In today's episode, I am talking to Alani Bankhead. Alani knows something about feminism because she has spent the last 20 years as a woman in a predominantly male profession, hunting spies, terrorists, and child sex traffickers. She was even assigned to be the senior bodyguard to a top Pentagon official. She understands how to level the inequity of the job force and how to use her femininity as her superpower. Alani is a public speaker and life coach who helps people overcome imposter syndrome,...
Jan 19, 2024•45 min
Today, I am talking to the former Chair of New Zealand's Labour Women's Caucus, Sarah Pallett. Sarah reached out to me after she read an article I published in the HuffPost. When she introduced herself, I almost fell out of my chair. I had read about Sarah, I knew her name, and I knew she served under New Zealand's former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. This was one hell of a feminist, and she was writing to me! How could I not ask her to be on the podcast? This powerhouse of a woman and politici...
Dec 06, 2023•48 min
Today, I am talking to the former Chair of New Zealand's Labour Women's Caucus, Sarah Pallett. Sarah reached out to me after she read an article I published in the HuffPost. When she introduced herself, I almost fell out of my chair. I had read about Sarah, I knew her name, and I knew she served under New Zealand's former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. This was one hell of a feminist, and she was writing to me! How could I not ask her to be on the podcast? This powerhouse of a woman and politici...
Dec 01, 2023•52 min
In this episode, I am talking to Samantha Martin, founder of the Femmish organization. Samanatha uses research to bring awareness around femme phobia- the systematic devaluing of femininity that people engage in when they police feminine qualities in others. This is an excellent conversation about how the world looks down on most things feminine and refuses to allow people assigned male at birth to embrace anything feminine but yet expects women to embrace femininity only to use it as a launchin...
Nov 17, 2023•54 min
Yes, October and Spooks have passed, but this conversation was too good to not visit again! Oh Friends, This episode is a good one. It conjures up women dancing around bonfires, chanting, mixing positions, invoking curses and being gagged, bound, and hung. The Salem Witch Trials. I wanted to include this topic on Stark Conversations because this is the apex of women being accused of nothing more than being women. Because there was no chanting, no curses cast, no brooms ridden. Instead, what we f...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Trigger warning: Sexual and gender based violence Today, I am discussing a recent paper published by Dr. Treena Orchard that explores the subjectivity of safety on one college campus. According to Dr. Orchard's research: 20 to 43% of women and 3 to 29% of men attending American universities have been sexually victimized. In some Canadian provinces, as many as 63% of female students have experienced sexual harassment. Our conversation centers on: How to listen with a feminist ear The subjectivity...
Nov 01, 2023•55 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Today, on Stark Conversations, I discuss the devaluing of girls and women in the legal system with Jennifer Toon, the Project Director for Lioness Justice Impacted Women’s Alliance. A nonprofit led by formerly incarcerated women who envision a society where all women are spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically free from violence and harm in the criminal legal system. Our conversation focuses on: The unique issues girls and women face when they enter and exit the legal system. How inves...
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 2
Today, I am talking with writer Christine Morrison. After working for Olay and Calvin Klein, Christine has become a writer with a mission and purpose to focus on fashion as it relates to our identity and well-being. She writes that she is "committed to exploring and exposing the grey areas that burden us all in fashion, beauty and wellness. Oft through the lens of aging." Christine wants to help "consumers be informed, not influenced ." Together, she and I wade through the question of how you em...
Oct 18, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Hello Friends, In Part 2 of Sexual Harassment, I take you with me as I reclaim my walks on the beach. This episode is a series of recordings I took when I decided it was time for me to go back to where the harassment occurred. I attempted to be candid and genuine in my thoughts and emotions. This is an exercise in understanding the pain and hurt that sexual harassment causes. Even the simplest acts of harassment can leave deep wounds. This is not an opportunity to judge or dismiss. Instead, it i...
Mar 15, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Hello Friends, Trigger warning: this episode is about sexual harassment. This episode is a two-parter and a bit different than the others. This is just me talking about an incident of sexual harassment that occurred not too long ago that has left me with many thoughts, revelations, and emotions. Although I am still working through some issues, I wanted to discuss it now. In this episode, I share what happened, how I felt, how traumatic feelings have affected my brain and body, and how I am attem...
