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The logo for Embodied, which features a person with brown skin wearing yellow pants, a white shirt and white glasses pulling back a starry curtain of the silhouette of a person that is roughly twice as large as the person in yellow pants. The word "Embodied" is at the top with the WUNC logo directly underneath it and the PRX logo in the bottom righthand corner of the illustration. All of the text is in white, and the background of the illustration is light blue.
Embodied
Fridays at 1 p.m., Saturdays at 6 a.m., Mondays at 9 p.m. | Also available as a podcast
Hosted by Anita Rao

Sex and relationships are intimate — and sometimes intimidating to talk about. In this award-winning show, host Anita Rao guides us on an exploration of our brains and bodies that touches down in taboo territory.

Stay Connected

Want to get in touch with us? Send us an e-mail: embodied@wunc.org or leave us a message on Speakpipe.

Ways To Subscribe

Embodied is distributed nationally by PRX. If you are interested in airing this program on your station, contact PRX Station Services for more information: station-services@prx.org.

WHERE YOU CAN LISTEN TO EMBODIED

    Our theme music is by Quilla (Anna Luisa Daigneault).

    In 2025, Embodied took home first and second place awards from the Public Media Journalists Association and was a runner-up in the International Women's Podcast Awards. In 2024, the show also won two PMJA awards and received an Ambie Award for Best Wellness & Relationships Podcast! Embodied has won three Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards for best podcast and four National Headliner Awards for Best Information Podcast. In the summer of 2022, NPR's Codeswitch featured us on their Summer Road Trip Playlist! In 2020, Mashable named us as one of the best sex, erotica, dating and relationship podcasts. Read Anita's piece on the origin story of the Embodied series in The Huffington Post!

    Latest Episodes
    • An illustration featuring the word "Embodied" in purple at the top, with silhouettes of the side profiles of several faces underneath, in the lower third of the illustration. You can see six faces or pieces of faces, with a mix of hair styles and lengths. Each silhouette is a different shade of pink or purple, and the silhouettes are facing different directions.
      Bisexuality Beyond The Binary
      Kaia Findlay
      Bisexual folks make up the highest portion of people who identify as LGBTQ+. What are the challenges of having a sexuality that falls between distinct, prescribed categories?
    • Illustrated family scene at a playground with 'Embodied' logo at top. Shows a family of four: a white woman with glasses and curly hair in a yellow sweater holding a baby, a young Black girl in a pink heart t-shirt hanging from monkey bars with arms raised joyfully, and a white man in a green shirt and cap standing nearby. The background features trees with purple and green foliage.
      Parenting Wisdom From An Interabled Couple
      Kaia Findlay
      There are 4.4 million parents in the U.S. who have a disability and are navigating parenthood in a culture that prizes able-bodiedness. An interabled couple share the creativity and adaptability involved in raising their two kids.
    • An illustration featuring a Black masc-of-center person talking with their hands in motion, looking into their laptop. The person is wearing a teal long-sleeved shirt, has dark brown skin, short dark hair, a dark beard and is wearing glasses in thick, dark frames. Their laptop is white and open in front of them on a desk. There's a yellow notebook, a pen and a phone also on the desk. On the wall behind them is a shelf featuring books, including "Self-Care for Black Men" and "But What Will People Say?" There is also a plant on that shelf and another shelf above it, featuring books. The wall behind them also features a hanging work of art. The word "Embodied" is at the top of the illustration.
      Why We Need More Therapists Of Color
      Kaia Findlay
      The majority of mental health professionals in the U.S. are white. Therapists of color are working to expand the diversity of their field and increase access to meet a rising demand for their services.
    • 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.