Broads You Should Know

Mary Baker Eddy did not have things easy. As a young girl, she was plagued with fits and ill health and then later much family tragedy made life even harder to bear. Mary found much comfort, though, in the scriptures and her study of them and this love of the the Bible would lead to her becoming one of the only women in modern history to have formed a major religion: Christian Scientists!

Learn more about Mary's incredible story of...

When Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina showed up on the doorstep of Fyodor Dostoyevsky to serve as his stenographer, helping him complete his next deadline, she had no idea that that life was about to change big time.

What follows is an unusual courtship and unexpected happiness for both of them, despite Dostovesky's significant challenges, physical, familial and otherwise. Their resulting marriage seems to be almost the opposite of the To...

Sophia Tolstaya never got a lot of fame or credit for all her accomplishments, in fact, she is generally reviled as famous Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy's b*tchy wife, but she was a brilliant talent and bright businesswoman herself. In fact, without her, Leo's work likely would never have been circulated so widely and successfully, nor would Leo have even been able to write such brilliant books - his characters draw inspiration from...

Before Bram Stoker wrote Dracula, even before Edgar Allen Poe wrote his Tell-Tale Heart, the genre of gothic horror was brought forth out of the incredible mind of a 21-year-old woman name MARY SHELLEY. 

Mary had already suffered quite a bit of loss in her first 21 years and her connection to death, grief, and the existential human story created not only the first novel of its' kind, but what would also become one of the most quint...

This week, Sara brings us the story of Alexya Salvador, the first transgender pastor in Brazil and all of Latin America, and the first transgender person to adopt a child in Brazil.

As a young child, Alexya found great solace and belonging in the Catholic Church, so much so, that she entered seminary to begin a path to priesthood. But as her studies progressed she uncovered deeply held core teachings that made her feel like a crimi...

This week, Sara brings us Sarah Winchester! When Sarah Winchester inherits the vast fortune of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company she decides to spend her fortune warding off the vengeful spirits of the victims of the Winchester rifle and builds the Winchester Mystery House - known widely as one of the most famous supernatural/haunted places in the US. But is that the real story? Listen now to hear the TRUE story behind the lege...

This week, Sara brings us the Mongolian Warrior Princess, Khutulun Khan! Her remarkable battlefield prowess was only eclipsed by her mad skills in the wrestling arena. This Princess-who-would-be-Khan (Great-great Granddaughter of Genghis Khan and cousin of Kublai Khan) wrestled & defeated hundreds of men to avoid arranged marriage. She helped her father Kaidu hold onto his massive territory, but does she inherit her father's ma...

We're wrapping up Black History Month with the story of Carrie Johnson! During the 1919 race riots of Washington D.C., Carrie and her dad were holed up at home trying to stay out of trouble, but when white policemen barge into their home and their .38 rifle hits and kills one of the detectives, Carrie and her dad are carted off to jail and put on trial for first degree murder - a capital crime.

What follows is a strange series of e...

Continuing our celebration of Black History Month, guest Amelia Hammel brings us one of the most iconic Black Broads in American History - Harriet Tubman!

Born into enslavement, Harriet Tubman suffered great at the hands of her "owners" including, one night as a six-year-old, taking at hit to the head by a metal tub. This skull cracking moment would forever change her life - instilling her with a god-given mission to help free as m...

We don't know much about the life of Alice H. Parker, except that the cold New Jersey winter annoyed her enough that she invented the first natural gas heater and "zoned heating" - the foundational technology for modern HVAC systems!

Listen now to hear more about her groundbreaking invention, and what we know about this woman who created perhaps the greatest creature comfort humanity has ever known!

#blackhistory #blackhistorymonth...

This week, Sara brings us Constance Baker Motley - The first black woman to try a case before the Supreme Court, to serve in the NY Senate, to be elected Manhattan Borough President, to be appointed to a Federal Judgeship and to be promoted to Chief Judge.

This powerhouse Broad was the role model for many of today's most prominent women of color in the Judiciary branch including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Vice President Kama...

This week we revisit the story of Yu Gwan-sun! Raised in a Japan-occupied Korea, Gwan-sun only knew life where her Korean culture was being oppressed and destroyed, but when she turned sixteen, armed with her education and mad love for her country she stands up for Korean Independence. Her story is one you won't want to miss! Special guest Earl T. Kim joins us to help shed light on this epic Korean history.

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A Broad is a woman who...

Chloe Skye join us once more for a (sadly) expected rant against the Academy. Yes, we did this not so long ago after Ms. Viola Davis was snubbed for her stunning performance in The Woman King but we find ourselves here yet again.

PLUS, since we spent a month in our own "Barbenheimer" series here it seems only right to give the world our own think piece on why the f*ck Greta and Margot, who LITERALLY made the whole Barbie movie happ...

Dr. Jessica Wade came from a family of brilliant scientific brains, so it's no wonder she dove head first into science, too. The further she got into her studies, though, the more she realized how alone she was - there were hardly any other women with her in Grad school! In fact, statistically the UK's numbers of women in S.T.E.M. are some of the lowest in the world.

Jess, however, was not deterred. She finished her studies and her...

The last election in New Zealand was accompanied by a huge wave of anti-indigenous & anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke is NOT having it. Despite her youth (she's only 21!) and lack of political experience, she has donned the mantle of her political and activist ancestors and ran for Parliament - beating her incumbent who had held the seat almost 20 years.

She is already fighting for the rights of Māori and she b...

Wahoo! We made it through 2023!! The year wouldn't be complete without a Broads recap, though. Sara brings you a snapshot of some of the most incredible Broads we lost this year and all of their accomplishments, both for women specifically and all of humankind.

Then we take a dive into the United Nations’ Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2023. A little intimidating for some, but absolutely CRUCIAL ...

We've got a fabulous 2023 recap episode brewing, but it's not ready yet, so today we revisit our (one and only) New Year's Broad: Betsy Ross! That's right - Betsy Ross was born on January 1st.

You may already know that Betsy Ross designed the first American Flag. But did you know that she increased sewing efficiency by switching from a 6-pointed star to a 5-pointed star, making it possible to create the stars with a single snip? Or...

When America ran out of Santas during World War II what happened? Was Christmas cancelled while the men were overseas fighting? NOPE! The Rosie the Riveter spirit persisted, and WOMEN stepped up to the plate! But not everybody was happy about it.

Learn how these Santa Broads came to be, who loved them, who hated them, and most importantly - DID THEY WEAR THE BEARD, TOO?

Also, what the heck is the origin of Santa Clause and the mode...

Jeanne Villepreux-Power has to be one of the most interesting STEM broads from the 19th Century! The daughter of a shoemaker and a seamstress, Jeanne follows her mother's line of work and slays it, making dresses for the top royalty and high society Europeans. After marrying a well-to-do merchant, though, she doesn't have to work for a living anymore - she's living the high life! Except...the genteel life didn't sit with her. She r...