Shhh! Don't Talk About It Solid Listen

This week we are coming back briefly to announce the end of the podcast. We are so grateful for the time we got to spend making space for difficult conversations, and we have reached a natural ending point. No, we did not have a falling out, yes we are still besties - our lives have just changed tremendously since we started this conversation in December 2020.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who joined us along the way as a listener, guest, and supporter. We love you all and we hope you had as much fun on this ride as we did. Tune in for our final conversation and let us know what you think.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's summer remix series, it was Reyna's choice and she went way back to season 1 episode 4 because summer has officially begun, ya'll! Which makes us think about bodies, bodies, bodies!
No matter what shape or size you are, everyone has their own idea of what they think their body should look like. Where do those ideas come from, and do they come from a healthy place? This episode we talk about what our body goals and insecurities are and some of the work that we've done to help with those. We discuss body shame, body acceptance, toxic diet culture and the standards society puts on us to achieve this "perfect" body- spoiler alert: some goals are just not achievable unless you have a lot of money.
How can we embrace our bodies while simultaneously working on them both physically and mentally? How will you show love to your body this summer? Let us know!

Content warning: Megan shares some information on her high school eating disorder. Details are not discussed and specific diets are not endorsed. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's summer re-mix we're sharing an interview we did during season 2 with our friend Shafina, who lost her second child when he was stillborn. This is a heavy topic but - as we discuss in the episode - it needs to be discussed. Each year about 21,000 babies are born stillborn and because we live in a society that says some kinds of grief are bigger than others (e.g. "stillborn child is not as painful as losing a child later in life"), that's 21,000 families with disenfranchised grief and no one to hear their story.
Shafina does a beautiful job helping us step inside her story, get to know her son, and experience her loss, pain, and eventual understanding of what happened to her and her family. Years later we still get chills when we think about this interview.
From Megan on her choice to release this episode: I decided to choose this episode to re-release because it hits close to home for me. I had a brother, Daniel, who died the day he was born. He wasn't stillborn, but my parent's experience was very close to Shafina's. Growing up I thought a lot about Daniel. I wanted to know him, I wished I could talk to him... but I at least wanted to be able to talk about him. I think my parents didn't quite have the words to help us understand who this baby that came before me was for them, and I wanted to re-share Shafina's story for other parents and families who might be feeling lonely in this loss in the same way I remember my family feeling.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On our first ever bonus episode Megan teaches Reyna how Reddit works and we join the ranks of podcasters everywhere by casting judgement on people from the Am I the A*****e subreddit.

We cover

A woman who eats the toppings off her boyfriend's pizza.
A woman whose Mother's Day wishes "traumatized" her husband.
A woman whose bf ruined the mattress but wants to make it her fault somehow.
A pregnant woman who bullied her husband into leaving a party because she had a craving.
And the age old question.... are you an asshole if you eat fish at work?


Our verdict? Some of these people are, in fact, assholes but ALL of these people need to learn better communication skills. They're all examples of why it's important to talk about and advocate for your needs, even if there's a little shame involved (especially the couple with the Mother's Day debacle... that one really made us kinda sad.)

We're having fun putting this bonus content together and eventually we want to share listener stories, predicaments, and questions. If you want to share you can call us anonymously at 909-859-0559 and leave a message. We will have no way of knowing who you are and will not share any identifying information on the air. Can't wait to hear from you!!

For this week's summer re-mix series Reyna chose "Power" from season 2 with the incomparable Ambrosia Carey from Successful Stylist academy. We could all use some inspiration and motivation as we head into summer and this episode has tons of it.
Ambrosia's story starts with the birth of her first child when she was a teenager. Instead of letting that hinder her dreams, early parenthood pushed her forward. As a teen mom and a woman of color she became the owner of multiple successful businesses and has helped others achieve their dreams of doing the same. Along the way she learned her purpose is to educate and empower others to become successful no matter what life throws at them.
Make sure to show your support and give this classic episode a listen. If you like what you hear from Ambrosia (especially if you work in the beauty industry) you can also tune into her pod Successful Stylist Academy on all platforms.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy June/Happy Pride! For this week's summer re-mix we are reissuing our season 4 conversation about bisexuality with the team from Catcall Magazine . This was such a fun conversation, and also served as Megan's first official "coming out" on the pod. We wanted to reissue this one because at a time when anti-trans, homophobic, hate is spreading we think its important to center queer joy and queer thinkers and queer conversations.
In this episode we cover:

Coming out as bisexual

Bisexual erasure and biphobia

The importance of community organizing and building community to fight back against bigots.


Thank you to the team for sharing your stories so openly! This was so fun for us!
About Catcall:
Catcall is a digital collective uplifting Midwest writers, photographers, and artists. We focus on telling important community stories through an intersectional feminist lens that call out and dismantle systemic inequalities; uplift and illuminate the experiences of women, non-binary folks, the queer community, and allies in the Midwest; and connect us all as we catcall back at the patriarchy. This week's guests are: 
Kelcie McKenney, Editor-In-Chief / Founder
Kelcie (she/her) is a writer, editor, and artist who is passionate about intersectional feminism, local activism, queer representation, and strengthening community. You can find Kelcie reading (probably smut or Twilight), talking astrology, hanging with her three-legged cat and four-legged dog, or trying to overthrow the patriarchy.
Emily Park, Managing Editor
Emily (she/her) is a Kansas City-based journalist, passionate about giving a voice to those who don’t always have one. From news to features to business-to-business reporting, she’s done it all. In her free time, you can find Emily reading (probably fantasy smut), playing board games with her partner, or cuddling up with her dogs and cat.
Max Sheffield-Baird, Contributing Writer
Max Sheffield-Baird (they/them) is a writer and marketing strategist who’s passionate about racial and economic justice. Max is a parent of a rambunctious infant and is a student at Colorado State University and is expected to graduate in July 2021. In their dwindling free time (hello parenthood!), they enjoy podcasts, reading fantasy and non-fiction, and educating people on kyriarchy on the internet.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices