Episodes

  • THE PORTRAITIST Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

    THE PORTRAITIST Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
    Jun 15 2026
    Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun could paint anyone so they looked full of character, and vibrantly alive. So Europe's aristocrats clamored for her brush. But when the French Revolution toppled thrones and chopped off heads, she had to run for her life. For 12 years across Europe, she chased her lost Eden. Can you ever get back to the Good Old Days? Our guest is ⁠Judith Lissauer Cromwell⁠, author of ⁠Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Portrait of an Artist 1755-1842⁠. ________________ Music in this episode generously shared by: Haydn Symphony 85 (famed as Marie Antoinette's favorite!) recorded by ⁠Ars Lyrica Houston⁠; J.S. Bach C Major Prelude and Brandenburg Concerto recorded by Kevin MacLeod; No. 8 Requiem by Esther Abrami; Apolcalyptic Echoes, Devil's Organ, and Frightmare by Jimena Contreras; Solo Cello Passion by Doug Maxwell; Alpine Bierhalle by Aaron Kenny; Length of Light by Amulets; Elegy by Wayne Jones; Catherine the Great's Russian Anthem; and Run Until Your Wings Grow by Late Night Feeler. Guillotine soundscape by Jorgemaca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • THE CASTAWAY Marguerite de La Rocque

    THE CASTAWAY Marguerite de La Rocque
    Jun 1 2026
    [audio updated 6/02] Marooned on a frigid island in 1641, a young French woman single-handedly fought off polar bears, starvation, and loneliness, buried her lover, her maidservant, and her newborn child, and spent almost two full years completely alone -- except, of course, for the 100,000 demons whose screams were her nightly companions. That she lived through it all is a miracle - and a mystery: How did Marguerite de La Rocque survive the infamous "Isle of Demons" - and how much of this enigmatic tale can we ever actually know? Olivia interviews Allegra Goodman, author of the award-winning historical novel Isola. Music featured in this episode provided by Emily A. Sprague, Brian Bolger, pATCHES, Sir Cubworth, Track Tribe, and the Tudor Consort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • THE ENTOMOLOGIST Evelyn Cheesman

    THE ENTOMOLOGIST Evelyn Cheesman
    May 13 2026
    Over the course of her 87 years, self-taught British entomologist Evelyn Cheesman went on eight solo insect-collecting expeditions across the South Pacific, collected almost 100,000 specimens, identified dozens (possibly hundreds!) of previously unknown species, and used her specialized knowledge of Oceania to save countless lives during WWII. Meet the indomitable genius who persevered against unimaginable odds to build herself the life she wanted - no matter what stood in her way. Our guest is Sarah Lonsdale, author of the book Wildly Different. Music for this episode provided by: Emily Sprague, Jesse Gallagher, The Tides, Quincas Moreira, Kevin MacLeod, Brian Bolger, Asher Fulero, Myuu, Aaron Kenny, Geographer, and Nexus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • THE MATRIARCH OF CHINATOWN Ou Shee Eng

    THE MATRIARCH OF CHINATOWN Ou Shee Eng
    Apr 27 2026
    For 61 years, Ou Shee Eng's tiny apartment in Seattle's Chinatown was the heart of a community of women. Possessing the rare ability to read and write Chinese, Ou Shee was the reader and scribe of everyone's letters. What was happening in China while this circle of women lived quietly in America, and why did they never speak of it? Join Katie on location at the Wing-Luke Museum in Seattle, with guest Elana Eng Lim to contemplate belonging, kindness, and taking family secrets to the grave. ____________________ Join us on our next women's history adventure! TOURS OPEN NOW Read Elana Lim's poignant essay My Grandmother's Hand HERE. Music in this episode: "Lau Tzu Erhu" by Doug Maxwell; The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto; "Under the Moon" by Annette Hanshaw; "Spirit of Fire" and "The Sleeping Prophet" by Jesse Gallagher; "Popularity March" by Victor Band 1923 at the Library of Congress; "Long Road Ahead" by Kevin MacLeod; "Please" by Wayne Jones." FDR's Pearl Harbor speech in the public domain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE Catherine Jemmat

    THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE Catherine Jemmat
    Mar 16 2026
    After a lifetime of betrayal and abuse as an 18th century sex worker, Catherine Jemmat broke the ultimate social taboo: she wrote the truth about her life. Her "scandalous memoir" helped change the way readers thought about women's lives, and her second book introduced a radical new idea into English society - that the true 'abuser' driving desperate women into lives of so-called sin and degradation was, in fact - society itself. Returning guest Miranda Garno Rossa is back to introduce Olivia to this courageous, unexpected heroine. Music featured in this episode provided by Amanda Setlik Wilson, The Herschel Ensemble, Kevin MacLeod, and Pablo Casals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • THE GIRL SCOUT Juliette Gordon Low

    THE GIRL SCOUT Juliette Gordon Low
    Mar 2 2026
    Juliette Gordon Low was a classic Southern Belle when she married her handsome prince. But she learned the hard way that "happily ever after" is a harmful fantasy. We can do better for girls, she said: and we must. Rallying all the women around her, she founded Girl Scouts of America, empowering girls to build strength and character, and blaze new trails. Her global impact today is immeasurable. Join us on location at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum in Savannah, Georgia for this inspiring story of how women change the world. ________________ GET INVOLVED! Check out the World Association of Girl Scouts & Girl Guides and Girl Scouts of America. Buy cookies from your local girl scouts! Get the delightful 1913 Girl Scout Handbook ⁠HERE⁠, or read a free digital copy ⁠HERE⁠. Join us on our next adventure! ⁠⁠What'sHerName TOURS⁠⁠. This episode was recorded by Marc Nelson on location at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum in Savannah, Georgia. Special thanks to Shannon Browning-Mullis, Kate Walker, and Kristin Mikels, and to the participants of our 2025 What'sHerName Savannah Tour who joined in the fun! Music featured in this episode: Serenade Op. 6 by Josef Suk, Monumental Journey by Jesse Gallagher, William Tell Overture b Rossini, Blue Danube Waltz and Vienna Blood Waltz by Strauss, Serenade by Schubert, Remembering Her by Esther Abrami, songs from 1956 Sing Together, Songs Girl Scouts Sing, and Annie Laurie by the 1924 National Quartet at the Library of Congress. Civil War sounds effects by Richard E Moore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • THE PREACHER Jarena Lee

    THE PREACHER Jarena Lee
    Feb 17 2026
    In 1819 an itinerant Methodist preacher set off across a brand-new nation to spread the gospel to its people. Over the decades of her unique ministry, Jarena Lee would witness both incredible progress and maddening injustice - and publish the first spiritual autobiography ever written by an African American woman. But what message was her book actually meant to send? Discover the incredible life of this forgotten spiritual powerhouse with our guests, Lisa Gring-Pemble and Martha Watson, authors of the fascinating new book Your Daughters Will Prophesy. Music featured in this episode by: Marian Anderson, Alfred Hamilton, Ed Jones, The Tuskegee Institute Singers, The Georgia Singers and The Heavenly Gate Quartet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • THE KLONDIKE QUEEN Shaaw Tláa (Kate Carmack)

    THE KLONDIKE QUEEN Shaaw Tláa (Kate Carmack)
    Jan 19 2026
    On a day like any other in 1896, Shaaw Tláa was washing dishes in a Yukon creek. But something shiny caught her eye... and the Klondike Gold Rush began. It's an insane chapter of world history: 100,000 ill-prepared dreamers from all over the world trekked into the subarctic. But what would become of the indigenous woman who started it all? Shaaw Tláa, known to the world as Kate Carmack, was suddenly one the richest people in the world, and she was married to a man called Lying George... Join Katie on location at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park for this larger-than-life story of gold, greed, and destiny. _______________ Become a Patron to help make more episodes happen, and to get episodes ad-free! Or join our next What'sHerName TOUR for a great women's history adventure! Want to lean more about Shaaw Tlaa? We've got you covered: Read Wealth Woman by Deb Vanasse Learn more about Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Alaska and in Seattle Read about more Women of the Gold Rush Visit the US Postal Museum exhibit Stories from the Gold Rush Read the delightful 1897 Klondike: A Manual for Goldseekers Music featured in this episode: "Gold Rush" and "Five Card Shuffle" by Kevin MacLeod; "Roundup in the Prairie" by Aaron Kenny; "A Ghost Town" by Quincas Moreira; "Over the Mountain" and "Inconsciousness" by Mini Vandals; "The Quiet Aftermath" by Sir Cubworth; "Horses and Trains" by Jesse Gallagher; historical recordings of the US Marine Band; "Honky Tonkin'" by Doug Maxwell; "Through and Through" by Amulets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    59 mins