In her new segment BROAD OPINIONS, Sara brings us her hot take on what the news media is calling "Biden's Disastrous Debate Performance", how we should feel about it, and what we should do about it with t-minus 4 months until the election. HINT: It's not the take you might think it'll be. PLUS! Sara brings compelling real-time data on the impact tr…

Since the age of 10, when she receives her first bicycle, Dervla Murphy dreams of pedaling all the way to India, but her travel plans are put on hold when she becomes caretaker of her mother at just 14 years old. This doesn't stop Dervla from dreaming, though, and when she is released from her caretaker duties 16 years later, her trip to India beco…

This week, Sara sheds some light on The Invisible Battalion! While Ukrainian women have been defending their country on the front lines for decades, it wasn't until 2018 that they were actually allowed to serve in combat ranks, thanks, in large part, to a massive campaign known as "The Invisible Battalion," led by the NGO Institute of Gender Progra…

Cornelia Sorabji dreamt long and hard about becoming a lawyer, even though in India in the late 1800's women were just barely allowed to go to University at all, and were NOT permitted to law school or the court system as a whole. Born into a progressive, education-minded family, though, Cornelia was not deterred by these archaic laws - instead she…

Today, Colin A. Borden brings us the tale of Verity Lambert - the founding producer of Doctor Who! As an aspiring young writer and director, Verity kept running into the glass ceiling, being told time and time again that there wasn't any more room for another woman. Verity kept at it, though, and when an accident on set means someone has to step in…

The Broad, the Myth, the LEGEND! We all know her name, but do you actually know her story? To start with, did you know that wasn't really her name?! Joan was born into a war-torn France at a time when French hope was greatly diminished. How on earth does a thirteen-year-old farm girl travel across dangerous, disputed territory, win an audience with…

This week Sara brings us one of her personal heroes and feminist icons, the incomparable and prolific - bell hooks! Growing up a segregated Kentucky, Gloria Jean Watkins witnessed firsthand the wake of destruction wreaked by what she would later dub the Imperialist-White-Supremacist-Capitalist-Patriarchy. She spent the rest of her life in a fight a…

When Cnopus goes to invade Erythrae he calls on an oracle to provide some wartime guidance. This oracle advises he put a Priestess of Hecate from Thessaly in charge of his army. Chrysame is sent forth from Thessaly and she immediately sets to work devising one of the most epic strategies of 11th Century BCE using none other than her Hecate-given kn…

In 1908, when Winston Churchill shoots his mouth off about women during an election cycle the suffragists in town are not having it, and Mary Moloney puts on her boots, grabs her dinner bell and becomes Churchill's greatest nightmare: A silencer of his voice. Mary rings her bell for a whole week during by elections in Dundee Scotland, following Chu…

Chloe joins Sara this week to talk about the laugh of the century: Why men can't figure out why a woman thinks bears are less dangerous than them and how deeply upset they are about it. They cover this latest viral TikTok, as well as the latest in women's rights in the US, the temptation of protest voting, Nikki Glaser's brilliant roast of Tom Brad…

This week, Chloe Skye returns to bring us the story of Beate Gordon! When Beate's Ukrainian-born Jewish parents fled Russia in the 1920's, eventually landing in Japan, Beate fell in love with the Japanese people and culture, but WWII leaves Beate in the US, separated from her parents and unable to contact them. Beate uses her incredible ployglot sk…

This week, Sara brings us the story of Kadambini Ganguly, the first woman to graduate college, first woman admitted to an Indian medical school and the first female medical doctor in India! Her work wasn't limited to medicine, either. A champion for women's and worker's rights, Kadambini's socio-political impact on India was undeniably incredible. …

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 forme…

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, famil…

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 hav…

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…

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 studie…

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 …

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 f…

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 t…

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 woul…

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 th…

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…

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. …

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 p…

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 l…

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 th…

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 Goa…

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 st…

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 THE…

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 anymo…

Chloe Skye joins Sara for a long overdue check-in on all the exciting girl power moments of the moment including the fun-loving and *actually highly successful* film THE MARVELS. Despite what the box office magazine reports are saying, this movie is kicking the butts (in box office returns AND hearts) of other movies released around the same time I…

Germany in the 1500's was a pretty risky time to be a midwife - even a really good one. And so it was with poor Walpurga Hausmännin when 20 years of brilliant midwifery and healing was snatched away by a stupid rumor and some very unfortunate circumstances, leading to her arrest and subsequent witch trial. However, her story turns bizarre at her tr…

While history marks the first Thanksgiving as being in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, it turns out that when Christopher Columbus (and his *sshole brother, Bartholomew) first land in modern-day Haiti in 1492, they were warmly welcomed and assisted in a similar fashion by today's Broad, Anacaona! A powerhouse leader of the Taino people, Anacaona l…

Sara has been busy MOVING this week, and didn't have time wrap up her research on some GERMAN WITCHES (come back next week!!), so today enjoy this throwback episode with Chloe bringing us the story of not one... not two... but THREE broads you should know, and they're together in this episode because they all have one thing in common: they were ind…

When King James IV of Scotland (later James I of England) has his grand wedding plans thwarted by bad weather in 1590, an investigation is launched as to the cause. Instead of discovering the gross incompetence of the men in charge of outfitting the royal fleets, they find a much more sinister cause - WITCHES who conspired to send tiny devils in ba…

Taking a break from the heavy-hearted witch trial content for a minute - we revisit one of our favorite BYSK episodes about a different kind of witch - THE NIGHT WITCHES! Dubbed the nachthexen by the german troops who heard nothing but a WHOOSH before their camps went up in flames - The Night Witches were a hastily trained, poorly equipped, all-fem…

Beatrix Leslie is an 84-year-old midwife living just outside Edinburgh, Scotland in 1661, which happened to be a very bad period of time to be a disliked elderly woman in the community because it was smack dab in the middle of the Great Scottish Witch Trials of 1661-1662. During a span of literally 16 MONTHS over 660 people were publicly accused of…

Hypatia is widely (but incorrectly) thought to be the first female mathematician in the world and is considered to be one of the foremost intellectuals and philosophers in the entire Roman empire. So how come we don't list her name when we talk about Plato and Aristotle? Also, why does her name come up when you google search for "witches in history…

This week Sara dives into the most well-known incident of witch hysteria in North America - the Salem Witch Trials! While many of you may be familiar with the story from your history classes and Arthur Miller's popular play-turned-Daniel-Day-Lewis-Winona-Ryder-movie The Crucible, Sara's research turns up some VERY interesting truths about the motiv…

This week, special guest Caitlin Parrish tells us the story of "Half-Hanged" Mary Webster. Accused of witchcraft more than once in her lifetime, she does not escape the noose - but you'll have to listen to find out the rest! Her story predates the Salem witch trials by several decades and she is an ancestor of Margaret Atwood's, inspiring her poem …

Today Sara brings us a new Series for the fall (to the delight of spooky season lovers everywhere): Women They Called Witches! Throughout the entire world, and pretty much ALL of recorded history through TODAY, women have been accused of being witches and paid the price for it with their lives. One historian notes that the witch trials served as "t…

Special guest Zach Livingston brings us the story of the 2nd female Pharaoh, who expanded Egyptian trade and built many of the greatest wonders of Egypt throughout her reign, including the Valley of the Kings. Why, then, were her name and robust accomplishments only discovered in the late 19th century? Listen and find out! — A Broad is a woman who …

Annie Cohen Kopchovsky is already struggling under the weight of patriarchy when two arrogant gentlemen wage a bet that a woman cannot possibly be as physically capable as a man nor able to care for herself as a man can. The wager? $10,000 if Annie can circumnavigate the world in less than 15 months and raise $5,000 in the process. Eager to prove t…

This week, Sara researched Lucy Parsons, and enlightens all us Broads as to the history of the Labor Party & Anarchist Movement in the US in the early 20th Century! Lucy Parsons fought her entire life for workers' rights. She was possibly born a slave, but claims not to be Black at all. Still, she is considered by many to be one of the most importa…

Last week we dove into the history of the land and the hispanos who lived in Los Alamos when the government and Oppenheimer came to town - that’s right the land was not “unoccupied”, as the movie would have us believe. Hundreds of native ranchers and their families were forced off their lands and their livelihoods, and subsequently had no choice bu…

Best-selling author and award-winning journalist Alisa Lynn Valdés made international headlines a few weeks ago when her Twitter thread about the REAL story of what happened in Los Alamos went viral. Unlike Christopher Nolan's new film Oppenheimer suggests - the land that the Los Alamos Labs was built on and the area the first bombs were tested on …

Ruth (Moskowicz) Handler was born the 10th child to a family of immigrants and from the get-go she was a hard working Broad jumping quickly from the local soda fountain to Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. Her boyfriend Elliott was quick to follow, and soon enough they tie the knot, a partnership that would prove to be a huge success in both the p…

Sara welcomes back guests Chloe Skye and Zach Livingston to gush over and analyze the new Greta Gerwig Barbie Movie and the way that the world is reacting to it! We daresay NEVER in the history of blockbuster filmmaking, has a film so well articulated the damage that patriarchy inflicts on EVERY PERSON it touches (yes, it's bad for Kens, too!), and…

Why isn't there another new Broad for you today? What in the world has been going on with Broads You Should Know the past few weeks?! The short answer: JURY DUTY. Sara was held captive by the "Justice" System, and now that the case is over she can finally tell all about what it was like to be on a Jury, and why she's feeling pretty messed up about …