The New Feminist

In this episode, host Jill Sorensen is joined by Somali-born Dutch-American activist, feminist, author, scholar and former politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali to talk about her new book, Prey. 

Actress Kelly Rutherford and Sara Ell share their experiences with the family court system, a system rife with sexism and abuse that traumatizes children and their families. Kelly talks about her own highly-publicized custody battle, and how she is navigating it as both a mother and a public figure who is now actively speaking out on the issue. 

Jill interviews her co-producer on The New Feminist Podcast, Sienna Jackson, about life, identity, and what feminism means to her. Sienna also shares her personal experiences working at The Weinstein Company, and the dawn of the #MeToo movement. What do two feminists from different countries, ethnicities and generations have to teach each other? Tune in to find out! 

In the wake of the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the War in Afghanistan, Jill Sorensen engages in an insightful and raw dialogue with advocate and writer Shireen Qudosi, an Afghani-Pakistani advocate and writer who tackles extremism, radicalization, polarization and ideological wars. 

Our friend Carré Otis returns for the final episode of the season as we ask her about the lessons she’s learned from her own life experiences. Lived and Learned is a special conversation series with inspiring women that asks us to examine our own lives as we draw inspiration from others’. 

We meet Laila Mickelwait, creator of the viral #TraffickingHub campaign and the president and founder of the Justice Defense Fund. Her work in advocating for victims of human trafficking has put her in the crosshairs of one of the largest porn companies you’ve never heard of.

One of the few women in a business dominated by men, Cynthia Sexton shares stories from her career in the music industry, not only the obstacles she overcame, but the ways in which she’s used her experiences to create opportunities for women who’ve come after her. We also learn more about the importance of mentorship and building collective power. 

Leslie Morgan Steiner met the man of her dreams…or so she thought. Her fairytale relationship quickly turned in to a nightmare as her new husband became her abuser.  In this deeply personal episode, she shares her experiences with domestic violence, and her journey to free herself from her abuser and how to build a life after trauma. 

In this episode, we break down gender equity laws in Sweden and why they were an inspiration to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Jill shares what it was like growing up in a progressive, egalitarian society and how it shaped her life -- in comparison to her mother, who was born in a generation without these laws. We also meet Birgitta Dahl, a pioneer of women’s rights in Sweden.

It doesn’t matter where in the world you grew up: Hollywood has played an outsized role in shaping culture and cultural norms the world over. And what sort of norms has Hollywood perpetuated? This episode flips the script on pop culture with performances of classic scenes from film and television with the gender roles reversed.

Meet Dr. Gail Dines, a professor emerita of sociology and women’s studies and the CEO and founder of Culture Reframed, the first organization to address hypersexualized media and pornography as “the public health crisis of the digital age.” We learn how porn culture hijacks the narrative and its impact on women and youth.

Jill sits down with American model, actress and activist Carré Otis and Ebba Karlsson to talk about the unspoken dark side of the modelling industry. Fashion’s #MeToo confronts human trafficking and rampant sexual abuse of aspiring models, many of them minors, as well as an explosive legal case that against the Harvey Weinstein of the fashion world. 

Jill Sorensen gives the scoop on common sense feminism from a new perspective. Featuring in-depth interviews and satirical take-downs of pop culture, The New Feminist Podcast explores women's issues and gender inequality with humor and sincerity.