As we wrap up our revisit of some of our previously-aired Indigenous Broads, today we bring you Sam's deep dive on Sacagawea. While she's best known as the navigator during Lewis & Clark's expedition of the Louisiana Purchase, the truth is a bit more complicated than that. As a young girl Sacagawea was kidnapped and sold into slavery by a neighboring tribe, and was eventually sold to her now-husband, whom brought on the expedition. She played the role of navigator at some points during the j...
Nov 30, 2022•31 min
Continuing our revisit of some of our previously-aired Indigenous Broads, today we revisit Jupiter's episode about Hawaii's Queen Ka'ahumanu. Queen Ka'ahumanu is one of the lesser-known Queens of Hawaii, but without her strategy, know-how, & willingness to break Kapu (holy Hawaiian law), the Kingdom as we know it may never have happened at all. She's a controversial figure to many, but her influence is undeniable. — A Broad is a woman who lives by her own rules. Broads You Should Know is the...
Nov 23, 2022•44 min
Continuing our revisit of some of our previously-aired Indigenous American Broads, today we bring back Chloe Skye's episode on one of the most prominent warriors in the fight to take down racially harmful mascots - Suzan Shown Harjo! In high school, Suzan learned about 3,000 racist sports mascots across the US, and a few years later, she started a foundation dedicated to eradicating those mascots. She was the primary plantiff on the lawsuit to change the name of the Washington R*dsk*ns (back in ...
Nov 16, 2022•34 min
We've entered gratitude season here in the US, which is the perfect time to revisit some of our previously-broadcast indigenous American Broads! Today we bring back Sam's brilliant episode on Native American two-spirit Chief, Pine Leaf Woman Chief! Pine Leaf was a teenager when her warrior father was killed by the Blackfoot Tribe. Still, she rallied a small army and led a retaliatory raid, killing and taking prisoner those who attacked her people. She became known as Woman Chief, and set out to ...
Nov 09, 2022•15 min
The Broad, the Myth, the LEGEND! We all know her name, but do you actually know her story? To start with, did you know that wasn't really her name?! Joan was born into a war-torn France at a time when French hope was greatly diminished. How on earth does a thirteen-year-old farm girl travel across dangerous, disputed territory, win an audience with the Crown Prince of France, inspire the entire French army and restore the hope of France, when it would have seemed statistically impossible? And wh...
Nov 02, 2022•50 min•Ep. 148
As a young girl, Teresa was obsessed with the stories of the saints and the brave knights riding to religious martyrdom. When she was seven, she even tried to run away from home to join the holy wars, so it surprises no one when she takes her vows and puts on the nun's uniform. When terrible illness strikes her, keeping her in bed nearly a year, her religious convictions deepen and she turns to prayer and a personal relationship with God to help her manage the difficult days. Then, when Jesus hi...
Oct 26, 2022•51 min•Ep. 147
Catherine is extremely devout from a very young age (seeing her first visions as early as 5 years old, and promising herself to Christ by the age of 7), so when her older sister dies in childbirth and her parents start pushing her to marry her sister's widower, Catherine flat out refuses and goes on a hunger strike - a first step in what would become a lifetime of "asceticism". Her professed visions and "mystical marriage" to Christ, ring and all, propel Catherine to religious stardom fairly qui...
Oct 19, 2022•29 min•Ep. 146
Last week we dug into the extensive work produced by the prolific medieval polymath Hildegard von Bingen, but we saved the most interesting piece of her story for Part 2: Her first writings, of her own accord, weren't from her own mouth, but from the mouth of God himself in her VISIONS. WHAT?!?! Were Hildegard's visions real? If so how did she know they were from God? How did this fact change the course of her life and propel her to unimaginable heights, especially for a woman, a NUN, in the med...
Oct 12, 2022•24 min•Ep. 145
Hildegard von Bingen lived the strict life of a cloistered nun, run to the ground physically by the harsh rules and meager lifestyle of the Benedictine Monks, and she's somehow able to not only survive, but THRIVE. She writes, composes, and creates works so profound and so important that the whole world takes notice and she's able to ascend to a position of great importance, both inside and outside of the Church. What does she do with this immense power? And how does she accumulate it in the fir...
Oct 05, 2022•27 min•Ep. 144
In her early studies Chiquinha Gonzaga took to music immediately and composed and performed her first piece in public at just 11 years old. She knew she was meant to play and write music. But when her husband by arranged marriage forces her to choose between being a wife and mother, and her music, she does what had never been done by a woman in Brazil before - she asks for a divorce! Turns out that fighting upcurrent against societal expectations and scandal would become a recurring theme in her...
