Meet Me in the Middle

*Note from Annika: my mic was having issues in this episode (mainly that I didn't connect it properly, whoops) and so apologies that the sound is a little off for this week! Pretty sure I'll manage to not have it happen again, but if you think it sounds off... that's because it does!*While this week's episode is technically a part 2, you definitely don't need to have listened to part 1 before you listen to this episode (it is good! But not necessary).This week, we make the connections between where purity culture and the wellness world intersect and how one has really impacted and continues to shape the other. Digressions include the history of the anti-abortion movement in the USA and the organized evangelical movement (spoiler - it's new and until well into the 70s had nothing to do with each other - yes, long after Roe v Wade!)Some of the important links from and references to today:https://www.pastemagazine.com/food/diet/purity-diet-culture-roe-v-wadehttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/27/upshot/biden-trump-poll-quiz.htmlhttps://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/10/abortion-history-right-white-evangelical-1970s-00031480https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/08/abortion-us-religious-right-racial-segregationhttps://www.instagram.com/vanessaandxander/?hl=en

Today we start a two episode series that Annika has been wanting to cover since the podcast began! We're journeying today down the rabbit hole inside the purity culture social phenomenon of the 1990s and early 2000s, situated within evangelical Christianity. While today we are mostly covering exactly what this movement was, the larger arc this lives inside is the way that this impacts not only the impact to the wellness world but also to the larger culture, especially within the US where this originated. Join us for part 2 next time!Joshua Harris in USA todayThe Kevin James Thornton clip we watch on InstagramThose poor Disney Channel kids**** As promised, the boring laws and funding amounts that Annika summarizedIn 1981 the US government passed the Adolescent Family Life Act, or AFLA, a US federal law that provided federal funding to both public and non-profit private religious organizations to counsel adolescents to abstain from sex until marriage.Under AFLA, from 1981 to 1988, the government gave more than $100 million US taxpayer dollars to religious organizations, that used the funding to teach abstinence-only education classes and in total, we’ve seen over $210 million tax dollars under this program specifically to abstinence-only teachings.1996 brought the additional funding from Title V of the Welfare Reform Act, in which the abstinence-only-until-marriage program was authorized for five years and then continually re-upped each year until 2009.So from 1998-2009 it paid out $50 million in tax dollars a year – so $550 million – to abstinence only programs.In addition, we get the yet another funding stream to support abstinence-only until-marriage programs starting in 2001, which were rewarded directly to community organizations and churches.$20 million a year from 2001-2006 ($100M)$113 million a year from 2006-2008 (226)$99 million in 2009For a total of $425 million.In 2010, the Obama administration cut all finding to these community organization grants.They also passed the affordable care act, which people now call Obamacare, and the Senate added on Title V at the final passing of the bill and this extension totaled $250 million for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs for a five-year period (2010–2014).Then there was another $50 million in 2015, and $75 million per year in 2016 and 2017. We also get the introduction in 2012 of a new discretionary fund, that specifically supports grants in 15 states, which was an additional $185 million from 2012-2022.Human Rights WatchImpacts of State Level FundingGuttmatcher Fact SheetSiecus Funding AnalysisAbstinence and the Politics of Sex Ed

We might know where Kate Middleton is now, but join us this week for a conversation about the conversation around "where Kate Middleton went" (spoiler: nowhere) and what it means about being a public figure, and what media speculation and disinformation is creating around us.

If you're not on TikTok or YouTube, you might not have been exposed to the freshly revived Tradwife movement, so join us this week while we explore the resurgence of the Traditional Housewife movement/aesthetic. From gorgeous gardens to churning butter, all the way to MAGA hats and monetization, what exactly is it about, and how does it intersect with true choice?(Note: if you don't have a TikTok account, these links are best viewed on desktop where you can just click "continue as guest" ;)TikTok 1TikTok 2America Ferrera's Barbie Monologue(We decided not to include the racist YouTube we discussed because we don't feel like adding clicks is a great idea for the algorithm but please reach out to us if you want it and we'll dm it over if needed.)Also important note for future episodes and our schedules moving forward: we have both had a lot going on and our recording schedule might be a little different over the next little while. (You may have already noticed we haven't been as regular this year!) We have typically endeavoured to release an episode a week, give or take, for the last two years but in this *season* of our lives (IYKYK), it just might look a little different. Thank you in advance for your understanding!

Thanks for your patience as we've had a few weeks with a lot of unplanned life going on! This is part 2 of our own personal experience with ADHD Hacks - we're covering some of the bigger lifestyle things that we didn't discuss in our last episode and sharing how we've been able to work together in a lot of ways to support ourselves and each other.As a reminder this is just a conversation about our own experiences and what we're discovering in our own journeys.

As we wrap up our neurodivergent January mini-series, join us as we talk about some of the non-pharmacological interventions that we use for our ADHD. This episode is part 1 of 2 as we don't talk about therapy OR exercise today but these are both things we're both very passionate about and use regularly in all parts of our lives, tune in next week for more details (and check out our early season 1 episodes on Peloton & Crossfit for more details on our passions for exercise!).Timers, lists, breaking big tasks into smaller parts - all of this might seem like second nature if you haven't struggled with attention or neurodivergence, but for us it's not that simple... As always, this is just our own personal experience, although we love connecting further so don't hesitate to reach out to each of us on Instagram!https://www.instagram.com/_jennyomahony_/https://www.instagram.com/annikabuckle/Also for that adorable Tomato Timer that we talk about, check it out here: https://www.tomatotimers.com/

Continuing on with our neurodivergent theme for January, this week Jenny shares a little bit about what it's been like to make the choice to medicate her child's ADHD and what it looks like to find a middle ground with some of the other non-pharmacological interventions that are available too.

Yeah, so for real - both Jenny and Annika have been diagnosed with ADHD very recently. Turns out it's not just shorthand for our inability to start or finish projects; there's more going on for both of us - birds of a feather and whatnot. We touch briefly on the prevalent idea that "everyone has ADHD now" and some of the context, history, and stats. Join us for a very personal conversation where we talk about each of our roads to diagnosis and where we're at on our journey.Articles we discuss:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9616454/https://epicresearch.org/articles/number-of-adhd-patients-rising-especially-among-womenhttps://caddac.ca/adhd-in-women-and-girls/

Today's episode is a very personal peek behind the curtain. Join us in the messy middle as Jenny shares what it's like to navigate through noticing something is up with your kid through to the day of diagnosis. This is a chat about experiencing the system and finding the ways to advocate for what you need, within and acknowledging privilege.This is also likely the first of a few conversations just like this, so look out for more on this journey in the months to come.Find the "We Can Do Hard Things" episode Jenny references here on Apple or here on Spotify