Embodied

When Kit Heyam was first trying to understand their gender identity as an adolescent, they looked to history. But they only found stories that painted a very narrow picture of what it means to be trans. Years later, when Kit started studying history professionally, a different picture emerged. They talk to Anita about the trans histories they found from around the globe and how those stories paint a more diverse and messy picture of the ways people have been pushing the boundaries of gender for millennia.Meet the guest:- Kit Heyam is the author of "Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender"Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on 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 Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally aired January 9, 2025.Update: Abbie Rosner’s book, “Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging,” will be available in July of 2026. Abbie also writes a newsletter on Substack about psychedelics in older life called ELDEREVOLUTION.

When María Lopez was 6 years old, her grandmother gave her a piece of advice: marry someone with papers. María was undocumented, and throughout her teens and 20s, she dealt with the struggle of dating to find both love and a path to permanent legal status in the United States. María, now in her early 30s, tells Anita about this journey and the community of “undocu-cuties” she made along the way via her Instagram page, @ytienepapeles. Meet the guest:- María Lopez, former Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and creator of the page @ytienepapeles Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Building a life as an artist is an uphill climb. After decades of hustling to make it work, writer Stephanie Elizondo Griest had one big question: How do you determine if art is worth all the sacrifice it requires? Stephanie tells Anita about traveling the world for answers and what she learned about what it takes to build a life as a female artist.Meet the guest:- Stephanie Elizondo Griest is a professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of “Art Above Everything: One Woman’s Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life”Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

Long-haul trucking is not an easy job. The schedule is grueling, and the burnout rate is high. But the profession does offer a certain sense of freedom — particularly for queer drivers looking for work where they can present authentically and face less scrutiny or harassment. Anita talks with former trucker and writer Anne Balay about why LGBTQ folks are drawn to trucking. She also meets 24-year-old Ashleigh Lewis, a trans woman and third-generation truck driver who is committed to the profession despite its reputation.Meet the guests:- Anne Balay is the author of “Semi Queer: Inside the World of Gay, Trans, and Black Truck Drivers”- Ashleigh Lewis is a third-generation truck driver who is going to be featured in the upcoming documentary "The Trans Trucker Project" from filmmaker Hansen BursicRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedSpecial thanks to filmmaker Hansen Bursic and his team for connecting us with Ashleigh.

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 Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally aired on September 12, 2024.Update: Version 4 of “Doctor Dyslexia Dude!” is coming out this fall — updates will be shared on Instagram. 

Ryan Kramer was born through an anonymous sperm donor in 1990. By the time he was 2 years old, he already had some big questions about his identity — and the desire to find answers. Ryan’s search led him to become the first donor-conceived person to find his parent through DNA testing. He also co-founded the Donor Sibling Registry, an organization that’s helped connect tens of thousands of donor-conceived people with biological family. He tells Anita about meeting many of his own genetic relatives and what this journey has taught him about the meaning of those relationships.Meet the guest:- Ryan Kramer, co-founder of the Donor Sibling Registry and the first donor-conceived person to find his parent through DNA testingRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

A significant portion of the funeral home workforce is entering retirement...but there's a crop of young people who are ready to take the helm. Anita meets two young funeral directors who felt called to this work at a young age. They take her inside their world -- from organizing end of life ceremonies to learning how to embalm for the first time. Plus, they share their hopes for a more death-positive future.Meet the guests:- Jasmine Berrios, licensed funeral director and embalmer, shares how she got into the industry, how being a funeral director impacts her dating life and how she tries to create boundaries around her work [@jasminethemortician]- Joél Simone Maldonado, grief care professional and educator known as The Grave Woman, talks about how her family influenced her career choice, how she educates her peers around culturally competent care and the importance of open conversations around death [@thegravewoman]Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedBuy tickets for our August event at Motorco, all about transformation!Please note: This episode originally aired April 19, 2024.Update: Jasmine Berrios is now the secretary of the California Funeral Directors Association — the youngest officer in the organization’s 120-year history.

When Philip Hoover and his wife Lauren Hill-Hoover tested positive for COVID-19 three years ago, they thought they knew what to expect. But then Philip’s symptoms persisted, morphed and intensified. They talk to Anita about how an illness that’s affected tens of millions of Americans upended their life and forced them to confront big, existential questions, like: What does caring for each other in sickness and in health *really* mean?Meet the guests:- Philip Hoover is a writer who has long COVID- Lauren Hill-Hoover is Philip's wifeRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedBuy tickets for our August event at Motorco, all about transformation!Dig deeper:Philip's Modern Love essay

When Yowei Shaw got laid off two years ago, there was no amount of bad TV, fried food or even therapy that could get her out of a deep emotional rut. So, she turned to the one thing that had worked in the past: reporting on her feelings. That journey led her to starting a new podcast called Proxy and inventing a new journalism beat: emotional investigative journalism. Anita talks to Yowei about why and how she reports on emotions (both hers and other people’s) and the surprising discoveries she’s made along the way.Meet the guest:- Yowei Shaw is the host and creator of ProxyRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedBuy tickets for our August event at Motorco, all about transformation!

Abraham Verghese has two acclaimed careers. He’s an infectious disease specialist known for his focus on the human side of medicine and a bestselling author of books like “My Own Country” and “The Covenant of Water.” In a recorded live event in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Anita talks to him about the shared philosophy he brings to both professions and probes him about how his own experiences inform how he writes about bodies and relationships. Meet the guest:- Dr. Abraham Verghese, acclaimed physican and authorRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedBuy tickets for our August event at Motorco, all about transformation!Special thanks to McIntyre’s Books in Fearrington Village for hosting this event.

