To draw attention to Breast Cancer Awarenss Month, we are rerunning one of our earliest episodes, "My New Boobs," which traces Lisa's breast cancer and breast reconstruction journey. But it's not your typical breast cancer awareness episode. Instead, it tells the story of one of our host's lifelong, love-hate — mostly hate — relationship with her formerly enormous breasts. It's also about how her quest for a smaller chest led to an early breast cancer diagnosis.

As a bonus, just in time for National Mammography Day (the third Friday of October), you'll learn about the latest breast cancer screening guidelines from the American Society of Breast Surgeons and why risk assessment needs to begin as young as 25.

Sources "Breast Cancer Gave Me the Boobs I’ve Always Wanted," by Lisa Pierce Flores, Jenny Magazine https://jennymag.com/2026/06/16/breast-cancer-breast-reduction-personal-story/

"American Society of Breast Surgeons Issues Updated Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines" https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/asbrs-issues-updated-screening-guidelines

American Cancer Society Screening Recommendations https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detection/american-cancer-society-recommendations-for-the-early-detection-of-breast-cancer.html

In this episode, we talk with Aria Sickler Avery, one of the student leaders behind the Cornell University #IAmJaneDoe protests calling for increased accountability and more robust resources for survivors of sexual misconduct in the wake of the Cornell 7 sexual assault lawsuit filed nearly three weeks ago. Avery, a Cornell senior and president of the Gender Justice Advocacy Coalition, describes the mood on campus a day after a rally she helped organize that drew more than 1,000 people and where students called for changes to disciplinary procedures and for the resignation of university President Michael Kotlikoff.

Avery discusses how the Greek community has shielded itself from accountability, why Cornell's sexual misconduct rates are higher than at peer schools, and how hard it is for survivors to get trusted health care in Ithaca, NY, while Lisa spotlights the lasting health consequences of sexual violence, including PTSD, chronic pain, and depression.

Sources

"Cornell, Chi Phi Sued by Victim of Alleged Gang Rape, Drugging in 2024," by Careese Qusba, The Daily Sun https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/09/tccsuykuvb4z

"A Timeline of the Cornell Gang Rape Allegations," CNN, Oct. 6, 2026 https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/03/us/cornell-rape-case-timeline-hnk "How Cornell Punished Each of the 7 Men Accused of Sexual Assault," by Sharon Otterman, Hurubie Meko, and Debra Kamin, The New York TImes, Oct. 3, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/nyregion/cornell-men-university-discipline.html

"About Sexual Violence," Centers for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/sexual-violence/about/index.html

"‘I am Jane Doe’: Thousands rally at Cornell as fraternity rape allegations roil nation," by Jimmy Jordan, Fernando Figueroa, and Megan Zerez, The Ithaca Voice, Oct. 5, 2026 https://ithacavoice.org/2026/10/i-am-jane-doe-thousands-rally-at-cornell-as-fraternity-rape-allegations-roil-nation/

"Cornell Faces Mounting Pressure Over Jane Doe Allegations," by Jillian McCarthy, Ithaca Journal, Oct. 8, 2026 https://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/public-safety/2026/10/08/cornell-jane-doe-case-sparks-protests-criminal-investigation/92136158007/

"Student Assembly Introduces Measures to Prevent Bias, Implement Date-Rape-Drug Test Kits Following Controversy," by Sofia Rubinson, The Daily Sun, May 7, 2024

https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2024/05/student-assembly-introduces-measures-to-prevent-bias-implement-date-rape-drug-test-kits-following-controversy

"Student Assembly Elections Postponed Amid Ethics Investigation," by Sofia Rubinson and Kate Sanders, The Daily Sun, May 28, 2024 https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2024/03/student-assembly-elections-moved-back-amid-ethics-investigation

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who died last month at 92, spent decades speaking and writing about previously taboo healthcare topics, including abortion, sexual assault, and what we know call medical gaslighting. So much about her life inspired us, but in this episode we pay tribute to the ways she spoke about women's healthcare issues in a voice that was accessible, sincere, and sprinkled with humor.

We trace her surprising path from an unstable childhood caring for her mentally ill mother to her success as a freelance writer in New York City to almost accidentally becoming the face of Second Wave feminism. We unpack why her beauty and warmth made her message land, even as it made her a target. Along the way we connect her decades of advocacy to expand sexual and reproductive agency and increase funding for women's health to the healthcare battles women are still fighting today. It's a conversation that turns personal fast, as we reflect on how we both grew up with Steinem as a radicalizing presence. Finally, we find ourselves resonating with Steinem's theory that women often grow angrier, not quieter, with age.

Sources

"Our Bodies Ourselves Mourns Feminist Champion Gloria Steinem (1934-2026)" https://ourbodiesourselves.org/the-latest/gloria-steinem

"Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Women’s Movement, Dies at 92," New York TImes https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/us/politics/gloria-steinem-dead.html

Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Third Edition, by Gloria Steinem https://www.amazon.com/Outrageous-Acts-Everyday-Rebellions-Third/dp/1250204860/

Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, by Gloria Steinem https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Within-Self-Esteem-Gloria-Steinem-ebook/dp/B007RJ9I0A

Education of a Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem, by Carolyn G. Heilbrun https://www.amazon.com/Education-Woman-Life-Gloria-Steinem-ebook/dp/B00589AXVE/

Gloria: In Her Own Words, directed by Peter W. Kunhardt https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2036377/