Women and Mythology

Latest Episodes:

Mythic Creativity & Women’s Sovereignty with Dr. Joanna Gardner Nov 02, 2025

Show notes

Creativity, sovereignty, and myth converge in this soulful conversation: an exploration of how women can reconnect with their creative essence, navigate blocks, and tend to the inner fire of imagination.

Joanna Gardner, PhD, is a writer, mythologist, and magical realist whose work centers on creativity, wonder tales, and goddesses. She co-authored Goddesses: A Skeleton Key Study Guide and is the author of The Practice of Enchantment: MythBlast Essays, 2020–2024. Joanna serves as Director of Marketing and Communications at the Joseph Campbell Foundation and is a regular contributor to its MythBlast essay series. She also teaches in the Mythological Studies programs at Pacifica Graduate Institute and the Kosmos Institute, and co-leads the Fates and Graces community—offering webinars and workshops for mythologists and friends of myth.

Connect with her work:
Website: https://joannagardner.com/
Newsletter: https://joannagardner.com/subscribe/

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

Medusa & Athena: Feminine Power, Protection, and Duality with Carla Ionescu Oct 18, 2025

Show notes

This conversation explores the myths of Medusa and Athena — their intertwined images in ancient art, the cultural shifts that reshaped Medusa’s story, and the deeper truths these goddesses carry about feminine power, protection, and duality.

Images we talked about at: https://www.womenandmythology.com/medusa

Dr. Carla Ionescu is an ancient historian, Artemis expert, and author of She Who Hunts, a groundbreaking exploration of the enduring legacy of Artemis across cultures and centuries. She is the founder of The Artemis Research Centre, host of The Goddess Project Podcast, and a passionate field researcher documenting goddess temples and artifacts across the Mediterranean.

Connect with her work:
Website: https://artemisresearchcentre.com/
Social Media: @‌artemisexpert
Substack: https://artemisexpert.substack.com/

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

Remembering Eve: Sovereignty, Story, and Spiritual Permission with Vanya Leilani Oct 05, 2025

Show notes

In this powerful episode, we remember the mythic Eve, the power of sacred disobedience, the role of creative transgression, and the lifelong journey of sovereignty. Together, we reflect on what it means to shed obedience, reclaim the sacred feminine, and remember ourselves as our own truest source of knowing.

Dr. Vanya Leilani is a depth psychologist, writer, teacher, storyteller, and author of The Flesh and the Fruit: Remembering Eve and the Power of Creative Transgression. Through her work, she supports others in recovering their inner voice, reclaiming sacred agency, and living lives that are more expansive, meaningful, and free.

Connect with her work:
Website: https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/
Book: https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/thefleshandthefruit

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

Motherhood as Initiation, Identity, and the Power of Fairy Tales with Lisa Marchiano Sep 21, 2025

Show notes

This conversation explores the inner transformation of motherhood, the tension between sacrifice and selfhood, the mythopoetic image of the mother, and the call for a deeper cultural conversation around mothering.

Lisa Marchiano is an award-winning author, Jungian analyst, and co-host of the popular podcast This Jungian Life. Her books, including Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself and The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire, draw on fairy tales and depth psychology to help women connect more deeply with themselves.

Connect with her work:
Website: https://lisamarchiano.com/
Fairytale group: https://spinningstraw.com/
Dream School: https://dreamwisebook.com/
Podcast: https://thisjungianlife.com/

Maria and Lisa’s conversation on Vital Spark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNjT1aC5fJQ&t=2s

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

Mythic Sensibility, Belonging & the Ethics of Story with Sharon Blackie Sep 07, 2025

Show notes

In this first episode of Season 2, we explore mythic sensibility, the ethics of storytelling, the archetype of the elder woman, and how to live a meaningful, enchanted life rooted in story and place.

