We’re thrilled to be back for season 5 with new hosts, NOW National President Kim Villanueva and NOW National Vice President Rose Brunache.

In this kick-off episode, NOW’s Policy Director Shelby von Hofe sits down to interview Kim and Rose, so you can get to know the new hosts of the show. They discuss why the label of “feminist” seems to be so controversial these days, and what you can expect from this season of Feminism NOW.

Whether you’re a lifelong feminist or newly feminism-curious, join us this season as Kim and Rose speak with the movers and shakers defining the feminist movement in 2026. New episodes of Feminism NOW release every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Leave us a voicemail for us to include in a future episode! Call 202-628-8669 or email us a voice memo at feminismnow@now.org.

Meet Feminism NOW’s new hosts!

Kim Villanueva was elected NOW National President in July 2025 and has been an active NOW member since 1987. Outside of NOW, Kim has nearly 40 years of experience in legislative advocacy, member relations, fund development, and board governance.

Rose Brunache was elected NOW National Vice President in July 2025 and is an inclusive, millennial woman of color who brings a committed grassroots focus to her activism. Rose moved to the Washington, DC area after graduating from Temple University and has worked for various federal government agencies.

Guest Host: Shelby von Hofe is the Policy and Advocacy Director at NOW National. Shelby's work and volunteering has focused on voting rights and women's rights, in addition to completing a fellowship with the Pro-Bono Resource Center of Maryland.

NOW News: It’s NOW’s 60th birthday! NOW’s next 60 years depend on your voice, your creativity, and your conviction. Join us as we harness the power of new platforms, new ideas, and new generations to continue the fight for gender equality, social justice, and true democracy.

Join the NOW book club!

Follow us on social media:

Kim on Instagram @KimVillanueva_NOW, and Rose on X @BrunacheRose.

Today’s guest host, Shelby von Hofe @shelbyelysia on Instagram, and the NOW Young Feminists @now_yf on Instagram.
Find the West Kentucky NOW Chapter here, or on Facebook and Instagram @WestKYNOW

Find NOW here:

Instagram: @nationalnow

TikTok: @national_now

BlueSky: @nationalnow.bsky.social

Facebook: NationalNOW

X: @nationalnow

In 2025, Black women in the U.S. still can’t get the quality healthcare their white peers often receive. The history of bias in this country continues to play out through social determinants of health, from poverty to whether or not people have access to clean water. Despite the many questions that remain around women’s health, the Trump administration has also recently reduced funding for women’s health research.

Across the country, Black women are leading the charge to make change. Today, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Dr. Sharon Thompson, Medical Director and Board Vice Chair of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, to discuss why Black women are disproportionately impacted by inequities in the healthcare system—and how combatting these disparities benefits everyone.

Links:

https://bwhi.org/

https://bwhi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CWC_Report_Full_report_lowres.pdf

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know

https://kinema.com/films/me-period-tut9gq

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/23/nx-s1-5372892/womens-health-initiative-research-funding-gets-cut

Guest: Dr. Sharon R. Thompson is a powerhouse in women’s health—an OB/GYN, health tech innovator, professor, and national speaker with deep roots in public health and education. Known for her dynamic blend of clinical care, policy insight, and media presence, Dr. Thompson leads conversations that center dignity, data, and cultural competence in healthcare. She is the founder of Central Phoenix OB/GYN and a regular medical contributor on Good Morning Arizona.

Take Action NOW: Join NOW this July for our National Conference in Las Vegas! Click here to learn more and register. We can’t wait to see you there!

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Dr. Sharon Thompson:

Instagram: instagram.com/drsharonthompson/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sharonthompsonmdmph/

Black Women’s Health Imperative:

Instagram: instagram.com/blkwomenshealth/

Twitter/X: x.com/blkwomenshealth

Facebook: facebook.com/BlackWomensHealthImperative/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/black-women's-health-imperative/

YouTube: youtube.com/c/BlackWomensHealthImperative

In 2025, there are more guns in the United States than people. Last June, the Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis. But even though women often feel the effects–especially through domestic violence–gun violence is rarely treated as a feminist issue.

