Learning stories of power, equality and respect with Elizabeth Lesser and Donna Freitas

Voices Carry: Stories of Power, Equality, and Respect

Original Air Date Wednesday, September 21, 2022 

Throughout human history, men have been the storytellers and the scribes. How might our cultures have changed if we also had versions of her story to study and learn from? Who might we be today if matriarchy guided our dreams, ambitions, and basic needs?

To ponder these questions and understand how women can lean into their power, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who research stories of power, equality, and respect.

Elizabeth Lesser shares stories of women in history who have had their voices quelled in her book, Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes.

Donna Freitas discusses the years of research she assembled which led to her book, Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention.

Tune in:

Meet Our Guests:

Voices Carry: Stories of Power, Equality, and Respect with Elizabeth Lesser & Donna Freitas Ph.D.

Elizabeth Lesser is the author of several bestselling books and is the co-founder of Omega Institute, recognized internationally for its workshops and conferences in wellness, spirituality, creativity, and social change. She has given two popular TED talks and is one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, a collection of a hundred leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity.

Book: Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes

Elizabeth Lesser — Female Storytellers:

  • Elizabeth shares the story of Eve and her hero’s journey.
  • Constantly repressed, the women of Afghanistan understand that men fear their power.  {4:34}
  • in the face of stress and trauma, men may fight or fly, and women tend and befriend. {7:43}
  • Changing the nature of power through practice and meditation. {18:46}
  • Elizabeth explains how men and women are wounded by the traditional patriarchy. {24:37}

Follow Elizabeth Lesser:

Voices Carry: Stories of Power, Equality, and Respect with Elizabeth Lesser & Donna Freitas Ph.D.

Donna Freitas has written more than twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction, for adults, children, and young adults. Among them is Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention (Little, Brown, 2019), and her debut novel for adults, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano (Viking, 2021), which has been translated into 20 different languages. Donna has spoken at nearly two hundred colleges and universities to discuss her nonfiction research, and has written and appeared on radio and television, from NPR’s All Things Considered to The Today Show to do the same. She splits her time between Brooklyn and Barcelona.

Book: Consent on Campus: A Manifesto

Donna Freitas — Stories of Power & Equality

  • Donna’s book, Sex on Campus, is based on her research with students and her own Title IX experience. {32:48}
  • The theme of Donna’s research was that students resented the sexual expectations they didn’t agree with. {36:33}
  • Donna shares her insights on the hook-up culture, casual sex, the lack of satisfaction, and consent. {42:55}
  • Under the guise of sexual liberation, cultural expectations are stealing the voice of younger generations. {52:47}
  • In her novel, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, Elizabeth explores a woman’s life in nine different scenarios. {56:54}

Follow Donna Freitas:

Shareables:

“Most of the storytellers, especially early on in history, were men.” @elizabethlesser on @HHTalkRadio   Share on X “Eve is the only hero in the bible who is punished for her curiosity and desire to be wise.” @elizabethlesser on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “Sex becomes an act of performance as opposed to something you do because your body wants it.” @DonnaFreitas.writer on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “Smartphones and social media speed up our life so we don’t do much thinking.” @DonnaFreitas.writer on @HHTalkRadio Share on X

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