Invisible Women is about eight women who worked in espionage during World War II. They were from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. What they had in common was the opportunity to step outside societal norms, while at the same time working in the shadows. This podcast is an opportunity to hear their stories, to explore their roles in society and discover what we can learn from these stories, that is relevant today.
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This episode tells the remarkable story of Jennis, a young American woman who defied 1940s norms to become an OSS espionage agent in India during WWII. Her experience abroad starkly contrasted with other female agents, offering her unparalleled freedom and a profound immersion in Indian culture, which validated her intellect and independence. The episode explores her deep connection to India, her encounter with Mahatma Gandhi, and how his philosophy of non-violent resistance, Satyagraha, transformed her life and empowered her post-war endeavors.
In this episode you’ll hear Celine’s story. She was a young French woman who first joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in the UK, and then later became a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent. She parachuted into France to courier, sabotage and coordinate among Maquis groups. You’ll hear how she challenged biased cultural beliefs about women and her references that underscore the personality of many of the women I interviewed ~ independent, strategic, compassionate, courageous and ...
There have been two Madonnas worshiped throughout Europe for centuries, reflecting the splitting of the feminine archetypal energy in the mind and lives of western people. This episode is about Zosia, a young woman who couriered for the Polish resistance in 1939, went into forced labor and found strength in the teachings of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. This icon of the Polish people and women symbolizes the power of independence, freedom, resistance, character and integrity. Episodes includ...
Invisible Women is celebrating International Women’s Day with the release of Episode 5. This episode is about the power of Sisterhood and women leading, supporting and empowering women and others with compassion, strategy, intelligence and bravery so everyone may benefit. In this episode you’ll hear Pet’s story, a young woman who lived in Amsterdam during WW 2. At the behest of her mother, she couriered for the Dutch resistance, traveling into the countryside carrying documents and funds for dow...
Ayla, a young Jewish woman, walked for miles in the middle of the night through mountainous regions with snowdrifts and freezing temperatures toward the German front. Nearing the front with its watchful snipers, Ayla would leave her African commando escort behind and continue on alone. Pretending to be a nurse searching for her soldier boyfriend, Ayla put her life at seemingly unsurmountable risk, but she crossed into German territory many times providing crucial information to the Free French A...
On her wedding day Liliana discovered that she was not only saying yes to marriage, but also to the perilous work of a wireless operator in one of the first resistance cells in France. Speaking 5 languages by the age of 19 she was instrumental in encoding messages sent to Bletchley Park from a Polish Military cell in Lyon, run by her husband. The cultural beliefs about women, and the relationship power gradient between women and men, supported her fiancé’s action to decide her fate. In this epis...
What is it about secrets and spying that holds such interest, curiosity and energy for us? And, why were these women agents, who were living ordinary lives pre-war, exhilarated by being undercover in dangerous circumstances? In this episode I’ll discuss the high stakes of being involved in espionage, whether behind the lines or on the home front. Then, I’ll introduce you to Garnet, a young woman from the UK who was decoding enemy messages in the secret facility at Bletchley Park. Later it was bo...
When real life stories have been kept secret for over 60 years, it’s difficult to coax them into existence. This episode introduces eight such stories and the challenges involved in uncovering them — from the male gatekeepers I had to traverse to inviting the women to share their stories, most of whom had not previously done so. We begin with Edie’s story, a young woman who worked for Service Zero, a large resistance cell in Belgium. Episodes include war-related content that some listeners may f...
Based on her years of research and in-person interviews, Diane Greig hosts this podcast about eight women who worked in espionage during World War 2. The women worked undercover in dangerous territory between 1939-1946, in countries such as France, Poland, India, Holland, Belgium and Czechoslovakia. Most were young, in their teens and early twenties. These women were from different cultures and backgrounds, and worked for military and non-military cells. Two were from France, and the other six w...
Oct 27, 2020•54 sec
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