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In this powerful and deeply moving episode, we sit down with Jihyun Park, activist, survivor, and co-author of The Hard Road Out. Jihyun shares her extraordinary story of growing up under the brutal regime of North Korea, offering a rare and intimate look into daily life inside the world’s most secretive country.

She takes us through her first daring escape, the heartbreaking challenges she faced, and the unimaginable risks she took in search of freedom. Jihyun also opens up about her years in China - years marked by both danger and resilience - as she fought to survive and ultimately reclaim control of her life.

This is a conversation about courage, endurance, and the unbreakable human spirit. Jihyun’s story is not only a testament to her strength, but also an urgent reminder of the realities faced by countless North Korean defectors today.

#survivor

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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. For this week’s episode, Lucy is telling the story of the incredible Flora Sandes — the only British woman to officially serve as a soldier on the front lines during WWI.

What began as a humanitarian mission quickly transformed into a life of rifles, marches, and battlefield danger as Flora fought alongside the Serbian Army, refusing every limit placed on her by gender or convention.

In this riveting episode, we explore:

• How a British-born woman began her journey as a volunteer nurse — and how this path led her to contract a near-fatal case of typhoid fever
• Her recovery against the odds, and how surviving that brush with death strengthened her resolve to keep serving — ultimately leading her to enlist as a combatant in the Serbian Army
• The brutal Balkan front and the battles where Flora proved herself a soldier among soldiers
• Her postwar life — decorated veteran, trailblazing author, and a woman who never stopped defying expectations

Trust us — Flora Sandes will leave you redefining what bravery looked like in a world at war.

Sources:

Stephen Liddell.co.uk
History-uk.com
ChatGPT
School history.co.uk
Eadt.co.uk

Keywords

Flora Sandes, WWI women soldiers, Serbian Army history, women in combat, First World War frontline, female war heroes, hidden women’s military history, feminist history podcast, Speaking of Her podcast, forgotten women warriors, trailblazing soldier, Balkan front WWI, women in uniform history, groundbreaking female veterans, untold women’s stories, real history podcast, twentieth-century women pioneers, military history through a feminist lens, extraordinary women in war, defying gender norms, combat history podcast, women who made history, overlooked war heroes, frontline bravery, global women’s history, courageous women leaders

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Before her name became synonymous with elegance, Coco Chanel was a girl who refused to be defined by her circumstances. Abandoned at an orphanage, she rose to reinvent not just her life, but the very way women dressed and lived. In this episode, we trace the story of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel - the woman who liberated fashion from the corset, built a global empire from sheer determination, and forever changed what it means to be iconic.

So go and grab yourself a glass of wine or a nice hot bevvy, and settle in for Jess’ story of Coco Chanel - the woman who changed fashion forever.

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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. For our Spooky Season Finale, Lucy leads us into one of the most haunting corners of women’s history — where industrial progress, poverty, and silence collided in the shadows of Victorian London.

We’re telling the story of the matchstick girls — the young women who worked long hours in match factories, dipping sticks into white phosphorus that slowly poisoned them from the inside out. What followed was a terrifying and agonizing condition called Phossy Jaw — where their bones literally glowed before they decayed.

In this eerie, unforgettable spooky season finale, we explore:

• The deadly factories where women and teenage girls labored under toxic conditions
• How white phosphorus ravaged the jaw, teeth, and face — and why factory owners ignored it
• The groundbreaking strike led by these women that changed labour history
• The lasting legacy of their courage in the fight for safe, dignified work

This Halloween, we’re not chasing legends or monsters.
We’re facing a very real horror: what happens when women’s pain is seen as the cost of doing business.

A glowing jaw. A silenced workforce.
And a revolt that caught fire.

Trust us — this is one story that will linger long after the episode ends.

Note: Our discussion of the factory owners refers to historical events and practices. The brand today is owned by a respected Swedish company and is not associated with those past issues.

We refer to the episode with Justine on this episode, go check it out! Surviving the Unthinkable - Justine Barwick's Story.

Follow us on Instagram to check out our Norway day trip highlight!

Keywords

Matchstick girls, Phossy Jaw, white phosphorus poisoning, factory strike, Victorian factory workers, spooky season finale, women’s labor rights, labor movement history, dark history podcast, women in history podcast, industrial revolution labor, workplace safety history, feminist true crime, haunting true story, real-life horror, historical medical mystery, exploited women workers, Victorian London history, occupational disease history, untold women’s stories, Speaking of Her podcast, Halloween special episode, chilling true story, horror meets history, feminist labor history, match factories, 19th century women workers, hidden history of women, eerie historical stories, spooky season podcast finale

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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. This week, Jess takes the mic for a haunting Halloween edition — and we’re delving into one of the most chilling and misunderstood stories of the 20th century.

We’re uncovering the tragic case of Anneliese Michel — the young German woman whose death after 67 exorcisms is believed to have inspired The Exorcism of Emily Rose. But beyond the horror headlines lies something deeper: a story about faith, fear, and a woman whose suffering was never truly understood.

