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/