Mumbai: Audible would like to help celebrate womankind this International Women’s Day (8 March) by sharing captivating audio entertainment recommendations. As Women’s Day approaches, inevitably we will all be reflecting on women’s achievements and their progress in social, economic, and cultural spheres. While there is more work yet to be done for gender equality, the media industry has made strides in women’s representation and portrayal of strong female characters. Audible is proud to be part of that, offering a range of female-centric and women-led audiobooks, series, and podcasts.
Below hear from a few of Audible’s female leaders on this important topic and help Audible celebrate women with a curated, global list of 10 must-listen titles made for women, by women, and/or highlighting the female experience. We hope you will share some of these titles with your readers and that they leave a long-lasting impact on us all.
“Women are creative, bold, strong, and so are their stories,” shared Audible chief content officer Rachel Ghiazza. “It’s exciting to see such a surge of female-led, important and enrapturing audio projects being created across the world, throughout our marketplaces that speak to different perspectives and showcase diverse voices.”
Audible, APAC VP and head of content Karen Appathurai Wiggins said, “I am continually inspired by the fresh perspectives and narratives that women bring to the fore through their stories. By championing female-led projects, we have the privilege of showcasing the multifaceted perspectives and voices of women from across the globe. These stories we bring to life on Audible embody the inspirations, struggles, and journeys unique to the female lens, making a profound impact on our listeners’ lives.”
Audible Original content highlights from around the world:
Your Mama’s Kitchen (Audible Original – US)
By: Michele Norris
Hosted by: Michele Norris
Release date: 16 August 2023 – new episodes available weekly
Just in time for women’s history month, the indomitable Judy Blume, hilarious Maria Bamford, Kristin Hannah, Nicole Avant, and Dr. Sharon Malone join the Audible Original podcast Your Mama’s Kitchen. “Tell me about your mama’s kitchen.” That’s the simple request which begins each episode of this Audible Original podcast from acclaimed journalist Michele Norris (NPR’s All Things Considered, The Washington Post) and Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company. Every week, hear guests like Michelle Obama, Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach, Matthew Broderick, D-Nice, José Andrés, and more explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course each guest brings a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story. With a delicious buffet of actors, authors, chefs, musicians, and more, the rich conversations that flow from that initial, simple prompt reveal the histories, memories, and cultures that emerge from the kitchen, the heart of the home where we are nourished physically and spiritually. Some of our most valuable and vulnerable moments happened there as we watched parents struggle with bills, wrestle with shifting family dynamics, or figure out new roles for themselves as feminism changed the national terrain. Your Mama’s Kitchen is a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are.
“Warm & Cozy. Love love love this podcast! I enjoy learning and reminiscing about the various family traditions and regional foods that our childhoods are built around.” – DeeAnna (Audible User)
Discover Me: Adjoa Andoh (Audible Original – UK)
By: Tobi Rachel, Lady T
Presented by: Adjoa Andoh, Lady T, Tobi Rachel
Release date: 14 September 2023
Labels, Labels Labels! They can be helpful when shopping for clothes and food, but on people can be a little restrictive. Given to us by society, given to us by family, or even social media – what do any of them actually mean? And how far do they go in defining who we really are? Two black British millennials, Lady T and Tobi Rachel, explore labels and identity in conversation with someone they’ve admired from afar for years. Adjoa Andoh is a star of stage and screen. With roles ranging from Doctor Who and Richard II to Bridgerton in a career spanning several decades, Adjoa is a force to be reckoned with. Over three chapters they dig into her West Country beginnings, her artistic success and her faith. With the help of contributors who will all share an aspect of Adjoa’s life, each chapter will look to expand the boxes that society attempts to squeeze her into.
“Amazing wisdoms from Adjoa. Listen and learn. Empowering stuff for women of all ages.” – Jano (Audible User)
Power Talks with Kemi Nekvapil (Audible Original – AU)
By: Kemi Nekvapil, Naima Brown
Narrated by: Kemi Nekvapil, Abbie Chatfield, Miranda Tapsell, Yumi Stynes, Clare Bowditch, Brooke Blurton, Megan Gale, Maria Thattil.
In her book, POWER, leading executive and personal coach, Kemi Nekvapil, outlined the framework of Presence, Ownership, Wisdom, Equality and Responsibility. She believes that it is through bringing these five elements into harmony that we can fully step into the fullest version of ourselves. Through a process of self-discovery, coaching, research and keen observation, Kemi has redefined how we understand power, and created a framework for us to find, own and live our own limitless power. In POWER Talks, Kemi sits down for one-on-one coaching sessions with well-known Australian guests – from Abbie Chatfield to Miranda Tapsell – who are striving to create a more purpose-filled life, rooted in power.
“Having the opportunity to listen to Kemi in conversation with such a magnificent, diverse group of people is a gift.” (Audible user).
The Forest of Enchantments (Audible Original – IN)
By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Narrated by: Suchitra Pillai
Release date: 17 September 2019
The Forest of Enchantments is a very human story of some of the other women in the epic, Ramayana, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity and honour, it is also about women’s struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a gripping, contemporary battle of wills. While the Ramayana resonates even today, she makes it more relevant than ever, in the underlying questions in the novel: How should women be treated by their loved ones? What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand up and say, ‘Enough!’
“I wish there was part two coming, I’m sad it got over. Learning Ramayan from Sita’s perspective was enlightening.” – (Amazon customer)
Michelle Rojas is Not OK (Audible Original – US)
By: Ashley Soto Paniagua, Guillermo Zouain, Wendy Muniz, Jaime Fernandez
Narrated by: Dascha Polanco, The Kid Mero, full cast
Release date: 9 February 2023
Michelle Rojas Is Not Okay follows Michelle as she struggles to grapple with both her professional and personal identities. Throughout her journey, she faces setback after setback before it slowly becomes clear that she’s there not only to offer help to her community, but also to receive it.
“Loved it. Hits home and explains what we go through as women of this culture.” – KO (Audible user)
The Second Victim: Daisy’s Story (Audible Original – UK)
By: Daisy, Emma Barnaby
Narrated by: Daisy
Release date: 30 November 2023
Daisy is a black baby adopted into a white family in rural 1970’s England. Alienation and loss of identity dominate her childhood. After discovering she was conceived through child rape, she begins a lifelong mission to find and prosecute her birth father using the only irrefutable evidence left. Her own DNA. But justice isn’t just for her birth mother. She too, is a victim, and when the world around her doesn’t agree, she is forced to reckon with external and internal powers out of her control. Content Warning: There are references to child sexual abuse, suicide and there is also strong language and racist language at times. Listener discretion is advised.
“Just amazing, brave and victorious. A brutal and gripping account of a tragic story. What a woman!” (Amazon customer)
Unfinished Business, by Shankari Chandran (Audible Original – AU)
By: Shankari Chandran
Narrated by: Nicholas Brown, Pallavi Sharda
Release date: 20-02-2024
Sri Lanka, 2009. Decades of civil war and bloodshed are being brought to an end at last – by any means necessary. In the capital, Colombo, tenacious journalist Ameena Fernando is murdered, execution-style, on a busy street near her home, with no witnesses. With pressure growing to find Ameena’s killers, CIA agent Ellie Harper is sent to seek justice for the journalist’s death with strict instructions: Find something, but not too much. It’s her first time returning to the island after her last mission went tragically awry four years prior, and Ellie has more than one ghost to lay to rest. Amidst the international scheming and jostling for stakes in post-war Sri Lanka, Ellie follows the trail of secrets on a mission to uncover a truth worth killing for. Shankari Chandran is an Australian Tamil lawyer and author of best-selling Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens and Song of the Sun God. Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens won the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award 2023.
“Passionate and courageous – a thrilling tale of espionage and intrigue and a high-stakes rollercoaster by one of Australia’s most exciting writers” – Caroline Overington
Six-Figure Side Hustle (Audible Original – US)
By: Rachel Rodgers
Release Date: 1 February 2024
Rachel Rodgers, financial maven and heralded author of We Should All Be Millionaires, has created a groundbreaking new Audible Original series with Six-Figure Side Hustle. In this installment of a dynamic three-part audio journey, Rachel unveils the blueprint for turning spare time into a $100,000 per year side hustle in just three months. Six-Figure Side Hustle is a confident, bold, and unapologetic guide for entrepreneurs on the path to financial and emotional well-being. With a captivating blend of motivation and expertise, Rachel guides listeners through the intricacies of leveraging their skills, optimizing their time, and turning their passions into wealth.
“powerful and inspirational.” – Jesse (Audible user)
Indra Nooyi – A Biography (Audible Original – IN)
By: Annapoorna
Narrated by: Mala Mangla
Release date: 14 October 2021
Indira Nooyi’s meteoric rise and success has been charted by every newspaper and business journal in the world, but how many of us know the person behind the image? The Secret of Success: The Story of Indira Nooyi gives us a rare insight into Nooyi’s life, her childhood, the choices she made, the struggles she faced and the lessons she learnt on her way to the top. The accolades came later, and there were many. In 2007 she was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the president of India. In 2007 and 2008, Time magazine listed her among the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2008, Forbes named her the third-most powerful woman in business while Fortune ranked her the sixth most powerful woman in the world as well as listed her, along with Mother Teresa, Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton, among the 30 most inspiring women in the world. How did Nooyi do it? What kept her going? How did she manage to sustain home and hearth through the challenges she faced while running the second-largest food and beverage business in the world? Amazingly, she conveys through her life and her achievements that the highest of accomplishments is possible without sacrificing who and what you are. Though Nooyi became an American citizen in 1988, India, Indian values, her home and family in Chennai remain at the core of this corporate leader’s heart. Hear about this and more in this intimate and revealing biography of one of the world’s most unusual women.
“Indra Nooyi is in herself a book, a book one will always want to read to get his/ her inspiration for a having a balanced life without making compromises with his/ her dreams and the way this book has been written & narrated fills you up with that motivation. Loved both the writing & narration, doing justice to each & every word, making you feel that you are watching the entire journey in person. Great read!” – Ruchika Singh (Audible user)
Exposed: The Ashley Madison Hack (Audible Original – CA)
By: Sophie Elmhirst, Maria Luisa Tucker
Presented by: Sophie Nélisse
Millions of people—looking to cheat on their partners—signed up for Ashley Madison in the early 2000s, seeking a private space to share their public desires. The promise of discretion was shattered in the summer of 2015, when anonymous hackers stole the company’s cache of user information and published it worldwide. The result? One of the most shocking data breaches of the internet age. Overnight, millions of unfaithful spouses had their real names, addresses, and sexual preferences published online in a searchable database that anyone could browse. Presented by acclaimed actress Sophie Nélisse, told through the dramatic stories of those who were caught up in the hack, and from experts who put it all into the context of our rapidly changing internet culture, Exposed: The Ashley Madison Hack serves as a cautionary tale for anyone whose secrets live in the cloud—and what happens when trust is broken both online and in the real world.
The Motherlode (Audible Original – US)
By: Clover Hope
Release Date: 10 August 2023
From the birth of hip-hop in the 1970s to today, women have been just as integral to the growth and development of the rap game as their male counterparts. Nonetheless, they’re consistently shortchanged as artists, creators, renegades, and cultural visionaries in prevailing histories of the genre. The Motherlode changes that. Based on prolific music journalist Clover Hope’s book of the same name, The Motherlode digs deep into the history and misogyny of hip-hop to give props to its most continually overlooked innovators and under-appreciated voices. With its exploration of foundational figures like MC Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shanté to revolutionaries like Salt-N-Pepa and Lil’ Kim to modern chart-toppers like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, Hope’s in-depth look at the many untold stories of women in hip-hop spans 50 years of excellence.
An essential listen for true hip-hop heads and music history fans alike, The Motherlode is narrated by Hope herself with special guests, including MC Lyte, Remy Ma, Nia Long, Lauren London, Janelle James, Chloe Bailey, and Angie Martinez. Get ready to add some new favorites to your playlist.
“I have a newfound appreciation for the immense talent and impact of these remarkable women.” (Audible user)
