AmsterDames: An English Feminist Podcast in the Netherlands

People who are on the autism spectrum often struggle with social interaction and spontaneous situations. Saskia Maas, co-owner of Amsterdam's comedy club Boom Chicago, came up with an original idea to help teenagers and young adults. Her organisation Inter-Acting offers workshops for people on the autism spectrum, using techniques of improvisation, to make them feel more comfortable in unexpected...

Between 1956 and 1984 thousands of unmarried pregnant women were forced to give their babies away. Yet, many people in the Netherlands have never heard about this. Neither did freelance journalist and writer Christel Don, until she heard the story of one of these women and decided to write a book about the Dutch Afstandsmoeders to get attention for the injustice that has been done. But during the...

In our society, girls are still taught to be nice, careful, and to not take any risks. The Amsterdam-based NGO Project Fearless, however, wants to encourage girls to get out of their comfort zone, take risks and to learn new things that are not necessarily considered 'girly', such as skateboarding or boxing. In this episode, founder Merida Miller talks about gender stereotypes, the programs of her...

It is a win-win-win situation. Getting some physical exercise, seeing Amsterdam from a unique perspective and protecting the environment. Kajak Kollektief ticks all the boxes. A few months ago, Marlene 'Leni' Breitenegger came up with the idea for her own NGO that helps to clean up the canals in Amsterdam by kayaking. In this episode, she talks about her inspiration to found this organization, wei...

Plenty of women experience pain during sex but feel either too ashamed to talk about it or simply believe that this is the way it is supposed to be. Vaginismus coach Jamie Klomp wants to change the misconceptions of female sexuality and helps women to change their mindset that sex can actually be enjoyable for them, too. In this interview, we talk about vaginas in dutch school books, sex in porn a...

Is it just a crush? Am I bisexual? Am I gay? Women who thought of themselves to be hetero but who suddenly develop feelings for another woman often feel very lost. Gender and sexual orientation couch Diana Arkeveld experienced the same in her past and now wants to help other women in similar situations. For that, she founded Vrouw uit de kast (Woman out of the closet). In this interview, she talks...

A big wig, impressive heels and a huge ego: Lady Galore is fabulous and she is one of the most famous drag queens in the Netherlands. She has traveled the world for her famous drag shows, but she is also a passionate activist for the LGBT community. Even if that means that she has to march in heels. No matter, what it is, she does it GALORE style.   AmsterDames Patreon: https://www.patreon.co...

Has learning Dutch always been on your to-do list but somehow, you never really got to it? Or maybe you already have a certain Dutch level, but you feel too shy to practice it in your daily life? Then Praat Nederlands Met Me is perfect for you. The founders Frederique Fabels and Ida van Koolwijk started a project to match Dutch natives with non-natives in order to practice the language. So, no mor...

Are you looking for a way to let your creative energy flow again? Do you want to work with your hands after endless hours behind the computer? Are you interested to learn how plants and vegetables can be used to dye your clothes? Then artist Roua Al Halabi might have workshops in her atelier that could be interesting for you. In this interview, she explains, where and when her passion for colors a...

Did you know that especially the field of being a goldsmith attracts a lot of women? One of them is Josefin Osman who went to a goldsmith school 16 years ago. In this interview, she talks about moving to the Netherlands to become a goldsmith, career switches and why she especially prefers it to design wedding rings. AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/ AmsterDames F...

Anneloes works with a topic that most of us try to avoid. Almost every day she deals with death, grief and loss, because she founded her own company as a funeral entrepreneur. In this interview, she talks about calls at night, unusual funerals and why her job for her is more about life than death.  AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/ AmsterDames Facebook: http...

Girls and women skating is still a thing we barely see. Which is very much a pity since it is a great opportunity to empower girls and to give them self-confidence. Nanja van Rijsse, a skateboarder herself, started teaching girls in Palestine and then founded her own organization called Women Skate The World. In this episode, we talk about stereotypes in the skateboarding world, prize money and Am...

