5 podcasts on our bodies: resistance, empowerment, acceptance🗣️

Podcast recommendations from Anna Stoecklein, host of The Story of Woman Podcast

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HELLO! Each week, this newsletter is curated by a different person. (You can curate a list here). In this issue, we’re welcoming Anna Stoecklein back! She last curated this list for us in 2022 about women’s healthcare.

What’s she up to this time? Let’s find out⬇️

After speaking with women in Kenya who’ve survived FGM/C for my recent podcast series, I’ve been reflecting on how deeply our bodies, identities, and cultures are intertwined — from abortion and trans rights to body image, medical bias, and beyond.

These episodes spotlight resilient women, femmes, and trans people who navigate the tensions between personal autonomy and societal expectations, moving from tradition and trauma to activism and self-love. Their stories are powerful acts of resistance, reclamation, and belonging that challenge norms and spark collective change.

Anna Stoecklein, EarBuds curator August 2025

Podcast Picks Curated by Anna Stoecklein

The Story of Woman podcast cover art

The Story of Woman

Recorded on location in Kenya, this episode explores the urgent issue of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), a millennia-old practice dating back to the time of the ancient pyramids and still occurring worldwide, including in America and Europe.

This is not a story of women’s victimhood, but one of extraordinary power and resilience as survivors, activists, and community leaders challenge and transform this tradition from within.

Through intimate and deeply personal accounts, the series reveals the strength of those breaking cycles, shifting social norms, and reclaiming bodily autonomy for millions of girls and women globally.

Code Switch (NPR) podcast cover art

Code Switch

Trans elders of color share powerful oral histories of survival and activism. Their stories link past and present struggles, highlighting resilience and community strength at the intersection of race and gender identity.

Call Your Girlfriend podcast cover art

Call Your Girlfriend

A candid and uplifting conversation with the founders of She’s All Fat about body politics and fat liberation. This episode challenges dominant narratives about beauty and bodily autonomy, encouraging listeners to celebrate bodies in all their diversity.

Eat the Rules podcast cover art

Eat the Rules

Host Summer Innanen reflects on a decade of conversations about body image, sharing lessons on resisting diet culture, embracing authenticity, and redefining beauty beyond societal expectations.

It’s a thoughtful, empowering exploration of self-acceptance and liberation.

Happy Place podcast cover art

Happy Place

In a deeply personal interview with Fearne Cotton, activist Munroe Bergdorf discusses the struggles and fears faced amid shifting political landscapes that threaten bodily autonomy and trans rights.

The episode explores how courage and visibility become powerful tools for advocacy and survival.

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Community

🎙️Long-running podcast Tech Brew Ride Home is joining Morning Brew Inc.'s podcast lineup. Each afternoon, host Brian McCullough offers fast-paced breakdowns of the biggest tech headlines for professionals who want to stay ahead without staying online all day.

💖In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell recommends Essential Salt. She writes: “These are local stories, beautifully made with so much care and attention. Every single one of these stories was one I wanted to hear, and I loved the different approaches the students took.”

📖On the EarBuds Blog:

Podcast news from Podnews

  • Apple Podcasts released its list of “Best So Far” shows - which “recognizes some of the best podcast shows and seasons since the beginning of the year.”

  • One of the biggest and most successful podcast producers, Wondery, is to be restructured by Amazon, laying off a reported 110 people. Wondery was bought by Amazon at the end of 2020 for $300mn, then doubled its staff. It currently has around 360 published shows.

  • Shondaland has “dissolved its podcast department”, according to former Senior EP Lauren Hohman. The company behind Bridgerton: The Official Podcast and The Laverne Cox Show had worked with iHeartMedia.

  • Consuming podcasts on TV has doubled in the U.K. in the past two years, according to Edison Research’s The U.K. Podcast Consumer 2025. The research also suggests that Spotify is the main podcast platform used in the country — BBC Sounds being more popular than Apple Podcasts.

Spotlight

That Aged Well podcast cover art

Hosts Paul Caiola and Erika Villalba explore nostalgic films and discuss how they've aged.

80s Movies! 90s Movies! Come dive into yesterday's pop culture today. Recent episodes include discussion of movies such as Save The Last Dance (2001), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Dangerous Liaisons (1998).

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