Shows / Embodied
Embodied
Dig into the underdiscussed corners of the human experience. Each week, host Anita Rao leads intimate conversations with people unafraid to question what we think we know about identity, relationships and health.
Follow the show on Instagram at @embodiedwunc and on Bluesky at embodiedwunc.bsky.social. You can find Anita on Bluesky at asrao.bsky.social.
Episodes
EmbodiedDelivered (Part One): Supporting A Post-Baby Body
Anita has been around enough postpartum folks to know that there's a whole lot they felt unprepared for when it came to how their physical bodies would…
EmbodiedPerceived: Disrupting The Blind Stereotype
Anita got glasses young, and as a kid every time her prescription got worse, her anxiety about losing her vision spiked. She realizes now how much of that fear…
EmbodiedRe-Cleansed: Skip The 10-Step Routine, But Not Your SPF
Anita finally learned how to put on sunscreen properly and care for her body’s largest organ, thanks to medical and skincare industry experts who give advice…
EmbodiedCo-Parented: Raising Children In Community
Anita turns the mic over to guest host Omisade Burney-Scott to explore the many ways folks are raising kids outside the nuclear family unit. First, Omi talks…
EmbodiedFated: Terminal Illness & No-Limit Love
Anita knows there's no way she can prepare herself or her loved ones for the ways a terminal illness can alter their lives. But meeting people with incurable…
EmbodiedCounseled: How Sex Therapy Works
Anita's clocked hundreds of hours in therapy, and she's a fan. But there's a part of the profession she hasn't tapped yet: sex therapy. This kind of counseling…
EmbodiedScented: Life According To Your Nose
Anita sniffs out what's so fascinating about the science of smell — and gets her mind blown. A psychologist shares why smell is our most emotional sense, plus…
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Widowed: Living With 'Great Grief'
Anita shares an episode of a podcast produced by her colleagues that gets her teary every time she listens (but in a good way). “Black Widow” from the podcast…
EmbodiedTelevised: 'Sex Education' On Screen
Anita has been inhaling the Netflix show "Sex Education." It's bold, not just in its approach to representation and inclusivity, but also sex. A critic, sex…
EmbodiedReimagined: The Sex Ed You Deserve (But Didn't Get)
Anita remembers only a few things about her in-school sex education: humor-laden condom demos and pregnancy fear. It's safe to say, she had a lot to figure out…
EmbodiedPurified: The Lasting Legacy of The Abstinence Pledge
Anita grew up in the 1990s, the era of Purity Culture. Unlike Britney (Spears) and Jessica (Simpson), she had no purity ring, but she's seen how abstinence…
EmbodiedParented: Raising A Gender-Expansive Kid
Anita declines invites to gender-reveal parties, but she gets why some expectant parents look to gender as a way of organizing the world — they've been…
EmbodiedHooked Up: The Myth Of Sex With No Strings Attached
Anita is confused about hook up culture. Is it a thing, and if so, who makes the rules? She talks to a recent college grad about her research on the sex lives…
EmbodiedDreamed: Inside Your Night Brain
The name Embodied came to Anita in a dream, and she's on a quest to figure out how that happened. She talks to a dreamworker about strengthening the bridge…
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Unfriended: When Your BFF Breaks Your Heart
Anita got friend dumped for the first time in 6th grade, and she's still not over it. She talks to folks about the distinct pain of a platonic breakup and gets…
EmbodiedUncoupled: Thank U, Next
Anita has no qualms about being an armchair therapist for friends going through a breakup. But sometimes she wonders how her advice aligns with what…
EmbodiedEstranged: When Family Bonds Break
Anita has a close nuclear family unit but knows that's not the case for everyone. Meeting folks who — by choice or circumstance — are estranged from members of…
EmbodiedFloored: The Pelvic Muscles You Need To Know
Anita figures out why everybody's talking about the pelvic floor. Turns out, getting-to-know the hammock-like structure of muscles we carry around has helped…
EmbodiedVocalized: The Sound Of Who You Are
