Breaking Down Patriarchy

Amy is joined by Mary Catherine Starr, author of Mama Needs a Minute!, to discuss how even with the best intentions parents can easily fall into patriarchal and unequal gender roles, how to take a closer look at our relationships and households, and how comics can help us cope with the overwhelm of motherhood.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyMary Catherine Starr is a mother-of-two and a graphic designer, illustrator, yoga teacher, author, and the artist behind the viral Instagram account @momlife_comics. Mary Catherine's work focuses on the challenges of marriage, motherhood, double standards, and inequality in both the household and the workplace. She is passionate about speaking up for women and bringing awareness to the mental load and the invisible labor of motherhood. Her first book, a comic memoir entitled Mama Needs a Minute!, came out in March, 2025. Mary Catherine lives in Massachusetts with her husband, her children, and her son’s large collection of plastic dinosaurs.  Learn more about Mary Catherine Starr at marycatherinestarr.com.

Amy is joined by attorney and activist Saru Jayaraman of One Fair Wage to learn the eye-opening history of tipping culture, how the restaurant service industry is one of our nation's biggest propagators of patriarchy, and why it's time for consumers to say enough is enough.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchySaru Jayaraman is co-founder and president of One Fair Wage, a national organization of nearly 300,000 restaurant and service workers, nearly 1000 restaurant owners, and dozens of organizations nationwide, all working together to end the subminimum wages in the United States and raise wages and working conditions in the service sector. Saru is also the author of the books One Fair Wage, Forked: A New Standard for American Dining, and Behind the Kitchen Door.

Jenna Karvunidis, a writer, artist, and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, created the gender reveal party but has since become a vocal critic of its implications. She shares her journey from a simple backyard cake reveal to a viral trend that often promotes patriarchal norms. Jenna discusses the dangers of extravagant reveals, including real-world disasters linked to them. She explores the broader social harms to LGBTQIA+ individuals and offers inclusive alternatives, advocating for raising awareness and fostering gender equality in parenting.

Amy is joined by author Kaila Yu to discuss her book Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty, hearing Kaila's firsthand experiences while also learning about the colonialist origins of the fetishes harming Asian women and girls.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyKaila Yu is an author and on-camera correspondent based in Los Angeles. She's written for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Condé Nast Traveler, National Geographic, and more. Her former band, Nylon Pink, has toured in Australia and performed across Shanghai, Costa Rica, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, and beyond. Her debut memoir, Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty, was released in August 2025.

Amy is joined by activists from I-WILL, a group dedicated to sharing the stories of Iranian women living under a patriarchal regime. These courageous women let us know how the situation in Iran has developed since the Women Life Freedom movement began, tell us about the incredible ways everyday women are resisting oppression, and let us know what listeners can do to help.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyInspired by the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising which started in Iran against the Islamic Republic regime in September of 2022 following the brutal killing of an innocent Kurdish Iranian girl, Mahsa Jina Amini by government agents, the Iranian Women Institute for Life and Liberty (I-WILL) seeks to provide a platform to raise awareness about, and support, women who have been victims of gender apartheid and discrimination. Through advocacy, education, and community  engagement, we aspire to foster a society where immigrant women are empowered to contribute fully, enriching the fabric of our global community with their strength and resilience.We're honored to be joined by I-WILL activists Saghi Saghazadeh, Naseem Ghazanfari, Reina Rezaei, and Kelly O'Leary.

Amy is joined by art historian Sunday Rennie to discuss the overlooked history of female artists, why they're underrepresented in museums, and what has to change for women to be seen as more than a muse.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchySunday Rennie is a third-generation artist and seasoned art advisor. She holds a Master’s degree in Art Curating and has spent years immersed in Europe’s most prestigious art circles. With an innate eye for beauty and a deep understanding of artistic heritage, Sunday curates bespoke cultural experiences that offer guests privileged access to Paris’s vibrant art scene and hidden creative treasures. Learn more at savoirtours.com.

Amy is joined by Erika Lorshbough, Executive Director of InterACT, to learn what it means to be intersex, the major struggles facing the intersex community, and how intersex issues are also women's issues.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyErika Lorshbough is an intersex advocate and activist for civil and human rights. Most recently, Erika served as deputy director for policy at the New York Civil Liberties Union and led the organization’s extremely successful statewide legislative program advancing principles of freedom, justice, and equality. Along with their experience in program and organizational management, Erika brings two decades of heart work in community organizing and social action. Their law and policy experience has spanned the areas of gender and sexuality, voting rights and democracy, economic justice, criminal legal system reform, and the rights of people experiencing detention and incarceration. Erika completed their undergraduate studies in psychology and public policy at UCLA and the Luskin School of Public Affairs and received their J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. In addition to numerous public interest awards and legal fellowships, Erika has been honored as a Rising Star by the Brooklyn Law School Alumni Association, and was named one of the Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Erika is a certified restorative justice practitioner, an adoring caretaker of plants and animals (and people!), and a fan of wandering and getting lost from time to time.

Amy is joined by Amie Souza Reilly, author of Human/Animal, for an eye-opening discussion about stalking and safety, about how patriarchy thrives on women's fears and about what we actually have to be afraid of.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyAmie Souza Reilly is a visual artist and multigenre writer from Connecticut. Her work has appeared in various journals, including Wigleaf, HAD, The Chestnut Review, The Atticus Review, Catapult, SmokeLong Quarterly, Barren, Pidgeonholes and elsewhere. She holds an MA in English Literature from Fordham University and an MFA from Fairfield University, and is the Writer-in-Residence and Director of Writing Studies at Sacred Heart University. She is the author of Human/Animal and works as the Director of Writing Studies at Sacred Heart University.

Amy is joined by President and CEO of MANA, Amy Hinojosa, for a phenomenal conversation about Latina Americans, immigration, abortion, advocacy, and the issues of humanity that unite us all.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyAmy Hinojosa is the president and CEO of MANA, a national Latina organization, the oldest and largest Latina membership organization in the United States, and its sister organization, MANA Action Fund. MANA focuses on strengthening Latina women and girls through mentoring, education and advocacy. Amy has extensive experience working on local and national grassroots campaigns targeted at mobilizing voices and actions in Hispanic communities across the country. Community education and engagement have been central to Amy's work with a particular emphasis on youth. 

Amy is joined by Danny Rensch, author of Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life, for a courageous reckoning with his life lived under the oppressive patriarchy of a cult, plus learning forgiveness, his path to healing, and how chess helped him become the best version of himself.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyDanny Rensch is an American International Master, world-class commentator, tournament organizer, co-founder and Chief Chess Officer of Chess.com, and a chess celebrity. As a scholastic player, Rensch won multiple national championships and still holds the record for the youngest chess master in the state of Arizona. As an adult, he has become the face of Chess.com and is the author of Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life.