executive Produced by Gurls Talk, Inc.

Produced by Hailey Rovner Malach of Wicked Child Studio. 

Composed by Mikey Long. 

Proudly supported by Jo Malone London.