Modern Hysteria

Hi. It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies (listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts) . This week, we’re talking about the real reasons the US birth rate is in decline. THE TABOO Why people aren’t having kids… Not because they don’t want them, but because society makes parenthood feel economically, emotionally, and structurally imp...

Hi. It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies (listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts) . This week, we’re talking about menopause, mythology, and midlife crises. THE TABOO Women’s midlife and menopause are not a decline, a disappearance, or a dried-up ending—but a powerful rebirth. LINKS + RESOURCES * Sharon Blackie’s Hagitude: Reim...

Hi. It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies (listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts) . This week, we’re talking with Sadie Chanlett-Avery about the world of wellness and Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) and how it intersects with the alt-right, conspiracy thinking, pseudoscience, and more. The Taboo The main taboo explored in thi...

Hi. It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies (listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts) . This week, we’re talking about “mom rage,” or the intense or blinding rage that feels like it comes on really quickly, and is often related to a feeling of helplessness or powerlessness or stuck-ness. The Taboo The main taboo explored in this ep...

Hi. It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies (listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts) . This week, we’re talking about the phenomenon of “nesting” while pregnant, and the pressure to ‘bounce back’ after childbirth. The Taboo The main taboo of this episode is the myth of the “independent, bounce‑back mom.” Links + Resources * The Fi...

This week, we’re talking about reclaiming sexual pleasure after experiencing sexual violence or trauma. The Taboo The main taboo of this episode is the idea that survivors of sexual violence can—and deserve to—experience sexual pleasure again, even while still healing from trauma. Links + Resources * Dr. Holly’s YouTube channel * The Holly Wood Sexologist * The Blog * Dr. Holly on Instagram * Free...

This week, we’re talking about trends in diet culture, rebranded as wellness. The Taboo(s) We’re unpacking why bloating isn’t a problem to fix, how colonics and cleanses became “wellness” scams, and why carbs, not restriction, are what your gut actually needs. Links + Resources * 5 Ways to Avoid IBS Flares * Samina’s website * Work with Samina * Follow Samina on Instagram @ inclusive.ibs.dietician...

This week, we’re talking about how having our pain believed no matter our sex or race isn’t just a reproductive justice issue, it’s our civil right. The Taboo Pain dismissal in women’s healthcare is so common, it’s considered normal. But what if it’s not just medical neglect—it’s a civil rights violation? Links + Resources * Human Rites by Juno Dawson 📘 * National Health Law Program (NHeLP) ⚖️ Si...

This week, we’re talking about the intersection of fertility, nutrition, and diet culture. We cover: * Why under-eating is more common than you think * What your menstrual cycle is trying to tell you * Why the most fertile body is often not the “ideal” body The Taboo The body that is healthiest, most nourished, and most fertile is often at odds with the body ideal promoted by diet culture, wellnes...

This week, friend of the pod and therapist Grace Bithell returns to talk about disorganized attachment, the least understood and most taboo of the attachment styles. We talk about: * What disorganized attachment looks like and where it comes from * The overlaps between disorganized attachment, C-PTSD, relational OCD, and borderline personality disorder * Living room and bedroom kids * How to handl...

In this episode of Pinkpilled, we cover The Gibson Girl , a fictitious 19th-century beauty icon who permanently informed our beauty standards. The Gibson Girl was created and recreated by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson in the 1890s - 1910s. She may have been fictional, but she became a beauty icon in America and beyond. Her tiny waist and s-curve posture were achieved with the help of a highly re...

This week we’re exploring postpartum rage, or the experience of intense, dysregulated anger with no place to go. We talk about: * how rage is a reasonable response to an unreasonable setup * why anger is natural and protective * what to do if you’re feeling rage The Taboo We have a cultural belief that experiencing rage or anger after childbirth is a sign of a bad mother or a character flaw. Inste...

Being pink-pilled is when you start to see the very real effects of sexism and patriarchy all around you. It’s like the red-pill-blue-pill concept from the movie The Matrix , where the blue pill keeps you ignorantly blissful, and the red pill wakes you up to the hard truth of society. These mini-sodes expose how patriarchy and medical misogyny affect our culture and wellbeing. 💄  “Nothing invites...

