In this conversation, Heather Shannon discusses the themes of loss, heartbreak, and the resilience of the human spirit. Drawing from her personal experiences, she emphasizes the importance of finding inner security and embracing vulnerability in relationships. Heather shares insights on how to navigate grief, the significance of community, and the necessity of self-reflection in fostering intimacy and connection with others.

Takeaways

We are wired to find balance and resilience.

It's crucial to change the narrative we tell ourselves about loss.

Life is short; we should seize opportunities for love and connection.

Heartbreak is inevitable, but we can choose how to respond.

All relationships eventually end, but that shouldn't deter us from starting them.

Embracing vulnerability is essential for deeper connections.

Grief can slow us down and remind us of what matters.

Building inner security helps us to love more openly.

Understanding our parts can aid in healing from loss.

Community support is vital during times of grief.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Loss and Heartbreak

05:16 Finding Inner Security and Resilience

10:33 Embracing Vulnerability in Relationships

15:32 Understanding and Healing Through Grief

Keywords

loss, heartbreak, resilience, vulnerability, relationships, grief, inner security, personal growth, intimacy, healing

Go deep on how to be a great lover! It's not the surface level stuff that we often get hung up on that makes someone "good at sex."

Learn about the importance of presence and attunement for higher quality sex and better connection.

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Curious about coaching with Heather? Start out with her quickie assessment so you can identify your patterns and get an action plan to change them. The Quickie For Partners

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Keywords: Better sex, sex therapy, sex coach, better intimacy, attunement, listening, paying attention

Join me and amazing guest Emily Nagoski as we discuss the complexities of maintaining intimacy in long-term relationships. Emily uses the metaphor of a garden to illustrate how sexuality requires ongoing care and attention. We cover the importance of communication, overcoming shame, and understanding the impact of upbringing on sexual expression. Emily emphasizes the need for playfulness and adaptability in sexual relationships, as well as the significance of scheduling intimacy to prioritize connection. And you'll especially love emily's floorplan concept for accessing lust when it feels far away.

Grab Emily's Books Below:

Come As You Are

Come As You Are Workbook

Come Together

Burnout

Keywords - long-term relationships, sexuality, communication, shame, gender roles, emotional health, intimacy, pleasure, responsive desire, sexual connection

Join us at The Desire Revival to get past low or mismatched libidos keeping your sex life stuck. Register here: https://TheDesireRevival.com

In this episode, I introduce the Target Zone Framework, a tool designed to help people evaluate their relationships based on two key dimensions: spark energy and home energy.

I define both dimensions with an emphasis on the idea that home energy is foundational for emotional safety and intimacy.

We'll talk about how to assess current relationships, the significance of communication and emotional intelligence, and the need for novelty and playfulness to maintain attraction.

Download your Target Zone Guide here --> https://heather-shannon.mykajabi.com/offers/7rmnFfbj

Got mismatched libidos? We can fix that! Grab your free ticket to The Desire Revival at https://TheDesireRevival.com.

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In this episode, join Heather and guest Sexologist, Amy Rowan, to explore Amy and her husband's exciting evolution from a mostly vanilla sex life to having "hard points" in the basement dungeon for rope suspension.

Learn how trust, vulnerability and emotional intimacy led to sex life 2.0 for Amy and her hubby despite cancer and 3 kids and how you can create this dynamic yourself.

Is it time to explore kink and BDSM in your own relationship? Tune in and find out!

Keywords

kink, intimacy, relationships, sex therapy, vulnerability, trust, communication, pleasure, sexologist, suburban intimacy

In this episode, Heather discusses the concept of mental foreplay, emphasizing non-touch ways to get in the mood for sex.

Chapters

00:00 Exploring Mental Foreplay

09:40 The Power of Laughter and Fun

13:41 Physical Activity and Its Impact

16:46 Grooming and Style for Confidence

18:29 The Allure of Availability and Independence

Survey

Our Ask A Sex Therapist Podcast survey is still underway! Help the show improve and get a $10 Amazon gift card as a thank you for your time.

Take the survey now --> https://AskASexTherapistPodcast.com

P.S. So sorry for the delay in uploading this episode. We experienced major glitches with our hosting platform and tried 3 other platforms to get this episode to you. It seems the issue was related to the internet provider and we needed to use a VPN to get around it--other people have apparently reported similar issues!

Keywords

mental foreplay, emotional intimacy, sexual attraction, relationship dynamics, self-perception, physical activity, novelty, grooming, emotional closeness, relationship advice

Quit trying to seduce the woman in your life using your own assumptions and start approaching her based on her sexual personality type. You'll thank us for the results!

In this episode, Susan Bratton (our most downloaded guest), shares 4 sexual personality types and how to strategically approach women who fall into each category. You're in for a treat!

Please excuse a few audio glitches in this episode--it sounded smoothe when recording but there was a glitch in the software. We wanted to share it anyways because of the great content!

Don't forget to take the Ask A Sex Therapist podcast survey at https://AskASexTherapistPodcast.com! As a thank you for everyone who takes it, we will email you a $10 Amazon card. This is for a limited time only, so now's the time : )

Hey Friends! Please take this podcast survey and accept a $10 Amazon gift card as a token of my appreciation: https://forms.gle/oRqyaTokxxumnhy47

The show is only going to be getting better : )

Thanks,

Heather