Peep-a-boo, it’s my birthday! Today this Libra baby is turning another year wiser, though in a lot of ways, I still feel 2 and 3 and 5 and 11 and 16 and 18 and 23 and 32 on the inside.
It’s got me all up in my feelings. We gather triumphs and traumas as we pass through time. They make us who we are. Most of the marks are indelible, so it seems to me the best choice is to celebrate them all. Or be like Dolly Parton and tattoo some pretty lace over the ugly scars.
Anyway, growing older is such a gift — my only birthday wish is many more birthdays.
I write this from New York City, where I’ve been on two reporting trips this month.
Tomorrow is actually Steven Donziger’s sentencing, after decades of legal battles with Chevron on behalf of the Indigenous peoples of Ecuador's Amazon.
The case against Steven stems from a long and twisted legal saga that began in 1993, when Donziger was part of a team that filed a class-action lawsuit against Chevron, then Texaco, on behalf of more than 30,000 farmers and Indigenous people in the Amazon over massive contamination from oil drilling. Donziger spearheaded the lengthy crusade against the company and won, awarding a landmark of $9.5 billion back to the Amazonian people, only to himself become, as he describes it, the victim of a “planned targeting by a corporation to destroy my life.”
I’m working on a podcast, but in the meantime, I also wanted to make an explainer video about Steven because so many people are still unaware of this case. How, you ask? Well, one reason: Big Oil’s deep pockets go a long way toward silencing the media. Check out the video below.
Private Parts Unknown is back and better than ever! That’s right — we’re back from our August hiatus with some interesting guests and timely episode topics.
Recently, we were joined by returning guest Tito Bonito for the latest edition of our Comedians of OnlyFans series, and boy, did we have fun! Tito is an incredible OnlyFans creator, comedian, and burlesque performer (seriously, you need to follow him on Instagram right now to catch a glimpse of his amazing live shows). In this episode, we talked about sex work (empowerment, shame, boundaries, and everything in between), how to be a good ally, and how the recent OnlyFans debacle has threatened the very creators who built the platform.
For this episode, we ALSO heard from two of our favorite voices (and returning guests), Meredith Jacqueline and Selena the Stripper, for more POV about the OnlyFans situation and the institutional discrimination that plagues sex workers in general.
Last week, we welcomed comedian and sex worker turned sex worker rights activist Kaytlin Bailey. She’s the founder of Old Pros and host of The Oldest Profession podcast. We discussed her experience with sex work (both from a place of privilege, as well as really needing the money), how FOSTA-SESTA dismantled the online community protecting sex workers, her transition to full-time sex worker rights activist, some whorephobic laws you should know about, and more!
And finally, I ask you, who doesn’t want great sex? Because this week, our guest is Diet for Great Sex author Christine DeLozier, who taught us a thing or two about how eating healthy and having great sex go hand in hand. We learned that certain foods = bigger and better orgasms, and Christine treated us to a deliciously sexy dinner menu. Yum!
Earlier this month, I taught my first two-day bootcamp about the business side of podcasting for Pandemic University called “How to Make Money Podcasting.” It was a great success. I meant some lovely new students (and had a couple returning faves join, as well), and everyone learned a lot, myself included. That’s the part of teaching I love the most — there’s so much to be learned from sharing your knowledge with others.
In fact, I love it so much that I’ve started Pod Club, which is a biweekly group coaching jam session exclusively for my former students. We had our first two sessions in September, and I can’t wait for more. It’s a joy to witness and be a part of these podcasters’ evolution and growth.
So that’s a wrap on September. Excited for what this next revolution around the sun will bring. Stay tuned for the updates! xx