This week on Read Like a Woman, we’re welcoming Whitney back to the mic — truly the hero of last-minute schedule chaos. Together, we dive into girlhood and the way female protagonists have evolved from flat tropes into complex, unruly, tender, powerful women. We talk about what it means to grow up reading stories about girlhood while trying to make sense of our own, and how those narratives continue to shape who we are becoming.

A quick heads up: we did run into some microphone issues (the girlhood-to-womanhood pipeline is rarely smooth, and apparently neither is recording). Thanks for listening!

In this episode of Read Like a Woman, Danielle sits down with Madeline — a writer and fantasy lover whose creative journey has been deeply shaped by her faith. Together, they explore what it means to build confidence as a storyteller, the joy of finding strong female leads in “clean” reads, and how imagination and belief can coexist in beautiful and complex ways. This conversation is a reminder that every woman’s reading life is her own — and that there’s room for all of us in the world of stories.

Content Warning: This episode includes open conversations about Christianity and themes related to sin and religion. If you’ve experienced religious trauma or find those topics triggering, please take care of yourself and skip this one if needed.

This episode includes brief mentions of addiction and a discussion of a book that depicts sexual assault around 44 - 46 minutes. Listener discretion is advised—please take care while listening.

In this episode of Read Like a Woman, Danielle sits down with Ashlie to talk about the power of strong female main characters and what draws us to them. From finding ourselves in their stories to using fiction as a form of reflection and escape, this conversation explores how the books we love mirror who we are—and who we’re becoming. Whether you’re deep into your current read or just looking for your next one, this episode is a reminder of how women’s stories shape us, one page at a time.