Amy is joined by Dr. Christena Cleveland to discuss her book God is a Black Woman and unpack our assumptions about divinity, gender, and race. Christena Cleveland Ph.D. is a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist. She is the founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization, Sacred Folk , which creates resources to stimulate people’s spiritual imaginations and support their journeys toward liberation. A weaver of Black liberation an...
Feb 21, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Amy is joined by Kylee Shepherd to discuss We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi as well as Womanism and Feminism on the African continent. Kylee Shepherd is a bi-racial student from Bakersfield, California. She is currently a psychology major at Brigham Young University and plans to be an elementary school teacher. She is a founding member of The Black Menaces, an activist group interviewing students and faculty on college campuses with questions that start conversations about r...
Feb 14, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Amy is joined by Channel Achenbach to discuss Daughters of Anowa by Mercy Amba Oduyoye and explore history and gender relations in Ghana. Channel Achenbach hales from San Antonio, TX and is an advocate for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." She is a seeker of freedom, justice, accountability, love, compassion, mercy, diversity and awareness. She pursues opportunities to discuss racial disparities and the achievable resolutions for unity, diversity and solidarity within the membership...
Feb 07, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Amy is joined by writer and intellectual OluTimehin Kukoyi to discuss The Invention of Women by Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí and explore the concept of gender in Nigeria. OluTimehin Kukoyi (née Adegbeye) is an award-winning writer, speaker and public intellectual whose work focuses on love and freedom. She is known for her insightful analyses of issues relating to feminism, gender, sexualities and pro-poor urbanisation. Her TED talk on urban inclusion “ Who Belongs in a City? “, delivered at TEDGlobal 2017...
Jan 31, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Amy explores the history of Liberia and Women's Mass Action for Peace through the written words of one of her heroes, Leymah Gbowee.
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Amy is joined by academic and advocate Dr. Veronica Fynn Bruey to discuss her book, Patriarchy and Gender in Africa, and discuss the impacts of patriarchy on the African continent. Dr. Veronica Fynn Bruey is a multi-award winner and a passionate academic and advocate. Holding six academic degrees from four continents, she has researched, taught, consulted, and presented at conferences in over thirty countries. She's authored five books, several book chapters, and journal articles. She's the foun...
Jan 17, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Amy is joined by author, educator, and activist Anne Firth Murray to discuss her book, From Outrage to Courage, and start exploring patriarchy on a global scale.
Jan 10, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Amy is joined by Dina Asna and Saghi Saghazadeh to discuss the ongoing revolution in Iran.
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Welcome to Season Three of Breaking Down Patriarchy! Each week in Season 3 Amy will read a book on a different topic in global gender studies, and will discuss it with a guest who has also read - or, in many cases written - the book being discussed. We will start with the African continent, touching down in several different countries to discuss essential topics in the history of patriarchy and gender studies. The following month, in honor of Black History Month, we will focus on essential texts...
Jan 03, 2023•9 min
Amy is joined by the show's editor, Sam Rose Preminger, to discuss all the incredible content in Season 2!
Jan 01, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 53
In the concluding episode of Season Two, Amy is joined by Dr. Kristin Neff to discuss the generative power of anger, the danger of rote gender roles, and the radical power of self-compassion. Kristin Neff (she/her) received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley, and is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. During Kristin’s last year of graduate school she became interested in Buddhism and has been practicing meditat...
Dec 27, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 52
While many of our listeners are no doubt getting ready for Christmas festivities this week, for others the winter celebrations have already begun. Candles are being lit, loved ones are gathered close, and latkes are already sizzling in oil as our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors are celebrating Chanukah, the festival of lights. From Gerda Lerner and Gloria Steinem to Betty Freidan and Naomi Wolf, I have always admired to contributions of Jewish women to feminist thought and yet we haven’t y...
Dec 22, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 51
In the course of this season, we’ve gone in depth and up close with dozens of people’s experiences navigating present-day patriarchy. We’ve heard stories of personal struggle, of generational trauma, of feminist revelations. We’ve listened to fantastic essays on what a more egalitarian future might look like, and we’ve been pointed towards critical changes that our world and our culture are sorely overdue for. On today’s episode, we’re going to be talking about what it takes to actually make tho...
Dec 20, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 50
As this second season of the podcast approaches a close, we want to spend a little more time discussing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—not to dwell in the pain which the Church’s patriarchy has caused, but rather to imagine some possible steps forward. To start envisioning a new Church for the future, a Church with regard, respect, and opportunity for all of its members, and to explore some of the potential steps that will lead us there. To help us illuminate these paths forward...
Dec 13, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Earlier this year, our podcast began a project of collecting, publishing, and elevating people’s stories about patriarchy, and when we got word out that we were soliciting contributions, we received an overflow of messages from women raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so grateful for all the stories that found their way to us. In today’s episode, we hear from Ashley Mae Hoiland and Courtney McPhie , as well as an Anonymous Contributor who help us explore the impact...
Dec 06, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 48
On today’s episode we’re going to be discussing loss — loss of family, loss of loved ones, loss of faith — and specifically we’ll be discussing loss in the context of excommunication from the Church of Latter-Day Saints. For listeners who may not be familiar, excommunication from the LDS Church is the single most severe form of discipline which Church leaders can enact. It’s a severance, total and often sudden, from a person’s community and from their faith tradition, and its fallout can be deva...
Nov 29, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 47
As we’ve discussed in Season 1 of the podcast, there is a strong and encouraging history of men aligning with feminist causes and contributing to feminist movements. This is a history that dates back at least 175 years to Frederick Douglas speaking in favor of suffrage at Seneca Falls and to John Stuart Mill advocating for women’s rights before British Parliament. From the very beginnings of First Wave Feminism, there have been men of integrity standing alongside our foremothers, and that tradit...
Nov 22, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 46
On today's episode I sit down with chess expert and professional gamer, Alexandra Botez , to discuss women in the world of competitive chess, life as a streamer, imposter syndrome, harassment, world travel, and the future of women and girls in gaming. Alexandra Botez (she/her) is an American-Canadian chess player and commentator, streaming superstar. She's the creator of BotezLive, one of the most popular chess channels on Twitch and YouTube. As a player, she became a five-time Canadian National...
Nov 15, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Today we're going to confront some of the really hard things about being a woman in the LDS faith tradition and we're also going to highlight some of the beauty and the goodness and the moral rightness that is found there in the Church. To demonstrate one aspect of the many complicated factors of what it felt like to be a Mormon, here's a scene for my house when I was little: In the 1980s, my family drove a huge blue Suburban. My younger siblings and I would listen to cassette tapes in the Subur...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 45
In the 21st century, witchcraft is trending. TikTokers, for example, sharing witch-based content, have amassed over 20 billion views under the hashtag “witchtok” and, as the trend grows, major retailers (including Sephora, Urban Outfitters, and many more) have eagerly started selling mystical crystals, spell books, and other witchy paraphernalia hoping to cash in on this growing faith movement. And yet all of this still leaves us with the question: who exactly are these self-professed witches? S...
Nov 01, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 43
On today’s episode we visit the number one country in the world when it comes to gender equity—Iceland—to take a closer, more critical look at the history and present day lives of women in a nation viewed as the gold standard for women’s rights. To help facilitate this exploration of Icelandic culture, I’m thrilled to say that today we’re joined by globetrotter Rachel Greenley , as well as a number of Icelandic locals who generously sat down with Rachel to discuss to discuss patriarchy overseas,...
Oct 25, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 42
As regular listeners know, we do our best on this podcast to not look away from the pain that patriarchy creates. In the past this has meant discussing the hurtful ways patriarchy erases history, the ways it diminishes women, limits possibilities for men and boys, and—on several occasions—this has meant listening to difficult stories of domestic abuse. On today’s episode we’ll be joined by an Anonymous Contributor who trusts us with another of these difficult stories. Note: this segment contains...
Oct 18, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 41
In this episode I'm joined by phenomenal guests— Liz & Cami —two Americans who have lived in Saudi Arabia for the past several years and are ready to speak about their experiences navigating Saudi patriarchy as foreign women. Their conversation is fascinating and funny, discussing dress codes and driver’s licenses and the shadows of colonialism in this unique peek into one of the world’s—allegedly—most patriarchal societies.
Oct 11, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 40
On today’s episode, we’re going to be exploring this concept of the feminist awakening with three extraordinary guests-- Monica Rodgers , Shelbey Neil , and an Anonymous Contributor --who help us unpack the trance of patriarchy, the challenges of a new perspective, and the need to confront our former beliefs. Monica Rodgers (she/her) is a tireless advocate for the full actualization of women, inspiring women everywhere that saying “YES to the MESS” is the missing link to self-love and personal a...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Many of us want to make a difference in our lives, find our purpose and create our legacy. Shaped by our past, we look toward the future, and toward creating a better world for those around us. As the daughter of an immigrant and refugee, Katica Roy is driven by a passion to eradicate economic inequality and to champion the rights of refugees, women, and children. She has written numerous articles about intersectional gender equity for different national media platforms and uses storytelling and...
Sep 27, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 38
In this episode I'm joined by the astounding social worker and psychotherapist, Dr. Julie Hanks , for an astonishing conversation about aspirational shame, imposter syndrome, why far too many women feel prohibiting from chasing their dreams, and how we can strive to recognize and accept ourselves as the people we’re meant to be. Julie de Azevedo Hanks , PhD, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist with nearly 30 years’ experience providing a safe place for healing conversat...
Sep 20, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 37
When we began accepting submissions for this season, we received an outpouring of stories from women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Stories about how the Church has affected their relationships, how it’s affected their careers, their faith, their sense of self-worth. And, while we are very much dedicated to continuing to seek out and promote diverse voices, we also believe that this surge of stories from Mormon women needs to be heard. We received so many of these submission...
Sep 13, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 36
When we began Season Two of this project, we had the honor of hearing from an anonymous servicewoman in the US Marine Corps who alerted us to alarming disparity among genders within our nation’s military. In the Marines this included misfit equipment, dismissive stigmas against mothers, and an enshrinement of masculinity that bordered on fanaticism. We were so grateful to this first contributor for opening our eyes to some the patriarchy entangled in our armed forces, and now we want to delve ev...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 35
We have a long way to go in our work of deconstructing oppressive systems, and one of the most challenging aspects of doing this work is being able to look at the pain these systems have already caused and are actively causing. It’s being able to listen to one another’s most difficult stories and do so with courage and compassion, without giving up our hope for the future. We can let these stories be lit as beacons to guide our way. We can let them be lit as a fire that drives us forward. On tod...
Aug 30, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 34
On today's episode I'm joined by my friend, entrepreneur Reese Harper , for a vulnerable conversation about the idea of being a provider, self-actualization, and how men and women together can collaborate to dismantle patriarchy in our workplaces. Reese Harper (he/him) is a financial advisor, a musician, and an entrepreneur. He loves outdoor recreation, writing, and spending quality time with his family.
Aug 23, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 33
