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Anita Rao

Host and Executive Editor, "Embodied"
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Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.

She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.

You can send Anita an e-mail at arao@wunc.org.

  • Illustration of 16 different erotic symbols in purples and pinks arranged in a grid on top of a purple and white textured background. The symbols are: a biting lip, a corset, furry handcuffs, a stiletto, a computer, a candle, a mask, a journal, a microphone, a bed with a heart over it, a pair of underwear, a pencil writing a heart, a bottle of lube, a v*brator, a whip, a block of cheese.
    The Making Of Great Erotica
    Kaia Findlay
    It’s easy to recognize great erotica when you come across it — the reactions are physical and palpable. Embodied goes behind the scenes to learn how the steamiest of sex scenes get made.
  • Illustration of a flight attendant standing in the aisle of an airplane, gently placing a hand on a smiling passenger’s shoulder. The flight attendant is wearing a navy blazer and skirt with a purple blouse, light brown skin and has dark hair pulled into a bun. The passenger has a beard, light brown skin and curly hair and is seated among other travelers in a row of colorful seats. Above the scene, the word “Embodied” appears in bold, dark red letters.
    The Hidden Labor Of Flight Attendants
    Kaia Findlay
    A flight attendant and a travel reporter highlight the unseen lives and labor of flight attendants, from jam-packed safety trainings to the emotional care of passengers in a high stakes atmosphere.
  • Illustrated promotional image for "Embodied" podcast showing a peaceful rural scene. A person in a yellow sweater sits on a wooden porch with a large white dog lying beside them, overlooking rolling green hills and trees. The "Embodied" logo appears in large brown letters at the top.
    Building A Queer Life In The Country
    Kaia Findlay
    Up to 20% of the LGBTQ+ population in the U.S. lives in rural America. That’s millions of people defying the narrative that the only place queer folks want to live is in a city or on the coast. One rural queer person set out to interrogate that false narrative by documenting the stories of other queer folks in the country.
  • An illustration of two young men standing close together against a dreamy background of soft purple sky and fluffy white clouds. The man on the left wears a captain’s hat, sunglasses, a black T-shirt with a blue mountain graphic and blue shorts; he has a mustache and his arm around the other man's shoulder. The man on the right has long hair, wears a backward black cap and a light blue tank top and has his arm around the first man's waist. Above them, in bold dark blue letters, is the word “Embodied.”
    Two Brothers, One Uncertain Future
    Audrey Smith
    Two brothers diagnosed with a genetic mutation that almost certainly causes dementia share how they’re building their lives while preparing for symptoms of the disease, which are likely to start in their late 30s or early 40s.
  • An illustration looking into a room from the perspective of the doorway. In the room, there’s an older interracial couple cuddling affectionately in bed, both smiling and content. The room is softly decorated with pastel tones and wall art. In the foreground, a “PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB” door hanger is prominently displayed on the door handle. The hanger includes the logo for “Golden Acres Assisted Living.” The word “Embodied” appears at the top.
    Why We Need To Talk About Sex In Nursing Homes
    Kaia Findlay
    Research shows that older adults want and need sexual intimacy well into their later years. But when they move out of their homes and into long-term care communities, they have a lot less privacy and autonomy to seek it out.
  • An illustration featuring a masculine-appearing parent reading a book to a toddler. The parent has short dark hair and is wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt and darker blue pants. He is sitting on a couch and has the book "Bodies Are Cool" open in his hands. To his left is the toddler, who has dark hair in two pigtails and is wearing a long-sleeved pink shirt, blue pants and pink socks. The toddler is standing on the couch next to the parent and holding up her shirt and touching her belly. On the couch next to her is the book "Laxmi's Mooch." There is a bookshelf in the background. The word "Embodied" is at the top of the illustration.
    What Kids' Books Teach Us About Our Bodies
    Kaia Findlay
    A new crop of children’s book authors are trying to help kids develop curiosity about their physical bodies. But how exactly do they turn fraught body politics into compelling children's stories?
  • An illustration of a pregnant person with dark skin and shoulder-length hair, standing with hands on their lower back, looking at a swirling, surreal background. The background includes elements of land, sea, sky and space, representing various natural forces: ocean waves and rain on the left, fire and stars on the right. The person appears contemplative or burdened. At the top, the word "Embodied" is written in bold red-orange letters.
    Climate Anxiety And The Choice To Parent
    Kaia Findlay
    A scholar examining the intersection of climate anxiety, reproductive justice and race shares her research on how emotions about climate change are impacting folks’ plans to have kids.
  • A colorful illustration with a bright purple background and flowing ribbon-like shapes in pink, teal, and coral. At the center, a black silhouette of a woman with a ponytail is lifting a light blue silhouette of a baby into the air. Above them, bold green text with a white outline reads “Embodied.”
    A New Playbook For Raising Boys
    Kaia Findlay
    One writer's concerns about raising her three sons in the post-Me Too landscape led her on a journey to learn more about challenges boys and young men face in the U.S. — and how to parent better.
  • Illustration of two people embracing. A masculine-presenting person with medium-tone skin and dark brown hair is hugging from behind a femme-presenting person with light-tone skin and shoulder-length brown hair. The femme person in front has her head tilted back, laughing, while the masc-presenting person is nuzzled into her head.
    Balanced: Love & Bipolar Disorder
    Kaia Findlay
    When you’re living with a stigmatized mental illness like bipolar disorder, opening up to romantic partners can be tough. A married couple and a single woman share their stories.
  • An illustration featuring the silhouettes of two people facing each other. The silhouette on the left is masculine-presenting, and inside the silhouette is a bird's-eye-view of a house with a sign in front of it, two stacks of large coins in front of hte house, and a document that says "Divorce Decree" at the top woth hands and a pen hovering over the document. The silhouette on the right is feminine-presenting, and drawn inside the silhouette is a big dollar sign, a front view of the same house in the other silhouette with a "SOLD" sign in front of it. The word "Embodied" is at the top of the illustration.
    Life After A Gray Divorce
    Kaia Findlay
    In the past 30 years, the divorce rate for Americans over 55 has doubled. After a decades-long marriage, serving the papers is just one small act before what comes next.