But tackling gun violence is feminist. Today, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Mikki Kendall, author of Hood Feminism, to discuss America’s gun crisis, what it has to do with attacks on women’s rights, and how we can create a future that prioritizes protecting women.

Links:

https://mikkikendall.com/

https://www.thetrace.org/2023/03/guns-america-data-atf-total/

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/annual-gun-violence-data

https://depauliaonline.com/59001/focus/gun-violence-the-unheard-feminist-issue/

https://us.pagefreezer.com/en-US/wa/browse/0a7f82bb-be6e-448a-ae11-373d22c37842?find-by-timestamp=2025-01-02T05:49:59Z&url=https:%2F%2Fwww.hhs.gov%2Fabout%2Fnews%2F2024%2F06%2F25%2Fus-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-public-health-crisis-firearm-violence-united-states.html×tamp=2025-01-02T07:03:02Z

Guest: Mikki Kendall is a writer, diversity consultant, and occasional feminist. She is the author of the New York Times-bestselling HOOD FEMINISM and of AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS, a graphic novel illustrated by A. D’Amico. She has appeared on the BBC, NPR, The Daily Show, PBS, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, WBEZ, and Showtime; her essays can be found at TIME, the New York Times, The Guardian, the Washington Post, Essence, Vogue, The Boston Globe, and NBC.

Take Action NOW: Join NOW this July for our National Conference in Las Vegas! Click here to learn more and register. We can’t wait to see you there!

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Instagram: instagram.com/karnythia/

Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/karnythia.bsky.social

It’s 2025 and there are ongoing cases in the courts that could affect women’s rights–from the ability to obtain medication abortion to protection from our former abusers. But these cases often don’t make headlines until the decisions are made.

Our last episode, featuring Azaleea Carlea, Legal Director of Legal Momentum, addressed the powers and limitations of the legal system when it comes to protecting women’s rights. In this episode, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Lynn Hecht Schafran, Senior Vice President of Legal Momentum, to discuss some of the court cases Legal Momentum is involved in—ones with major implications for our rights—to keep everyday feminists up-to-date about where our rights stand in the court of law.

Want to hear more on how gender bias bubbles up in our legal system? Be sure to check out our episode, “The Abuse to Prison Pipeline,” featuring Becki Kondkar, founding director of Tulane Law School’s Women’s Prison Project.

Links:

https://www.legalmomentum.org/

https://www.legalmomentum.org/get-help-form

Court cases mentioned in this episode:

Brenda Evers Andrew v. Tamika White, Warden (2025): https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/23-6573.html

United States v. Rahimi (2024): https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/22-915
FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (2024): https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/23-235

Guest: Lynn Hecht Schafran, Esq. is Senior Vice President at Legal Momentum and has been Director of Legal Momentum's National Judicial Education Program to Promote Equality for Women and Men in the Courts (NJEP) since 1981. Lynn also serves as Senior Vice President and a Senior Staff Attorney, litigating and writing in the areas of rape, domestic violence, the intersection of domestic violence and sexual assault, neuroscience and its implications for the courts, and all aspects of gender bias in the courts.

Take Action NOW: Join NOW this July for our National Conference in Las Vegas! Click here to learn more and register. We can’t wait to see you there!

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Legal Momentum Socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LegalMomentum

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legalmomentum/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/LegalMomentum
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legal-momentum

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@legalmomentum

For many people, the court of last resort for their rights is, well, the courts. The legal system. But witnessing the highest courts in the nation strip away our rights begs the question: was this system really set up to protect women?

In this episode, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes is joined by Azaleea Carlea, Legal Director of Legal Momentum, to discuss the U.S. legal system’s potential to protect women, but also its limitations—particularly for marginalized communities.

This is only the beginning! We’ll be back in two weeks with a second episode discussing specific court cases impacting women’s rights in the United States today. In the meantime, be sure to check out our episode, “The Abuse to Prison Pipeline,” featuring Becki Kondkar, founding director of Tulane Law School’s Women’s Prison Project, to hear more about how gender bias shows up in our legal system.

