Private Parts Unknown: Sex & Love Around the World

For the 144th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes Marika Leila Roux, a Berlin-based Shibari practitioner & the co-founder of Shibari Study, the leader in online rope education.

Shibari is Japanese rope bondage, a form of BDSM. The word broadly means "binding" or "tying." It originated from Hojo-jutsu, a torturous method of restraining captives, before morphing into the erotic bondage Kinbaku in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Marika shares her personal journey with Shibari, and we get into the origins and how it relates to Western BSDM practices, how you can practice by yourself with self-tying or solo tying, the benefits, including mindfulness and meditation, the nuances in terminology between rigger vs. rope top and rope model vs. rope bottom, misconceptions about the power dynamics, the difference between power and control, and so much more.

For more Shibari Study:

• Try Shibari Study shibaristudy.com
• Follow Shibari Study on Instagram @shibari.study

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Lume is a whole-body deodorant for pits, privates, and beyond. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code PPU at lumedeodorant.com! #lumepod
• STDCheck.com is the leader in reliable and affordable lab-based STD testing. Just go to ppupod.com, click STDCheck, and use code Private to get $10 off your next STI test.
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 143rd episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak shares the experience of getting her first colonoscopy and tips for the notoriously disgusting colonoscopy prep.

According to the National Cancer Institute, new cases of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 50 have been rising at an alarming rate over the past several decades, but the good news is that colon cancer can be caught and treated early through aggressive screening, thus preventing colorectal cancer-related death.

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Flure is a dating app where fun, wild, and safe collide. Download the Flure app, set your relationship goals — whether it's a long-term thing or a rendezvous with a hot stud — be real, be shamelessly you, and I promise, you'll have a blast! flure.com
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 142nd episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes erotic wholeness coach and sex therapist Darshana Avila — for one of Courtney’s favorite interviews of the year.

You may have seen Darshana’s work on the Netflix series Sex, Love & Goop! If you’ve seen the show, you already know that she’s something of an orgasm whisperer. In this episode, Darshana shares her journey from personal exploration to becoming an erotic wholeness coach and sex therapist. She also explains what erotic wholeness is, the deep layers of tantra that explore “how to human,” how she maintains boundaries with her clients with all that intimacy in the room, what goes on inside her membership community Erotic Explorers Collective, and so much more.

For more from today's guest, Darshana Avila:

• Check out Darshana's links linktr.ee/eroticwholeness
• Follow Darshana on Instagram @darshana_avila

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 141st episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes Velveeta, a Star Garden stripper and organizer, to explain how their 15-month fight for union recognition ended in victory in May. This was the most popular episode of 2023.

The spark that ignited the unionization campaign was lit in March of 2022 when the club’s security guards repeatedly failed to protect dancers from threatening and abusive behavior from patrons. Dancers were illegally fired for bringing concerns about safety and security to management. With the assistance of Strippers United, a 501(c)3 organization led by strippers that advocates for strippers’ rights, Star Garden’s strippers began picketing outside the strip club to protest unsafe working conditions. Picketing continued every week through November outside the club’s location on Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood, California.

Last August, the dancers announced they had affiliated with Equity. Shortly afterward, the national union filed for an election with the NLRB on behalf of the dancers. In the fall, the labor board conducted an election by mail. A vote count was scheduled for November, but the results were put on hold by the NLRB due to employer objections and legal filings. On Monday, May 15th, lawyers representing the owners of the Star Garden withdrew all election challenges, agreed to recognize the union and meet with the Actors’ Equity Association across the bargaining table within 30 days to negotiate a first contract. The club reopened for business as a union club in August.

Star Garden’s dancers are not the first strippers to seek union recognition. Strippers at San Francisco’s Lusty Lady organized the Exotic Dancers Union in 1997. They were affiliated with the Service Employees International Union. The Lusty Lady closed in 2013.

For more from today's guest:

• For more about Stripper Strike Noho! and how you can support the cause linktr.ee/stripperstrikenoho
• Follow the Star Garden dancers on Instagram @equitystrippersnoho
• Follow Strippers United on Instagram @strippersunite

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Flure is a dating app where fun, wild, and safe collide. Download the Flure app, set your relationship goals — whether it's a long-term thing or a rendezvous with a hot stud — be real, be shamelessly you, and I promise, you'll have a blast! flure.com
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 140th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes Kendra Allen, founder of Break Up Bestie.

If you've recently been dumped or are struggling to get over a past relationship, this episode is for you! This is the ultimate breakup recovery guide to help you not just survive but thrive after your breakup. No matter how desperate you feel or how embarrassing things have gotten with your ex, you CAN heal your heartbreak, and we'll tell you how.

For more from today's guest, Kendra Allen:

• Check out Kendra's website breakupbestie.com
• Follow Kendra on Instagram @yourbreakupbestie
• Buy Kendra's book The Breakup Workbook: Exercises & Advice to Help You Heal from Your Heartbreak & Create Your Best Life! from Bookshop.org
• Listen to the Heal Your Heartbreak podcast

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Dipsea is an audio erotica app full of short, sexy stories and guided sessions designed to turn you on. Dipsea is offering a 30-day free trial when you go to dipseastories.com/private.
• Lume is a whole-body deodorant for pits, privates, and beyond. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code PPU at lumedeodorant.com! #lumepod
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 139th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes divorce attorney Renée Bauer for a conversation about divorce, prenups, common reasons couples break up, and how to avoid them.

