BadAss Women Throughout History

Amy Aitken

Badass Women Throughout History is a video podcast uncovering the rebels, geniuses, and visionaries who shaped the world. New episodes every Wednesday

Episodes

  1. Mar 25

    HEDY LAMARR, The Hollywood Star Behind Wi-Fi

    The Genius Hidden in Plain Sight Before Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS… there was Hedy Lamarr. Known as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Hedy Lamarr was often dismissed as just a movie star. But behind the glamour was a brilliant, self-taught inventor who helped create one of the most important technologies of the modern world. Born in Austria, Hedy fled an oppressive marriage to a Nazi-affiliated arms dealer and made her way to Hollywood, where she became a global icon. But during World War II, she turned her attention to something far bigger than film. In episode 9 of Badass Women Throughout History, Amy tells the story of how Hedy Lamarr co-invented frequency hopping technology — a system designed to prevent enemy forces from jamming Allied torpedoes. The invention was groundbreaking… and completely ignored by the U.S. military at the time. Decades later, that same idea became the foundation for the wireless communication systems we rely on every single day. This is not just a story about beauty. It’s a story about intellect, timing, being underestimated, and a woman whose mind was far ahead of her era. Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com SOCIAL MEDIA https://linktr.ee/BAWTH Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast Facebook: @BAWTH Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ SOURCES Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017) directed by Alexandra Dean

    21 min

  2. Mar 18

    JOSEPHINE BAKER, The Performer Who Fought Nazis in Plain Sight

    The Performer Who Spied for Freedom Before she was remembered for the banana skirt, Josephine Baker was fighting fascism in plain sight. Born into extreme poverty in St. Louis, Josephine Baker survived by performing, hustling, and refusing to disappear. When America refused to see her humanity, she left. Paris gave her freedom, fame, and power. And when the Nazis occupied France, she used all three. In episode 9 of Badass Women Throughout History, Amy tells the full story of how Josephine Baker became one of the most unlikely spies of World War II. She smuggled classified intelligence for the French Resistance using invisible ink, sheet music, and her celebrity status as cover. If caught, she would have been executed on the spot. This is not just a story about fame. It’s a story about courage, strategy, joy as resistance, and a woman who understood the power of being underestimated. Social Media: https://linktr.ee/BAWTH Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast Facebook: @BAWTH Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ Sources: • Chasing a Rainbow: The Life of Josephine Baker (1986), directed by Christopher Ralling • Secrets of History: Josephine Baker (2021), France Télévisions • The History Chicks Podcast, “Josephine Baker” (2013)

    16 min

  3. Mar 11

    ADA LOVELACE, The First Computer Programmer Before Computers Existed

    Before Silicon Valley. Before computers. Before anyone imagined software. A 19th-century mathematician wrote the first computer program in history. Her name was Ada Lovelace. In this episode of Badass Women Throughout History, Amy explores the remarkable story of the woman who saw the future of computing a century before it existed. Born in 1815 as the daughter of the infamous poet Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace was raised to think with logic instead of poetry. Her mother pushed her toward mathematics, hoping to keep her from inheriting Byron’s “dangerous imagination.” But Ada ended up with something far more powerful: A mind that could see machines as more than machines. When Ada encountered Charles Babbage’s revolutionary idea for the Analytical Engine, she realized something no one else had yet understood: A machine could follow instructions. A machine could manipulate symbols. A machine could process information(!) In 1843, Ada published notes on the Analytical Engine that were three times longer than the original paper—and within those notes she described what is widely considered the first computer program ever written. Even more astonishing: Ada predicted that computers could someday compose music, create art, and manipulate symbols beyond numbers. In other words, she imagined modern computing and artificial intelligence—100 years early. Ada Lovelace didn’t just understand machines. She understood the future … and she wrote it down. This is her story! Sources BBC documentary Ada Lovelace: The Enchantress of Numbers Hosted by Dr Hannah Fry Social Media https://linktr.ee/BAWTH Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast Facebook: @BAWTH Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/

    16 min

  4. Mar 4

    WANGARI MAATHAI, The Woman Who Planted 50 Million Trees and Changed a Nation

    In episode 6 of BadAss Women Throughout History, Amy tells the story and celebrates the life of Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who led the Green Belt Movement. It explores her childhood, education, activism, and the impact of her work on the environment and women's empowerment. Social Media https://linktr.ee/BAWTH Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast Facebook: @BAWTH Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ Sources https://takingrootfilm.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJtC-3DKwfM A video called “Wangari Maathai: the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Who Planted Trees”  from the Nobel Peace Center YouTube account) DONATE TO THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT! https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/donate/

    18 min

  5. Feb 25

    JULIA MORGAN, The Architect Who Built California

    In episode 5 of BadAss Women Throughout History, Amy covers the story of Julia Morgan, the trailblazing architect. She explores and highlights: Julia Morgans early years, challenges in Paris, innovations in architecture, impact of the 1906 earthquake, reinforced concrete innovation, designing for women's autonomy, Filoli as a turning point, designing Hearst Castle, structural order and extravagance, and Julia Morgan's overall legacy. Sources: KQED article and podcast episode of Bay Curious: "The Trailblazing Life and Career of Architect Julia Morgan" Social Media https://linktr.ee/BAWTH Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast Facebook: @BAWTH Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ More Julia Morgan sources: Books and work by Victoria Kastner Book: Julia Morgan, Architect - By Sara Holmes Boutelle Links to continue supporting and elevating women in design: Support KQED and Bay Curious. Support the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Support the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation.

