Embodied

Dr. Kate Devlin, a pioneer in AI and society, explores the evolution of sex robots from ancient myths to today's prototypes. Joined by Sarah Cho, creator of the graphic novel Red Light, they delve into ethical dilemmas and societal implications of AI companionship. They discuss why we humanize machines, the dark nature of hyper-sexualized designs, and the emotional connections many seek with these technologies. Privacy risks and the potential for robots to teach consent also get a mention, highlighting both the promise and pitfalls of our robotic future.

In a fascinating discussion, Christina Campodonico shares her experience dating a bot named Kyle on the Blush app, including the surprising complexities and her abrupt breakup. Denise Valenciano reveals how her AI companion, Star, helped her establish healthy boundaries and navigate her digisexual identity during the pandemic. Licensed psychotherapist Melissa McCool discusses her work designing AI personalities, emphasizing the importance of safety and mental health for users, while reflecting on the evolving relationship between humans and AI.

In the 34 years that guest host Omisade Burney-Scott was a menstruating person, she always felt that blood held more significance than just the biological. She meets an OB/GYN who shares little-known facts about period blood, and talks with two menstrual health advocates about how art and community have connected them to their cycles. Plus, an attorney discusses what she's paying attention to this year in terms of period policy.Meet the Guests:- Dr. Charis Chambers, who is known as "The Period Doctor," talks about how period blood can inform menstruators about other things going on in their bodies, and why we don't want to think of a period as "a detox"- Vianey Blades, a certified exercise physiologist and menstrual embodiment mentor, traces her connections to menstruation activism back to her grandmother and how art has helped her feel connected to her period- Ashi Arora, a reproductive and menstrual health liberation activist and researcher, shares how complex trauma can affect menstruation and how community has been significant in her experience of her period- Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, attorney and executive director of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center at the NYU School of Law, discusses how and why she coined the term "menstrual equity" in 2015 and what she's paying attention to in terms of period policy this election yearDig Deeper:Omisade's work with Black Girl's Guide To Surviving MenopauseDr. Charis Chamber’s Instagram and TikTok accounts (check her out on YouTube too, why not!)Explore the Society for Menstrual Cycle ResearchJoin Vianey's newsletter or sign up for her interactive sister circle meetupsJennifer Weiss-Wolf’s book Periods Gone PublicWhy 2015 was the "Year of the Period"Learn more about the "tampon tax"Kiran Gandhi on bleeding and runningThe trailer for Lina Lyte Plioplyte's film "Periodical"Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformLeave a message for Embodied

You might have noticed that the word “y’all” is popping up everywhere. For decades, linguists have noted that regional American accents are disappearing. But at the same time, use of this traditionally Southern pronoun is rapidly spreading — and the reasons may surprise you. We hope you learn as much as we did from this special episode from The Broadside, produced by our colleagues at WUNC!Meet the Guests:- Brody McCurdy, Linguist and Researcher at NC State- Antonia Randolph, Assistant Professor of American Studies at the UNC-Chapel HillDig Deeper:- You can find a transcript of the episode here.- Check more of The Broadside's episodes here.

Anita is no stranger to anxiety, but her spirals are mostly short lived. In this episode she meets folks who often get caught in loops of extreme worry and compulsions with little relief. A married couple shares how OCD put them in survival mode, and a woman whose OCD symptoms began in kindergarten talks about learning how to open up about her experience in friendships and dating.Meet the guests: Mike and Nicole Comforto, writers and married couple, talk about what led to Mike's diagnosis with OCD, what the experience was like for both of them as a couple and as new parents, and how Mike's OCD impacts other relationships in his life H.T., a writer using her initials for personal and medical privacy, explains how her OCD symptoms first showed up as a young girl, how she navigated getting an OCD diagnosis and how she discloses her OCD to those she is close to Dig Deeper:Nicole's Modern Love essayMike and Nicole's Substack, Hey HoneyThe website for psychologist Dr. Monnica WilliamsOCD advocate Alexandra Reynolds on InstagramRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform

Anita usually feels better after a good, long cry. But why is that? She explores that question with a poet who spent years diving deeply into the science and culture of crying. And a forerunner of the "crying selfie" trend shares how he pushes back on toxic masculinity by embracing tears.Meet the guests:- Heather Christle, poet and author of "The Crying Book," takes us into some of the science of crying and looks at tears through a political and gender-informed lens- Viorel Tanase, a model and creative director, explains why he decided to share a crying selfie (before the trend took off) and how being vulnerable is part of the human experienceDig Deeper:More about the "crying selfie"Read the transcript | Review the podcast via your preferred platformLeave a message for Embodied

