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*** 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." - Liselotte

May 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=all

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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 show

Be 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.

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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 – Scalawag

Feminism, 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=1000745807985

https://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 Times

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Be 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.

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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: @emilymweinstein

Facebook: @emilyweinstein

Her book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Turn-to-Stone/Emily-Meg-Weinstein/9781668047859

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Be 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.

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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.

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Be 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.

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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/

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Be 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.

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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_sethiya

TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/32-Jj3TMcME?si=UcGk28oAeN--S13U

Mentioned in this episode: https://goettner-abendroth.de/en/publications/books

Support the show

Be 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.

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Content warning: In this week's episode, we share our thoughts about The Epstein Files. This is a heavy topic riddled with powerful emotions. Please take care of yourself and prepare yourself however you need to in order to listen. Or sit this one out if that is what is best for you.

Support the show

Be 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!

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