Latest Episodes
Derecka Purnell On Living (and Loving) Outside the Police State
September 29, 2022
- 41:46
What do Stranger Things, social media and sexual violence all have in common? They all figure into Derecka Purnell’s brilliant world...
The Queen Died. Now What? Three Brilliant Women on Colonialism and the Future
September 22, 2022
- 51:14
The funeral is over. The pomp has died down. But the conversations—not just around the monarchy, but around the legacy of...
The Hidden Latinx Stories We Don’t Hear, with Julissa Natzely Arce Raya
September 15, 2022
- 44:53
It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! And Julissa Natzely Arce Raya has complicated feelings. The author of You Sound Like a White Girl sits...
About The Show
Brittany Packnett Cunningham is an activist, educator, and popular TV commentator—and a trusted voice for millions of people interested in social justice. Now, with UNDISTRACTED—an original podcast from The Meteor and Pineapple Street Studios—she aims her focus on the most pressing issues of our time through the lens of intersectional feminism. From the latest headlines to deep-dives with today’s most fascinating changemakers, UNDISTRACTED is your weekly guide to the revolution.
More Episodes
Derecka Purnell On Living (and Loving) Outside the Police State
September 29, 2022
- 41:46
What do Stranger Things, social media and sexual violence all have in common? They all figure into Derecka Purnell’s brilliant world...
The Queen Died. Now What? Three Brilliant Women on Colonialism and the Future
September 22, 2022
- 51:14
The funeral is over. The pomp has died down. But the conversations—not just around the monarchy, but around the legacy of...
The Hidden Latinx Stories We Don’t Hear, with Julissa Natzely Arce Raya
September 15, 2022
- 44:53
It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! And Julissa Natzely Arce Raya has complicated feelings. The author of You Sound Like a White Girl sits...
The Kids Are All Right. The Adults Are F***ing Up!
September 1, 2022
- 42:33
It’s all about the young folk this week: We’ve got Gen Z protestors disrupting anti-abortion galas…a student reporter holding colleges...
Will We Be Smarter About the Next Epidemic? Two Experts Break it Down
August 25, 2022
- 45:44
COVID taught us a lot of lessons—or did it? With MPV (aka monkeypox) here in its wake, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with...
A Future Without Police? Andrea Ritchie on Crime and Abolition
August 18, 2022
- 44:42
The headlines say crime is up. And our politicians say more police are the answer. What’s the truth? And what happened to all those...
“People’s Kids Are the Center of Their World”- Caitlin Dickerson on the Horrors of Family Separation
August 11, 2022
- 43:04
On this week’s episode, Undistracted host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to journalist Caitlin Dickerson about one of the darkest...
Beyoncé’s Renaissance, According to Four Brilliant Black Women
August 4, 2022
- 48:40
“This started off as a conversation about Beyoncé,” says host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, “but like her music, it became about so many...
“The System Works For Those Who Occupy It”: Maria Teresa Kumar on Voting Rights
July 28, 2022
- 35:37
The majority of Americans didn’t want to see Roe v. Wade overturned—but it was. Most Americans want gun reform—but it doesn’t happen. So...
Phoebe Robinson is Writing Her Own Rules (on TV and in Life)
July 21, 2022
- 38:15
"The media has such a limited understanding about Black femaleness,” says Phoebe Robinson, the actress, comedian, writer, podcast host...
“Covering the End of the World”: A Reporter on Gun Violence
July 14, 2022
- 41:27
You know gun violence is an American epidemic. But…why? And how do we get out of this mess? Jennifer Mascia understands those answers...
Introducing History is US
July 12, 2022
- 04:04
Written and narrated by award-winning author and Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, Dr. Eddie S. Glaude,...
Tiffany Cross on Roe, Resistance and What Comes Next
July 7, 2022
- 45:24
“I would rather be a voice and an advocate for my people than sit and smile in the face of bullshit.” That’s host Tiffany Cross’...
Michelle Colón is Living Through The Last Days of Legal Abortion in Mississippi
June 30, 2022
- 41:11
It’s been six days since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. But activist and “abortion freedom fighter” Michelle...
The Roe v. Wade News—and Finding Hope
June 25, 2022
- 11:15
In the shadow of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, what do hope and faith mean? In this bonus episode, host Brittany...
Having a Baby While Black: Martina Abrahams Ilunga and Gabrielle Horton Know *All* The Stories
June 23, 2022
- 38:20
You probably know the data about what Black women face when they give birth. But do you know the stories? Martina Abrahams Ilunga and...
You Can Be Successful Where You Are: Majora Carter on Reclaiming Communities
June 16, 2022
- 33:44
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“God is Big Enough for Our Questions:” Candice Benbow on Faith, Feminism and Lipstick
June 2, 2022
- 40:10
What does having faith mean in 2022? Candice Benbow has become an icon for answering that question—especially for those of us who’ve...
During a Dark Time, A Little Light with Bevy Smith
May 26, 2022
- 32:40
In this week’s episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham honors the victims and the tragedy of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting. Then, the...
“Tell the Truth to Set Us Free”: Kimberlé Crenshaw on White Supremacy, CRT and Lies
May 19, 2022
- 30:35
It’s been a long week, y’all—and we’ve been grieving the victims of the Buffalo shooting. On the heels of that violence, we’re bringing...
WTF, TEXAS?! Cisneros, Crockett and O’Rourke on The Madness (and Promise) of The Lone Star State
May 12, 2022
- 54:29
What happens in Texas matters everywhere. As the state becomes a testing ground for extreme policies (abortion! immigration! CRT!) we...
What Happens Now? Gloria Steinem and Renee Bracey Sherman on the Future of Abortion
May 5, 2022
- 45:07
In the shadow of the leaked SCOTUS decision on Dobbs v. Jackson, we're re-airing this conversation between host Brittany Packnett...
The Senator of TikTok: Morgan Harper’s Run for Office (and Our Hearts)
April 28, 2022
- 38:33
There are a lot of closely watched midterm races. But in Ohio, Morgan Harper is making news with her run for U.S. Senate—and her TikToks...
Motherhood, Love and the “Trayvon Generation,” with Elizabeth Alexander
April 21, 2022
- 42:36
How do you parent—lovingly and well—in the age of technology and police violence? That question is on host Brittany Packnett...
“I Want To Raise a Free Black Child”: Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Reginald Cunningham On Parenthood
April 14, 2022
- 52:32
It’s a different kind of episode this week—”our most personal, most gut-wrenching, most triumphant,” says host Brittany Packnett...
“I’ve Been Proud So Many Times”: A Texas Family Fights the Anti-Trans Laws
April 7, 2022
- 47:10
Willow Egerton is 13 years old, an aspiring filmmaker, and a trans girl in Texas in 2022—which means that “people in power want me...
"We See Who Pays the Price": Muzoon Almellehan on War and Refugees
March 31, 2022
- 41:13
Nearly four million Ukrainians have fled their homeland—and around the world, 21 times that number of people have been displaced from...
“You Deserve to Be Safe”: Nicole Chung on Parenting in a Wave of Anti-AAPI Violence
March 24, 2022
- 45:02
Crimes against AAPI women are in the headlines—and for parents like writer Nicole Chung, the challenges of how to talk to kids about...
Kimberlé Crenshaw on the Origins of Critical Race Theory
March 18, 2022
- 29:29
This week, we’re sharing something special from our friends over at Pushkin. It’s an episode of a new podcast from Anita Hill called...
"Buckle Up": Sen. Elizabeth Warren Still Has a Plan for Change
March 17, 2022
- 33:04
This week, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham is joined by Elizabeth Warren - the senator from Massachusetts and the president we coulda...
“I Don't Believe In The Guilt”: Real Climate Talk, with Mary Annaïse Heglar
March 10, 2022
- 43:00
Last week, the IPCC released a report finding that the planet is getting “clobbered” by climate change. What does that mean? And what...
Anita Hill on The Supreme Court’s Future—and its Past
March 3, 2022
- 39:02
It’s a historic moment: America has its first-ever Black woman Supreme Court nominee, and host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down...
“We Are Here to Fight Disinformation”: Sara Lomax-Reese and Akoto Ofori-Atta Build the Future
February 24, 2022
- 46:11
“Mainstream media” (whatever that is) might be struggling, but you know who’s leading the revolution to do better? “Women, and...
Ai-jen Poo on Caregiving: “We Take for Granted That Women Will Just Figure It Out”
February 17, 2022
- 40:31
Do you have parents? Children? Someone who cares for you, or who you care for? With Build Back Better on the line, host Brittany...
Jemele Hill and Cari Champion on Racism (and Liberation) in Sports
February 10, 2022
- 47:39
Sports are beautiful and transformative. Also racist and corrupt! This week, with the Olympics in full swing, host Brittany Packnett...
Dr. Uché Blackstock on Pandemic Fatigue—And the New COVID Normal
February 3, 2022
- 37:58
As the two-year anniversary of the pandemic looms, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with Dr. Uché Blackstock to discuss all...
Elaine Welteroth on the Great Resignation and Rewriting Your Own Definition of Success
January 27, 2022
- 43:53
What does the Great Resignation mean for women of color? Elaine Welteroth—the best-selling author and former Teen Vogue editor who’s...
“This Big Old Lie”: Heather McGhee on the Real Cost of Racism
January 20, 2022
- 47:35
Why doesn’t the US have universal health care, paid leave, or plenty of seemingly basic public services many other countries do? Heather...
LaTosha Brown on our “Moment of Reckoning”
January 13, 2022
- 35:36
This week, President Biden and Vice President Harris traveled to Georgia to talk about voting rights—but LaTosha Brown was not...
One Year Later: “The Next Coup is Already Happening”
January 6, 2022
- 25:50
It’s been one year since the invasion of the U.S. Capitol—so how are we doing at holding insurrectionists accountable? Host Brittany...
Nikole Hannah-Jones on America’s “400-Year Racial Pandemic”
December 16, 2021
- 29:53
Back in May, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sat down with New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones to talk about how The...
Beyond Roe: Gloria Steinem and Renee Bracey Sherman on How We Got Here and What Happens Next
December 9, 2021
- 41:07
As SCOTUS weighs overturning the legal right to abortion, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down for a moving conversation on...
From SCOTUS to White Womanhood: Dr. Brittney Cooper Decodes Our World
December 2, 2021
- 37:53
UNDISTRACTED IS BACK! And so are abortion bans, the white women’s vote, and a whole Greek alphabet of viruses. Host Brittany Packnett...
We’re Back! A Sneak Peek at Season Two
November 24, 2021
- 02:09
You heard it here first: UNDISTRACTED is back for Season Two on December 2nd. Here’s a sneak peek at what host Brittany Packnett...
PREVIEW! “BECAUSE OF ANITA,” WITH ANITA HILL, CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD AND MORE
September 24, 2021
- 05:42
Special for UNDISTRACTED listeners…it’s a sneak peek of the new podcast “Because of Anita”—a four-part series about the legacy of Anita...
BONUS! YOUR UNDISTRACTED HIGHLIGHTS REEL
August 19, 2021
- 07:15
Forty episodes, baby! With our first season under our belt and a mini-hiatus ahead of us, the UNDISTRACTED team is looking back on some...
Tarana Burke on Her Powerful New Memoir—And The Future of #MeToo
August 12, 2021
- 57:52
Season finale! Fifteen years ago, Tarana Burke started using two simple words to empower young Black and brown girls who had experienced...
Pleasure Activist adrienne maree brown On Conflict, Canceling, and Community
August 5, 2021
- 39:34
As we head into the last stretch of summer, Brittany catches up with the guru of feeling good, writer adrienne maree brown. Together...
Jemele Hill On “The Cursed Olympics”—And Simone Biles Choosing Her Peace
July 29, 2021
- 40:31
Fresh on the heels of Simone Biles’ decision to put her mental health over Olympic gold, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down...
The Billionaire Space Race and Patriarchy in Physics, With Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
July 23, 2021
- 37:39
On Tuesday, Jeff Bezos became the latest contestant in the “billionaire space race,” prompting a million memes—and serious questions...
Connie Walker On Covering the Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
July 15, 2021
- 40:20
Mass graves found on the sites of former residential schools in Canada. Disturbingly high rates of murder and disappearance for...
Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw On the Truth About Critical Race Theory
July 1, 2021
- 37:18
In recent months, Republican lawmakers in close to a dozen states have been trying to stop schools from teaching Critical Race Theory—or...
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Finally Fixing the Military’s Sexual Assault Problem
June 24, 2021
- 30:20
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been speaking up for sexual assault survivors in the military for the better part of a decade. The...
The “Grandmother of Juneteenth” on the Holiday’s Past, Present and Future
June 17, 2021
- 31:14
This week, Congress voted to designate Juneteenth a federal holiday—something Opal Lee has spent years trying to make happen. The...
Lawyer Chase Strangio On “Genocidal” Anti-Trans Laws—And Resistance
June 10, 2021
- 36:20
2021 has already been declared the worst year in U.S. history for legislative attacks against the LGBTQ community...and we’re not even...
Amani on Why This Moment “Feels Different” For Palestinians
June 3, 2021
- 31:48
After last month’s devastating violence in Palestine and Israel, global public opinion began to shift in support of the Palestinian...
‘Queen Sugar’ Author Natalie Baszile on the New Black Farming Revolution
May 27, 2021
- 36:14
In a week that marks one year since George Floyd's death, there’s no better time to talk about cultivating the world we deserve. Queen...
Travon Free Wants To Flip The Script on Masculinity
May 20, 2021
- 35:38
Feminism is not just about changing the ways we raise girls—in the words of host Brittany Packnett Cunningham, “men need to be freed...
Nikole Hannah-Jones Wants Us To Confront The Truth of Who We Are
May 13, 2021
- 34:09
New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones is the creator of The 1619 Project, a multimedia effort about the legacy of...
Insecure’s Yvonne Orji On Black Joy… And Her “Homie” Jesus
May 6, 2021
- 37:27
In the year of our lord 2021, we need all the faith we can get—so it felt like the perfect time to invite comedian/actress Yvonne Orji...
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson On The “Feminist Climate Renaissance”
April 29, 2021
- 37:28
The state of our blue planet can feel dire—because it is. California wildfires, Midwestern droughts, Southern floods, and global food...
Andra Day on the Tragedy and Triumph of Billie Holiday
April 22, 2021
- 37:01
In a week that brought us Derek Chauvin guilty verdicts but also a relentless wave of police killings, it can feel like not much has...
Sophia Bush on Surviving “Relentless” Harassment in Hollywood
April 15, 2021
- 34:56
Sophia Bush ruled the small screen in TV hits like “One Tree Hill” and “Chicago PD”—but on both those sets, the workplace abuse was...
Alexis McGill Johnson on the “Dire” Landscape for Abortion Rights
April 8, 2021
- 30:46
Headlines are already calling 2021 “the year of anti-abortion legislation.” State lawmakers have so far introduced more than 500 bills...
Shannon Watts Believes We’re at a Tipping Point for Gun Reform
April 1, 2021
- 33:02
People may believe that gun violence went away during the pandemic because mass shootings slowed down—but in reality, gun violence...
Comedian Amber Ruffin Wants to “De-Gaslight” America
March 25, 2021
- 36:35
Amber Ruffin is breaking boundaries in late-night television with her witty and insightful takes on race, politics and history. She’s a...
Rep. Cori Bush Is What “Keeping It Real” Looks Like
March 18, 2021
- 30:21
U.S. Rep. Cori Bush made history last fall when she became the first Black woman from Missouri to be elected to Congress. Host Brittany...
Lisa Ling on Anti-Asian Violence—And the Rising Movement Against It
March 11, 2021
- 34:05
Lisa Ling, the award-winning CNN host, was sounding the alarm about anti-Asian threats long before the current rise in violence hit most...
Padma Lakshmi on the New Food Revolution
March 4, 2021
- 32:07
With International Women’s Day coming up, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to Padma Lakshmi, the “Top Chef” host and advocate for...
“The Squad is Big, Y’all”: Rep. Ayanna Pressley on the Power of the People
February 25, 2021
- 34:03
To round out Black History Month, we turn to a woman making history of her own: U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley, who’s holding...
What Would a Future Without Prisons Look Like?
February 18, 2021
- 36:15
Calls for criminal-justice reform have built over the last year—and this week, with jail uprisings in St. Louis, the focus is on prison...
Opal Tometi on the Righteous Rise of Black Lives Matter
February 11, 2021
- 30:37
Black Lives Matter was just nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize—so this week, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sits down with co-founder...
Raquel Willis Believes in Black Trans Power
February 4, 2021
- 36:17
President Biden signed new protections for LGBTQ people on Day One of his presidency—but new anti-trans legislation is cropping up...
Want A Safer Internet? Listen to Black Women
January 28, 2021
- 32:33
The Capitol attacks were shocking...but, to many Black women, who had been sounding the alarm on online hate and disinformation for...
A Historic Day… And Why The 'Nap Bishop' Believes Rest is Radical
January 21, 2021
- 33:05
We’ve got a new president. A new, historic vice president. And so much work to be done! But in order to truly change the world, says...
Valerie Jarrett on Impeachment... And the Next 100 Days
January 14, 2021
- 37:42
With Inauguration Day only a week away—and impeachment proceedings raging around us—host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to a woman...
America Ferrera Is Talking ‘Bout a Cultural Revolution
January 8, 2021
- 35:35
This was a rollercoaster of a week—but before there was a white nationalist coup, there was a major, momentous Senate victory in...
BONUS: What Just Happened?
January 7, 2021
- 06:32
Reflections on a day of white supremacy run rampant.
Jenna Wortham and Kimberly Drew Are Building Black Futures
December 22, 2020
- 34:12
Who do you call for perspective on the craziest year in recent memory? Two expert dreamers—New York Times critic Jenna Wortham and...
Flattening the Curve of Inequality
December 17, 2020
- 39:38
Vaccines are here. We can almost, kind of, sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel. But what world will we be coming out into?...
Sue Bird Won't Shut Up and Dribble
December 10, 2020
- 29:22
Fresh off her fourth WNBA championship and newly engaged to soccer star Megan Rapinoe, basketball phenom Sue Bird sits down with host...
Tracee Ellis Ross Is The Lead in Her Own Life
December 3, 2020
- 34:28
How do the roles we see influence our own choices in life? That’s a subject Tracee Ellis Ross has thought a LOT about. As the 7th season...
Nikki Giovanni Believes Your Dreams Are Worth It
November 26, 2020
- 33:16
Living legend alert: On this Thanksgiving—or "Friends and Family Day,” as we call it around here—host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks...
Rebecca Traister Is Still Good and Mad
November 19, 2020
- 33:43
Yes, we just had an election that promises to make life better for many women. But our guest this week—New York Magazine writer-at-large...
LaTosha Brown Is Betting On the South
November 12, 2020
- 32:35
With the election of a lifetime just days behind us, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to one of the organizers who made the...
Soledad O’Brien Is Calling It Like It Is
November 5, 2020
- 27:39
In our election special—recorded the day after election day—host Brittany Packnett Cunningham talks to award-winning journalist Soledad...
Cecile Richards Is Ready for the Uprising
October 29, 2020
- 30:38
We are UNDISTRACTED! In our debut episode, host Brittany Packnett Cunningham gets real with Supermajority co-founder Cecile Richards,...
Coming soon: UNDISTRACTED
October 5, 2020
- 01:41
Brittany Packnett Cunningham is an activist, educator, and popular TV commentator—and a trusted voice for millions of people interested...