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I’m excited to introduce my guest today, Mahima. She grew up in apartheid zimbabwe, married a swiss man at 21, divorced at 22, and is focused on cultivating peace, connection to self, to soul, and to sexual expression. Content warning for abuse, racism, body image, weight loss, self loathing, and apartheid. If I had to sum Mahima up in two words, it would be “love yourself.” Let’s go to the session. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Robin Beatch, the Sex Positive, Lifestyle Inclusive Talk Radio host from SPLIT Radio will join us today. You can follow Robin @sexwithrobin on instagram. Robin is a queer, non monogamous sex educator, coach, consultant, former stripper, former nurse, pro domme, and parent of two. Juniper, my only ever one night stand, is also back to add her positive, fun self to the mix. Never Have I Ever is a party game where we try to find things we haven’t done that the others have done. Today we’ll be talking about fisting someone, having sex with someone twice your age, and having sex in a bathroom. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Today we’re talking about expectations around strength, support, and staying composed. Join myself and Andre Lazarus as we chat about open communication, masculinity, and non monogamy. Andre is an Intimacy and Sex coach, a Surrogate Partner, and a Sacred Intimate with over 10 years of experience in non monogamy. His new project is the Open to More: How to Navigate Consensual Non-monogamy course at https://coming-closer.com/. You can find him @coming closerwithandre on social media. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Susannah Rose is with us today to chat about intimacy. An interesting twist today is that she’s completed combat tours in Afghanistan and I convinced her to talk a bit about the stresses she experienced while serving and the way intimacy functions in military hierarchy both between officers and among ranks. Content warnings: the 2012 Bastion Leatherneck attack comes up as well as some discussion of misogyny. It’s a special session today with Susannah Rose. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

We’re back with Would You Rather. Our panel today is Melody Anne from Erotic Education with Melody Anne, and Ms. Sara Blaze, a woman of many identities from mom to conference organizer to dominatrix. Would You Rather is a party game where we ask the other players to choose between two highly desirable or two highly undesirable outcomes or sometimes just between two really different outcomes to get to know each other better. Today, we’ll ask if we’d rather face a robot or zombie apocalypse, eat a beloved pet or get eaten by said pet, and lots more! Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Today we talk about internalised judgement and internalised patriarchy. We talk about divorce and blame. We circle back to Yin and Yang and all things containing their opposites. True receiving is discussed as considering the whole person meaning you must also be receptive to yourself receiving. We talk about pain and pleasure in the context of Yin and Yang. Content warnings for trauma, crisis, gender binary stuff, heterosexual stuff, and I suppose woo in the form of traditional chinese medicine. If you’re science-minded, I encourage you to try listening to woo content as reasoning behind why something works based in allegory or metaphor rather than empirical reasoning. Not my usual content but I appreciate being outside of my comfort zone and stretching to think in ways I don’t usually choose. Check out Winnie’s free community, paid course, and shadow work book at https://mindfulhealingheart.com. Now let’s go to the session with Winnie here on Intimate Interactions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Dr. Joli Hamilton is back yet again to share her wisdom. Today we’ll be talking about plastic psyches and healing attachment injury. She talks about why she studies jealousy how she does. We do a quick call in about sex vs gender language and talk about why she labels her research how she does. You can check out Dr. Hamilton’s TedX talk or visit https://jolihamilton.com for more. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

We’re back with Never Have I Ever with Melody Anne from Erotic Education with Melody Anne, and Ms. Sara Blaze, a woman of many identities from mom to conference organizer to dominatrix. Never Have I Ever is a party game where we try to find things we haven’t done that the others have done. Today, we’ll ask about hook ups, sex while wearing a mask, and much more! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Alexandra Harbushka is back! After creating the Life with Herpes community to help anyone from suffering the way she did for any longer than absolutely necessary, she went on to create herpes wellness products and to offer 1-on-1 coaching for folks newly positive with herpes. Here we talk about meaningful steps for destigmatizing herpes infection such as how to prevent outbreaks. For more, check out Alexandra’s site, lifewithherpes.com. Again, as a side note, there are always medical exceptions where any infection can be particularly severe or painful. While these are the exception and not the rule, it’s important we don’t erase the real suffering that some herpes sufferers experience even if they are not the norm. There are also treatments now like valcyclovir for those with frequent outbreaks to reduce outbreaks, pain, and transmission. Now let’s get into the content with Alexandra Harbushka here on Intimate Interactions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

