If you're a long-time listener of Overlooked you'll remember a little inside joke between me and my mom that we'd make when recording season one.

Every time we came across some gnarly, deeply science-y thing, like how PARP inhibitors work in cancer treatment - I would ask mom to explain it to me. And she, being a science major and high school chemistry teacher, would totally nerd out on that explanation. My eyes glazing over, I would wait till she got it out of her system, and then say:

'Ok but explain it to me like I'm a liberal arts major.'

Mom taught science to liberal arts 12th graders, and she taught them in a different way entirely than her STEM kids, which is why I would ask. And then it would be my job to take that complex explanation, and turn it into sound and story, so that listeners understand, for example, how different chemotherapy drugs work against cancer, and work against the body too.

That season was almost two years ago now, but the same process of storytelling the science still lives on in Overlooked - with endometriosis, Alzheimer’s, preeclampsia and the other topics we’ve covered. Now, it’s also my job to talk to researchers and physicians to explain the science that underpins our health in a way that's not only understandable, but relevant - to give you the kind of information you can use in a conversation with your doctor.

The irony is, for the longest time I thought I wasn't really into science. Some teacher in school no doubt filled my head with ideas that I wasn't very good at it, and I guess I figured, well - I was aceing English anyway. But I've been sniffing around the edges of science for ages now. I covered stories about innovative, science-y things through most of my career as a reporter (cue this truly ancient story about building houses with mushrooms). I ran a tech show and covered the tech industry for a while. I produced a podcast about the origin story of covid. But still, I didn't think of myself as someone who explains science to a wider audience.

But I am obsessed by the science within us, and what really draws me in is that most people are locked out of understanding its complexity. That riles me, because I believe everyone has a right to know and understand the science within our own bodies - especially in women’s health, where it's still being discovered.

Last week, I had to admit this obsession to myself, and to a room full of people, because … I won a prize, you guys: The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication, and I went to the National Academies of Science in Washington DC to receive it.

It’s a bit of a shock to be honest, and I’m still kinda processing it, but feeling so lucky to have received this award. Lucky also to be part of this cohort of awardees - climate scientists, brilliant science writers, a coral reef researcher and a shark scientist, astronomers, YouTubers, neuroscientists and more.

I'm grateful for the recognition and the validation, because being an independent in media today is a tough and sometimes isolating journey. And honestly, this prize ensures the future of Overlooked in 2026, and allows me to have a clear vision for what to do next on the show. More on that soon.

Last week we brought season 5 to a close for the most part - there are a couple more listener-focused episodes we'll publish, and then we’ll be back with fresh stories in the new year. Jes and I will have worked on about 20 episodes of Overlooked this year, including science-inside-you stories, like:

Understanding the 'prodrome' - the onset of a migraine, from our most recent episode.

​The kind of tissue in breasts that makes cancer hard to spot on a mammogram ​

​How menstrual blood is turned into miniature models to grow a uterine 'organoid' to further research in women's health.​

Catch up on these episodes - and catch up with me too, virtually on Wednesday 10th December at 12 pm EST for the Overlooked Open House - just reply to this email with 'open house' and I'll send you a zoom link.
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Also this week I collaborated with Ignacio Pereyra, the author of the 'Recalculating' newsletter and wrote a follow-up essay on men's role in women's health. A lot of folks are still listening to that episode by the way, so if you haven't heard it yet, take a listen.

Wishing you the best of health,

Golda

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