Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share 3. Mental Load, Consent, & Pleasure (w/ S*xologist Sarah Ward) [Part 2]
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
3. Mental Load, Consent, & Pleasure (w/ S*xologist Sarah Ward) [Part 2]
What happens when purity culture shapes how you think about s*x, marriage, and your own body?
In this episode of The Recovering Radical, Allison sits down with s*xologist and intimacy coach Sarah Ward to unpack the lasting impact of harmful Christian teachings around sex and relationships.
Together they explore how purity culture, “wifely duty,” and traditional Christian marriage advice often ignored consent, erased female pleasure, and placed the emotional and sexual burden of marriage on women.
This conversation dives into the mental load many women carry in relationships, how obligation can quietly replace true consent, and why so many people raised in the church struggle to reconnect with their bodies and desires.
They also talk about how these dynamics can contribute to r*pe culture inside religious environments and what it looks like to reclaim autonomy, pleasure, and healthy intimacy after leaving high-control religious systems.
If you grew up with purity culture, evangelical marriage teachings, or religious messaging that made s*x feel confusing, shameful, or transactional, this conversation will help you start untangling those narratives.
Topics they discuss:
• purity culture and Christian marriage teachings
• consent vs obligation in long-term relationships
• the mental load many women carry in intimacy
• female pleasure and body autonomy
• how religious environments can reinforce rape culture
• rebuilding healthy sexuality after religious harm
_______________
Sarah Ward is a Certified Sexologist and Somatic Intimacy Coach who grew up in the grip of purity culture and high-demand religion and has since reclaimed her pleasure. After decades of being systematically divorced from her own body, Sarah found solace in somatic work, which became the bedrock for her revolutionary reclamation of self and sensuality.
She is the author of the weekly Substack Sex and Style and runs a private practice based in Albuquerque, NM, working with clients wherever they are.
Website: https://sarahward.co/
Blog: http://sarahwardco.substack.com
The Problematic Concept of Modesty: https://sarahwardco.substack.com/p/the-problematic-concept-of-modesty
View all episodes
By Allison RoseWhat happens when purity culture shapes how you think about s*x, marriage, and your own body?
In this episode of The Recovering Radical, Allison sits down with s*xologist and intimacy coach Sarah Ward to unpack the lasting impact of harmful Christian teachings around sex and relationships.
Together they explore how purity culture, “wifely duty,” and traditional Christian marriage advice often ignored consent, erased female pleasure, and placed the emotional and sexual burden of marriage on women.
This conversation dives into the mental load many women carry in relationships, how obligation can quietly replace true consent, and why so many people raised in the church struggle to reconnect with their bodies and desires.
They also talk about how these dynamics can contribute to r*pe culture inside religious environments and what it looks like to reclaim autonomy, pleasure, and healthy intimacy after leaving high-control religious systems.
If you grew up with purity culture, evangelical marriage teachings, or religious messaging that made s*x feel confusing, shameful, or transactional, this conversation will help you start untangling those narratives.
Topics they discuss:
• purity culture and Christian marriage teachings
• consent vs obligation in long-term relationships
• the mental load many women carry in intimacy
• female pleasure and body autonomy
• how religious environments can reinforce rape culture
• rebuilding healthy sexuality after religious harm
_______________
Sarah Ward is a Certified Sexologist and Somatic Intimacy Coach who grew up in the grip of purity culture and high-demand religion and has since reclaimed her pleasure. After decades of being systematically divorced from her own body, Sarah found solace in somatic work, which became the bedrock for her revolutionary reclamation of self and sensuality.
She is the author of the weekly Substack Sex and Style and runs a private practice based in Albuquerque, NM, working with clients wherever they are.
Website: https://sarahward.co/
Blog: http://sarahwardco.substack.com
The Problematic Concept of Modesty: https://sarahwardco.substack.com/p/the-problematic-concept-of-modesty