A lot of us carry a bathroom story like a secret scar. We decided to tell ours out loud. We open with clear, useful GI truths, then tumble headlong into the messy middle where science meets life: nurses dodging diarrhea, a patient seemingly “birthing” something awful, and an outrageous septic tank failure that no one was prepared for. It’s raw, ridiculous, and surprisingly reassuring.

We step back in time to toilet history and the pungent realities of pre-plumbing cities, where waste fell from windows and tapestries hid more than art. That context reframes modern embarrassment and reminds us how far we’ve come. Along the way we decode poop & pee color changes, and share the practical tricks you’ll be glad to know before your next meal or medicine. Travel adds stakes: food poisoning at 35,000 feet, flight attendants quietly setting aside a lavatory, and the small mercies that make survival possible.

Threaded through is a creative arc: years ago Jane & Heidi wrote Shiterature, a humor collection of true bodily malfunctions, but the market wasn’t ready. Now it is. They're dusting it off, aiming for print, and opening the doors to your stories so it reflects more than their own. If you’ve ever laughed until you peed, sprinted for a bathroom, or survived a plumbing apocalypse, you’re among friends here. Hit play for equal parts anatomy, history, catastrophe, and catharsis—and if it makes you feel less alone, that’s the win. Subscribe, share with the brave souls in your group chat, and email us your story at info@thewomenareplotting.com. We can’t wait to read it!

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

What if the person you love most thrives on making you small? We go straight into the lived realities of narcissistic parents, partners, and friends—how they isolate, control, and turn you into “supply”—and what it takes to break free. We start with the facts, including DSM-5 prevalence estimates and why real-world numbers may be higher, then move into raw personal stories: body shaming in public, relentless phone calls, stalking, and that gnawing guilt that lingers long after you set a boundary.

Therapy becomes a lifeline. You’ll hear how a simple notebook exercise—documenting every small kindness—rewired a brain trained to remember only pain. We talk about gray rock in clear, practical terms: when it helps, why it can trigger blowback, and how to pair it with safety planning. We also unpack covert versus overt narcissism. Not every narcissist is loud; some hide behind fragility, passive-aggressive compliments, and constant blame-shifting. The result is the same: you become smaller, more apologetic, and less yourself.

We challenge the “family first” script and offer a different compass: peace over performative loyalty. When someone targets your kids or uses religion, illness, or guilt as a leash, it’s time to set limits. Expect escalation; prepare with allies, documentation, and if needed, legal options. Along the way we name the tactics—gaslighting, projection, supply—so you can spot them early. We also explore where hope might come from, from CBT to new modalities, without pretending there’s a cure for NPD today.

If you’re navigating narcissistic dynamics, you’re not alone. Press play for language, tools, and courage to protect your mind, rebuild your worth, and choose a life that feels safe and wide open again. If this conversation resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited -- the book referenced by Etty in this episode.

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

The bravest thing about midlife isn’t the leap. It’s admitting the life you’ve outgrown—and choosing the one that actually fits. We dig into the surge in “gray divorce,” the myths around the midlife crisis, and why so many of us are trading the familiar grind for a more honest path. The stories are personal: leaving long marriages with care, discovering the power of therapy, and finding new careers that honor the work we’ve done and the art we still want to make.

We go there on menopause—hot flashes, brain fog, and the mental haze that can make everything feel harder—and how hormone replacement therapy, used thoughtfully with a clinician, can turn the lights back on. That clarity changes relationships: boundaries sharpen, equality becomes nonnegotiable, and the mental load gets named. We talk about great sex decades in, dating with self-respect, and the joy of partnerships that celebrate growth rather than fear it. Reinvention doesn’t just happen at home; it shows up in community. From Meetup to TikTok, we share practical ways to build a tribe in a new city, repair old ties, and cultivate friendships that hold through grief and change.

If you’ve ever wondered whether it's too late to start over, publish your first novel, move states, or simply ask for better—this conversation is proof that the clock isn’t your enemy. Fear is. And everything you ever wanted might be on the other side of it. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Then tell us: what new beginning are you ready to claim?

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

What if your favorite night out started with a paper flyer, a record shop clerk, and a map to a secret checkpoint? We rewind to the 90s and talk about the joy and grit of an analog life: finding raves by word of mouth, calling home from payphones that smelled like a thousand mornings, and guarding your cash, keys, and dignity in a pocket instead of a cloud. Reality Bites kicks off a bigger question that defined our generation—what does it mean to sell out—and we follow that thread through college radio, grunge, and the warehouse floors where strangers turned into friends.

