Stroke of Genius

I really enjoy this podcast! I thought I knew a lot about inventions but there is always something more to learn. I particularly liked the episode in the contributions of immigrants!

I started with the episode “Herstory of Invention” which is billed as an episode about “how to support underrepresented communities, and encourage them to enter the innovation ecosystem.” I was excited to hear about female inventors and how they can be supported and encouraged to enter a male-dominated area. Instead, after the initial introduction, the podcast devolved into stories about moms who have struggled during the pandemic and how one female pediatric neuropsychologist mommy started a business to help other moms in this time. The issues that women face in the workplace or in business are not entirely because they have children. In fact, as of 2018, a little less than half of all adult women in the US are child free. It would be nice if discussions about challenges that women face did not center around their statuses as child bearers. This podcast devolved into stereotypes about how women are perfectionists, “more empathetic,” and how they can use those traits for success. There was absolutely nothing in this podcast about how to support women inventors. There was almost nothing about a “herstory” (the feminist version of “history”) much less a history of women inventors. A background track of fighting children is used to manipulate the listener into feeling more stress while this doctor is talking about starting a business during the pandemic. It is offensive to equate women’s problems with mommy problems, because that discounts the experiences of nearly half the adult women in the US. Starting a business is not the same as creating an invention. And perpetuating the stereotype that women have more emotional maturity than men does nothing to advance women in an professional environment.

I just love this podcast - I learn something with each new episode! The invention process is so unique for each individual and hearing their stories is entertaining and informative.

Thanks for these motivational stories. It’s great to know that people are tackling the problems we face - after each episode I feel a bit more excited about the future and energized to try and find the inventor in me so I can perhaps add to that future in my own small way!