Sep 28, 2022•30 min•Ep. 143
We interrupt our current series, They Called Them Crazy, to bring you an urgent notice to drop whatever you are doing and get your butts to the movie theatre to see THE WOMAN KING!! Chloe joins Sara to discuss the newly released film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu, and John Boyega. In addition to reviewing Prince-Bythewood's stellar direction and beautiful filmmaking, Viola Davis' breathtaking performance, and the rest of the talented cast ...
Sep 21, 2022•42 min
Our miniseries "They Called Them Crazy" kicks off with Crazy Prolific Broad: Christine de Pizan. When disaster strikes her family in medieval France, Christine becomes her family's sole breadwinner by becoming a copyist, but she doesn't stop there! She begins writing her own works (becoming the first woman published in Europe!), starting with poems and ballads, then essays and the equivalent of modern editorials. She earns patronage from many of the wealthiest, titled folks in the French court A...
Sep 14, 2022•30 min•Ep. 142
We're launching a brand new Broads Miniseries to kick off the fall and Sara's here to tell you all about it! We all hear the "c" word tossed around often, in the media, and even amongst our friends and family, but what is its origin? We dig deep into the origins of the word, and it's adjacent words, too. Then, Sara tours us through all the possible Broads that were suggested for this series, which category they fall under, and why. Some of the names you'll recognize, some you won't, but ALL of t...
Sep 07, 2022•23 min
This week, Sam brings us the story of Mother Teresa! Despite having been sainted, Mother Teresa remains a controversial figure in different sectors of the world. When she was 12, she heard "The Call" that she was to become a nun. Later, she heard "the call within the call," which prompted her to press against her superiors within the church to allow her to live on the streets so that she could better understand the struggle of those she was trying to help: those most in need. She rescued childre...
Aug 31, 2022•31 min
This week, Sara brings us the somewhat strange, but true story of Marion Stokes. A card carrying member of the Communist party, Marion was one of the most intelligent and articulate voices on local television in Philadelphia in the late 1960s, where she also happened to learn the power television carried across the airwaves, and the great influence producers had over the content and messages being broadcast. Then, in 1979 when the Iranian hostage crisis dominated airwaves and established the 24/...
Aug 24, 2022•29 min•Ep. 141
This week, guest Darren Callahan brings us the story of screenwriter Nancy Dowd! After graduating from Smith College, Nancy enrolls at UCLA determined to forge a career writing for film. Not only does she succeed, she ends up writing some of the most renowned films of the 70s and 80s, and even winning an Oscar for her first feature script COMING HOME, but while the original script was entirely her own, she had to share that Oscar with two other writers. Listen now to find out how that film creat...
Aug 17, 2022•33 min•Ep. 140
Chief Theresa Kachindamoto was living her life as a secretary at a college in the Zomba District in southern Malawi when she received shocking news: she was chosen by the chiefs of her hometown to become the next Senior Chief. She returned home to discover that the town she grew up in had a major problem with child marriage. Despite massive pushback, she set out to make a change. — A BROAD is a woman who lives by her own rules. Broads You Should Know is the podcast about the Broads who helped sh...
Aug 10, 2022•19 min
This week Sara brings us the story of the remarkable Olivia Julianna! A week and a half ago Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz got on the mic and fat-shamed the 19-year-old political strategist for Gen Z for Change, a youth-led nonprofit creating tangible change on issues that disproportionately effect young people. Olivia used this mega-spotlight to flip the narrative and raise money for Abortion Funds. At the time this episode drops she has raised over $2.2 million and trolled Gaetz to the moon...
Aug 03, 2022•24 min•Ep. 139
This week Sara brings us the story of the first woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics - Wilma Rudolph! She is only 16 years old when she competes in her first Olympic Games as an amateur athlete. A mere four years later, at 20, she wins three golds and is declared "the Fastest Woman in History." Her story is even more incredible when you find out that as a young child and polio survivor doctors told her she would never walk again. How did she beat the odds, discard her awful leg br...
Jul 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 138
This week, Sara brings us the story of Ida B. Wells! She worked in Civil Rights all her life, early on suing (and winning!) against a railroad company for forcing her to vacate her seat so that white people could sit down. She's also the woman who ventured into the Southern states during a time of mass-lynchings to investigate the epidemic of unreported hate crimes. Her work made people in the Northern United States aware of the vicious hate crimes that were happening, and that they were targeti...