We share the stories that never made it to social feeds: the after-hours marathons, the black dust in your nose that proved you danced hard, the thrill of airports when you could walk loved ones to the gate, and the chaos of getting lost without Google Maps until a stranger’s directions finally clicked. There’s real talk about safety and power too—mosh pits, elbows, and the moments when harassment exposed the worst of L.A.'s music industry—and how music still gave us a place to burn anger into something cleaner. Along the way, we remember thrifted flannels, the Rachel haircut, MTV’s Liquid Television, and the stubborn weight of a single photo you had to wait weeks to see.

If you’ve ever wondered why authenticity mattered so much—why some bands refused merch, why mixtapes felt sacred, why a twenty in an old coat could redeem a week—this conversation will feel like a mixtape made just for you. We also look forward, noticing how Gen Z embraces thrifting and pushes back on overconsumption, and we ask what a hybrid life could look like: digital tools with analog soul. Hit play, travel back with us, and then tell us your story. Subscribe, share with a friend who lived their own warehouse nights, and leave a review with the 90s song that still hits you in the chest.

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

We explore muses as myth, metaphor, and practice, from Greek goddesses and Homeric invocations to who or what inspired a few rock-and-roll gods. We connect inspiration to memory, trauma, and discipline.

• a film about a muse
• The creative catalysts for some Beatles and Clapton classics
• Greek Muses as daughters of memory and the role of invocation
• Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and the idea-migration concept
• mundane routines that trigger ideation
• a subway story as a study in noticing what's around you
• trauma-informed character building and credible villains
• ethics of borrowing from real life
• the unreliability of memory and writing from subjective truth
• empathy as a creative muscle that strengthens storytelling
• discipline, time management, and finishing the work

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com
And of course, you can find us on all the socials
Thanks, and until next time, be safe and be excellent to each other

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.

Heidi, Jane, and Etienne unpack what “friends with benefits” really means, where lines blur, and how rules and honesty can protect both the friendship and the fun. We share personal wins, cringes, and recoveries—plus what happens when chemistry, expectations, and silence collide.

• defining friends with benefits
• study insight on college FWB
• rules that work—safer sex, monogamy agreements, overnights, exit plans
• when a relationship slides into FWB without consent
• why communication prevents one-sided feelings and ghosting
• kissing chemistry, technique, and the unglamorous realities
• adult cross-gender friendships, boundaries, and hidden crushes
• age gaps, power dynamics, and consent clarity
• threesomes versus fantasy—performance pressure and logistics
• how to end kindly and salvage real friendships

Email us at info at the women are plotting.com
And of course, you can find us on all the socials
Thanks, and until next time, be safe and be excellent to each other

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.

Remember when coming home meant fumbling with a key on a chain around your neck, dropping your backpack, and turning on the TV before your parents got home from work? The Women Are Plotting podcast takes us back to those formative years when television wasn't just entertainment—it was our babysitter, teacher, and window to the world.

As self-described Gen X "latchkey kids," Etienne, Heidi, and Jane share how their favorite shows shaped their values and worldviews when parents weren't around to do it. Norman Lear's groundbreaking sitcoms tackled racism and social issues before many of us understood these concepts. Charlie's Angels inspired neighborhood play that extended storylines beyond the screen. Fantasy Island taught us to be careful what we wish for. And let's not forget those teenage crushes on Tom Selleck and Ricardo Montalban that led to bedroom wall posters and surreptitious fan mail.

Unlike today's on-demand viewing, our television experience was communal—everyone watched the same episode of The Cosby Show or discussed who shot J.R. the next day at school. This shared cultural experience created a unique generational bond that's hard to replicate in today's fragmented media landscape.

What's fascinating is discovering which shows hold up decades later and which make us cringe. The hosts explore this dichotomy while watching classics with their own children—from the progressive messaging of All in the Family to the now-shocking casual sexism of Three's Company. The shows that endure (Golden Girls, Cheers, The Twilight Zone) succeed through timeless storytelling, memorable characters, and universal themes that transcend their era.

Join this nostalgic yet insightful conversation about the television that raised a generation. What shows shaped your childhood? Share your memories with us at info@thewomenareplotting.com or find us on all social platforms.

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.

Three women share their most terrifying paranormal encounters and discuss how these experiences shaped their beliefs about the afterlife and energy that persists beyond death.

• Did Einstein believe in ghosts?
• According to Pew Research, how many Americans have seen a ghost?
• Is The U.S. or the U.K. considered the most haunted country in the world?
• Heidi had an encounter in a New Orleans bathroom.
• Jane witnessed something horrifyingly otherworldly in a field in Kansas
• Heidi experienced extreme poltergeist activity for six weeks
• Jane found protection from another ghost given to her by her a then-deceased relative
• Can you set boundaries with ghosts and paranormal activity?

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com, and find us on all social media platforms.

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.