Afleveringen
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In this episode, we reflect on our journey through season one of Feed the Matriarchy, exploring themes of women taking up space, authenticity, diversity, and the power of shared stories. We discuss the importance of showing up as our true selves and the exciting plans for the next season!
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, we sit down with writer, Emmy Award-winning creative director, and author Lu Chekowsky (she/they) to explore the powerful intersection of advertising, body image, capitalism, and self-worth. Drawing from her years inside the advertising industry and the experiences chronicled in her memoir, Don't Buy What I'm Selling: On Breaking Up with Advertising and Finally Learning to Love My Whole, Fat Self, Lu pulls back the curtain on the messages women receive about their bodies and the systems that profit from our insecurities. Together, they discuss the monetization of shame, the cultural pressures that keep women disconnected from themselves, the relationship between grief and embodiment, and the radical act of learning to trust your own voice.
This conversation is a thoughtful, funny, and eye-opening examination of what happens when we stop buying what we've been sold and start defining freedom on our own terms.
To Purchase: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/lu-chekowsky/dont-buy-what-im-selling/9780316588515/?lens=little-brown
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, we're joined by some of the most important women in their lives: The Yayas—a group of lifelong friends whose bond spans more than 30 years. Together, we explore the power of sisterhood, loyalty, vulnerability, and the relationships that sustain us through life's biggest joys and hardest seasons. From navigating motherhood and personal growth to working through conflict, repair, and change, this conversation is a reflection on what it means to be deeply known and deeply loved. The Yayas share stories of friendship, honesty, laughter, resilience, and the intentional work required to build relationships that endure. We're celebrating chosen family, women supporting women, and the transformative power of having people who witness every version of who you've been—and who you're still becoming.
If you're lucky enough to have friendships that have carried you through decades, this episode will feel like coming home. And if you're still searching for that kind of community, it's a reminder that sisterhood is one of the most powerful forms of nourishment we can offer each other.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, we sit down with Blakely Hunze-Austin, LPC—a licensed professional counselor specializing in sex therapy, eating disorders, trauma, OCD, addictions, and work with LGBTQIA+, kink, and poly/ENM communities—for a thoughtful conversation about sexuality, shame, pleasure, and authenticity. Together, we explore what it means to build relationships and intimate lives rooted in intentionality rather than obligation, fear, or societal expectations. Blakely shares insights on reducing shame around desire, learning from queer culture’s emphasis on self-awareness and communication, and creating space for people to explore what genuinely feels safe, affirming, and fulfilling. This episode dives into embodiment, identity, intimacy, and the radical act of choosing authenticity over performance in the ways we connect with ourselves and others.
Resource links:
For Blakely: https://eroshealingandgrowth.clientsecure.me/
For Necklace: https://www.womanizer.com
To find a registered sex therapist in your area: https://www.aasect.org/
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In this powerful episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna sit down with Dr. Lulu (Uchenna Umeh, MD she/her)—pediatrician, speaker, bestselling author, identity-affirming coach, veteran, and founder of Dr. Lulu’s Pride Corner and Dr. Lulu’s Angels Haven, Inc.—for an honest conversation about LGBTQIA+ affirmation, parenting, healthcare, and the transformative power of belonging. Together, they explore what it truly means to move beyond passive acceptance into active affirmation for queer and trans youth, why affirming care is life-saving care, and how parents, physicians, and communities can create emotionally safe spaces where children never have to earn love or belonging. Dr. Lulu also shares her personal journey to advocacy work, discusses unlearning bias and internalized homophobia, and offers insight into her upcoming book, First Do No Further Harm: Becoming Allies in White Coats.
This episode is a compassionate, empowering conversation about identity, allyship, self-trust, and the radical impact of affirming people exactly as they are.
