Breaking the taboo about period pain with Kate Downey

Welcome to Earth Body Podcast. I’m Kate Douglas, Fertility Awareness Educator and founder of Earth Body. Each week, we feature conversations, stories, and essays exploring cyclical wisdom in the modern world.

Today, we're talking about period pain with podcast producer and host

Kate Helen Downey

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KEY MOMENTS:

0:21 - Kate’s “death cramps” & the story behind her podcast

CRAMPED

3:15 - How is period pain different from other kinds of pain?
5:43 - Period pain in a medical context
12:13 - What have been some of the biggest challenged you faced when engaging with period pain on this project?
13:27 - Talking about pain in our day-to-day lives
17:19 - Kate’s diagnosis of endometriosis
20:35 - What is the most nourishing aspect of your work?

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Kate Helen Downey creates entertainment out of information.

Currently, Kate is the host and creator of CRAMPED, a podcast investigation into the lack of knowledge and treatment for period pain, produced in partnership with the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society, and Culture initiative.

Previously, Kate developed and was the Lead Producer of Wondery’s Diss and Tell podcast with hosts Matt Bellassai and Sydney Battle. Kate also produced Glamorous Trash with Chelsea Devantez and took the show independent, creating a self-sustaining listener-supported model on Patreon. She also developed & produced the Glamorous Trash Party live events.

Kate specializes in live podcast events - she developed & produced Pushkin’s Revisionist History Live with Malcolm Gladwell and Mike Birbiglia, and Wondery’s Scamfluencers Live.

As Cofounder of Caveat NYC, Kate created live shows like Why Your Train is F*cked, Nerd Search, and Doctors Without Boundaries. She co-created Nevertheless She Existed, a live show and podcast, which was a finalist at the Yes, And Laughter Lab with Comedy Central.

Kate co-created the Underground Science Festival at Caveat, as featured in the New York Times, where comedians and storytellers celebrated women, LGBTQ, and BIPOC scientists from history whose achievements often go unrecognized.

Kate has been a featured guest on Mysteries at the Museum, History Bitches, and Story Collider, and her opinions on New York City’s best butts have been published in the New York Post.

Kate has consulted with many brands and museums on audience engagement and events, including Nike, Club Med, The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum & Ghost Ranch, and the US Parks Department.

While Creative Lead at Museum Hack, Kate wrote and led the best-selling Bad@ss B*tches of the Met tour. She created over 50 customized tours for corporate and private clients.

Previously, she was an Assistant Director at New York City Opera, and an Assistant Producer at the Public Theater.

She attended Northeastern University and studied Psychology, Shakespeare, and Directing.

Kate speaks frequently at audience engagement and science communication conferences.

She is currently based in Los Angeles.

Relevant Links:

• CRAMPED: a podcast investigation into the lack of knowledge and treatment for period pain

• The Fifth Vital Sign by Lisa Henderickson-Jack

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Earth Body aims to nurture cyclical wisdom through access to practices that bring us into dialogue with our inner and outer landscapes.

Through a range of guest artists and teachers, we share classes aimed to support the holistic health of our bodies, our communities, and our planet.

To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming knowledge shares, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

Episode recorded, mixed, and produced by Kate Douglas

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.