Watch Her Cook

Before food TV came to be, one woman taught America how to cook with joy… and lots of butter. From writing to working for the CIA, Julia Child’s path led her to Paris, where she discovered French cuisine and forever changed how America eats. Follow us on Instagram: @watchhercookpodcast  Sources: The history of chocolate | alimentarium The French Chef - SNL  French Onion Soup | The French Chef Seas...

She is known as “Miss Unsinkable.” Between the years 1908 and 1950, Violet Jessop worked as a stewardess and nurse aboard some of the most famous ships in history. Incredibly, she survived not one, not two, but three maritime disasters- including the Titanic itself.  Follow us on Instagram: @watchhercookpodcast  Sources: The Stunning Survival Story of Ernest Shackleton and His Endurance Crew | HIS...

In the early decades of the twentieth century, tuberculosis was a shadow that loomed over New York City. Amid segregation and discrimination in American health care, a group of black nurses at New York’s Sea View Hospital rose to the occasion. Follow us on Instagram: @watchhercookpodcast  Sources: The Underground Railroad | Short History Of... | Noiser History Podcasts  Tuberculosis  Virginia Alle...

In 18th-century France, Chevalière d’Éon became famous as a brilliant spy and diplomat- and one of the first openly transgender figures in European history. Throughout their life, it was unknown if they were a man or a woman, living boldly between identities and loyalties, carrying out secret missions for both France and England. Follow us on Instagram: @watchhercookpodcast Sources: She went to th...

During the height of spiritualism in the 1920s, Boston medium Mina "Margery" Crandon became a sensation with her dramatic séances and claims of spiritual contact. But not everyone was convinced. Rose Mackenberg, an investigator who worked alongside Houdini, went undercover to expose fraudulent mediums across the country - including mediums like Mina. Follow us on Instagram: @watchhercookpodcast  S...

Imagine a dollhouse, but amongst the miniature furniture and doors, you find…a murder scene. Frances Glessner Lee- often referred to as the “Mother of Forensic Science” - created tiny crime scenes known as the Nutshell studies, to revolutionize the way detectives investigated real cases. In this episode, we uncover how a woman from Chicago’s elite society transformed her privilege and passion into...

Georgia Frontiere rose from the entertainment world to become one of the most powerful women in professional sports, making history as the first female primary owner of an NFL team. Facing intense public scrutiny, she guided the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl championship and cemented a legacy of resilience, vision, and underestimated leadership in the league. Follow us on Instagram: @watchherco...

In the early 19th century, most people thought extinction was impossible - if no new creatures appeared, how could any have ever vanished? Mary Anning, a young fossil hunter from Lyme Regis, proved them wrong with discoveries that rewrote Earth’s history. Living on the Jurassic Coast, she became the first to uncover the first complete skeleton of an extinct marine reptile, changing paleontology fo...

We’re back with Part 2 of our Nellie Bly series! Last week, we shared how Nellie went undercover in an asylum to expose the abuse and neglect happening behind closed doors. Her reporting shocked the nation and sparked real reform. This week, we follow her next bold chapter - the story of how she circumnavigated the globe. In 1889, Nellie set off on a solo journey to beat Jules Verne’s fictional Ar...

You may know us from our other podcast, National Park After Dark (Apple and Spotify). This week on Watch Her Cook, we will be sharing a National Park After Dark Episode about fearless Journalist, Nellie Bly, in our first 2-part series! In 1887, Nellie faked insanity to expose the brutal conditions inside Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum. Her daring undercover investigation not only shocked the nat...

1848 marked the start of a wave of westward expansion that would forever change the American frontier and the lives of the Native peoples who called it home. Amid this upheaval rose Chipeta- a warrior for peace, a skilled diplomat and the soon-to-be voice of the Uncompahgre tribe. Married to Chief Ouray, Chipeta played a vital role in negotiations between Native nations and the U.S. government- he...

In 1986, over 350 passengers on board Pan Am Flight 73 were faced with a traveller’s worst nightmare… their plane was hijacked. At just 22 years old, head flight attendant, Neerja Bhanot, stepped up to lead the cabin crew- making decisions that would come to define one of the most heroic responses in aviation history. This episode explores the story of Neerja and the brave flight attendants who ri...

She was a woman who lived many lives. When beauty meets genius, the result is Hedy Lamarr. Even though she is known for her glamorous Hollywood roles, Hedy was also an inventor whose technology laid the groundwork for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. This episode uncovers her journey from silver screen star to tech thought-leader, revealing how her brilliance changed the world, even though it went unrec...

In light of Independence Day, we will not be releasing an episode this week. We'll be back next Wednesday, July 9, with another powerful story from an incredible woman! See you then! Please support us by subscribing and following us on Instagram: ⁠@watchhercookpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She was a loving mother, a grieving widow–and one of America’s most prolific female serial killers. In the 19th century, Norwegian immigrant Belle Gunness lured wealthy suitors to her Indiana farmhouse through newspaper ads promising love, fortune, and a fresh start—only for them to strangely disappear. What investigators discovered when they visited her home would leave behind one of the most chi...

In the heartland of rural India, 400,000 women dressed in pink saris have come together to fight domestic abuse, caste discrimination, and political corruption. Founded by Sampat Pal Devi, the “Gulabi Gang” carries bamboo sticks—not to incite violence, but to demand accountability where institutions have failed. In a society that often silences women and the marginalized, the gang has found power...

What began as a vivid dream on a stormy night during the “Year Without a Summer,” after a round of German ghost stories by the fire, would go on to spark the birth of science fiction. In this episode, we will explore Mary Shelley’s journey from her childhood to becoming the author of Frankenstein, and how her imagination–and pain–brought a creature to life that still resonates with us so deeply to...

In the filthy streets of Victorian South London, a group of women from Elephant and Castle pulled off the largest and most sophisticated shoplifting operation in British history. Known as the Forty Elephants, these working-class women built a tightly run underground network—strategic, stealthy, and nearly untouchable. Targeting high-end department stores, they outsmarted police, intimidated male g...

In light of Memorial Day, we will not be releasing an episode this week. We'll be back next Wednesday, June 4, with another powerful story from an incredible woman! Please support us by subscribing and following us on Instagram: @watchhercookpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It began in the crowded harbors of Guangdong, where intelligent woman, Zheng Yi Sao, worked aboard a floating brothel. Through strategy, negotiation and an unshakable understanding of power, she went on to become the leader of 70,000 pirates, command hundreds of ships and take control over trade in the South China Sea—making her one of the most feared pirates ever recorded in history.   Sources: ⁠...

In 1999, Dr. Jerri Nielsen landed her dream job at the South Pole, only to face a life-threatening diagnosis when she discovered a lump in her breast. Trapped in the frozen wilderness with no immediate access to medical help, she and her crew had to rely on their resourcefulness and courage to survive in one of the most extreme and isolated places on earth. This is a story of extraordinary determi...

In 1967, photos of a furious race official lunging at a woman mid-stride were plastered across the front pages of newspapers worldwide. That woman was Kathrine Switzer— the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon despite being told it was impossible. What began as a personal challenge soon became a global reckoning, sparking a pivotal moment in the fight for gender equality in sports. Fo...

Alice Ball is a name that was almost erased from history. At just 23 years old, Alice revolutionized the treatment for leprosy—a feared and misunderstood disease that carried a dark history in Hawaii. In this episode, we will explore Alice’s groundbreaking work, her struggle for recognition, and the decades-long fight to reclaim her legacy. Follow us on Instagram ⁠@watchhercookpodcast ⁠ Sources: ⁠...

In the 1970s and 80s, Shere Hite believed that understanding sexuality meant listening—really listening—to people’s experiences. Her anonymous surveys offered women a rare space for honesty and transformed the conversations around sex at the time. In this episode, we explore Shere’s quiet revolution, the controversy it sparked, and her lasting impact on how we think about intimacy and identity tod...

Deep in Europe’s oldest forest once lived a witch… or at least that’s what people called her. Simona Kossak, defined by her anything-but-ordinary life, was a biologist and Professor of Forest Sciences who dedicated herself to protecting the Białowieża Forest’s fragile ecosystem. Living in a remote cabin surrounded by her wild companions, she was as fierce in her activism as in her love for nature,...