Inflection Point With Lauren Schiller

I am so glad you’re catching our current season about “radicals”-- Radical actions, radical system change and the people who are making it happen right now: In the workplace--if you’re still catching up, check out my conversations with Katie Bethel of Paid Leave for the US & Morgan Mercer who is using Virtual Reality to end sexual harassment... Or if government policy is your thing—you’ll love hearing from the team experimenting with Basic Income in Stockton, CA...and don’t miss Shannon Watts the founder of Moms Demand Action whose gun sense movement used the power of moms to go from from Facebook Page to front page news... And don’t miss my live conversations with activists—Gloria Steinem, and with Eve Ensler about the radically transformative power of apology. Plus hear from Jennifer Weiner, whose new book “Mrs Everything” asks who’s really making women’s choices? Are we--or our system?” All that is in the feed right now! Coming up I have a couple of special summer-swap episodes from podcasters I

The times, they are a’changin’. This week on Inflection Point, I talk to author Jennifer Weiner about her newest bestselling book “Mrs. Everything”. The story is loosely based on Jennifer’s own mother, Fran, who got married, had 4 children and ultimately came out as a gay woman after Jennifer and her siblings were out of the house. Spanning two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the night of the 2016 political election, the book raises questions about who is really making women’s choices about our own lives...are we? Or our system? How did we get where we are, and how do we move on from here? Jennifer shares the facts behind her fiction, what it takes to write a good sex scene, what hasn't changed since #metoo started, and  how the personal becomes political. We spoke at Women Lit, a program of the Bay Area Book Festival on June 22, 2019 in Berkeley, California. *Thank you to our sponsors! * EO Essential Oils NATIVE Deodorant: 20% off your first purchase. Go to nativedeodorant.com and use promo code INFLECTI

Meet Shannon Watts, the author of Fight Like a Mother, and the founder of Moms Demand Action, a group that uses research, data, and a little bit of “nap-tivism” to throw their weight and money behind political candidates who are willing to put better gun control laws into action. The kicker? They’re winning. In the last election, they outspent even the NRA. Join us this week for a look at why our kids are subjected to violent and traumatizing active shooter drills, and what it takes to pass sensible gun legislation. We talk about the root cause of gun violence, who takes the brunt of the violence when background checks get lax, “losing forward” and the very real and positive change that is starting to take place as we come up to the 2020 elections. Support the production of our next season! It’s tax deductible. Click to support here. And when you’re done, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small, daily actions

This week on Inflection Point, I talk with Eve Ensler, award-winning playwright of The Vagina Monologues, about her new book “The Apology”, in which she writes in the voice of her father to apologize to herself--from him--for the years of sexual and physical abuse he perpetrated upon her. Stress warning: This episode contains conversation about sexual assault and violence. You will be blown away by Eve’s resilience, by her self-knowledge, by her strength of character, and by her deep well of compassion and empathy. Her ideas for political and social reform, as well as her profound insights into the human soul, make her a true radical, and radically empathetic. This week, we discuss the anatomy of a true apology, and the transformative power that apologies hold for the apologists themselves and their recipients. We discuss why punishment never leads to rehabilitation. We discuss the roots of abuse, and how we can start shifting the paradigm. A must-listen for anyone frustrated at the lack-luster apologies

America is one of only two countries in the world where you can be fired for taking a day off in order to give birth (let that sink in for a moment). As it stands, paid leave policy varies from company to company, state to state, but on a national level, there is no policy in place, no minimum requirements or baseline standard that applies to everyone. And it’s not just about moms—this lack of policy also has greater repercussions for how we define a family, in a political sense, and the relationship between the family and the workplace—men included. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand are both bringing attention to these issues, running on platforms of universal childcare, and paid medical and family leave. Katie Bethell, founder and executive director of Paid Leave for the US (PLUS), joins us this week to give us the alarming stats, talk nerdy government logistics, and offer some extremely practical advice on how we can use this particularly potent moment to push for political change. Join us

In 19th Century San Francisco's Chinatown only 1 in 10 people were women, and most of them were forced into prostitution, trafficked by criminal tongs. In today’s episode, meet the Scottish sewing instructor Donaldina Cameron and the women she collaborated with and helped escape from sex slavery between 1870 and 1930. This week, Julia Flynn Siler talks with Lauren about her new book “The White Devil’s Daughters: The Women Who Fought Slavery in San Francisco’s Chinatown”. Prepare yourself for bomb scares and bubonic plague quarantines, court cases and crowdfunding efforts. Join us in what is, ultimately, a conversation about standing up to a broken society, and how women can help women rise up. Recorded at the Bay Area Book Festival in May 2019 as part of their Women Lit programming.