What is self resourcing? Who has an easier time with compersion? Does your community moralize compersion or shame jealousy? Is it healthy to have banned emotions that you can’t talk about in your relationship? You probably know most of these answers, but what about strategies? Dr. Joli Hamilton suggests practising compersion and managing jealousy on smaller, easier situations and then working up to harder ones. I’m always happy to have Dr. Hamilton on the show. I love her content and can’t wait to share more of it with you here on Intimate Interactions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Robin Beatch, the Sex Positive, Lifestyle Inclusive Talk Radio host from SPLIT Radio will join us today. You can follow Robin @sexwithrobin on instagram. Robin is a queer, non monogamous sex educator, coach, consultant, former stripper, former nurse, pro domme, and parent of two. Juniper, my only ever one night stand, is also back to add her positive, fun self to the mix. Twice Have I Ever is a party game where we try to pick something we’ve done at least twice that the others have not done. Today we’ll be boasting about how we’ve had someone try to explain how an insertable got into their body, flashed someone consensually, been a naked human platter to serve food, and lots more here on Intimate Interactions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Asking for what you want is an art. Sometimes you’ve had sex a certain way so many times it doesn’t occur that you can ask for it any differently but you can always change your mind, and it’s never too late to introduce experimentation. Sometimes using strategies like saying “you know what would make this even better?” can help. Other times you can’t imagine how you would approach a person about something. In those cases, something like Marcia Baczynski’s Good Girl Recovery Project or Betty Martin’s Wheel of Consent or Dr. Paterson’s The Assertiveness Workbook might be what you need. Of course you can always turn into The Intimate Marriage Podcast, specifically the episode called How Marriages Fail. The host of that podcast, medical doctor Alexandra Stockwell, is back to explain that how we ask can impact how good it feels for our partners to provide for us. Let’s hear it straight from her on Intimate Interactions. Betty Martin, Wheel of Consent https://bettymartin.org/videos/ Marcia Baczynski https://askingforwhatyouwant.com Good Girl Recovery Project Dr. Randy Paterson The Assertiveness Workbook (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/9781572242098-item.html) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Yin and Yang teach us that all things contain some of their opposite, that things are rarely static and usually in flux. Today we’re going to talk about crisis as an opportunity to work on ourselves with Winnie Chan Wang. She discusses the ABCDE method she learned from her therapist focusing on responding to being outside the window of tolerance using awareness, breath, compassionate witnessing, dialogue within, and effective response. Content warnings for trauma, crisis, gender binary stuff, heterosexual stuff, and I suppose woo in the form of traditional chinese medicine. If you’re science-minded, I encourage you to try to stretch a bit in listening to woo content recognizing that just because the reasoning behind why something works is based in allegory or metaphor rather than empiricism doesn’t invalidate that it can describe real processes. Check out Winnie’s free community, paid course, and shadow work book at https://mindfulhealingheart.com. Now let’s go to the session with Winnie here on Intimate Interactions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

