She was called proud. Ambitious. Dangerous. Born a duchess, widowed by war, and mother to two rival kings, Cecily Neville moved through England’s most treacherous century with the calm precision of a strategist. While men fought for thrones, she fought for legacy. Some saw her as the cold matriarch who helped ignite the Wars of the Roses, a woman willing to brand her own grandsons illegitimate to protect her favorite son’s claim. Others saw a survivor. Pious, dignified, and unbroken, even as her family destroyed itself in pursuit of power. Was she a mother or a monarch in disguise? The line between the two has never been clear.

Today, I’m speaking with Annie Garthwaite, author of The King’s Mother, a powerful new novel (and second in her series) that reimagines Cecily’s later years. Years often dismissed or forgotten by history. We talk about how Cecily navigated the dangerous politics of York and Lancaster, how her reputation was shaped by those who feared women’s influence, and what it means to reclaim a voice history tried to silence.

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What do Elizabeth I of England, Maria Theresa of Austria, Tamar of Georgia, Liliʻuokalani of Hawaii, and the Nawab Begums of Bhopal have in common? Seemingly very little. They are divided by time, language, religion, culture, and family circumstances. But what binds them together is that all reigned as queens in their own right. Women who claimed power in a world that rarely allowed it.

In her latest book, Women Who Ruled the World, historian Dr. Elizabeth Norton takes us across 5,000 years of history to uncover the extraordinary stories of female monarchs. From Merneith, who ruled Egypt nearly five millennia ago, to Elizabeth II, who became the world’s longest-ruling woman, Dr. Elizabeth Norton shows how rare and remarkable it was for a woman to seize the throne and what it meant when she did. These queens were warriors, diplomats, and visionaries, often standing as the only woman in the room, defying expectations and reshaping history. 

Today, Elizabeth joins me to discuss how these women not only ruled their nations, but challenged the very idea of power itself.

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A suffragist, a spiritualist, a stockbroker, an author, and in 1872, the first woman to run for president of the United States, Victoria Woodhull was a visionary who defied expectations. 

But her legacy is complicated. Her advocacy of “free love” and willingness to challenge Victorian norms made her infamous in her own time. Her clashes with leading suffragists and her scandalous run ins with the law left her branded as dangerous, even immoral. For decades afterward, she was written out of mainstream histories, remembered more for controversy than for courage.

Now, Eden Collinsworth’s new book, The Improbable Victoria Woodhull, offers a fresh take. In today’s episode, we’ll explore Woodhull’s story and how this new biography helps us see her not just as a heroine or a villain, but as a woman whose choices and contradictions still have something to teach us today.

Content Warning: The topics covered in this episode may not be suitable for all audience. Listener discretion is advised.

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In today’s episode, I’m joined by Gemma Haigh, now known to many as The Plant Parlour (where she champions cultivating lush botanical spaces), but who first made her mark as curator and researcher on the exhibition Georgian Women: Female Portraits by John Russell RA. During that project, she researched 19 female portraits in Guildford Heritage’s acclaimed Russell collection, interrogating how Russell’s pastel portraits of daughters, wives, and social figures both reflected and resisted gendered expectations in Georgian Britain.

Gemma guides us through the power dynamics embedded in pastel and paint: how Russell’s art objectified and elevated his sitters; what it says about the male gaze and elite femininity; and how those images gain new meaning when reinterpreted through a feminist lens today. We discuss how modern viewers can learn to read these portraits with fresh eyes and explore what their stories reveal about identity, visibility, and portraiture as a form of social control.

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On July 13, 1910, on a quiet suburban street in Camden Town, London, a grisly discovery shattered the illusion of domestic peace. Beneath the floorboards of 39 Hilldrop Crescent, the dismembered remains of music hall performer Belle Elmore were unearthed. The Victorian house, prim, respectable, and unassuming, had become the scene of one of the most sensational murders in British history.

As the press descended, the story gripped the world. Belle’s husband, the mild-mannered doctor Hawley Harvey Crippen, and his lover, the demure and seemingly obedient Ethel Le Neve, had vanished, fleeing across the Atlantic in disguise. It was the first time in history that wireless telegraphy would be used to capture fugitives in real time. Their arrest aboard the Montrose, just before reaching Canada, turned the case into a media spectacle of unprecedented scale. London newspapers dubbed it “The Crime of the Century.”