This week, we hear about a radical idea to end poverty: Universal Basic Income. Lauren talks to the team behind an experiment with Guaranteed Income taking place in Stockton, CA the one-time foreclosure capital of America where 1 in 4 people live below the poverty line. Featuring conversations with Mayor Michael Tubbs, Natalie Foster of the Economic Security Project, and the co-principal investigators on this experiment: Dr. Amy Castro Baker of the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Stacia Martin West of the University of Tennessee. Guaranteed Income and Universal Basic Income—where money is given with no strings attached represents a radical shift in the way we think about the social contract. Could this be what a Feminist Economy looks like? Special thanks to Mia Birdsong for providing voices of Stockton residents, from her “More Than Enough” Podcast. Additional thanks to First Lady of Stockton, Anna Tubbs and Sukhi Samra, Executive Director of SEED. Learn more about the Stockton Demonstration.

In the post-#MeToo era, men who would never consider saying a harassing word or venture a grope are now asking themselves “can I hug a co-worker anymore?” **** “Can I put my arm around someone in a photo?” “Can I have dinner with a female co-worker...alone?” For the most part, workplace sexual harassment training includes the same rote video, awkward role-playing scenarios or yawn-inducing speaker, and is not remotely equipped to end a culture of enabling harassers or dismissing claims. What kinds of training tools will create a true change in workplace culture? The kind that helps workers and supervisors comprehend the nuances of what sexual harassment looks like and how the power dynamics of workplace sexual harassment can damage the careers and well beings of those harassed? Morgan Mercer, CEO of enterprise training platform Vantage Point, believes the answers to these questions, as well as more nuanced insights about the nature of workplace sexual harassment, lies in virtual reality. Listen to my

Last season on Inflection Point, we explored the concept of empowerment for women. And one of the many things we learned is that we can’t hope to achieve equality if only one gender is doing the work. Since I recorded that episode a new report came out from the American Psychological Association about the harms of ‘traditional masculinity.’ Yet not everyone is ready to accept this finding. So... what else needs to change in our culture, to enable boys and men to see women as their equals, and for women to see men as our allies? My guest today is Dr. Michael Reichert, a psychologist with a specialty in work with men and boys, author of the new book, “How to Raise a Boy” and the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Boys' and Girls' Lives, which is connected to the University of Pennsylvania. The study of gender--especially masculinity--as a social construct is "radical" because it challenges the entrenched belief that “boys will be boys.” Then again, it was considered radical to st

Times like these call for radical ideas. But is being a radical a positive thing? And if so, why are so many radicals seen as dangerous? In the first episode of the new season of Inflection Point: RADICALS, we’ll define what it really means to be a radical, look at some of the lasting change radicals have made throughout our history, and examine how those ideas went from unthinkable to mainstream. I invited Rad Women book series’ creators Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl to talk about how to spot a radical, because if anyone knows what a radical looks like and what it takes to be one, it’s them. We’re celebrating our 4 year anniversary of elevating women’s voices! Support the production of Inflection Point by clicking this link here. Thanks!

This special episode features my live conversation with activist, writer and feminist organizer, Gloria Steinem and Oakland-based artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez. The legendary Gloria Steinem is the author of several best-selling books, was a founding editor of and political commentator for New York Magazine and a founding editor of Ms. Favianna Rodriguez’s art and collaborative projects address migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and ecology. Favianna is also the Executive Director of CultureStrike, a national arts organization that engages artists, writers and performers in migrant rights. Gloria, Favianna and I spoke on stage at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco on February 21st, 2019 as part of Women Lit, a program of the Bay Area Book Festival. Gloria’s book of essays--now in its third edition--and the occasion for our conversation--is called “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions”--and there is no better or more timely theme! In this conversation we talked about the ongoing fig

This season I’m introducing you to the radical geniuses who are reshaping the systems as we know them. But according to today’s guest, we can all be radical geniuses by embracing a mindset of flexibility and resilience. Katie Goodman is a professional improviser and a comedian. Over the last twenty years her team has taught about 10,000 people from individuals to corporate groups how to use the tools of improv comedy in everyday life. Today, we’ll talk about how the powers of imagination, collaboration and “yes, and” can give us a new way of responding to problems the world throws at us. Subscribe to “Inflection Point” to get more stories of how women rise up right in your feed. Here’s a radical idea: contribute to Inflection Point and help us keep telling more stories! inflectionpoint.org/contribute. And when you’re done, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small, daily actions. Thank you to our sponsors t

This season Lauren introduces you to the “radical” people who are reshaping the systems as we know them--to get us closer to an equal society. New episodes every other Wednesday. Support our production with a tax deductible contribution. Click here. You contribute. We produce more episodes. Change happens.

