Queens Podcast

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th-century Mexican nun, poet, playwright, composer, and all-around intellectual menace to the patriarchy.

In this episode of Queens Podcast, we trace Sor Juana’s rise from hacienda library goblin to celebrated court intellectual and how she used wit, logic, and theology to argue that women deserved education because women are people. Radical stuff.

Paired with a twist on the Paloma cocktail, we explore her poems like You Foolish Men and essays such as Respuesta a Sor Filotea, works that helped shape modern feminist thought centuries before feminism had a name.

Sor Juana did not just challenge misogyny. She out-argued it, and history is still taking notes.

Time stamps:

00:00 Introduction and Content Warning

00:36 Meet the Hosts: Katy & Nathan

01:36 Introducing Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz

02:56 Patreon Shoutouts and Mocktail Recipe

05:31 Sor Juana's Early Life and Education

14:43 Juana's Move to Mexico City

16:45 Life with the viceroy's court

18:28 Juana's Intellectual Challenge

20:55 Becoming a nun

24:59 Juana's Writing Career Begins

26:08 A Close Relationship with Maria Louisa

30:23 You Foolish Men: A Poem of Hypocrisy

37:57 Juana's Feminist Manifesto

43:59 Juana's Downfall and Final Years

47:00 Legacy of a Feminist Icon

Sources:

Dr. Peyton Cristina Del Toro's YouTube

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Biography.com

Poets.org

Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Never miss a Queens Podcast happening! Sign up for our newsletter: https://eepurl.com/gZ-nYf
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Today we’re diving into the wildly dramatic life of Mary Shelley, the mother of science fiction and the ultimate OG Goth Girl. From radical feminist and revolutionary parents, to graveyard hookups, to the stormy summer that gave us Frankenstein, Mary’s life was just as haunting as her work.

In this episode, we unpack how Mary Shelley’s grief, genius, and chaotic social circle shaped one of the most influential novels of all time and how she remained quietly radical long after the world tried to tame her.

In this episode, we cover:


Mary Shelley’s radical upbringing and goth childhood


Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and the messiest friend group imaginable


The true origins of Frankenstein


Grief, motherhood, and loss


Mary Shelley’s underrated radical legacy

Time stamps:

00:00 Introduction and New Year Greetings

03:26 Mary Shelley's Early Life and Family

04:37 Mary Wollstonecraft & William Godwin: Radical Parents

16:53 Teenage Years in Scotland (Emotional Glow-Up)

19:43 Percy Shelley has entered the chat

24:09 The Graveyard Scene & Running Away

31:53 Return to England and Family Rejection

36:58 The Birth of Frankenstein

47:26 Loss, Grief & Moving to Italy

54:14 Mary Shelley's Later Life and Legacy

Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, check out our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ merch store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Never miss a Queens Podcast happening! Sign up for our newsletter: https://eepurl.com/gZ-nYf
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In this episode of History’s Mysteries, we’re diving into one of the bloodiest and most debated events in early modern Europe: the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Thousands of French Protestants were brutally murdered in August 1572, after what was supposed to be a royal wedding that symbolized peace. Historians have argued for centuries about who was responsible — and today, we’re asking the big question:

Did Catherine de Medici order it?

This episode blends historical analysis, feminist storytelling, and intuitive tarot reading to look at Catherine de Medici not as a caricature, but as a complex political operator navigating power, survival, and legacy in a brutal era.

If you'd like to find more Tandy you can find her on instagramIf you want to try Unicorn Wellness for 30 days head here: https://www.unicornwellnessstudio.com/30-day-guest-access

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Special Guest Announcement

00:47 History's Mysteries Series Overview

01:36 Meet Tandy: The Wellness Witch

03:38 The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre

10:40 Catherine de' Medici's Role in the Massacre

11:44 Tarot Reading: Did Catherine Call for the Murder?

15:35 Card 1: The Seven of Cups

17:33 Strategic Planning and Power Dynamics

23:38 Card 2: Four of Wands

24:47 The Gloves Are Off: A Violent Message

26:21 Catherine de Medici's Disconnect and Strategy

38:03 Card 3: The Hierophant Card

Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, check out our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ merch store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Never miss a Queens Podcast happening! Sign up for our newsletter: https://eepurl.com/gZ-nYf
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Welcome back to another Queens Kiki for December 20, 2025.

This week we’re talking tragic losses, Vanity Fair doing what it does best, horror films finally getting their flowers at the Golden Globes, and the pop culture chaos keeping us afloat.

We break down Rob Reiner’s legacy, dissect the now-infamous Vanity Fair Trump cabinet photo spread, argue (passionately) about whether Michael B. Jordan deserved two nominations, and spiral joyfully through what we’re watching, reading, and loving right now.

Pop culture, chaos, and coping — just another Kiki.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to the Kiki Queens Podcast!

00:24 Reflecting on 2025: A Year to Forget

00:45 Tarot Reading: Setting the Tone

02:48 Heartbreaking News: The Reiner Family Tragedy

04:28 Celebrating Rob Reiner's Legacy

09:00 Vanity Fair's Trump Cabinet Spread

11:19 Analyzing the Photography: Intentional or Rushed?

21:22 What we're watching/reading

27:54 Golden Globes Horror Nominations

33:12 Bowen Yang please be my friend

34:24 Byeeee

Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, check out our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ merch store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Never miss a Queens Podcast happening! Sign up for our newsletter: https://eepurl.com/gZ-nYf
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We’re back with Part 2 of our deep dive into Helena Blavatsky—the controversial, chaotic, and endlessly woo woo founder of modern occultism. In this episode, we follow Madame Blavatsky’s journey to America, where she teams up with Henry Steele Olcott and steps fully into her era as a spiritualism celebrity.

From the founding of Theosophy to her many scandals, disputed “miracles,” and the wild amount of cultural appropriation baked into her work, we’re unpacking the messy, fascinating legacy that shaped New Age spirituality, occult history, and the modern mystic movement.

If you’ve ever wondered how one woman became the blueprint for so much 19th-century spiritualism—for better and worse—this episode has you covered.

Time stamps

00:00 Intro

01:26 Helena's Lost Decade and Move to America

02:37 The Rise of Spiritualism

06:23 Helena's Struggles and New Beginnings

10:14 Meeting the Eddie Brothers

14:02 Partnership with Henry Steele Olcott

17:26 Founding the Theosophical Society

22:47 The Success of 'Isis Unveiled'

26:03 Helena's Celebrity Era

26:27 Move to India and Cultural Appropriation

29:51 Blavatsky's Popularity and Controversy in India

32:51 Health Issues and Betrayal

40:50 The Secret Doctrine and Blavatsky's Theories

45:40 Final Years and Legacy

Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, check out our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ merch store⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Never miss a Queens Podcast happening! Sign up for our newsletter: https://eepurl.com/gZ-nYf
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices