The podcast edit
When you're diving into nuanced, layered subjects like sexual harm and gendered violence, there's nothing like a longform discussion to help pull it all apart – sometimes it's only when you've got the whole story, that the story starts to make sense. That's why we're big podcast fans here at Tika. Check out some of our favourites.
The Teacher's Pet [2018], The Teacher's Trial, Bronwyn's Story
I'm all for men entering the conversation – we need more male voices influencing male behavior – so it's great when you find someone like Hedley Thomas (journalist at The Australian) willing to tackle issues around violence against women.
In The Teacher's Pet, Thomas tells the story of Lynnette Dawson, a mother of two little girls who disappeared from her Sydney home in 1982. This has great storytelling and a stunning outcome – but Thomas also does us all a favour by explaining in detail what coercive control in a relationship really looks like.
Fun fact: the series was produced by Slade Gibson, guitarist for the Aussie rock band Savage Garden
The Podcast on Crimes Against Women [2020-present day]
The title is pretty plain-spoken and yes, this pod lands on the nerdy end of the spectrum – it's more academic than true crime. But it's fantastic for the number of different topics it covers; from the evolution of the rape kit, to DNA crime-solving innovation, to AI and image-based sexual harm.
Maria MacMullen from The Conference On Crimes Against Women interviews experts and you'll definitely learn something from every episode.
Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky has a place alongside Anita Hill, Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson at the top of the list of women treated badly by society (just because they're women.) Widely pilloried as the intern who had an affair with then-President Bill Clinton, Monica has reclaimed her own sense of self and talks to others who are doing the same, on this multi-episode pod.
Escaping NXIVM
A true-crime investigative podcast exposing NXIVM (pronounced Nexium) a "humanitarian community" which turned out to be an abusive cult. This pod follows the attempts of one NXIVM member to escape the influence of its charismatic leader.
Hope Is Real with Jess Thornton
Focused on mental health more generally and on inspiring women, Jess herself is an absolute inspiration and worth a listen no matter what the topic.
Special local mentions: Kiwi Yarns with Brodie Kane, Between 2 Beers, Grey Areas with Petra Bagust and Untidy podcast have all featured co-founder Ali Mau talking about Tika and her bestselling memoir, No Words For This. You can also listen to Tika co-founders Zoe and Ali explain the project on a special episode of RNZ's The Detail.
