Vagina Chronicles Podcast

SMART WOMEN · TOUGH TOPICS

078 – Just Show Up!

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Astronaut Cady Coleman peeks out of a window of the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft. Photo by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Astronaut Cady Coleman peeks out of a window of the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft. Photo by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Inspired by a simple, yet profound, quote by NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, we are talking about how showing up can be the tipping point for change.

In an interview with NPR, Cady, along with fellow NASA astronaut Serena Auñón, European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, and NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan, spoke about her experience at NASA as a woman. When sharing a story of how she would show up, uninvited, to spacesuit training, Cady said, “It used to surprise them that I had the spacesuit capability and I’m very proud to be qualified in a spacesuit. There’s ways to change things, just by showing up and doing your job.”

Sometimes, people get stuck in old ways of thinking that exclude you. But, if you just show up, you can begin to change people’s minds and get what you want out of life!

Please enjoy this inspiring episode!

 

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Have you ever shown up to somewhere that you really wanted to be, uninvited? How did it go? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

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076 – Sexual Harassment and Public Transit

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There was a study conducted of 600 Parisian women regarding sexual harassment and public transportation in which all, that’s 100%, of the respondents claimed to have experienced one form or another of sexual harassment while using public transit.

That may be surprising to some men, but, as women, we can all (or most) attest to this statistic as lived experience. It’s part of our daily norm; catcalls, come-ons, gropes, lewd gestures, masturbation being performed in front of us(?!) can, and does, happen.

In terms of public transportation, or alternative commuting options, women around the world are facing these demeaning, and sometimes physically violent, situations while trying to get to work, or school, or going to see family or friends… you know, just trying to live their life.

Public transportation is so vitally necessary for women to have access to good jobs, school, affordable daycare, shopping, and many other things, but we are being failed in terms of safety and accountability. We need more to be done. And, thankfully, there are people working hard, advocating for women’s right to safe public space.

Please listen in to hear a few tips on how you can help and how to protect yourself in the meantime.

 

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How do you think we can combat the sexual harassment and safety issues women face on public transit? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

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072 – Growing Pains

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Photo by Greg Neate

Photo by Greg Neate

On today’s episode, we’re checking in on America and how she’s coping with the increasingly changing gender roles and gender equity. Sometimes, we suffer growing pains as we transition from one set of norms into a new one.

And, to some, these pains are not easy to grin and bear. Traditional values sometimes become a lifeline for people in a disconnected, busy society; the defending of these traditional ideologies becomes even more important to some when a lot of things are making big strides at the same time, such as marriage equality, gender equality, and anti-racism.

It’s important to have patience and tolerance on both sides of change. We can’t shuffle everyone into either friend or foe… sometimes people need a moment. Sometimes people need to be part of the dialogue. And sometimes people need to watch silently from the sidelines until they know where they fit.

Please join us in discussing how humankind is handling this momentous time.

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How are the men in your life (or yourself, if you are a man) coping with the changing gender roles in America? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

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059 – Women and Stress

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Stress is an important part of human evolution: danger = adrenaline = RUN! Although most of us live in much less dangerous times than our ancestors did thousands of years ago , our stress response has reached a critical level. The fight or flight is triggered in non-life-threatening situations every day, all day.

Whether at work or at home, women tend to take on responsibility for everything and everyone around them. It’s not a good or bad thing, it just is. We care. We want to help. We need things done a certain way so, heck, we’ll just do it ourselves! It can be very rewarding if we manage it all in ease. Alas, we are all human (superheroes, too – for sure!). But, for many reasons, we feel like we have to function at Superwoman status at all times, in all endeavors. No wonder so many of us are stressed out.

In this episode, we discuss the ways in which we manifest stress, as well as the role of society in the pressure women bear in our quest for equality. We offer some tips on how to manage stress, but also on how to prevent it.

Please join us for this authentic talk about women and stress.

 

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Do you easily recognize when you’re experiencing excessive stress? How do you manage your specific response to stress? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

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041 – Are Aging Women Still Viable? You Better Believe It!

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Photo by Anne Worner

Photo by Anne Worner

It’s coming for all of us. No matter how much we resist or disguise the signs, we are all getting a little bit older every day. It’s the only inevitability, really. As long as we’re alive, our body is transforming.

We go through our daily lives not noticing the infinitesimal changes that are occurring in our skin, hair and body. Until WHAM! it hits us one afternoon as we pass a mirror: Who is that woman? Is that me? When did I get so… old?! For some, it can be an experience to embrace but, for many, it starts us questioning our worth.

Now, we know this is silly, right? Of course we do, we are strong, amazing, intelligent women. But those messages we are bombarded with everyday sink into our psyche’s whether we like it or not. The media is, once again, playing a part in how we are supposed to feel about our viability as we age.

In this episode, we discuss how aging women are viewed in today’s society. We talk about the tough moments in the mirror, as well as how to embrace our beauty at any age!

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What are your thoughts on aging? Do you embrace or dread every wrinkle and gray hair that pops up? Tell us what you think in the Comments below.

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038 – Confronting Domestic Violence

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Photo by Run Jane Fox

Photo by Run Jane Fox

In today’s episode, we tackle the topic of domestic violence after the recent highly-publicized case of former Baltimore Raven Ray Rice punching his wife in an elevator.

Of course, this situation is not unique to football players, or celebrities, but it has provided yet another opportunity to publicly speak about and bring awareness to the crime of domestic abuse. Too often, we overlook our fellow humans and try to stay out of other people’s business. Why? Maybe it’s because we convince ourselves that we’re wrong about the woman who is constantly injured due to her propensity to “accidents.” Or perhaps we have too much going on in our own lives to worry about others. Maybe we just don’t feel like we have the tools to help someone through a really hard situation.

Whatever the reason, it’s time to stand with those who tell, as well as those who don’t. There are many reasons why women who are abused don’t tell – let’s do our best to overcome some of the fears ourselves, so that others may find the strength and support to change their situation.

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How can we support victims of domestic violence without judgment? Tell us what you think in the Comments below.

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030 – Can Saying “I’m Sorry” Too Often Hurt Your Self-Confidence?

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Picture by Bailey Weaver

Picture by Bailey Weaver

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Have you ever counted how many times you say “I’m sorry” during the course of your day? Did you really mean that you’re sorry every time you said it? Or do you use the phrase as a filler when you really don’t have anything to be sorry for?

This week, we are digging into the reasons why many women (and some men, too) over use “I’m sorry” and how it can appear as if we’re apologizing for our very existence. When expressing our feelings, asserting our desires, or speaking our minds, we too often undermine ourselves by apologizing for what we need.

Listen in on our discussion and decide for yourself if you could be choosing more powerful, self-confident words to express…or if saying you’re sorry is just being polite. Join us in the comments below and tell us what you think of this topic. Do you say you’re sorry too much for your own comfort?

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027 – Who Do You Think You Are?!

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eye-117043_640We’re back! After a little, bitty hiatus, we are ecstatic to return to the ears of our fabulous and patient listeners! We hope you enjoy our latest episode on self-image. After scraping the surface of this topic a bit back in our episode on how media can damage self-esteem and body image, we decided to dig a little deeper into this very important topic.

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The way we see ourselves affects many different aspects of our lives. It can fuel us through tough situations into success or it can hold us back from pursuing anything that we desire.

In this episode, we’ll share some of our experiences and offer advice on how to overcome a negative self-image. Spoiler: it may feel like you’re right when you think bad things about yourself (after all, who knows you best?!) but you’re wrong.

You’re all so smart and beautiful!

xoxo

Angela and Toni

Have you ever felt like you’re not good enough as you are? Have you overcome these thoughts and how did you do it? Please share your story in the comments below… you may just change someone’s life.

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026 – Peer Pressure: How to Say “No!”

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Peer Pressure

photo by Kevin Dooley

Navigating the waters of social acceptance can be treacherous, scary, and depressing much of the time. As humans, we naturally want to feel like we belong to something greater than ourselves…but sometimes it’s just not worth it.

Peer pressure is an issue that everyone deals with at some time in their life, but is especially brutal in our teenage years. In this episode, Toni and Angela discuss how to deal with the barrage of temptations that young people face.

Learn how setting long-term goals can help get you through the tough moments when “everybody’s doin’ it.” Saying no to peers gets easier the more you practice and as you build a nice, solid value system through which you can filter temptations.

Get ready for an awesome episode full of great tips! Click on the link at the bottom of the post to start the show.  And please share your stories in the comment section below!

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