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When the #MeToo movement exploded in 2017, journalist Ruth Whippman — nearly nine months pregnant with her third son — experienced a profound conflict. As a feminist, she celebrated the movement; as a mother, she worried: "How am I gonna raise these boys to be good?" This tension launched Ruth on a quest to understand modern American boyhood and what's not working. Ruth and her husband Neil Levine tell Anita about their journey of putting Ruth's research into practice, working to give their sons the emotional tools to thrive in a changing world — and what's at stake if we don't shift our approach to raising boys.Meet the guests:- Ruth Whippman is the author of "BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity"- Neil Levine is Ruth's husbandRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedYou can check out Climbing the Walls here.

When you're living with a stigmatized mental illness like bipolar disorder, opening up to romantic partners can be tough, but Anita brings on two people who've found their own way through love and mental health. A writer-poet talks about navigating new romantic connections, and a married couple shares how they've built a strong foundation for weathering mental health ups and downs over 15 years together.Meet the guests:- Michelle Yang, a writer and advocate, shares her journey to a bipolar I disorder diagnosis, how she navigated disclosure of her diagnosis early on in her relationship with her husband and her work to separate trauma from culture- Bob Zammit, Michelle's husband, gives his perspective on managing mental health in their family and how he and Michelle have thought about raising their 10-year-old son to be conscious of mental health- Hannah Blum, author of “Oh Mind, Where Have You Gone Today?”, explains how she approaches disclosure of her bipolar II diagnosis in romantic connections and what kind of mental health support she appreciates from intimate partnersRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally aired May 24, 2024.Update: Michelle Yang is on her book tour for her memoir. You can find more information here. You can check out Climbing the Walls here.

In Anita's lifetime, the divorce rate for Americans over 55 has doubled. People are living longer, divorce stigma has decreased and women are more financially independent. But leaving a decades-long marriage … is a big life upheaval. Anita gets personal accounts from two gray divorcees about what it was like to rebuild their identities, finances and freedom post-divorce. They discuss money management, surfing and why women initiate divorce most often in heterosexual partnerships.Meet the guests:- Laura Stassi is a writer, editor and the host of the podcast "Dating While Gray"- Dr. Stephanie Han is a literature scholar, award-winning author and educatorSpecial thanks to Nanette Murphy and Linda Lingo for sharing their thoughts for this episode!Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally aired August 15, 2024.Update: Stephanie's guide to writing your divorce story and her class on the same topic was featured on Oprah Daily. You can check out Climbing the Walls here.

American men are in a friendship recession. Compared to a few decades ago, five times as many men have no close friends. So what's going on? Anita talks with Mark Pagán, creator and host of the podcast “Other Men Need Help,” about what makes close friendships among men so fraught — and what we can do about it. They talk about everything from why Mark loves secret handshakes to his ongoing journey of making himself say the hard stuff out loud.Meet the guest:- Mark Pagán is the creator and host of the podcast "Other Men Need Help" and writes the substack "Other Men"Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedYou can check out Climbing the Walls here.

Doctors are expected to make high-stakes decisions quickly and often. And while plenty of medical guidelines exist, sometimes finding the right answer relies on intuition as much as logic. So what happens when suddenly that intuition is … gone? Retired anesthesiologist Dr. Ronald Dworkin tells Anita about the day he lost his intuition and how he got it back. She also talks to one of her favorite medical minds (her brother-in-law, Dr. Amit Gupta) about training intuition in the next generation of doctors.Meet the guests:- Dr. Ronald Dworkin is a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia and a retired anesthesiologist- Dr. Amit Gupta is a gastroenterologist, assistant professor of medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill and Anita's brother-in-lawRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedYou can check out Climbing the Walls here.

