Woman Searching for Meaning

We pass by. We hesitate. We look down, look past, look away. This episode is about the taboo we have built around homelessness—how we have learned, collectively, to make people disappear from view, out of discomfort more than indifference. It is about those fleeting encounters on the street that we try to erase as quickly as they happen. Beneath that avoidance lies something more fragile: anger, n...

For the first time, I’m bringing a book into this space — because it moved something in me that theoretical considerations never could. Reading Qui a tué mon père by Édouard Louis forced me to confront a reality I had only understood abstractly: what it actually feels like to be born into poverty and never escape it. To grow up in a body worn down by labor. To be shaped — and crushed — by policies...

Society tells us we should be happy on our own. That autonomy is fulfillment. That love is optional. We hear that single women are happier than those in relationships. That humans are not necessarily made for monogamy. That freedom means not needing anyone. And yet—despite knowing all this—we still invest enormous amounts of time, energy, emotion, and imagination into the search for one person. So...

Walking down the street shouldn’t feel like a battle — but it often does.  In this episode, I talk about learning to stand tall, to build that quiet confidence that keeps you unbothered when men with bad intentions won’t leave you alone.  But what if that composure often turns into distance? If the armor that protects also isolates through the mask of indifference?  ...until the street becomes a p...

You just wanted to check the news — and twenty minutes later, you're lost between memes, outrage, and breaking stories.  In this episode, we talk about that strange tension between wanting to be informed and getting sucked into the digital carnival.  Why does it feel so addictive ? Why does it mess with our emotions?  And what does it say about the way information itself has changed ? Let&apo...

We’re taught to calm down, let go, rise above — but what if anger isn’t something to suppress, but something to understand ?  What if Anger is just a misunderstood friend?  In this episode, I explore what anger really is: where it comes from, what it’s trying to protect, and how it can become a quiet force for transformation instead of destruction.  Civil rights defenders  and activists have long...

“Is Democracy Doomed? (Or Just Having a Bad Day)” This time I sit down with my girl Maxi, a fellow political science student at the University of Münster, who bravely took a break from writing her master’s thesis on populism in Europe to talk about—well—populism in Europe. Together we ask why everyone keeps saying democracies are in danger. Which danger, exactly? Who’s threatening whom? And which...

Why do we make choices that don’t really make sense for us— just so we’re not the last in line? No one wants to be the loser at musical chairs—but what happens when that same fear runs our social and political choices? In this episode, I explore how the anxiety of “not being last” sneaks into our decisions.  Starting with David Ricardo’s comparative advantage theory (don’t worry, it’s more fun tha...

This episode was sparked by a Netflix dating show (because of course). We dive into how conservative religious ideas continue to shape how we date, love, and plan our futures —even if we’ve long stopped going to church. From timelines to “shared values,” these old scripts are hard to shake. Breaking free can feel like a liberation... until you’re left staring into the abyss of “figure it all out y...

Let’s take a ride through one of the most intimate and existential questions of our time: Why bring a child into a world unraveling? Climate collapse, rising authoritarianism, nuclear tension, and a society losing its voice—no wonder so many of us hesitate. But here’s the twist: If those who care about the future stop having children, who are we leaving the future to ? This episode is about the qu...

Why is it so hard to care about struggles that aren’t ours?  This episode tackles one of the most frustrating questions of faced by activists: How do we get people to care —really care—about issues and lives that feel far from their own?  From Indigenous rights to climate justice to the daily realities of Palestinian civilians, why do some people tune in with empathy while others scroll on by ? Le...

How do you become a feminist?  In this very first conversation episode, I’m joined by the brilliant and hilarious Doris to trace our personal journeys into feminism—from clueless kids to opinionated adults who still don’t have it all figured out (but have a lot to say anyway). This isn’t a lecture—it’s story time . We talk about growing up, unlearning stuff, dealing with stereotypical anti-feminis...

Let's dive into the quiet storm of searching for the “right” job when studying politics — a field where ideals and reality often clash. Is it at all possible to align one's work with belief, all while facing a world that feels increasingly unstable .  Maybe the real challenge isn’t choosing wrong, but accepting that there may never be a perfect path — and daring to move anyway.

We all have a set of ideas we are convinced about.  It might be to make our life easier or because it is what we truly believe.  But what if we're wrong?  My two thoughts: we are not as complex as we think we are and sometimes the suffering comes from needing to reevaluate our convictions more than parting ways with someone. 

Welcome to Woman Searching for Meaning — a podcast for progressive, curious minds trying to make sense of this messy world. In this trailer , I’ll tell you who I am (a French expat, politics student, overthinker), why I started this podcast (spoiler: far-right rise has something to do with it), and what you can expect — short solo reflections, deeper interviews, and honest conversations about poli...

It only takes about 3.5% of people actively standing up to push real political change.  So why does it feel like so few do? Why does activism change feel so unachievable?  This episode reflects on what holds us back and what it really means to show up. A quiet exploration of power, courage, and the small ways change begins. Source : Chenoweth, Erica and Maria Stephan 2011. Why Civil Resistance Wor...