On May 16, 2025, St. Louis was hit by an F3 tornado that left 4,500 households without shelter. It's been 7 months since the tornado hit, and still, so much is left to be done to get people back into their homes. Emily and Michelle welcome Ali Rand, the guiding force behind the St. Louis Street Angels, and one of her volunteers (and Michelle's son), Will Ratcliff. Ali was a stay-at-home mom of 5, living in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, MO, enjoying that beautiful Friday afternoon before the tornado hit St Louis, including her own home. She has started Street Angels, a grassroots volunteer movement born of devastation but motivated by a love for her adopted hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

They talk about the effects of their continued efforts to rebuild, how to stay motivated in the face of adversity, the beautiful friendships made, and the stronger sense of community that is being created daily. They still need our help. The families and the neighborhoods still need our help. Do what you can, please share. Every little bit helps.

Jeio Prosecco graced their glasses.

Follow Ali on Instagram @alirand

Listen to her on another podcast about her efforts.

https://www.stlmag.com/podcasts/house-of-lou/episode-22/

Thank you for listening and subscribing to Cliterally Speaking the Podcast. Visit our website: www.cliterallyspeakingpodcast.com

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Watch our YouTube channel (Cliterally Speaking the Podcast) for all the behind-the-scenes discussions during our recording sessions. Our Patreon site is up - visit it here - http://bit.ly/32uOnVT

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Hi All! Emily and Michelle were enjoying a Saturday afternoon of wine tasting and catching up when, after one bottle of champagne, they were inspired to open another and record an episode. This is that episode!

They talk art. They talk about connection. They talk about the changes in their lives since the last episode. Emily shares how much the loss of her dear Iggy Pup impacted her and how she has worked through her grief and recreated her four-legged family, growing it to THREE!!! Michelle revealed a new project she has been working on, Girlfriend Medicine, which will premiere in March of 2026.

The delicious second bottle they are drinking is Champagne Godmé Sabine - Blanc de Blanc.

They talk about Emily's upcoming 'big birthday' and how much our perspectives change as we get older. They mourn the loss of Diane Keaton. They talk about reshaping feminism. They talk about how we have been conditioned to assign value to our lives and ourselves. They laugh about reaching the age when "no one wants you." They muse on how to increase the frequency of good sex over bad sex. They laugh and celebrate all that is wonderful about being together and how much they appreciate the opportunity to share with you, their dedicated listeners.

Thank you for listening and subscribing to Cliterally Speaking the Podcast. Visit our website: www.cliterallyspeakingpodcast.com

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Please call our comment line: 812-727-0794

Watch our youtube channel (Cliterally Speaking the Podcast) for all the behind the scenes discussions during our recording sessions. Our Patreon site is up - visit it here - http://bit.ly/32uOnVT

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Can you believe we're on Season 10?!?!

We have been feeling all the feelings with what has been going on in the world right now. We share our thoughts while enjoying a lovely bottle of Domaine Moutard Brut Blanc de Blancs. We talk about the challenges facing us as women, as businesspeople, as compassionate and empathetic members of society, and how we are trying to keep some hope in our lives. Our conversation is real and authentic as always. We're so glad to be back in front of the microphones because we need to be connected with each other as well as with you our listeners. We talk about celebrating the small wins in our lives as a form of self-care and hope you will do the same. Drop us a note, tell us how you're doing.

Thank you for listening, subscribing, and supporting us and each other!

Visit our website: www.cliterallyspeakingpodcast.com

Facebook: @cspeakpodcast

Instagram: @cliterallyspeakingthepodcast

Watch our youtube channel (Cliterally Speaking the Podcast) for all the behind the scenes discussions during our recording sessions. Our Patreon site is up - visit it here - http://bit.ly/32uOnVT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Michelle and Emily laugh their way through the aftermath of Michelle's relationship break-up. They share a bottle of Costco chablis (you must listen to hear their review, (no spoilers here) and explore the nuances of the on-again/off-again relationship, how it ended, how Michelle has processed its ending, and the way they both look for the bright side of life. As they say, sometimes the universe clears the unwanted debris from our lives and that's okay.

Thank you for listening and subscribing to Cliterally Speaking the Podcast. Visit our website: www.cliterallyspeakingpodcast.com

Facebook: @cspeakpodcast

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Twitter: @cliterallyspea1

Please call our comment line: 812-727-0794

Watch our youtube channel (Cliterally Speaking the Podcast) for all the behind the scenes discussions during our recording sessions. Our Patreon site is up - visit it here - http://bit.ly/32uOnVT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle and Emily welcome award-winning mixologist and Drink Masters reality TV show contestant Meredith Barry to the podcast. They learn about the amazing journey Meredith has been on, from starting at a country club her dad managed to competing in Netflix's TV series to owning her restaurants while sharing a delicious bottle of Pinot Nero from Antonutti. Meredith shares her insights on lessons learned and applied as she overcame various challenges within the industry. She's just getting started! To learn more about Meredith, visit her website https://www.meredithbarry.com

Thank you for listening and subscribing to Cliterally Speaking the Podcast. Visit our website: www.cliterallyspeakingpodcast.com

Facebook: @cspeakpodcast

Instagram: @cliterallyspeakingthepodcast

Twitter: @cliterallyspea1

Please call our comment line: 812-727-0794

Watch our youtube channel (Cliterally Speaking the Podcast) for all the behind the scenes discussions during our recording sessions. Our Patreon site is up - visit it here - http://bit.ly/32uOnVT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle and Emily welcome Maria Alyokhina (Masha) of Pussy Riot to the podcast. Pussy Riot was visiting St. Louis for a concert through a special arrangement with Barrett Barrera Projects. Listen to this intimate, informative, and powerful conversation with Masha as she tells the story of Pussy Riot, her time in the Russian penal colony, life after incarceration, and the challenges of speaking out and making art under a dictatorship. Masha remains hopeful for the world, taking inspiration from the suffragettes and feminist activists around the world.

"The world needs feminism"

"Art Can Change the World"

"Without the fight, it will all disappear..."

• Masha Alyokhina

If you haven't listened to the episode right before this (Part One - Riot Days) where Michelle & Emily talk about the impact of meeting Pussy Riot and the subsequent conversations, we highly recommend that you do.

You can follow Pussy Riot on Instagram @pussyriot and YouTube @wearepussyriot

You can get Masha's book Riot Days on Amazon. Here's the description from Amazon.

"A Pussy Rioter’s riveting, hallucinatory account of her years in Russia’s criminal system and of finding power in the most powerless of situations

In February 2012, after smuggling an electric guitar into Moscow’s iconic central cathedral, Maria Alyokhina and other members of the radical collective Pussy Riot performed a provocative “Punk Prayer,” taking on the Orthodox Church and its support for Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime.

For this, they were charged with “organized hooliganism” and were tried while confined in a cage and guarded by Rottweilers. That trial and Alyokhina’s subsequent imprisonment became an international cause. For Alyokhina, her two-year sentence launched a bitter struggle against the Russian prison system and an iron-willed refusal to be deprived of her humanity. Teeming with protests and police, witnesses and cellmates, informers and interrogators, Riot Days gives voice to Alyokhina’s insistence on the right to say no, whether to a prison guard or to the president. Ultimately, this insistence delivers unprecedented victories for prisoners’ rights.

Evocative, wry, laser-sharp, and laconically funny, Alyokhina’s account is studded with song lyrics, legal transcripts, and excerpts from her jail diary―dispatches from a young woman who has faced tyranny and returned with the proof that against all odds even one person can force its retreat."

Thank you for listening and subscribing to Cliterally Speaking the Podcast. Visit our website: www.cliterallyspeakingpodcast.com

Facebook: @cspeakpodcast

Instagram: @cliterallyspeakingthepodcast

Twitter: @cliterallyspea1

Please call our comment line: 812-727-0794

Watch our youtube channel (Cliterally Speaking the Podcast) for all the behind the scenes discussions during our recording sessions. Our Patreon site is up - visit it here - http://bit.ly/32uOnVT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.