Get to know Cecile Richards, a national leader for women’s right and social and economic justice in this Rebel Girls Interview. Cecile brought us the story of Samantha Power who served as the U.S Ambassador to the United Nations. Here, Cecile tells us about the rebel women who inspired her growing up and why you should never wait to be asked!  [This episode originally aired October 2020.]

Once upon a time, there was a girl who told powerful stories, and helped solve world problems. Her name is Samantha Power. Samantha was born in Ireland and moved to the United States with her mom and brother when she was 9 years old. She was always interested in telling stories and explaining how the world worked so she became a journalist, first in sports and later as a war correspondent. But world events pushed her into a life of service to her adopted country. Samantha worked for President Barack Obama and eventually served as the U.S Ambassador to the United Nations.

About the Narrator

Cecile Richards is a national leader for women’s rights and social and economic justice, and a co-founder of Supermajority, a new organization fighting for gender equity. She is the author of New York Times bestseller Make Trouble. As President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund for 12 years, Richards worked to increase affordable access to reproductive health care and to build a healthier and safer world for women and young people. [This episode originally aired October 2020.]

Credits

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and Boom Integrated, a division of John Marshall Media. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. Our Executive Producers are Jes Wolfe and Katie Sprenger. This season was produced by John Marshall Cheary, Sarah Storm, and Robin Lai. Corinne Peterson is our Production Manager. This episode was written by Alexis Stratton and edited by Maithy Vu. Proofread by Ariana Rosas. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi who has also sound designed this episode. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer.

Kelsey Mitchell is the new single-season scoring leader, Angel Reese hit 500 rebounds — a league FIRST — and that's only the beginning! 

This week on the Weekly Sports Show, Pepper's got the scoop on:

🏀 Records everywhere: A'ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers & Rhyne Howard all made history 🎟️ The Valkyries sold out 44 STRAIGHT games  and the WNBA just passed 3.4 MILLION fans this season! 🗽 Lisa Leslie's statue "The First Lady" unveiled — capturing the first dunk in WNBA history 🏄‍♀️ 19-year-old Erin Brooks won her THIRD straight surf title — the first to do it in one season since 2008!

Plus, Gotham FC updates, a new speedsuit on the track, and team USA flag football star Ashlea Klam shares her advice on finding your place and staying true to your passions in this week's Pep Talk 💬

Play Rebel and Stay Rebel! ✌️

Meet Maya2960, a social media activist and political commentator, brought us the story of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Listen in as Maya shares the ups and downs of using her voice to influence social and political change. [This episode originally aired September 2021.]

Born in New York City in 1924, Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman from a major political party to run for President. As an outspoken politician, educator, and activist, Chisholm fought for gender and racial equality, better wages for workers, and a more equal and just world. In 2015, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, who echoed the words Chisholm herself said she wanted to be remembered by: “Shirley Chisholm had guts.” [This episode originally aired September 2021.]

About the Narrator

Maya is a recent college graduate who began her Tiktok career during the quarantine lockdown in spring of 2020. As Maya started exploring more ways Tiktok could be used as a means of political change, she began writing witty raps about the former president, which eventually became the “Trump Freestyle” series. As her platform grew, she began making funny educational videos explaining a range of political topics from freedom of speech to how the impeachment process works. She has used her platform to encourage viewers to engage in politics not only through voting, but also by registering as poll workers, contacting their representatives, and even participating in civil disobedience movements like reserving tickets to Trump's June 2020 Tulsa rally. Maya has also received national press coverage this year surrounding her work feeding those in need around St. Louis using her unused university meal plan. In her free time Maya loves writing music and playing tennis. 

Credits

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and is based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Camille Stennis. Sound design and mixing by Camille Stennis. This episode was written by Alexis Stratton and fact checked by Joe Rhatigan. Executive Producer is Katie Sprenger. Haley Dapkus is our Production Manager. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A big thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this show possible! For more, visit rebelgirls.com. And if you like what you heard, don’t forget to rate and review this episode, and share it with your friends! Until next time, stay REBEL!

BREANNA STEWART JUST. KEEPS. WINNING. 

Four World Cup golds. Three WNBA titles. Three Olympic golds. And she's NEVER lost a game in the NCAA tournament, Olympics, or World Cup?! And that's just the beginning...

🎾 Elena Rybakina wins her first US Open title AND takes the No. 1 ranking!

🏀 Jackie Young is the ONLY player ever to win at every level — high school, NCAA, WNBA, World Cup AND two kinds of Olympic gold

👗 Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee & the Williams sisters take over New York Fashion Week!

Plus, dogsledder and adventurer Blair Braverman shares how she stays true to herself in stressful moments in this week's Pep Talk.

Catch new episodes every Friday as we bring you all of the news in Women’s Sports.

Play Rebel ⚡ Stay Rebel

This season, we invited our credit readers to interview our storytellers. Today, you'll hear from Justina Machado who narrated the previous episode about Celia Cruz. If you haven't listened to last week's episode, now is a good time to go back and check it out! Machado reveals the way she cultivated her personal style as well as how she finds hope in the current political climate. [This episode originally aired June 2019.]