Esther already worked as a DJ when she was 18, but then life happened and she stopped. Now at 50+, she started again and dreams about playing at huge festivals, such as Lowland. In this interview, she talks about her life story, the importance of following your passion and the courage to just start doing what you love the most. AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/ A...

Eating disorders and mental health problems are still a topic that society rarely talks about. Ananda de Jager suffered from an eating disorder since puberty and found help in creative writing. She decided to publish a collection of her poetry to let others know that they are not alone. In this interview, Ananda talks about her personal journey back to health, Instagram as a trigger and why we nee...

No idea, what Kalarippayatu is? Dance and massage therapist Lisa Frey will explain it to you, will talk about why intuition is so important these days and why we all should follow our own flow a lot more. AmsterDames Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/podcastamsterdames AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/ AmsterDames Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmsterDamesPodc...

Even though the current mayor of Amsterdam is female, women are still strongly underrepresented in dutch politics. Devika Partiman wanted to change that and founded the organization Stem op een vrouw (Vote for a woman) in 2017. In this interview, she talks about the gender pay gap, women doubting themselves and why we need to start already in schools to get females into politics.  AmsterDames...

What if in a couple one person wants to get married but the other one does not? Jona Rens had an idea for a perfect compromise. Just get married for one day. In her shop in Amsterdam she offers the whole package with dresses, rings, violins and a red carpet. AmsterDames Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/podcastamsterdames AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/ AmsterDa...

Moving to Amsterdam in 2020 in times of Covid-19, becoming a Jungle Body instructor in addition to her full-time job, overcoming her own bad habits, proposing to her boyfriend, and buying an apartment. For Rosa Jung, the last year has been a rollercoaster and in this episode, she talks about her story, her journey and her learnings. AmsterDames Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/podcastamsterdames A...

In Amsterdam there are hundreds of unused bikes - while at the same time there was a shortage of bikes in Spain. Tour Guide Ana Castan wanted to do something about it and started the project Quiero una bicicleta (I want a bike). AmsterDames Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/podcastamsterdames AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/ AmsterDames Facebook: https://www.face...

For Le Réseau.nl my interview with Clémentine Latron is also available with a French intro  / Pour la fondation Le Réseau.nl, mon entretien avec Clémentine  Latron est aussi disponible avec une intro en Francais. Bonne écoute. Cycling, Paracetamol, and the struggle to pronounce the word 'gezellig': French illustrator Clementine Latron gets inspired by Expat life in Amsterdam. In this epi...

Amsterdam has plenty of Gay Bars, but most of them seem to be for men. Marianne van der Wildt wanted to change that and wanted to create a safe space for (lesbian) women in the centre of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, like most bar and restaurant owners, she is currently struggling in times of COVID-19. But there are still ways to support this awesome place. AmsterDames Patreon: https://www.patreon.com...

Bio-based designer and architecture student Kathryn Larsen rediscovered a building material that unfortunately is almost forgotten. Even though it was used for centuries on a small island in Denmark. In this episode, she speaks about the benefits of seagrass, opportunities to use it as a sustainable building material and women in design and architecture these days. AmsterDames Patreon: https://www...

Tech is still one of the fields where women are strongly underrepresented. SheSharp wants to change that and provides workshops, conferences and a mentorship program to help women to either start a career in tech or to become an entrepreneur. Sina Bünte is one of the founders of SheSharp and talks about the opportunities for women in tech as well as what needs to be done to make more girls become...

Cycling, Paracetamol, and the struggle to pronounce the word 'gezellig': French illustrator Clementine Latron gets inspired by Expat life in Amsterdam. In this episode, we talk about her career as a creative freelancer, her favorite illustrations, and her plans for 2021. If you want to know why French Expats hide in the bushes when they see French tourists tune in.  AmsterDames Patreon: https...