Branca Moreira Alves, 82, is absolutely certain about a lot of things: that her primary identity is ‘feminist’, that life is a lot of fun, and that moments matter.  A key leader in launching the second wave feminist movement in Brazil -- during its brutal dictatorship from the mid-60s to the mid-80s -- Branca shares vivid memories and poignant reflections on feminist awakenings, political evolutions and balancing public protest and private privilege. She and Joanne met when they both worked at the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in the 90s and have been fast friends ever since. Over the past two years, Branca collaborated with her close friend, another well-known Brazilian feminist leader, Jacqueline Pitanguy, to write Feminisms in Brazil: Memories of Those Who Made it Happen. The book is receiving hugely positive reviews and Branca is already making plans for her next book. Branca was one of the earliest cheerleaders for Two Old Bitches and we continue to appreciate her feedback and insights. Tune in to our conversation with Branca, revel in her recollections of moments that matter, and watch out for her next book!! 

You know those “aha” moments, those flashing lights of clarity, the thundering realization that you’ve met your passion? We realized that so many of the women we’ve talked with on TOB have had these at different points in their lives. And these epiphanies, turning points and serendipitous happenings continue throughout our lives. So, as we start 2023, we went back to different conversations with the extraordinary women we’ve interviewed on TOB to understand the amazingly diverse ways that epiphanies help us to turn lemons into lemonade, discover our calling, and fully own the ways that we are aging and saging. Immersing yourself in their insights and surprises may be one of the best ways to start a new year! We hope you enjoy and please let us know if you’ve had a life-changing epiphany or turning point that you’d like to share. We’d love to record it. 

In this episode, we will hear from (in this order): Jennifer Finley, Chiemi Kurasawa, Lucero Gonzalez (read in English by Sandra Garcia Betancourt), Claron McFadden,Ellen Bravo, Donna Uchizono, Sandra Guzman, Isa Infante, Dina Bursztyn, Srilatha Batliwala, Nadine Hack, Trudy Berlin, Ashton Applewhite and Renata Joy. With our deep appreciation to all of them for so generously sharing their wisdom.