When I think about evolution, I think about mostly men’s bodies evolving. Maybe it’s because every image I’ve ever seen depicts MAN moving from knuckle-dragging primate to upright-standing, prefrontal cortex-wielding Super Species. But what is the story of women’s bodies? Deena Emera, PhD, is an evolutionary geneticist, author, and teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from NYU, and a PhD from Yale. She currently serves as a senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality. She’s with us this week to talk about her new book, A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be.  Deena draws on her expertise as a biologist and experience as a mother of four to explore the mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens.  We covered a LOT of territory, including pressing questions like … • Did our bodies evolve to give us choice in our reproductive systems? (THIS BLEW MY MIND) • What’s the evolution of the female orgasm? Why is it so different from men’s? • Why are women more prone to auto-immune diseases? • Is the “martyr mother” archetype something that evolved because of our biology, or is it the culture at play? I could not get enough of this conversation … my jaw was on the floor for most of it, so just prepare yourself. ;) Find Deena on Instagram, Twitter (X?!), or LinkedIn @deenaemera . Shine on, my friends.

Today, my friends ... we are talking about … wait for it … WEED. CBD. THC. Why? Because I have noticed, as have many other friends who are my contemporaries … that at a certain point in life, alcohol stops being helpful as a method of winding down. For the longest time, I was able to have a nice glass of wine or cocktail to mark the end of the day … I would sip it and make dinner, and then go to sleep. No big deal. Now? It’s like my body has decided to go on strike. If I drink alcohol, I get terrible sleep, I instantly gain weight, and even just a single drink can make me feel like the bottom of the bird cage the next day. But here’s the thing: I don’t have positive associations with marijuana. I just don’t.   And then, as fate would have it, I met today’s guest, June Johnson who is a WEED DOULA. Yes, you heard that right. June is here to teach us the *right* way to think about and navigate the world of CBD. June Johnson is an entrepreneur, model, and advocate. She is the founder of The Weed Doula, a self-care concierge that curates cannabis routines for her clients to seamlessly integrate cannabis into their lives for better living. She is also the Co-Founder of Collective High, a woman-owned company that creates unforgettable experiences with cannabis education, consumption, & culture at the forefront for the canna-confident & canna-connoisseur. Her mission is to make cannabis an exciting, accessible, & culture-forward experience for all and her goal is to create impactful changes & cultural representation within the fashion & cannabis spaces.  Prior to producing cannabis events, June created successful events for brands such as Paul Smith, Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Deleón Tequila, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Fred Segal, adidas, Shiekh Shoes, etc. Though she has experience in numerous verticals, she specializes in producing events in the fashion, cannabis, entertainment, art & culture scenes. She has produced parties for exclusive clients during NYFW, NBA All-Star, Outside Lands, & The Grammy's. But even with a bio as cool and compelling as that, what it doesn’t capture is June’s spirit. She is an angel on earth, and a blessing to everyone who knows her. I consider myself so lucky to have crossed her path, and I want to share her with you too. If you’d like to connect with June directly, which I highly recommend, book her at calendly.com/junejohnson; follow her on Instagram at @theweeddoula.com, and find her on her website theweeddoula.com.

When I graduated from college, my Grandmother gave me some advice. She said, "Bronwyn, get a government job. Maybe the DMV? Something that has a … pension." And I get it. Survival = financial safety. But that didn’t sit well with me. I wanted wealth. But that wasn’t something the women in my lineage could teach me. In fact, FEW women are taught how to create and GROW wealth. But that’s what we’re talking about today. My guest this week is Clara Vidyanath, founder of the 32 Cents Club, which is a private markets investment platform, designed BY women, FOR women.  “32 Cents” represents the wealth gap between men and women. And just to clarify, when it comes to wealth, WOMEN make 32 cents to every man’s dollar. Let that sink in, and fire up this episode. You are NOT gonna wanna miss it.  Check out https://www.32cents.com/ Find Clara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clara-vydyanath-cfa-cpa-14287316/