Permission for Pleasure

Did you know that bone building starts to decline at age 30? That means for many of us, especially women in midlife, osteoporosis is a real concern. Registered Dietician, and Integrative & Functional Nutritionist Susan McCandless joins me to share what breaks down your bone health and what builds it up. She offers practical suggestions and guidelines to help you adjust your diet for strong, dense and flexible bones. You’ll come away feeling empowered to make bone health a priority for a confident and active life.

Susan McCandless is a Functional Dietitian Nutritionist, and holds advanced certifications in digestive health, immunology, genetics, food sensitivities and intuitive eating. Board Certified in Integrativce and Functional Nutrition, Susan understands how body systems work together. She focuses on improving client function and performance by treating the root cause of nutrition imbalances. 

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Dr. Jessica Vernon and I continue our conversation about transitioning to parenthood. In this episode we focus on postpartum sex, the challenges women face with their changing bodies, and creating intimacy with a partner. We also call out the common myths of motherhood that in reality are unattainable: the martyr, the goddess, the superwoman and the homemaker.

Jessica Vernon, MD is an obstetrician, perinatal mental health expert, and author of “Then Comes Baby: An Honest Conversation about Birth, Postpartum, and the Complex Transition to Parenthood” 

Mentioned in this episode:
Sex After Baby
Sexy in Survival Mode
Postpartum Support International
Sex and Pregnancy
Sex and Postpartum and Breastfeeding
Your Body after Baby
Guide to lube
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy with Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
Does a vaginal delivery ruin my vagina?
Tips from my pelvic floor PT

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Did you know that 45% of women report birth trauma? The ripple effects of that are often never talked about. Obstetrician, and perinatal mental health expert Dr. Jessica Vernon joins me for a straightforward conversation about her book, Then Comes Baby: An Honest Conversation about Birth, Postpartum, and the Complex Transition to Parenthood. We discuss sleep deprivation, baby blues, and how to recognize postpartum depression and anxiety.

Learn more about Jessica Vernon MD

More on this topic:
Sex and Pregnancy
Sex and Postpartum and Breastfeeding
Your body after baby
Sex After Baby
Sexy in survival mode
Postpartum Support International

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Have you ever been curious to explore new ways to communicate through touch? Anne-Lorraine Selke, the creator of Touchcards, shares why she created a card deck that offers people ways to “rediscover the richness of touch with the people you love.” She gives us examples from intimate cards to playful ones, as we offer ways to bring more connection into your relationships through touch. 

Find Touchcards and use my 10% discount PERMISSION

Mentioned in this episode:
Touch pleasure practice
Touch lexicon: What are you saying with your touch
Hillary McBride on embodiment
Bedroom Games

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Engage in flirty conversation to add some playful energy to your relationship. These “Would you rather” game questions offer you an easy way to play together and can spark meaningful discussion if something takes you by surprise! Use this episode on your next date night, long car ride or walk around the block.

Mentioned in this episode:
Bedroom Games
Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual Garden on GoodReads
Toys, Fantasy and Play in the Bedroom
24 Communication Starters and Questions
When a Partner Wants to Try Something New

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We talk a lot about the repercussions of purity culture for women, but what about men? This topic is often silenced, creating what sexuality educator Erica Smith calls a “fertile ground for shame.” She joins me to break the taboo, sharing the after effects men frequently encounter. 

Erica Smith is an award winning sexuality educator and consultant with 25 years of experience. She developed the Purity Culture Dropout™️ Program to help people learn all of the sex education that they missed growing up in purity culture- sex ed that is accurate, queer inclusive, trauma informed, compassionate, and comprehensive. 

More on this topic:
Evolving out of purity culture
Reclaim your arousal mindset
Untangling sexual shame
Masturbation - let’s dig in
Masculinity narratives with Cam Fraser
My letter to young women
Misconceptions men believe about sex
Embodiment and pleasure with Hillary McBride PhD

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Is orgasm a learnable skill? My guest Dr. Erica Marchand outlines the necessary components women need to orgasm in this top 10 episode from Season One. We discuss faking O’s, ranking O’s, and the mind-body shift of allowing rather than making orgasm happen.

Erica Marchand, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist offering individual, couples and sex therapy in Los Angeles.

Learn more about these topics
Answering your questions about orgasm
Faking orgasm
The clitoris - it's a network
Stimulation of the clitoral hood
Pleasure techniques with penetration

ORDER my Book: Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual Garden
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One of the most shared episodes on the podcast, this conversation about pleasure and embodiment offers a framework for understanding a healthier way to be in your body. Hillary McBride, PhD provides tools to help us untangle the cultural scripts we have taken in, along with gentle guidance for how we can reframe sensuality and learn to listen to our bodies. 

Hillary McBride, PhD., is a therapist, researcher, speaker and author

More on these topics:
Mother's, Daughter's and Body Image, read my book review
Dating your body with Aurora
Reconnecting to yourself and to your body
Slow Pleasure with Euphemia Russell
Connecting with our bodies and nervous systems
Healing journey with Ruthie Lindsay
Coming home to yourself with Arielle Estoria

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From logistics on positioning, to setting the stage before you step in - in this episode I talk you through the basics on how to add shower sex to your intimacy repertoire. Showering together has never been more fun, safe and intimate.

Mentioned in this episode:
Pleasure Practice
Uberlube use code CINDY
Shower sex for beginners on the blog

ORDER my Book: Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual Garden
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Catriona Boffard, a Clinical Sexologist, Psychotherapist, Sexuality Researcher, Podcaster and Author joins me to share her personal experience, and clinical expertise in a discussion about women and ADHD - how it can affect your brain, sex, and life. You’ll hear all about orgasms, medications, sexual cues and solutions to common communication challenges.

Catriona Boffard is an expert in the field of sexual behavior, well-being, and mental health, and is particularly passionate about working with people who face difficulties in their sexual experience. She hosts the podcast Asking for a Friend and is an internationally recognized authority in the field of sexuality and relationships.

Mentioned in this episode
Anxiety, Perfectionism and Sex
Mindfulness with Dr. Lori Brotto on the podcast
Better Sex Through Mindfulness book review
ADHD and Tips for Sex 

ORDER my Book: Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual Garden
JOIN my Newsletter: Good Education for Good Sex
FOLLOW on Instagram @cindyscharkey
VISIT my website and blog