Our Christmas 2020 episode is here at last, and aptly, is pretty dark but jampacked with fascinating historical events. Anna tells us about Michelle Bachelet, the first woman to hold office as President of Chile. If that's not impressive enough, then she is also a paediatrician, was held as a political prisoner by the brutal Pinochet regime in Chile, and is currently the United Nations High Commissioner for human rights. All in all, she is a force to be reckoned with, and you'll be annoyed you didn't know about her sooner. Julia tells us about Cheng I Sao, the most successful pirate the world has ever known. Cheng I Sao was born into a confucian society in the 1700s with very limited options, but worked her way up to control the largest fleet of pirates in the South China Sea. She was a strategic genius who also implemented crazy notions such as "Let's stop killing other pirates and work together as a team maybe?". This is an episode not to be missed. 

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19. The President & The Pirate: Michelle Bachelet & Cheng I Sao.

We were so excited to speak to Briony Williams, who was a national favourite during her time on Bake Off in 2018. Briony kindly spoke to us in June this year, and boy, did we cover some topics. We discussed representation of people with disabilities on TV, Briony's time in the Bake Off tent, what Briony thinks of the new presenter combo and much more (if you've ever wondered what Noel Fielding smells like, it's a must listen...). Briony spoke about the BLM movement and the toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol this year, and the anti-racist actions she's taken in light of recent events. Briony also told us the life story of one of her favourite women, Princess Campbell, who was the first Black ward sister in Bristol. Briony was a wonderful guest, and there's a hell of a lot to enjoy in this episode.Please bear in mind we recorded this in June, so any Covid-19 related talk is not reflective of the current situation. And go and follow Briony at these places:Instagram: @brionymaybakesTwitter:  @brionymaybakes

18. Interview episode with Briony Williams (from Bake Off)

Back in May, Julia and Anna spoke to Elle Stanger a.k.a StripperWriter. Elle is a writer and sex educator (for Huffington Post, Men's Health and more), a stripper, podcaster, porn creator and lobbyist for workers' rights in her home state of Oregon, USA. Elle is an expert on all things sex and sex work, and regaled Anna and Julia with some fascinating stories including the ridiculous things strippers get asked, the argument for decriminalising sex work instead of legalising it, how to parent in a sex-positive way, and many more.Elle also tells us about Carol Leigh, a foremother of the Sex Workers' Rights movement in America who has lived some pretty crazy stories of her own, and has been advocating for Sex Workers for over 40 years. If you don't know much about Sex Workers, the law and their rights then this is the episode for you.Please bear in mind we recorded this in May, so any Covid-19 related talk is not reflective of the current situation. And go and follow Elle at all these places:Instagram: @stripperwriter                          @unzippedpdx (Elle's podcast)Twitter:        @ElleStangerPodcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/unzipped-pdx-two-strippers-and-a-sex-therapist

17. Interview Episode with Elle Stanger.

In this interview episode we were lucky enough to speak to Liza Bilal and Tiffany Lyare - two of the founding members of the All Black Lives Matter Bristol group - who organised the momentous protest seen in the city of Bristol on 7th June 2020. The march made history when the statue of a 17th century slavetrader was pulled down by protestors and dumped into the harbour. Tiffany and Liza spoke to us about what it took to organise the march, the impact it had and where we go from here. They spoke to us about their experiences as young, Black women in Bristol and also told us the stories of their favourite femmes: Olive Morris and Crissle West. Find Tiffany and Liza on Instagram @allblacklivesbris and be sure to sign up for their 'How to be an ally' online event on 18th August. There are many places to donate to show your support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which is one of the most helpful things allies can do. Below are some places that Julia and Anna have been donating to, please contribute if you can:Black Minds Matter UK - an organisation aiming to provide Black individuals and families with free professional mental health services across the UK: https://oxfordshire.enthuse.com/cf/black-minds-matter-uk Black Lives Matter UK: https://bit.ly/3jOKpl6 RIP Belly Mujinga: https://bit.ly/2P57cuRunnymede Trust:  The UK's leading race equality think tank. https://www.justgiving.com/runnymede-trustPetitions:Justice for Breonna Taylor: https://bit.ly/2P3yNwhStop the School to Prison Pipeline: Free Grace from Incarceration: http://chng.it/gzs2z9CpnfSTOP THE SALE & GIFT US BACK our Rastafari Culture Centre http://chng.it/FLzbggqrTYJustice for Elijah McClain: http://chng.it/nMYjFJdTst Reopen LaVena Johnson's case! http://chng.it/tR72jnsdP8Teach British children about the realities of British Imperialism and Colonialism: http://chng.it/t2GZrzPpwLOther ways to engage:The Runnymede report, "Bristol: a city divided?": https://bit.ly/330BYNo

