Made It Out

If you’re looking for a sign to follow your dreams… this is it!  This week, Mal is joined by Tiktok creator and lesbian icon Hina to discuss the hurdles they overcame on their road to success. The conversation highlights the importance of pursuing big dreams, overcoming doubts cast by ~haters~ and the concept of fate vs. free will. Hina is the philosophy professor you didn't know you needed!  Foll...

This week, Mal is joined by her friend Kristi Gramlich who shares her story of being outed in her sorority while coping with the loss of a parent. Kristi discusses how the public outing experience shaped her and her relationship at the time, and where she's at with her sexuality today. Kristi also opens up about her lifelong struggle with OCD and how she copes with it as an adult. **Content Warnin...

Comedian Ali Kolbert sits down with Mal to discuss her pattern of pursuing straight women. The two dive into Ali's high school obsession with her straight best friend and how the dynamics of that friendship affected her lesbian dating life. Ali opens up about why she found herself in these seemingly dead-end relationships and what steps she's taken to break the pattern. The two also discuss findin...

Liz Tracy joins Mal to discuss internalized homophobia and how it creeps up, even once you are out and proud. Liz grew up in a very progressive and open-minded family in Seattle but still found herself struggling to accept her sexuality, to the point where she would date women online using a fake male profile. This episode offers great discussions on aversions to sex toys for fear that they are 't...

In honor of St. Valentine, we cooked up a U-Haul love story (with a hint of psychedelics, of course). Dope Kitchen's Nicole opens up about her coming out journey - from the early days of crushing on straight friends, to threesomes in Europe, and finally finding true gay love. In a tent in Alaska, of all places! Follow our guest @dopekitchen and please remember to subscribe, rate on Spotify, review...

You might recognize Jonica Booth from HBO's Rap Shit (if you don't, check it out!) but the Duke of Miami is here to tell us about her journey from a cube at CitiBank to the big screen. It wasn't easy though, as Jonica lost her brother 3 days before shooting for Rap Shit began and had to hide it from her new castmates and coworkers. Jonica discusses her grieving process, how sudden death changed he...

**Content Warning: This episode contains content that may be challenging to some listeners. Please check the show notes below for a detailed description. This week, Mal is joined by her friend Sierra to discuss toxic relationships: the signs, the patterns, and what to do if you think you might be in one. It was Sierra's first relationship with a woman that forced her to examine her past, and which...

This week, singer-songwriter-producer Chelsea Cutler joins Mal to talk about her 5 year relationship and share some wisdom on love. She answers questions like: how do you know if you've found the one? What does falling in love feel like? Just how important is communication in a relationship? How does love change over time? Leave it to this lyrical genius to speak on such a complicated topic in the...

Join Mal and model/author Chloe Mason in a conversation about taking a non-traditional path and doing everything in order to survive - especially as a young mom navigating sexuality later in life. For anyone who's had to overcome tough circumstances, this episode brings a message of hope - and will remind you that you're doing the best you can, and that is enough. Follow our guest @chloealexandrax...

They say the best ships are friendships... But what about queers that can sail the sea? Wait, what? Anyway - Lexi Dussi joins Mal this week to talk about her journey to finding a queer community, starting from the dark days of lying to her straight friends about where she was, to becoming fully integrated in a queer friend group she couldn't have dreamt up. This episode answers some of our most fr...

If your New Year's resolution is to lose weight - maybe watch this episode first! Mal and singer-songwriter Maddie Zahm discuss a range of topics from purity culture in the church, to body image and weight loss fixation, and how all of these affected Maddie's journey to coming out and dating women. We hope this episode reminds you to be kind to yourself, to embrace your body, and that there will a...

This week, Mal is joined by her friend of 18 years, Rica Charleston, to discuss growing up in the South, being outed, navigating being gay in the black community, and the challenges of being in an interracial relationship. Rica brings an honest, unfiltered, and hilarious perspective to this conversation, and Mal shares a picture of her high school hairstyle - there is no holding back. You must've...

We got your dating questions... and Jordan Harvey is here to answer them! Jordan and Mal sit down to chat about the intricacies of dating women for the first time and the questions that come up - how do I figure out what my type is? Who makes the first move? Who pays for the date? What are the best apps for queer women? And many more. So listen up, take notes, and best of luck out there! Please re...

Zoya Biglary joins Mal on the conversation couch to share her struggles with fitting in, coming out to her conservative Persian parents, and defying cultural expectations. Even though Zoya forgot to bring a piece of fruit, she peels back the layers of trauma and challenges that made her the out and proud Middle Eastern lesbian she is today. This episode is as aspirational as it is heartwarming, wi...

This week's episode dives into the topic of sexuality and the spectrum, how accurate those online "Am I Gay" quizzes are, and the nuances of appreciation versus attraction. Mal and SJ share their experiences with dating men out of a desire to fit in and meet societal pressures, and discuss the importance of listening to your inner "tiny voice" when it tells you what is and isn't authentic to you....

Jordin Shives joins Mal in the hot seat this week to dive into the early days of lesbian sex - the switch from sex with men to women, the expectations when first hooking up with a new partner, sex toys, the strap, lesbian porn, and words of advice to a baby gay. The episode climax comes with an incredible story of Jordin's first (and only) attempt at an open relationship. This episode is a treat,...

Alix Traeger joins Mal this week to take us through her sexual exploration journey that was triggered by - what the LA girlies call - a spiritual awakening. Alix came out in her late 20’s after years of subconsciously seeking out toxic relationships with men, and dodging a nagging curiosity to be with women. The two best friends discuss how break ups lead to breakdowns which lead to breakthroughs,...

This week, Mal is joined by fellow Texan Emily Frazelle to discuss the impact that a Christian upbringing has on one's coming out journey. Emily opens up about her past experiences with Young Life, researching conversion therapy, and how her religious views changed when she realized her gay thoughts were not going away. Resources Mentioned: Letter to Louise: https://christcornerstone.com/wp-conten...

A lesbian rite of passage - getting your heart broken by the first girl you love. Shannon Beveridge joins Mal to share her story of a "co-dependent friendship" turned to secret relationship, the emotional rollercoaster of being in love with someone who will never come out, and the impact of being outed to your family. Don't worry though - it all turns out okay. Listen to Shannon's podcast Exes & O...

Welcome to the first episode of Made It Out! We're going back to the beginning and looking at childhood and sexuality. Join Mal and Iris Walker as they dive into the heteronormative expectations put on us as children, the shame we are taught to feel about our sexuality growing up, and how it all impacts our ability to explore. Iris shares her struggles with defining her sexuality later in life, th...

A video podcast series for girls who like girls. Every week we'll invite a different guest to dig into topics ranging from dating, sex, coming out, religion, and so much more. Join us every Tuesday on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices