Mirror and a Flashlight: Recent Episodes

Chicago Women's Health Center, Clare Hiyama, Scout Bratt, Megan Selby

What can we learn from the Feminist Health Movement? What does radical care and education sound like now? Mirror and a Flashlight explores the history, stories, and practices of Chicago Women’s Health Center, a feminist collective that has been evolving and transforming for decades.

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To celebrate the conclusion of the first season of Mirror and a Flashlight, community members and the podcast team gathered for a virtual event reflecting on the surprises, inspirations, and challenges of making this podcast and sharing the stories of Chicago Women’s Health Center. This bonus episode brings listeners a recording of the panel discussion featuring our producer Ariel Mejia, Collective member and podcast collaborator Terri Kapsalis, and Staff members Leslie Fiedler and Scout Bratt, as well as the Q & A from that event.

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center and this podcast on our website at chicagowomenshealthcenter.org

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Thanks to our event moderator, Scout Bratt, and our panelists, Ariel Mejia, Leslie Fiedler, and Terri Kapsalis. Special thanks to Catherine Plonka for generously sharing her wisdom and insight with us all, and to Ari's mom, Kathy, for her participation.

We want to hear from you, our listeners, about your thoughts on this season - and if you want to hear more from us! Share your ideas and feedback using our Listener Survey here.

This podcast was produced by Ariel Mejia - learn more about her work here. This episode was edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, and Terri Kapsalis, with additional editorial support from Lisa Schergen.

Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks toCorbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, and Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

Visit our online Corner Store to find podcast merch and more.

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In this final episode of the season, Mirror and a Flashlight brings listeners a story that exemplifies CWHC’s integrative approach to health care and shows what is possible when the entire individual is considered and engaged along the winding road of healing. Chiara Francesca generously shares how, since 2009, she has collaborated with her providers across programs, and what this approach has meant for her health and her ability to show up for herself and others.

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center and this podcast on our website at www.chicagowomenshealthcenter.org

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Endless thanks to Chiara Francesca for sharing her story with us. You can learn more about her work via her Instagram account at Instagram.com/chiara.acu

We want to hear from you, our listeners, about your thoughts on this season - and if you want to hear more from us! Share your ideas and feedback using our Listener Survey here.

This was the final episode of this season of Mirror and a Flashlight. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who listened, shared, and supported this project. Special shout outs to Jaya Sahihi, Cameron Burnette, Antonia Willnow, and Camille Slater for their work and insight.

This podcast was produced by Ariel Mejia - learn more about her work at arielmejia.com. This episode was edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, and Terri Kapsalis, with additional editorial support from Lisa Schergen.

Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks toCorbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, and Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

We’re having an event! Join us on March 24th from 7-8:15pm CST for a live, virtual event reflecting on the making of Mirror and a Flashlight! We'll be listening to compelling moments from our podcast's first season, and talking through the questions it has sparked for listeners and creators alike.

Tickets are $10 and you can get yours here today! The event will feature a Q+A and we want to hear from you! Submit questions about the podcast and/or CWHC using this form.

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What does integrative health mean, and how is it part of feminist care? What are the barriers to accessing - and providing - a wider range of frameworks and resources for healing? In this episode of Mirror and a Flashlight, we talk with Clinical Services Director, Leslie Fiedler, about CWHC’s Integrative Health Program (IHP). Learn about how this program is advancing CWHC’s model of care by ensuring the clients have access to a range of healing options, including acupuncture, Pelvic Floor Therapy, and an Intuitive Eating framework of nutrition.

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center and this podcast on our website at www.chicagowomenshealthcenter.org.

Special thanks to Leslie Fiedler for sharing her wisdom with us for this episode.

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We’re having an event! Join us on March 24th from 7-8:15pm CST for a live, virtual event reflecting on the making of Mirror and a Flashlight! We'll be listening to compelling moments from our podcast's first season, and talking through the questions it has sparked for listeners and creators alike.

Tickets are $10 and you can get yours here today! The event will feature a Q+A and we want to hear from you! Submit questions about the podcast and/or CWHC using this form, or by sending a voice memo to us at podcast@chicagowomenshealthcenter.org.

Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks toCorbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, and Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

This podcast was produced by Ariel Mejia and edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, and Terri Kapsalis, with additional editorial support from Lisa Schergen and Leslie Fiedler.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

For more information on some of the topics discussed in this episode, we recommend the following resources:

  • Pacific College of Health and Science
  • Health At Every Size: Resource Page
  • National University of Natural Medicine
  • Bastyr University
  • Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine
  • Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

CWHC’s Collaborating Providers

  • Martha Burla, MPH, CHES is a certified health education specialist and intuitive eating counselor. Martha works from a fat positive, Health at Every Size, trans inclusive perspective.
  • Ariel Wynne PT, DPT is a physical therapist specializing in the pelvic floor.

Learn more about CWHC’s Integrative Health Program and services:

  • Acupuncture and Bodywork
  • Nutrition Counseling and Intuitive Eating
  • Pelvic Floor Therapy

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CWHC’s Alternative Insemination (AI) Program was the first in the midwest specifically designed to provide a path to pregnancy for folx who didn’t have access to sperm. In this episode, Mirror and a Flashlight explores the past and present of this groundbreaking program. First, we talk to Terri Kapsalis and Sandy McNabb, two early members of the program, about how CWHC shifted the landscape of parenthood for queer people seeking pregnancies. Then, we’ll meet Noshaba Bhatti, the current AI Program Coordinator, who shares what access and visibility look like today.

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center and this podcast on our website at chicagowomenshealthcenter.org. For information on our Alternative Insemination Program Introduction workshops, visit our registration page here.

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Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks toCorbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, and Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

This podcast was produced by Ariel Mejia and edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, and Terri Kapsalis, with editorial support from Lisa Schergen.

Thank you to Sandy McNabb, Noshaba Bhatti, and Terri Kapsalis for participating in these conversations.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

For more information on some of the topics discussed in this episode, we recommend the following resources*:

  • CWHC’s Self-Exam Kit includes a speculum, a mirror, a flashlight, and a self-exam guide for individuals with cervixes to learn more about their body, including cervical mucus. Self-Exam Kits can be purchased online in our Corner Store.

Resources referenced in this episode:

  • The 1990 Chicago Lesbian Kiss-In featured on the 10% Show: made available through the Gerber Hart Library and Archives: Midwest LGBT History and Culture website.
  • The Age That Women Have Babies: How a Gap Divides America: New York Times Article by Quoctrung Bui and Claire Cain Miller, August 4, 2018.

Books on Birth, Birthing Justice, and History of Grand (Granny) Lay Midwives:

  • Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy, and Childbirth edited by Julia Chinyere Oparah and Alicia D. Bonaparte
  • Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts
  • Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA, a report by Amnesty International: the full 154-page report can be viewed and downloaded for free here (also available in other languages).
  • Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife by Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Janet Holmes
  • Why Not Me: The Story of Gladys Milton, Midwife by Wendy Bovard and Gladys Milton
  • The Women Who Caught the Babies : A Story of African American Midwives by Eloise Greenfield
  • Delivered by Midwives: African American Midwifery in the Twentieth-Century South by Jenny M Luke
  • Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife’s Story by Onnie Lee Logan
  • My Bag Was Always Packed: The Life and Times of a Virginia Midwife by Claudine Curry Smith and Mildred H.B. Roberson
  • Granny Midwives and Black Women Writers, Valeria Lee
  • African American Midwifery in the South: Dialogues of Birth, Race, and Memory by Gertrude Jacinta Fraser

Books on fertility awareness, understanding menstrual cycles, and reproductive health:

  • A Donor Insemination Guide: Written by and for Lesbian Women, Lacy Frazer and Marie Mohler
  • Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler
  • The New Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy and Birth, Stephanie Brill and Kim Toevs
  • The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack
  • The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians by Rachel Pepper

Books for Queer, Lesbian, and Single people attempting pregnancy or already parenting:

