Virgin and virginity have long been a source of taboo thoughts and moral fixation. How did the virgin come to mean so much and have so much power in our individual lives, especially the lives of women? How can one intimate heterosexual encounter change a woman forever? Why is losing it, giving it away, or having it taken against a woman’s consent h…

As a historian and author, Hanne Blank Boyd literally wrote the book on Virginity. Her seminal work, Virgin: The Untouched History, is a provocative exploration of the complex concept of Virginity throughout human history. Also enriching this conversation is Kim Hudson, author of The Virgin’s Promise, which talks about women’s path to finding their…

What can a grown-up, experienced woman possibly learn from any talk about virginity? Well, when so many women go through life being made to feel dirty, deviant, shameful, and even sinful about sex and their own sexuality, we wonder, where do those beliefs originate? Is it too far-fetched to look for seeds in a belief that insists women renounce the…

Welcome to episode two of our four-part conversation on Virginity and its lasting impact on women's lives. This week, we shift from what's between a woman's legs determining Virginity to what's placed between her ears that impacts her virtue and self-image. A seminal work on the topic is Virginity Lost, written by Laura Carpenter. She joined us fro…

Do words define us, or do we define words? VBB Podcast is built on the belief that — we, the people — ultimately determine how words define us. Putting that belief into action is why we chose to name our Podcast using words that have terrorized or demonized women for centuries. VIRGIN is such a word. It has been used to regulate female sexual expre…

Amanda is an internationally published journalist writing stories about relationships, travel, and wellness. In 2013, she wrote an essay that changed my life entitled “Does My Virginity Have a Shelf Life?” It caused a flood of retorts when it debuted in The New York Times. Ironically, feminists and misogynists attacked Amana’s decision to remain ab…

Lisa Marchiano hosts the popular podcast This Jungian Life, which tops the health and fitness category in the US. She’s a certified Jungian analyst, a sought-after speaker who lectures widely in the US and abroad, and a sought-after workshop facilitator. But Lisa is also an award-winning author who writes books to help women connect more deeply wit…

Misty Rae is one of a kind. She announces herself to Medium readers as a former legal eagle, a wife, mother, nature lover, chef, writer, and all-around free spirit. She makes no excuses about being brutally honest, or sweet as pie or being a great big bitch. It all depends on how people approach her, she says. Now in her 50s, Misty is committed to …

February, we honor Black History Month by welcoming the voices of Black women to share their lived experiences. We continue that tradition this year, but on a theme that sheds a different light on racism and the black experience. This month's guests are women born into black heritage through black families, but all present to the world as white. Ke…

Laura Cathcart Robbins is a best-selling author and host of the popular podcast The Only One In The Room; she's also a speaker and school trustee credited for creating The Buckley School's nationally recognized committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. Laura is a prolific contributor to the Huffington Post with highly personal article…

If you were to meet Miriam Zinter on the street, you would see blond hair, blue eyes, and white skin and draw the most obvious conclusion that she is what she appears to be — a white woman. But looks can be deceiving. Miriam says as much in her Huffington Post article — I'm Black But Look White. Here Are The Horrible Things White People Feel Safe T…

Lauren Abrams is a Podcaster, Writer, and Speaker, and mom, but also the founding member and managing partner of Employee Rights Law, helping employees fight discrimination in the workplace for the past two-plus decades. What is not on Laura's resume are the years she spent drugged out and living on the streets of LA. Lauren walks us through her in…

Kyomi O'Connor's story is a profound testament to resilience, the power of self-discovery, and the magic of love. Kyomi, the author of "A Sky of Infinite Blue: A Japanese Immigrant's Search for Home and Self," shared her journey from a difficult childhood in Japan to finding her true self in the United States. Kyomi is candid about the verbal abuse…

VBB 273: A Remarkable Woman, Dr. Anne Arvizu Shares the Transformative Power of Self-Discovery for Women, Even Those Over 50. Dr. Anne Arvizu, PharmD, FASCP, PCC, is the first guest in our REMARKABLE WOMEN Series. Ann is a pharmacist, entrepreneur, and former global Fortune 500 executive. She's also the founder of the Corelife Coach Institute and c…

Kathi Sohn and her husband David created principles and techniques that became the Body Memory Process. After David's passing in 2019, Kathi continued creating courses, articles, and seminars to help individuals heal. As children, out of strong, sometimes traumatic emotions, we all develop core beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. We car…

Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest. The soul, uneasy and confined from home, Rests and expatiates in a life to come. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) Translation: people will always be optimistic and think that something better is coming, and with the New Year comes Hope. The proof is in a 34-country Ipsos surv…

Rev. Stephanie Clarke is a Metaphysical Minister, speaker, author, sacred ceremony facilitator, and Law of Attraction life coach. She shares her spiritual convictions and insights on the fascinating interplay between religion and gender and the shadow history behind our most cherished holiday rituals. She challenges women and men to rethink masculi…

