Embodied

Anita remembers only a few things about her in-school sex education: humor-laden condom demos and pregnancy fear. It's safe to say, she had a lot to figure out on her own after class, and that's typical. Only half of U.S. students get info that meets national standards, so it's clear that something has gotta change! Two high schoolers share why they've taken it upon themselves to give their peers inclusive, shame-free sexuality education. Plus, an expert on college sex lives tells us how the sex ed we receive shapes our adult interactions. And we meet a sex therapist who details how she's talking to her kids without references to birds or bees. Meet the guests: - Kyndia Motley, high school student and member of Planned Parenthood’s Teen Council talks about the sex ed she's helping her peers access - Linden James, high school student and youth advocate for SafeBAE and iNSIDEoUT shares what's at stake if our sex ed curriculums don't change - Dr. Lexx Brown-James, sex therapist, shame-free sex educator and founder of The Institute for Sexuality and Intimacy talks about the importance of starting conversations with kids early about sex and their bodies - Dr. Lisa Wade, associate professor at Tulane University and author of "American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus" shares how limited sex education shapes the experiences of college students Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita grew up in the 1990s, the era of Purity Culture. Unlike Britney (Spears) and Jessica (Simpson), she had no purity ring, but she's seen how abstinence messaging shaped her generation's relationship with sex, religion, pleasure and their bodies. She talks to two folks who've been unraveling their own indoctrination, and meets someone who's on an mission to help parents recover from purity culture and raise a more sex-positive generation.Meet the guests:- Lyz Lenz, the author of "God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss and Renewal in Middle America" and "Belabored: A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women," talks about growing up immersed in purity culture- Nathanael Novero, a former youth pastor, shares how he's exploring his relationship with purity culture through filmmaking in a new genre called holy erotica- Cindy Wang Brandt, author of "Parenting Forward: How to Raise Children with Justice, Mercy, and Kindness" and the creator of the "Parenting Forward" podcast talks about how her own break with purity culture informs how she is raising her kids.Read the transcript | Review the podcastFollow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita declines invites to gender-reveal parties, but she gets why some expectant parents look to gender as a way of organizing the world — they've been socialized to do so. So what happens when a kid comes out as trans or gender nonbinary? Anita talks to three parents of gender-expansive kids about learning to support and advocate for their children. The parents, and one of their kids, share what it's looked like for them to push back on the gender binaries present everywhere: from doctors offices to summer camps and schools. Meet the guests: - Harrison Casey Garcia, a member of the Youth Leadership Team at the LGBT Center of Raleigh, talks about their advice to other gender-expansive kids - Vincent Garcia, Harrison Casey's dad, shares their family's journey to embracing and affirming Harrison Casey's gender identity - Marlo Mack, a mom, blogger, the host of the podcast “How to Be A Girl" and author of the memoir “How To Be a Girl" tells us about documenting her daughter's transition and confronting her own assumptions about gender - DeShanna Neal, the founder of the Intersections of Pride Foundation and the co-author with her daughter Trinity of the children's book “My Rainbow" shares how her approach to parenting has evolved through raising two gender-expansive kids Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita is confused about hook up culture. Is it a thing, and if so, who makes the rules? She talks to a recent college grad about her research on the sex lives of her peers, plus a therapist who shares her take on why it doesn't feel as liberating as we think it should. Then she dives into Celibacy TikTok — a space where Gen Zers are committing to being sex-free.Meet the guests:- Sophie Aaron, a writer, researcher and 2021 graduate of Oberlin College shares insights from her senior thesis on hookup culture on her campus in the time of COVID- Dr. Cherlisa Jackson, a sexual health educator and counselor based in Atlanta, talks about the myths vs. realities of hookup culture- Cindy Noir, a motivational speaker and TikTok creator, talks about why she has experimented with abstinence in response to hookup cultureRead the transcript | Review the podcastFollow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

