Canadian Ladies: Sexy Since '67!!

We're ending the season with a patriotic bang, on the eve of Canada's 150th birthday, by bringing you an extravaganza of incredible Canuck ladies. From an intrepid viking to a civil rights heroine, from the first Native saint to the first female Supreme Court Chief Justice, we're celebrating the spunky and brilliant women who have defined our country over the last few hundred years. (Because the Dominion of Canada has been officially sexy since 1867, but everyone knows this has been sexy territory since the dawn of time.) And just wait until you hear about Cougar Annie! Happy Canada Day from Heather and Dayna! #CANADA150

*PLEASE NOTE: We're unfortunately currently having technical difficulties with iTunes, and the podcast is currently unavailable through them, which we know affects other podcast apps. Apple is working on this, and we hope to get back up and running on iTunes as soon as possible, but in the meantime, we're publishing this episode on SoundCloud (listen here!), and of course you can also listen right here, on our lovely website. Thanks for your patience everyone!

Henrietta Lacks and Her Posthumous Gift to Us All

Henrietta Lacks didn't live nearly as long as she should have, yet in a way she clings to life to this day. Her cells live on as the famous and ubiquitous HeLa cells in labs and hospitals around the world, and have enabled a huge number of major medical breakthroughs over the past 60 years, while at the same time stirring up a lot of debate and controversy over the ethics of research consent. In death, as in life, Henrietta Lacks is a complicated lady, and one we all need to thank.

Sojourner Truth: About as Inspirational as You Can Get!!

Sojourner Truth walked to freedom and to a life of passionate and outspoken travelling activism, at a time when women, especially Black women, were supposed to stay quiet and stay at home. She found inspiration in her faith in God and we find inspiration in her refusal to be cowed by anyone! We're pretty sure you'll love her as much as we do; let Sojourner Truth help you find the courage of your convictions! 

Mary Seacole: Superhero Nurse!!

We're pretty sure you'd be hard-pressed to find someone as brave, accomplished, well-traveled, selfless, business savvy, boundary-pushing, and just generally awesome as Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse best-known for pushing her way onto the battlefields of the Crimean War. She fought Cholera with scientific rigour, and refused to let racism stand in the way of her passions. We think you'll end up loving her as much as we do!

The Supremes: Supremely Talented, Supremely Important!

Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross were school pals who went on to change the face of pop music in the US. From crazy hit streaks to diva behaviour, these ladies and their successors packed an awful lot of excitement into just a few short years. OooooOOOoooo baby love, the Supremes are a force to be reckoned with!