Sex Outside

Even though sex may never be a completely comfortable topic for many folks to discuss, there are ways to make it easier to talk about. We explore with writer, traveler, and sexuality specialist Natasha Buffo when it comes to healthy communication, gender roles and expectations, and learning about our own bodies through outdoor recreation metaphors. And once again, we find that when the outdoors are involved, sex becomes a little easier to approach in a dialogue.

Featured in this Episode:

Natasha Buffo

• Instagram: @dirtandtears
• Website: www.dirtandtears.com
• Read SISU Magazine, Issue 7: Lawful Bodies, for free when you click this link! Thanks so much to Coalition Snow and SISU Magazine for making this issue free for Sex Outside listeners. Natasha’s article is “Sex is an Adventure”

Additional Resources:

• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• She’s Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan
• Take the Sex Outside Community Survey and be entered to win a Sex Outside prize pack, as well as receive a discount code for 10% off the Sex Outside sticker shop!

About our Sponsor:

• Janji aims to explore, connect, and give back by crafting comfortable, responsibly-produced running apparel guided by the places we run and the people we meet.
• Get 15% off your next order of Janji with code SEXOUTSIDE at checkout

Let’s be friends:

• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
  • Check out what we’ve saved for you on Pinterest
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this episode? Find it here.

Hosted and produced by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by The Wild Wild, UTAH, and wavcrush, licensed via  MusicBed.

Sex Outside Nature Quickies are short, 5-minute dives into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. This one features Kelly Simmons, whose background studying animals and plants opened her eyes to the wide world of sex happening all around us outdoors.  And we agree! Because the more we started to look into “what animals are having interesting sex?” we quickly learned that the answer is all of them. Tune in to hear just a handful from Kelly as she uncovers fact after fact about how quirky all of our sex lives actually are, and how natural that truly is.

Mentioned in this Bonus Content:

• Find Kelly on Instagram: @koastalsupyoga
• Learn more about Koastal Paddleboard Yoga
• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Subscribe to the show
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this bonus episode? Find it here.

About Our Sponsor:

• Après Delight is a new line of small batch, organic CBD sexual intimacy products. Because you deserve to feel good, love your body and what you can do with it, and experience all of the joy it brings you.
• Get on the list to give it a whirl at www.apresdelight.com.

Additional Resources:

• mindbodygreen - A Natural Connection: Why Getting Outdoors is the Ultimate Sex Ed
• BBC - Do Animals Have Sex For Pleasure?
• Sapiens - Nature’s Most Creative Copulators
• PubMed - What Can Animal Models Tell Us About Human Sexual Response?
• PopSci - 10 Animal Sex Rituals You Need to Read About Right Now
• Bustle - 10 Animals with Bizarre Sex Lives
• MentalFloss - 10 Surprising Facts About Animal Sex

Hosted by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by Calica licensed via MusicBed.

Syanne Centeno-Bloom is an artist, model, outdoor-lover, advocate, student, and piano player. She is also someone with 2 rare conditions who uses a wheelchair. 

The fact is that in so many ways, the systems and culture we live in seems to simultaneously erase disabled people and make them inhuman. From online harassment to navigating ableism in the modeling industry, hear from Syanne about how she’s reclaiming her sexuality and showing the world that the disabled community is sexy, too.

Featured in this Episode:

Syanne Centeno-Bloom

• Instagram: @syannebloom
• TikTok: @syannebloom
• See the 2021 swimsuit calendar Syanne led with 11 other disability advocates

Additional Resources:

• Handi - The Handi Book of Love, Lust, and Disability
• Cripping Up Sex with Eva
• The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability by Cory Silverberg and Fran Odette
• The Routledge Handbook of Disability and Sexuality by Russell Shuttleworth and Linda Mona
• Parentbooks - Disability, Puberty, & Sexuality book list
• Slick Chicks
• Models of Diversity
• Folks to follow online:
  • @syannebloom
  • @my_catheter_and_me
  • @lizrajchart
  • @maddistrokeofluck
  • @stephcarmenc
  • @amputee_ot
  • @annaaarachel
  • @stickwithchloe
  • @hahaemilyhahn
  • @taraandwolfie
  • @diana_unfiltered
  • @tamaramenaofficial
  • @wheelchairmommy

About our Sponsor:

• Janji aims to explore, connect, and give back by crafting comfortable, responsibly-produced running apparel guided by the places we run and the people we meet.
• Get 15% off your next order of Janji with code SEXOUTSIDE at checkout

Let’s be friends:

• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
  • Connect with us on TikTok: @sexoutsidepod
  • Check out what we’ve saved for you on Pinterest
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this episode? Find it here.

