I had the pleasure of speaking with coach and sex educator Valerie Schrader. We discussed her journey through a traumatic childhood with a narcissistic mother, and how she turned her experiences into a career helping others heal from generational trauma. We explored the importance of somatic therapy and its connection to the body and the mind, as well as sacred sexuality and self-work. Valerie shared her self-guided healing program, which allows individuals to work through their trauma at their own pace and the importance of meeting people where they are in their healing journey. We also touched on promoting open conversation and continuing the dialogue around these important topics.

You can learn more about Valerie at valerieschrader.com or on her podcast Sensual Power.

Please Visit WhatExcitesUs.com to check out our links to UberLube, Good Clean Love and Patreon. You can catch up on past episodes there too!

Katherine Zitterbart is my guest for this conversation. We discuss her latest project and offering A Felt Sense of YES: Yin Yoga for Sexual Health, beginning with what yin is, some Taoist principles, what dantian are, how she works with these elements and so much more.
Katherine's life's work is to hold supportive and inclusive space for neurodiverse and LGBTQIA+ individuals living with chronic pain and illness, through somatics and sound in a sex-positive framework.

You can learn more about her at kayteezee.com TikTok as @thekayteezee
Instagram @katherinezitterbart https://twitter.com/kayteezee
http://www.youtube.com/c/KatherineZitterbart

This Tell All is with Baggins who is a Gender Queer person with DID and Chronic illness who is is Polyamourous, Asexual and identifies as a Bottom. We discuss Dissociative Identity Disorder, their System and Alters, how they came to these identifications as well as Coping with CPTSD, the discourse around the validity of self diagnosis and more.

Some vocabulary words:
Ace is short for Asexual meaning people who don’t frequently experience sexual desire.
T is testosterone
A Meta is a shortening of word metamore, which a term used in polyamory meaning the partner of your partner but who isn’t your partner.
And Polysaturated means not looking for other partners

This is an enlightening and relatively in-depth conversation with clinical therapist Sarah Hazelton who specializes in OCD among other areas of mental health.

We define OCD and the difference between that and anxiety. She talks about how it plays out with intimacy, how to treat it, how to find a qualified therapist to help, and what a person can do if they can’t access a therapist.

There is more that had to be cut for time available at patreon.com/whatexcitesus
Some can be heard even if you aren’t a member.

Learn more about Sarah at www.hazeltoncounseling.com

The article I reference at the beginning of the episode: How OCD Can Impact Your Sex Life at VeryWellMind.com - https://bit.ly/3RvjA6A IOCDF.org -

the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation website is full of great information

Sarah recommends this book for clients: Relationship OCD: A CBT-Based Guide to Move Beyond Obsessive Doubt, Anxiety, and Fear of Commitment in Romantic Relationships by Sheva Rajaee MFT
And this one for Practitioners: Sexual Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Step-by-Step, Definitive Guide to Understanding, Diagnosis, and Treatment by Monnica T. Williams, Ph.D., ABPP, and Chad T. Wetterneck, PhD

I was lucky enough to chat with Alyssa Gonzalez who recently published Nonmonogamy and Neurodiversity, which will be officially released on February 17th by Thornapple Press.

But, if you hurry over to https://www.alyssacgonzalez.com/store you might be able to grab an author-signed copy before then. Of course, pre-ordering from your favorite local bookstore is also an option. ; )

We talked about how the book came to be, a couple of tips from the book, some theory, and more, all while having plenty of fun and giggles along the way.
It’s truly a pleasant and enjoyable conversation.

To learn more about Alyssa you can visit: https://www.alyssacgonzalez.com/
The Perfumed Void - the-orbit.net/alyssa
Thornapple Press - https://thornapplepress.ca/

D20 domme is a femdom in her life, and a coach as an occupation. She has a Ph.D in Human Behavior and uses it to help her clients as well as enjoy her life as the head of a polyandrous household. You can learn more about her at mundanemiss.com In our conversation, we discuss her life & lifestyle in some detail, the difference between a submissive and a slave, her dissertation, finding the ‘why’, is nature or nurture responsible for a kinky desire and more!

This conversation with Kaytlin Bailey from Old Pros was a dream for me as her podcast The Oldest Profession is one of my all-time favorites! We discussed why the war on prostitution is really a war on women, what SESTA/FOSTA act is and how it's really a wolf in sheep's clothing designed to trick people into thinking it's a benefit. She tells us about the larger network that she heads up, called Old Pros, and ways that you can be supportive to help folks understand that sex workers' rights matter. You can learn more at oldprosonline.org or by adding The Oldest Profession Podcast to your pod feed.

Gwyn is still on a bit of a hiatus, but she was on another podcast called Bitch, You Need to Hear This, hosted by Katie Ploss. They discussed how Gwyn coaches, some coaching techniques, and the state of the world in general.

This episode answers a couple of questions I have recently gotten, and fills you in on what is going on for me personally and how it relates to What Excites Us!

Did you know that perimenopause can start as early as your 30s? In this episode, I talk with Kim Benoy from Midlife with Courage about what exactly peri- and menopause is, what it does to the bodies of people with uteruses, and what some of the symptoms are. It’s way more than just hot flashes, and some essential oils you can use to help alleviate those symptoms, including some that can be immediately effective.

See the Patreon for a free list of what she talks about in this episode at Patreon.com/whatexcitesus and please consider joining or buying me a coffee if you are able.

Kim Benoy’s website is www.midlifewithcourage.com and you can listen to her podcast there or find it in your favorite podcast player.