Under the Hood

What would the world look like if we taught girls about how their bodies work from a young age? Celebrated their transition from girlhood into womanhood? And gave them an actual sex education? Could we fix the fear, shame, and misunderstanding before it was broken? In this week's episode we sat down with Nat Kringoudis to talk about what's happening in puberty and how we can support and educate our girls as they step into their womanhood, embracing their bodies and empowering them with knowledge.

For more follow Nat on instagram @natkringoudis and check out our website underthehoodpodcast.com

What you should know about your hormonal cycle, why it should be considered a fifth vital sign, and the implications of teaching women and girls not to trust their bodies. This week we're talking with Kelsey Knight and Emily Varnam, founders of The Fifth Vital Sign, an organization they created to help educate anyone with a uterus on their bodies, and the importance of cultivating an awareness of their hormonal health.

For a full transcript and more information about this episode check out our website http://underthehoodpodcast.com

Dr. Carrie Jones is functional medicine women's health and hormone doctor who talks with us this week about basic vaginal health, the anatomy of the vagina, the relationship between our gut and our vagina, endocrine disruptors and hormone testing.

For a full transcript and more about Dr. Carrie Jones, visit our website at https://www.underthehoodpodcast.com

This is the story of Desiree. She is 34 weeks pregnant and every day she doesn't give birth is a risk. Desiree has placenta percreta, a life-threatening condition where her placenta has grown through her uterus, threatening other organs. Join us for a journey filled with laughter, tears and extraordinary willpower.

For more information on this condition as well as a full transcript of the episode, please visit our website: https://www.underthehoodpodcast.com/

Black mothers in the U.S. die at three to four times the rate of white mothers. Kim Durdin is fighting to change that. She is the co-founder of the non-profit Birthing People Foundation which trains doulas and midwives of color. And this week, she was willing to take the time to tell Patti and Aleks about the historical context behind the current crisis in maternal and infant health among people of color, as well as other marginalized groups. This is a must listen for all of us.

For full transcripts as well as much more information about topics and people mentioned in this episode, go to https://underthehoodpodcast.com

We continue our conversation with Holly Grigg-Spall, author of Sweetening The Pill: Or How We Got Hooked on Hormonal Birth Control. In this episode we're diving in a bit deeper to talk about the "Pro Period Movement", moon cycle circles, and conforming to the male mold in, well, everything. We talked with Holly for quite a while, but were giving you the 'best from the rest' in Part 2 of The Pill.

Check out more show notes at https://www.underthehoodpodcast.com/

Shrinking ovaries, "withdrawal bleeds" instead of periods, and all the symptoms and side effects your doctor never told you about hormonal birth control. Patti and Aleks dive in deep with Holly Grigg-Spall, author of Sweetening The Pill: Or How We Got Hooked on Hormonal Birth Control. In Part 1 of this conversation they talk about the history of hormonal birth control, why as many as 80% of women will take hormonal birth control at some point in their lives, and the stinging anger we all feel as we, once again, shake our fist at the patriarchy.

For transcripts and more go to https://underthehoodpodcast.com

Orgasms, your clitoris and the other things that you didn't hear about in sex ed class. Patti and Aleks have a no-holds barred conversation with Emma Koenig, author of Moan: Anonymous Essays on Female Orgasm and Jessie Barr, director of the upcoming movie Sophie Jones. They discuss the perils and pleasures of female sexuality, when sex-ed should begin and why the feeling of shame about sex is so hard to shake.

For show notes and a transcript of this episode go to https://www.underthehoodpodcast.com/

Under the Hood is pulling back the curtain and unpacking the mystery around womanHOOD, sisterHOOD, motherHOOD. Join Patti and Aleks as they take a deep dive into the topics you wish you knew more about, the topics you want to share with your daughters, and the things you want the men in your life to know.