Curated by Jenny Kaplan and Alli Lindenberg of Wonder Media Network
Jenny is the co-founder and CEO and Alli is community and editorial manager of Wonder Media Network, a new audio-first media company that tells the stories of women at the intersection of politics, business, and culture.
WMN is a women-led company that believes in the power of storytelling to build compassion and inspire change. We work every day to amplify under-told stories, as women’s voices are too often missing from media coverage. Our slate of shows do this with every episode: from women running for political office in record numbers in our flagship show Women belong in the House, to the women in each of our inner circles with vast experience and stories to tell on Web of WMN.
We were inspired by each of the podcasts below in different ways as we learned about our history, our communities, and ourselves. With these shows, we honor women throughout history—past and present—who changed society for the better. We laughed and cried through these stories featuring ancient and modern women from diverse backgrounds who have influenced our daily lives.
View, follow, and listen to the whole collection of shows on RadioPublic, available on iPhone and Android.
Web of WMN
Each of us is surrounded by a rich community of connections — we have some combination of friends, family, partners, co-workers, mentors, and more. Then each of those connections has connections too. It all forms a bustling, complicated, interconnected web. Web of WMN, Wonder Media Network’s new show dives into the identities and relationships that form who we are as individuals and communities. The show is predicated on interviews that form a web: every interviewee becomes an interviewer, linking webs of women from across the country through streamlined conversations.
The Dead Ladies Show
For women, the odds are often stacked against us. The Dead Ladies Show highlights women who achieved incredible things despite significant challenges. The podcast was created out of an namesake live event and ongoing social media account, @deadladiesshow. Special shoutout to the episode about Marie Curie — what a lady.
Good Ancestor
Have you ever thought about your ancestors? How about the legacy that you will leave? In this podcast, Layla Saad addresses these burning questions and interviews change makers who have wrestled with them questions, too.
Queens Podcast
Each week, hosts Katy and Nathan sip cocktails while discussing powerful women throughout history. The Queens Podcast profiles rulers, such as Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette. Think of it as a way more fun history lesson than you ever got in school.
Gallus Girls and Wayward Women
The British Isles have a fascinating history, often driven by famous — and lesser known — women. This narrative style show tells the stories of people who wielded influence in different forms, from Queen Elizabeth to writer Muriel Spark.
The History Chicks
The History Chicks deliver several thousand years of history in about an hour. Their show is witty, entertaining, and educational.
The #HerStory Podcast
On each episode of The #HerStory Podcast, a different woman picks a historical figure to profile. The hosts range from politicians to filmmakers, encompassing a wide range of perspectives.
Rude Tudors
Rude Tudors self-describes as, “A raunchy jaunt through the historical — and hysterical — elements of the English Renaissance.” Enough said.
Tell Me About Your Mother
Our mothers have a massive impact on how we grow up and experience life. In Tell Me About Your Mother, journalist Amy Westervelt talks to women about that most fundamental relationship.
The Double Shift
In this narrative style show, Katherine Goldstein explores the multidimensional lives of working mothers. The Double Shift tells the stories of working mothers from different industries, backgrounds, and places.
Women belong in the House
Jenny was inspired to start WMN when her mom, Kathy Manning, decided to run for Congress in North Carolina’s 13th District. It wasn’t just her mom who took the leap, a record number of women stepped up to run in 2018. There was ample coverage of the numbers, but not much of anything about the candidates themselves. Our first podcast, Women belong in the House,We dove deep into their personal stories and why they decided to run. There was ample coverage of the record-breaking numbers of women running for office, but not much of anything about the candidates themselves. We explored why there are so few women in office to begin with, what the unique impediments are for women in the public sphere, and how our government might change if it looked more like the people it represents.
Latina to Latina
Latina to Latina is all about celebrating Latina women. Host Alicia Menendez talks to remarkable women about their stories of “making it, faking it and everything in between.” These interviews will have you thinking deep and laughing out loud in the span of a single episode.
Female Trouble
While this show has ended production, it’s a time capsule of 73 episodes of the most remarkable women of Baltimore. Host Quinn Kelly has created an important archive of a community of women who are creating, supporting, and leading locally.
The Combat Divas
Tiffany Jackson and Tonnisha Boylan are two African-American army combat veterans who befriended each other during their tour in Iraq. They host this sobering and yet totally comedic show looking at issues like race and representation in the armed forces to what it’s like to live with PTSD.
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Want to create your own collection of shows that dovetails with your area of interest? Add shows to your Smart Folder on RadioPublic, then inform the Podcast Librarian of your collection: librarian@radiopublic.com.
