Hellbent

A feminist podcast for people who resist and persist

About

Hellbent Podcast is a political news and commentary podcast by childhood friends Devon Handy and Sarah Lerner. They are Democratic women who aim to bring a heavy feminist lens to a male-dominated political space. They are funny, fierce and unyielding. Their conversational style and penchant for swearing make Hellbent a fun, engaging way to discuss politics with a fresh perspective.

Devon Handy

Co-Host, Producer
         

Devon is originally from the midwest, but has lived in California for most of her life. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies in 2010 and has lived in Los Angeles ever since. Before jumping into politics, she worked as website designer and developer. She is mom to one son, 2 pitbulls, and 2 grumpy ass cats. She proudly describes herself as a feminist bitch. You can follow her on Twitter @DevonHandy, where she makes a lot of bad jokes. In her copious amounts of free time (lololol), she likes to read comic books, cosplay at geeky conventions, and crochet.
Photo of Devon by Joanna DeGeneres Photography

Sarah Lerner

Co-Host, Producer
         

Sarah is originally from the Bay Area and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2010 with a B.A. in Mass Communications. She lived in DC & New York City for five years after college and moved back to California in 2015. She’s a freelance writer and social media strategist who worked in professional sports before she made the jump to politics. Sarah’s striving to be the angry feminist bitch she wishes to see in the world—and when she’s not ranting on Twitter, she’s snacking (seriously, like all the time). You can follow her @sarahlerner and find her writing on Medium.

Drexel Heard

Co-Host            
Drexel is a Los Angeles transplant having been born and raised as a military kid, moving all across the United States and the world. He studied political science at North Carolina State University and has been heavily involved in the political process for over two decades. Drexel currently represents the California 39th Assembly District as a Delegate to the California Democratic Party, and is a board member of several Democratic organizations across Los Angeles. He is the Chief Political Analyst for AfterBuzzTV and the host of The Political Beat. He writes for Medium and manages events all across the Southwest.

Varsha Venkatasubramanian

Reseacher Extraordinaire         
Varsha Venkatasubramania

Varsha, 23 and a Gemini, was born in India, but in 2017 she became an American citizen after 19 years. She’s lived in California since 2004, and only misses the cold of the east coast on very rare occasions. She’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. in history at the University of California, Berkeley. Before working as a research assistant on Hellbent, she worked in sales, fundraising, and on a couple political campaigns. If she’s not reading for class or checking the latest news about our fragile republic, Varsha enjoys finding as many red lipsticks as she possibly can. She is rarely seen in the wild without winged eyeliner. You can follow her on twitter at @_varsha_venkat, where her tweets always make you laugh and question the patriarchy.