Redhead Ranting

Redhead Ranting

by Redhead Ranting
News CommentarySociety & Culture
Season 3

Day 26 of My 90-Day Monetization Challenge: YouTube Took Off

Day 26 of my 90-Day Monetization Challenge, and things are not going quite the way I expected. When I started this experiment, I decided to spend 90 days consistently creating content and tracking what happened across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and, eventually, this podcast. One platform has suddenly taken off. Another isn't growing nearly as quickly as I expected. I'm actually losing followers on a couple of them. And somehow, the podcast is making money too. In this update, I share where everything stands on Day 26, what I'm learning about growing an audience, and why I'm going to keep going even when I have no idea what I'm going to talk about next. If you're trying to grow an audience or monetize your own content, I'd love to hear how it's going.
S3 · E6
Oct 3, 2026
8:00

I’m 60 and Can’t Afford to Retire: Starting Over at 60

I’m 60, I can’t afford to retire, and my savings aren’t going to last forever. So instead of pretending that isn’t happening, I decided to do something about it. In this episode, I’m sharing the story behind my 90-Day Monetization Challenge and why I decided to see whether I could turn the things I’m already doing, writing, making videos, telling stories, and sharing my opinions online, into something sustainable. This isn’t a “get rich on social media” story. I’m not selling a course, and I don’t have a secret formula. I’m figuring it out as I go. It’s also about something bigger than YouTube views and TikTok followers. It’s about being 60 and realizing the future doesn’t look quite the way you thought it would. Sometimes starting over isn’t a dramatic reinvention. Sometimes it’s simply looking at where you are, figuring out what you have to work with, and trying something new. If you’re starting over at 50, 60, or beyond, worried about retirement, trying to build another source of income, or just wondering what your next chapter is supposed to look like, you’re definitely not the only one.
S3 · E5
Sep 27, 2026
11:55

From Trans Activist to Detransitioner: A Conversation with The Pissed Off Lawyer

I first interviewed Erica/Hendrix, better known online as The Pissed Off Lawyer, shortly after she announced that she was detransitioning. A lot has happened since then. Erica identified as a trans man for seven years and became a vocal trans rights activist, after spending much of her life involved in gay rights activism. Her decision to detransition was public, complicated and, by her own account, anything but a straight line. It also came with consequences. In this conversation, she talks about losing friends, family relationships and positions with LGBT organizations, as well as the effect the experience has had on her politics, her career and the way she sees the movement she once defended. Erica is also a controversial figure. She's managed to anger people on just about every side of this debate, and we don't pretend otherwise. But that's partly why I wanted to talk to her again. Changing your mind about something you once believed deeply, especially something tied to your identity and years of activism, probably isn't going to be neat and tidy. This isn't a debate about whether Erica has arrived at all the "right" conclusions. It's a conversation about what happens when someone changes her mind in public, what gets lost along the way, and what she believes now. And because neither of us is particularly good at staying on one subject for 80 minutes, we also wander into politics, growing up Gen X, gay rights and the AIDS era, social media, AI, law, publishing, and why people on the internet will apparently remember your typo until the end of time. This is a long conversation, but I think it's an interesting one.
S3 · E4
Sep 24, 2026
1:19:38

The Thoughts Caregivers Don’t Talk About | The Difficult Side of Caregiving

Caregiving can be a blessing. It can also be exhausting, frustrating, lonely and incredibly difficult. And sometimes caregivers have thoughts they’re afraid to admit out loud. In this “very special episode” of Redhead Ranting, I’m talking about the side of caregiving we don’t see nearly as often: caregiver burnout, anger, resentment, guilt, and those moments when you simply don’t want to do it anymore. I cared for my mother in one way or another for most of my life after she suffered a brain injury when I was four. As her needs increased, there came a point when I had to recognize that loving her wasn’t enough to make our situation sustainable. You can love someone and resent taking care of them. You can be grateful for the time you have and still desperately want a break. Those things can exist at the same time. We talk a lot about the beautiful side of caregiving. I think we need to be able to tell the truth about the difficult side, too.
S3 · E3
Sep 22, 2026
7:20

My Experience with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Pellets After Menopause

I started hormone replacement therapy after menopause, and in this episode I’m talking about what the experience has actually been like for me. I share why I decided to try HRT, the changes I’ve noticed, what surprised me, and some of the things I wish I’d understood sooner. This isn’t medical advice or an argument that HRT is right for everyone. It’s simply my experience as a postmenopausal woman who decided to give it a try. Menopause is something half the population eventually experiences, yet we still don’t talk nearly enough about what happens afterward. So, as usual, I’m talking about it. Please talk with your own healthcare provider about whether hormone replacement therapy is appropriate for you.
S3 · E2
Sep 21, 2026
13:32

Why I Write About My Life (Even the Parts That Hurt)

Why do I write about my life, including the messy parts? In this episode, I talk about why I've spent years turning my own experiences into stories, from bad dates and divorce to family, caregiving, getting older, and all the strange little moments in between. Some stories are funny. Some aren't. Some are uncomfortable to tell. But I've learned that the stories we think are uniquely ours are often the ones someone else needs to hear. This is why I keep telling mine.
S3 · E1
Sep 20, 2026
15:33
Season 2

Before You Cut Someone Out of Your Life, Remember This

I take the scenic route in this episode, but stick with me. The long introduction is part of what inspired the story I eventually get to, and I think the conversation is worth having. We hear a lot about cutting toxic people out of our lives, and sometimes that's absolutely necessary. But what about the relationships we end over disagreements, hurt feelings, politics, or differences we simply can't get past? People don't live forever. Neither do our opportunities to repair relationships. This is a conversation about family, estrangement, memory, and the people whose stories we may still be telling 30 years after they're gone.
S2 · E15
Sep 19, 2026
14:31

Dark Pop Part Two

This week Scott Cardinal of Strange History Cafe, and I sat down and discussed the dark pop of the 70s. We took a deep dive into the song The Nights The Lights Went Out In Georgia by Vicki Lawrence in Part One, and continue the discussion in this episode. You can listen to Part One here.
S2 · E14
Jun 9, 2026
26:46

From Murder Mysteries to Children's Books: Mike Faricy's Writing Journey

In this engaging interview, prolific author Mike Faricy shares insights into his writing process, publishing journey, and the evolving landscape of indie publishing. Discover how he balances multiple series, leverages AI, and targets young readers with his innovative stories.
S2 · E13
May 12, 2026
35:51

Hendrix: Transition, Activism and Speaking Out

In this candid and wide-ranging conversation, Jennifer Brown sits down with Hendrix, a former trans man and legal advocate, to discuss gender ideology, transition and de-transition, activism, healthcare, social media, and the growing cultural and legal debates surrounding identity. Drawing from personal experience, Hendrix shares insights into the pressures of modern activism, the role of online communities, and what happens when personal truth collides with public narrative. Together, Jennifer and Hendrix explore the emotional, political, and social complexities of gender identity in a time when nuance is often lost to outrage and algorithms. This episode is not about slogans or talking points. It’s about personal experience, difficult conversations, and the challenge of finding clarity in an increasingly polarized world.
S2 · E12
May 8, 2026
1:07:35
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