Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!We’re back with another banned book discussion; this month’s book is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Tune in to hear our thoughts about The Giver.Mentioned in this episode: https://thisbookisbanned.com/banned/the-giver-banned/Support the showSupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!At the young age of 14, guest Linda Gambill decided that she wanted to join the Peace Corps. In her early 20s, Linda took the plunge and became one of the many Peace Corps volunteers in 1978. In her memoir, The Geography of Desire, Linda takes us along as she revisits her time in The Gambia. If you ever wanted to know what it's really like to be a volunteer in a foreign land, this is the episode for you. Linda Gambill has been a therapist at a state psychiatric hospital, a Peace Corps volunteer, a nationally exhibited photographer, and a teacher of English as a Second Language. Her writing has appeared in Persimmon Tree and Parhelion Literary. The Geography of Desire is her first book. A fellow of the Hambidge Center, she lives in Tennessee with her husband and their talkative rescue cat.Where to find Linda Gambill:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindaVgambill/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindagambillwriter/Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!We're starting a new, periodic series on the show about envisioning matriarchy. This episode is such a great way to start this series. Our guest this week, Sam Cross, literally wrote a book about it - Manifesting Matriarcy. In this episode, we talk about what matriarchy really is, how it can show up now in our daily lives, and what we can do to help bring it about for all of us. Sam Cross is a spiritual teacher and artist. She channels the information she receives through her creative work, and she also helps other purpose-based creatives channel their work. As she sees it, "creativity" is the divine light we can all access. Sam's work centers around gender, purpose, soul embodiment, and understanding what we're really talking about when we use words like "divine feminine" and "matriarchy."Where to find Sam Cross:Instagram: @crosssamTikTok: @cross.samBooks: The Art of Being Light, my handwritten illustrated memoir (2025, digital and on Amazon) AND   Manifesting Matriarchy, another handwritten journey (2026, digital)Course: The Grounded CreatorPodcast: Let's Get MetaphysicalSubstack: QueeritualitySupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!It's time for another installment of our Banned Books Series! This time we're discussing Zakiya Dalila Harris' debut novel, The Other Black Girl. Tune in to hear our conversation about the book and what it says about the lack of diverse representation in the publishing industry, tokenism, and what it means to be the "other Black girl".Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!In this episode, guest Jen Gallagher of Jen Gallagher Counseling LLC joins the show to talk anger and rage in midlife women. In her work as a limited licensed psychologist, owner of Jen Gallagher Counseling LLC, a certified menopause mental health provider and a recovering 'nice girl’, Jen focuses her practice on midlife women and their rage. Tune in to this conversation to learn more about rage and anger and their rightful place in the experiences of midlife women. Where to find Jen Gallagher:Website: https://www.jengallaghercounseling.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gallagher-ma-llp-mmhpc-473355409/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midliferagetherapy/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585676378977Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!The topic of this minisode is Pink Pill Ideology. Not quite sure what that is - here's the link to the Instagram post that inspired this conversation: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZaBSGMq29F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Has your social media feed been infiltrated by Pink Pill Ideology? Or your real life? We'd love to hear about your experience!Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “well read”? Books written by a bunch of dead white men probably comes to mind. Thankfully, Glory Edim’s anthology Well-Read Black Girl turns that on its head by focusing on literature written by Black women. Tune in to hear our thoughts.Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!Big changes are coming to Madness Cafe! We go into detail about what, when, and why in this episode.Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!Erica Baccus and her husband John were faced with the emotionally fraught decision of whether (and then how and when) to end John’s life when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Erica’s book A Promise Kept chronicles their love story and Erica’s promise to honor John’s wish to die with dignity. Death is a topic that our society doesn’t handle well; hopefully our discussion and Erica and John’s journey can help.Where to find Erica Baccus and her book:Website: http://ericabaccus.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericabaccus/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erica.baccus/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-baccus-82a60/Mentioned in this episode: In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom - www.amybloom.com/books/in-loveSupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!The next book in our Banned Books Series is Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. In it, Bechdel dives into her relationship with her father, their sexuality, and his death - all illustrated by the author. Each picture holds true to the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words“. Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!You’ve seen us cry many times, but this episode feels different. The world is truly complicated and problematic at times - especially now. But, what do we do about it? This is our cry for help.Photo by The New York Public Library on UnsplashSupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!Narcissism, for good or bad, is a bit of a hot topic right now. But, what do we really know about narcissism? Dr. Susan E. Schwartz comes back to talk to us about narcissism (and love) from the perspective of Jungian analysis. More about Susan E. Schwartz, PhD: Dr. Schwartz has trained in Switzerland as a Jungian analyst. A member of the International Association of Analytical Psychology, (IAAP) and a presenter at conferences, workshops and on YouTube, she has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters. Where to find Dr. Schwartz:Website: www.susanshwartzphd.comSupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!Do Black women and white women experience patriarchy differently? If so, how? This conversation is inspired by a post on Instagram by @bunmisupreme. The inspiration for this episode: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTx37k6DmE0/?igsh=MWtvMzQwamdna2pjMQ==Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!