Ever since Kate Downey got her first extremely painful period at age 14, every month feels like playing Russian roulette with her uterus. Will she get “normal” abdominal discomfort — or excruciating, life-disrupting “death cramps”? After decades of not knowing the cause of her pain,  Kate set out to find an answer to her very own medical mystery…and she shares with Anita how what she uncovered has implications for many other menstruating people.Meet the guest:- Kate Downey is the creator and host of CRAMPED, a podcast investigating period painRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

When technology creators see problems … they fix them. No less is true for trans designers, who for decades have responded to emergent needs in their community with technological innovation. Trans scholar Oliver Haimson tells Anita why it's vital to understand the role of trans technology in this particular political moment. He shares stories from the hundreds of technologies he's explored — everything from bathroom-finding apps to augmented reality — that both support trans folks' tangible needs and help reimagine new worlds.Meet the guest:- Oliver Haimson is the author of "Trans Technologies" and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of InformationRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedSpecial thanks to Hibby Thach for her contributions to this episode!

Despite a decade of restrictive behavior and a career path in mental health counseling, Alishia McCullough had never associated herself with the phrase eating disorder. She's not alone – while eating disorders affect all races and ethnicities at similar rates, people of color are less than half as likely to receive a diagnosis than their white counterparts. She talks to Anita about how an aha moment in grad school led her to better understand how to treat eating disorders in Black women's bodies — starting with her own.Meet the guest:- Alishia McCullough is the author of "Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within" and a licensed mental health therapistRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

When Anita moved away to college, she experienced a big shift in her biracial identity. Turns out that the questions that emerged for her are ones that many mixed young adults still ponder today ...15 years later. She meets two college seniors and they talk through navigating everything from "Where do I belong?" to "How do I date?" Plus she hears wisdom from a life coach who helps mixed adults tell new stories about identity.Meet the guests:- Adiah Siler, a senior at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, explains how moving out of her small town to go to college allowed her opportunities to explore her Blackness and has influenced her journey as a mixed race person- Claire Gallagher, a senior at the University of Michigan, shares her own experiences growing up as a mixed race person and brings up some of the anxieties she's had about her identity, especially since attending a predominantly white college- Sarah Lotus Garrett, a certified life and goal fulfillment coach, emphasizes the confidence and healing that being a part of a mixed race community can bringRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally aired July 14, 2023.Updates: Adiah Siler is currently working on her MFA at the University of Iowa in the Writers' Workshop.Dig deeper:Sarah's program for mixed adultsClaire's piece on the fetishization of mixed race identitiesAdiah's piece on being a mixed teen

When Celeste Gracia was 17, her religiously conservative parents sent her to conversion therapy. This was the same summer that the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, giving queer people across the country cause for celebration. It would take years before Celeste felt that same joy and freedom, and today, the 27-year-old environment reporter at WUNC talks with Anita about how recent political events are prompting her to reflect on her decade-long path to healing. Anita also talks to therapist Jonathan Bell about how Celeste's story fits into a broader context and why religious trauma is so challenging to heal.Meet the guests:- Celeste Gracia is an environment reporter at WUNC who has spent a decade untangling her religious trauma- Jonathan Bell is a a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in helping queer clients with religious traumaRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Most parents in Anita's life tell her that it's a relentless job ... so if you're doing it all without a partner, how is it possible to also sustain a relationship with sex and romance? Anita talks with two unpartnered moms about juggling pleasure, dating and parenthood.Meet the guests:- Tara Ilsley is a solo mom of a toddler and a public health worker- Cordelia Gaffar is a single mom of six kids, an intimacy educator and a somatic movement facilitatorRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Soph Myers-Kelley and his mom, René Myers, have always been close. As of five years ago, they also share a diagnosis: the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Soph and René were diagnosed one year apart – Soph was 25; René was 60. EDS explained symptoms they'd both been experiencing for decades, including waking up with jaw or shoulder dislocations and having chronic pain.The two talk with Anita about how their diagnoses began a new chapter of their lives, including the decision to move in together last summer.Meet the guests:- Soph Myers-Kelley is a medical librarian at East Carolina University- René Myers is Soph's mom and a retired educatorRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Food and sex have been deeply intertwined in our cultural imagination for millennia. Anita talks with a cultural historian who has combed through centuries of sex and food chronicles to understand what makes that connection so strong. Plus, Puerto Rican chef Manolo López shares a Valentine's recipe and his favorite sexy food.Meet the guests:- Rachel Hope Cleves is a historian, a professor at the University of Victoria and the author of “Lustful Appetites: An Intimate History of Good Food and Wicked Sex"- Manolo López is a Puerto Rican chef and storytellerRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