  • Considering Parenthood: A Workbook for Lesbians, Cheri Pies
  • For Lesbian Parents: Your Guide to Helping Your Family Grow up Happy, Healthy and Proud by Suzanne M. Johnson and Elizabeth O'Connor
  • The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook, Creating and Raising our Families, April Martin
  • The Lesbian Parenting Book: A Guide to Creating Families and Raising Children by D. Merilee Clunis and G. Dorsey Green
  • Pride and Joy: A Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Parents by Sarah Hagger-Holt and Rachel Hagger-Holt
  • Lesbian Parenting: Living with Pride and Prejudice, Katherine Arnup
  • The Queer Parent's Primer, Stephanie Brill
  • The Single Parent Resource Book, Brook Noel and Art Klein
  • Single Mothers by Choice by Jane Mattes
  • The Complete Single Mother by Andrea Engber and Leah Klungness

Films about Birth:

  • The Business of Being Born (there is a part two to this film, which is a one-season series that was made available on Netflix)
  • Bringin' in Da Spirit
  • All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story: an instructional film following granny midwife, Miss Mary Coley, and detailing the births of black people living in rural America in the 50's
  • Freedom for Birth: The Mothers' Revolution - available to watch for free here with a library card
  • Orgasmic Birth: The Best-Kept Secret
  • The Birth Reborn: a series of 3 films about birthing in Brazil, available on Netflix

*Some of these resources can be difficult to locate. We recommend checking with your local public library for titles that might be hard to find .

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“If you look at any women's organization that started in the 70s, and still is around today, each one of them has their story of how they - if they - made the transition to be trans inclusive.” In this episode of Mirror and a Flashlight, we’ll hear from Jess and Jubi, two former Collective members, Terri, a Collective member we heard from back in episode one, and Riley, a community member, all of whom were instrumental in helping CWHC work to become a trans inclusive organization. We’ll hear about the challenges, the missteps, and how, through community accountability and good, hard work, CWHC created the Trans Greater Access Project, ensuring its services were trans inclusive and ultimately became a leader in providing trans health care in the midwest.

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center and this podcast on our website at chicagowomenshealthcenter.org

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Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks toCorbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, and Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

This podcast was produced by Ariel Mejia and edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, and Terri Kapsalis, with additional editorial support from Jess Kane, and Riley Johnson. Special thanks to Cass Adair for the insight and editorial support.

The biggest thank you to the tireless and blessed hearts of Jubi Dutcher, Riley Johnson, Terri Kapsalis, CWHC's Clinical Services Committee, and the clients who generously shared their stories with us. And thanks to Sydney Roth, playlist magician extraordinaire.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

For more information on some of the topics discussed in this episode, we recommend the following resources:

  • CWHC’s Extended Resource List: a list of resources for trans, non-binary and gender expansive folks compiled by our Clinical Services team. If you have questions or concerns about accessing these resources or navigating any of these steps, please give us a call at (773)935-6126.
  • Gender Reveal: a podcast that explores the vast diversity of trans experiences through interviews with a wide array of trans, nonbinary and two-spirit people. The show also serves as a free educational tool for anyone seeking to learn more about gender.
  • Transcripts: a podcast that uses oral histories from the Tretter Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota to introduce listeners to the trans activists who are changing our world and puts the transgender movement in context.
  • RAD Remedy: an emerging national organization dedicated to connecting trans, gender non-conforming, intersex & queer people to the care they may need.
  • Fenway Trans Health: located in Boston, Fenway Health’s mission is to enhance the wellbeing of the LGBTQIA+ community and all people in our neighborhoods and beyond through access to the highest quality health care, education, research and advocacy. The Fenway Institute is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues, especially related to LGBTQIA+ communities.
  • Gender Spectrum: a site for medical and mental health professionals, providing professional development and training can help professionals keep up to date with evolving understandings and language of gender, along with the best practices for applying them in your work with all children, young people and families.
  • Health Care Action Center from the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE): resources and recommendations to support individuals in advocating for trans-inclusive health care
  • Know Your Rights from the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE): resources to support individuals in combating discriminatory health care practices. This page includes some great additional resources towards the bottom, including information on best practices and standards of care.
  • Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource Guide for the Transgender Community (Oxford University Press, 2014)
  • The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health Care (ed. Zena Sharman)
  • Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health (ed. Adrian Shanker)

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How do you know a relationship is healthy?
Why does our body have to change?
What do you do about sadness due to a crush?

