Vicious Cycle

We decided to give ourselves a little treat this week and share our favorite periods on TV (and one movie) with each other and you! Take a break from the news and laugh with Amy Schumer, the cast of Blackish, Monica & Phoebe and so many more hilarious bleeders. Oh, and friend of the pod Lauren Bacall helps us with our countdown, so put on your red carpet best (after staining your carpet red) and tune in! *Friends: https://youtu.be/C7ZMDO9wZTo *Key and Peele: https://youtu.be/ihRHIGpyspA *SNL: https://youtu.be/aBlR7qVQ0X8 *Community: https://youtu.be/IGMe_NrcAfI *Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: https://youtu.be/Uab2BlDpPxQ

That is right. The podcast about periods finally read the period book to end all period books: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. And we had the pleasure to discuss it with the preeminent experts in the field, Alison and Jody from The Blume Saloon podcast. We get into the brilliance of Judy Blume, which character each host identifies as, and we dive into a fave topic: masturbation. And that's just PART ONE! Catch part two over on The Blume Saloon feed!

Welp. We're in the midst of a global crisis, so we thought what the world needs now is love sweet love AND another episode of Everything is Fine. Because, like everything is NOT fine, but for the next hour it can be sort of ok. We've got more quizzes, songs, comforting poems, and even a little dance party for you to join in. We're sending you all love - especially to those of you on day two of your period.

In between sold out shows and TV appearances, Kate Willett sat down with the blosts to talk period jokes, period sex, period cliches, and ... just, like, periods. We also get into the differences between NY and SF, bad ex-boyfriends and how Medicare For All IS a feminist issue. Go steal a pad (because they should be free anyways) and settle in for a fun episode!

This week, the hosts sit down with stand up comedian Irene Tu, who has...mixed?... feelings about her period. We talk period products, hot and cold foods (we explain... kinda), and hear about her mom's sage advice. We also chat about comedy and how to tell the hosts apart - it does get tricky sometimes. Oh, and stick around for a special new segment at the end of this episode. Pop in a tamp', some buds and blisten up!

Y'all. We barely get through this episode, we laugh so much. Who knew digging into cravings was such a rich territory? We get into the science of cravings, what our blisteners snack on when they bleed, and play the game that's sweeping the nation: WHO'S EATING THIS TRASH. Oh, and we got a surprise song! Grab a bag of Whole Foods brand cheese puffs and chocolate because this bleedsearch will make you hungry.

If you're looking for a 90's era feminist take on owning your period, look no further than Cunt by Inga Muscio. We have the one-and-only Molly Sanchez back in the studio to help us breakdown this "declaration of independence." We cover menstruating with the moon, freebleeding, abortion, and Inga's distinct writing voice (which isn't for everyone) - oh, and we say "cunt" a lot. Fair warning. Pop in a sea sponge and press play!

This week, we’re dipping our toes in the true crime podcast game! Friend-of-the-pod Allison Page is back and giving us all the dirt on menstrual crimes. We dig into modern, sordid affairs, go back to the days of Lizzie Borden, and so much more. We also learn that courts will do ANYTHING to avoid talking about periods - GOOD TO KNOW. Save some menstrual blood for an alibi and tune in! Here's a taste of Caso Cerrado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX487sN8A4k

We're well into season three and we STILL can't really tell you much about what our reproductive system looks like ... until now. Kate brings the bleedsearch for today's episode all about the cervix (truly an unsung hero). She tells us where and what it is, shows us what it LOOKS like, and puts up with The Meg's many metaphors for what the the cervix actually does. Tune in and meet the powerful little button that protects your uterus and all that it may hold. https://www.beautifulcervix.com/

A ton of blisteners have requested this topic, and we are finally diving in! Meg T brings some bleedsearch and personal anecdotes to cover the great, the less great, and the totally-not-great sides of IUD's. We also take some calls and read stories from listeners about their own IUD experiences. Have questions? We've probably got some answers... and even more questions! Relax your cervix and join us.

This week, we sit down with Jane Adame, Senior Brand Strategist at The FLEX company and designer of the Keela menstrual cup - designed specifically for bleeders with disabilities. We cover her menstrual journey, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, developing a menstrual cup with a non-bleeder, and what success really looks like. Oh, and we've got a new addition to our menstrual lingo that will give you some FEELINGS. Hit play! // Here's that change.org petition regarding TSA and period products: http://chng.it/c5mKHNhG24 // Here's a link to the Uterati: www.facebook.com/groups/theuterati // And a link to FLEX Cup: https://flexfits.com/products/flexcup-discovery-kit

Our first live episode! We had a blast talking with JoAnn Schinderle at PianoFight as a part of SF Sketchfest. We talked candidly (in front of A LOT of people) about having a designated period towel, bleeding in a bucket, and other aspects of her freebleeding journey (and we talked about her period comedy album Dark Jeans). Find a dark chair to bleed on and listen!