Hosted and produced by  Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by  Hailey Hirst.
Music by The Wild Wild and UTAH, licensed via  MusicBed.

Sex Outside Nature Quickies are short, 5-minute dives into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. This one features kink enthusiast and naturalist Rey Arrastia, who helps answer some questions about bondage for folks who are curious to try it and dispels some common assumptions that athletes and recreationalists might have when it comes to applying outdoor knot tying skills to bondage practice. Spoiler: you’ll need to learn some different knots… oh, and skip the paracord.

Mentioned in this Bonus Content:

• Find Rey on Instagram: @selkie_smooth
• Follow Rey on TikTok: @selkiesmoother
• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Subscribe to the show
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this bonus episode? Find it here.

About Our Sponsor:

• Après Delight is a new line of small batch, organic CBD sexual intimacy products. Because you deserve to feel good, love your body and what you can do with it, and experience all of the joy it brings you.
• Get on the list to give it a whirl at www.apresdelight.com.

Additional Resources:

• Shibari.ph: History & Origins
  • Recommended book: The Beauty of Kinbaku by Master K
  • Recommended book: Essence of Shibari by Shin Nawakiri
• GaijinPot Blog: 5 Misconceptions about Shubari, Japanese Rope Bondage
• Vice: A Brief History of Japanese Rope Bondage
• Women’s Health: What is Shibari?
• Autostraddle: Shibari 101: Let’s Talk About Japanese Rope Bondage
• Autostraddle: Shibari 101: Single- and Double-Column Ties
• Shibari Study has an Instagram with photos and videos for knot learning
• Lovense: Bondage Rope 101 - 12 Useful Tips
• Emily Bingham: Where to Buy Rope
• Rope 101: Nerves & Circulation
• Refinery29: 9 Tips for Bondage Beginners
• Allure: 8 BDSM Sex Tips to Try if You’re a Total Beginner
• Mistress Kym: BDSM Checklist: Do’s and Don’ts
• Self: Curious About Bondage? 9 Things to Know Before You Go There
• Reddit: BDSMcommunity subReddit - Paracord for beginners bondage?

Hosted by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by Calica licensed via MusicBed.

With all of the romance, lust, mystery, and occasional danger folded into nearly every mermaid tale, it’s somewhat easy to explain our fixation on these characters. But where the stories ensnare us all is in how one-dimensional they can be, especially when it comes to surface level mermaid archetypes, which are often full of hyper-sexualization, body image expectations, and heteronormative gender roles. Dive in with us past the surface level narratives we’ve learned about merfolk, and explore deeper waters.

Featured in this Episode:

Gabriel Rivera / Nymphia the Nautilus Mermaid

• Instagram: @nautilusseanymph
• TikTok: @nautilusseanymph
• Facebook: Nymphia: The Nautilus Mermaid 

Benjamin Radford

• Website: www.benjaminradford.com
• Podcast: Squaring the Strange Episode 143: Merfolk, Merfact, Merfiction
• Article: Live Science - Mermaids & Mermen: Facts & Legends

Oak Honey

• TikTok: @oakhoney
• Instagram: @oakhoneyy

About Our Sponsor:

• Janji aims to explore, connect, and give back by crafting comfortable, responsibly-produced running apparel guided by the places we run and the people we meet.
• Get 15% off your next order of Janji with code SEXOUTSIDE at checkout

Additional Resources:

• Medium - The History of Mermaids Isn’t What You Think It Is
• Performing Humanity - Mermaids & Sirens: Women’s Relationship with Water from Myth to Renaissance 
• About the Siren TV series
• MerNetwork
• Mermaids - supporting transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children, young people, and their families since 1995.

Let’s be friends:

• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
  • Connect with us on TikTok: @sexoutsidepod
  • Check out what we’ve saved for you on Pinterest
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this episode? Find it here.

Hosted and produced by  Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by  Hailey Hirst.
Music by The Wild Wild, Timbre, and Wavcrush, licensed via  MusicBed.