Find more info about Dr Lulu and her work at https://drluluspridecorner.com/about/
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna sit down with Breeze (@Breezleweezle)—perinatal mental health therapist, content creator, mother of five, and creator of the Better Boys Project—to talk about raising boys differently in a culture shaped by patriarchy, emotional disconnection, and rigid gender roles. Together, they explore deconstructing evangelical beliefs, navigating religious trauma, fostering curiosity instead of shame, and teaching boys emotional intelligence, consent, and compassion. This conversation dives into motherhood, masculinity, power dynamics, authenticity, and the radical act of raising children who stay connected to themselves and others in a world that often teaches them not to.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna dive into the complicated realities of parenting kids around body image while also unlearning the messages we inherited ourselves. Together, they explore motherhood, self-esteem, social media, and the pressures children face growing up in a culture obsessed with appearance. Through personal stories, practical strategies, and honest reflection, they discuss how to foster body trust, inclusivity, curiosity, and self-compassion in kids—without needing to be perfect ourselves first. This conversation is about raising children who feel at home in their bodies while learning to reconnect with our own along the way.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna sit down with Penny MacDonell (she,her) to talk about living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, navigating body image, and learning to see herself as beautiful in a world that rarely reflected bodies like hers. Penny shares her journey through chronic illness, medical procedures, family support, and the emotional impact of societal beauty standards that often exclude disabled and diverse bodies. Together, they explore disability, desirability, representation, and what it means to reclaim joy, sexuality, and self-acceptance at every stage of life. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, identity, and learning to love the body you live in.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Johanna sits down with Rose M., DNP, CRNA (she/her)—a healthcare provider passionate about inclusivity and equitable care—to talk about what it means to choose differently, even when nothing is “wrong.” Rose shares her experience of making intentional pivots, trusting the quiet inner nudge for something more, and navigating the doubt that can come from both within and around us.
Together, they explore how women are conditioned to second-guess themselves and how reclaiming self-trust can open the door to a more aligned, expansive life.
They also dive into body diversity and what it looks like to build body confidence when the world questions your body’s capabilities. This is a conversation about honoring where you’ve been, while still giving yourself permission to want something different.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna sit down with Tamie Gangloff (MA, MFT / she, her)—therapist, author, and advocate—to talk about what it really means to live with a chronic condition in a world that doesn’t always listen. Tamie shares her personal journey of navigating chronic illness, advocating for herself within the healthcare system, and unlearning the internalized belief that she had to prove her pain to be taken seriously. Together, they explore the intersection of chronic illness, trauma, and mental health, and the powerful role of validation, community, and self-trust in healing. This is a conversation about resilience, being believed, and why no one should have to fight this hard to be cared for.
You can find Tamie's resources on her website : https://www.tamiegangloff.com/
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna talk about the privilege we hold—white, cis, socioeconomic, etc—and what it means to actually use it. Because naming it isn’t the work. The work is in how we show up, speak out, and create space for those diverse voices. This is an honest, imperfect conversation about responsibility, action, and choosing not to stay silent.