Pap smears. Dental cleanings. Any type of -oscopy. Bad days in general. Sometimes things suck ... a lot. When you're in one of those moments where everything is NOT fine, pop in your earbuds and check out this episode dedicated to helping you relax, laugh, and remember that everything will be fine again. TIMECODES: 4:11 - Meg T sings a song on the ukulele 7:48 - Lizzo Quizzo 17:04 - Top 10 Times People Came Together for Music 34:58 - ASMR with menstrual products 44:19 - 30 Rock trivia 58:50 - Meg H reads excerpts from Chicken Soup For The Soul 1:18:02 - Seventeen Magazine Quiz 1:26:30 - Improv commercials 1:33:56 - Staged reading of a Homeward Bound scene Some choice links for you: The Lizzo DNA Test: https://dna.photomusicbooth.com/ Italian musicians sing Foo Fighters: https://youtu.be/JozAmXo2bDE Virtual Choir: https://youtu.be/V3rRaL-Czxw Liza Minelli sings "New York, New York" in 2001: https://youtu.be/AvMmAJfO-pk Dogs watch a musical: https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/20/us/service-dogs-theater-canada-trn

We're still on vacation so here's part two of our tampon series. And, we DID record some new thoughts at the beginning and end, so give it a listen! Do you know what’s in your tampon? Or how and why people get Toxic Shock? Have you been looking for reasons to quit tampons? LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE. Meg H lays out all the problematic issues with our favorite cotton wads - but don’t worry, there’s plenty of singing to lighten the mood.

We're re-releasing one of our fave episodes from Season 1, but we hope you still listen because we recorded some new stuff at the top and at the end of the episode. Enjoy! In Part 1 of our Tampon Series, the hosts of Vicious Cycle lay all their cards on the table and share their thoughts, experiences, and embarrassing truths about tampons. They also shed a little light on the history of tampons and the surprising ways they were marketed to women. Grab those strings and bear down, friends - it’s going to be a descriptive episode!

In this week’s episode, Meg Hayes brings us some bleedsearch on the history of pads, some fine advertisements for sanitary napkins, and even a glimpse at mother/daughter relationships in the mid-centch. Come for the learning, stay for the song at the end - IT’S A BLOODY BANGER.

Welcome to the main event! After all our bleedsearch on athletes who bleed, we got to talk with one! Amy Rodriguez joined us on the pod to talk about her career as a professional soccer player and her experience having a child and then rejoining the US women's team and going on to win at the 2015 World Cup! We also try to get all the dirt on the players we know and love. Tune in for all the bloody details! Links to bleedsearch: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/soccer-moms-womens-world-cup/396893/ https://www.fifa.com/womens-football/news/amy-rodriguez-talks-football-pregnancy-and-motherhood https://www.nbcsports.com/video/womens-world-cup-amy-rodriguez-balances-motherhood-and-pro-soccer

We're back with more bleedsearch and stories about athletes with periods! We dive deep into how hormones and pregnancy affects players bodies, cover bad ass bleeders in action (like freebleeding all over the London Marathon BOOM!), and get a pro-tip from a roller derby competitor that blows both Megs' minds. Tune in and join the Bleed Team!

In this episode, Kate brings a boat-load of research about athletes who bleed. (So much we had to break it up into multiple episodes.) We cover team sports, solo competitors, olympic performances, and the outrageous reasons why menstruators have been stopped from competing. Plus, we hear from sporty blisteners! Put on some white jersey shorts and free bleed on the field with us! If you're blinterested in learning more about menstruation and athletics, here is where we got some of our bleedsearch: https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/30908551 https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/how-periods-might-affect-womens-athletic-performance/ https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5011904 https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/kbdbwm/for-elite-athletes-periods-are-still-a-question-mark https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/19/emily-seebohm-i-won-olympic-golds-with-endometriosis-anything-is-possible

In this episode, we talk to Amanda about her new book, That's Mental (out now - go get it already), getting her period at an English boarding school and blaming PMS meltdowns on mental illness (we've all been there). We also learn that Meg T would do anything for approval in middle school (surprised?). Slap a pad in your swimming costume and hit that play button!