Best Genn McMenemy Podcasts (2025)

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The Official Lore Olympus Cookbook (with Genn McMenemy) 31:17

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8d ago31:17

31:17

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! For a while now, Genn has been hinting at a "Secret Project" in the works--and now it's out in the wild: the Official Lore Olympus Cookbook. Genn was heavily involved in this project, weaving together the history and mythology of Greek cuisine with the world of Rachel Smythe's Lore Ol…

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How an Empire Ends: Rise and Fall of the Visigothic Kingdom 1:23:25

1d ago1:23:25

1:23:25

⁠⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! We've told you the story of the Ostrogoths, the Amal ruling family, who built an imperial dynasty only to see that rulership dissolve within two generations. But what happened to their cousins, the Visigoths? The Tervingii tribe and the Balthi royal family? Alaric’s Goths? Turns out the…

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How an Empire Ends: Gothic Christianity 1:39:36

15d ago1:39:36

1:39:36

⁠⁠⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! When Alaric of the Visigoths sacked Rome, it shocked the world—not least because Rome hadn’t been sacked in a thousand years. But also, while Rome was a Christian city by now—it had been for decades—the Visigoths were Christian too. And they weren’t recent converts, either. They had al…

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How an Empire Ends: Gothic Paganism 1:27:21

29d ago1:27:21

1:27:21

⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last episode about Amalasuintha and the end of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, we said we were next going to turn to the Visigothic Kingdom. But the story of the Visigothic Kingdom can’t be told without knowing a little more about the history of Gothic religion. Both Visigoths and Ostrog…

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RE-RELEASE: Buzzballs and Buboes: The Plague of Justinian (a Drunk Deep Dive) 1:47:00

1M ago1:47:00

1:47:00

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠ This is an episode about a plague that killed up to 100 million people by the time it was done—as many as 60% of its victims. It’s the first documented occurrence of a pandemic that we have, and it’s the first documented outbreak of the deadlyYersinia pestis. No, we're not talking about …

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How an Empire Ends: Life of Amalasuintha 1:11:04

1M ago1:11:04

1:11:04

⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last episode, we told you all about the rise of Theodoric the Great and the founding of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy. Now, we’re going to tell you all about the women in his family—and the effect they had on his kingdom. Theodoric had a wife, a sister, and three daughters—all o…

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RE-RELEASE: 536 AD: A Volcanic Murder Mystery 1:33:46

2M ago1:33:46

1:33:46

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠ What was the worst year to be alive? Some researchers have a very specific answer to this question: 536 AD. This is a year when the global temperature dropped, and it was winter all year round—for multiple years. The sun disappeared for 18 months as the world was covered in a veil of sul…

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How an Empire Ends: Theodoric the Great and the Ostrogothic Kingdom 1:39:48

2M ago1:39:48

1:39:48

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! After 75 years under Hunnic dominion, the Ostrogoths seized their freedom and set about taking over control of the Western Roman Empire. The man who led them was named Theodoric the Great. He was a member of an ancient Gothic family called the Amali, which went all the way back to the Cris…

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How an Empire Ends: 75 Years Under Hunnic Dominion 1:10:12

2M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last episode, we talked about how the Visigoths came to be: forged in the fire of the Gothic War of 376-382 and the immigration crisis that went along with it. Now, we’ll take a look at what happened to their kin who stayed on the northern side of the Danube—the Greuthungi who were …

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How an Empire Ends: the Starving Camps 1:16:02

3M ago1:16:02

1:16:02

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last few episodes, we’ve told you what we know about pre-Roman Gothic archaeology, culture, and history. We’ve told you about conditions both inside and outside the Roman Empire that kicked off the Migration Era. And now we’re going to tell you the story of one of those Gothic Wars …

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How an Empire Ends: Rome's Gothic Immigrants 1:13:28

3M ago1:13:28

1:13:28

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last episode, we took a look at the outside forces driving the engine of the Migration Era: Hunnic migrations and invasions, constant displacement and conflict at the Roman borders. But Goths lived inside Rome too—in the heart of the Italian peninsula, and also in the outer province…

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How an Empire Ends: The Migration Era 59:33

4M ago59:33

59:33

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! It was the beginning of the Migration Era where the Goths’ history with the Roman Empire begins. The Migration era was a cycle of wars and conflicts lasting hundreds of years. Alaric’s sack of Rome was only a small part of it. What started it? Nobody knows. But it would have been an extrem…

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How an Empire Ends: Culture of the Goths 1:48:04