CWHC’s Outreach and Education (OE) Program has been around for over 30 years and now provides comprehensive sexual health education to over 3,500 young people across Chicago every year. In this episode, we hear from Scout, Megan, and Clare, health educators at CWHC. Listen as they share how the OE Program amplifies CWHC’s education-focused model beyond its clinic into classrooms across Chicago, and how they use of student’s anonymous questions, like these, to guide their classes and challenge traditional power dynamics of who decides what young people get to know or question.

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center, our Outreach and Education Program, and this podcast on our website at chicagowomenshealthcenter.org

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Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks toCorbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

This podcast was produced by Ari Mejia and edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, and Terri Kapsalis, with additional editorial support from Lisa Schergen.

Thanks to the Outreach and Education Committee - Scout Bratt, Megan Selby, and Clare Hiyama - and to the students who shared their anonymous questions, as well as their thoughts and feelings about what is has meant to them to receive comprehensive sex education. A special thank you to Jacoba Cruz-Rodriguez, who contributes greatly to CWHC’s Outreach & Education program.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

For more information on some of the topics discussed in this episode, we recommend the following resources:

Feminist Sex Ed Resources

  • Advocates for Youth: Honest Sex Education: issue area led by teen advocates and leaders
  • Readings & Resources on Abolition and Reproductive Justice: a list compiled by Young Womxn of Color for Reproductive Justice, A project of Advocates for Youth
  • Sex Ed is a vehicle for Racial Justice: an article from Sex Ed for Social Change (SEICUS), as part of their #SexEd4SocialChange campaign
  • Sex Ed as a Human Right: an episode of, “What Would a Feminist Do?” a podcast featuring Jessica Valenti and Jaclyn Friedman
  • Sexuality Education: a TEDx Talk from Al Vernacchio

Websites CWHC Health Educators Love

  • Scarleteen.com: a website with some of our favorite articles, definitions, and resources for youth (some of which are written by youth!). We also recommend additional publications from this website's content creators
  • Sex Positive Families: a website with variety of resources for adult allies
  • Healthy Teen Network- hub for training, resources, and youth programming
  • Amaze.org: videos for youth folx and their parents
  • CHAT.org: Chicago Healthy Adolescents and Teens website with links to resources, medically-accurate information, and videos (created by Chicago Department of Public Health)
  • Guttmacher Institute: research, fact sheets and data analysis regarding sexual health, access to health care, and the state of sex education

Youth Organizing Resources and Networks

  • Assata's Daughters*
  • Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health: CHAT*
  • Chicago Freedom School*
  • Advocates for Youth: Youth Leadership and Organizing
  • Sex Ed Works Campaign (Healing to Action)*
  • Girl/Friends Leadership Institute (A Long Walk Home)*
  • SIECUS Campaign Organizing

*Chicago-based!

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What is a feminist relational approach to therapy? How does CWHC’s team of staff counselors, volunteers, and interns keep our model of care at the heart of the Counseling program? And what does it look like to work towards de-medicalizing mental health?

Since its start in 1989, CWHC’s Counseling program has recognized the impact that systems of oppression have on an individual. This recognition has set the program apart and continues to shape how our counselors approach their work.

Join us today for a conversation between Tina Lee, Lee Jacobs Riggs, and Sunny Swift as they reflect on what it’s like to be a Counselor - and be a human - practicing CWHC’s approach to care.

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center and this podcast on our website at chicagowomenshealthcenter.org.

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Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks toCorbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, and Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

This podcast was produced by Ari Mejia and edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, Terri Kapsalis, and Lisa Schergen.

