You ever feel like the world is on fire and you're holding the matches and a bucket of water? Yeah, us too. In this raw and candid convo, Becky and Taina unpack their experiences around the No Kings protest, the complicated dynamics of white allyship, what it means to show up (and what it doesn’t), and the impossible standards placed on parents, especially moms. From the emotional labor of unlearning white supremacy to the tension between safety and activism, this episode dives deep into the mess of trying to do liberation right—and how there’s no one right way. This one’s for anyone caught between burnout, rage, and hope.

📝 Discussed in this episode

• Why Becky took her son to his first protest (and why he was terrified)
• The emotional toll of being "the good citizen" in a broken system
• Why showing up looks different for white folks vs. people of color
• The white guilt and self-righteousness loop we all have to confront
• The truth about public schools and their real purpose
• Taina’s take on “anti-mothering” and emotional labor
• Generational shifts in parenting and emotional intelligence
• Why curiosity can be an antidote to judgment
• The bullshit of performative allyship (and why praise-kinks are real)
• There’s no gold star for liberation—but we want one anyway

🔗 Resources mentioned

• Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Ecosystem Map
• Trash Tuesday Podcast

☀️ Join us in the Messy Liberation Coaches Circle

🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

SPECIAL RELEASE: Becky & Taina on Becky's other podcast, Assigned Reading (if you like this conversation, check out this new podcast here)

Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dive deep into Sylvia Rivera’s 2001 speech, "Bitch on Wheels." They unpack Rivera’s righteous rage, explore the erasure of trans voices in LGBTQ history, and reflect on the importance of solidarity and intersectionality in the fight for liberation. This raw speech from a legendary activist is just as urgent today.

✍️ “Bitch on Wheels” by Sylvia Rivera

Discussed in this episode

- Sylvia Rivera’s legacy and speech context
- Stonewall riots from a trans perspective
- Marsha P. Johnson and Rivera’s activism
- Respectability politics and performative feminism
- White saviorism, allyship, and call-in vs. call-out
- Suicide and mental health in the trans community
- The role of anger in activism
- Collective care and intersectionality

Resources mentioned
- The Trevor Project
- Lee Brewster history
- Messy Liberation podcast

🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

This episode dives deep into Becky and Taina’s wildly different takes on romance novels, smut, and fanfic—plus what makes storytelling feel intimate or just pornographic. We cover the books we’re reading this summer, why Becky knocks stars off for explicit content, and what Audre Lorde has to say about feeling embodied. It’s messy, it’s honest, and it might make you laugh (or blush). Whether you love fanfic, hate sex scenes, or feel somewhere in between, this conversation unpacks it all with a feminist lens and zero shame.

Discussed in this episode

• Becky's summer reading binge: 15+ books a month

• Why explicit sex scenes turn Becky off

• Taina’s love for fanfic (especially emotionally mature Draco Malfoy)

• How Audre Lorde defines pornography vs. the erotic

• Navigating parenting and productivity during summer

• How generational differences show up in language and preferences

Resources mentioned

• “Slow Dance” by Rainbow Rowell

• “First-Time Caller” by B.K. Borison

• “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams

• “I'm Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy

• Remain Nameless fanfic

• We Read Smut podcast

☀️ Join us in the Messy Liberation Coaches Circle

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Is it possible for a horror movie to teach you history? In this episode, Becky and Taina dive deep into the viral new film “Sinners,” unpacking its cultural, political, and emotional power. From Ryan Coogler’s revolutionary copyright deal to the legacy of Jim Crow and Chinese immigration in the South, they explore how this southern gothic, vampiric allegory reveals the truth about American racism, resilience, and black joy. With plenty of irreverence and a little lipstick talk to start, this episode is one for your brain *and* your heart.

Discussed in this episode:

• The movie “Sinners” and its allegorical brilliance
• Ryan Coogler’s unheard-of copyright ownership deal
• The Mississippi Free Press review of Sinners
• How horror can offer historical and cultural education
• Depictions of Black life, trauma, and joy on film
• The Chinese Immigration Act and racial context in the South
• America’s myth-making and white savior complex
• Trump’s military parade and the “No Kings” rallies
• The reality of what’s happening in Palestine
• Taina’s former life as an evangelical Republican

Resources mentioned:

• Mississippi Free Press: https://www.mississippifreepress.org
• No Kings Rallies: https://www.nokings.org

☀️ Join us in the Messy Liberation Coaches Circle: https://coaches.teachery.co/join

🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

You don’t expect to leave a conversation about death and capitalism feeling inspired—but here we are. This episode dives headfirst into the intersections of death work, money trauma, collective care, and class consciousness. Stella Gold (they/them), founder of My Gold Standard, joins Becky and Taina to talk about their journey from hospice and death doula work to anti-capitalist money coaching—and how rebirth, grief, and radical redistribution play into all of it. Whether you’ve sworn off capitalism or are just starting to untangle your money mindset from the girlboss playbook, this convo will meet you where you’re at. Get ready for real talk about financial legacy, wealth redistribution, and why slow divestment can be a revolutionary act.

