Breaking Down Patriarchy

Amy discusses Gerda Lerner's The Creation of Patriarchy with guest Sherrie Crawford. Listen to the full episode here .

Amy discusses Rian Eisler's The Chalice & The Blade with guest Malia Morris. Listen to the full episode here .

**This episode is also viewable as a video on www.breakingdownpatriarchy.com under the "episodes" heading, and on YouTube on the Breaking Down Patriarchy channel. Welcome to BDP! I’m AMA, and today we are doing a very special episode, summarizing all the works we read this year and sharing thoughts and lessons learned as well as answering some FAQ’s. And my guest today is fan-favorite, Erik Allebe...

Amy is joined by guest Bergen Hyde to discuss Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Topics include the power of female archetypes, bluebeard, baba yaga, the sacred feminine, and creating our own myths. Bergen Hyde  has lived in Provo, Utah for the past 13 years with her Husband and their three kids. Her favorite things are dancing, salty snacks, spending time in the mountai...

Amy is joined by guest Cassy Chsitianson to discuss Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn. Topics include midwifery, witch trials, forced sterilization, and how patriarchy has hindered women’s healthwork. Cassy Christianson  is a therapist working in pediatrics and maternal health and inclusion specialist. Much of her writing focuses on Global Women’s Health—a subject she is really passionate about...

Amy is joined by guest Lane Anderson to discuss Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Topics include the ways patriarchy cages women, social conditioning, self-knowing, and the integrity of not disappointing ourselves. Lane Anderson  was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has an undergraduate degree from BYU, and a graduate degree from Columbia University. She has spent much of her career as a full-time...

Amy is joined by guest Jenny DeGraaff to discuss For the Love of Men by Elizabeth Plank. Topics include toxic masculinity, testosterone, men’s mental health, the pressure to provide, and what it means to be a real man. Jenny DeGraaff  was raised in West Virginia and Nebraska, but currently lives in the Bay Area, California, where she teaches science in elementary school. She earned her Bachel...

Amy is joined by guest Sara Abbasi to discuss The Moment of Lift by Melinda French Gates. Topics include the delicacy of implementing change, honor killings, contraceptive access, and the transformative power of education. Sara Abbasi  is a philanthropist who has been committed to spreading access to education worldwide. Her charitable work on various boards is marked by a dedication to break...

Amy is joined by guest Barbie Harper to discuss Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. Topics include the generic masculine, women’s restrooms, unconscious bias, and the real cost of overlooking data from women. Barbie Hada Harper  was born and raised in Mission Viejo, California where academics, team building, and community service were early core values. She attended Brigham Young Univer...

Amy is joined by guest Louisa Gillett to discuss Women and Power by Mary Beard. Topics include hostility towards women speaking publicly,  victimhood, and how we recognize female power. Louisa Gillett  has produced, presented, written and commissioned documentaries about arts, culture and science, for British public radio and tv, and theatrical release. Since the birth of her daughter an...

Amy is joined by guest Dr. Chantal Dolan to discuss Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong by Angela Saini. Topics include women in STEM, outdated ideas about the female brain, and our evolving views of sexuality. Dr. Chantal Dolan  received her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, her MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from UC Berkeley, and her PhD in Epidemiology from the Stanfor...

Amy is joined by guest Natasha Helfer to discuss Girls and Sex by Peggy Orenstein. Topics include feeling sacred and icky, sexuality versus sexualization, modesty, and purity culture. Natasha Helfer  is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, speaker, writer, podcaster and supervisor with 20 years of experience treating individuals, couples and family systems. She has a special interest in helping...

Amy is joined by guest Neylan McBaine to discuss Unfinished Business by Anne-Marie Slaughter. Topics include half truths, resilience, the continuum of competition and caregiving, and what it really means to be a working parent. Neylan McBaine  was born and raised in New York City. She studied piano at the Juilliard School in high school, then graduated from Yale University in English literatu...