Special thanks to Tina Lee, Lee Jacobs Riggs, Sunny Swift, and Angela Campion.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

Resources and additional information

Resources for self-exploration, self-care, and self-reflection

  • Where Gratitude Gets You: an episode of The Hidden Brain Podcast
  • The Body Is Not an Apology: Radical Self-Love for Everybody and Every Body
  • Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective: toolkits and resources
  • Guided Meditations from Tara Brach
  • Finding Our Way: a podcast about how to realize the world we want through our own healing and transformation
  • Self Compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff

BIPOC therapy and support networks

  • National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network: a directory of queer and trans therapists of color and related resources
  • Black Virtual Wellness Directory from the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective
  • Asian Mental Health Collective: a site dedicated to destigmatizing and normalizing mental health in Asian communities
  • Latinx Therapists Action Network: a directory of Latinx therapists and related resources
  • Fearless Femme 100: mental health resources for Queer and Trans BIPOC

Book Recommendations for Self and Collective Care:

  • Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
  • Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice
  • I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World

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Our premiere episode begins with Chicago Women’s Health Center’s roots in the feminist health movement of the 1960s. Terri Kapsalis, author and long-time CWHC Collective Member, describes the clinic’s model of care, its historic context, and how it remains at the heart of our work 45-years later.

How does CWHC continue to create a place for clients to receive health care that’s actually about care and not profit? What is the historic foundation for CWHC’s approach and why is this approach as important as ever? And...why “mirror and a flashlight”?

Join Terri as she explores these questions, and tune in throughout this season to learn more about how each of CWHC's programs practice the model of care that has been evolving since 1975.

A Note from CWHC: This episode contains archival audio that identifies Andrea Smith as a member of the Cherokee Nation, a false claim made by Smith that has been harmful, as documented in The New York Times', "The Native Scholar Who Wasn't."

Learn more about Chicago Women’s Health Center and this podcast on our website at chicagowomenshealthcenter.org.

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Mirror and a Flashlight is made possible by our community of support. Our special thanks to Corbett Vs Dempsey, Women Unite!, Early to Bed, Women & Children First Bookstore, Laura McAlpine Consulting for Growth, Mats Gustafsson and Catalytic Sound.

Additional thanks to the generous clients who shared their experiences.

This podcast was produced by Ari Mejia and edited by A.J. Barks, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, and Terri Kapsalis, with additional editorial support from Lisa Schergen.

Make our work possible with a donation here.

Learn more about Terri Kapsalis and her work at terrikapsalis.net.

Archival tape featured in this episode:
- Black Panther Health Clinics, featuring Fred Hampton
- Taking Our Bodies Back: The women’s health movement, from Cambridge Documentary Films
- Andrea Smith at Women’s Worlds 2011

For more information on some of the topics discussed in this episode, we recommend the following resources:

The History of the Women’s Health Movement

  • Our Bodies, Our Selves
  • Bodies of Knowledge: Sexuality, Reproduction, and Women’s Health in the Second Wave by Wendy Kline
  • Witches, Midwives, and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English
  • “The Campaign to Eliminate the Midwife” by Kate Dawley
  • Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement by Jennifer Nelson
  • More than Medicine: A History of the Feminist Women’s Health Movement by Jennifer Nelson
  • New View of a Woman’s Body: A Fully Illustrated Guide by the Federation Of Feminist Women's Health Centers

History of Gynecology and Sterilization Abuses in the United States

  • Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology by Deirdre Cooper Owens
  • No Mas Bebes (2015), directed by Renee Tajima-Peña
  • Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide by Andrea Smith
  • Reproductive Justice: An Introduction by Loretta Ross and Rickie Solinger
  • Witches, Witch Hunts, and Women by Silvia Federici
  • Killing the Black Body by Dorothy E. Roberts
  • The Face of Women's Health: Helen Rodriguez-Trias by Joyce Wilcox

Black Panthers & Young Lords Health Clinics

  • Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination by Alondra Nelson
  • Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times by Amy Sonnie and James Tracy

Jane, the Underground Abortion Service

  • The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan

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Welcome to the trailer for Mirror and a Flashlight, a podcast that explores the history, stories, and practices of Chicago Women’s Health Center, a feminist collective that has been evolving and transforming for decades. What can we learn from the Feminist Health Movement? What does radical care and education sound like now?

Episodes will drop in December 2020.

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Support our work with a donation here.