Just Something About Her with Jennifer Palmieri

It's been 30 years since Anita Hill testified at the Senate confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, paving the path for women to speak up against sexual harassment and gender-based violence for the following decades. But how much has changed since that iconic moment? Dr. Hill joins Jennifer on the show to discuss the culture of denial built into our institutions, from elementary schools to office buildings. She compares her experience testifying in 1991 to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's testimony at Justice Kavanaugh's hearings in 2018, and why she thinks we still lack systems and processes for survivors to come forward. Plus, a look inside her new book Believing.

Kaiya McCullough was a former professional soccer player in the National Women's Soccer League, who recently came forward with allegations of abuse by her former coach on the Washington Spirit team. Since then, other players in the league have spoken up against abuse and sexual misconduct by their coach. Kaiya joins Jennifer on the show to discuss the imbalance of power when men coach women, how low pay in women's sports functions to keep players silent against injustice, and why Kaiya ultimately had to quit soccer for her mental health. Plus, Kaiya reflects on the pride and power she felt witnessing athletes Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka put themselves over sport this past summer.

Megan Barry is the former mayor of Nashville and the first woman to be elected to that position. While she was in office, she lost her only son to a drug overdose. Less than a year later, she resigned as mayor over charges related to an extramarital affair with the lead of her security detail. Jennifer invites Megan on the show to discuss what it's like to have your worst day and your worst secret revealed in the same year. They discuss how shame only serves to hold you back from healing, and why there's liberation in having lived through your toughest moments. Plus, Megan shares how each of us can take simple steps to prevent overdoses in our communities.

Texas passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, and Royce Brooks and Wendy Davis join Jennifer on the show to make sense of it all. Royce is the executive director of Annie's List, an organization that aims to elect progressive women to statewide office in Texas. Wendy was a former Texas state senator, most known for filibustering a previous restrictive abortion bill in 2013 for 11+ hours. Royce, Wendy, and Jennifer discuss how unpopular the Texas law is, why lawmakers seem to have created it with blatant disregard for the Constitution, and how Republicans are skirting accountability by enacting voting bills that keep women and people of color out of power. Plus, will one of our guests run for Texas governor?

Phoebe Robinson is an actor, comedian, producer, and New York Times best-selling author, best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO limited series "2 Dope Queens." Phoebe joins Jennifer on the show to discuss her newly released book, Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes, which includes essays about Phoebe's decision not to have kids, reflections on the racial justice protests of summer 2020, and what it's like to build your own production company and literary imprint.

In partnership with The Texas Tribune Festival, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar joins "Just Something About Her" to discuss the current attack on people's rights in this country, and why Sen. Klobuchar thinks the solution is eliminating the Senate filibuster. They discuss the Texas abortion law that bans the procedure before most women know they're pregnant, why it's not just a Texas problem, and how Sen. Klobuchar predicted this attack on Roe v. Wade after a contentious back-and-forth with Justice Amy Coney Barrett during her confirmation hearing. Plus, Sen. Klobuchar shares her revelations after recent breast cancer treatment, and what it was like running for president in 2020.

In the 2010s, #girlbosses ruled the world. But in the past few years, we've seen many of them publicly disgraced, accused of enabling toxic workplaces, and/or pushed out of the companies they founded. Koa Beck & Leigh Stein have both written extensively on the #girlboss phenomenon and the forces that enable her. Koa is the author of the book "White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind," and Leigh has written a number of books, including a satirical novel about two women founders called "Self Care." On this episode, Jennifer, Koa, and Leigh discuss the historical and cultural forces behind #girlboss, consider what led to her eventual downfall, and ask whether there's a better way to hold people accountable than erasing them from the business world completely.

The United States has officially ended its longest war, as Jennifer closes out our deep-dive into the war in Afghanistan during Part 2 of her conversation with Elise Jordan, which was originally recorded on August 24, 2021. (If you haven't listened to Part 1, we highly suggest you go back and listen to that first.) Elise worked for the National Security Council and the State Department under President George W. Bush. She lived in Afghanistan while working on an international development project and as a journalist. In this episode, Elise shares her experience embedding with female U.S. Marines in 2010, who were tasked with connecting with local women and girls. She shares the divides between what Afghans wanted and needed and what the U.S. was able to provide, her frustration with media coverage of America’s longest war, and what she hopes for in the coming months and years.

In Part 1 of this conversation with Elise Jordan, we begin our deep-dive into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Elise has worked for the National Security Council and the State Department under President George W. Bush, and she has lived in Afghanistan for a United States Agency for International Development project and as a journalist. Elise joins Jennifer on the show to share her desperate attempts to evacuate friends and former colleagues from Kabul, what she thinks the Biden administration could have done to better prepare for this moment, and what the August 31 deadline for U.S. troop withdrawal means for evacuation efforts.