Breaking Down Patriarchy

Amy is joined by guest Louisa Gillett to discuss Women and Power by Mary Beard. Topics include hostility towards women speaking publicly,  victimhood, and how we recognize female power.Louisa Gillett has produced, presented, written and commissioned documentaries about arts, culture and science, for British public radio and tv, and theatrical release. Since the birth of her daughter and her move to the USA five years ago, she has returned to the joys of academic life, and is currently a postgrad at Stanford writing a thesis that draws on theories of art, literature, philosophy, aesthetics, embodied cognition, and comic books(!) to examine the radical art and visionary poems of William Blake. If she had to give herself a label, it would probably be ‘womanist humanist’ and she is honored to be a part of this incredible project.

Amy is joined by guest Dr. Chantal Dolan to discuss Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong by Angela Saini. Topics include women in STEM, outdated ideas about the female brain, and our evolving views of sexuality.Dr. Chantal Dolan received her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, her MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from UC Berkeley, and her PhD in Epidemiology from the Stanford University School of Medicine. She brings over a decade of experience working in the biotechnology industry both in-house and as a consultant. She has worked in all phases of clinical trials to design and implement scientifically sound epidemiology and outcomes research studies to support the biologic license applications of biotechnology products. She has experience working in many clinical areas including oncology, endocrinology, immunology, pulmonary diseases, and ophthalmology. Dr. Dolan is committed to protecting and enhancing public health by providing the highest level of scientific epidemiology and health outcomes research to her clients. Dr. Dolan lives in Sandy, Utah, with her husband, two kids, and a dog and cat.

Amy is joined by guest Natasha Helfer to discuss Girls and Sex by Peggy Orenstein. Topics include feeling sacred and icky, sexuality versus sexualization, modesty, and purity culture.Natasha Helfer is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, speaker, writer, podcaster and supervisor with 20 years of experience treating individuals, couples and family systems. She has a special interest in helping clients work through issues regarding their interpersonal relationships, sexual development, and faith or spiritual journeys. She especially enjoys helping those wanting to navigate their religious cultures in healthy ways—whether they desire to stay within their faith communities or leave all together. Natasha presents at various conferences, speaks at universities, holds retreats, trainings and workshops, and has worked with thousands of clients in private practice and agency settings. She is an advocate for sexual health in marginalized populations (LGBTQ+, religious minorities, women) and champions de-stigmatizing sexual lifestyle choices due to cultural/personal/religious bias.

Amy is joined by guest Neylan McBaine to discuss Unfinished Business by Anne-Marie Slaughter. Topics include half truths, resilience, the continuum of competition and caregiving, and what it really means to be a working parent. Neylan McBaine was born and raised in New York City. She studied piano at the Juilliard School in high school, then graduated from Yale University in English literature. In 2009, she and her family settled in Salt Lake City, and she became creative director at Bonneville Communications where she worked on the “I’m a Mormon” advertising project. Neylan self-published her first book in 2009, How to be a Twenty-First Century Pioneer Woman. In 2010, Neylan founded the Mormon Women Project, a 501c3 nonprofit that collects and publishes interviews of Mormon women from various countries around the world. Her second book, Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women’s Local Impact, was published in 2014. In 2017, McBaine co-founded Better Days 2020, a non-profit that popularizes Utah women’s history through education, legislation, and art, and her third book, Pioneering the Vote: The Untold Story of Suffragists in Utah and the West, was published in 2020.

Amy is joined by guest Malia Morris to discuss Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. Topics include the intersection of sex and racism, calling in v. calling out, bossiness, mansplaining,  and seeing humanity in others. Malia Morris is a performing artist and voice teacher in the Bay Area. She studied Music Performance and Sociology in her undergraduate at Arizona State University, where she graduated with honors. In graduate school, she studied Dramatic Arts at Harvard University. Malia was awarded a thesis prize for her research on Broadway director Diane Paulus. Her research was selected for presentation at Harvard Symposium.

Amy is joined by guest Malia Morris to discuss Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. Topics include the intersection of sex and racism, calling in v. calling out, bossiness, mansplaining,  and seeing humanity in others. Setareh Greenwood (she/they) is a queer Iranian-American from the California Bay Area. She is currently a first-year student at Mount Holyoke College considering majoring in sociology with a minor in music. Setareh is interested in studying queer theory, social psychology, and literature. She also enjoys painting, Shakespeare, and writing mediocre poetry.

Amy is joined by guest Gina Haney to discuss feminism is for everybody by bell hooks. Topics include the importance of being aware of identity, breaking free of colonial thinking, and holding the door open behind us. Gina Haney specializes in economic development and equitable community engagement surrounding cultural heritage. In 2008 she founded Community Consortium and began, with the government of Iraq, an inclusive stakeholder-driven management plan and World Heritage nomination for the site of Babylon. In addition to working in the Middle East, Gina manages projects in South America and Africa. She is currently pursuing graduate studies at Stanford University. Gina lives in the Bay Area with her partner, two daughters, and corgi. She longs to spend a significant portion of her life in New Zealand.

Amy is joined by guest Matthew Nelson to conclude their discussion of LGBTQ+ History. This is Part Four of Four and covers the texts No Future by Lee Edelman and Cruising Utopia by José Esteban Muñoz. Topics include the AIDs epidemic, necropolitics, queer ethics, moral panic, and how we think about the future for LGBTQ+ individuals. Matthew Nelson currently serves as the Dean of the Sophomore class and teaches interdisciplinary courses in the History Department at Menlo School in Atherton, CA. He hopes to offer a seminar to Menlo students on queer theory and gender studies in the near future. Prior to these glorious years at Menlo, he was the chair of the Theology Department at the Woodside Priory School leading students in explorations of the history of religion, philosophy, and Benedictine Catholic spirituality. Matthew received his M.Div. from Harvard University and is striving to finish his studies in Stanford’s Master of Liberal Arts program. Matthew and his loving husband call their industrial loft in Oakland home.

Amy is joined by guest Matthew Nelson to continue their discussion of LGBTQ+ History. This is Part Three of Four and covers the queer theory of Michael Warner, heteronormative temporality, the drive to be normal, and the challenge of imagining a new social order.Matthew Nelson currently serves as the Dean of the Sophomore class and teaches interdisciplinary courses in the History Department at Menlo School in Atherton, CA. He hopes to offer a seminar to Menlo students on queer theory and gender studies in the near future. Prior to these glorious years at Menlo, he was the chair of the Theology Department at the Woodside Priory School leading students in explorations of the history of religion, philosophy, and Benedictine Catholic spirituality. Matthew received his M.Div. from Harvard University and is striving to finish his studies in Stanford’s Master of Liberal Arts program. Matthew and his loving husband call their industrial loft in Oakland home.

Amy is joined by guest Matthew Nelson to continue their discussion of LGBTQ+ History. This is Part Two of Four and covers intersections of patriarchy and trans-queerphobia, the history of queer liberation, the Supreme Court’s decision to grant marriage equality to queer people, and how we can support LGBTQ+ liberation today. Matthew Nelson currently serves as the Dean of the Sophomore class and teaches interdisciplinary courses in the History Department at Menlo School in Atherton, CA. He hopes to offer a seminar to Menlo students on queer theory and gender studies in the near future. Prior to these glorious years at Menlo, he was the chair of the Theology Department at the Woodside Priory School leading students in explorations of the history of religion, philosophy, and Benedictine Catholic spirituality. Matthew received his M.Div. from Harvard University and is striving to finish his studies in Stanford’s Master of Liberal Arts program. Matthew and his loving husband call their industrial loft in Oakland home.