To close out the holiday weekend, we're revisiting our conversation with writer, food expert, and television host Padma Lakshmi.

At the top, we discuss her Hulu docuseries Taste the Nation (4:40 ), a formative episode in El Paso, Texas (8:14 ), and how the show connects to Padma’s personal history (11:59 ). Then, she reflects on her childhood in New York City (14:07 ), a heartbreaking event at seven (17:30 *), and her unexpected entry to the modeling industry (25:14 ).

On the back-half, we walk through the early years of her trailblazing career (33:52 ), the patriarchal systems she fought back against (38:58 ), and her painful essay in The Times in response to the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (44:00 *). To close, Padma talks about her powerful work through EndoFound (45:30 ), the activist underpinnings of Taste the Nation (49:21 ), and the stories she hopes to tell in years to come (52:44 ).

*At this time-code, there is a discussion about sexual assault.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.