Amy is joined by guest Malia Morris to discuss Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. Topics include the intersection of sex and racism, calling in v. calling out, bossiness, mansplaining,  and seeing humanity in others. Malia Morris  is a performing artist and voice teacher in the Bay Area. She studied Music Performance and Sociology in her undergraduate at Arizona State University...

Amy is joined by guest Malia Morris to discuss Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. Topics include the intersection of sex and racism, calling in v. calling out, bossiness, mansplaining,  and seeing humanity in others.  Setareh Greenwood  (she/they) is a queer Iranian-American from the California Bay Area. She is currently a first-year student at Mount Holyoke College conside...

Amy is joined by guest Gina Haney to discuss feminism is for everybody by bell hooks. Topics include the importance of being aware of identity, breaking free of colonial thinking, and holding the door open behind us. Gina Haney  specializes in economic development and equitable community engagement surrounding cultural heritage. In 2008 she founded Community Consortium and began, with the gov...

Amy is joined by guest Matthew Nelson to conclude their discussion of LGBTQ+ History . This is Part Four of Four and covers the texts No Future by Lee Edelman and Cruising Utopia by José Esteban Muñoz. Topics include the AIDs epidemic, necropolitics, queer ethics, moral panic, and how we think about the future for LGBTQ+ individuals. Matthew Nelson  currently serves as the Dean of the Sophomo...

Amy is joined by guest Matthew Nelson to continue their discussion of LGBTQ+ History . This is Part Three of Four and covers the queer theory of Michael Warner, heteronormative temporality, the drive to be normal, and the challenge of imagining a new social order. Matthew Nelson  currently serves as the Dean of the Sophomore class and teaches interdisciplinary courses in the History Departmen...

Amy is joined by guest Matthew Nelson to continue their discussion of LGBTQ+ History . This is Part Two of Four and covers intersections of patriarchy and trans-queerphobia, the history of queer liberation, the Supreme Court’s decision to grant marriage equality to queer people, and how we can support LGBTQ+ liberation today. Matthew Nelson  currently serves as the Dean of the Sophomore class...

Amy is joined by guest Matthew Nelson to begin their discussion of LGBTQ+ History . This is Part One of Four and features powerful personal stories from both Amy and Matthew. Topics include Proposition VIII, Obergefell v Hodges, and the experience of spiritual rape. Matthew Nelson  currently serves as the Dean of the Sophomore class and teaches interdisciplinary courses in the History Departm...

Amy is joined by guest Kasey Cruz to discuss The Gender Knot by Allan G Johnson. Topics include overcoming the association of leadership and maleness, the invisibility of privilege, and some practical tips for unraveling gender knots. Kasey Cruz  was born and raised in sunshine state, California. In the year of 2020, she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Kinesiology and a minor in Adapted Physic...

Amy is joined by guests Elena Gonzalez & Abby Madrigal to discuss the Declaration of the Elimination of Violence Against Women . Topics include sobering data, the escalating cycle of violence in Native communities, personal stories of abuse, and how our justice system needs to do better. Elena Gonzalez  was born in Mexico, the youngest of 7 children. She immigrated to the US as a teenager...

Amy is joined by guest Sherrie Crawford to discuss The Sacred Hoop by Paula Gunn Allen. Topics include trusting our inner wisdom, questioning the European records of Indigenous culture, and the challenge of overcoming labels when they’re foisted on us. Sherrie Crawford  was born in Utah, the fifth of six children, and grew up in Arizona. She graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Social Wo...

Amy is joined by guest Maxine Hanks to discuss WomanSpirit Rising edited by Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow. Topics include why women need their own theology, the importance of symbols, acknowledging historical sexism, and how we can build new rituals. Maxine Hanks  is a historian and theologian who lectures and writes on Women’s Studies, History, and Religious Studies, particularly Mormon an...

Amy is joined by guest Maxine Hanks to discuss Gender Trouble by Judith Butler. Topics include complicating the distinctions between sex and gender, sex as a social construct, intersex and transgender issues, and the importance of controlling our own identity. Maxine Hanks  is a historian and theologian who lectures and writes on Women’s Studies, History, and Religious Studies, particularly M...