Just be yourself was the cliche dating and interview advice. Today, this axiom has been replaced with something along the lines of showing up as your genuine, authentic, whole self. But what if society isn’t ready for your authentic self? And what if your honesty could make life a lot harder? Alex and Ellie tackle the thorny issue of why so many people in non-traditional lifestyles want to stay discreet, and talk to author Skylar Quinn about what it’s like to live a double life.

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Certain people once picked up a particularly nice looking rope, or played a game as children in which their friends clumsily tied them up, and something just clicked. It felt nice. It felt like a warm hug. It felt… right. And now, quite a few of them explore ever more intricate bondage techniques to create nothing less than works of erotic art where nudity is optional, the designs ever more intricate, and emotions send them into a realm of pleasure and comfort. Plus, Brussels-based Shibari artist and photographer Nick, a.k.a. IrisRedHorse on FetLife, shares his story of self-discovery one knot at a time with Alex and Ellie.

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There's something magical about getting into that perfect zone with the perfect music playing in the background. So, it's only natural to wonder how to best incorporate music into sex, and why it has such an effect on us. Podcaster and musician Marc of the Boombox Music Talk joins Alex and Ellie to explore the science, art, emotion, and spice factor of your favorite tunes.

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Sometimes, pain and pleasure can go hand in hand despite seemingly being opposing sensations. And nowhere is this more true than in the world of CBT. No, not the kind offered by licensed therapists. The kind offered in dungeons and doms. Goddess Daniella of Pandora's Box joins Ellie to really make Alex squirm as much as possible as this episode navigates the world of torturing male genitals for fun, pleasure, and profit.

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An old Russian axiom says that there is no limit to improvement, and while that's not actually true when it comes to medicine, there are plenty of things we can do to make our lives a little longer, much healthier, and way more fun, in and out of the bedroom. The only catch is that you may have to experiment with some, shall we say, hacks to get the most out of modern medicine. Alex and Ellie look into the world of sexual biohacking and talk to veteran sexpert and biohacker Susan Bratton about both the outer limits of hacking your way to health and virility, and what's possible for anyone in their spare time.

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We use the term cult very often and loosely these days, but the fact of the matter is that cults are out there, in great numbers, and able to prey on more people than ever. Even worse, when you find yourself confronted with the dark sides of mentors and friends who supposedly embraced you without conditions and with open hearts, it always, always turns very creepy and very sexual. Alex and Ellie wade through the sinister world of cults and the tactics they use to draw in new members, plus cult erotica writer Christian Pan weighs in on how these groups are portrayed in fiction vs. what they're like in reality.

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If you want to watch someone's brain melt out of their ears, build a time machine, then send a person from 1924 to modern times and tell them to find a date. As human progress and technology kicked into exponential overdrive, even something as basic as how we meet, start relationships, and develop them underwent radical, mental whiplash-inducing changes. In this week's episode, we trace the history of dating, courtship, and sexual revolutions, and even venture into outwardly taboo and secretive dynamics with Marcus of Secrets Of A Sugar Daddy.

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Have you and your partner ever looked at each other and thought “You know what would make this more fun? If we take our fun out on the road and meet some fun new friends!” Well, if you did and aren’t exactly sure where to start or how to kick things up that extra notch, Alex, Ellie, and guest Poppy Lang have some very useful tips, tricks, games, ideas, and words of caution for you. If you put in the work, you can have the kind of amazing times you may be imagining, if not even better, and we’re here to help make it easier and more fun.

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From low tech to high tech, prehistoric to the fresh off a brand new assembly line, Alex and Ellie dive into the past, present, and future of sex toys. Covering just about everything from bizarre laws that limits how many sex toys you can own and how the should be regulated, to improvised “pervertables,” to absolutely terrifying modern machinery of (advertised) pleasure, to a conservation about sex toy design and testing with sex educator and coach Violet Fawkes, this episode is almost guaranteed to make you an expert in adult devices.

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Fellatio, mouth hug, blowjob or blow hobby, going down, giving head... No matter what you call it, oral doesn't have to be relegated to foreplay, a sort of underrated appetizer for more typical, usually much more penetrative acts, taken for granted despite also requiring skill, effort, training, and dedication. Alex and Ellie talk about oral do's and don'ts, and join erotic author Eli Casablanca to see how oral can steal the show when given the chance to do so, and done right.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com