Gretchen returns to talk about the freedom to choose the sexual experiences she actually wants.

TOPICS COVERED:

• Gretchen's late-in-life sexual awakening after years of believing sex wasn't something she would get to have
• Moving from sexual scarcity to feeling able to choose partners and experiences
• Working with a sex worker to transform her relationship with her body and sexuality
• The difference between talk therapy and embodied approaches to sexual healing
• Developing confidence in sexual desires and asking for what you want
• The value of skilled, attuned touch and paying attention to bodily responses
• Leah's parallel experience working with a sex worker
• How conventional sex education neglects pleasure and nuanced consent
• How popular culture centers the male perspective in its informal sexual education
• Gretchen becoming a sex coach and working with couples navigating non-monogamy

LINKS:

• Aftershow: https://xoleahcarey.substack.com/p/podcast-gretchen-my-body-didnt-change
• Coaching with Leah: https://www.leahcarey.com

• Gretchen's original interview: https://www.goodgirlstalk.com/posts/podcast/i-dont-equate-sex-and-love-gretchen/
• Gretchen's coaching website: https://gretchenshanks.com/
• Gretchen's Substack: Sex Outside The Lines

• Spin the wheel: https://xoleahcarey.substack.com/p/podcast-questions
• Be a guest: https://www.leahcarey.com/guest
• Archive of GGTAS episodes from 2019 to 2024: https://www.goodgirlstalk.com

Annie explores her "straight-ish" sexuality, low sex drive, and desire for sex that grows out of deep emotional and intellectual connection.

TOPICS COVERED:

• Annie's evolving understanding of her sexuality and identifying as "straight-ish"
• Being "philosophically queer" while primarily attracted to men
• Feeling different from people who experience a strong or spontaneous sex drive
• Wanting emotional and intellectual connection before sexual connection
• Sex as a form of connection rather than primarily physical pleasure or release
• The importance of feeling deeply known and seen by a sexual partner
• The usefulness — and limitations — of sexuality labels
• Wanting companionship, romance, commitment, and partnership even when sex isn't a high priority

LINKS:

• THE AFTERSHOW: https://xoleahcarey.substack.com/p/podcast-annie-my-body-doesnt-know
• Wheel spinner: https://xoleahcarey.substack.com/p/podcast-questions
• Be a guest: https://www.leahcarey.com/guest
• Archive of GGTAS episodes from 2019 to 2024: https://www.goodgirlstalk.com

TOPICS INCLUDE:

• Why I ended the podcast two years ago
• The health crisis that caused the slow down, and eventual end, of the first incarnation of Good Girls Talk About Sex
• Discovering I have narcissistic abuse syndrome
• Reconsidering my mom's role as the "safe" parent
• Why I'm rebooting the podcast now
  • Missing the conversations
  • Wanting to reconnect with listeners
  • Finished writing my memoir
  • Heated Rivalry … because, of course…
• The new podcast format
  • How I'm restructuring it to (hopefully!) make it sustainable
  • There's audio AND video, plus an aftershow!
• Some of my fears about restarting the podcast
• The realities of using the word "sex" publicly in today's political climate
• How you can be part of the show
  • Invitation for YOU to be a guest (https://www.leahcarey.com/guest)
  • Suggest questions to be added to the wheel (just drop them in the comments!)

LINKS:

• Video podcast: https://xoleahcarey.substack.com/p/podcast-the-welcome-back-episode
• Jessica Valenti's Abortion Every Day Substack — https://jessica.substack.com/

• Spin the wheel: https://xoleahcarey.substack.com/p/podcast-questions
• Be a guest: https://www.leahcarey.com/guest
• Archive of GGTAS episodes from 2019 to 2024: https://www.goodgirlstalk.com