4M ago1:48:04

1:48:04

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last episode, we delved into the archaeology of the pre-Roman Goths. But what about Gothic culture? What do we know about pre-Roman Gothic culture, before the Goths were Romanized? To get a real sense of what is authentically Gothic is really difficult. We don’t have much informatio…

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How an Empire Ends: Origin of the Goths 1:10:42

5M ago1:10:42

1:10:42

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! The Roman Empire stood for a thousand years. Many causes have been given for its downfall—but if just one group of people could be said to be culpable, it would be the Goths. They stormed its borders en masse, scored outsized victories that no one had won before, killed two emperors and ra…

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Rebel Daughters of the Roman Empire (With Tana Rebellis) 1:08:40

5M ago1:08:40

1:08:40

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In Enemy of My Dreams, Jenny based her heroine Julia partially on Julia the Elder—rebellious daughter of Augustus who got herself exiled to Pandateria for being, as the ancients say, “too slutty.” Julia the Elder refused, REFUSED to rein it in. And for that, we adore her. But accounts of h…

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RE-RELEASE: Attila the Hun and the Rebel Princess 37:10

5M ago37:10

37:10

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In 450 AD, the Imperial Princess Honoria--daughter of Galla Placidia--was desperate to escape her arranged marriage. So she made an indecent proposal--to Attila the Hun. On this single action, cities were torched. Saints were raised. Thousands died. And Venice was founded. Find out how it …

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RE-RELEASE: Ataulf x Galla Placidia 38:29

6M ago38:29

38:29

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! He was a fierce barbarian warlord—a man who had stood between his people and the Roman Empire since the sack of Rome. She was a Roman Imperial princess with a core of iron strength. Born enemies, the love of Ataulf and Galla Placidia is marked by tragedy—but in its time, it burned hot enou…

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AHFG Book Club: Enemy of My Dreams with Jenny Williamson 1:21:24

6M ago1:21:24

1:21:24

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This week’s Book Club author interview is none other than up-and-coming romantasy and historical romance author Jenny Williamson, discussing her upcoming debut Enemy of My Dreams: her huge historical crush on Alaric of the Goths, the inspiration for her entirely-made-up hot-mess heroine, a…

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In Search of the Real Alaric (With Douglas Boin) 1:06:46

6M ago1:06:46

1:06:46

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Who was Alaric of the Visigoths, really? It’s a difficult question to answer. Alaric left no manifesto. There is nothing in his own words to explain his motivations for sacking Rome, or all the choices he made leading up to that fateful day. All we have are the assumptions of his enemies, …

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AHFG Book Club: Sexy Shifters and Fallen Angels with Nalini Singh 57:06

6M ago57:06

57:06

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This week, we feature a conversation with the OG romance novelist—the one all our romance novelist friends list among their favorites. Nalini Singh has an impressive, multi-decade career with several long-running, blockbuster romantasy and paranormal series featuring sexy shifters, fallen …

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RE-RELEASE: Stuff Alaric Said 52:25

7M ago52:25

52:25

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! On August 24, 410 AD, Alaric and the Visigoths sacked the city of Rome. Before he sacked it, he starved it. Before that, he went toe to toe with the Roman Empire for fifteen years—uniting disparate tribes, holding a people together, and achieving more against Rome than any barbarian leader…

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End of Season 12 Announcement 16:34

7M ago16:34

16:34

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! It's the end of Season 12--and what a year it's been! We had some big things happen in 2024 and we hope that 2025 will be even bigger and more exciting. Join us as we discuss what it was like covering the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, our upcoming books and novel projects, and our pl…

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RE-RELEASE: Janus: God of the New Year 1:01:34

7M ago1:01:34

1:01:34

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Janus is the two-faced god of the Roman pantheon. He was the god of beginnings and endings, of dual natures, of passageways and passage through time. He’s the god of thresholds and doorways and gates, and the god of change, both concrete and abstract. He’s constantly in motion; he’s the go…

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A Very Alaric Christmas 46:49

7M ago46:49

46:49

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! How would Alaric of the Visigoths celebrate the midwinter holiday (Christmas? Solstice? Yule?). The idea was kicked around a lot between the two of us until it seemed imperative that we actually write this episode. And thus, an episode was born. In this episode, Alaric is about six years o…

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RE-RELEASE: Frau Holle: Wicked Woman of Yule 1:20:34

7M ago1:20:34

1:20:34

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This year, we’ve found one of the most metal and wild Yuletide goddesses yet – Frau Holle. Human sacrifices, spindles in yer vag, plague, starvation, caves of offerings and bones, the Grimms brothers, golden showers, child cannibalism, ZOMBIES – are any of these putting you in the Yuletide…

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AHFG Book Club: Metal Death Goddesses, Ravens, and Bears (Oh My!) With Emily Rath 1:00:18

8M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! You may recognize Dr. Emily Rath from our series on Project 2025. Today, we’ve invited her on to discuss her most recent project—North is the Night, a historical fantasy story with a strong, sapphic romantic thread. Join us as Emily introduces us to a world of terrifying metal death goddes…

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RE-RELEASE: St. Nicholas and the Christmas Cannibals 1:24:15

8M ago1:24:15

1:24:15

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Ah, Christmas—it's a time of cheer, of gift-giving and generosity; and a time to eat yer babies. This year, we’re focusing on two different cannibalistic monsters from Christmas folklore: Père Fouettard and Hans Trapp. Because it turns out that child cannibalism really is the reason for th…

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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: Part 3 1:37:53

8M ago1:37:53

1:37:53

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last two episodes we discussed what worship looked like at the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. How the goddess was worshipped, who worshipped her, and what they believed. Now, we’re going talk about what the temple looked like, who built it, who burned it to the ground, who rebuilt it…

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RE-RELEASE: You Don't Know Yule 1:29:19

8M ago1:29:19

1:29:19

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! What do you know about Yule? Maybe a lot. The holiday is widely celebrated in Scandinavian countries, and it's an important part of Wiccan and Pagan tradition. But for many of us, the version that's come down through history is strongly associated with Christmas--and heavily sanitized. Whe…

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RE-RELEASE: Krampus: The Goat Knows What You Did 49:37

8M ago49:37

49:37

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This year, we decided that the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a mythological foray into one of the most famous characters of the season: The Krampus. And some of you might be saying: wait a minute, Krampus isn’t ancient; he’s modern. Also, everyone knows about Krampus, the fes…

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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: Part 2 1:11:19

8M ago1:11:19

1:11:19

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Last week, we discussed the history of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus—and just who served here, and why. This week, we delve into the mythology of the temple and the goddess worshipped there. The Artemis at Ephesus was a far more ancient goddess than her Classical Greek counterpart. She …

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RE-RELEASE: How to Train Your Gladiator 1:23:00

8M ago1:23:00

1:23:00

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! What did it take to be a gladiator? Who ended up in the arena, and why? And how did the gladiatorial games—one of the bloodiest sporting events known in the ancient world—come to be? From the ancient roots of Etruscan funeral games to the height of Roman spectacle, we examine the history o…

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AHFG Book Club: Hot Mess Heroines and the Alarics Who Love Them (With Thea Guanzon) 58:32

8M ago58:32

58:32

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This week, we welcome internationally bestselling author and noted enemies-to-lovers enthusiast Thea Guanzon to the podcast. Thea’s debut novel, the Hurricane Wars, is an enemies-to-lovers romantasy with complex layers of worldbuilding and intrigue, rich with mythic resonance, airships, el…

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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: Part 1 1:19:45

9M ago1:19:45

1:19:45

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This week, we’re covering the final Wonder on our list of Seven Wonders: and this may be the one that broke us. It’s a Wonder located at the nexus of seawater and freshwater on the brackish headwaters of an epic river; a biodiversity hotspot. It was in this primal land that legend of a div…

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RE-RELEASE: Gender Rebels of Greek Mythology: Artemis 53:45

9M ago53:45

53:45

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! When you think of Artemis, what springs to mind? Perhaps it’s a fierce huntress with a bow and arrow, a sort of female Peter Pan—wild and untamed, haunting forests drenched in moonlight—a goddess who’s taken a stern vow of chastity, and refuses all company save that of her nymphs. That’s o…

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RE-RELEASE: Amazons, Part 2: Warrior Women of the Ancient Steppe 1:04:25

9M ago1:04:25

1:04:25

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Think the Amazons of Greek myth were mythical? Think again. The Greeks based their Amazons on the real-life warrior women next door. Centuries ago, ancient writers claimed that Scythian women of the Eurasian Steppe fought in battle alongside their men. Now, with modern bioarchaeology, the …

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This Episode is Full of Lies: Lucian's A True History (With Liv Albert from Let's Talk About Myths, Baby!) 1:30:41

9M ago1:30:41

1:30:41

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Lucian’s A True History has been called the world’s first work of science fiction—but above all, Lucian of Samosata was a satirist. And he had a bone to pick with the famous historians of his time—guys like Herodotus and Ctesias of Knidos. They were Lying Liars who Lied, you see, and Lucia…

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RE-RELEASE: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Ancient World Edition (With Liv Albert from Myths Baby!) 1:14:44

