Embodied

WUNC
  • 4.7 (229)
  • SEXUALITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Sex and relationships are intimate — and sometimes intimidating to talk about. In WUNC’s award-winning podcast, host Anita Rao guides us on an exploration of our brains and bodies that touches down in taboo territory. Follow the show on Instagram at @embodiedwunc and on Bluesky at embodiedwunc.bsky.social. You can find Anita on Bluesky at asrao.bsky.social.

  1. 5D AGO

    How Competitive Figure Skating Shaped a Sibling Relationship

    Pair figure skating is a sport of coordination, musicality and high-risk maneuvers. Being successful requires a lot of trust and teamwork. So what is it like when your partner is your sibling? Brother and sister Brad and Jocelyn Cox tell Anita about their 11 years of competing together and how their partnership continued into adulthood when they became coaches — and then caregivers. Meet the guests: - Jocelyn Cox, author of “Motion Dazzle: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss, and Skating on Thin Ice”   - Brad Cox, figure skating coach Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied Register for our five-year anniversary event

    50 min

  2. JAN 1

    The Art of Giving Good Advice

    There are few things that are certain about 2026, but one of them is that at some point, you’ll be called upon for advice. Anita talks to Meghan Keane, the founder of NPR's Life Kit and author of “Party of One,” about how to give good advice. Meghan shares her personal journey to striking the balance between overthinking, venting and actually getting to the root of a problem. Plus, she sits in the hot seat to answer some big questions from our listeners. Meet the guest: - Meghan Keane is the author of "Party of One: Be Your Own Best Life Partner" and the founder and managing editor of NPR's Life Kit Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied Please note: This episode originally aired January 2, 2025.

    49 min

  3. 12/25/2025

    Reimagining The Wedding Ceremony

    The marriage rate in this country has fallen nearly 60% in the last half century. So what’s motivating those of us still choosing to say I do? Anita ponders this question with the Hindu officiant who helped her build a ceremony that bridged the gap between her values and her dad's traditional desires. Plus, a comedian and queer ex-nun explains how she takes people from the place of "marriage is a dumpster fire" to a ceremony they're excited about.  Meet the guests: - Raja Gopal Bhattar is a consultant, author and officiant who Anita and her family worked with to design her wedding ceremony - Kelli Dunham, a comedian, nurse and queer ex-nun who officiates weddings and funerals — and refers to herself as "queer secular clergy" Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied If you want to hear more of Satish Rao on Embodied: Mixed (Parent Edition), where Anita talks to her parents about growing up mixed race Pooped, where Satish gets to share his expertise as a gastroenterologist Please note: This episode originally aired September 26, 2024. Update: Raja Gopal Bhattar released an interactive memoir, “Queering Constellations: Mapping This Journey Called Life.”

    50 min

  4. 12/18/2025

    Coming Of Age As A Chinese Restaurant Kid

    Curtis Chin grew up inside Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine. His great-grandfather first opened the Detroit restaurant in 1940, and in the 1970s and ‘80s Chung’s was the backdrop for many of Curtis’s formative lessons about race, identity and belonging.He talks to Anita about his experience learning how to code-switch as an Asian American and gay kid in a Black and white city — and how serving and observing customers in the restaurant helped him find his own way as a writer, filmmaker and activist. Meet the guest: - Curtis Chin is the author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant” Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied

    50 min

  5. 12/11/2025

    Sex And Intimacy After Sexual Assault

    After being raped at 18, journalist Katie Simon had a burning question: How do you navigate sex and intimacy after sexual assault? Katie tells Anita about their journey of trial and error with sex and how connecting with other survivors helped them write the guidebook they wish they’d had years ago. They explore everything from disclosure and triggers to kink and healing — both for survivors and their partners. Meet the guest - Katie Simon is the author of “Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault" Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied

    50 min

  6. 12/04/2025

    Dating, Sex & Love With HIV

    How does living with a condition that is so deeply stigmatized affect who and how we love? Anita meets a mixed-HIV status couple who shares how they've approached sex and intimacy in their 11+ year relationship. Plus, a woman who was born HIV positive talks about dating, disclosure and overcoming the fear of rejection. Meet the guests: - Rainer Oktovianus is a photographer and user experience designer living with HIV - Eka Nasution is a project management professional and Rainer's husband - Diana Koss is a content creator and host of the "Born Positive" YouTube channel Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied Please note: This episode originally aired September 5, 2024.

    49 min

  7. 11/27/2025

    Is Food The Key To Cultural Belonging?

    Anita's been reckoning with what it means to stay connected to cultural identity as a mixed-race adult. And in pursuit of what things to prioritize, she's turning her focus to food. She talks to mixed-race foodie and writer Raj Tawney, whose hours in the kitchen with his mom and grandma have grounded his search for belonging. Then, she picks up the phone and calls the primary chef in the Rao family: her mom, Sheila. Meet the guests: - Raj Tawney is a writer, foodie and the author of “Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience” - Sheila Rao is Anita's mom  Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied Please note: This episode originally aired December 5, 2024.

    49 min

  8. 11/20/2025

    Why It’s So Hard To Break Up With Fast Fashion

    The consequences of fast fashion are well known: worker exploitation, environmental damage and poor quality items. And yet many of us keep buying it — either unknowingly, in willful ignorance or because it feels like there is no other option. Fashion industry insider and “Clotheshorse” podcast host Amanda Lee McCarty joins Anita to interrogate why fast fashion has such a particular hold on us and what we can do about it. Meet the guest: - Amanda Lee McCarty is the host of the “Clotheshorse” podcast and a self-employed fashion consultant Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram  Leave a message for Embodied You can find Amanda Lee McCarty on Substack and Instagram!

    50 min
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4.7
out of 5
229 Ratings

About

Sex and relationships are intimate — and sometimes intimidating to talk about. In WUNC’s award-winning podcast, host Anita Rao guides us on an exploration of our brains and bodies that touches down in taboo territory. Follow the show on Instagram at @embodiedwunc and on Bluesky at embodiedwunc.bsky.social. You can find Anita on Bluesky at asrao.bsky.social.

Information

  • Channel
    WUNC
  • Creator
    WUNC
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    258
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2022 WUNC Podcasts
  • Show Website
    Embodied

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