Embodied

Anita learns from folks who identify as the A on the LGBTQIA spectrum. It's a sexual identity that's long been ignored, minimized and misunderstood. They share their differing experiences of not being sexually attracted to anyone and a reminder we could all use: love and sex are not the same. Meet the guests: - Angela Chen , journalist and author of “Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Soci...

Anita meets folks who've undergone facial feminization surgery as part of their gender confirmation process. FFS is a set of bone and soft tissue surgical procedures that reshape the forehead, brow, jaw and more. They share what the surgery meant for them, plus a medical anthropologist helps unpack who gets to decide what femininity looks like. Meet the guests: - Emma Ward , songwriter, producer a...

Anita sometimes fantasizes about no longer having to deal with having a period. But folks along the perimenopausal parkway remind her that menopause is no quick and easy road. Anita's mom and others navigating the change share how it's shaped their relationships with their bodies, sex and where they turn for support. Meet the guests: - Sheila Rao, Anita’s mom, shares her experience of bodily chang...

Anita learns about how the smart devices that keep many of us connected have also contributed to the rise of a new type of intimate partner violence. Survivors share stories of tech-enabled domestic abuse and a cybersecurity expert discusses what folks can do about it.     Meet the guests: - Ashley, a survivor of digital domestic abuse who runs a TikTok account under the name MerelyAshley - Kathry...

Anita now knows why sex scenes in some of her favorite recent TV shows look a whole lot more like real life: intimacy coordinators. Two of them join her to talk about their work choreographing intimacy and training everyone on set about how boundaries and structure makes things sexier and more fun.    Meet the guests: - Mia Schachter is a consent educator and intimacy coordinator who takes Anita b...

Anita finally learned how to put on sunscreen properly and care for her body’s largest organ, thanks to medical and skincare industry experts who give advice she revisits in this episode. Their tips helped her figure out what to focus on in her skincare routine, and how to resist the temptation to fall down Tik-Tok beauty rabbit holes. Meet the guests: - Dr. Chesahna Kindred , a board-certified de...

Anita learns daycare for children can continue well into the night thanks to facilities open around the clock meeting the needs of parents working nontraditional hours. Two 24-hour care providers take her into their day-to-day operations and discuss the unique bonds they form with the families they work for. Plus a single mom shares her story of relying on a 24-hour facility to help meet her needs...

Anita learns the science behind the most effective form of birth control and hears from a sociologist about how getting a vasectomy transformed his relationship with his masculinity. Meet the guests: - Dr. Matt Coward , an associate professor of urology at the UNC School of Medicine, talks about the science of the vasectomy. He is also the director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at UNC...

Anita acknowledges that looking in the mirror and loving everything she sees may be unrealistic. Fat activists teach her about radical reframes, including body positivity and a newer term to her: body neutrality. Meet the Guests: - Virgie Tovar , a fat activist, host of the  Rebel Eaters Club podcast  and author of “ The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color " talks abou...

Anita's only had a handful of up-close experiences with dying people, and it's something she'd rather not think about. It's the antithesis to the philosophy of some folks she admires: death doulas. They say: Spend more time looking head-on at the inevitable. Respect death, don't fear it. Turns out, this uncomfortable approach may make things more comfortable in the end. Meet the guests: - Vivette...

Anita learns about non-sexual, social nudity and why opting to live life mostly in the nude could actually make her think about her body LESS. Meet the guests: - Naomi Prioleau , a reporter and host at WUNC, talks about her personal journey to becoming a practicing naturist. - Jay Shapiro , lead coordinator and president of Triangle Area Naturists LLC , shares how to separate sex from nudity. - Sa...

Anita shares an exciting announcement about the Embodied podcast and what you can expect in your feeds starting next week! Follow Embodied on Twitter and Instagram

Anita loves a good romantic story — especially when lovers prevail against all odds. There are a million reasons to give up on happily ever after when one or more people in a relationship are incarcerated. But for those who stay together despite prison walls, a special kind of connection is created, as we learn in the season two finale. Meet the guests: - Monae and Adriel Alvarado share their one-...

Anita may not shy away when conversations get uncomfortable, but approaching difficult topics can depend on who you're talking to and which self you're bringing to the discussion. In this special episode, she exchanges notes and kinship with Anna Sale and Allison Behringer, hosts of the podcasts "Death, Sex & Money" and "Bodies" respectively. Meet the guests: - Anna Sale , host of "Death, Sex...

Anita has little trouble knocking out for a good night's sleep. But feeling well rested all the time? That's a little more complicated. Why do our bodies struggle to do what we know is good for us? Meet the guests: - Jade Wu , a psychologist and sleep specialist, gives us some sleep science 101 and shares her top tips on battling insomnia. - Andre Royal Sr. shares how narcolepsy affects his relati...

Anita surprised herself with judgements she made about others with only a photo to go on during her years of online dating. Such bias and misconceptions are something folks with physical disabilities contend with every day on the apps...and IRL.     Meet the guests: - Julie-Ann Scott-Pollock , a performer and communication studies scholar, talks about living with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy an...

Anita has the skin privilege of a white woman and the upbringing of an Indian-American girl. That can make belonging a challenge, something like what transracial adoptees often experience in their own families. Meet the guests: - Shruti Shah talks about growing up as a transracial adoptee in a mixed-race family in Memphis. She also brings on her parents to ask them some lingering questions. - Writ...

If Anita weren't boo'd up, she might wonder if there's someone in her life she already knows who is a good romantic match for her. But is it healthy to look to the past for a chance at future happiness? With help from the podcast Dating While Gray, we examine the pros and cons of "boomerang love." Meet the guests: - Jeannie Thompson talks about her own boomerang heartbreak that led her to leading...

Anita, like many of us, was essentially taught that a herpes diagnosis means the end of a good sex life. Now it's time for a real education about the sexually transmitted infection, which is extremely common and far less terrifying once you open the door to conversation about it. Meet the guests: - Sex and culture critic Ella Dawson talks about her experience navigating a herpes diagnosis and how...

Anita is over adulting and would love to lose herself in some serious play time. She's never been a gamer but is intrigued by how video games help us tap into the fun side of our brains while creating spaces designed to help us strengthen our connections with others. Meet the guests: - Hadley Causey talks about founding Spectrum , a queer exclusive server on Discord (a social network for gaming co...

Anita appreciates how movies and TV are now more representative in portraying narratives about pregnancy termination. But those stories can't compete with talking to real people about their experience having an abortion. Meet the guests: - Gretchen Sisson , a sociologist, talks about how television and real life diverge when it comes to abortion — and how fictional portrayals influence our underst...

Anita combs through her own tangled relationship with body hair and asks why so many of us invest time and money on removal methods. Meet the guests: - Scholar Rebecca Herzig explains when and why we started caring so much about body hair and how hair removal practices have evolved over the centuries. - Sharan Dhaliwal , founder and editor-in-chief of Burnt Roti , talks about about coming to terms...

Embodied is back for a second season!

Anita says all the time "what's personal is political." So, she's interested to see how a new presidential administration will affect the ability of transgender Americans to serve in the U.S. military, which has long suffered from barriers to equity for troops and veterans from marginalized communities. Meet the guests: - Lt. Col. Bree Fram , the highest-ranking, out transgender officer in the Dep...

Anita is all kinds of in love with her newborn niece, a relationship that has her thinking more about motherhood. Her thoughts on the matter are at least somewhat informed by listening to "The Double Shift" podcast, which challenges the status quo for moms. This episode explores the roles of gender and community in raising kids through the story of a transgender man named Ted. Plus, Anita extends...