Here we are at the end of another turn around the sun — the end of the year 2023. For some, it’s a time for family and friends, for celebration and worship; for others, it’s a time to party and forget; while for others, it’s time to reflect. For reflection, we offer two questions for your contemplation, and you can answer from a personal, professio…

Dr. Avrum Weiss is a seasoned psychologist and author of four books, including the provocatively titled Hidden in Plain Sight: How Men's Fears of Women Shape Their Intimate Relationships. That book is the subject of a conversation you can hear on VBB epi XXX. This time around, we explore even more provocative topics, including Dr. Weiss's insightfu…

Annemarie du LeBohn, AKA The Iron Butterfly, thanks to her exploits as a successful triathlon competitor, is also a TEDx star admired for her profoundly moving and vulnerable conversations that reveal her darkest days as a rape victim. Annemarie shares her transformation journey from victim to victor and highlights an often neglected concept - Post…

Teresa L'Heureux is an intelligent, bright, competent woman; she's an outgoing, positive, encouraging, loving individual and a beautiful human being inside out. We know so because we asked her. We asked her because we couldn’t understand how such a proud and strong woman fell victim to one man who convinced her she was less than loveable and turned…

Sarah Tunstall is a survivor and advocate against human trafficking. Her journey began at the age of 15 when she was recruited into the sex trade by a friend. Already distanced from her family, Sarah found herself trapped in a tumultuous cycle for the next two and a half years, as two different traffickers controlling her life. Having been cut off …

Julia Williamson is the author of a thought-provoking article titled, Sometime In My 50s, I Became Invisible To Men. Here's What I Didn't Expect. In her piece, Julia makes the point that the problem of women, age, and perceived loss of attractiveness is real and pervasive. What's remarkable is this: Julia's writing wasn't her issuing a complaint; i…

Kathi Sohn wrote her first book, You Made It Up, Now Stop Believing It, following 25 years of working with her late husband, David W. Sohn. He created the groundbreaking work, the Body Memory Process, which empowers people to discover and then release self-limiting and often self-destructive beliefs they created out of emotional events in early chi…

Jennifer Arthurton was once a high-functioning Fortune 500 Corporate Executive with ten consecutive years of outstanding performance reviews. Confident and established in her role, Jennifer chose to believe that ageism against women in the workplace was a moribund practice. That all changed when, after returning from a brief time off, she discovere…

Rissa Miller is a fearless advocate for the term 'witch,' and she has faced her fair share of prejudice. Recognizing the longstanding stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding witches, Rissa delves into how the label has been reckless, insensitive, and deadly to women. She questions what qualifies a woman as a witch, and whether engaging in divina…

Our guest, Kristen Donnelly (MSW, M.Div, Ph.D.), is an award-winning, four-time TEDx speaker, international empathy educator, and researcher with two decades of experience in helping people understand the beauty in our differences and the power of inclusiveness. Kristen is a champion for social change and an expert on many poignant topics, includin…

Christopher and Heather welcome back ghostwriter and editor Juliane Bergmann, author of an influential article in Huffington Post titled "So I thought parents who forgot their kids in their cars were monsters. Then I did it!" It's an emotional, even tearful conversation with Juliane where she shares a personal experience of accidentally leaving her…

David Jurasek is a father, husband, Sensei, and Registered Psychotherapist working with boys and men for over 20 years. He's worked within a clinical context, in a communal setting, and within various men's groups. However, despite his expertise and experience, David found himself continuing to struggle in intimate relationships, especially with hi…

In this episode, Christopher & Heather continue our conversation around the book "The Creation of Patriarchy" by Gerder Lerner. Her groundbreaking work peals back history to see the origins and evolution of patriarchal systems. We lament how a once harmonious relationship between women and men spiralled into a hierarchy of power for one and subordi…

Patriarchy has never been a secret; it's in our faces from birth to death. Maybe that's why we don't talk about it. Most men hear the word Patriarchy and associate it with women's liberation or feminism and summarily dismiss it as irrelevant to their own experiences. On the other hand, women either believe that Patriarchy is a natural consequence o…

Is it true? It is literally impossible to be a woman. Are you beautiful and smart but still think you're not good enough? Do you need to be extraordinary but still feel you're doing it all wrong? Is staying young, pretty, and thin the expectation, even when age says different? Is being the good girl your ideal, so you can't be rude, selfish, show o…

Kathy Caprino is no movie critic, but her critique of the Barbie movie and the power of the patriarchy inspired us to search her out. We found someone who was once a corporate executive, but even with career success, she struggled inwardly to feel successful. Surviving sexual harassment, gender discrimination, toxic colleagues, narcissistic bosses,…

We have no reason to be obsessed with Barbie, but since seeing the movie, we’ve been finding deeper and deeper messages between the lines. The latest is good boys vs bad boys. Is there a lesson to be learned from women choosing bad boys like Ken — after his conversion to the patriarch — while ignoring nice guys like Allen who support women and thei…