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We often spend our lives playing a high-stakes game of 'If/Then'—if I lose the weight, if I stop the habit, if I perfectly manage the household, then I’ll finally be happy. This week on Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna are joined by Jen Butler (she,her), author of Mom Rediscovered, for a raw conversation on what happens when you finally stop trying to 'fix' yourself and start listening instead. Jen opens up about her journey through sobriety and the radical act of dropping out of diet culture, revealing how perfectionism often acts as a mask for our deepest needs. They explore the terrifying, beautiful process of peeling back the symptoms to find the woman who was there all along. If you’ve ever felt lost under the weight of your own expectations, this episode is a roadmap for finding your way back to your own table.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, we are joined by Amanda Pyle, a powerhouse leader in disability advocacy, to discuss the radical act of taking up space physically, emotionally, and historically. We dive deep into the exhausting reality of "auditing" our own presence to make others comfortable and explore how to pivot from asking for permission to expecting others to move for us. From navigating the world in a fat body to reclaiming ancestral history and embracing "no fucks left to give" healing, this conversation is a masterclass in body sovereignty. Amanda reminds us that our value is the only thing not up for public debate, and that claiming our right to exist is the first step toward true liberation.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna sit down with Deb Benfield (MEd, RDN/LDN, RYT, she/her) and author of Unapologetic Aging, for a powerful conversation on what it means to age on our own terms. Together, they unpack how diet culture and ageism keep us chasing control, youth, and “relevance,” and how stepping outside of those narratives creates space for something far more meaningful. Deb invites us to see our bodies as evolving ecosystems—not problems to fix—and to consider the legacy we’re shaping when we choose body liberation over body control. This episode is a call to unlearn harmful messages, reclaim our energy, and define aging not as decline, but as a deeper, fuller expression of who we are.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Johanna and Heather dig into the ways women’s bodies have been turned into commodities—measured, controlled, and constantly evaluated. We talk about body fascism, the cultural pressure to keep women small and manageable, and how diet culture functions as a tool of the patriarchy. But we also explore the antidote: body autonomy. What happens when women stop performing their bodies for approval and start reclaiming them as their own? This conversation is about resistance, liberation, and what it means to take up space in a world that profits from women's shrinking.
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In this episode, Johanna and Heather bring in special guest Christina Hartmen (she/her) to dig into intuition—how we reclaim it after a lifetime of being told not to trust ourselves. They talk about taking up space, unlearning the scripts around women’s worth, and why self-trust is a radical act. Christina shares her own journey of following intuition, embracing vulnerability, and redefining success on her own terms. This conversation is about rebuilding trust in ourselves—and helping other women do the same.
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In this episode of Feed the Matriarchy, Heather and Johanna are joined by sociologist Ignacia Eschelbach (she/her) to unpack how bodies come to be labeled “normal” or “deviant”—and who benefits from those classifications. From “too thin” to “too fat,” “too much” to “not enough,” they explore how the rubric for women’s bodies is constantly shifting, ensuring perpetual failure by design. Together, they examine the social, political, and economic forces behind body judgment—and what resistance looks like when we stop turning that scrutiny inward and start naming the system instead.
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In our first-ever guest episode, Heather and Johanna sit down with Jenn Heettner (she/her) to unpack the profound, often messy, and beautiful transition known as matrescence. Much like adolescence, the shift into motherhood is a total identity overhaul, yet society often expects us to navigate it quietly. Jenn joins them to discuss the radical act of taking up space—emotionally, physically, and socially—during a time when the world often asks us to shrink. They dive deep into the practical side of this transition, discussing how to scaffold support for yourself during the postpartum period so you aren’t just surviving, but actually held. Whether you are currently in the thick of it or preparing for the journey, this episode is a permission slip to stop "toughing it out" and start building your village.
During our conversation, they reference the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI), an organization dedicated to improving the health and wellness of Black women and girls, specifically through their contributions to Black maternal support and advocacy. Including the link for those that feel compelled to show support.
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In this follow-up to our deep dive into the diets, Heather and Johanna explore the quiet, often radical act of rediscovering your own autonomy. Now that we’ve started to dismantle the external rules, we’re asking the big question: What comes next? They discuss the messy, beautiful process of tuning back into your inner voice and learning to trust your intuition after years of being told it couldn't be trusted. From navigating hunger cues to honoring emotional needs, this episode covers all that "listening to yourself" actually entails—moving past the noise of the world and finally coming home to your own body.
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In this episode, Heather and Johanna pull back the curtain on the relentless cycle of the diet industry, tracing its history and the ways it has shaped our relationship with food. They get vulnerable about their own years of "experimentation" from the fad diets that promised everything to the quiet exhaustion of constant restriction. They share their personal histories of diets and when they finally said, "fuck it, it's time to get off the roller coaster". This raw, honest look talks about what it actually takes to break free from the noise and finally start feeding the matriarchy from a place of self-trust.
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