Best Maila Podcasts (2025)

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Cemetery Kisses and Peacocks: A Season 1 Finale 51:57

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4M ago51:57

51:57

Send us a text Today we bid adieu to Season 1! Join us as we visit the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to pay tribute to Season 1's final featured individuals (Tomata du Plenty and Maila Nurmi) and share some significant personal news as Courtney announces her upcoming move to Minnesota. To see our other grave offerings for Season 1, check out our insta…

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Punk to Paint: Tomata Du Plenty Part 2 59:57

5M ago59:57

59:57

Send us a text Spoiler alert!!! - Tomata keeps doin' stuff in this episode. Our deep dive into his life reveals an artist who refused to be defined by any single medium, constantly evolving from drag performer to punk rock icon to folk artist without ever losing his authenticity. When a broken leg temporarily halted Tomata's performance career in 1…

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Let's Do Things: Tomata Du Plenty Part 1 1:00:56

5M ago1:00:56

1:00:56

Send us a text At the intersection of drag theater, punk rock innovation, and fearless artistic evolution stands David Xavier Harrigan - better known to those in-the-know as Tomato DePlenty. From his early days with the revolutionary Cockettes (described by John Waters as "insane hippie drag queens" creating "complete sexual anarchy"), to founding …

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Punk Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 4 1:26:34

6M ago1:26:34

1:26:34

Send us a text Well, here it is. The final installment of our four part series on Maila Nurmi. Maila didn’t get all she deserved in her life and she never really reaped the benefits of her creations. But the life she lived was full of adventure, fascination, excitement and in many ways, love. In this particular episode, we explore her final romance…

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Post Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 3 1:19:34

7M ago1:19:34

1:19:34

Send us a text Just when Maila’s career was starting to run out of steam, some luck with Liberace kept her in the spotlight for a time. But this was quickly followed by bad decisions, bad boys and a very bad movie called Plan 9 from Outer Space. Pop in those ear buds, friend. You don’t want to miss this. Links from the show: https://youtu.be/alPPXV…

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We Love You, Los Angeles: Remembering the Victims of the Fires 14:06

8M ago14:06

14:06

Send us a text This podcast is all about making sure that the stories of Hollywood’s dead never die, and after this absolutely horrific week, we need to do just that in our own small way. Thank you to all of the firefighters, volunteers, loving citizens of Los Angeles, and people helping from afar. Humanity is the only thing that can save us in the…

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Prime Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 2 1:39:04

8M ago1:39:04

1:39:04

Send us a text As we unravel the layers of Vampira's gothic charm, we celebrate her unique blend of dark humor and magnetic persona that captivated 1950s audiences. Picture her cruising Sunset Boulevard in full vampire regalia, her chilling scream echoing through the night—a scene that marked her groundbreaking show, Nightmare Attic. We reminisce a…

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Pre-Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 1 1:35:43

9M ago1:35:43

1:35:43

Send us a text Get ready to unravel the journey of a remarkable woman who bucked the expectations of her time at every turn. Maila Nurmi (better known as Vampira) was really and truly the original mistress of the night. As we take a look at her early years, we can see that dichotomy was always present for her. Her father was a teetotaler, while her…

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Rags to Rainbow: Toto (Terry) the Dog 1:03:24

10M ago1:03:24

1:03:24

Send us a text Did you know that Toto was a lil lady pup named Terry who used to pee on the rug? Well in this episode, Toto tells ALL. And she tells it in first person! Our main source for this episode was an adorable book called I, Toto, which was written by Willard Caroll after he discovered a scrapbook that shed light on Terry's life and feature…

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No More Bad Vibes: Christopher Jones Part 2 1:05:34

10M ago1:05:34

1:05:34

Send us a text Today, we return to the complex story of Christopher Jones and explore his final "lost years" after he turned his back on Hollywood in the height of his fame. We unwind the tangled web of his life, from his alleged romance with Sharon Tate amidst Italian film sets, to his eerie ties with the infamous Cielo Drive. As we reflect on Jon…

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Cheekbones and Demons: Christopher Jones Part 1 1:22:14

11M ago1:22:14

1:22:14

Send us a text What if the ghost of James Dean haunted an actor's career? Christopher Jones, a man forever overshadowed by his uncanny resemblance to the rebel icon, lived a life that was as electrifying as it was cursed. Jones's journey through the swinging '60s is a cocktail of passion and paranoia, particularly in his tumultuous relationship wit…

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Introducing: Dead and Kind of Famous 5:53

11M ago5:53

5:53

Send us a text Have you ever strolled through a graveyard and felt a sudden wave of curiosity about the people resting beneath the headstones? Especially the one’s featuring a mysteriously unrecognizable yet glamorous headshot? If you’ve ever been to Los Angeles’s most iconic cemetery, Hollywood Forever, then you know the type. And on their new pod…

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Bon Vivant: Baron Clement Von Franckenstein 58:12

11M ago58:12

58:12

Send us a text Ever wondered what it takes to be dubbed a Hollywood bon vivant? Join us as we kick off "Dead and Kind of Famous" with the eccentric and flamboyant life of Baron Clement von Frankenstein. We'll take you through our amusing adventure in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where we use Find a Grave to track down the baron's final resting p…

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The Music in Africa Episode | Celebrating Music, Culture and the Continent with Violet Maila 1:08:59

2y ago1:08:59

1:08:59

In the final episode of season 1 Daphne and Aileen are joined by Violet Maila music industry professional and art activist from South Africa. They discuss the role of extended family in forming our identity, the power of music in shaping our expression as Violet tells the stories of how she landed in the music industry and the joy it brings her. Ho…

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The Ungrowing Up Episode | Shedding old and Creating New Beliefs 57:26

2y ago57:26

57:26

In the penultimate episode of season 1 Daphne and Aileen chat about what it means to be wise, how to uncover one’s deepest longings and desires and live a life where heart and mind are aligned. They look at some of the challenges in overcoming the notorious imposter syndrome, checking our tradition and belief systems and invite us to celebrate each…

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The African Creative Episode | Celebrating the Richness of African Design with Mazzi Odu 1:03:13

2y ago1:03:13

1:03:13

The Soulfully hosts and guest Mazzi Odu, a published author, respected fashion journalist and pan Africanist discuss her experiences as a Ugandan-Briton in the UK, her unconventional route to being published and her determination to forge a way forward to celebrate the high end creative industry globally and in Africa. This is a conversation not to…

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The Black Woman Leads Episode | Rehema Shabaya on Championing Diversity in the Corporate World 1:00:12

2y ago1:00:12

1:00:12

Aileen and Daphne sit down for a conversation with Rehema Shabaya, a senior manager at one of the world’s largest consultancy corporations, and a Diversity and Inclusion champion and mentor, focused on getting young women into technology. Rehema, who was born in Kenya, shares her experiences growing up as a tiny minority in England, being exposed t…

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The Friendship Episode | Making, Maintaining and Losing Friends. 43:38

2y ago43:38

43:38

Daphne and Aileen sit down to explore the topic of friendship and sisterhood and the different ways in which we gain, nurture and lose these relationships. How do our early and childhood experiences and our personalities impact the ways in which we handle our friends? Listen in to how our hosts ‘break up’ unhealthy friendships, and what’s the ideal…

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The Hairy Episode | In Conversation with Afro Textured Hair Activist Lekia Lee 1:05:13

2y ago1:05:13

1:05:13

Trigger Warning: mention of attempted suicide. This week we’re joined by Lekia Lee, founder of Project Embrace, an initiative to increase visibility of Afro Textured Hair. Lekia shares her own journey to self-love and acceptance, the challenges of overcoming her internal critical voice about her identity and beauty, and how she found her way to ful…

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The Mental Health Episode | Addressing Mental Health in the African and Diaspora community with Dr Sandra Jumbe 1:03:17

2y ago1:03:17

1:03:17

Aileen and Daphne are joined by guest Dr. Sandra Jumbe, a health psychologist from Malawi living and working in the UK. They discuss what mental health is, while looking at how it can be positively maintained and some of the triggers that can adversely affect it. Sandra shares her personal experience, from being a foreigner in the UK as a teenager,…

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SoulFully Yours - Meeting the hosts 41:37

2y ago41:37

41:37

In this inaugural episode, long-time friends Aileen and Daphne introduce ourselves and discuss the topics that we as African Diaspora women of a certain age care about and will be bringing from the intimacy of our dinner tables to this podcast. From optimising health and well-being (mental, physical, emotional and spiritual), menopause, careers and…