The Femtastic Podcast

Katie Breen interviews feminist activists, researchers, and advocates working to make women's issues...well, non-issues. Katie explores issues of reproductive rights, pay equity, abortion, birth control, sex ed, paid family leave, breastfeeding, periods, reproductive healthcare, domestic violence, sexual assault, and LGBTQ issues - examining topics through the lens of intersectional feminism and reproductive justice.

Last refreshed: June 29th, 2025 at 11:32 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

The Handmaid's Tale & Trump's America

In this episode, Katie interviews David Rheinstrom, host of the Wondery Network's podcast "Secrets, Crimes & Audiotape." SCA recently released an audio adaptation of Margaret Atwood's classic dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale. Written over 30 years ago, the story describes a United States that uses a fabricated act of Islamic terrorism to establish a Christian theocracy and strip women of their rights. Katie and David discuss the frightening parallels between events in the story and those...

Feb 23, 2017•42 min

Teaching Parents How to Talk to Their Kids About Sex

In this episode, Katie interviews Elona Landau, a sexuality educator who teaches parents how to talk to their children about sex. They explore why parents feel so uncomfortable talking to their kids about sex, what subjects are particularly terrifying for parents to broach, what kids stand to gain when they can have open discussions with parents about sex, and some resources for how to communicate the facts - while also communicating your values - when talking to your children about sex....

Jan 27, 2017•55 min

Acupuncture, Reiki, and Self Care for Women's Health

Katie interviews licensed acupuncturist and reiki master/teacher, Margarita Alcantara. They discuss how acupuncture and Reiki can be used not only as fantastic self-care practices, but also to treat and alleviate women's health issues - from infertility, ovarian cysts, and menstrual irregularity to insomnia, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma-influenced conditions. They also discuss how it is now common for private insurance plans to cover acupuncture, and how to find a great acupuncturist or...

Jan 18, 2017•58 min

Talking Equality and the Next Four Years with Ash Beckham

In Episode 8, Katie interviews equality advocate Ash Beckham. Ash didn’t set out to become a viral sensation with her TEDx talk “Coming Out of Your Closet” or her Boulder Ignite speech, “ I am SO GAY ”. But her willingness to strike up brutally honest, totally hilarious conversations about tough topics inspired more than 8 million YouTube views and the most-watched Ignite Talk ever. In the oft-chuckle-inducing interview, Ash and Katie discuss their outlook on how the next four years may affect f...

Jan 06, 2017•1 hr 32 min

Conscious Period - Chemicals in Tampons and Menstruating While Homeless

Katie speaks to Annie Lascoe and Margo Lang, cofounders of Conscious Period, a social enterprise that produces organic tampons while providing free menstrual products to homeless women. In the episode, they discuss the chemicals and carcinogens in conventional tampons, the menstrual needs of women living in poverty and homelessness around the world, the tampon tax, and the challenges of building a women-minded startup based on a taboo topic - especially in the male-dominated world of venture cap...

Dec 07, 2016•56 min

Vote Informed

Katie interviews Alex Niemczewski, CEO and co-founder of BallotReady , a website that aims to help voters to vote informed on every candidate and every referendum, in every election. In the episode, Alex and Katie discuss the importance of voting in down-ballot elections, the immense impact that local and state policies have on our lives, and how down-ballot races differ from national ones. Listen to the episode and then head to BallotReady to learn about the candidates and issues at stake on yo...

Oct 17, 2016•56 min

Breaking Down Barriers on the Road to Abortions

Katie interviews April Greene, co-founder of the Georgia-based Magnolia Fund. This non-profit helps low-income women afford abortions, whether through monetary support like subsidized procedures, or practical support like transportation, lodging, or emotional comfort. They discuss the obstacles many women face to getting abortion care, the total sham of so-called "Crisis Pregnancy Centers," the anti-choice movement's use of Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider (aka TRAP) laws to deter access...

Sep 13, 2016•57 min

Campus Sexual Assault and Title IX

If you thought Title IX was just about sports, get ready for an interesting discussion. In this episode, Katie interviews seasoned campus violence educator and advocate, Tara Misra. Katie and Tara discuss the prevalence of sexual assault and relationship violence on college campuses, how survivors of campus sexual assault and other gender-based violence can use Title IX to seek justice (even after leaving school), and how the conversation around campus sexual assault has changed over the years. ...

Aug 26, 2016•1 hr 34 min

The Sex Ed Teacher You Wish You Had

Katie interviews sex educator Melanie Lucash - the sex ed teacher you wish you had. Melanie teaches modern sex education that is consent-based, trauma-informed, LGBTQ-inclusive, pleasure-positive, and completely shame-free. Katie and Melanie discuss the shortcomings of American sex ed, the importance of erasing shame from the sex ed classroom (and how she does it), the hilarity and importance of demystifying sex for young people (Can I masturbate too much? Is porn sex like real sex?), and why it...

Jul 27, 2016•1 hr 40 min

A Public Defender on Domestic Violence and the Criminal Justice System

Katie interviews Julia Burke, a public defender in Queens, New York. They discuss what the life of a public defender is like, how patterns of domestic violence play out in the criminal justice system, and why someone may plead guilty to a crime they didn't commit. They also touch on the unique challenges of marginalized communities in actually receiving justice within the criminal justice system.

Jul 13, 2016•49 min

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