Shows
Moms Against the MachineEp. 10 - Interview with an NIH BaddieIn this engaging conversation, the hosts discuss the challenges and triumphs of working at the NIH with Chelsey's Aunt Vicky, particularly focusing on the journey of a woman who rose from an administrative assistant to a grant funding specialist. They explore themes of gender discrimination, the importance of science funding, and the impact of political changes on public health initiatives. The discussion also touches on personal stories, the challenges of navigating the workplace, and the significance of trust in science, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the challenges of navigating illness in a work...2025-07-211h 56Moms Against the MachineEp. 9 - July 2025 News Update with ChelseyJuly 2025: "Concentration Camps, Classroom Chaos, and Christian Nationalist Blueprints"Welcome to your July solo news drop — where we pull back the curtain on what the GOP and Trump administration are doing while everyone’s distracted by sunglasses and soundbites. In this episode, we break down:Alligator Alcatraz – the Everglades-based migrant concentration camp that flooded on its second day open. No plumbing, no oversight, no humanity. With eyewitness accounts, whistleblower reports, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz demanding a federal investigation.School Funding Freeze – the Trump administration is illegally withholding $7 billion in educatio...2025-07-1414 minMoms Against the MachineEp 8. - The Rise and Fall of the NIHIn this episode, Chelsey & Jenn discuss their personal updates, community engagement strategies, and the restructuring of their podcast to focus on fewer topics for deeper discussions. They highlight the contributions of women in science and politics, emphasizing the importance of representation and activism. The conversation also touches on current events, the political climate, and the historical significance of women's roles in shaping public health and policy. In this conversation, Chelsey Hockett and Jennifer Wisniewski discuss the alarming spread of misinformation in public health, particularly regarding vaccines and scientific integrity. They explore the consequences of recent cuts to health agencies...2025-07-071h 15Moms Against the MachineEp. 1 - Mothers of the Revolution, Take 2In our premiere episode, we go back—way back—to the women who laid the emotional, intellectual, and literal groundwork for American democracy.We’re talking Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, and Phillis Wheatley—three women who never got a seat at the table but still pulled up with receipts, rage, and revolutionary fire.From letters to husbands to poems that challenged tyranny, these founding mothers were raising babies and raising hell. We explore what they might say about today’s school voucher battles, book bans, and ongoing fights for equality. Spoiler: they wouldn’t be quiet about...2025-06-0942 minMoms Against the MachineEp. 7 - The 6888th and the USPS: Say Her Name, Stamp Her LegacyEpisode Summary:In this episode, Chelsey and Jenn dive deep into [insert theme—e.g., modern censorship, erasure of historical contributions, or attacks on working-class families], drawing powerful lines between past struggles and today’s political climate. They unpack recent news, connect the dots across state and federal actions, and spotlight voices being silenced—whether through defunding public institutions or rewriting the past.From personal stories of motherhood and activism to brutal honesty about what it's like living in a red state under regressive leadership, this episode is a rally cry for everyday Americans who re...2025-06-0242 minMoms Against the MachineEp. 6 - WW2 and the Rise of Facism Pt. 2In Episode 6, “She Fought the Machine, Part 2,” Chelsey and Jenn reveal the untold stories of World War II’s home-front and battlefield heroines: the Navajo Code Talkers—boarding-school survivors whose language was weaponized to save lives; Betty Masket, an aeronautical engineer who inspected SB2C Helldivers then became a NIH lab chief; Betty McIntosh, an OSS propaganda operative who wielded black-leaflet campaigns and clandestine radio as weapons; the over-looked valor of Black units from the Tuskegee Airmen to the 6888th Postal Battalion; and the ongoing erasure of these legacies through modern policy moves—from federal website purges and trans-mili...2025-05-2642 minMoms Against the MachineEp. 5 - She Fought the Machine: Women of WWII and the Rise of FacismIn Episode 5, “She Fought the Machine, Part 1,” Chelsey and Jenn unpack how early-20th-century fascism weaponized gender—banning contraception, rewarding motherhood, and erasing women’s autonomy—then spotlight five trailblazers who refused to stay silent: Sophie Scholl, Nancy Wake, Noor Inayat Khan, Virginia Hall, and Hedy Lamarr. From leaflets smuggled past Gestapo checkpoints to groundbreaking frequency-hopping patents, these women show how truth, science, and sheer defiance became the first line of resistance—an inheritance we must claim again as modern-day “national renewal” efforts aim to scrub our history and silence dissent.Key SourcesPaxton, Robert O. The An...2025-05-1938 minMoms Against the MachineEp. 4 - The Cost of Being a Woman: From Colonial Tariffs to the Pink TaxIn this episode, Chelsey and Jenn dig into the hidden (and not-so-hidden) economic policies that disproportionately hurt women—especially moms. From the resurgence of the pink tax to Trump’s executive orders that would classify women as “secondary wage earners,” we break down how systemic sexism is built into the financial policies being pushed by Project 2025. We expose the legislative playbook aiming to gut women’s healthcare, raise their taxes, and sabotage their independence—while claiming to fight for “traditional families.”We connect the dots between tariffs that raise prices on everyday goods, childcare cuts, and the gender wage gap...2025-05-1248 minMoms Against the MachineEpisode 3 - The Battle for the Vote: From Seneca Falls to the SAVE ActEpisode OverviewChelsey & Jenn trace the long, hard struggle for voting rights in America—from the Seneca Falls Convention through the Voting Rights Act to today’s battles in Texas and beyond. Along the way they share family stories, spotlight unsung heroines, and arm you with practical steps to protect your most fundamental right: your vote.References & Further ReadingDeclaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Convention, 1848. Avalon Project, Yale Law School.U.S. Const. amends. XV (1870) & XIX (1920). National Archives.Voting Rights Act of 1965; Selma–Montgomery March overview, Library of Congre...2025-05-0549 minMoms Against the MachineProject 2025: Reagan, Trump & the Shadow PlanEpisode Description:In this episode, Chelsey and Jenn dive deep into Project 2025 — the radical plan spearheaded by conservative think tanks and Trump loyalists to permanently reshape American government. We trace the origins of the playbook, expose the threats it poses to democracy, women's rights, and freedom of speech, and connect the dots between Reagan-era conservatism and today's far more dangerous authoritarian shift. Spoiler alert: This isn’t your grandparents’ Republican party anymore.If you think the 2024 election was the end of the fight—think again. The groundwork is being laid right...2025-04-291h 08