BitchStory - Stories of badass women that history "forgot"

Do you notice anything different? Lisa and I did some brainstorming about this podcast . We decided that it’s probably in the best interest of the podcast to do a little rebranding. I personally feel extremely passionate about the notion of reclaiming the word Bitch.  I am a pretty rabid feminist at this point, like to consider myself an ally, and am constantly learning how to be a better human. ...

In this surprising and spirited episode we discuss statistics at wound child marriage globally. It is considered a human rights issue and this problem is far more pervasive than you might suspect! Then we do a little deeper dive into the laws around chile marriage and the surprising stances of some famous organizations. You are on the ride with us as we try to make sense of all of this and bring i...

January is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we are kicking off a brand new year of Bitchstory with some ladies who improved our lives with breakthrough discoveries in the area of mental health. Two of these ladies specifically did research in women’s reproductive health, and without them, we’d all be in institutions, labeled as hysterical and told it is all in our heads. Dr. Jamie Maquire - resea...

On this final episode on 2023, Lisa and Kelly do a run down of their all time favorite episodes of Bitchstory. Thank you for making 2023 awesome. Keep listening. We’ll see you in 2024, Bitches! Don’t forget to check out the other House Of Bleep pods: BitchScopes and BitchSplaining. Support us: Patreon.com/houseofbleep Email us: heybitches@bitchstory.net Instagram: @bitchstory.pod

Since I've decided November is Veterans Month and screw Thanksgiving, here's four more badass ladies who have done amazing things for the USA! ASTRONAUT/RET. AF COL. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Collins https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/eileen-collins/ PILOT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Cochran https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/meet-jacqueline-cochran A...

My husband Patrick is a Gulf War Vet, and now a Fire Chief on a base overseas. I did an interview with him about his experience in the War a few years ago. You can listen to it here He has been wanting to pod with me about badass military chicks for awhile now. And this year, for Veterans' Day, we are honoring Col. Kim "Killer Chick" Campbell, a decorated war veteran who saved a lot...

Hey guess what… a WOMAN discovered North America BEFORE Columbus …AND she didn’t Go around raping and imprisoning folks. Vikings…they’re pretty badass. And we have a Fraaaaaanch lady who was the first woman To circumnavigate the globe! Ever heard of Jeanne Baret? us either! Let’s fix that! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudrid_Thorbjarnard%C3%B3ttir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Baret Email...

In this episode we have political intrigue, scandal, corruption, so.many.coups, and… a lobotomy!  Eva Peron, unlike many of our subjects on this show, is definitely not unheard of. She is still very famous. Known as “Evita”, she was an actress, politician, activist, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until her death in July 1952, as the wife of Argentine Presid...

September is Hispanic Heritage Month. We recorded this right before Labor Day. So we thought, what could be more perfect than some badass Latina labor activists? The 1930s gave rise to Labor Unions and many, many protests about working conditions throughout the country. Unions had a surprising ally during this time - communism. Meet Luisa Moreno & Emma Beatrice Tenayuca . These ladies started...

This week we do a little deep dive on Lilith. Mythology and current wisdom call her Adam's first wife, who refused to submit to him and wanted equality. He refused to give it to her so she said "Boy, Bye!" The interesting thing about her is that no one can agree on who she is. Biblical and Jewish Literature have multiple personas assigned to her. Astrology utilizes her archetype but...

This episode feels like slightly different vibe for us. Fashion is not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of the feminist movement…we were as surprised as anyone to discover the feminist under currents of the fashion industry! Check out the links to see some of the badass beauties. The history of “plus size” Fashion Influencers Fashion Designers who Changed History Please consider Su...

In this ep of badass women in history, we are paying homage to some brave ladies who stood up against the Apartheid in South Africa. Now, we can’t talk about the Apartheid without mentioning Nelson Mandela (whose birthday is July 18th, hence the timing of this episode). And we can’t discuss Mandela without discussing a phenomena known as “The Mandela Effect” After we recorded this, we became aware...

Call me…Bitch Pockets! Sew secret pockets into your hoop skirt! Pick a side, then switch when your side is losing! Charm your way past enemy lines! Sweet talk those military secrets right outta those boys! In all seriousness, the civil war was a dark time of epic losses. But spies are still fascinating! https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2015/09/union-women-spies.html https://www.womenhistoryblog.co...