Mar 10, 2023•55 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Hello Friends, Today I am re-releasing three conversations that I had two years ago with my daughter, Izzy. We recorded these conversations as a mini-podcast and released them on the Instagram account for my business Grace & Grit. However, I thought they were timely for this podcast. While attempting to raise a strong, confident daughter, I wanted to know three things from Z: What was something I got wrong? What did she need from me that I failed to give her? What did I get right? What was t...
Feb 23, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Hello friends and welcome back to another Stark Conversation. Today I am learning about a nonprofit in Morocco called Project Soar. It was founded by Maryam Montague. Maryam, a fierce feminist, shares with me how and why she started Project Soar. In doing so, she dives into the ways feminism has helped the girls in her community and highlights some of the issues they face. Specifically, Maryam speaks about: How loopholes in Moroccan law still allow for child marriage- an issue that is still rele...
Feb 16, 2023•39 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Hello Friends, Welcome back! This episode is Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Martha Rampton. Today we are talking about waves 3 and 4 of Feminism. In particular, we discuss how the 3rd wave deconstructed the words slut and whore while reclaiming feminine sexuality and beauty which significantly contrasts with the 2nd wave. We ponder the beginning of the 4th wave. Did it start because of politics, or was it already brewing and the political heat of 2016 galvanized the movement? We also discuss...
Feb 09, 2023•41 min•Season 5Ep. 5
If you are a history buff, then the next two episodes of Stark Conversations are for you. We are getting a lesson about the 4 waves of feminism with Dr. Martha Rampton! This episode is a two-parter because you simply can’t fit the history of feminism into an hour. In fact, we could barely fit it into two hours. So I am sitting down with Dr. Martha Rampton from Pacific University, who wrote a fabulous article on the waves of feminism in the U.S. Dr. Rampton clearly explains the history of feminis...
Feb 02, 2023•59 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Oh Friends, This episode is a good one. It conjures up women dancing around bonfires, chanting, mixing positions, invoking curses and being gagged, bound, and hung. The Salem Witch Trials. I wanted to include this topic on Stark Conversations because this is the apex of women being accused of nothing more than being women. Because there was no chanting, no curses cast, no brooms ridden. Instead, what we find are just people. Every day community members using their voices when wronged, dressing f...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Friends, This episode is one where we get to be students of Dr. AnaLouise Keating as she helps us understand the kaleidoscope of views that make up Feminist Theory. Dr. AnaLouise Keating is a wealth of intellect. She is one of those and/both spirits. She lives in the in-between, the gray spaces of life. Her work is proof of this. I was drawn to her because of how she approaches feminism and its multiple layers. She observes how the paradoxes of feminism work or don't work together. Still, she is...
Jan 18, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 2
You know the moment when the vulnerability pays off? When you get the ask, and relief floods your system? That was the gift that Jodi Bondi Norgaard gave me. I have followed this feminist for years, quietly liking her posts, pursuing her website and admiring her work. Jodi says the things I am thinking. She speaks them with matter-of-fact wisdom that only comes from thorough research. When I asked her to help kick-start this podcast by being my first guest, she didn't hesitate. I got an answer t...
Jan 11, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Hello Friends! We are changing things up here and going in a different direction. We are still amplifying women's voices but taking things a little deeper by exploring the very movement that has given women back their power so that they can tell their stories and raise their voices, Feminism. Join Heather as she explores feminism from its roots to its present-day perceptions in all facets of life. Her goal is to create a community of feminists that are redefining beauty culture, learning to use ...
Dec 31, 2022•1 min
This is our last Beauty Conversations and, of course, we saved the best for last. In this episode, we discuss fashion, clothing sizes, and our bodies. Then at the end, I interview my sweet niece Maggie, who, although eight years old, maybe the wisest of us all! There is a trigger warning. This may not be the episode for you if you have body concerns or issues. Here are some time codes for you to tune into: 16:48: Bops and I get very real about the negative thoughts that circle our brains when we...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min
We are continuing our talk about beauty culture and my new book, Her Story: A Heartfelt and Hilarious Conversation About Why Beauty Milestones Should Be Options and Not Expectations. Today we are talking about hair. Why we choose the styles we do, how hair helps us express who we are and what we are living through, and how hair can help us cope.