Links:

https://www.legalmomentum.org/

https://www.legalmomentum.org/get-help-form

https://oig.hhs.gov/reports/featured/emtala/

Court cases mentioned in this episode:

Sessions v. Morales-Santana (2017): https://www.oyez.org/cases/2016/15-1191

Brenda Evers Andrew v. Tamika White, Warden (2025): https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/23-6573.html

United States v. Rahimi (2024): https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/22-915

Guest: Azaleea Carlea has dedicated her career to advancing social justice for underserved communities, with a particular focus on supporting survivors of gender-based violence. She has extensive litigation experience in the NYS Family, Integrated Domestic Violence and Supreme Courts and has supported policy efforts aimed at improving systemic responses to intimate partner violence. Currently the Legal Director at Legal Momentum, the Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, Azaleea oversees the organization’s initiatives on gender-based violence, reproductive rights, and workplace and educational equality.

Take Action NOW: Join NOW this July for our National Conference in Las Vegas! Click here to learn more and register. We can’t wait to see you there!

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Legal Momentum Socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LegalMomentum

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legalmomentum/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/LegalMomentum

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legal-momentum

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@legalmomentum

Childbirth. It can be a spiritual, life-altering experience. But giving birth—particularly for those with marginalized identities—is also dangerous, especially as attacks on our reproductive rights continue. Women die in childbirth every year, and the United States has the worst maternal mortality outcomes of any developed country.

This week, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Latham Thomas, founder of Mama Glow, to discuss maternal health in the United States. From legislation to community engagement, Christian and Latham discuss the wide range of approaches it will take to improve maternal health outcomes—and how everyday feminists, parent or not, can show up for their loved ones preparing to give birth.

Links:

How bad is maternal mortality in the U.S.? A new study says it's been overestimated | NPR

Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2022 | CDC

The Momnibus Act | Black Maternal Health Caucus

NOW Is Proud to Support the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act

Guest: Latham Thomas is the founder of Mama Glow, a global maternal health and education platform serving birthing people along the childbearing continuum and home to 3,000 doulas. Mama Glow supports families during the fertility period, pregnancy, birth and postpartum offering hand-holding through their bespoke doula services and work with insurance companies and hospital systems to improve the experience of maternity care. Named one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, Latham has served as a doula for clients including: Alicia Keys, Anne Hathaway, Ashley Graham, DJ Khaled, Rebecca Minkoff, Tamera Mowry, and more. She is a graduate of Columbia University and author of two best-selling books; Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living And Crowning The Queen Within and Mama Glow: A Hip Guide to Your Fabulous Abundant Pregnancy.

Take Action NOW: Learn more and get involved in Disrupt NOW, the National Organization for Women’s campaign to combat extreme misogynist propaganda, increase feminist education, and advocate for women’s equality and safety.

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Latham Thomas:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowmaven/

Mama Glow:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamaglow/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MamaGlow/

AI seems to be everywhere these days, and it’s often marketed to us as a way to boost our efficiency. But feminists have long known that technological advancements can also create new avenues for the exploitation of women, and AI is no exception.

Our theme this season is “Protecting women in a hostile world.” In this episode, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes is joined by Andrea Powell, co-founding director of Alecto AI, a survivor-founded tech company that combats online image abuse, to discuss deepfakes, image-based sexual abuse, and how the law and technology itself can help keep women safe.

Links:

AlectoAI

Andrea Powell’s book, Believe Me: The True Story of How a Trafficked Teen and Her Advocate Changed the Justice System and Found True Freedom

Andrea Powell’s Congressional testimony - “Take It Down: Ending Big Tech’s Complicity In Revenge Porn”

Demand for deepfake pornography is exploding. We aren’t ready for this assault on consent.

Guest: Andrea Powell is a twenty year expert in global policy and direct services for survivors of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, sexual assault and image-based sexual violence. She has published in the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, PBS, Ms. Magazine and more. Andrea’s social justice memoir, Believe Me, can be found online and throughout indie bookstores and has been awarded the New York Book Award of 2024.

Take Action NOW: In celebration of Women’s History Month, read more about the National Organization for Women and the Equal Rights Amendment here.

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Alecto AI:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alectoai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alectoai/

Andrea Powell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ankachristine

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-powell-bb53255/