In our continuing celebration of Pride Month, we are covering a really fascinating topic about "two spirit people", which is how the Native cultures have viewed non-binary tribe members for hundreds of years. One particular stand out in this area is a lesbian Lakota woman named Barbara Cameron who was instrumental in the San Francisco 80's and 90's activism scene for gay rights, AIDS awareness, an...

In honor of Pride Month we are discussing the difficult journey for marriage equality. Same sex marriage is a right that is still not a guarantee in the US. There have been many heroes in this battle…this episode focuses on one remarkable gal that history hasn’t noticed- Edith Windsor. ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷🖤🤎🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

hey, do us a solid and listen to Bitchstory under our new production house umbrella- “House of Bleep” ⁠https://spoti.fi/40MsNdX 💜 Angelique Du Courdray, sometimes referred to as “the King’s midwife”, was a badass and visionary midwife and educator who helped stave off a population crisis. https://daily.jstor.org/how-a-french-midwife-solved-a-public-health-crisis/ https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/ea...

hey, do us a solid and listen to Bitchstory under our new production house umbrella- “House of Bleep” https://spoti.fi/40MsNdX 💜 Happy 90th Birthday Carol Burnette! If you grew up in the late 60s or early 70s you likely know who Carol Burnette is. Regardless of your childhood, dive in with us and learn a bit more about a comic legend who made it big in the era of "women just aren't funny"...oh wa...

Ever heard of an artist by the name of Sofonisba Anguissola? Yeah neither had we! Neither had my art-educated friends! Turns out she was a very gifted artist of the renaissance period. As a woman she wasn’t allowed to make money from her art, but it sounds like she did pretty ok for herself. And you know how the Royal portraits are often really unflattering? This gal knew how to do right by her su...

Bitches! Look, listen, look...I'm kind of excited. I have been using the music that was created for me by a professional for BitchSplaining (one of my other podcasts). I totally love it, but it isn't quite right for THIS podcast. So I set out to make a new one. I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, but then I did it and damn if it didn't turn out pretty fucking good! What do you th...

About 350 years after Jesus, Alexandria Egypt was a hot bed of philosophical and religious activity. The Jews, the Christians, the radical Christians, the Muslims, and the scientists were all going at it trying to discover the truth of human existence. Most of these philosophers and religious followers were men, because…of course. But a few women dotted the intellectual and religious landscape and...

If you liked our Winter Solstice show about the goddesses of winter, you'll enjoy this one too...the goddesses of Spring Equinox, or "Those Springy Bitches" as Smarty Pants Lisa says. I'm going to start referring to her as SPL. All in favor....great. And so it is! Anyway, enjoy this episode where I struggle with words as usual and SPL is gloriously articulate. Ugh. I'm publishing this one week aft...

Long before we had Greta Thunberg, we had Rachel Carson (born 1907!).  She wrote several books about the ocean and ocean life.  Her book "Silent Spring" became one of the most influential books in the modern environmental movement and provided the impetus for tighter control of pesticides.  After WWI, she was one of the first to rally against the use of DDT, which was originally use...

Grace Hopper was a math genius who was responsible for (arguably) the first and one of the most common computer programming languages that we still use. But she didn’t stop there. She was an active member of the military right up to almost the end of her very impressive life. She broke all kinds of barriers for women in the military and in STEM. Geek out with us as we learn about this brainiac!

Josephine Baker was a gorgeous, young, black singer and dancer in the early 20's.  She renounced her US citizenship because of racial injustice and became a French citizen.  Things weren't perfect in Paris, but audiences were not segregated and she enjoyed significant success.  During WW2, she leveraged her fame to pass secrets to the French resistance when the Nazis were trying to...

Martin Luther King Jrs children are all impressive in their own right. In this episode we are discussing the accomplishments of his two daughters, who we hope wouldn’t mind if we honor them with the title “badass bitches”. And below are our main sources for this ep. Toward the end of this episode you’ll hear me trippin over myself about the “Q” source. I didn’t pay enough attention when I was prep...