Monica Lewinsky Reclaiming Podcast Inspires Listeners to Reclaim What’s Been Lost, Taken

Reclaiming Monicay Lewinsky

These fragments I have shored against my ruins.
(T.S. Eliot)

What do you want to reclaim?

Monica Lewinksy, the nation’s leading voice on cyberbullying and public shaming, is nearly 20 episodes into her new podcast aptly titled Reclaiming. The show, which has featured notable Gen-Xers like Molly Ringwald, Chelsea Handler, and Margaret Cho, explores how people find their way back to themselves after something has been lost or taken. It’s less about retrieval and more about restoration, and is actually fantastic.

I’ve been a devoted student of the podcast universe for at least a decade. Being informed and inspired via great audio content is important to me and I seek it out every single day. I have many favorite podcasters but only one other podcast, Pray As You Go, has captivated me like Reclaiming.

Reclaiming Monica Lewinsky / On Surviving A Global Scandal

Lewinsky, 51, survived an astonishing global scandal at the age of 24. To quote one of my favorite Gen-X writers, Penelope Trunk, “Why don’t more people kill themselves? Life is very hard.” It’s very hard to believe Monica survived the chaos and carnage of her self-described dark decade. But she did and today serves as a gentle and courageous muse inspiring anyone who has ever been shamed or broken to find direction and clarity, and perhaps above all, what really matters to them.

As an interviewer, she is bold and compassionate. Her Laugh is like a favorite returning guest star who shows up in every episode ready to disarm the conversation with kindness and generosity. The fire she walked through refined her and what is reflected back to the world today is a wise  woman blessed with an element of eternal youth.

She reminds me a bit of that girl who was abducted when she was 11 and held hostage for 18 years in a backyard shanty. To the world’s amazement, she emerged from that dark trauma looking far younger than her 31 years. She was a woman, a mother even, and yet, somehow bore the innocence of a child.

Monica re-emerged into public life more than a decade ago, but her re-emergence was also emergence from traumatic captivity. She, too, still bears a youtful zeal and is delightfully unjaded. During her interview with Tig Nataro she confesses to being somewhat emotionally immature. Whether she is or isn’t, one thing is certain: Monica Lewinsky is a talented, highly educated and highly informed cultural voice in America. Moreover, she is a keen observer, like a watchmaker of conversation. Listening to every tick and noticing the tiniest movements, on and off the podcast, is truly one of her gifts. She shares genuine insights in every episode that come from her lived experience. When she refers to President Clinton as Bill, which she does with some frequency, my mind races to understand the hierarchy of it all. The staggering inequalities in their relationship, and the now flattened power structure she has embraced.   

She deserved so much more. During her interview with Handler she admits to having wanted children. Every episode is a reminder of all that Monica lost, and how, against all odds, she has not become vain or bitter. I was most aware of her age and sage during her interview with Beanie Feldstein who starred as Monica in Impeachment: American Crime Story. That is such a beautiful episode. 

I also enjoyed her conversations with Cho, Ringwald, Tony Hawk and Andrew Yang. During the latter she talks about how in D.C. it’s no longer about being Republican or Democrat. It’s all about gaining power. That resonated with me.

Finally, Monica ends each episode asking her guest to share something they’d like to reclaim. I’ve asked myself that question but haven’t quite answered back yet. It’s a hard exploration for me, like extracting water from granite. What about you? What do you want to reclaim?

For further inspiration follow Monica on Instagram.