But behind the headlines lies a much more complicated story, one shaped by gender, class, performance, and power.

In today’s episode of I’m joined by award-winning historian Hallie Rubenhold, author of the book Story of a Murder: The Wives, The Mistress, and Dr. Crippen. In our discussion we focus on the two women most deeply entangled in this tale: Belle Elmore, and Ethel Le Neve. This isn’t just a story about murder. It’s about who gets to be remembered, who gets vilified, and how history treats women who refuse to conform.

Disclaimer: This episode discusses topics that may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Today, we journey back to Tudor England to meet a woman whose story has been overshadowed by the fame—and fate—of her father, Sir Thomas More. But make no mistake: Margaret More Roper was no mere footnote in his legacy. She was a scholar, a writer, a translator, and one of the most educated women in all of Europe at a time when women were expected to remain silent and obedient.

Margaret was fluent in Latin and Greek, corresponded with Erasmus, and dared to question the boundaries placed on her intellect and her loyalty. While the men around her wielded power through politics and the church, Margaret wielded hers through the pen—and through her fierce devotion to truth, family, and justice. In a world that demanded quiet submission, Margaret More Roper spoke with a clarity and courage that still echoes centuries later.

In this episode, I discuss the fascinating but often overlooked legacy of Margaret More Roper with Aimee Fleming, a historian and author of the book The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer: The Life and Times of Margaret More Roper.

Source: Journey in the New World by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

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A she-demon who devours children.

A seductress who visits men in their sleep.

The first wife of Adam, cast out of Eden for defying him.

A feminist icon reclaimed by modern movements.

Lilith is all of these and more—a figure woven from strands of ancient mythology, religious texts, folklore, and contemporary reimaginings. Her name echoes across millennia, from Sumerian incantations and Jewish mysticism to Renaissance art and feminist literature. But with so many identities layered over her, who—or what—was Lilith to begin with?

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Nikki Marmery, author of the thought-provoking novel Lilith. Together, we delve into the rich and mysterious legend of Lilith—a figure who has been reimagined across generations as a demon, a seductress, a rebel, and a symbol of female empowerment. We explore how her story has evolved through ancient texts, folklore, and literature, and how these shifting interpretations continue to resonate today.

Disclaimer: This episode discusses topics that may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion advised.

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Original Sisters, a stunning collection of 154 portraits, reclaimed the lives and faces of groundbreaking women from history. In today’s episode I’m in discussion with the book’s author and artist, Anita Kunz. We discuss the project that was born in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and Anita’s process of bringing these women vividly to life. Anita's work is currently on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts until May 26, 2025.

Important Links: OriginalSisters.com

https://www.nrm.org/2024/09/anitakunz/

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“I never planned to become an activist but things happen. You either take action or you don’t. Standing up and speaking out for what you believe in—well, it feels a lot better than doing nothing. And while you’re doing it, you find out you’re not as alone as you thought you were.” Judy Blume 

Judy Blume’s books such as Are you there God? It’s me Margaret, Forever, and Iggie’s House have become a standard for many young American readers since their publications in the 1970s. Breaking the bounds of what were acceptable topics for young readers, Judy Blume changed the face of what would become known as the Young Adult genre. 

In todays episode I’m joined by author Rachelle Bergstein as we discuss America’s most banned author of the 1980s and Rachelle’s latest book The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood For All of Us. 

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Katherine Howard, the fifth wife of England’s King Henry VIII, has rarely received a positive portrayal in fiction. Throughout the 20th century in books, tv series, and movies, she was depicted as frivolous, immature, hyper-sexual, forgettable, and at times cruel. In recent years, the popular musical Six has tried to reclaim Katherine’s story and has made her a cultural icon in the era of the #MeToo Movement. But are any of these depictions capturing the true Katherine Howard? 

In today’s episode, I will be joined by Leigh Wakefield, a historian whose recent masters dissertation focused on the cultural portrayals of Katherine Howard and how this has impacted Katherine’s legacy for future generations. 

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Throughout the history of the Christian Church, women have held myriad roles. They have been preachers, saints, temptations, wives, sinners, and mothers. In recent generations with the rise of mainstream Evangelical Christianity, the roles of women in the church have shifted away from positions of power and influence. 

