Owning Your Sexual Self

Hey hey! Welcome back to the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! This week I’m joined by Jim Benson for a really powerful conversation around male pleasure, intimacy, embodiment, and connection. Jim has spent more than two decades helping men become more confident, present, and skillful lovers through his work in tantra, coaching, and somatic based sexuality education. He brings such a refreshing perspective to conversations around sex, shame, performance, and pleasure, and I absolutely loved where this discussion went.

In this episode:

• Why many men never learned intimacy skills
• How porn impacts connection and presence
• Routine sex versus embodied sex
• How shame and trauma affect sex
• Balancing pleasure and connection
• Using breathwork to increase pleasure
• Creating intimacy through touch and breath
• Why sex can get better with age

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this episode!

**This episode is sponsored by Foria. Visit ForiaWellness.com and use my exclusive code MAINE20 for 20% off your order!**

Resources
How to Talk to Your Man About Sex
Sensate Focus 101
The 3 Minute Game

Connect with Jim
Website: AwakenedMasculine.com

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

This week I’m joined by the incredible Nicole Lange to talk all things fertility, nervous system, and whole body healing. Nicole is an acupuncturist with over 20 years of experience specializing in reproductive and emotional health, and her approach is unlike anything you typically hear in fertility. She blends traditional Chinese medicine, trauma informed care, and a deep understanding of how our bodies function to help people reconnect with themselves. The way she talks about fertility shifts it out of pressure and into pleasure, and I cannot wait for you to hear her perspective.

In this episode:

• The difference between treating parts of the body versus the whole person
• What happens when trying to conceive starts to take over your life
• How the pressure around fertility can build without you realizing it
• Why your body needs to feel safe before it can shift into reproduction
• Why changing patterns takes time and doesn’t happen overnight
• The role pleasure plays in supporting your system
• Why sex can start to feel like pressure instead of connection
• Ways to take the pressure off and bring some ease back in

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this episode!

**This episode is sponsored by Wellness Sexpertise with Rachel Maine. Visit pure.shop/shop?sh=V9S5E8R and use my exclusive code MY9PU44 for 15% off your order!**

Connect with Nicole
Website: LifeHealingLife.com
YouTube: @TheBabyYouWant 

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Hey everyone! Welcome back to the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! This week I’m really excited to have Jessica Idione here! Jessica is a licensed and certified relationship and sex therapist who works with both couples and individuals using a trauma informed, somatic, and evidence based approach. She’s known for reframing relationship myths and helping people make sense of dynamics that often get labeled as incompatibility. This is one of those conversations that can really change how you understand what might be happening between you and your partner.

In this episode:

• How couples often interpret challenges as incompatibility
• The role of the nervous system in connection and conflict
• The connection between emotional and physical responses
• Simple ways to slow things down and reconnect
• Different ways desire can show up for people
• The importance of communication and checking in with each other
• How curiosity can shift the way you understand your partner

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this episode!

**This episode is sponsored by Instant Hydration. Visit InstantHydration.com and use my exclusive code RACHEL33826 for 40% off your order!**

Connect with Jessica
Instagram: @JessicaIdoine
Retreat Instagram: @ECRetreats
Website: JessicaIdoine.com

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Hello and welcome back to the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! This week I’ve got Dr. Jordan Barber on the show and I’m so excited for you to hear this one. Dr. Barber is a doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine who specializes in pain and takes a biomechanics driven approach to pelvic health. He works closely with pelvic floor physical therapists and brings a much needed focus to men’s pelvic health, an area that’s often overlooked and misunderstood. His work with dry needling and the nervous system offers a different way of understanding symptoms that people aren’t getting clear answers for, and you can feel how passionate he is about bringing more awareness to this space.

In this episode:

• Men’s pelvic health and why it’s often overlooked
• How pelvic pain impacts daily life, relationships, and self esteem
• Common symptoms like urinary issues, pain with sex, and erectile dysfunction
• What dry needling is and how it targets muscle and nerve function
• What a session feels like and how quickly people may see changes
• The role of the nervous system and stress in ongoing pelvic symptoms
• Where to start when seeking help and how to advocate for proper care

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this episode!

**This episode is sponsored by Foria. Visit ForiaWellness.com and use my exclusive code MAINE20 for 20% off your order!**

Resources
AseDirectory.com
MyopainSeminars.com
r/PelvicFloorNeedling

Connect with Dr Barber
Socials: @JBarberLAC

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Hello! We're back with another episode of the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! This week I’m so excited to have Lorina here on the show. She is a somatic intimacy coach, certified Somatic Experiencing practitioner, and PhD student in human sexuality, with over 25 years in the healing arts and a deep focus on somatic intimacy. She blends multiple modalities to support trauma informed, pleasure inclusive work, and is the creator of the Held and Fulfilled program, helping people build deeper intimacy, stronger boundaries, and a greater capacity to receive, which is exactly what we get into together in this conversation.