16. Interview Episode with Liza Bilal & Tiffany Lyare (All Black Lives UK Bristol)

In our first remotely recorded episode, Julia introduces us to Isadora Duncan, a woman who changed modern dance and was not short on self-belief. Born in San Francisco in 1877, Isadora was adored by European audiences for her unique style, despite ending each performance by ranting about how shit ballet was for half an hour. Anna tells us about Ivy Benson, the most popular British musician of World War 2 you've never heard of. Ivy mostly recruited working-class Northern teenagers for her brass band, which caused quite the scandal when they toured Europe making their own money and doing as they pleased. Audiences loved them and they were even appointed as the BBC house band, which - spoiler alert - enraged the male musicians who usually secured that gig...

15.The Dancer & The Band Leader: Isadora Duncan & Ivy Benson.

Film fans listen up - we were lucky enough to interview Hollywood costume designer Salvador Pérez Jr., President of the Costume Designers Guild and costume designer on The Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever, The Pitch Perfect Trilogy, Four Weddings and a Funeral and many, many more. We had a wonderful chat about how Salvador has been supported by incredible women throughout his entire career and how he loves working with women such as Mindy Kaling, Elizabeth Banks, Charlize Theron and many others. As president of an industry that is 85% women, Salvador sheds some light on the gender politics at play here and how his guild is fighting for pay equity. A must-listen for Mindy Kaling fans and those who are loving Never Have I Ever on Netflix to get the creative thought process behind the beautiful designs that grace our screens.

14. Interview Episode with Salvador Pérez Jr.

Julia presents us with the heartbreaking moral dilemna of Henrietta Lacks, the first immortal human. Though she died in 1951, trillions of her cells are still in existence today and being used for medical research for all sorts of conditions. The problem? At no point did she consent to this and died having no idea of her lasting legacy. With the well-documented medical exploitation of Black women and femmes throughout history, this issue is as important now as it ever was. Anna introduces us to Captain Niloofar Rahmani, the first woman from Afghanistan to ever fly a plane. After a childhood displaced by war under the rule of the Taliban, Niloofar leapt at the chance to join the Afghan military. Despite the new found freedom she discovered, she has been targeted by extremists who want to stop her flying. If you're looking for bravery and nerves of steel, look no further.

13: The Immortal Woman & The Pilot: Henrietta Lacks & Niloofar Rahmani.

Anna and Julia have returned to the recording cupboard for Series 2, wine in hand and ready to talk about more incredible women. Anna plays it very uncool when talking about her favourite comedy writer Mindy Kaling, head writer for The Office (US) who also plays the character of Kelly Kapoor. Inspiring stuff for anyone needing some confidence in getting shit done, or just looking to find your new favourite TV programme (Spoiler alert: It's the Mindy Project). Julia lays out the true-ish tale of Julie D'Aubigny, a 17th century French swordswoman-opera singer-nun-actor whose swashbuckling escapades made her a favourite of the French court. An LGBTQ+ icon, Julie was often mistaken for a man as she wore men's clothes and many thought she was "too good at duelling". And that's before we even get to the arson, beating up lecherous men and progressing French Opera for women...

12. The Comedy Writer & The Swordswoman: Mindy Kaling & Julie D'Aubigny.

With Series 2 on the horizon, Julia and Anna get together on Valentine's day and share some thoughts...

Bonus Conversation: Series 2 Promo.

