The Women Are Plotting

Think a festival is just loud music and long lines? Try building a city from nothing, losing your tent to a dust storm, getting adopted by strangers, and watching 70,000 people cheer a sunset after the sky finally breaks. We go deep on Burning Man’s origin and layout, the wild generosity of the gifting economy, and why art cars, late-night DJs, and a “library” with severe late fees can add up to s...

What if attention and emotion could nudge your biology toward healing? We dive into a potent mix of emerging research, lived experience, and practical tools to explore how meditation, sound baths, and intention might change the way the body behaves. We talk through exosomes—tiny messengers that carry proteins and microRNAs—and the provocative idea that elevated neural activity and emotion could in...

What happens when you sit at 4 a.m. and breathe yourself into stillness for five and a half hours? We follow that question into Joe Dispenza’s retreat world, where heart-brain coherence, deliberate breathwork, and intention-setting collide with stories of recovery, time dilation, and a surprising lack of stress after the fact. We’re candid about how a structured seven-day schedule can change your...

What if the fictional worlds that raised us were more than escapes—what if they were blueprints? We trade closets for cosmos and follow the thread from Narnia’s lamp-lit snow to Starfleet’s hopeful future, from campus rooms that spark courage to city streets where magic hides in plain sight. Along the way we test our cravings: a society without want, a classroom that opens a life, a love story tha...

Part 2 of Martha’s long road through endometriosis continues. In this episode, we discuss more complications she experienced post-hysterectomy, including sudden menopause and the hormone therapy that finally restored her life. We focus on advocacy, access, and the value of specialists who treat endo beyond “bad cramps.” Yale article mentioned in part 1 & 2:  https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale...

Pain that steals whole years shouldn’t be shrugged off as “just a bad period.” We sit down with Martha, a nurse who spent years begging to be believed, and trace the arc from precocious puberty and crippling cramps to an overdue MRI that finally revealed advanced endometriosis. Her story cuts through myths and minimization to show exactly how endo can derail work, intimacy, and mental health—and w...

What if the signs weren’t pointing to “the one,” but to the work? We pull apart the magnetic chaos of twin flames and the steady, grounded ease of soulmates, sharing real stories of closure, synchronicities, and the kind of love that doesn’t ask you to shrink. We discuss why runner-chaser dynamics feel addictive, how telepathy-like moments and “meant to be” coincidences can mask unhealed wounds, a...

A good friendship rarely “just happens” after 30. Between work, caretaking, and the aftershocks of a pandemic, the casual paths that used to pull us together have narrowed—and the loneliness stats prove it. We’re diving into what it really takes to build and keep female friendships in midlife, from turning neighborly small talk into real support to setting boundaries when values clash. We compare...

What if sex isn’t something we do, but a place we go together? We take that idea seriously and use it to reexamine the stubborn orgasm gap—how men climax more often in partnered sex, and what it actually takes for women to feel safe, aroused, and heard. From the lens of intimate justice to the very real numbers behind the disparity, we lay out how culture, porn scripts, and silence combine to make...

What if consciousness can wander—during sleep, during sex, or in the quiet of a deep meditation—and return with a story that won’t fit inside ordinary life? We open that door with firsthand accounts of floating above a childhood bedroom, being “seen” across continents while asleep elsewhere, and a night vision of a house fire that matched the morning’s grim news. The conversation moves from gooseb...

A lot of us carry a bathroom story like a secret scar. We decided to tell ours out loud. We open with clear, useful GI truths, then tumble headlong into the messy middle where science meets life: nurses dodging diarrhea, a patient seemingly “birthing” something awful, and an outrageous septic tank failure that no one was prepared for. It’s raw, ridiculous, and surprisingly reassuring. We step back...

What if the person you love most thrives on making you small? We go straight into the lived realities of narcissistic parents, partners, and friends—how they isolate, control, and turn you into “supply”—and what it takes to break free. We start with the facts, including DSM-5 prevalence estimates and why real-world numbers may be higher, then move into raw personal stories: body shaming in public,...