Dr. Sharon Blackie is an award-winning author, psychologist, and mythologist whose internationally bestselling books, including If Women Rose Rooted and Wise Women, explore the power of myth and fairy tale in reimagining women’s lives. She is a gifted teacher, global lecturer, and faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Connect with her work:
Website: https://sharonblackie.net/
Substack: https://sharonblackie.substack.com/

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

Trailer Season 2 Aug 03, 2025

Show notes

WE ARE BACK! Season 2 of Women and Mythology begins!

This season, incredible mythologists will join me in conversation. New stories, new guests, and a renewed devotion to the mythic life.

Stay tuned! Don’t forget to follow the show so you’ll receive each new episode the moment it drops.

With a deep love for myth,

Maria Souza

Discover my work at Women and Mythology:

www.womenandmythology.com

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

14.1 The Handless Maiden, Part 2: The Symbology of Seeking, The Royal Orchard, The Crone Mother, and The King Jan 26, 2025

Show notes

In Part 2 of the final episode of Season 1, Maria continues exploring the rich symbology of The Handless Maiden with special guest Dagny from The Art of Rest. Together, they delve into themes of being nourished by the soul world, the archetypes of the magician, gardener, and king, and the transformative journey of growing our hands back again.
Connect with Maria:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/womenandmythology/
Website https://www.womenandmythology.com
Connect with Dagny
Dagny Deutchman is the founder and owner of The Art of Rest, a space where she believes if you live your life creatively—the art will take care of the rest. Dagny is a dreamer, a dancer, a poet and a friend and loves sharing and catching stories, as much as she loves sleeping under stars.

Website: https://www.theartofrest.me/
Mailing List: https://theartofrest.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartofrest.me/
Email: dagnyrose@theartofrest.me

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

14. The Handless Maiden, Part 1: Story and the Symbology of the Hands and Dismemberment Jan 26, 2025

Show notes

In the final episode of Season 1, Maria delves into the epic tale of The Handless Maiden alongside special guest Nikki. Together, they explore the symbolism of losing one’s hands, the inner predator, ways to protect our creative lives, and much more.
Connect with Maria:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/womenandmythology/
Website https://www.womenandmythology.com
Nikki Lizares is the founder and soup tender of Wild Woman Rising, a space where women come together to explore and tend to both their inner and outer landscapes. An author, ecologist, and advocate for women’s circles, Nikki loves to collect stories, especially ones that show kinship with earth and all its creatures.
Connect with Nikki:
Website: thewildwomanrising.com
Substack: wayofthewildwoman.substack.com
Email: nikki@thewildwomanrising.com

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

13. The Woman With Hair of Gold: Kore, Releasing Secrets and Grieving Our Wounds Dec 06, 2024

Show notes

Dive into the tale of The Woman with Hair of Gold to uncover the archetype of Kore—a self-contained, sovereign woman. Explore the transformative power of releasing shameful secrets, embracing grief, and healing the wounds we carry to fully embody our strong and vital self.
Connect with Maria:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/womenandmythology/
Website https://www.womenandmythology.com

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe

12. The Crescent Moon Bear: Embracing the Power of Rage and Healing Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

Explore the Japanese folktale of The Crescent Moon Bear, a story that reflects on the dual nature of rage—one that corrodes and one that is essential to a woman’s life. Maria Souza unpacks the archetypes of the healer and magical animals, as well as the symbolism of the bear, the mountain, and the path of healing woven throughout this tale.
Connect with Maria:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/womenandmythology/
Website https://www.womenandmythology.com

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Dive deeper into this and 16 more stories to develop a strong sense of Self
https://www.womenandmythology.com/wolvestribe

✨ Women & Mythology Podcast is a soulful exploration of myth as a living force in our contemporary lives.

Hosted by Maria Souza — Comparative Mythologist, Poet, and Educator.

📖 Learn more: www.womenandmythology.com

🎧 Follow on Instagram: @womenandmythology

💌 Subscribe to the Mythic News newsletter for stories, reflections, and upcoming events: https://www.womenandmythology.com/subscribe