As we finish up the first month of 2019 and embark upon the rest of what will no doubt be a tumultuous year, let’s hear some words of wisdom from a couple previous guests on how to be more intersectional in our feminism and what small, radical acts women and men can take to accelerate change. I’m revisiting advice that will give us hope and motivation in our march toward our goal of equality, while I work on my next season for you. Subscribe to “Inflection Point” to get more stories of how women rise up right in your feed on Apple Podcasts, RadioPublic, Stitcher and NPROne. And when you’re done, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small, daily actions. Support Inflection Point with a monthly or one-time contribution here.

Khalida Brohi was a teenager when she learned that her uncle had murdered her cousin to restore his family’s honor. Her cousin’s crime: falling in love with a boy who she wasn’t betrothed to marry. Since 2008, Khalida Brohi has been working to end honor killings and domestic violence in the indigenous communities of Pakistan. Her work has led to raising awareness abroad and at home and pressuring the Pakistani government to close loopholes in the law that allowed men to get away with the murder and violence against women in the name of honor. She also works in the villages to change the mindsets of men like her uncle and women like her grandmother. People whose dignity she must respect while helping them loosen the grip honor has had upon their sense of worth. Listen to my conversation with Khalida Brohi, author of I Should Have Honor in a special episode, recorded at the Women Lit event in San Francisco. And when you’re done, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday a

Fox News has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to silence women who were sexually harassed and assaulted while working there. The story of former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes’ rise to power and eventual downfall is the story of enablers: people who are willing to look the other way when a predator abuses people, and who are willing to step in and muzzle the victims he leaves in his wake. This story is still happening every day. How do tyrants win such undying loyalty from others? And what will it take to refuse to stand by and let powerful men get away with anything they want? Listen to my conversation with Alexis Bloom, the filmmaker behind the award-winning documentary, Divide & Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes. And when you’re done…consider a contribution, click here. Join The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists making extraordinary change here.

After asking the question all season: "Does all this female empowerment we’re striving for really lead to actual power?" The kind of power that puts women in charge of our bodies, our workplaces, our laws, and our futures... And asking people working in politics, business, tech and media who have a lot to say about empowerment to weigh in on these questions, I have an answer--sort of! Spoiler alert: the answers they gave led to more questions. But really, really important questions. Listen to this season wrap-up to find out what needs to happen next in the quest for equality. And when you’re done, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small, daily actions. Subscribe to “Inflection Point” to get more stories of how women rise up right in your feed on Apple Podcasts, RadioPublic, Stitcher and NPROne. (Please note, this episode was marked explicit because there are three unbleeped swear words.)

What’s going on with men? Why is it so hard to negotiate the gender power dynamic in everyday situations, like work meetings? Can masculinity exist without its more toxic forms? And why can men get away with sexual misconduct---and even end up seeming like the “real” victim when they’re accused? While I’ve taken this season of Inflection Point to focus on what women can do to rise up and have more power, John Biewen and Celeste Headlee of the podcast Scene on Radio - MEN have been examining how the patriarchy that we’re rising up against was formed in the first place--and what to do about it. Today we’re taking a look at the conversations we’ve had over the past seasons of both shows and comparing notes to see if we can find some answers--together. After you’ve listened, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small, daily actions. Subscribe to “Inflection Point” to get more stories of how women rise up right in

Author Ruth Whippman has been studying the self-improvement industry for years. She’s come to the conclusion that empowerment feminism is, well, BS. According to Ruth, systemic change doesn’t come from trendy girl-power t-shirts or aspirational Instagram quotes. In fact, Ruth thinks the conceit that women could make equality happen if we just...empowered ourselves more shifts the blame for a system of injustice to individuals with the least power to effect change. So how women are supposed to get power if we can’t simply take it for ourselves? I sat down with Ruth to gain some perspective on this whole question of empowerment---and what exactly needs to change for empowerment to lead to power. Ruth Whippman is the author of "America the Anxious. How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks." After you’ve listened, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small, daily actions. Subscribe to “I

Dr. Safiya Noble was studying Library Science when an academic colleague suggested she google ”black girls.” The top search results were images that perpetuated negative stereotypes, misogyny and exploitation. That discovery was the beginning of an investigation that eventually became Safiya’s book, “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism”. Immediate access to powerful search engines is seen as an empowering force in this world, but what if our reliance on search engines is perpetuating oppressive ideas and hateful ideologies--even swaying elections? Find out in this episode. And when you’re done, come on over to The Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small, daily actions. Subscribe to “Inflection Point” to get more stories of how women rise up right in your feed! Thank you to our sponsor Zulily. Go to zulily.com/inflection in November for an extra 20% off clothes, decor and more when you sign up.