How might your partner, or potential future partner, react if you asked him to see the Barbie movie with you? Since the movie's debut, women have used the "Barbie ask" as a litmus test for evaluating compatible partners. A Yes can be an insight into how considerate, open-minded, or empathetic he is. But what if your partner shuts you down before le…

“It is literally impossible to be a woman.” So begins the monologue that breaks the women of Barbieland out of their patriarchal trance and back into power over a world they created. That dialogue reminds Christopher and Heather of why we created VBB Podcast and continue to host conversations that connect women to sources of their strength, even in…

She didn't create Barbie but was hired to help revive and diversify the image of the world's most iconic toy. Long before the blockbuster movie, VBB welcomed cultural expert Jess Weiner to take us on tour through the boardrooms of global brands like Mattel and Dove and share how the women's movement has influenced these corporate giants. For over t…

Dana Killion is an accomplished author and a skilled storyteller known for her captivating mystery novels, but in her powerful debut memoir, Where the Shadows Dance, is where she lays bare the slow drip of the trauma she fought through to save the man she loved but in the process, how she became collateral damage in his self-destruction. Subtitled,…

Gina Cloud is a deeply devoted teacher, author, speaker, and advocate of all things women. Gina is a rebel and a revolutionary determined to free women from the societal, biological, and personal prisons they have endured for millennia. Using her extensive body of work developed over 25 years, Gina is passionately committed to spearheading an evolu…

Nichole Crawford is a U.S. Army veteran with combat service in Iraq post-9/11. Like many veterans, Nichole believed that coming home not wearing a body bag or suffering a debilitating injury made her one of the lucky ones. War was something she could brush aside simply by surviving it. But years after her honourable discharge, Nichole suffered MST …

Kate Brookes (a.k.a. Transister Mom) is an award-winning TV reporter/anchor turned producer/filmmaker who, as field produced for The Discovery Channel, has interviewed celebrities like Beyonce to Barbara Walters. She's written for Today.com, and emcees galas, live events, and webcasts for non-profits and Fortune 500 companies. As a mom to one 13-ye…

Laurin Mayeno is an equity and justice consultant and author of a banned children's book. Laurin grew up in a mixed-race environment with no books to help her understand her mixed-race identity. As a mother, she was doubly devastated when her nonbinary queer child had no resources to help them affirm who they were. Watching her child struggle with …

Juliane Bermann has credentials as a technical writer, book coach, ghostwriter, and editor. And it's through her written words we learned about her in a Huffington Post article titled: My Mom Would've Been Thrilled To Know I Was Queer. Instead, I Stayed Closeted For 25 Years. Juliane wrote the piece because she rarely sees stories like hers that ad…

Stephanie Clarke is a most amazing woman. Her fiery red hair is a hint to her temperament as a speaker, facilitator, author, sacred ceremony hostess, Law of Attraction life coach, and a spiritual leader self-ordained as the Irreverent Reverend. As an Afrikaner wanting to help South Africa heal from its legacy of apartheid, Stephanie founded that co…

Lee Wind (he/him) is an Author and the Founder of the award-winning Blog I'M HERE. I'M QUEER. WHAT THE HELL DO I READ? Lee's Blog has over 3 million page loads from over 100 countries! Lee holds a master's degree in education from Harvard and writes stories to empower kids and teens to be their authentic selves and change the world. In 2022 we had …

Dr. Maria Rothenburger is a fertility therapist and coach who has been through the harrowing journey of infertility. For over six years, Maria and her husband tried in vein to start a family but it only brought depression, anxiety, and intense marriage struggles. Eventually, they agreed the process wasn’t worth the pain or that was tearing their re…

Katie Nave is a freelance writer; she's penned articles for Newsweek, Huffington Post, and other top-notch publications. She works at being effective as a mental health advocate; she's a successful professional pediatrician in one of the world's biggest metropolis — New York, but the role Katie struggles with most is the one she once thought would …

Melissa Leon is a 20-year corporate finance professional, small business owner, bestselling author, mother of three, and the self-proclaimed Efficiency Bitch. Melissa uses the word B.I.T.C.H. as an acronym to define the five areas she focuses on for women to live life by their own design: Bank, InBox, Time, Connection, and Harmony. Her book was wri…

Alexandra Mislin is passionate about educating others on how to analyze human behavior to motivate others to act in their interest. Currently, she’s an Associate Professor at American University's Kogod School of Business and teaches various courses in Negotiation and Management in the Department of Management. Her research and study outline how tr…

Women face a unique set of financial challenges. Women have more hidden costs in their daily lives, like the pink tax, and the potential for more financial setbacks in the future, including the gender pay gap. Around the globe, women are generally less educated about personal finance – partly due to perceptions that finance is a "man's issue." This…