Dec 14, 2022•44 min
Join the conversation as host Heather interviews her mother, Bops, and daughter, Z, about the beauty culture topics she writes about in her new book, Her Story- A Heartfelt and Hilarious Conversation About Why Beauty Milestones Are Options and Not Expectations. In today's episode, they discuss their relationships with makeup and why we equate it with professionalism in the workplace. For more information about Her Story, visit heatherstark.me or purchase the book on Amazon or online at barnesand...
Nov 10, 2022•24 min
Hello! I am taking a break from my regular podcast to do a bit of book promotion. I wrote a book, and it comes out on Friday, November 4th. It's called Her Story: a Heartfelt and Hilarious Conversation About Why Beauty Milestones Are OPTIONS and Not EXPECTATIONS! It's a guidebook for parents and tween girls about the history of beauty culture. In this mini-podcast series, I sit down with my mother and daughter (who are both featured rather prominently in the book), to discuss our relationships w...
Nov 03, 2022•19 min
Meet Marcie Marie. A joyful, wise spirit whose honest stories and insights about her time in a Texas prison have taken TikTok by storm. Marci is blunt, authentic, and determined to use her story as a way to advocate for prison reform. Follow her @marcimarie114.
Jul 29, 2022•54 min•Season 5Ep. 28
Jules Weldon and Stace Pierce are the Co-Presidents of O.M.E. Gear, an innovative outdoor gear company. They have won multiple awards and competitions, but their story lies beyond the company—it's one filled with entrepreneur angst, hardships, mistakes, misogyny, and triumph. These two inspirational souls are determined to use their success to benefit others. This is Jules and Stace, A Salty Perseverance.
May 30, 2022•29 min•Season 5Ep. 27
Jules Weldon and Stace Pierce are the Co-Presidents of O.M.E. Gear, an innovative outdoor gear company. They have won multiple awards and competitions, but their story lies beyond the company—it's one filled with entrepreneur angst, hardships, mistakes, misogyny, and triumph. These two inspirational souls are determined to use their success to benefit others. This is Jules and Stace, A Salty Perseverance.
May 22, 2022•39 min•Season 5Ep. 26
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Trigger warming. This episode is about mental illness and we talk about suicide. If you or somebody you know needs help please call the suicide prevention hotline at 800-273-8255. Heather Loeb is a mental health advocate and creator of Unruly Neurons, a blog dedicated to eradicating the stigma attached to mental illness. Heather, who struggles with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder, lives in Corpus Christi with her husband, two children and five cat...
May 12, 2022•22 min•Ep. 25
Trigger Warning- this episode deals with depression and suicide. If you are struggling and need help, please call the suicide hotline at 800-273-8255. Esmé Spock is a married mother of one. She is an animal rescue advocate who loves makeup, painting and horror films. She is a vegan but confesses to horrible cooking skills. I have known Esmé for over a decade but had no idea the story she was living. Esmé confesses to wearing a mask for years as she went through the motions of living, especially ...
May 05, 2022•35 min•Season 5Ep. 24
Celina is the type of woman who fights for the rights of others. She openly accepts that everyone comes with a story, baggage, and the desire to be heard. Celina is a criminal defense attorney who believes that everyone deserves someone in their corner. She shares with me her story of how she came to be the woman who proudly stands up and represents those that society has deemed criminal. This is Celina.
Nov 19, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 23
This is Tina. She is a fun-spirited feminist that knows how to inspire and uplift. She is here is to change the conversation about victim-blaming and shaming, especially when women do it to each other! Tina is a Podcaster, Interviewer, NLP Practioner, and a Women Empowerment Coach. She got her Psychology degree in 2005. In 2018, she started several coaching training courses, and in September 2020, she became a certified Coach. Her motto is: I guide women from where they are now to wherever they ...
Nov 09, 2021•39 min•Season 24Ep. 4
Meet Anastacia Olympia D Short, a drag queen and self-proclaimed goddess who desires to live her truth. Anastacia (aka Anya For Short) has autism and struggles with anxiety. She is bisexual, secretly dresses in drag, and still lives at home with very conservative parents. Anya wants desperately to live an authentic life, but is still facing fierce opposition from her parents. She shares her story so others who are still struggling to know they aren't alone and hoping one day she will be unapolog...
Oct 24, 2021•28 min•Season 9Ep. 24