In the hours and days following President Donald Trump's re-election, online searches about leaving the U.S. surged. Historically, most folks who have considered a move haven't taken action, but Tina Strawn is an exception. Anita talks to her about why, as a queer Black woman, she left America in 2020 in search of freedom. Tina answers listener's questions about expat life and shares why she encourages everyone to ask themselves: what would it feel like to be free?Meet the guest:- Tina Strawn, the author of “Are We Free Yet? The Black Queer Guide to Divorcing America”Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Anita is committed to self-improvement but skeptical of self-help. She brings her qualms and questions to the experts: Kristen Meinzer, a podcaster who has lived by the rules of more than 50 self-help books, and Beth Blum, a scholar who's traced the genre back to its roots. Plus Sondra Rose Marie, a former self-help fan, shares how the industry has failed her as a woman of color.Meet the guests:- Kristen Meinzer, pop culture commentator and podcast host, shares what she learned from following the rules of over 50 self-help books- Beth Blum, Harvard humanities professor and author, talks about the long history of the self-help industry, and how it's changed over the decades- Sondra Rose Marie, writer, talks about why she started following a self-help guru...and what events made her leaveDig Deeper:Kristen's podcasts How To Be Fine and Daily FailBeth's book "The Self-Help Compulsion"Sondra's Medium article on self-helpRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally aired January 5, 2024.Updates: The latest season of Kristen Meinzer's podcast “How To Be Fine” is all about the loneliness epidemic and friendship quandaries.Sondra Rose Marie is now the editor and owner of the digital magazine for LGBTQ+ women called Tagg Magazine.

Anita finds a lot of ASMR videos to be deeply relaxing, but she doesn't get the well-hyped/well-documented 'brain tingles.' Why? She puts the question to a physiologist who's been exploring the science of ASMR for the past decade. Plus, she meets an ASMR artist who's entranced hundreds of thousands of people with her medical role play videos and a woman who turned to the world of Boyfriend ASMR to heal her broken heart.Meet the guests:- Craig Harris Richard, ASMR researcher and professor of biopharmaceutical sciences at Shenandoah University, digs into the data on what we know about ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response- Semide, an ASMR artist, talks about the emotional work in her content creation and the parasocial relationships she forms with viewers- Laura Nagy, filmmaker, writer and podcaster behind the 2021 Audible Original podcast “Pillow Talk,” shares how ASMR content helped her to open up to being vulnerable again Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformCheck out Craig's ASMR podcasts: “Sleep Whispers” and “Calm History”Follow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally published March 15, 2024.Update: Dr. Craig Richard is a co-author of a new seminal paper highlighting the research agenda for ASMR.

How does selling sexy online affect your offline relationship with sex and your body? Anita poses that question to two creators: Paris Bush, who in four years on Only Fans has become one of the site's top earners, and Maxim Lupin, who says that online sex work is the profession that best supports his mental and physical health. Meet the guests:- Paris Bush creates content that runs the gamut from nude and spicy to spoofy and comical- Maxim Lupin creates content that focuses on kink and sex edRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

It's been half a century since the psychedelic era, but some baby boomers are returning to the drugs of their youth — not for rock and roll, but to confront aging. Writer Abbie Rosner re-experienced mushrooms in her 60s, and she tells Anita about her subsequent investigation into why other boomers are taking psychedelics to grapple with aging. Plus, a medical professional shares what it's like to facilitate these experiences for her peers.Meet the guests:- Abbie Rosner is a writer who shares her own experience and the stories of other baby boomers, which she plans to publish in a book called “ELDEREVOLUTION: Psychedelics and the New Counterculture of Aging”- Dr. Crystal Dawn is a physician who's board-certified in family medicine and provides ketamine-assisted therapyRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