About Machado:

A talented and versatile actress, Justina Machado continues to endear audiences and earn critical acclaim with each new role. Machado can currently be seen starring as the lead in Netflix’s highly-reviewed reimagining of Norman Lear’s ONE DAY AT A TIME opposite Rita Moreno. The series follows three generations of a Cuban-American family living under one roof. Machado stars as Penelope, a newly-single war veteran, raising her two children with the help of her mother (Moreno). Machado appeared opposite Gina Rodriguez in the fourth season of the CW comedy series, JANE THE VIRGIN, and voiced the character Carmen in Disney’s animated series, ELENA OF AVALOR. Machado is perhaps most well known for her role as “Vanessa Diaz” in HBO’s SIX FEET UNDER, which ended its five-season run in 2005 with an impressive accumulation of award nominations and wins including a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. On the big screen, Machado has been seen in THE PURGE: ANARCHY, which was released by Universal in 2014. Additional film credits include THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND opposite Uma Thurman, Bernard Tevenier’s IN THE ELECTRIC MIST opposite Tommy Lee Jones, and the independent film PEDRO, which debuted at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Her television credits include QUEEN OF THE SOUTH, GREY’S ANATOMY, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, PRIVATE PRACTICE, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, DEVIOUS MAIDS, SWITCHED AT BIRTH, THE FOSTERS, and MURDER POLICE. On the stage, Machado made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, as well as the world premiere production of A FREE MAN OF COLOR directed by George Wolfe at the Lincoln Center Theater. Machado also starred opposite Marc Feuerstein in Neil Labutte’s SOME GIRLS at the Geffen Theater.

Born and raised in Chicago as the eldest of five children in a family of Puerto Rican descent, Machado started acting upon graduating from high school. Her stellar performances on stage at the Latino Chicago Theater paved the way for her now burgeoning career.

Credits:

This episode of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is produced by Elena Favilli, Joy Fowlkes, and Meg Murnane. Sound design and original theme music by Elettra Bargiacchi. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer. Special thanks to Clio McClure for coordinating our credit readers and interviewers.

Once upon a time, a girl learned to sing before she could talk. Her name was Celia. She began singing to her siblings and cousins at bedtime, but a voice like that needed to be shared. Everywhere she went, she sang. She sang when she was in pain and she sang when she felt incredible joy—shouting an exuberant “¡Azúcar!” to her adoring fans. In glittering gowns and extravagant, ruffled ensembles, Celia filled the airwaves with her unique sound. Her talent earned her the name “The Queen of Salsa” as she spread Cuban music throughout the world. [This episode originally launched August 2020.]

About the Narrator:

Justina Machado is a talented and versatile actress, known for her roles across TV and Broadway.

Credits:

This episode of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is produced by Elena Favilli, Joy Fowlkes, and Meg Murnane, with writing by Tori Telfer and narration by Justina Machado. Jestine Ware edited all scripts and Janice Weaver fact-checked all scripts. Sound design and original theme music by Elettra Bargiacchi. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer. Special thanks to Clio McClure who coordinated all credit recordings and narrator donations.

Jordan Chiles announces her LA 2028 comeback with Michael Jordan, USA Basketball's win streak hits 33, tennis star Alex Eala shines, NWSL history is made, US Open fashion, and a pep talk from bikepacker Tegan Phillips. Play Rebel, Stay Rebel!

She traded in one career for a rolling pin and never looked back. Meet Hetal Vasavada, cookbook author and the creative force behind Milk & Cardamom. In this episode of Get to Know a Rebel, we sit down with Hetal for real talk about baking disasters, finding your path, and what it actually takes to build a career doing what you love.

In this episode:

🍪 Hetal's #1 tip for fixing cookie fails (hint: it involves a kitchen scale!)

⚖️ Why baking is really just science in disguise

🌶️ Her advice for any girl who dreams of becoming a chef

Hetal is featured in the new Rebel Girls cookbook, Family Favorites. Be sure to get the book and give her recipe a try! 

Stay Rebel ⚡

Once, there was a girl who put a man on the Moon. Her name was Margaret Hamilton. When she was young, girls didn't study computers. But Margaret was curious about space, and she was smart. Really smart. She never thought twice about being the only woman in the room. With her cool-headedness and brilliant programming skills, she was able to avert disaster and maneuver the first successful American moon landing, Apollo 11. [This episode originally launched March 2018.]

Poorna Jagannathan is an actress and the producer of "Nirbhaya" ('Fearless'), the critically-acclaimed play written and directed by Yael Farber. Based on real-life events, the play breaks the silence around sexual violence and was called by The Telegraph as one of the "most powerful pieces of theater you’ll ever see.”

Jagannathan gained international recognition for her portrayal of a journalist in the 2011 Bollywood film "Delhi Belly" and has appeared as series regular on HBO's "The Night Of" and Netflix's "Gypsy." She is currently a member of the ensemble cast of HBO's "Room 104," created by the Duplass brothers.

This episode of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is produced by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, with writing and operation support by Darby Maloney and Elyssa Dudley. Sound Design and Original Theme Music by Elettra Bargiacchi.