Anita's voice is her bread and butter, but yours likely means a lot to you too. How we sound speaks volumes about our identities...but should it? A vocalist, a…
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Painted: The Politics Behind Every Red Lip
Anita applies herself to learning the fascinating history of her favorite item of makeup: bold red lipstick. Experts and aficionados tell her about influencers…
EmbodiedAccepted: Bringing Body Neutrality Into The Conversation
Anita brings the RESOLVED series to a close by revisiting a conversation about body neutrality. Fat activists teach her about radical reframes, including body…
EmbodiedIntuited: Trusting Your Body On What And When To Eat
Intuitive eating is an approach to food and health that encourages tuning into your body’s signals about when, what and how much to eat. Anita talks to a…
EmbodiedDieted: Unlearning Lessons From Thin-Obsessed Culture
Diet culture is the water we're all swimming in. Anita unpacks the science that props it up with a registered dietician and certified internal medicine…
EmbodiedMuscled: Competitive Bodybuilders On Strength And Sacrifice
Athletes who push their bodies to muscular limits take Anita inside their physique sport. She explores their personal motivations and talks with a health…
EmbodiedUnbuttoned: The Surprising History Of Lingerie
Anita stopped wearing real bras in the pandemic. But that doesn't mean she's stopped eyeing lingerie. Lingerie aficionados — including a historian, model and…
EmbodiedNapped: The Right To Remain Rested
Anita doesn't slow down...until her body demands it. That's thanks in part to a culture that values productivity, making true rest a challenge for many…
EmbodiedPrimed: Getting Ready To Grow Old
Anita's parents have told her that they want their aging process to be easy on her and her siblings. But how does that intention become reality? Anita talks to…
EmbodiedAced: Love, Romance And Asexuality
Anita learns from folks who identify as the A on the LGBTQIA spectrum. It's a sexual identity that's long been ignored, minimized and misunderstood. They share…
EmbodiedFeminized: Aligning Your Inner And Outer Selves
Anita meets folks who've undergone facial feminization surgery as part of their gender confirmation process. FFS is a set of bone and soft tissue surgical…
EmbodiedMenopaused: Life's Misunderstood Chapter
Anita sometimes fantasizes about no longer having to deal with having a period. But folks along the perimenopausal parkway remind her that menopause is no…
EmbodiedTracked: How Tech Can Be A Tool Of Abuse
Anita learns about how the smart devices that keep many of us connected have also contributed to the rise of a new type of intimate partner violence. Survivors…
EmbodiedCoordinated: The Making Of A Sex Scene
Anita now knows why sex scenes in some of her favorite recent TV shows look a whole lot more like real life: intimacy coordinators. Two of them join her to…
- Embodied
Cleansed: Skip The 10-Step Routine, But Not Your SPF
Anita finally learned how to put on sunscreen properly and care for her body’s largest organ, thanks to medical and skincare industry experts who give advice…
- Embodied
Overnighted: 24-Hour Childcare Center Workers Are An Extension Of Families
Anita learns daycare for children can continue well into the night thanks to facilities open around the clock meeting the needs of parents working…
- Embodied
Snipped: Why A Vasectomy Is A Great Idea
Anita learns the science behind the most effective form of birth control and hears from a sociologist about how getting a vasectomy transformed his…
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Accepted: Why Feeling Neutral About Your Body Can Be A Good Thing
Anita acknowledges that looking in the mirror and loving everything she sees may be unrealistic. Fat activists teach her about radical reframes, including body…
- Embodied
Transitioned: Death Doulas On Dying Well
Anita's only had a handful of up-close experiences with dying people, and it's something she'd rather not think about. It's the antithesis to the philosophy of…
- Embodied
Naked: No Clothes, No Problem
Anita learns about non-sexual, social nudity and why opting to live life mostly in the nude could actually make her think about her body LESS. Meet the guests…
- Embodied
TLDR: You'll Be Hearing More From Us