There are few things that are certain about 2025, 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 KitRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

As a child of two immigrants, Anita has a tumultuous relationship with the question: "Where are you from?" So, too, do many third culture kids — people who spend a significant number of their developmental years living in places that are not their parents' homelands. She talks with two third culture kids — one 35 and one 12 — and their moms about growing up between cultures and how they've built identity and relationships along the way.Meet the Guests:- Rayla Heide, a senior narrative designer at Blizzard Entertainment, talks about establishing cultural identity as a third culture kid and the grief and joy involved in moving around in childhood- Madeleine Maceda Heide, an international school leader and modern elder as well as Rayla's mother, shares the advantages of being a third culture kid and the ways she helped their family feel at home wherever they lived- Phuong Tran, and international journalist and communications consultant for overseas non-profit organizations, talks about her and her son's recent move from Thailand to North Carolina, and what they gained and lost in making that transition- Kaden Tran, a middle school student, talks about why moving to the US didn't meet up with his expectations and how its impacted his friendshipsRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally published November 10, 2023.Update: Rayla Heide is now the Franchise Narrative Director on a new game in development at Scopely.

Anita hands over the mic to Embodied's intern, Nina Scott. After listening to our episode about food and cultural identity from a couple of weeks ago, Nina started talking to her friends about how their family recipes help them feel connected to their heritage. She shares some of those conversations and reflections. Meet the guests:- Sari Ghirmay-Morgan, Nina's friend who is of Ethiopian and Eritrean heritage- Rebecca Wu, Nina's friend who is of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage- Britney Watson, Nina's friend who is Caribbean heritageRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Anita has heard one resounding truth from her friends who lost a parent in early adulthood: That death was the biggest thing that has ever happened to them. She meets two people who've built specific communities around their grief on the internet and a writer who experienced losing his dad twice. Meet the guests:- Liz Zorn, photographer and model, talks about the sudden loss of her father and how it's changed her views on the afterlife - Naomi Edmondson, grief educator and space holder, shares how the experience of losing two mother figures in her 20s inspired her to create a community group for Black folks who are grieving - Jeff Dingler, author and journalist, explains how he lost his father twice: first to mental illness when he was 14 and then to death when he was in his 20s Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally published September 8, 2023.Dig deeper:Tough Times GuideNaomi's grief resourcesLiz's YouTube video, “What no one tells you about losing a parent”Jeff's Insider pieceJeff's piece about his mom

Like the majority of American men over 35, Anita's partner is balding...and they're both a little distressed about it. But why? She brings her questions to two men who've interrogated baldness from all angles: race, sexuality, science, media, culture and lived experience. They'll explore where this fear comes from and how many other men feel this way.Meet the guests:- E. Patrick Johnson is dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor at Northwestern University and the author of “Scatter the Pigeons,” an essay on baldness, masculinity and Blackness- Glen Jankowski is an assistant professor in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin whose research includes the medicalization of baldness and the history of marketing anti-baldness productsRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

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 platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

A growing number of American adults have the same feeling about romantic partnerships: They don't want one. Anita meets three people who have chosen singlehood: a scholar who examines the double standard of relationship status, a single mother of two by choice and a man shedding toxic masculinity to build a deliberately single life.Meet the guests:- Dr. Kris Marsh, associate professor at the University of Maryland and author of “The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class,” brings us into her research on single, Black Americans and some of the larger structural forces that shape an individual's choice to be single — and how that work has informed her own embrace of singlehood- Aisha Jenkins, a single mother by choice and the host and creator of the "Start to Finish Motherhood" podcast and blog, shares her journey to becoming a parent and the key relationships that have supported her along the way- Lucas Bradley, author of "A Single Point of Light" Substack newsletter, explains what he has put into place to create a fulfilling life for himself as a deliberately single manRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedThis episode originally aired June 2, 2023.

The option to end one's own life through prescribed, lethal medication is legal in 10 states and in Washington D.C. Guest host Anisa Khalifa talks to two researchers about what the assisted death debate illuminates about dying in the United States. Meet the guests:- Mara Buchbinder, a medical anthropologist and the author of "Scripting Death: Stories of Assisted Dying in America," shares her research into how patients, doctors and caregivers interpreted assisted death law in Vermont- Harold Braswell, associate professor in health care ethics at St. Louis University, talks about disability rights and how assisted death fits into the larger end-of-life care landscape in the U.S.Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

American Sign Language is the third-most used language in the U.S. ASL has its own culture and art forms, and for many Deaf folks, ASL is about much more than just communication. Anita talks to Deaf author Sara Nović and Deaf ASL Slam poet Douglas Ridloff about how ASL gave them tools for self-understanding and artistic expression. Then she learns from scholars Carolyn McCaskill and Joseph Hill about Black American Sign Language (BASL), an ASL dialect that emerged because of school segregation.Meet the guests:- Sara Nović, author of "True Biz," outlines the history of ASL and how it has influenced her work as a writer- Douglas Ridloff, visual storyteller, ASL master and executive director of ASL Slam, shares how he learned ASL and became an ASL poet- Carolyn McCaskill, recently retired professor and director of the Center for Black Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University, talks about attending a segregated school for the deaf — and how integration raised her awareness of Black ASL (BASL)- Joseph Hill, associate professor in the department of ASL and Interpreting Education at Rochester Institute of Technology, talks about the impact of the research he, Carolyn and two other colleagues have conducted about BASLRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformCheck out the video version of this conversation: part one is here, and part two is here.Follow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Mainstream adaptive fashion lines are relatively new, but creating clothes to fit and flatter a range of bodies has long been part of disability culture. Anita meets three disabled fashionistas who design with disabled bodies as a starting point, not an afterthought.Meet the guests:- Dr. Ben Barry is the Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design who's pushing for further inclusion in fashion – particularly when it comes to the ways clothing is designed, marketed and modeled for folks with disabilities-  Sky Cubacub is a Chicago-based fashion designer focused on making size-inclusive garments for queer and trans disabled folks through their company, Rebirth Garments- Samantha Jade Durán is a designer and influencer also known by the handle “A Disabled Icon"Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

A new crop of children's book authors are trying to help kids develop curiosity about their physical bodies. But how exactly do they turn fraught body politics into compelling children's stories? Anita gets answers when she meets Tyler Feder and Shelly Anand, the creators behind the books "Bodies Are Cool" and "Laxmi's Mooch."Meet the guests:- Tyler Feder, the author and illustrator behind the book “Bodies are Cool"- Shelly Anand, the author of “Laxmi's Mooch"Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

While early biology lessons often teach us about sex as a binary, our bodies tell a different story. An intersex physician tells Anita about the decades-long attempt to erase intersex folks from existence, and a parent and two young adults share their advice on how to best support adolescents who defy the sex and gender binary.Meet the guests:- Suegee Tamar-Mattis, a physican who is also an intersex person, describes the decades-long attempt to erase intersex folks from existence, what support is available for intersex youth in their adolescent years and the importance of intersex community- Eric Lohman, parent to a 12-year-old intersex kid, explains how he and his wife have helped his tween explore gender and make decisions about his own body as he's gotten older.- Hillel and Sam, two young intersex adults, share their thoughts on what it means to be intersex, the experience of puberty and gender identity and their hopes for the future in terms of intersex awareness and advocacyRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Many autistic people assigned female at birth remain undiagnosed at 18, so what's it like to get an autism diagnosis in your adulthood? Anita meets two women whose paths to a diagnosis started on the internet. Plus a non-binary photographer shares how their late autism diagnosis has informed their marriage and sense of self.Meet the guests:- Irene Chon, neurodivergent creator and self-empowerment coach, talks about the challenge of getting assessed for autism as an adult and why working in customer service was kind of the perfect job for her as an autistic person- Kofi Robinson, a lawyer and TikTok creator, shares how her autistic traits coincide with the expectations for a good lawyer and how she makes solid friendships- Jenni Chapman, a queer and nonbinary photographer, draws parallels between coming out as queer and coming out as autistic, and how she's preparing to handle noise sensitivity as a parentRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedDig Deeper:A 2022 study on autism and people assigned female at birthThe TikTok account that made Irene realize she was autisticJenni's podcast, The Queer Soul Spotlight