Stella Gold (they/them) is a genderqueer Rebirth + Wealth Coach for changemakers and comes from a lineage of activists. They are the founder of My Gold Standard, a believer in wealth activism, pro liberation from all oppressive systems, and collective care. Website | Instagram

Discussed in this episode

• What death work teaches us about money and community
• How grief impacts financial decision-making
• Why class consciousness must be part of any money conversation
• The myth of ‘pure’ divestment and the messiness of resisting capitalism
• Spirituality, religious trauma, and their role in financial healing
• What slow divestment looks like in real life (ex: leaving Amazon, ethical investing)

Resources mentioned

• "The Sum of Us" by Heather McGhee
• Carbon Collective
• Going With Grace
• Real You Leadership

☀️ Join us in the Messy Liberation Coaches Circle

🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

What happens when fanfic, therapy, chronic illness, and croissants collide? This episode of Messy Liberation is a rich blend of real talk and radical self-reflection. Becky and Taina explore chronic illness, returning to therapy, and the nuances of finding a Black therapist. They also deep-dive into the power of rest, hyperfixation (hello fanfic and HTML rabbit holes), and the liberatory framework of awareness, analysis, action, and accountability. With laughter, food porn, and a dash of ADHD hyperfocus, this convo is messy, meaningful, and full of feminist flavor.

Discussed in this Episode

• Taina's return to therapy and navigating chronic illness
• Why representation matters in therapeutic relationships
• The liberatory framework from Barbara J. Love: Awareness, Analysis, Action, Accountability/Allyship
• Fanfic as a tool for dissociation and joy
• Hyperfixation, ADHD tendencies, and the dopamine drip
• Rest as resistance and modeling what liberation looks like in real-time
• Resmaa Menakem and somatic healing
• Stolen Focus by Johann Hari and the attention economy
• The superior science of laminated croissants

Resources Mentioned

• Barbara J. Love’s Liberatory Consciousness Framework
• "My Grandmother’s Hands" by Resmaa Menakem
• "Stolen Focus" by Johann Hari
• Joy Oladokun music
• Becky’s Corporate Speak or Real Talk Game

☀️ Join us in the Messy Liberation Coaches Circle

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What if creativity wasn’t about talent or output—but about liberation? In this raw and relatable episode of Messy Liberation, Becky and Taina unpack the complicated relationship adults have with creative expression, especially under capitalism and toxic productivity culture. They talk about creative hobbies like sewing, baking sourdough, painting rocks, and learning languages—and how fear of imperfection or 'wasting time' often stops us from even trying. From ego death to somatic healing, they explore how creative play can be an act of reclamation, resistance, and embodiment. This one’s for anyone who’s ever said, 'I used to be creative…'

Discussed in this episode

• How capitalism and white supremacy sabotage our creativity

• Becky’s sewing dreams (and tote bags!)

• Taina’s love of baking and flower arranging

• Why it’s so hard to try something new as an adult

• Creative play as a somatic and healing practice

• Letting go of perfectionism and monetization

• The value of co-creation and community creativity

• How creative expression can fuel innovation in business

Resources mentioned

• The Great British Sewing Bee

• Empowered Embodied podcast with Kim Romaine

☀️ Join us in the Messy Liberation Coaches Circle

🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

In this grab bag episode, Becky and Taina get candid about everything from perimenopause and airplane germs to religious trauma and transformative fanfiction. Taina shares how one piece of Draco/Hermione fanfic cracked her wide open, while Becky reflects on the power of feeling seen in storytelling and media. They dig deep into the Catholic Church’s history of abuse, the political theater of the new Pope’s election, and how both personal and collective healing are tied to dismantling the systems that harm us. Expect musings on community, curiosity, cultish behavior—and a few pop culture tangents along the way.

Discussed in this Episode

• The surprising diversity of Houston, TX
• Air travel fears and post-pandemic etiquette
• Cultural differences in masking and public health
• Fanfiction as feminist literature
• Chronic illness representation in fiction
• The emotional labor of facilitation and caregiving
• Perimenopause, gendered medicine, and feeling invisible
• Religious trauma from both Catholic and evangelical backgrounds
• The politics of the new Pope and abuse cover-ups
• Community vs. cult dynamics and MAGA parallels
• Why questioning matters more than being right

Resources Mentioned

• "Greenlight" fanfic by Serena Muzaffir (on AO3)
• “Real Americans” by Rachel Khong
• “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Just Getting Better podcast

🎤 WE'RE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE 🎤