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 Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedBuy tickets for our August event at Motorco, all about transformation!Please note: This episode originally aired October 10, 2024.Update: J.R. Yussuf’s book, “Dear Bi Men,” was a finalist for the Foreword INDIES award. 

When Jessica Slice was 28 years old, a bout of heat exhaustion triggered an underlying neurological disorder that led to permanent physical disabilities. In the 14 years since, Jessica met her now-husband David Yourdon and started a family. They talk to Anita about how their parenting experience has been one of adaptation and creativity — from learning how to separate their worth from external standards to accepting that all bodies have changing needs that require attention and care. They share the nitty gritty of their parenting life, with wisdom that’s relevant for all families.Meet the guests:- Jessica Slice, author of “Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World"-  David Yourdon, Jessica's husband Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedBuy tickets for our August event at Motorco, all about transformation!Dig deeper:Jessica's newsletter, Whatever What Is

It took Anita 12 years and five therapists to find someone who could help her tackle questions of racial and cultural identity. She meets two therapists of color working to make that kind of support more accessible. Sahaj Kaur Kohli, founder of Brown Girl Therapy, talks about approaching wellness from a more collectivist lens, and Jor-El Caraballo shares how he helps clients build tools for resilience in the face of systemic oppression.Meet the guests:-  Sahaj Kaur Kohli is a psychotherapist, the founder of Brown Girl Therapy and the author of “But What Will People Say?”- Jor-El Caraballo is a therapist, the co-founder of Viva Mental Health and Wellness and the author of “Self-Care for Black Men”Special thanks to Lisa R. Savage, Erinn Scott, Melody Li and Susan Chung for contributing to this week's episode.Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedPlease note: This episode originally published July 25, 2024.

Anita hands over the mic to Embodied’s intern, Nina Scott. After listening to our recent episode about country queers living in rural America, Nina became interested in exploring the Black queer South. Drawing from her own personal experience as a Black lesbian born and raised in the South, Nina speaks to an artist and an academic who are dedicated to contextualizing the experience of Black Southern lesbians.Meet the guests:- Shirlette Ammons is a musician, poet and producer- Dr. Nikki Lane is an anthropologist, writer and assistant professor at Duke UniversityRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedHere are the academics Dr. Nikki Lane mentioned who are exploring the experiences of Black lesbians:- E. Patrick Johnson- Kemi Adeyemi- Mignon Moore

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 writingSpecial thanks to Megan Hart and Lee Suksi for contributing to 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 8, 2024.Update: Some of Cecilia Tan’s stories are now free to read on a brand new erotica and romance reading site called Theo.

When you board a plane, flight attendants greet you with practiced smiles and seamless service. But there’s a lot of mental and emotional labor that passengers don’t see. Missy, a Hawaii-based flight attendant, takes Anita inside her world and shares stories from her close to five years on the job — from managing unruly passengers to dealing with medical emergencies. Travel journalist Natalie Compton also shares her reporting on the financial precarity some flight attendants face and how understanding more about their reality has changed the way she approaches air travel.Meet the guests:- Missy is a Hawaii-based flight attendant who is using only her first name since she's not authorized to speak on behalf of her airline- Natalie Compton is a travel reporter for The Washington PostRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedDig deeper:Natalie's reporting on the financial precarity of early-career flight attendantsNatalie's reporting on flight attendant training

Rae Garringer grew up on a sheep farm in rural West Virginia, and once they left for college and came out as queer, they weren't sure they could ever move back. They believed the story they’d been told: to thrive as an out, LGBTQ+ person, you have to live in a city. But when Rae did move back in 2011, they realized that story was a lie. Anita talks to Rae about making queer life work in the country — from navigating dating challenges to getting along with neighbors you disagree with. They also talk about Rae’s oral history project, podcast and book “Country Queers,” which documents queer, rural life in 21 states around the country.Meet the guest:- Rae Garringer is the founder and director of Country Queers, an oral history project and podcast, and the author of "Country Queers"Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

What would you do if you knew your brain would stop functioning normally in just a decade? For brothers Ansel Dow (31) and Cosmo Hinsman (26), this isn't hypothetical. They carry a rare genetic mutation that makes frontotemporal dementia almost inevitable by their mid-40s. It’s the same condition that has altered the lives and personalities of their mother and five of her siblings. In conversation with Anita, the brothers reveal how this genetic legacy influences their most personal choices about love, friendship and building a meaningful life against a countdown.Meet the guests:- Ansel Dow is a community organizer and an advocate for more research into FTD- Cosmo Hinsman holds a MFA in fiction writingRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformRead "The Vanishing Family" from the New York Times hereFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedYou can check out Climbing the Walls here.

Sex has no age limit. But having a robust intimate life well beyond age 65 comes with distinct challenges, particularly when you no longer live in the privacy of your own home. Anita talks with two people dedicated to making good sex possible for older adults, whether they are navigating dementia and living in a nursing home, or forging a new relationship with someone in their assisted living community. Sexuality educator Jane Fleishman and research psychologist Maggie Syme discuss the policy landscape affecting older adults’ sexual wellness and share stories from their day-to-day work building an intimacy revolution in elder care.Meet the guests:- Jane Fleishman is a sexuality educator who also identifies as an older adult- Maggie Syme is a research psychologistRead the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for EmbodiedYou can check out Climbing the Walls here.