Our understanding of the term bisexuality has been in a state of constant evolution. In a moment when bisexual adults make up the largest share of the LGBTQ+ population, how is bisexuality being re-imagined, reclaimed — and sometimes relinquished? Anita meets two people who have grappled with the term's history, meaning and power for building community.Meet the guests:- J.R. Yussuf is the author of “Dear Bi Men: A Black Man's Perspective on Power, Consent, Breaking Down Binaries, and Combating Erasure”- Jazmín Aguilar is a host and senior audio producer at the Boston GlobeRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Dealing with pimples and blackheads in middle school is practically a right of passage. But when acne is a defining feature of your adulthood... it's a whole different experience. Anita meets two acne content creators and a photographer who talk about the emotional toll of severe acne, the myth of normal skin, and the responsibility of being today's skincare influencers.Meet the Guests:- Patsy Chem, an acne-positive skinfluencer, shares the experience of getting severe acne in her 20s and how that shaped her social life- Peter DeVito, photographer behind the "Acne Normalization" project, talks about creating a safe space in portrait photography for models with acne and the ripple effect of those photos- Cassandra Bankson, a medical esthetician, model and skinfluencer, discusses how she handles the responsibility of challenging beauty standards while also reviewing skincare products and practicesRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedDig Deeper:Cassandra's viral video and YouTube channelNYT on adult acneJessica DeFino in Teen Vogue on the myth of "normal skin" and in Vanity Fair on dermatology's biggest rule that was meant to be brokenPatsy Chem on accepting her acne

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? On her one-year wedding anniversary, 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 platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedIf you want to hear more of Satish Rao on Embodied:Mixed (Parent Edition), where Anita talks to her parents about growing up mixed racePooped, where Satish gets to share his expertise as a gastroenterologist

Kennedy Ryan has released 23 romance books in the past decade, and along the way she's developed a style and approach that speaks to hundreds of thousands of readers. Anita sits down with her at a special live event at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill to talk about how her own relationships inform her work, the art of writing unskippable sex scenes and what's next for her career as her Skyland series makes its way to TV.Meet the guest:- Kennedy Ryan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author.Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedLooking for more romance episodes? Try these:The Making of Great Erotica - Anita goes behind the scenes with two prolific erotica author-editors and a former producer for the audio erotica app Dipsea to figure out how the sausage — and the butt slaps — get made.Written: Disability Love Stories - Anita meets a novelist, essayist and activist who share their disability love stories and how writing has changed their relationships with others and themselves (including an interview with author Talia Hibbert!)

Egg donation in the U.S. is a multibillion dollar industry with high stakes and complicated dynamics. Anita talks with two egg donors about why they donated and what they wish they'd known earlier. Plus, a medical anthropologist shines a light on the messy world of donor compensation and why some eggs are valued higher than others.Meet the guests:- Julie Ventura, egg donor and nail artist, shares her journey of donating eggs for her best friends to start a family- Claire Burns, egg donor and Canadian playwright, actor and advocate, explains her concerns with the industry after hearing about lots of varying experiences as the co-founder of the online support group, We Are Egg Donors- Daisy Deomampo, associate professor of anthropology at Fordham University, breaks down her research into the racialization and commodification of the egg donor market, particularly for Asian American donorsRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on TikTok and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

