This Is Her Place

Utah has a deep history of crafting and DIY spirit. This episode digs into that spirit as we highlight three women who brought it to life:

Violet Bear Allen, an elder in the Skull Valley Band of Goshute who was known for her gift in beadwork

Ann Cannon Woodbury, an early settler in St. George who was a leader in the lesser-known pioneer handicraft of silk production


Angela Brown, a photographer, editor of SLUG magazine and founder of Craft Lake City

Each of these women represent a part of the state’s tradition of industry and thrift, and all of them had a role in preserving artisan crafts as a cornerstone of Utah culture.

Many people know Utah as one of the most religious states in the country. But fewer people know that many different faiths have deep roots in the state, and women have played an important role in all of them since the beginning.

This episode introduces two female religious leaders who each felt called to come to Utah:

Mother Augusta, one of the first Catholic nuns to arrive in Utah, who founded St. Mary’s Academy and Holy Cross Hospital and later became the first American Mother Superior of the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

The Rev. Elizabeth McVicker, the former pastor of both First United Methodist Church and Centenary Church in Salt Lake City, who went on to become a superintendent in the United Methodist Church.

Both women spent just a few short years in the Beehive state before moving on to become leaders in their denominations, but their work has had a lasting impact.

From the 1940s to the 1970s, some school districts in Utah had policies that specifically prohibited girls from competing in sports against other schools. This episode highlights two athletes and coaches who fought for women and girls in Utah to have the same chance to play organized sports as their male counterparts:

Natalie Williams, a former WNBA player and Olympic gold medal winner who runs the Natalie Williams Basketball Academy

Norma Carr, a softball, volleyball, and basketball coach who was the first female athletic director in the state of Utah to oversee both men’s and women’s sports, which she did at Salt Lake Community College

Both women faced gender barriers in their careers, but they pushed back and found ways to empower the generation of female athletes that came after them.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made issues of educational equity and access glaringly obvious, but the issues aren't new — people have been working on them for decades within Utah and across the United States. In this episode, we share the stories of two such women who spent their lives championing equity in education:

Lily Eskelsen García, former Utah Teacher of the Year, former president of the National Education Association, and shortlist candidate for President Joe Biden's Secretary of Education

Alberta Henry, a consultant for the Salt Lake City School District and President of the Salt Lake City NAACP from 1980-1992

Both women felt called to their work, which altered the educational landscape in Utah for hundreds of thousands of students. And both felt like their work was never finished.

Utah may be famous for creating fry sauce, but its food scene is also full of diverse tastes from around the world. This episode highlights two successful restaurateurs who immigrated to the United States and shared more than a dash of their native countries’ flavors with the Utah culinary scene:

Lavanya Mahate, who provides a taste of India as the current owner of six Saffron Valley restaurants and two Biscoff Bakery locations

Maria Cardenas, who brought Mexican food to life as the co-founder of the Red Iguana and several other restaurants, and her daughter, Lucy Cardenas, who runs the Red Iguana today

These women came from different parts of the world, but both introduced the food of their homelands to Utahns as a way of sharing cultural experiences, bringing people together, and expanding all of our palates in the process.

The “frontier myth” — or the romanticized idea of a place at the edge of civilization full of opportunity for the strong and self-reliant — has been idealized in American history, literature, and art. The reality, however, is more complicated — and so are the three women we highlight in this episode, all of whom made their livelihoods as cattle ranchers:

Katherine Fenton Nutter, known in her day as “Utah’s Cattle Queen,” who ran Nine Mile Ranch, one of the largest cattle ranches in Utah

Josie Bassett, a rancher and renegade with a homestead in what is now Dinosaur National Monument

Heidi Redd, a cattle rancher at “The Dugout” near Canyonlands National Park, who forged a partnership with The Nature Conservancy

All three defied the gender stereotypes of their time, bending the rules and pushing boundaries to carve out a place for themselves on Utah’s frontier.

Almost half of Utah’s government workforce is female, according to the Utah Women and Leadership Project — but women make up only a fraction of statewide government executives and legislators. In this episode, we learn about the two highest-ranking female government officials in Utah history: Olene Walker, who was elected lieutenant governor in 1992 and went on to become Utah’s first — and so far only — female governor from 2003-2005; and Deidre Henderson, the current lieutenant governor, who was sworn in on January 4, 2021. Both women came to politics later in life, but each became a leader in her own right, using her experience and education to impact the state of Utah and blaze a trail for the women who would come after her.

Get a sneak peek at the women of Season 2, from gold-medal winning athletes, politicians, and ranchers to educators and entrepreneurs! Season 2 also welcomes new co-host Mike Aguilar, who will join Naomi Watkins to explore the lives of Utah women, past and present. The first episode of Season 2 drops on March 24.

There’s a recurring line in the musical Hamilton that George Washington says to Alexander Hamilton: “You have no control over who lives, who dies, who tells your story.”

In this episode, we talk about two women were determined to take control and make sure the true story of their people was told:

Mae Timbimboo Parry, historian and matriarch of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone. Mae Timbimboo Parry successfully lobbied the National Park Service to change the name of “The Battle of Bear River” to “The Bear River Massacre” in recognition of the near-annihilation of her tribe by U.S. cavalry there.

Betty Sawyer, Community Engagement Coordinator in Access and Diversity at Weber State University and an activist on issues of racial justice in Utah for over 40 years. Betty Sawyer was an important part of the effort to get Martin Luther King Day recognized as an official holiday in Utah and is the director of the Utah Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Festival and Holiday.

Both women had to first learn their histories for themselves. Once they did, it took decades of work to get that history recognized both nationally and in Utah, and their efforts have left a lasting impact on the state.

How do we work with people we disagree with? How do we stand up for causes while also building relationships?

In this episode, we talk about two women who were gifted with an almost uncanny ability to create bridges with people who thought and felt differently than they did:

*Alison Comish Thorne, Professor Emerita at Utah State University and a civic leader and community activist

*Karen Kwan, a current member of the Utah House of Representatives from District 34, which covers Taylorsville, Murrary, Millcreek, and a bit of West Valley, also a community advocate and an associate professor of psychology at Salt Lake Community College.

Both women focused on women's issues, including the ERA. Both could have felt like outsiders in their own communities, and at times they did. But they also dedicated themselves to building bridges with determined persistence, and often in the face of steep odds.