Conversations with Dr. Jennifer

It's hard to know how to address doubts, concerns, or frustrations about the church, especially because we tend to link "goodness" with being unquestioning.  

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Amy Watkins Jensen of Women on the Stand to discuss how women can engage in meaningful and honest conversations about their experiences in the Church and how daring to do so is what will allow us to create more honest and inclusive faith communities.

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Join Dr. Finlayson-Fife in Arizona for the Art of Desire Workshop! Click HERE and use code DESIRE to SAVE $100

When sex feels like an obligation rather than a choice, it erodes intimacy, fosters resentment, and leaves partners feeling distant and disconnected.

Many women, especially those raised in sexually conservative cultures, receive the message—directly or indirectly—that being spiritual or “good” means distancing themselves from their sexuality.

If you are ready to rethink your relationship to desire and sexuality, JOIN US for the Art of Desire Workshop in Gilbert, Arizona! Use the code DESIRE to SAVE $100 on your ticket! 

Dan and Marie were happy enough in their marriage, until they started listening to Room for Two.

A woman's arousal is highly connected to her sense of freedom in her relationship.

When you create a relationship with your spouse where you feel free to be who you are, free from managing their sense of self, and free to show your strength, sex becomes a place you want to be —a place of ease.

Many of those who develop a compulsive relationship with pornography aren’t just looking for sexual gratification—they’re looking for a type of relief. 

These are often people who appear most put together on the outside—the responsible student, the dedicated churchgoer, the child who carries the family’s expectations. With little space to process stress or be truly known, pornography becomes a tempting, private escape from the pressures of life. But over time, this creates a growing divide between their public persona and private reality, reinforcing shame and deepening their sense of fracture and isolation.

This pattern often carries into marriage, where rather than risk the exposures of real intimacy and connection with a spouse, porn continues to be an easy escape. 

In this NEW episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Taylor Chambers to discuss how we can turn challenges related to pornography into opportunities for personal and relational growth. They explore the systemic issues that contribute to porn use, the impact that unwanted porn use has on marriages, and how we can use conflict and crisis in our relationships as opportunities to learn more about ourselves and create meaningful growth in our capacity for real intimacy.

With a changing body and shifting relational roles, midlife can be a challenging time for many women, but it is also an important time of self-discovery and self-definition, a time that we can more fully embrace who we are, and experience tremendous personal and relational growth.

When couples are in an erotic, thriving marriage, it's not about new sex positions, it's about creating a relationship where there is a sense of aliveness and authenticity. And nothing creates this type of energy in a relationship more than intimacy--really knowing your spouse and being known by them in return.

Most relationships start with a spark, a strong desire for sexual connection with the other.

- The impact of anxiety / depression (including medication) on desire  

- Agency and choice in sexuality

- "Fighting Fair" in marriage 

- Prioritizing partnership

Despite their reactions to our attempts to discuss it, our children are looking to us to help them make sense of their sexuality.