Jul 20, 2022•37 min
Today, Sara brings us the incredible story of Helen Hulick Beebe! Helen is working as a teacher in Los Angeles in 1938, and when she's called to court to testify in a burglary case she inadvertently causes quite the ruckus by...wearing pants! The Judge is outraged and reschedules the court date with an order to wear a dress when she returns, but Helen refuses to comply and the ire of the Judge boils over. The whole ordeal that follows lasts months and makes headlines across the country, putting ...
Jul 13, 2022•23 min•Ep. 137
Today, Colin A. Borden brings us the tale of Verity Lambert - the founding producer of Doctor Who! As an aspiring young writer and director, Verity kept running into the glass ceiling, being told time and time again that there wasn't any more room for another woman. Verity kept at it, though, and when an accident on set means someone has to step in to keep the show together, Verity meets the challenge with aplomb and leaves an indelible impression on the studio department head. Later, when he's ...
Jul 06, 2022•28 min•Ep. 136
Sara, Chloe, and much of the US are reeling this week from the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe vs Wade (while disturbingly, some are celebrating). While we much expected it would happen, it still was a major blow. As we sort through the sorrow, grief and despair that many of us are feeling it's important to acknowledge our feelings, but also to check in with our actions and make sure that we aren't inadvertently self-centering/white-centering our posts and our actions. We discuss a few ...
Jun 29, 2022•46 min
Today Sara brings us the story of one of the most epic warrior Queens in history: BOUDICA! When the Romans destroy everything most precious to her, take her land, enslave her people and lash her publicly - this Queen of the Iceni tribe (in pre-celtic Britain) doesn't sit around and cry about it. She rallies her Celts, combining the warring tribes to lead a legendary show of force against the Roman colonies and the Roman Legions themselves. How do her and her ragtag army fare against the steeled ...
Jun 22, 2022•24 min•Ep. 135
This week, Adrian Snow brings us the story of Kate Bush! Her chart-topping song "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" climbed to the top 10 after it resurfaced in an episode of Stranger Things a few weeks ago, blowing it's previous record from when it first dropped 37 years ago. Who is this masterful wizard of song that brought us such a timeless classic? It turns out that Kate Bush is one of the most talented and eclectic artists the world has ever seen. From starting to write songs at 11 ye...
Jun 15, 2022•28 min•Ep. 134
This week, Sara brings us the story of Alexya Salvador, the first transgender pastor in Brazil and all of Latin America, and the first transgender person to adopt a child in Brazil. As a young child, Alexya found great solace and belonging in the Catholic Church, so much so, that she entered seminary to begin a path to priesthood. But as her studies progressed she uncovered deeply held core teachings that made her feel like a criminal just for being gay. Alexya's story is one of overcoming the g...
Jun 08, 2022•25 min•Ep. 133
BYSK is kicking off PRIDE month by revisiting one of our favorite previous Broad episodes - MARSHA "Pay It No Mind" JOHNSON! Marsha was one of the figureheads in the fight for LGBTQ rights and a true legend. She was (allegedly) at the Stonewall Inn on the night the riots broke out, kicking off the LGBTQ revolution. She also helped organize the first Pride Parade and founded STAR house, a home for abandoned or homeless LGBT children and young adults to keep them off the streets (her story inspire...
Jun 01, 2022•22 min
This week, Sara brings us the story of one of India's greatest heroines and rebel leader Rani Lakshmi Bai! As the British East India Company tightened its grip on India by violating Hindu traditions, stealing land from Indian landowners and replacing India's leaders with British military officials, the people of India grew more and more angry. When rebellion breaks out in Jhansi, Queen Lakshmi Bai tries to play by the British "rules" to maintain order, but when they betray her and threaten her e...
May 25, 2022•31 min•Ep. 132
This week, Chloe Skye returns to the podcast to bring us the incredible true story of Norma McCorvey, or as you might know her: "Jane Roe" of the Roe v Wade case. We'll tell you right now - it's probably NOT the story you were expecting to hear. After enduring a difficult childhood in Texas, Norma's young adulthood doesn't fair much better, and ultimately leads to her landmark court case Roe v Wade. But what happens after the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal & protected under ...
May 18, 2022•37 min•Ep. 131
This week, Sara Gorsky brings us the incredible true story of Josephine Baker! Born into poverty in St. Louis, Missouri in 1906, Josephine works her way up the chorus line to NYC, but the discrimination she faces at every turn drives her to Europe where France falls in love with the girl in the banana skirt. Her rise to fame is meteoric and she becomes one of the highest paid performers in all of Europe and the first Black woman in history to reach such astounding celebrity status. However, she ...
May 11, 2022•28 min•Ep. 130