Sex Outside Nature Quickies are short, 5-minute dives into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. This one features professional river guide Tess McEnroe, who knows firsthand just how important it is to take care of your reproductive health while navigating a multi-day river trip. From taking a pee break to navigating privacy (plus-- how to make river sex time a cleaner, more lovely experience), Tess drops tip after tip for how to keep vaginas healthy on the river.

Mentioned in this Bonus Content:

• Find Tess on Instagram: @tessmcenroe
• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Subscribe to the show
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this bonus episode? Find it here.

Additional Resources:

• Live Science - Here’s What You Need To Know About Wet Bathing Suits & Yeast Infections
• How She Views It - River & Backpacking Trip Tips For Preventing Yeast Infections
• ABC News - A Gynecologist's Guide to Good Vulva & Vagina Health
• Grand Canyon Whitewater - Going To The Bathroom (#1 & #2) On The River
• Summit Daily - Ask Eartha: How To Pee On The River
• Holiday River Expeditions - Where & When Do You Go To The Bathroom On A River Trip?
• Arizona River Runners - Feminine Hygiene & Going To The Bathroom
• Grand Canyon Expedition Company - 5 Tips For Bathing In The Colorado River
• Leave No Trace - How To Take A Bath While Camping
• Red Bud Suds - How To Successfully Take A Wilderness Shower
• Leave No Trace Dude - Rivers & Waterways
• Roots Rated - A Paddler’s Guide to Leaving No Trace
   

Hosted by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by  Hailey Hirst.
Music by Calica licensed via  MusicBed.

Any of us who love going outdoors are comfortable with being prepared in the face of the unexpected. Alexandra Gabrielle, an entrepreneur and outdoorswoman, is certainly no exception. And when something unexpected happened this past winter-- an unplanned pregnancy-- Alex was put to the test in navigating unknowns to determine what was going to be best for her and her body. Not once-- but many times throughout the process.

Alex wanted to have this conversation because, frankly, we don’t talk about preparedness enough with it comes to sex. Not the way we do when it comes to safety outdoors. And the reality is that you can be completely prepared and still encounter times when things just don’t go to plan. But knowing the potential risks and options well in advance can always help you to make better, less-stressful, more informed decisions. 

We know these lessons from being out in nature-- but we rarely apply this logic to our bodies.

Alex is sharing her story with the hope that we all begin to seek out more information from our bodies when possible, and ask our medical systems to do the same.. so that no matter where we are-- the backcountry, the couch, or somewhere in between-- that we show up feeling more ready for whatever comes our way.

A note that this episode covers discussion of unplanned pregnancy and abortion.

Featured in this Episode:

Alexandra Gabrielle

• Instagram: @alexandra_abroad
• Photography: @abroad_photo
• You can listen to a Nature Quickie we did with Alexandra: Colors & Smells

About Our Sponsor:

• Femtasy is an audio streaming platform designed to inspire women and femmes to enjoy pleasure on their own terms through short, sensual stories uttered by over 30 different voices.
• Get 25% off a 1-year subscription of femtasy with code SEXOUTSIDE at checkout

Additional Resources:

• International Women’s Health Coalition: Abortion Using Misoprostol Pills
• Very Well Health - RU486: Abortion Pill Information
• Planned Parenthood: How Does the Abortion Pill Work?
• Clue: What to Expect Before, During, and After an Abortion
• KFF - Interactive: How State Policies Shape Access to Abortion Coverage
• Guttmacher Institute: Distance Traveled to Obtain Clinical Abortion Care in the United States and Reason for Clinic Choice 
• NCBI - Abortion Complications
• ANSIRH - Safety of Abortion in the United States
• Complete Care Community Health Center - A Useful Guide to Retroverted Uterus

Let’s be friends:

• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
  • Connect with us on TikTok: @sexoutsidepod
  • Check out what we’ve saved for you on Pinterest
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this episode? Find it here.

Hosted and produced by  Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by The Wild Wild, UTAH, and Vesky, licensed via  MusicBed.

Sex Outside Nature Quickies are short, 5-minute dives into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. This one features tip after tip from bike rider and outdoor rec educator Beckie Irvin, who has some pretty helpful insights when it comes to taking care of your crotch on longer distance or more frequent rides. Because, like it or not, sitting on a bike seat, day in and day out-- it can take a toll on a lot more than your muscles and joints.

Mentioned in this Bonus Content:

• Find Beckie on Instagram: @beckieirvin_
• Beckie’s got a lot of useful biking info on TikTok, too: @beckieirvin_
• Learn about the organization she co-founded: Grit Mtb Festival
• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Subscribe to the show
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this bonus episode? Find it here.

Additional Resources:

• Self - Here’s What Your Bike Seat is Doing to Your Vulva and Vagina 
• Bicycling - How to Prevent Saddle Sores
• Bicycling - Going with the Flow: How to Manage Your Period on a Ride
• Like a Bigfoot podcast episode 177: Alexandera Houchin: Adventures from Bikepacking
• Reddit - “Butt Calluses?”
• @theinklingsoftess on Instagram created a beautiful image that speaks to labia swelling and bike riding
• Radical Adventure Riders - movement toward gender inclusivity in the biking community
• Casa Verde - non-traditional “outdoor/cycling” clothing
• REI - What to Wear on a Bike Ride
   

Hosted by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by Calica licensed via  MusicBed.

Polyamory is something that-- like many topics within sexuality-- can carry a lot of misconceptions, judgement, and shame. But it’s also one of many types of relationship structures that we as humans have access to, so it’s not as far removed from your sexuality as you might have thought up until now. 

If polyamory feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable to you, tune into this episode to dip a toe in the water. You’ll hear not only some tips and insights from whole-person life and relationship coach Alyssa Keegan, but also explore some of the ways polyamory intersects with the outdoors through the eyes of thru hiker and artist Alina Drufkova.

This insight-dense episode is the first of many conversations we’ll have on the show about polyamory, so join us and let’s learn together.

Featured in this Episode:

Alyssa Keegan

• Instagram: @therealalyssakeegan / @freshpathnytherapy
• Website: www.freshpathny.com
• Alyssa’s blog post with free downloadable PDF with questions: Know Thy (Poly)Self
• Check out the Instagram Live Series Alyssa is doing on polyamory: Hump Day Q&A: It’s Not Always About The Sex
• Bonus: Alyssa wrote two children’s books last year. You can find them here and here.

Alina Drufovka

• Instagram: @abstract.hikes
• Website: www.thrudesigns.com
• Check out the Nature Quickie Alina did with us: A “Trail Meet-Cute”

Additional Resources:

• “Sex At Dawn” by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha
• “The Ethical Slut” by Janey W. Hardy and Dossie Easton
• Polyamory-Friendly Professionals Directory

Let’s be friends:

• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
  • Connect with us on TikTok: @sexoutsidepod
  • Check out what we’ve saved for you on Pinterest
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this episode? Find it here.
   

Hosted and produced by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by The Wild Wild, UTAH, and LWFI, licensed via  MusicBed.

Sex Outside Nature Quickies are short, 5-minute dives into a specific, practical topic about our bodies and the outdoors. This one features a conversation with sexual and reproductive health specialist Dr. Justin Houman about why so many of us are focused on sexual “performance” when it comes to erections, how we don’t talk about erectile dysfunction often enough, and some of the ways biological processes, mental health, and pressure from sexual partners can contribute to anxiety around getting hard.

Mentioned in this Bonus Content:

• Find Dr. Justin Houman on Instagram: @justin.houman.md
• We want you to be a part of the Sex Outside community!
  • Subscribe to the show
  • Find Sex Outside on Instagram! @sexoutsidepod
• Want to support Sex Outside?
  • Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts or the app of your choosing!
  • Head to the Sex Outside Shop to find stickers, shirts, and underwear!
• Need a transcript for this bonus episode? Find it here.

Additional Resources:

• National Anxiety Center: CBT-Informed Practice Activities for Sexual Performance Anxiety
• The Journal of Sex Research via JSTOR- Effects of Social Pressure on Erections and Evaluation of Erotica
• International Journal of Impotence Research- Epidemiology of Erectile Dysfunction
• Healthline- Is Erectile Dysfunction Common?
• Sexologies Journal- Current Epidemiology of Erectile Dysfunction, an Update
• Healthline- Can Stress and Anxiety Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
• The Guardian- Erectile Dysfunction or Performance Anxiety? The Truth Behind a Modern Malaise
   

Hosted by Laura Borichevsky.
Cover artwork by Hailey Hirst.
Music by Calica licensed via  MusicBed.