About the podcast

Each episode, fairy tale and media studies scholar Dr. Shannan Palma and award-winning survivor advocate Wanda Swan sit down with a special guest to talk and laugh about all the ways Disney’s versions of fairy tales messed with their heads. They discuss both the pre-Disney literary versions and the changes Disney made to them. They reminisce about jamming to “Kiss the Girl” while asking, with some real concern, “Who is Flounder’s mama?” Does she know where he is?

They’re taking an outsider’s approach and looking for the counter-narratives in the stories. They empathize with villains. They add some color back into the mix. They explore who gets to dream of happily ever after and who doesn’t — and what absorbing those messages as children taught them.

Season one premiered in November 2018 and encompassed six weekly episodes (technically seven). Season two is in production now and will premiere in fall 2019.

The hosts

 Wanda Swan, who guides the discussion in each episode, is a nationally recognized expert in interpersonal violence prevention and survivor support. She directs the Office of Respect at Emory University. She is also the owner and creative mind behind Seed of the Free, LLC, and its signature greeting card line, Petty Truths™, which provides empowerment of identity truths through the promotion of critical dialogue and authenticity of voice.

Dr. Shannan Palma, responsible for the technical aspects of production, is founding faculty director of the graduate program in Writing and Digital Communication and assistant professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Agnes Scott College. An award-winning myth and media scholar, her research focuses on the question, how and why do we become invested in stories, symbols, and ideas that are not in our own best interest?