Breaking Down Patriarchy

Amy is joined by Dr. Christena Cleveland to discuss her book God is a Black Woman  and unpack our assumptions about divinity, gender, and race. Christena Cleveland Ph. D. is a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist. She is the founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization,  Sacred Folk , which creates resources to stimul...

Amy is joined by Kylee Shepherd to discuss We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi as well as Womanism and Feminism on the African continent. Kylee Shepherd is a bi-racial student from Bakersfield, California. She is currently a psychology major at Brigham Young University and plans to be an elementary school teacher. She is a founding member of The Black Menaces, an activist gr...

Amy is joined by Channel Achenbach to discuss Daughters of Anowa by Mercy Amba Oduyoye and explore history and gender relations in Ghana.  Channel Achenbach hales from San Antonio, TX and is an advocate for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." She is a seeker of freedom, justice, accountability, love, compassion, mercy, diversity and awareness. She pursues opportunities t...

Amy is joined by writer and intellectual  OluTimehin Kukoyi  to discuss The Invention of Women by Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí and explore the concept of gender in Nigeria. OluTimehin Kukoyi (née Adegbeye) is an award-winning writer, speaker and public intellectual whose work focuses on love and freedom. She is known for her insightful analyses of issues relating to feminism, gender, sexu...

Amy explores the history of Liberia and Women's Mass Action for Peace through the written words of one of her heroes, Leymah Gbowee. 

Amy is joined by academic and advocate Dr. Veronica Fynn Bruey to discuss her book, Patriarchy and Gender in Africa , and discuss the impacts of patriarchy on the African continent. Dr. Veronica Fynn Bruey is a multi-award winner and a passionate academic and advocate. Holding six academic degrees from four continents, she has researched, taught, consulted, and presented at conferences in over thi...

Amy is joined by author, educator, and activist Anne Firth Murray to discuss her book, From Outrage to Courage, and start exploring patriarchy on a global scale.

Amy is joined by Dina Asna and Saghi Saghazadeh to discuss the ongoing revolution in Iran.

Welcome to Season Three of Breaking Down Patriarchy! Each week in Season 3 Amy will read a book on a different topic in global gender studies, and will discuss it with a guest who has also read - or, in many cases written - the book being discussed. We will start with the African continent, touching down in several different countries to discuss essential topics in the history of patriarchy and ge...

Amy is joined by the show's editor, Sam Rose Preminger, to discuss all the incredible content in Season 2!

In the concluding episode of Season Two, Amy is joined by Dr. Kristin Neff to discuss the generative power of anger, the danger of rote gender roles, and the radical power of self-compassion. Kristin Neff (she/her) received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley, and is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. During Kris...

While many of our listeners are no doubt getting ready for Christmas festivities this week, for others the winter celebrations have already begun. Candles are being lit, loved ones are gathered close, and latkes are already sizzling in oil as our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors are celebrating Chanukah, the festival of lights. From Gerda Lerner and Gloria Steinem to Betty Freidan and Naomi W...

In the course of this season, we’ve gone in depth and up close with dozens of people’s experiences navigating present-day patriarchy. We’ve heard stories of personal struggle, of generational trauma, of feminist revelations. We’ve listened to fantastic essays on what a more egalitarian future might look like, and we’ve been pointed towards critical changes that our world and our culture are sorely...

As this second season of the podcast approaches a close, we want to spend a little more time discussing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—not to dwell in the pain which the Church’s patriarchy has caused, but rather to imagine some possible steps forward. To start envisioning a new Church for the future, a Church with regard, respect, and opportunity for all of its members, and to ex...

Earlier this year, our podcast began a project of collecting, publishing, and elevating people’s stories about patriarchy, and when we got word out that we were soliciting contributions, we received an overflow of messages from women raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so grateful for all the stories that found their way to us. In today’s episode, we hear from Ashley...

On today’s episode we’re going to be discussing loss — loss of family, loss of loved ones, loss of faith — and specifically we’ll be discussing loss in the context of excommunication from the Church of Latter-Day Saints. For listeners who may not be familiar, excommunication from the LDS Church is the single most severe form of discipline which Church leaders can enact. It’s a severance, total and...

As we’ve discussed in Season 1 of the podcast, there is a strong and encouraging history of men aligning with feminist causes and contributing to feminist movements. This is a history that dates back at least 175 years to Frederick Douglas speaking in favor of suffrage at Seneca Falls and to John Stuart Mill advocating for women’s rights before British Parliament. From the very beginnings of First...

On today's episode I sit down with chess expert and professional gamer, Alexandra Botez , to discuss women in the world of competitive chess, life as a streamer, imposter syndrome, harassment, world travel, and the future of women and girls in gaming. Alexandra Botez  (she/her) is an American-Canadian  chess  player and commentator, streaming superstar. She's the creator of Bot...

Today we're going to confront some of the really hard things about being a woman in the LDS faith tradition and we're also going to highlight some of the beauty and the goodness and the moral rightness that is found there in the Church. To demonstrate one aspect of the many complicated factors of what it felt like to be a Mormon, here's a scene for my house when I was little: In the 1980s, my fami...

In the 21st century, witchcraft is trending. TikTokers, for example, sharing witch-based content, have amassed over 20 billion views under the hashtag “witchtok” and, as the trend grows, major retailers (including Sephora, Urban Outfitters, and many more) have eagerly started selling mystical crystals, spell books, and other witchy paraphernalia hoping to cash in on this growing faith movement. An...

On today’s episode we visit the number one country in the world when it comes to gender equity—Iceland—to take a closer, more critical look at the history and present day lives of women in a nation viewed as the gold standard for women’s rights. To help facilitate this exploration of Icelandic culture, I’m thrilled to say that today we’re joined by globetrotter Rachel Greenley , as well as a numbe...

As regular listeners know, we do our best on this podcast to not look away from the pain that patriarchy creates. In the past this has meant discussing the hurtful ways patriarchy erases history, the ways it diminishes women, limits possibilities for men and boys, and—on several occasions—this has meant listening to difficult stories of domestic abuse. On today’s episode we’ll be joined by an Anon...

In this episode I'm joined by phenomenal guests— Liz & Cami —two Americans who have lived in Saudi Arabia for the past several years and are ready to speak about their experiences navigating Saudi patriarchy as foreign women. Their conversation is fascinating and funny, discussing dress codes and driver’s licenses and the shadows of colonialism in this unique peek into one of the world’s—alleg...

On today’s episode, we’re going to be exploring this concept of the feminist awakening with three extraordinary guests-- Monica Rodgers , Shelbey Neil , and an Anonymous Contributor --who help us unpack the trance of patriarchy, the challenges of a new perspective, and the need to confront our former beliefs. Monica Rodgers (she/her) is a tireless advocate for the full actualization of women, insp...

Many of us want to make a difference in our lives, find our purpose and create our legacy. Shaped by our past, we look toward the future, and toward creating a better world for those around us. As the daughter of an immigrant and refugee, Katica Roy is driven by a passion to eradicate economic inequality and to champion the rights of refugees, women, and children. She has written numerous articles...