At its best, reading is a portal to new worlds and new ideas. But a lot can get in the way — up to 20% of the population experiences symptoms of dyslexia, a lifelong neurological disorder that makes it difficult to read fluently. An author who learned to read when he was 18 and a dyslexia scholar help Anita understand how reading develops in the brain and what's at stake if dyslexic learners are left by the wayside.Meet the guests:- Dr. Shawn Robinson is an entrepreneur, consultant and author of the graphic novel series “Doctor Dyslexia Dude!”- Dr. Maryanne Wolf is the director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners and Social Justice at UCLA in the School of Education and Information StudiesA special thank you to Eso Romero for contributing her insights as a teacher of dyslexic students to this episode!Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

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 channelRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Anita's highly-anticipated (and highly-awkward) first kiss was in eighth grade … but she remembers it like it was yesterday! A scientist tells her why our brains respond so strongly to kissing and how our kissing customs have changed over time. She also unpacks the power of a kiss with a photographer who documents queer Black love in public and three Gen-Zers school her on contemporary kissing culture.Meet the guests:- Sheril Kirshenbaum, science communicator and author of “The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us,” explains what's happening in our brains when our lips touch another person's and digs into the cultural history and evolution of kissing- Kadar Small, photographer, director and filmmaker, shares his photo series "PDA," which aims to highlight and normalize images of Black and brown queer intimacy- Donna Diaz, Parys Smith and Chris Williams, all current and past WUNC Youth reporters, talk together about their first kisses, how they think about boundaries and what makes a good kissRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Anita brings you into part of our family secrets variety show from earlier this year, featuring North Carolina country duo Blue Cactus. She talks with the band about creating and performing an original song inspired by an anonymous secret. The secret was gathered by Song Confessional, an Austin-based podcast that matches songwriters with “confessions.”Meet the guests:- Walker Lukens, co-creator and co-host of the Song Confessional podcast- Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, members of Blue CactusRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

It's a small procedure, but a big question. Anita talks with a urologist about what medical advice to consider while making the circumcision decision (and where medicine doesn't have the answers). She also meets a rabbi and mother who offers alternatives to centuries-old circumcision rituals and hears from a circumcised father raising an uncircumcised son.Meet the guests:- Dr. Emilie K. Johnson, a pediatric urologist and associate professor of urology at Northwestern University, answers Anita's questions about the procedure and shares her research on disparities in access to circumcision- Rabbi Elyssa Cherney, founder of Tackling Torah, talks about the role of circumcision in the Jewish faith tradition, how she works with interfaith couples on what parts of that tradition to follow or preserve — and she explains how she handled the circumcision decision with her son- Chris Silva, a father, talks about how his thinking on circumcision evolved after his son was born prematurely, from assuming they would have the procedure for his son to ultimately decided not to circumciseRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

In Anita's lifetime, the divorce rate for Americans over 55 has doubled. People are living longer, divorce stigma has decreased and women are more financially independent. But leaving a decades-long marriage … is a big life upheaval. Anita gets personal accounts from two gray divorcees about what it was like to rebuild their identities, finances and freedom post-divorce. They discuss money management, surfing and why women initiate divorce most often in heterosexual partnerships.Meet the guests:- Laura Stassi is a writer, editor and the host of the podcast "Dating While Gray."- Dr. Stephanie Han is a literature scholar, award-winning author and educator.Special thanks to Nanette Murphy and Linda Lingo for sharing their thoughts for this episode!Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Anita's been deep in romantasy land this year reading Fourth Wing & ACOTAR. And it's gotten her thinking about the skill required to make steamy sex scenes come alive on the page and out loud. She goes behind the scenes with two prolific erotica author-editors and a former producer for the audio erotica app Dipsea to figure out how the sausage — and the butt slaps — get made.Meet the guests:- Rachel Kramer Bussel has been published in more than 100 erotica anthologies, edited at least 70 others and is the author of “How To Write Erotica.”- Cecilia Tan has written science fiction and fantasy erotica for 30 years and is the founder of the publishing company Circlet Press. - Selene Ross is a former audio producer for the popular audio erotica app Dipsea and an artist and musician with an MFA in fiction from Oregon State University, where she teaches podcast storytelling and writing.Special thanks to Megan Hart and Lee Suksi for contributing to this episode!Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on X and Instagram Leave a message for Embodied