HerStance

Sandra Koelle/Mindful Marketplace LLC

HerStance delves into the lives of extraordinary women who shaped our world, revealing their vital contributions to culture, industry, education, and art. We go beyond the history books to explore their challenges and triumphs, drawing parallels to current social issues. Each episode culminates in a practical 'HerStance Challenge,' empowering you to take action in your own community and join the movement for true equality. Join us to be inspired, informed, and part of a powerful legacy of change.

  1. FEB 16

    S2: Episode 6: 32 Episodes-What I Know for Sure

    "If you can’t do great things, you can do small things in a great way." After a year of storytelling and connection, we reach the final chapter of the HerStance podcast. In this episode, we shift from the global stage to the internal one. Join us for a personal reflection on taming a "sizzling nervous system," finding compassion in a chaotic world, and the 32 lessons gathered from a year of podcasting. This isn't just an end; it’s an invitation to keep the flame alive in your own community. Listen to the finale and explore the full archive at HerStance.

    11 min

  2. FEB 2

    HerStance: S2: Episode 4--Warrior Poet Audre Lorde

    The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house." These famous words by Audre Lorde continue to challenge how we approach activism and identity today. In this episode, host Sandra Koelle explores the legacy of the "Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet" who redefined intersectionality.   In this episode: Discover Lorde’s journey from Harlem to becoming the New York State Poet Laureate.   Learn about her role in co-founding Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press and her impact on the Afro-German movement in Berlin.   Explore her "Theory of Difference" and why she believed language is our most powerful tool for resistance.   Join the HerStance Challenge to turn your silence into language and action.   Audre Lorde taught us that without community, there is no liberation. Listen now to find your tools for change. Subscribe & Follow: Visit www.elevateherexistence.com to join the mission and sign up for our monthly newsletter.   #AudreLorde #HerStance #FeministPodcast #BlackHistory #Intersectionality #WomenEmpowerment

    12 min

  3. JAN 4

    S2: Episode 4: Women Walking the Path

    In this HerStance episode, we honor Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, the first Bhikkhunī and the woman who opened the Buddhist path to women. Through a feminist lens, we explore her persistence, spiritual authority, and lasting legacy—challenging patriarchal narratives in Buddhist history and re-centering women’s wisdom, resistance, and liberation on the path.

    16 min

  4. 12/21/2025

    S2 Episode 3: The Night of the Mothers

    In the modern world, the winter solstice is often buried under neon lights, "shop till you drop" commercialism, and patriarchal narratives that distance us from the season’s primal power. But what happens when we strip away the tinsel and look into the dark? In this episode, we "peel the cosmic onion" to reclaim the Divine Feminine hidden within our winter traditions. From the ancient Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht (Mother’s Night) to the biological truth of the Reindeer Mother—the actual antlered sun-bearer of the north—we explore how this season was once a sacred celebration of female ancestors and the wisdom of the Dark Goddess. Join us as we reject the "hustle" and embrace the "Hibernal Urge." Learn why the solstice isn't just a day on the calendar, but a three-day pause—a time for receptivity, gestation, and honoring the women who shaped us. In this episode, we discuss: The "Paint Stripper" Effect: Moving past the Victorian rebranding of St. Nicholas and the domesticating of Mrs. Claus. Mōdraniht: The ancient "Night of the Mothers" and the honoring of the Dísir. The True Sun-Bearer: Why the reindeer on your holiday cards are actually symbols of a powerful female deity. Coming Home to the Dark: How to find the "sacred" in the stillness and welcome the rebirth of the light from the womb of the night. Stop trying to cut through the noise. Sit in the silence with us. Let’s celebrate the feminine divine that rests at the heart of the dark.

    11 min

  5. 12/04/2025

    HerStance: S2: Episode 2 - Eleanor Roosevelt - First Lady to the World

    Have you been keeping up with the headlines coming out of the Department of Education this week? Major fields like nursing, architecture, accounting, and education are risking reduced student loan access under the new "One Big Beautiful Bill." Critics argue this isn't just bureaucratic accounting—it's an attempt to limit advanced thinkers and future policymakers, disproportionately affecting women and women of color and crushing the dreams of first-generation college students. This urgent crisis makes the words of our luminary woman today hit so hard: “One of the best ways of enslaving a people is to keep them from education.” Join us as we explore the life and enduring impact of Eleanor Roosevelt: The First Lady of the World. Discover how she not only navigated the political landscape as an activist and diplomat but also tirelessly championed education and social justice, setting a global standard for human rights that is more relevant than ever.

    19 min

  6. 11/10/2025

    HerStance: S2: Episode 1 - Frances Perkins, The Architect of the New Deal

    In this episode of HerStance, we pull back the curtain on the true architect of the New Deal: Frances Perkins, the woman who wasn't just the first female Cabinet Secretary but the driving force behind the most significant social reforms in American history. We explore her journey from a strict, conservative upbringing to a radical social reformer, tracing the moment her conscience was awakened—specifically, by the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire—which cemented her lifelong commitment to labor reform. As Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Perkins fought tirelessly for the structural safety nets that define modern America, including Social Security, the minimum wage, and the 40-hour work week. Discover the strategic genius of the woman who navigated a hostile, male-dominated cabinet, famously filing away her observations in a folder labeled "Notes on the Male Mind." We delve into the intense backlash she faced, including an impeachment attempt, and how she used her position to "establish the right of others... to sit in the high seats." Perkins believed that "The people are what matter to government," and this episode honors the quiet, tenacious revolutionist whose legacy is woven into the very fabric of American fairness and economic security.

    18 min

  7. 10/28/2025

    HerStance: Episode 26: The Women Who Changed the World-- Female Nobel Laureates

    The Nobel Prize honors monumental achievement, a recognition that inspires us to uphold the ideals of knowledge, compassion, and courage. But for countless women, that recognition has been slow to arrive, even as their work fundamentally shaped our understanding of the world.  This episode dives deep into the lives and work of women who have fundamentally shaped our world and our understanding of it. These are the scientists who made monumental discoveries for the sheer fun of doing physics, the writers who gave vital life to essential human complexities, and the peace advocates who never quit.

    42 min

  8. 10/12/2025

    HerStance:: Episode 25: The Unofficial President—Eva Perón, a Feminist Force?

    Today, we're diving into the dramatic, controversial, and deeply moving story of María Eva Duarte de Perón—better known simply as Evita. Her ascent from rural poverty to become the most powerful woman in Argentine history is one of Latin America's most compelling tales. She forever changed her nation's political landscape, but was she a proto-feminist icon or an iron fist cloaked in glamour? Stay until the end for two HerStance challenges to put Eva Peron's inspiration into action.

    21 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

HerStance delves into the lives of extraordinary women who shaped our world, revealing their vital contributions to culture, industry, education, and art. We go beyond the history books to explore their challenges and triumphs, drawing parallels to current social issues. Each episode culminates in a practical 'HerStance Challenge,' empowering you to take action in your own community and join the movement for true equality. Join us to be inspired, informed, and part of a powerful legacy of change.

Information

  • Creator
    Sandra Koelle/Mindful Marketplace LLC
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © HerStance Podcast; All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    HerStance