9M ago1:14:44

1:14:44

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! What tales kept people from thousands of years ago up at night? This Halloween, Ancient History Fangirl teams up with Liv Albert from Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! to delve into spooky stories from the ancient world that will send a shiver up your spine—tales of shrieking Banshees, deathly…

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RE-RELEASE: Catholic Werewolves 1:17:44

9M ago1:17:44

1:17:44

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! We’ve covered werewolves in the ancient world before—and their connection to the Berserker myth. But wait til you hear what happened to werewolf mythology when the Catholics got their hands on it. This episode is a wild ride, taking you from the ancient Greek and Roman werewolves to a Medi…

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RE-RELEASE: Werewolves of Wolf Mountain: Terrors of Ancient Greece 1:24:20

9M ago1:24:20

1:24:20

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! The werewolf myth as we know it today generally involves getting bitten by a werewolf, transforming during the full moon, and being very susceptible to silver bullets. But werewolves in ancient Greece and Rome were a little different. Join us for a spooky-season deep dive into ancient were…

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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Part 2 49:46

10M ago49:46

49:46

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In the last episode we discussed why the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the only Wonder that historians don’t believe existed. There’s no archaeological evidence for it, and archaeologists have been scouring the ruins of Babylon since the 1800s. Also, Nebuchadnezzar himself—who could not s…

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AHFG Book Club: Smouldering Hellscapes and Sexy Vamps with Carissa Broadbent 1:03:16

10M ago1:03:16

1:03:16

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! What is it that makes the grimdark so sexy? NYTimes bestselling author Carissa Broadbent would know. She has been, in her own words, “concerning teachers and parents with mercilessly grim tales since she was roughly nine years old.” Today, her worlds are dark, gritty, war-blasted magical r…

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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Part 1 1:03:09

10M ago1:03:09

1:03:09

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This week, we’re going to cover what may be the most mysterious of the Seven Wonders: a wonder that rose from the desert like a mirage, one whose name suggests it defied gravity itself; a wonder that may not have been a wonder at all: that may, in fact, never have existed. Join us as we ex…

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A Cheeky Preview: With a Rebel Yell (an Excerpt from the Partial Historians' New Book!) 37:51

10M ago37:51

37:51

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! The hosts of the Partial Historians Podcast—Dr. Rad and Dr. G—have written a book! Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire takes you from the regal period through to the so-called 'fall' in the 5th century, covering topics such as: We Built This City on Rock and Roads - learn about the walls…

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Enemy of My Dreams: Jenny Tells All About Her Spicy Historical Romantasy 44:42

10M ago44:42

44:42

Preorder Enemy of my Dreams here! Epic news alert! We're so thrilled that the cover for Jenny's Alaric historical romantasy, Enemy of My Dreams is here! As many of you know, the research for this book was her inspiration for this podcast, and our listeners have been with her every step of the way. We are so excited for you to continue following her…

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The Colossus of Rhodes 1:33:48

11M ago1:33:48

1:33:48

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Today we’re going to talk about yet another giant statue in the Seven Wonders lexicon—one that was once pictured straddling the harbor at Rhodes, holding aloft a torch. He was supposed to depict the god Helios, although some said it looked more like Alexander the Great. Rhodes was an islan…

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AHFG Book Club: Go Big or Go Home (With Katee Robert) 1:20:22

11M ago1:20:22

1:20:22

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This week, we invited onto the show one of our all-time favorite romance authors—New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert. Katee has written over 100 books and sold over two million copies worldwide. They are truly an author who Goes Big, swimming in the currents of dar…

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The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus 1:34:03

11M ago1:34:03

1:34:03

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Today, we’re going to talk about a wonder that was built for a man who was once extremely powerful. But today, he’s known primarily for the grandness of his tomb—a tomb commissioned not by him, but by his wife (and sister)—a tomb so great that much like the Pharos’ name has been used in so…

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RE-RELEASE: Amazons, Part 3: Warrior Queens and Generals 1:15:29

11M ago1:15:29

1:15:29

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! It's easy to get the impression that no women were allowed in the war games of the ancient world, but nothing could be further from the truth. Female generals and warrior queens were everywhere—leading armies into battle by land and sea. In this episode, we cover five female military comma…

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The Threat of Project 2025 (Part 3) With Brad Onishi from Straight White American Jesus 1:04:01

11M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! This is a Podcast Takeover about the real threat that is Project 2025. Joining us is Dr. Brad Onishi, co-host of the podcast Straight White American Jesus, a podcast that explores the culture and politics of Christian Nationalism from the perspective of two ex-evangelical ministers turned …