Overview of Women Up: The Moth Podcast
This episode of The Moth, hosted by Kate Tellers, collects two personal live stories told by women about facing unexpected challenges and "womaning up"—showing resilience, leadership, and humor in difficult situations. The episode also includes brief promos for The Moth’s guided journal (My Life in Stories) and sponsors (Blue Apron, Alma), plus event and website calls-to-action.
Episode structure
- Intro and sponsor reads (My Life in Stories, Blue Apron, Alma)
- Host welcome and framing for Women’s History Month
- Story 1: Allison Stewart — Only in New York (main stage at The Moth)
- Interstitial promo for events
- Story 2: Tess Birch — Story Slam (Melbourne; theme: control)
- Closing remarks, credits, links to extras and tickets
Story summaries
Allison Stewart — Losing and regaining voice after brain surgery
- Context: Allison, a radio host and public speaker, noticed progressive difficulty speaking and cognitive problems in February 2024.
- Medical diagnosis: After ER visits and scans she was diagnosed with a brain mass located on (or near) her speech center.
- Treatment and aftermath: She underwent awake brain surgery, then lengthy hospitalization, physical therapy, and intensive speech therapy to relearn speaking and walking.
- Emotional beats: Humor and vulnerability throughout—discovering quirks like making up words (confusing aphasia terms), a recurring anxiety about ordering coffee at Starbucks, and finding human moments (her charismatic surgeon nicknamed “Doc Hollywood”).
- Theme: Identity and livelihood tied to voice; resilience in relearning basic public life in New York; reclaiming everyday acts (ordering coffee, navigating the city) as milestones of recovery.
Tess Birch — Girl Guides, control, and a lost child at the zoo
- Context: Tess became a Brownie (Girl Guides) leader at 18. She describes her leadership style as “good cop” and partners with her more intimidating sister when needed.
- Incident: On a zoo trip with a scavenger-hunt plan designed to ensure kids saw the best animals, one little girl (Jamie) went missing—later found calmly in the lemur enclosure after apparently wandering there.
- Resolution and lesson: Everyone was returned safely; Tess learned practical control tactics (locking kids on the bus works) and reflects on leadership, responsibility, and the long-term reward of mentoring girls (some became volunteers later).
- Theme: The tension between control and trust in youth leadership, humor about mistakes, and the value of community and continuity.
Key themes and takeaways
- Resilience: Both storytellers demonstrate confronting fear and uncertainty and finding ways back to normalcy and confidence.
- Small acts matter: Everyday milestones (ordering coffee, managing a troop) are meaningful measures of recovery or leadership success.
- Leadership is learned: Being a leader often involves trial, embarrassment, humor, and steady improvement—not perfection.
- Community support: Medical teams, co-leaders, fellow volunteers, and institutions (The Moth, Girl Guides) are crucial in recovery and growth.
- Storytelling as healing and connection: Personal narratives turn trauma and mishaps into lessons and shared human moments.
Notable lines & listener-ready quotes
- Allison: “I have two words for you about awake during your brain surgery. Cold breeze.”
- Tess: “When all the kids are locked in a bus, you have total control of them.”
- Host framing: “Listen to women's stories, no matter what month it is.”
Practical links and extras mentioned
- My Life in Stories guided journal — order at themoth.org/mylifeinstories
- Event note: Special main stage at NYU’s Skirball Center (March 20); tickets via themoth.org/events
- Extras: Photo of Tess and her troop available at themoth.org/extras
- For pitching stories or more info: themoth.org
Credits & production
- Host: Kate Tellers
- Storytellers: Allison Stewart (host of WNYC’s All of It) and Tess Birch (corporate lawyer and comedian)
- Produced by: Sarah Austin Janess, Sarah Jane Johnson, Mark Sollinger (and team)
- Presented by: Odyssey; executive producer Leah Reese Dennis
- Note: “All Moth stories are true, as remembered by their storytellers.”
Who should listen
- People interested in personal resilience narratives, women’s lived experience, public-speaking professionals, volunteers/mentors, and listeners who appreciate candid, humorous storytelling about recovery and leadership.