S5:E2: On Her Mind — A Conversation Between Lael + May

An Unscripted Woman Podcast

Here's your chance to hear what's on her mind. Join Lael Couper Jepson on this season on An Unscripted Woman as she dives into thirteen intimate conversations with fascinating women centered on the one question: What's on her mind? More than an interview, this offers listeners the chance to "overhear" a conversation between two women as we look at the world through our eyes. Each episode features a different woman who brings three "threads" (or topics) her brain keeps braiding over and over again to make meaning in our world. We look at intersections, contradictions, and the frictions between them. Episode 2 features a conversation between Lael and May (who elected to maintain her privacy for this, using a different name). May’s 3 threads she brings are Loneliness, Service, and Mattering, and we weave these in conversation. —We talk about the raw capacity we have as humans to take what feels broken, disconnected, and fractured, and make something beautiful and strong from it—like that Japanese art form, Kintsugi. —This conversation was recorded right after Mother’s Day, and we reflect on the emotion (rage, grief, despair) of being “celebrated” in this moment in our history when women have lost our reproductive rights this past year. —We explore that fine line between feeling deeply of service and feeling consumed—how to know when you're there and what the difference is. —We talk a lot about community—why it matters, what it looks like, and how to get it—and also play with ideas we have to harness the power of it that we've not yet tried as a society. —We talk about what gives us hope and what keeps us sane in these weird and wild times we find ourselves in. It's thoughtful, emotional, insightful, and inspiring. Welcome to our conversation. We're happy to have you overhear it. Learn more about Lael at SheChanges shechanges.com/ Show Notes: resources referenced Valarie Kaur's book See No Stranger and TED talk Dalia Lithwick's book: Lady Justice The Japanese art form: Kintugi On Being Podcast with Vivek Murthy Tricia Hersey's book Rest as Resistance