In this eerie, thought-provoking episode, we explore:

• The terrifying true events that blurred the line between possession and mental illness
• The infamous trial that forced a nation to question faith, medicine, and responsibility
• How modern advocates — like trauma therapist Ursula Enders — helped reshape the way we listen to women in pain

This Halloween, we’re not chasing demons. We’re confronting the very human horrors of silence, belief, and misunderstanding.

A devout daughter. A courtroom of disbelief. And a legacy that still echoes through faith and psychology today.
Trust us — this is one story you’ll feel long after the episode ends.

Keywords

Anneliese Michel, Emily Rose, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, real Emily Rose story, true story of Anneliese Michel, exorcism case, exorcism in Germany, Catholic Church exorcism, faith vs science, religion and mental illness, possession or psychosis, true crime exorcism, historical exorcism case, Anneliese Michel trial, real-life exorcism, Emily Rose inspiration, German history, 1970s Germany, faith and psychology, women and faith, trauma and belief, mental health and religion, female trauma, misunderstood women, Ursula Enders, Zartbitter Köln, women’s advocacy in Germany, Speaking of Her podcast, Halloween special podcast, haunting true story, Halloween podcast episode, chilling true story, haunting real story, horror meets history, real-life horror, true crime meets faith, psychological horror, spiritual possession, tragic true story, haunted history, women in history podcast, dark history podcast, feminist true crime

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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. This week, Lucy takes the mic for a Halloween special steeped in candlelight, tragedy, and creation — the story of Mary Shelley, the brilliant mind who breathed life into Frankenstein and, in turn, changed literature forever.

She wasn’t just the mother of science fiction — she was a woman bound by love, loss, and the ghosts that never left her side. In an era that could have destroyed her soul, Mary found power in pain and creation in chaos.

In this chilling, poetic episode, we explore:

• Her passionate and tumultuous love affair with Percy Bysshe Shelley.
• The stormy night that gave birth to Frankenstein, and how death and grief fueled her imagination
• The birth of science fiction and the legacy of a woman who defied her time, turning heartbreak into horror and sorrow into something immortal

This isn’t just the tale of a monster — it’s the story of a woman who defied her age, weaving her grief and genius into a creation that would haunt the world forever.

A storm. A love. A creation that refused to die.

This Halloween, we awaken the story of Mary Shelley.

Disclaimer: This story includes mentions of infant death and suicide.

(Keywords: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Halloween podcast, gothic literature, women in writing, spooky history, Percy Bysshe Shelley, tragic love stories, science fiction origins, dark romanticism, Speaking of Her)

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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. This week, Jess takes the mic for a very special Halloween edition — and we’re adding a spooky twist to one of history’s forgotten heroine.

We’re diving into the chilling yet inspiring story of Sophia Ionescu, the world’s first female neurosurgeon — a woman who quite literally stared into the depths of the human mind. But this isn’t your typical medical tale…

In this eerie, spine-tingling episode, we explore:

• The terrifying realities of early brain surgery — where science teetered on the edge of the macabre
• Sophia Ionescu’s extraordinary courage as she defied war, gender barriers, and impossible odds to save lives
• The strange intersections between brilliance, the brain, and the darkness of humanity. This is where we go slightly off-piste into a chat about Ed Gein and Ted Bundy

This Halloween, we’re blending medicine, mystery, and the macabre — uncovering how Sophia Ionescu’s courage illuminated the darkest corners of the human psyche.

A pioneering surgeon. A world at war. A story stitched together with grit, guts, and just a touch of gore.
Trust us — this is not an episode to be missed.

If you enjoyed this episode, then don't forget to listen to - Surviving One of America’s Most Notorious Killers – The Kathy Kleiner Story -https://www.buzzsprout.com/2451796/episodes/17283291

(Keywords: Halloween podcast, spooky history, eerie stories, dark history podcast, haunted medicine, Halloween storytelling, medical horror, creepy real stories, spine-chilling history, Halloween true stories, Sophia Ionescu, first female neurosurgeon, women in medicine, medical pioneers, history of neurosurgery, 1940s brain surgery, dark medical history, history of surgery, medical breakthroughs, women in science, true crime podcast, Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, serial killers, horror and humanity, real-life horror stories, untold stories, forgotten women, courage and fear, the darkness of the mind, stories that shock and inspire, women who changed history, historical storytelling, unsung heroes, Speaking of Her)

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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. This week, we are joined by our guest speaker - Cat and we journey into the hidden corners of history to uncover the story of Sanpat and the Gulabi Gang — a group whose defiance and bravery rewrote the rules of resistance.

They were not kings or conquerors. They were visionaries, and survivors who rewrote the rules in a time of oppression. In this episode, we explore their remarkable story:

• The rise of Sanpat, a leader forged in hardship, whose vision united the opressed and the forgotten
• The birth of the Gulabi Gang, and the audacious tactics that made them both feared and revered
• Their unconventional tactics and the ways they challenged authority and disrupted the balance of power

This isn’t just the tale of a gang — it’s a saga of rebellion, loyalty, and the courage to stand against the impossible. It’s the story of how ordinary people, led by Sanpat’s vision, dared to carve a place for themselves in a world that sought to erase them.

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