The name Embodied came to Anita in a dream, and she's on a quest to figure out how that happened. She talks to a dreamworker about strengthening the bridge between dreaming and creativity, unpacks weird COVID-19 dreams and learns about nightmare therapy. Meet the guests: - Angel Morgan, an artist, filmmaker and the founder of Dreambridge, gives Anita a Dream Science 101 lesson and shares how folks can better connect their dreams to their creativity - Chris Ufere, the founder and CEO of uDreamed, a free online service for dream logging, talks about analyzing 3,000 COVID19 dreams and what patterns emerged - Michael Nadorff, an associate professor of psychology at Mississippi State University, shares his research on the link between nightmares and suicide Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita got friend dumped for the first time in 6th grade, and she's still not over it. She talks to folks about the distinct pain of a platonic breakup and gets some tools for building strong friendships, setting boundaries and figuring out when it's time to let go. Meet the guests: - Michelle Elman, an author and life coach best known for her activism campaign Scarred Not Scared, tells Anita about "the mass exodus" — a period of time in which she went through multiple friend breakups - Tony Liu, a medical student and former radio and podcast producer for NPR and "On Being"shares how tenderness informs how he makes and breaks up with friends - KB Newton, the founder and creator of HEART Convos talks about being a recovering "trash friend" Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita has no qualms about being an armchair therapist for friends going through a breakup. But sometimes she wonders how her advice aligns with what relationship experts say. Advice columnists Meredith Goldstein and Stacia Brown give guidance on breaking up "well," going no-contact, navigating social media, and finding the right breakup anthem for the moment. Meet the Guests: - Meredith Goldstein, writer and podcast host behind The Boston Globe column and podcast "Love Letters," shares insights from her personal and professional experiences with love and heartbreak - Stacia Brown, writer and producer, talks about her own pandemic breakup and shares wisdom akin to what she delivers regularly in her role as a columnist for Slate's parenting advice column "Care and Feeding" Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita has a close nuclear family unit but knows that's not the case for everyone. Meeting folks who — by choice or circumstance — are estranged from members of their family, she hears reflections on finding belonging elsewhere and seeking support from non-traditional sources. She also learns from two siblings who were estranged for more than 40 years that while reconciliation is possible, it's not for everyone. Meet the Guests: - Raksha Vasudevan, a writer, talks about her estrangement from her father, mother and brother and how being an immigrant shapes how she thinks about her family story - Tiffany Scott's father left their family and stopped speaking with her in 2016. She talks about what it was like to be ghosted by her dad and how she's still making sense of her family's experience - Siblings Fern Schumer Chapman and Scott Schumer share their 40-year estrangement story and what led to their reconciliation eight years ago. Fern wrote the book “Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation" Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita figures out why everybody's talking about the pelvic floor. Turns out, getting-to-know the hammock-like structure of muscles we carry around has helped some people heal their relationships with sex and their bodies. She also uncovers the game-changing ways her own dad has contributed to pelvic floor medicine.Meet the Guests:- Ijeoma Nwankpa, a certified specialist in pelvic health, trained sexuality counselor and owner of the Center of Pelvic Excellence Physical Therapy & Wellness LLC, gives us an education in pelvic floor health- Allyson Byers, a freelance writer and editor, shares her personal experience seeking help for pelvic floor pain- Dr. Satish Rao (Anita's dad), a professor of medicine at Augusta University and a specialist in gastroenterology, hares his work pushing for more collaborative study of the pelvic floor as it relates to the bowelsRead the transcript | Review the podcastFollow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita's voice is her bread and butter, but yours likely means a lot to you too. How we sound speaks volumes about our identities...but should it? A vocalist, a vocal coach and an artist sound out the links between voice and gender, and what our built-in instruments reveal about who we are. Meet the Guests: - Tona Brown, a violinist and vocalist who founded Aida Studios, talks about becoming the first trans vocalist to headline at Carnegie Hall and the space she's creating for other students as a music instructor - Kevin Dorman, a speech-language pathologist and vocal coach at their business Prismatic Speech Services, talks about helping folks change their voice to better reflect their identity - Andrea Oliver Roberts, a multi-disciplinary artist based in Winnipeg, shares their work explores the intersections of technology, capitalism, and identity Read the transcript | Review the podcast Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram