On Public Speaking, Identity and Women's Right to Pleasure with Natalie Jones
In Episode 32 of my podcast, I sat down with Natalie Jones for a wide-ranging conversation about her experiences, observations, and the way she relates to her work and the world around her.
This episode was not structured as a lesson or a how-to. It was a conversation that unfolded organically, touching on personal experiences, professional contexts, and moments of awareness that arise when we speak honestly about what we do and how we experience it.
Below is a summary of what we discussed, followed by the key takeaways that emerged directly from the conversation.
What we talked about in this episode
In this interview, Natalie and I talked about:
Speech 1: "Who Am I?"
This speech argues that relationships don’t just affect us — they change who we are. Natalie says that when a relationship begins or ends, it alters identity, and she uses major life events as examples, including death and the birth of a family member. She frames the speech around the question “Who are you?” and says she will answer it by telling personal stories and memories.
A large portion of the speech is about family and reproduction: infertility, pregnancy, eggs/embryos, and the decisions people face when bodies, timing, and desire don’t line up. One of the sharpest moments is when she says she will donate her eggs and is met with silence.
The speech ends in a family-memory section where she describes relatives and the feeling of knowing what is coming, and it lands on the physical reaction of the listener—goosebumps—because the speech builds toward moments that are emotionally predictable once you’re inside the story.
Speech 2: "My Selfish Vagina"
This is a scripted monologue where Natalie speaks bluntly about sexuality, marriage, and the way a woman can participate in building her own confinement. She describes herself “assisting in the building of my own cage,” naming marriage as part of that cage, and she questions why she is supposed to feel satisfied when she doesn’t.
Natalie describes sexual desire that doesn’t match the “good wife” script, and she remembers private sexual behavior while her husband sleeps upstairs. The monologue escalates into language about risk, adrenaline, and freedom, and it openly names actions done “behind my husband’s back.”
The speech accentuates the cost of choosing freedom. It ends with a direct line asking for permission to keep that selfishness: “May I always be so selfish?” and then “Thank you.”
To listen to the full Episode 32, click this link or the image below.