In today’s episode I am joined by Dr. Beth Allison Barr, author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth and her latest book Becoming the Pastor's Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman's Path to Ministry. In our discussion, Dr. Barr traces the women’s leadership roles in the church from the Medieval era to the modern Evangelical church and how the role of a Pastor’s wife came to replace independent female leadership.

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Throughout history, roughly 50% of the human population has identified as female, while women only occupy around .05% of written history. In many cases from the past, even when women were referenced in history books it was written by men. 

In today’s episode, I will be discussing the lives of four Medieval women who not only wrote but put their names to their work; insuring they would be remembered for generations to come. Joining me to discuss Marie de France, Julian of Norwich, Christine de Pizan and Margery Kemp, is Hetta Howes, author of Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women. 

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Rodgers and Hammerstein, George Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein: these are just a few names of composers and lyricists who changed the landscape and at times defined an entire era of Broadway. But what of the women who were writing shows at the same time? Why have some stories been included in the history books and others left out?

In today’s episode I’ll be discussing these questions and more with Jennifer Ashley Tepper, a musical theater historian and producer and author of the book Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out. 

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The bloody visage of Mary I has existed in the public imagination since her death. Depicted as an abused daughter, a murderous maniac, an inept queen, a cruel sister, and a pathetic wife, Mary I has rarely received a positive portrayal. In recent years, scholars have worked on rehabilitating the image of a woman so often called Bloody Mary. 

In today’s episode, we go into the realm of fiction, and how it can help in breaking down stereotypes and humanize individuals from history. Joining me is Amanda Schiavo, author of the new book In Her Own Right: A Novel of Lady Mary Tudor. 

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The year was 1850. Manhattan was thriving, beginning to urbanize and expand in new ways. In lower Manhattan, a woman named Fredericka Mandelbaum moved into the neighborhood of Kleindeutchland (later known as the Lower East Side) to start a new life. Few could have guessed that out of the teeming streets of Little Germany, one of the most infamous underworld figures of the era would be born out of an unassuming Jewish housewife named Mrs. Mandelbaum. 

For 25 years, Mrs. Mandelbaum controlled a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise. She has been mainly lost to history…until now. 

Continue listening as I discuss this fascinating and much-overlooked woman with Margalit Fox, author of The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized Crime Boss. 

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Bugsy Siegel, Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Clyde Barrow…these are just a few of the most recognizable American gangsters, men who robbed, killed, racketeered, and launched themselves into legend. But what of the women who stood by these men’s sides and at times exceeded the men’s criminal abilities? 

In today’s episode, I will highlight several powerful women from the underworld: Kathryn Kelly, Bonnie Parker, Stephanie St. Clair, Virginia Hill, Geri Rosenthal, and Liz Renay. Joining me for a conversation is Lissa Rodgers, the author of the recent book "Shameless: Women of the Underworld" who will share insights about these remarkable women and more.

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Just in time for Halloween, an episode dedicated to discussing the lives and legacy of Britain’s female murderers.

Women throughout history have been seen as the weaker sex both physically and emotionally. While women have been blamed for the fall of men since Eve in the Garden of Eden, their crimes usually centered around sexuality. When women murder, this breaks all the expectations of what women are capable of. Rage, violence, cunning, and vengeance are traits often prescribed to men. In the new world of women’s history, these women complicate the narrative by providing anything but a role model for future generations. But they still provide an essential part of human history. Continue listening as I am joined by Erin Fetterly, author of the recently published book Women Who Kill, as we discuss some of Britain’s most notorious female murderers. 

Intro music: Wicked Women Theme by Kieren Peatling and A Singular Perversion - Darkness by Kevin MacLeod

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Margaret Tudor was the eldest daughter of King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York and the elder sister of King Henry VIII. Margaret witnessed some of the most significant moments in her father’s later and her brother’s early reigns. A story filled with political intrigue, personal tragedy, and drama, Margaret has been largely left on the sidelines in later interpretations of Tudor history. Seen as insignificant at best and whiney and manipulative at worst, historian Linda Porter’s latest book, The Thistle and the Rose: The Extraordinary Life of Margaret Tudor looks to remedy that legacy and bring to light the truly remarkable life of Margaret Tudor. Keep listening to learn more. 

Featured guest: Historian and author Dr. Linda Porter 

Intro Music: Renaissance by Audionautix is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

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