Anita shares an exciting announcement about the Embodied podcast and what you can expect in your feeds starting next week! Follow Embodied on Twitter and…
EmbodiedIncarcerated: Love In Lockdown
Anita loves a good romantic story — especially when lovers prevail against all odds. There are a million reasons to give up on happily ever after when one or…
EmbodiedDiscussed: Tips On Taking Conversations Into Tough Territory
Anita may not shy away when conversations get uncomfortable, but approaching difficult topics can depend on who you're talking to and which self you're…
Embodied(Un)Rested: Awakening Our Understanding Of Sleep
Anita has little trouble knocking out for a good night's sleep. But feeling well rested all the time? That's a little more complicated. Why do our bodies…
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Disabled: Dating And Sex In The Body You Have
Anita surprised herself with judgements she made about others with only a photo to go on during her years of online dating. Such bias and misconceptions are…
EmbodiedAdopted: Claiming Space For Transracial Kids
Anita has the skin privilege of a white woman and the upbringing of an Indian-American girl. That can make belonging a challenge, something like what…
EmbodiedReturned: Bouncing Back With Boomerang Love
If Anita weren't boo'd up, she might wonder if there's someone in her life she already knows who is a good romantic match for her. But is it healthy to look to…
EmbodiedInfected: Putting Misinformation About Herpes To Bed
Anita, like many of us, was essentially taught that a herpes diagnosis means the end of a good sex life. Now it's time for a real education about the sexually…
EmbodiedPlayed: What Today's Generation Of Gamers Get Right
Anita is over adulting and would love to lose herself in some serious play time. She's never been a gamer but is intrigued by how video games help us tap into…
EmbodiedTerminated: Abortion Stories You Won't Hear From Hollywood
Anita appreciates how movies and TV are now more representative in portraying narratives about pregnancy termination. But those stories can't compete with…
EmbodiedShaved: Our Tangled Relationship With Body Hair
Anita combs through her own tangled relationship with body hair and asks why so many of us invest time and money on removal methods. Meet the guests: - Scholar…
- Embodied
Embattled: Trans Troops On A Mission For Equality
Anita says all the time "what's personal is political." So, she's interested to see how a new presidential administration will affect the ability of…
- Embodied
Transitioned: The Double Shift
Anita is all kinds of in love with her newborn niece, a relationship that has her thinking more about motherhood. Her thoughts on the matter are at least…
EmbodiedAged: Sexual Desire And Dating After 50
Anita is admittedly anxious about aging and what she'll have to re-negotiate about her body and her relationships as she gets older. Wisdom wanted. Meet the…
EmbodiedGendered: What It's Like To Be Trans In The Exam Room
Anita knows how frustrating it can be to find the right doctor and get good healthcare. Transgender people have to navigate all those challenges and take extra…
EmbodiedMothered: Raising Kids Radically
Anita is thinking more and more about entering the club of motherhood. But first, she'd appreciate a reality check on things we don't often talk about — like…
- Embodied
Othered: The Only One In The Room
Anita loves podcasts, especially ones that make space for intimate, unexpected conversations. "The Only One In The Room," hosted by Laura Cathcart Robbins, is…
EmbodiedPooped: The Second Brain Inside Us
Anita has a gut feeling none of us know as much as we should about the connection between our intestinal health and how our minds work. Meet the guests: - Ian…
EmbodiedBurned: The Stress Threshold
Anita is a workaholic. Being overworked stresses Anita out. Too much stress leads to poor health. Don't be like Anita. Meet the guests: - Amelia Nagoski…
EmbodiedSeXXXed: Porn For All
Anita questions whether her inner feminist will ever let her come around to enjoying porn without shame. Meet the guests: - Monèt Noelle Marshall, an artist…
EmbodiedPleasured: The Sex Talk That Wasn't
Anita realizes she never got 'the sex talk' growing up. And even if she had, it probably wouldn't have gone like this. Meet the guests: - Emily Nagoski, author…
