Toxic

After Donald Trump publicly berated Kaitlan Collins of CNN for pressing him about the Jeffrey Epstein files, he used a cheap power move familiar to women worldwide. "Why aren't you smiling?" Because apparently women exist to decorate the room — and keep powerful men comfortable. It's also a great way to deflect questions you don't want to answer. In this episode, we unpack the long history of telling women to "smile" — and why it's one of the most annoying things men can say next to....oh, about anything. We examine how policing women's expressions becomes a way to reassert dominance, derail accountability and minimize a woman's place in a professional seetting. Because when a woman is told to smile, it's rarely about happiness. It's about control. We want to hear from you. Do you have a story we need to discuss or a guest we should feature? Visit us at ToxicThePodcast.com and share your story. We're sorry if we can't reply to every email immediately, but we we are trying our best to respond to everyone who writes in. Just know that we hear you and you're not alone. If you're experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please consider connecting with a trained advocate near you. You can find one through DomesticShelters.org. Finally, help us spread these important conversations further. Share an episode of Toxic with someone just as pissed off as you that this keeps happening. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, and if you're willing, leave us a review. Your support helps us amplify these critical stories. Together, we can create change.

We're starting this episode with Jenna's take from the frontlines in Minneapolis, where she lives, and the horrors she's seen there firsthand in the wake of ICE's terror campaign. Spoiler: It's all bad. But you can do something, no matter where you are. Visit standwithminnesota.com to donate to families impacted and to the tireless volunteers standing guard in the negative temps 24/7. Next, because we can't let ICE distract us from the fact that women are in peril every day, and most often by their own partners in their own homes, we're telling the story of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Weinstein. Lizzie was a mother, former ER nurse and outspoken critic of the family court system whose life ended under still-unclear circumstances last July. After divorcing her ex-husband, prominent attorney Brian Stryker Weinstein, Lizzie alleged abuse and corruption within a system she said stripped her of her children, her finances and her credibility—while protecting power and wealth. What followed was a series of deeply troubling events involving her being put behind bars, subjected to psychiatric confinement against her will and court orders that raise more questions than answers. This episode traces Lizzie's story through its many confusing and perplexing twists, exploring how family court can be weaponized against survivors—and why the full truth of what happened to her may never be known. We close with an interview with Natalie Blundell, Lizzie's friend, a domestic violence advocate and the founder of WeSpoke.org, who shares her perspective on Lizzie's final years and what her case reveals about systemic failures that continue to impact women across the country. We want to hear from you. Do you have a story we need to discuss or a guest we should feature? Visit us at ToxicThePodcast.com and share your story. We're sorry if we can't reply to every email immediately, but we we are trying our best to respond to everyone who writes in. Just know that we hear you and you're not alone. If you're experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please consider connecting with a trained advocate near you. You can find local advocacy groups and information on all facets of abuse at DomesticShelters.org. Finally, help us spread these important conversations further. Share an episode of Toxic with someone just as pissed off as you that this keeps happening. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform or social media please leave us a review. Your support helps us amplify these critical stories. Together, we can create change.

It's one of our favorite episodes of the year where we recap a bad (or is it actually a genius?) holiday movie. This year's pick: Christmas at the Catnip Cafe. Olivia, a marketing exec (OF COURSE SHE IS) is left half a cat cafe in her aunt's will and who owns the other half? A hot vet who loves cats, obviously. Olivia hates cats! And has no time for romance or small towns! But does love to make vegetable tians! Oh my god, WHAT will happen?! Have a very festive, safe holiday y'all. And men, ask how you can help, FFS.

We're back! Thanks for your patience. We had life stuff. This week, Jenna and Amanda are strapping on their metaphorical hazmat suits and wading into the darkest corners of the internet: the manosphere. What starts as "dating tips" or "how to be more confident" quickly turns into a pipeline of misogyny, conspiracy thinking victimhood narratives ("men have it the worst!"), and in too many cases, encouragement of real-world violence against women. We're breaking down how this ecosystem has gone fully mainstream, how influencers sell young men a fantasy of power and entitlement—usually wrapped in $999 "mastermind" courses—and why boys searching YouTube for perfectly innocent advice on dating or fitness are now just one algorithmic shove away from some of the most toxic women-hating, pro-grape messaging online. Come for the snark. Stay for the unsettling realization that this stuff is everywhere now. If you want to go even deeper into the manosphere, we can't recommend highly enough Laura Bates' book "Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pick-Up Artists, the Truth About Extreme Misogyny and How It Affects Us All." And to jumpstart a fun conversation over morning coffee, get your "Prevent Male Podcasts" coffee mug at our Toxic store here! We want to hear from you. Do you have a story we need to discuss or a guest we should feature? Visit us at ToxicThePodcast.com and share your story. We're sorry if we can't reply to every email immediately, but we we are trying our best to respond to everyone who writes in. Just know that we hear you and you're not alone. If you're experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please consider connecting with a trained advocate near you. You can find one through DomesticShelters.org. Finally, help us spread these important conversations further. Share an episode of Toxic with someone just as pissed off as you that this keeps happening. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, and please consider leaving us a [kind] review. Your support helps us amplify these critical stories. Together, we can create change.

Sigh. Here we go again. In a case of this-can't-possibly-be-true-oh-my-god-why-is-the-system-so-broken-this-is-why-women-keep-dying, a Tucson, Ariz., judge set free Michael Martinez Duran from a Pima County jail while he was awaiting trial for charges of domestic violence, including strangulation, which we KNOW is one of the deadliest red flags of a future homicide. Due in court Sept. 19, Michael never made it. Instead, he did something most of us could 100 percent predict any abuser who had already been escalting his abuse was going to do when losing power and control—he murdered his girlfriend, a mom and brand-new grandmother, Michelle Gracia, 47, less than two weeks before he was set to be back in court. In this episode, we discuss the deadly consequences of downplaying an abuser's threats — and the heartbreaking ways victims often disconnect from the reality of their danger, because fully facing it can feel impossible. We are also honored to have Michelle's mother, Linda, talk to Amanda in this traumatic aftermath about her daughter's murder, and how it was absolutely preventable. (Apologies for the sound quality of the phone call.) Please consider making a donation to Michelle's GoFundMe, if able, to help support her children moving forward. We want to hear from you. Do you have a story we need to discuss or a guest we should feature? Visit us at ToxicThePodcast.com and share your story. We're sorry if we can't reply to every email immediately, but we we are trying our best to respond to everyone who writes in. Just know that we hear you and you're not alone. If you're experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please consider connecting with a trained advocate near you. You can find one through DomesticShelters.org. Finally, help us spread these important conversations further. Share an episode of Toxic with someone just as pissed off as you that this keeps happening. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, and if you're willing, leave us a review. Your support helps us amplify these critical stories. Together, we can create change.