In this episode we debunk myths about ADHD — attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — and how it presents in women, girls, and moms. The Taboo ADHD is still widely seen as a “little boy’s disorder,” so when women and mothers struggle, their symptoms are often minimized, misdiagnosed, or blamed on personality flaws (lazy, disorganized, bad mom, too emotional!). Also: How hormones (period, pregnan...

The Taboo Despite our cultural belief that birthgivers should return to their pre-pregnancy selves, postpartum bodies are not meant to " bounce back "—they are meant to heal, and forcing weight loss or rapid fitness recovery can cause harm. Links + Resources Courtney’s band, Bait Bag ( check out “Girl Push-ups”!) Book Recommendations Your Postpartum Body by Courtney Naliboff and Ruth Macy Tami Lyn...

Hi. It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your newsletter and podcast about the taboo topics of women’s health (available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify) If you grew up in the United States between the 1960s and 2010s you very well may remember some variation on the sit-and-reach, or its companions: * the shuttle run * the flexed arm hang (or pull-up test, depending on your gender) * the mile run * the...

Hi! It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, your podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies (listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts ). You may have had these body parts for all or most of your life, but do you really know what should go on *down there?* This Season 1 finale demystifies the vulva, vagina, and labia with evidence-based insight from OB-Gyn Dr. Carla Carpenter, ch...

This week we welcome back friend of the pod, holistic therapist Megan Sherer to talk about the least-known trauma response: Fawning. THE TABOO Fawning is a trauma response just like fight and flight . Women who fawn are taught to be agreeable, low-maintenance, and accommodating. But what if that ‘cool girl’ persona is actually your nervous system trying to stay safe? Fawning can also show up in in...

This week, I am joined by the “Lube Fairy” herself, Cindy Scharkey, RN, BSN, to talk about a much-misunderstood, underrated, and “hard to find” body part: The clitoris. What is it? Why doesn’t it get enough credit? And what are we missing about our own pleasure? THE TABOO In this episode we dive into sexual pleasure — specifically, the widespread ignorance, silence, and shame surrounding the clito...

This episode is about some **big** topics, but — I swear — I’ve never laughed so much or so hard as during this interview with Sonia Voldseth of Menopause & Misogyny . Sonia and I are menopausal women with a history of eating disorders, navigating what it means to be a woman with a “belly shelf” in a culture in which misogyny dictates that women should stay young and thin forever … or just disappe...

I didn’t know sex isn’t supposed to hurt. Did you know that? Penetrative sex is supposed to be free of any unwanted pain. ANY UNWANTED pain. That’s what I learned from Rachel Gelman , physical therapist and sexuality counselor, in this week’s episode. I also learned that 75% of women will have painful penetrative sex in their lifetime. 👀 Painful sex can be a result of invisible, chronic illness,...

Full informed consent — before you agree to a medical treatment, test, or medication, you’ve been given all the information you need in a way you can understand, and you’re able to make the decision freely , without pressure. This episode uncovers how women — especially Black women — are often prescribed fertility and mental health medications without full informed consent. … and how systemic raci...

Hi— It’s Micah from Modern Hysteria, podcast and newsletter revealing the taboos of women’s brains and bodies. This episode is about how medical gaslighting — especially in fertility and pregnancy care — silences women, and why Black women face the highest in a system never built to protect them. Subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Raise your hand if you have been personally victimiz...

Have you ever been six months pregnant, doing your very best to hold your pee, crying hysterically, and been told to “CALM DOWN!!!?” That advice — to “just relax” — is not helpful, especially when you’re pregnant, your body’s going through changes, and you’re worried the stress will impact your baby. And maybe even less so when you’re pregnant after a pregnancy loss or complication. In this episod...

I f you’ve ever felt like your body was “wrong,” worried way too much about how you look, or spent time poking or prodding your body in front of the mirror, this episode is for you. We’re talking about body dysmorphia — what it is, how it shows up, and how we can work through it. I ask physical therapist Dr. Laura Glazebrook how shame, social media, and toxic positivity affect the way we see ourse...