Erectile dysfunction affects as many as 30 million people in the U.S. — yet the fears of not being “normal” prevent folks from speaking up about it. Anita meets a man who was silent about his ED for 10 years before getting surgery and opening up to partners…and talks with a sex therapist who challenges the word “dysfunction.” Plus, a 72-year-old describes how he’s redefined intimacy in his 30 years of experiencing ED.Meet the guests:- Ven Virah, a public speaker and global healthcare staffing professional, talks about experiencing erectile dysfunction for 10 years before seeking help- Dr. Reece Malone, a sexologist, sexuality educator and sex therapist, discusses how ED can be a gateway to discussing other relationship, mental or physical problems- George Marx, a retiree in his 70s who started experiencing ED in his 40s, talks about how he's developed intimate relationships without penetrationDig Deeper:Reflections on ED from George's blogAn interview with author Will N. Richards, and his book "Mother" that features a character with erectile dysfunctionSteve Jones’s new book of poetry, Words Woke Me: My Prostate Cancer Journey in Poetry. The blog, A Touchy Subject, which Steve credits for preserving his sanity during his ED experienceThe documentary Hard: The Fight to Solve Erectile Dysfunction, which features personal ED stories and info about inflatable penile prosthesisShannon's Facebook groupRead the transcriptLeave a message for EmbodiedPlease leave us a rating and review in the app you're using to listen to us!

Anita is committed to self-improvement but skeptical of self-help. She brings her qualms and questions to the experts: Kristen Meinzer, a podcaster who has lived by the rules of more than 50 self-help books, and Beth Blum, a scholar who's traced the genre back to its roots. Plus Sondra Rose Marie, a former self-help fan, shares how the industry has failed her as a woman of color.Meet the guests:- Kristen Meinzer, pop culture commentator and podcast host, shares what she learned from following the rules of over 50 self-help books- Beth Blum, Harvard humanities professor and author, talks about the long history of the self-help industry, and how it's changed over the decades- Sondra Rose Marie, writer, talks about why she started following a self-help guru...and what events made her leaveDig Deeper:Kristen's podcasts How To Be Fine and Daily FailBeth's book "The Self-Help Compulsion"Sondra's Medium article on self-helpRead the transcript | Review the podcastLeave a message for Embodied

Stuttering occurs in every culture with a spoken language. So why do many communities treat it as a source of shame? Two speech-language pathologists and a comedian help Anita question cultural assumptions about stuttering and explore the growing movement to embrace speech diversity.Meet the guests:- Dr. Derek Daniels, licensed and certified speech-language pathologist and associate professor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wayne State University, shares his own experience of stuttering and what we know about what causes stuttering- Jia Bin, doctoral student at Michigan State University, talks about growing up in rural China with a stutter and what she's hoping to bring back to the stuttering community there- Nina G, comedian and author of "Stutterer, Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen," explains why she decided to embrace her dream of doing stand-up and shares how her stuttering has impacted romantic and platonic relationshipsDig Deeper:Follow Nina G's comedy on InstagramJia on stuttering as a superpowerStuttering content on YouTube by Courtland Crain and Matice AhnjamineNational Stuttering Association websiteRead the transcript | Review the podcastLeave a message for Embodied

Anita reconnects with the woman who changed her thinking on incarceration: her beloved college thesis adviser Ashley Lucas. Ashley reflects on her father's 20-year prison sentence and the untold stories of families navigating incarceration from the outside. Journalist Sylvia A. Harvey also shares how losing her mother to asthma and her father to a life sentence in prison before she was 6 years old led her to investigate the carceral system as a whole.Meet the guests:- Ashley Lucas, professor of theatre and drama at the University of Michigan, talks about how her experience growing up with an incarcerated father informs her research and led to her play "Doin' Time: Through the Visiting Glass"- Sylvia A. Harvey, a journalist and author, examines the intersection of the carceral, education and child welfare systems and investigates some of the larger forces shaping the experiences of families with an incarcerated loved oneRead the transcript | Review the podcastFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave us a message for an upcoming episode here!Dive deeper:My Dad Went to Prison When I Was 5. Now I Write About Families Like Mine by Sylvia A. HarveyResources from SAHAn article Ashley wrote about Russell Maroon Shoatz, who served 49 years in Pennsylvania prisons and was the father of seven childrenAn interview Ashley did with Maroon’s son, Russell III, “Tell a Tale of Two Fathers”A virtual panel featuring Ashley called “What Prison Does to Children”