Sheela Na Gig Podcast

4 Women In Red / An interview with Jeanette Harrison and Jehnean Washington

Someone knows. Somewhere. The Victory Theatre Center presents the world premiere of Four Women in Red, a provocative new play, written by Laura Shamas (Chickasaw Nation) and directed by Jeanette Harrison (Onondaga). April & I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing director, Jeanette Harrison and starring actor, Jehnean Washington to talk about this provocative & important play that addresses the epidemic of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW.) Across the United States and Canada, Native Women and girls are being taken or murdered at a unrelenting and startling rate. For Native Americans, this adds one more layer of trauma upon existing wounds that cannot heal. Communities are pleading for justice and seeking to bring the necessary attention to this dire crisis. In Four Women in Red, four resilient women search for missing friends and relatives in the face of apathetic sheriffs and dwindling clues. Are their loved ones lost? Were they taken? Are they even alive? This moving new play celebrates the power of community as the women seek answers against all odds. Their roller coaster journey involves mystery, grief, prayer and moments of sudden joy. The Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505; (818) 841-5421; thevictorytheatrecenter.org Opens Jan 17th We urge you to listen to our interview and to go see this pertinent and remarkable play. We welcome your questions & conversations.
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 17: Sara Blakely

“Shorty Holiday Episode”! Everyone is swamped this time of year, so just give us 15 min, to learn about this gem of a Sheela!!! Sara Blakely is a self made American businesswoman and philanthropist, she is also the Founder and inventor of Spanx, an American the shape wear apparel company that launched in 2000. She started with 5000 dollars in savings and is now a billionaire. As a result, By 2012, Blakely landed on the cover of Forbes magazine for being the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world and was named in Time magazine's "Time 100" annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, she was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. Most everyone knows her product, but few know this incredible entrepreneur’s name or story and that’s because Blakely remains 100% owner of Spanx. She has never formally advertised, nor has she taken outside investment, nor taken Spanx public. The popularity and success of the product has been almost entirely the result of word of mouth and buzz. Go Sara! And yes, because of this, Sara often gets ignored by mainstream business news. Most reporters only write stories about companies when they announce a big funding round or go public, but Spanx has just been growing quietly for two decades now, but it wasn’t easy … Sara’s story is a story of failure, grit, and determination and everyone SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HER! So please, listen to this episode to find out more!!! We thank you!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 16: Mary Elizabeth Anderson

Mary Elizabeth Anderson was was an entrepreneur, real estate developer, rancher, viticulturist, and inventor. She built and managed an apartment building in Birmingham, Alabama, and owned and operated a cattle ranch and vineyard in Fresno, California. She was also, most notably, the inventor of what became known as the windshield wiper. Anderson's ingenuity, dedication and methodical progression from idea to sketch to eventually patent the window wiper, demonstrates her perseverance and self belief, despite the obstacles. She filed her windshield wiper patent before Henry Ford even started manufacturing cars. Unfortunately, Anderson failed to ever reap any financial benefits from her invention, during her lifetime, and as a result she's sadly been relegated to a footnote in the history of automobiles. The good news though is that Anderson was FINALLY inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011, nonetheless, you perhaps still don't know about her or enough about her and you should! This Sheela was fierce and her tenacity steadfast. Check her out here - and now you'll thank her every time you find yourself driving in the rain with your wipers on!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 15: Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller was a national icon, advocating for women’s and Indigenous people’s rights. Her passion led the local activist to be honored and recognized as the first woman elected as chief of the Cherokee nation, the second-largest Indian nation in the United States. Her visionary, principled leadership setting a standard for generations of women to follow and reminding us to challenge the status quo and overcome barriers for the betterment of our neighbors, communities and nation. A trailblazer in American history, this Sheela’s inspirational life and transformative leadership continues to inspire us today. We thank you for listening & welcome and encourage your comments & questions!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 14: Roberta Cowell

Roberta Cowell had been a record breaking race car driver, a Spitfire pilot and a prisoner of war – but her biggest challenge was to become the first person in Britain to undergo gender-reassignment. Roberta Cowell, or Betty as she was known to her friends, soon became the ‘most talked of woman in England,’ making headlines across national and regional newspapers. Her story is a testament to her undying spirit and commitment to honor and reveal her authentic self. Roberta's brave decision to change her life for her own betterment, and to let the world in on her most intimate of stories, whatever her reason, is truly remarkable. She brought Trans issues to the forefront and sparked a wider conversation about gender in society. She pioneered the way forward for gender reassignment and gender recognition in the UK and in the world. We commend this Sheela’s courage and willingness to share her journey openly, despite endless sacrifice and strife. We’d LOVE to hear your thoughts & questions regarding Robertya Cowell, so please let us know!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 13: Emily Hahn

"Chances are, your grandmother didn't smoke cigars and let you hold wild role-playing parties in her apartment-Chances are that she didn't teach you Swahili obscenities. Chances are that when she took you to the zoo, she didn't start whooping passionately at the top of her lungs as you passed the gibbon cage”. Sadly for you ... your grandmother was not." Emily "Mickey" Hahn was an American journalist and writer. Considered an early feminist and called "a forgotten American literary treasure" by The New Yorker magazine, she was the author of over 54 books and more than 200 articles and short stories. Emily Hahn traveled across the country dressed as a boy in the 1920s; ran away to the Belgian Congo as a Red Cross worker during the Great Depression; was the concubine of a Chinese poet in Shanghai in the 1930s; had an illegitimate child with the head of the British Secret Service in Hong Kong just before the outbreak of World War II; was involved in underground relief work in occupied Hong Kong; and moved back to the United States and became a pioneer in the fields of wildlife preservation and environmentalism before her death in 1997 at the age of ninety-two. She was a feminist trailblazer before the word even existed!! We were so thrilled to learn about this “Sheela” from our special guest, Jen Hitchcock of LA Bookshow fame! Mickey is going to rock your world, so listen in & let us know what you think!?
https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Said-No...
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 12: Martha Gellhorn

Martha Gellhorn was an American journalist and novelist who, as one of the first female war correspondents, candidly described ordinary people in times of unrest. While it may be commonplace to see female journalists in war zones today, it was not quite as common more than 80 years ago. During World War II, wartime correspondents rushed to the frontlines to report on the battles, but only around 100 of them were women. Of those, only a handful, such as Martha Gellhorn, have received recognition over the years. Though often remembered for her brief marriage to American author Ernest Hemingway, Gellhorn refused to be a “footnote” to his life. Sadly, Ernest Hemingway tried to sabotage her career out of jealousy and dim her light. Gellhorn dumped him, snuck aboard a hospital ship, and became one of the few journalists and the only woman to land at Normandy on June 6th, 1944. Her career spanned some six decades and she covered a dozen wars not to mention, drawing considerable praise for her fictional work as well. Delve into Martha Gellhorn with us and let’s celebrate this Hero of a Sheela! We’d LOVE to hear your comments! Thanx!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 11: Zelda Fitzgerald

The Sheela Na Gig Podcast celebrates women in history whose strength, talent, and perseverance went largely (or completely) unrecognized or perhaps someone you don't yet know about, but should! We are dedicated to celebrating women—one per episode—who we lovingly & reverently call “our Sheelas". When most think of Zelda Fitzgerald, we think of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s crazy, unhinged wife. However, up until quite recently, her life as an author, muse to her husband, and her truly liberated nature are often left out of her narrative. Zelda was criticized in her time and erased from her husband’s story. She was troubled and imperfect but also lived life authentically and for herself and had a lot more to do with her husband’s career than anyone ever even knew! Find out more here! We’d LOVE to hear your thoughts!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 10: The Night Witches

The Sheela Na Gig Podcast celebrates women in history whose strength, talent, and perseverance went largely (or completely) unrecognized or perhaps someone you don't yet know about, but should! We are dedicated to celebrating women—one per episode—who we lovingly & reverently call “our Sheelas". With what is arguably one of the most badass names in military history, the story of the female aviators nicknamed Nachthexen, or “Night Witches” by German soldiers, tends to be under-recognized in history. Flying no-frills wooden planes with ill-fitting uniforms and boots and no parachutes, these female Soviet pilots not only faced off against Nazis, but also judgment, doubt, and mistreatment by many of their male counterparts. Find out more about the Night Witches here! And what a story it is! Hats off these courageous trail blazers! Please listen! We’d LOVE to hear your thoughts!!
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Sheela Na Gig Episode 9: Margaret Knight

The Sheela Na Gig Podcast celebrates women in history whose strength, talent, and perseverance went largely (or completely) unrecognized or perhaps someone you don't yet know about, but should! We are dedicated to celebrating women—one per episode—who we lovingly & reverently call “our Sheelas. Margaret Eloise Knight has been called “the most famous 19th-century woman inventor but chances are, her name doesn’t stick out in your memory. Among her inventions, she is most remembered for inventing the machine that made flat-bottomed paper bags. She received dozens of patents in different fields over her lifetime and, in her day, she became a symbol for women’s empowerment! Please listen! We’d LOVE to hear your thoughts!! www.sheelanagigpodcast.com
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