It's the final episode of series one, and Anna and Julia both celebrate women who had the courage to be themselves.  Anna tells us about Lucy Hicks Anderson, a transwoman who played the game her own way during the California prohibition years. She delighted her community as a socialite and philanthropist by day, and operated a bootleg liquor empire by night. Most importantly, she was the first person to fight for marriage equality in a court of law and to this day is regarded as a LGBTQ+ legend. Julia's personal hero Victoria Wood was an incredible comic talent who fought her way in to the male-dominated stand up comedy scene in the 1980s. Despite feeling like an outsider through her formative years, Victoria knew she was good at acting and writing and worked at it with unbelievable focus. Her self-belief paid off as she is today considered a genius who worked non-stop to become a British comedy icon.

10. The Prohibition Pioneer & The Comedian: Lucy Hicks Anderson & Victoria Wood.

Julia tells us about Alice Guy-Blaché, who was arguably the first film director in history. Though the birth of cinema has been credited to others in the 20th century, Alice was making films 30 years before movies became popular. History has not been kind to her legacy, as she didn't put her name to a lot of her films, allowing random men to take credit for their creation. Quelle surprise. Anna discusses The Great Sandwina, the most famous Strongwoman of the early 1900s who cleverly made celebrity work to her advantage.  She rose to fame because of her good looks and hourglass figure which, unsurprisingly, made her more popular than other strongwomen of her age. She would regularly carry three fully-grown men on one hand and was said to have lifted a 600lb cannon. Brains, brawn and beauty all in one...

9. The Film Maker & The Strongwoman: Alice Guy-Blaché & Katie Brumbach a.k.a.The Great Sandwina

Anna kicks us off with Dame Whina Cooper, the activist who fought throughout her life for Maori rights in Aotearoa (New Zealand). An absolute ball-buster, her biggest achievement was organising the Land March in 1975 which saw 5,000 people walk from the top of the North Island down to parliament in Wellington. While she is known as 'Mother of the Nation', her legacy is controversial as not everyone agrees with her actions. Julia enlightens us on the story of Margaret Mead, a cultural anthropologist who seemed to be pretty woke before woke was a thing. In the early 1900s she helped influence Women's rights movements in America and repeatedly pointed out the racism enacted by other anthropologists in her profession. She also took to wearing a cape. Fair enough. 

8. The Mother of the Nation & The Anthropologist: Whina Cooper & Margaret Mead.

This episode is all about two women who beat the men at their own game - the game being running an empire and football, respectively. Wu Zetian was the first woman to become Emperor of Imperial China in the 600s, and though her Machiavellian scheming has often been criticised, Julia argues she was only doing what countless men had done before her. Now history is accepting that she used her power to build a more inclusive and prosperous society for all her citizens, while causing multiple scandals and having a harem of young male lovers well into her old age. Anna tells us about Lily Parr, the undoubted star of football in Britain after the First World War.  An LGBTQ+ icon and football legend, Lily had a kick that could break a man's arm. Literally. Listen to find out how the beautiful game was a woman's game from 1918 to 1921, and what exactly happened to change this dynamic forever.

7. The Emperor & The Footballer: Wu Zetian & Lily Parr.

October is Black History Month in the UK, and in this episode Julia & Anna celebrate two incredible Black British women. Julia tells us about Lilian Bader, who was the first Black woman to join the RAF - but bloody 'ell did she have to fight to get there. Anna discusses Mary Seacole, the nurse who, after being rejected to join nursing crews in the Crimean War by the British Army decided to make her own way there. Links for the episode:Lilian Bader: Amazing YouTube video by Lorena Thompson-Kerr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ipnAtuBFok Mary Seacole: The Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole in Many Lands 1857 https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item126795.html

6. The RAF Engineer & The Nurse: Lilian Bader & Mary Seacole.

Anna celebrates the shy women among us with the tale of Caroline Herschel, a.k.a the Comet Huntress. In the 1780s, she was appointed the first female professional scientist and astronomer - despite having raging imposter syndrome her whole life. Julia discusses Greta Thunberg, the teenage activist from Sweden, who along with other young women is changing the world. 

5. The Comet Huntress & The Protester: Caroline Herschel & Greta Thunberg.

The podcast where two women tell you about two other women you should know about. No cups involved.

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All About Eve

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