    20 min

  6. Feb 19

    CHING SHIH, The Pirate Queen Who Commanded The Seas

    Episode 4 explores the life and legacy of Zheng Yi Sao aka Ching Shih, a powerful pirate queen who defied the norms of her time.  From her rise to power after marrying a pirate commander to her establishment of a strict pirate code, Ching Shih's story is one of leadership, negotiation, and success in a male-dominated world. Sources The Most Successful Pirate in History — BBC Reel ⁠https://youtu.be/hWVwYh8sU6k?si=71DR8g5HjNi7Yd9a⁠ Ching Shih: The Pirate Widow Menace… — Biographics ⁠https://youtu.be/acojc6aZjgE?si=nUIlBzvj3GXAlaJn⁠ Social Media ⁠https://linktr.ee/BAWTH⁠ Instagram: ⁠@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory⁠ TikTok: ⁠@BAWTHpodcast⁠ Facebook: ⁠@BAWTH⁠ Youtube: ⁠@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory⁠ Website: ⁠https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com⁠ Substack: ⁠https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/

    11 min

  7. Feb 19

    AUDREY HEPBURN, The Hollywood Icon Who Helped the WWII Resistance

    Episode 3 of BadAss Women Throughout History explores the life of Audrey Hepburn, delving into her early struggles during World War II, her rise to fame in Hollywood, and her transformation into a humanitarian. Sources ⁠Audrey⁠ - 2020 Documentary directed by Helena Coan Audrey devoted her final years to helping children through UNICEF.  ⁠CLICK THIS LINK TO DONATE TO UNICEF⁠ ⁠https://linktr.ee/BAWTH⁠ Instagram: ⁠@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory⁠ TikTok: ⁠@BAWTHpodcast⁠ Facebook: ⁠@BAWTH⁠ Youtube: ⁠@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory⁠ Website: ⁠https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com⁠ Substack: ⁠https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/⁠

    20 min

  8. Feb 19

    PIGFOOT MARY, The Woman Who Turned Pig’s Feet Into Property and Power in Harlem

    In the early 1900s, Harlem was alive with possibility-but opportunity was not evenly distributed. Episode 2 of BadAss Women Throughout History tells the extraordinary story of Pigfoot Mary, a formerly enslaved woman who turned street food into real estate-and became one of Harlem’s first Black female property owners. Starting with nothing but a baby carriage and her own cooking, Pigfoot Mary sold pig’s feet on Harlem’s streets, feeding workers, artists, and neighbors shut out of white-owned restaurants. She made the modern equivalent of over $1,000 a day-then quietly reinvested her earnings into Harlem real estate during the Harlem Renaissance. Despite being illiterate, she was a sharp businesswoman who understood cash flow, location, and long-term ownership. By the 1920s, she had become a self-made millionaire-decades before women were allowed basic financial access. This episode explores entrepreneurship born from necessity, wealth built outside formal systems, and the overlooked women who shaped Harlem long before history books paid attention. Sources New York Times article: “Overlooked No More: Lillian Harris Dean, Culinary Entrepreneur Known as ‘Pig Foot Mary’”   ⁠https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/obituaries/lillian-harris-dean-overlooked.html⁠ Social Media ⁠https://linktr.ee/BAWTH⁠ Instagram: ⁠@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory⁠ TikTok: ⁠@BAWTHpodcast⁠ Facebook: ⁠@BAWTH⁠ Youtube: ⁠@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory⁠ Website: ⁠https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com

    13 min

  9. Jan 22

    FRIDA KAHLO, The Artist Who Turned Pain Into Power

    Summary In the pilot episode of 'Badass Women Throughout History', Amy explores the life and legacy of Frida Kahlo, a revolutionary artist known for her powerful self-portraits and her tumultuous life.  From her early struggles with polio and a life-altering bus accident to her passionate yet complicated marriage with Diego Rivera, Frida's story is one of resilience, creativity, and defiance.  Amy delves into Frida's artistic journey, her personal tragedies, and her impact on feminism and art, ultimately celebrating her as a true badass woman in history. Sources “Frida” documentary directed by Carla Gutiérrez https://imagine-entertainment.com/documentary/frida/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Badass Women 09:26 Frida's Pain and Artistic Expression 18:28 Frida's Relationships and Personal Struggles 28:48 Legacy of Frida Kahlo Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badasswomenthroughouthistory Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/

    33 min
  • 9 Episodes

About

Badass Women Throughout History is a video podcast uncovering the rebels, geniuses, and visionaries who shaped the world. New episodes every Wednesday

Information