What if the fictional worlds that raised us were more than escapes—what if they were blueprints? We trade closets for cosmos and follow the thread from Narnia’s lamp-lit snow to Starfleet’s hopeful future, from campus rooms that spark courage to city streets where magic hides in plain sight. Along the way we test our cravings: a society without want, a classroom that opens a life, a love story that knows its limits.

We start with wonder. Childhood awe lives in The Chronicles of Narnia and in a real-life classroom modeled after Dead Poets Society, where literature isn’t just homework, it’s a rehearsal for bravery. Then we move to science fiction, where Star Trek models a peaceful Earth and Star Wars adds a mythic scale that makes us itch to belong to a bigger story. We interrogate power, consent, and seductive bad-boy archetypes from Twilight to Fifty Shades of Grey.

From there the conversation tilts darker and sharper. A Discovery of Witches reframes magic as scholarship and intimacy. And, Anne Rice threads immortality through history and faith, showing how adaptations can miss the point when filmmakers ignore a story’s moral spine. We unpack the film Passengers and why a romantic setup turns ethically thorny under pressure, then hold dystopias to the light: Brave New World’s pleasant control versus The Stand’s reset, where community and books rebuild meaning after the noise of a crowded humanity has settled.

Through it all we keep returning to one simple act: reading. Not as escape, but as calibration. Stories teach us what to want—and what to refuse. They sketch better classrooms, saner technologies, and kinder politics. Press play for a lively, candid tour of the universes we’d actually live in, why they matter now, and how to carry their best parts back home. If this sparks your own shortlist of dream worlds, share it with us, subscribe, and leave a review so more curious listeners can find the show.

Send us a text

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com, and find us on all the socials. Be safe and be excellent to each other.

Part 2 of Martha’s long road through endometriosis continues. In this episode, we discuss more complications she experienced post-hysterectomy, including sudden menopause and the hormone therapy that finally restored her life. We focus on advocacy, access, and the value of specialists who treat endo beyond “bad cramps.”

Yale article mentioned in part 1 & 2:

https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/endometriosis/

Martha's doctors & surgeons mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Rachel Cowherd

https://www.getcare.muschealth.org/providers/rachael-cowherd-1043604374

Dr. Thomas Curran

https://www.getcare.muschealth.org/providers/thomas-curran-1205147022

Dr. Cristian M. Thomae

https://www.getcare.muschealth.org/providers/cristian-thomae-1306934658

Heidi's surgeon in Bonita Springs, Florida:

https://providers.sharecare.com/doctor/dr-jorge-a-valle

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com and find us on all the socials

Send us a text

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com, and find us on all the socials. Be safe and be excellent to each other.

Pain that steals whole years shouldn’t be shrugged off as “just a bad period.” We sit down with Martha, a nurse who spent years begging to be believed, and trace the arc from precocious puberty and crippling cramps to an overdue MRI that finally revealed advanced endometriosis. Her story cuts through myths and minimization to show exactly how endo can derail work, intimacy, and mental health—and what it takes to get real answers.

This conversation is for anyone navigating pelvic pain, irregular bleeding, or cyclical GI symptoms that don’t add up—and for the clinicians who want to do better. We unpack why endometriosis staging doesn’t predict suffering, how an MRI can be decisive when red flags stack up, and where to find the right specialists for endometriosis surgery. We also talk about the emotional weight of seeking gynecologic care in spaces geared toward pregnancy, and why validation is as healing as any prescription. If you or someone you love is fighting to be heard, you’ll leave with language, next steps, and the confidence to ask for what you need.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs validation, and leave a review to help more people find these stories. Your voice helps others get the care they deserve.

Yale article referenced in this episode: https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/endometriosis/

Martha's doctors/surgeons:

Dr. Thomas Curran (https://www.getcare.muschealth.org/providers/thomas-curran-1205147022)

Dr. Cristian M. Thomae (https://www.getcare.muschealth.org/providers/cristian-thomae-1306934658)

Send us a text

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com, and find us on all the socials. Be safe and be excellent to each other.