Theresa Widmann is a local podcast pioneer, broadcasting fascinating conversations with fellow females from a wide range of disciplines. Starting in 2017, her podcast I Want What SHE Has is now one of the most popular shows on Radio Kingston, and is frequently streamed and downloaded online.
Described as “your weekly antidote to the patriarchy”, recent topics have included spirituality and politics, degrowth, mythology, music, mysticism, fine art and menstrual cycle awareness. The diversity of the podcasts’s subject matter and guests is matched by the depth of the discussion.
You’re nearing episode 400 of the I Want What SHE Has podcast, an impressive achievement. Can you give us a brief history of how it got started and grew to this point?
Theresa Widmann: 400! Thanks for pointing that out. My dear pal Shana Falana and I had long been exchanging boisterous laughs and podcast episodes of things that inspired us which at some point led to the crazy idea that we should start our own. We started recording conversations with women we admired back in 2017 out of my then yoga studio space in Uptown Kingston. When we heard about the shift in ownership and programming at Radio Kingston, we reached out to see if we could use their space and equipment. That turned into a bigger conversation with Jimmy Buff who supported us in doing it as a live radio show with our first episode airing via WKNY on January 24, 2018. About a year later, Shana and I finally got ourselves set up into a podcast system, and uploaded our back catalogue of shows to hit the podcast scene strong in 2019. Later that year, Shana wanted to focus on other creative work, so I began steering the “I want what SHE has” ship alone.
What has been your mission and what has kept you motivated to be so prolific and consistent?
When Shana and I first started out, it was really just highlighting the work and essence of women we thought were cool, doing cool stuff, making the world a better, more creative and beautiful place in their own way. #MeToo had become an important cultural conversation and awakened us to the history of feminism which we folded into the show. After Shana left, I continued to focus on women’s stories highlighting their work and what inspired them, which culminated in a communal on air book club with Rakel Stammer and Carolita Johnson during Women’s History Month (March) 2021 when we dove into Silvia Federici’s Caliban and the Witch. Following those conversations, I took a snarkier, more mission driven approach to the show, proclaiming it as the “antidote to the patriarchy.” Since then, I have tried to focus on women’s stories that are really aligned with what I would categorize as having feminine qualities – creativity, intuition, feeling, flowing, dreaming, the unseen, self and community care and so on. I have wanted to amplify them as a medicine of sorts to what can sometimes feel like a rigid, analytical, calculating and structured world, valuing mind over matter, logic over feeling, power over collaboration and wealth over wellness. I want to invite and inspire us into better balance. While I believe these qualities are embodied by all bodies, I have continued to keep the conversations between and amongst women as an effort to undo the historical harm caused by silencing women’s voices and achievements.
What is it specifically about the Hudson Valley that makes it a fertile ground for creative people, not to mention a wellspring of interesting people to talk to?
I don’t know if I can answer this with certainty, but I feel there’s something in the earth here, the beauty, the majesty and magic of the waters and the mountains. There are likely folks who can tell you about ley lines or vortexes, but I am not one of them. I know that my path here was by way of NYC. It pulled me east from Wisconsin and then when I sought out reprieve from the frenzy, I landed in the Gunks and little towns like Rosendale which just felt like home. When O+ hit the scene I’d found a group of folks who filled me up in new ways and no longer needed the action of NYC to keep me inspired. I suspect there are others who’ve taken the same path, and once there’s enough of a certain type of energy in a place, it works like a magnet pulling more like-minded folks together.. It’s resonance for sure.
4. What are some highlights that stand out to you over the years of making the podcast? What are you most proud of?
Certainly the interview with Silvia Federici was a highlight (thanks to Rakel Stammer) who is just such a force for her own authentic and unwavering voice and for the voice of many who’ve gone unseen in history. I was also giddy when I got to interview Tami Lynn Kent, who is someone I’ve admired for years, but, truthfully, every show feels that way. It never ceases to amaze me how I feel after an interview – awestruck, inspired, moved, impressed, wiser, grateful. Although Shana landed on the name for the show, it’s proven to be quite accurate in how I relate to my guests. I am often so moved by them, their way of being and their work, that I quite literally want some aspect of what they embody. An older version of myself might have related to that by way of jealousy, but I sit in such gratitude for the chance to meet these women and be inspired, whether they’re Silvia Federici famous or organizing game night at Rough Draft as an act of degrowth. So I think I am most proud of how I show up to their stories with an open heart, a curious mind and immense gratitude.
What have you learned throughout the process of producing this large volume of work?
It’s important to stay aligned with my values and my inspiration. I check in with myself annually if not more often to understand how I am relating to the work I do. There are always going to be parts of it that feel like work. The technical aspect of editing shows and uploading content, doing social media promotion and the background work to find, communicate with and prep guests, but as long as I am feeling inspired by the goal of that work, then I feel fulfilled. When I’ve felt out of balance, like it feels like more work than fulfillment, I’ve sat with my feelings and figured out what I need to do to keep it aligned with my heart and my spark. That’s when I’ve pivoted on content, and also added regular collaborators like Marielena Ferrer for a monthly conversation about “Spirituality and Politics” (the art of living and the art of living together) and more recently Jennifer Mulak and our monthly conversations about “The Feminine Frequency.” Of course, there truly is an abundance of magic happening here in the Hudson Valley and no shortage of women’s stories to tell. About a year ago, one of my realignments was to narrow my focus to what’s happening here on a local level. (Historically, I’ve been more open to pitches from agents representing women from around the world.) At a time when the world felt too dark and heavy nationally and globally, I looked around and realized that I live amongst some really magical beings. Women who write, make art, make medicine, ferment, grow things, make things, organize, heal, sing, dream, overcome… It alivened me to keep asking the questions and sharing their stories, if not only to keep me feeling positive about the future and focused on solutions, but also to bring that glint of optimism to others who might need it as well. And who knows, maybe just maybe, their magnetism will grow beyond our little bubble and spread to other places that might need it too.
How can people tune in to your show, and do you have any other projects you’d like to share?
For now, I am still live on Radio Kingston every Monday from 1-3pm and of course on all the standard podcast outlets. Folks can also find me and my gongs offering at least monthly sound baths somewhere in the Hudson Valley.