Renée Bauer is an award-winning divorce attorney, international speaker, accomplished entrepreneur, and personal hype squad for countless women. She's the founder of She Who Wins, a business dedicated to helping women crush conventions and live bold, daring lives. Renée is also the author of a book and the host of a weekly podcast by the same name.

For more Renée Bauer:

• Buy Renée's book She Who Wins on bookshop.org
• Listen to the She Who Wins podcast
• Check out Renée's website msreneebauer.com
• Follow Renée on Twitter @msreneebauer
• Follow Renée on Instagram @msreneebauer

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Lume is a whole-body deodorant for pits, privates, and beyond. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code PPU at lumedeodorant.com! #lumepod
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 138th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes My Worst Date co-host Keegan Winfield to discuss her 100-day hiatus from drinking.

It's not Sober October or Dry January; we're smack dab in the middle, but the good news is you can press pause on your drinking habit at any time of the year. So this episode is a friendly reminder that if you're feeling out of control with your drinking, you can take a 30-day or 100-day or indefinite hiatus... even in the midst of the holiday season. And today's guest is the perfect inspiration — she took a 100-day break from drinking, stuck to it, and gained a new perspective on her drinking.

For more Keegan Winfield:

• Listen to the My Worst Date podcast myworstdatepodcast.com
• Follow Keegan on Twitter @Keegan_Win

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Flure is a dating app where fun, wild, and safe collide. Download the Flure app, set your relationship goals — whether it's a long-term thing or a rendezvous with a hot stud — be real, be shamelessly you, and I promise, you'll have a blast! flure.com
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm excited to introduce you to one of my favorite podcasts on the Pleasure Podcasts Network, the Multiamory podcast. Multiamory explores the ins and outs of non-traditional relationships. Whether you're curious about polyamory, open relationships, or just want to approach your monogamous relationships more intentionally, the Multiamory Podcast has got you covered.

I'm sharing a short clip from Multiamory episode 394: 50 Ways to Handle Jealousy. It's the beginning of a two-part discussion of 50 different personal tools and techniques for having a better relationship with jealousy. This clip covers just the first four tools, but I hope it interests you to check out the full episodes 394 and 395 of the Multiamory podcast.

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Subscribe to the Private Parts Unknown YouTube channel to watch full-length video episodes and clips from the show. youtube.com/privatepartsunknown

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 137th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes Ainsley Burrows (founder) and Laurielle Noel (CEO) of the Sweet Spot Burlesque, an all-black nationally touring company performing burlesque shows in an artistic light while redefining the landscape of burlesque entertainment.

Ainsley and Laurielle are the dynamic duo (and life partners) behind the Sweet Spot Burlesque. They're on a mission to spark open dialogues and ignite subjects of sexuality and sensuality that often remain hushed in modern society. Ainsley, the visionary founder from Brooklyn-via-Jamaica, has revolutionized burlesque entertainment for 17 years, producing mesmerizing variety shows and thought-provoking storytelling series. Laurielle, a first-generation Haitian-American and CEO of the Sweet Spot, accelerates the show's success, making it the largest Black burlesque production in the country, captivating audiences in 30+ cities nationwide.

For more about the Sweet Spot:

• Get tickets to the next Sweet Spot show sweetspotnation.com/tickets
• Sign up for the Sweet Spot's email list sweetspotnation.com/joinemaillist
• Follow the show on Instagram @sweetspotnation
• Follow the show on TikTok @sweetspotnation

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Dipsea is an audio erotica app full of short, sexy stories and guided sessions designed to turn you on. Dipsea is offering a 30-day free trial when you go to dipseastories.com/private.
• Lume is a whole-body deodorant for pits, privates, and beyond. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code PPU at lumedeodorant.com! #lumepod
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the 136th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes Amy Baldwin and April Lampert, co-hosts of the Shameless Sex podcast and authors of the new Shameless Sex book.

They share how they shed early shame about sex and STI stigma surrounding herpes and learned to center their pleasure and ultimately become sex educators, sex-positive podcasters, and now, debut authors! Plus, they share tips for how you can center your own pleasure and choose your sex and relationship adventure.

For more Amy Baldwin and April Lampert:

• Preorder your copy of their new book Shameless Sex: Choose Your Own Pleasure Path to Unlock the Sex Life You've Been Waiting for
• Listen to the Shameless Sex podcast shamelesssex.com
• Follow the show on Instagram @shamelesssexpodcast
• Follow the show on Twitter @shameless_sex

Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow

Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:

• Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE at fleshlight.com.
• Lume is a whole-body deodorant for pits, privates, and beyond. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code PPU at lumedeodorant.com! #lumepod
• Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to ppupod.com, click Lovehoney, and enter code Private at checkout.
• https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! —> ratethispodcast.com/private

Psst... sign up for our Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com

Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices