What can rope, leather and consensual kink teach us about trust, vulnerability and connection?

In this episode, Craig speaks with Brendan Josey, Mr Queensland Leather 2023 and an experienced practitioner, performer and educator within Australia’s leather, BDSM and shibari communities. Brendan reflects on his journey into kink, the roles he occupies within a scene, and how his understanding of BDSM has evolved through years of practice and community involvement.

The conversation explores shibari as a form of intimacy, artistic expression, performance and embodied communication. Brendan discusses how rope skills are learned, what makes a successful scene, and how riggers and rope partners balance aesthetics, connection and physical safety.

Craig and Brendan also unpack the values that underpin ethical BDSM, including negotiation, informed consent, risk awareness, changing boundaries, safewords and aftercare. They consider the responsibilities experienced practitioners have toward newcomers and why emotional safety is just as important as technical skill.

Drawing on Brendan’s involvement with The Boot Co. Brisbane, Brisbane Leather Week and his representation of Australia at International Mr Leather, the episode also looks at the importance of welcoming communities, ongoing education and creating spaces where people can explore kink without shame.

It’s an open conversation about rope, leather, personal growth and what consensual kink can reveal about communication, care and the courage to be vulnerable with another person.

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This episode was recorded on the lands of the Yalukut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

Find other JOY podcasts at joy.org.au