Herstory The Podcast

24/10/2025

We’re keeping it spooky. This week Amy educates us on the Casket Girls, women brought from France to the French colonies of Louisiana to marry. But there’s a spooky twist. Shelby discusses Countess Dolingen de Gratz, a literary character in one of Bram Stoker’s short stories, “Dracula’s Guest.”

16/10/2025

Boo! It’s spooky season, so we’re kicking it off with women who were either legitimately possessed or claimed to be. What do we know? We’ve never been possessed, so we don’t judge.
Amy covers Clara Germana Cele, a South African Christian girl, who was said to be possessed by a demon.
Only depictions, not photos, exist but we included St Michaels where it happened and our guess of her levitations!
Shelby recounts the story of Anna Elisabeth “Anneliese” Michel, a German woman who underwent 67 Catholic exorcism rites during the year before her death. There are photos of her prior to her death but they’re unsettling so you can take that to google on your own.

09/10/2025

EPISODE 200!
We had to celebrate this milestone by covering one of the most iconic Herstorians of all.
We spent an hour talking about the one and only and learning about her life’s work. An absolute legend.
(Bonus photos of Shelby’s adorable horse sweater and Amy with a Sasquatch.)
#200

03/10/2025

Herstorians - Y’all. First, an apology. For whatever reason, our recording equipment decided to act up not once but twice while we tried to record. The sound on this episode is not our best. Regardless, please enjoy this episode on Colombia.
Shelby covers Policarpa Salavarrieta Rios, aka La Pola. She was a 19th-century seamstress who spied for the Revolutionary Forces during Colombia’s fight for independence from Spain. it seems there is also a beer named in her honor as well as what looks like a very sexy novela.
Amy educates us on Débora Arango, a Colombian artist marred by scandal, just because she was ahead of her time. We included some of her art but not the true nudes as we didn’t want get a demerit from IG.
🇨🇴

29/09/2025

22/09/2025

Better late than never! Today’s episode is out. We catch up and talk about why we’re a few (10) hours late and then we talk about Mabon aka the autumnal equinox.

16/09/2025

This week, Shelby gave us a Party of One on the amazing documentary The Herricanes. That’s right, women’s tackle football. 🏈 Give it a listen and then watch the doc.

02/09/2025

There are so many buildings named after people whom we have no idea ever existed, and that’s why we’re focusing this week’s episode on women who have a building named after them. Amy tells us about Juana Briones, a Californio ranchera, medical practitioner, and merchant, often remembered as the “Founding Mother of San Francisco.” Shelby discusses Mary Stone McLendon (aka Ataloa), a concert vocalist, teacher, humanitarian, and American Indian culture preservationist.

25/08/2025

We did not realize we had already covered professors before we recorded, so welcome to Professors II! It’s a Herstroy first. (We’re making Herstory herstory!)
Amy educates us on Maria Mitchell, an American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator. Shelby discusses American feminist legal scholar, activist, and author, Catharine A. MacKinnon.

31/07/2025

While we’re not exactly on a far away island drinking tiny umbrella topped drinks, we have been traveling non stop for family and work. But we will be back before you know it with a fresh episode of Herstory!

23/07/2025

This week’s episode is a Party of One. A very, very brief herstory of women’s accessories. Sometimes they’re not all they seem.
A folding fan could be used to gossip or indicate your relationship status!
Before the modern purse, women had to use a little bitty reticule.
Parasols were legit items for self-defense!
Hatpins became regulated by law because poor little men we’re being held responsible for their actions.
And the all-time classic poison ring!

14/07/2025

This week we’re celebrating the smarty pants - lady geniuses! So many to choose from but we settled on two. Shelby covers American geneticist, Nettie Stevens. Amy tells us about U.S. Navy officer and a pioneer in computer programming, Grace Hopper.