We’re back with Never Have I Ever with a new panel: Melody Anne from Erotic Education with Melody Anne, and Ms. Sara Blaze, a woman of many identities from mom to conference organizer to dominatrix. Never Have I Ever is a party game where we try to find things we haven’t done that the others have done. Today, we’ll ask about flashing strangers, masturbating in crowded spaces, and lots of other prompts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Alexandra Harbushka tested positive for genital herpes, leading her to create a community of like-minded people learning how to manage the condition and thriving together online. I believe stigma, disconnection, and loneliness are possibly the most devastating parts of many STIs for many people in the industrialised world where treatments are readily available and they can afford them. As a side note, there are always medical exceptions where any infection can be particularly severe or painful. While these are the exception and not the rule, it’s important we don’t erase the real suffering that some herpes sufferers experience even though they’re not common. There are also treatments now like valcyclovir for those with frequent outbreaks to reduce outbreaks, pain, and risk of transmission. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Today medical doctor Alexandra Stockwell talks about compromise and how it impacts intimacy and passion. Over her lengthy marriage and raising four children, she’s learned a lot about intimacy. Today we’re going to talk about what compromises do and why sometimes compromises aren’t the best solution. Please see the show notes for a link to The Assertiveness Workbook by Dr. Randy J. Paterson. You can also see http:/alexandrastockwell.com/desires (for courses) or podcast (for podcast) Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Robin Beatch, the Sex Positive, Lifestyle Inclusive Talk Radio host from SPLIT Radio will join us today. You can follow Robin @sexwithrobin on instagram. Robin is a queer, non monogamous sex educator, coach, consultant, former stripper, former nurse, pro domme, and parent of two. Juniper, my only ever one night stand, is also back to add her positive, fun self to the mix. Never Have I Ever is a party game where we try to find things we haven’t done that the others have done. Today we talk about flirting with someone for a free drink, keeping someone you’ve slept with a secret, and lots more! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

Winnie Chan Wang visits with us today. As a licensed acupuncturist with knowledge in traditional chinese medicine, Winnie bridges both the woo world and the science world. A note for my more science-minded listeners: I try to remember that many frameworks of understanding can speak to the way things work even if their reasoning can feel inaccurate to empiricists. I’d just suggest you not take it too literally, and instead consider it exposure therapy to something you wouldn’t normally hear. Or skip the episode. It’s also a very heterosexual episode as Winnie talks a lot about Yin and Yang. Content warning for discussions of rape recovery. Also, for those who didn’t already know, vaginal arousal secretions called transudate are neutral in pH meaning they do in fact make the vagina more hospitable for sperm. You can learn all about it on wikipedia under the vaginal discharge article though I personally find it extremely distasteful that we use this word. It’s true for all genitals though so it’s not so much patriarchy at work here as sexual puratanism in my opinion. For the record, a secretion is any useful substance produced, released, or if you prefer, discharged, by cells or an organism. The word useful here contrasts secretion with excretion which is used for waste products. Both are specialised forms of discharging though we use the word discharge in colloquial contexts with a negative context, often pus or blood or other waste products being released or drained from a wound. With this connotation in the vernacular, I much prefer secretion to describe the release of vaginal fluids. Or you could just say pussy juice. Yeah that works too. Today we’re going to mention that pussy juices facilitate fertilisation by helping make the trek easier for sperm. Content warnings for trauma, rape, divorce, and I suppose woo. Check out Winnie’s free community, paid course, and shadow work book at https://mindfulhealingheart.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

If you have ever had jealousy terrorize you or your relationship, you share a common pain with many individuals. Jealousy informs us. It teaches us things about ourselves and the situation - and possibly not the lessons you’ve been taking from it. If you could go back in time though, what would you change and what would be different for you as the person you are today? Content warning for the word flogger that comes up in the context of kink. Now, join me as I explore jealousy, intimacy, compersion, and lots more with Dr. Joli Hamilton. You can check out her TedX talk or visit her website at jolihamilton.com Now let’s hear from Dr. Hamilton herself on Intimate Interactions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message

We’re launching into party games! Hooray! That means every few weeks for a while we’re going to be recording more of a fun episode where we play games like Never Have I Ever, Would You Rather, and Twice Have I Ever. I’ll explain the rules and let you know who the panel is on each show. Robin Beatch, the Sex Positive, Lifestyle Inclusive Talk Radio host from SPLIT Radio will join us today. You can follow Robin @sexwithrobin on instagram. Robin is a queer, non monogamous sex educator, coach, consultant, former stripper, former nurse, pro domme, and parent of two. Juniper, my only ever one night stand, is also back to add her positive, fun self to the mix. Never Have I Ever is a party game where we try to find things we haven’t done that the others have done. Today we talk about broken bones, TPing someone’s house, and lots more. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intimate-interactions/message