In this episode:

• How somatic work connects to sexuality and intimacy
• How early experiences shape patterns around pleasure
• The impact of performative sex and disconnection from the body
• The four Rs of fulfillment: recognizing, reaching, receiving, and releasing
• Why receiving pleasure and support can feel difficult
• How to create safe spaces to practice boundaries and desire
• How pleasure supports nervous system regulation
• The impact of disconnection from pleasure on mood and creativity

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this episode!

**This episode is sponsored by Wellness Sexpertise with Rachel Maine. Visit pure.shop/shop?sh=V9S5E8R and use my exclusive code MY9PU44 for 15% off your order!**

Resources
Get Lorina's free mini-course, Nourished: The Neuroscience of Receiving Beautifully at https://tinyurl.com/3sfjcj4h

Connect with Lorina
Website - LorinaManzanita.com

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Hello, hello! We’re back with another minisode of the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! This is stage three of Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI), a guided somatic practice to support you when you’re feeling stuck, disconnected, or struggling to offer yourself compassion. Through breath, body awareness, and simple declarations, you’ll be guided to connect with your inner child, soften self blame, and begin moving through what feels stuck. This is a practice you can return to whenever you need to meet yourself with more compassion and create a sense of safety within.

*This practice was created by Donny Epstein, creator of network spinal chiropractic and the 12 stages of healing*

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this series!

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Hi all! We’re back with another minisode of the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! This is stage two of Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI), a guided somatic practice to support you when you’re feeling conflicted, stuck, or hard on yourself. Through breath, body awareness, and simple prompts, you’ll begin to notice the different parts of you that are asking to be heard and learn how to hold them with more compassion. This is a practice you can come back to whenever you need to soften the tension and feel more connected to yourself.

*This practice was created by Donny Epstein, creator of network spinal chiropractic and the 12 stages of healing*

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Hello, hello! We're trying something new on the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast this week! It's my first minisode! This is a guided somatic practice called Somato Respiratory Integration, or SRI for short, designed to support you through feelings of hopelessness, shame, or disconnection. Using breath and three simple points on the body, you’ll learn how to identify where things feel open and where they feel stuck, and how to work with both through awareness and repetition. This is a practice you can return to whenever you need a reset or a way to feel more grounded in your body.

*This practice was created by Donny Epstein, creator of network spinal chiropractic and the 12 stages of healing*

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Hello hello! We're back with another episode of the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! I’m so excited to have Jocelyn Silva here for this conversation. Jocelyn is a sex and relationship coach who helps people break free from shame, reconnect with their desires, and step into a more honest and empowered relationship with themselves. Her work is shaped by her own journey from growing up in heavy purity culture to doing the deep personal healing that led her into this field. I love how authentic Jocelyn is and how she now uses those experiences to help others create more truth, freedom, and alignment in their relationships and sexuality.

In this episode:

• How fear of rejection, being too much, or not enough keeps people from showing up honestly
• How hiding parts of ourselves slowly erodes trust, closeness, and desire
• How people pleasing and keeping the peace can create more anxiety
• How nervous system safety impacts intimacy, desire, and pleasure
• Simple practices that can help people become more aware of their honesty
• Why living authentically can be uncomfortable but ultimately more freeing

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this episode!

**This episode is sponsored by Instant Hydration. Visit InstantHydration.com and use my exclusive code RACHEL33826 for 40% off your order!**

Connect with Jocelyn
Website - JocelynSilva.com
Instagram - @IAmJocelynSilva

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]

Welcome back to the Owning Your Sexual Self podcast! I am so excited to have Shannon Hamaker here for this conversation. Shannon is a speaker, somatic practitioner, and certified sexual health educator with over 20 years of experience in sexual and mental health. Her work focuses on helping people understand how early relationships shape the way we experience connection, safety, and intimacy as adults. She brings so much wisdom and insight to this work, and I am really excited for you to hear from her today.

In this episode:

• Inner child work and how early family dynamics shape adult relationships
• What “mother & father learning” are and how it influences our relationship with ourselves
• How to pause and regulate the nervous system during conflict
• Shifting from blame toward curiosity and personal responsibility
• How childhood emotional patterns impact intimacy and feeling safe in the body
• Practices and resources for exploring mother learning and father learning further

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to share on your social media and tag me if you loved this episode!

**This episode is sponsored by Foria. Visit ForiaWellness.com and use my exclusive code MAINE20 for 20% off your order!**

Resources
The Libido Fairy Instagram: @TheLibidoFairy
Anat Peri Spotify
Shannon’s Retreat 

Connect with Shannon
Instagram: @ShannonHamaker
Website: ShannonHamaker.com 

Support the show

Connect with Rachel!
Instagram: @The_Rachel_Maine
Website: https://linktr.ee/WellnessSexpertise
YouTube: YouTube.com/@OwningYourSexualSelf
Facebook: Rachel Maine
Email: [email protected]