*** Correction: "I did notice one mistake at the end of the conversation regarding a statistic. I said that maternal mortality is 4 women per 1,000 live births in The Netherlands versus 1,000 out of 1,000 live births in other countries. What I meant to say was 4 per 100,000 and 1,000 per 100,000 live births." - LiselotteMay 5 is International Day of the Midwife and the theme this year is "One Million More Midwives". The message is simple but urgent: the world is facing a critical shortage of midwives, and without investment in the workforce, women and newborns will continue to pay the price. Every two minutes, a woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth complications, most of them preventable. Evidence shows that with one million more midwives, we could prevent 67% of maternal deaths, 64% of newborn deaths and 65% of stillbirths — saving more than 4.3 million lives by 2035. To discuss all of this and more, our guest this week is Liselotte Kweekel - a midwife with 15 years of experience in community-based care in the Netherlands, including home births and running an independent midwifery practice. She currently works as a Midwife Advisor at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). Alongside her clinical work, Liselotte has worked for and with midwives’ associations for many years, supporting their development and strengthening their role at national and international level. She has extensive experience building partnerships through twinning, supporting long-term exchange, learning, and collaboration between midwives across different countries and care settings. In recent years, her work has focused on supporting midwives and midwives’ associations in humanitarian and crisis-affected contexts, working closely with UN partners and national stakeholders to strengthen midwifery leadership and response capacity. Liselotte also volunteers with Doctors of the World in the Netherlands, supporting undocumented migrants in accessing appropriate sexual and reproductive healthcare. She is also a mother of two daughters.Where to find more information:International Confederation of Midwives website: https://millionmore.org/ICM petition: https://millionmore.org/petition/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/world_midwives/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-confederation-of-midwives/posts/?feedView=allSupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!This month's installment of our Banned Books Series is Kirsten Miller's novel Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books. Joining the discussion this month is fan and friend of the pod Charie Procter (who also happens to be one of Raquel's sorority sisters from their alma mater Vanderbilt University). This month's book is a testament to the importance of books, the influence of librarians, and the significance of finding the right book at the right time. Tune in to hear the discussion and let us know what banned book found you at a time that was significant. Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!GLP-1s, trad wives, fat phobia, body policing, thinness as a moral imperative, performative masculinity and femininity. Everywhere you turn someone is talking about weight and fascism; but are the two related? We dive into the connection in this week's episode. Join us down this rabbit hole, won't you? What are your thoughts about body fascism?Consulted for this episode: Let Us Explain: Body Fascism – ScalawagFeminism, Fascism, & the Future podcast - No Fat Soldiers episode -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/12-no-fat-soldiers-the-fascist-war-on-the-body/id1712028499?i=1000745807985https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/far-right-radicalise-thin-skinny-fat-shame-women-girls-social-media-tiktok/We Are in a Period of Body Fascism, and It Is Completely Intentional – The Catalyst.OP-ED: The People’s Ozempic: Thinness, White Supremacy, and Fascism | AFROPUNK.Big Back Panic: Fatphobia's Rebrand - In These TimesSupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!In this week's episode author Emily Meg Weinstein joins us to discuss her memoir Turn to Stone. Emily does so much more than just chronicle a significant time in her life or regale the reader with tales of her rock climbing adventures, she examines her own fears and desires, leading to realizations that are simultaneously personal and universal. This is a conversation of and for the heart. We hope you enjoy it.More about Emily Meg Weinstein:Emily Meg Weinstein is the author of Turn to Stone, her début memoir. An essayist, educator, and activist, Weinstein is a founding member of Climbers for Palestine California, the sole proprietor of her own tutoring company, and holds a Bachelorette of Arts with honors from Brown University in the self-created major "Human Freedom and Education." Her work has been featured in Orion, LitHub, Electric Lit, Salon, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Longreads, Climbing, Rock and Ice, and other publications, and her essay, “Mating Habits of the Asterisk,” received a notable mention in Best American Essays 2015. Born in New York and raised in Queens and Long Island, Emily lives, writes, and teaches on a houseboat in the San Francisco Bay, roams in her minivan, and roots for the New York Mets.Where to find Emily Meg Weinstein:Website: emilymegweinstein.com Instagram: @emilymweinsteinFacebook: @emilyweinsteinHer book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Turn-to-Stone/Emily-Meg-Weinstein/9781668047859 Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!In this week's episode, we discuss Just Pills: The Extraordinary Story of a Revolution in Abortion Care by Rebecca Kelliher. This book details the history of mifepristone and misoprostol - the two pills used in medication abortions. Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!This month's installment of our Banned Books Series is all about The Vagina Monologues - the play written by V (formerly known as Eve Ensler) in 1994. "Based on dozens of interviews V conducted with women, the play addressed women’s sexuality and the social stigma surrounding rape and abuse, creating a new conversation about and with women." The Vagina Monologues is just as important and powerful now as it was more than 30 years ago. Tune in to hear our thoughts about the play, vaginas, and the role men need to play in the movement to address the violence against women. Where to find The Vagina Monologues: https://www.vday.org/Support the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!We talk often on this show about the collapse of patriarchy, listening to new and different voices and perspectives, and the envisioning of a new way forward for society. It's also important to talk about how women are supporting patriarchy. This week's guest is one of those voices examining our present while envisioning a new future - Mansi Sethiya is an advocate, teacher, and institutional critic whose work bridges the classroom and the courtroom. She is also a TEDx Speaker who spoke about empowering voices and challenging societal norms through public speaking and education. Mansi's blend of TEDx speaking experience, academic excellence, and advocacy make her a powerful voice for conversations on law, education, and social change. Where to find Mansi Sethiya:Instagram: @mansi_sethiyaTEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/32-Jj3TMcME?si=UcGk28oAeN--S13UMentioned in this episode: https://goettner-abendroth.de/en/publications/booksSupport the showBe part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!