The bravest thing about midlife isn’t the leap. It’s admitting the life you’ve outgrown—and choosing the one that actually fits. We dig into the surge in “gray divorce,” the myths around the midlife crisis, and why so many of us are trading the familiar grind for a more honest path. The stories are personal: leaving long marriages with care, discovering the power of therapy, and finding new career...

What if your favorite night out started with a paper flyer, a record shop clerk, and a map to a secret checkpoint? We rewind to the 90s and talk about the joy and grit of an analog life: finding raves by word of mouth, calling home from payphones that smelled like a thousand mornings, and guarding your cash, keys, and dignity in a pocket instead of a cloud. Reality Bites kicks off a bigger questio...

We explore muses as myth, metaphor, and practice, from Greek goddesses and Homeric invocations to who or what inspired a few rock-and-roll gods. We connect inspiration to memory, trauma, and discipline. • a film about a muse • The creative catalysts for some Beatles and Clapton classics • Greek Muses as daughters of memory and the role of invocation • Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and the idea-mig...

Heidi, Jane, and Etienne unpack what “friends with benefits” really means, where lines blur, and how rules and honesty can protect both the friendship and the fun. We share personal wins, cringes, and recoveries—plus what happens when chemistry, expectations, and silence collide. • defining friends with benefits  • study insight on college FWB  • rules that work—safer sex, monogamy agreements, ove...

Remember when coming home meant fumbling with a key on a chain around your neck, dropping your backpack, and turning on the TV before your parents got home from work? The Women Are Plotting podcast takes us back to those formative years when television wasn't just entertainment—it was our babysitter, teacher, and window to the world. As self-described Gen X "latchkey kids," Etienne,...

Three women share their most terrifying paranormal encounters and discuss how these experiences shaped their beliefs about the afterlife and energy that persists beyond death. • Did Einstein believe in ghosts? • According to Pew Research, how many Americans have seen a ghost? • Is The U.S. or the U.K. considered the most haunted country in the world? • Heidi had an encounter in a New Orleans bathr...

What makes sex truly extraordinary? In this episode, we're diving deep into our most unforgettable sexual experiences and uncovering the surprising factors that contribute to mind-blowing intimacy. Recent studies show that many Gen X women are having the best sex of their lives after 45 – and we're here to confirm it! We explore why maturity brings better sexual experiences, from increas...

Jane, Heidi, and Etienne share their raw, unfiltered experiences with perimenopause and menopause, discussing the surprising symptoms that signaled their hormonal changes. The conversation tackles everything from unexpected libido surges to emotional volatility, urinary incontinence, and the misconceptions surrounding hormone replacement therapy. Perimenopause can cause an unexpected surge in libi...

Our hosts share the books, short stories, and movies they wish they had created themselves, revealing the stories that have influenced them as writers and readers. What Stephen King wished he had written  The top three works most writers reportedly wish they'd written  Heidi praises a book focused on time travel and a claustrophobic movie  Etienne admires a book centered on a hostage situatio...

The unexpected phenomenon of "hobosexuals" takes center stage in this eye-opening episode that will have you reconsidering your dating boundaries. We unpack the surprising definition of hobosexuals and you'll be surprised how long this term has been around! Shocking statistics reveal the prevalence of financially motivated dating. The classic warning signs emerge through hilarious p...

Remember stumbling upon that mysterious stack of magazines hidden in your parents' closet? You're not alone. In this candid, often hilarious conversation, Etty, Jane, and Heidi--three Gen X women--share their first encounters with adult content and how these formative experiences potentially shaped their sexual preferences and perspectives. The hosts reflect on how finding erotic materia...

Our hosts share personal stories about their experiences with psychedelics, from accidental first trips to intentional journeys with shamans, including insights on therapeutic potential and safety. • Etienne, Jane, and Heidi share their fun and/or interesting facts for this episode • Jane's first LSD experience happened accidentally at a Grateful Dead concert at age 16 • Etienne's three-...

What makes someone become a writer? For the three Gen X hosts of Women Are Plotting, their creative origins trace back to childhood—creating elaborate storylines for Barbies, convincing neighborhood kids a shark lurked in a backyard pond, and discovering the thrilling power of bringing imaginary worlds to life with nothing but words. This debut episode reveals the fascinating, often winding paths...