Hey friend — Welcome back to That's So Intimate. We have a special treat for you - we're sharing our 10 Tips to survive and enjoy the Holiday Season. Are you familiar with the Holiday pressure cooker? If this time of year makes your chest tighten a little, this episode is like a warm hug. We share practical, gentle ways to move through the season with more calm, connection, and a lot less pressure. Think simple breathing techniques, honest boundaries, tiny rituals that actually restore you, and ways to find real connection instead of chasing perfection.

We talk about using the breath as your fastest reset (shorter inhales, longer exhales), choosing connection over putting on a show, and setting realistic boundaries around time, money, and emotional capacity. You'll hear how micro-moments of calm — stepping outside for air, sipping tea, or a quick walk — can change the energy of the whole day.

There’s space here for grief, awkward family conversations, and messes — because letting your feelings belong is part of being human. We remind you to stay hydrated and nourished, keep up your rituals that ground you (even five-minute ones count!), and soften expectations so the moment you’re in can actually be enjoyed.

If things get heavy, reach out — find a Holiday buddy (or two or three) to have on standby to text, call, or connect with. End the day with a tiny gratitude-and-release ritual to soothe your nervous system and sleep better. Go gently, and remember: the holidays can be messy and beautiful at the same time.

Connect with Us:

• Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com
• Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com
• Suggest a topic: DM us or email podcast@radintimacy.com

Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back, dear listeners, to That's So Intimate. Bryan and I are back this week talking about the word generosity. The who, what, and why of giving and all it's complexities.

We start with the simple meaning of generosity: the act of giving more than what’s needed. But then we soften into the deeper layers — generosity as a flow of energy, a way of living from a sense of “there’s enough,” a practice rooted in the heart.

From there, we open the door to the shadow side of giving. We look at the moments when generosity stops being a simple offering and turns into something heavy, confusing, or draining:

• When giving comes with unspoken expectations

• When we hope to earn love or approval through our actions

• When we slide into martyr mode, putting everyone else first

• When generosity becomes a way to feel important

• When giving keeps us from receiving, staying safe behind the role of the “giver”

We talk about how these patterns often come from old stories: the need to be liked, the fear of not being enough, the belief that love must be earned through self-sacrifice.

Through a gentle yogic and spiritual lens, we explore the teaching of dāna from the Bhagavad Gita — the three kinds of giving — and how they help us see the difference between pure giving, ego-driven giving, and giving that harms more than it helps.

This episode reminds us that real generosity is balanced, honest, and rooted in choice. It’s not about losing ourselves. It’s not about keeping score. It’s not about being “the good one.”

It’s about letting kindness move through us in a way that respects our own needs as much as someone else’s.

We close with questions that invite reflection:

• Am I giving from fullness or fear?

• Do I feel tired or resentful after I give?

• What happens if I let myself receive as much as I offer?

This conversation is an invitation to practice generosity from the heart — without losing ourselves, and without tying love to the act of giving.

Connect with Us:

• Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com
• Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com
• Suggest a topic: DM us or email podcast@radintimacy.com

Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome to That's So Intimate. In this episode Bryan & I sit with the elusive, beautiful concept of time — what it is, how we feel it, and how it shapes the way we love, work, and live.

We riff on definitions (is time the measure of existence?), physics (Einstein’s relativity), and how perception warps the moments — why a day can stretch or fly, why grief and reminders of mortality make time feel suddenly precious, and why some cultures track time by tides and cycles while modern life measures it by productivity.

We talk about the cultural forces that shape our schedules — from sundials to standardized train time to the modern chronocratic push to equate worth with output-per-hour — and how that pressure can crowd out rest, ritual, and real connection. Then we get practical: small rituals that anchor us (weekly dinners, fireside evenings, a daily gratitude alarm, the high/low/prospect check-in with kids) and ways to align where you spend your minutes with what you truly value.

We also get real about trade-offs: money for time, travel vs. creature comforts, the impulse to “do more” vs. the gift of simply being. We ask gentle, powerful questions — what would you change if you had one year left? Who would you see more? What would you stop doing? — and offer a kind invitation to notice, prioritize, and choose intentionally without shame.

This is a warm, conversational episode about presence, mortality, and the everyday practices that make life feel rich. If it lands with you, share it with someone you love and lean into the small rituals that help time feel sacred. Let's get intimate.

Welcome to That's So Intimate. I'm Sarah from RAD Intimacy and I'm Bryan from Sadhana Yoga School — we're back from a short break to sit with a word that quietly shapes our days: commitment. We trace it back to its Latin roots (to bring together, to entrust) and chat about how commitment is really devotion made visible — whether it’s to a person, a project, your morning practice, or to the way you want to move through the world.

We push past the narrow romance-only story most of us first think of and talk about commitment as something you can practice moment-to-moment: committing to presence on an evening with a partner, to self-care in a tired season, or to small steps toward a new career. We share tools like a simple commitment statement — "I am a commitment to ___ for the sake of ___" — that helps you get clear on what matters and why.

We also get real about the sticky parts: fear of being pinned down, the heartbreak of broken trust, how a single mistake doesn’t necessarily cancel decades of care, and why recommitment — honest, ongoing check-ins — can be the healthiest move. There’s room for persistence and grief, for ceremony and repair, and for reshaping commitments as life changes.

Practically, we suggest baby commitments (test the waters with small actions), value-driven commitments (commit to care, presence, or truth), and remembering that commitment can be both grounding and fluid — a container, not a cage. Whether you’re clearing space to start a morning practice, realigning work and family, or learning how to be more honest and whole in relationships, there’s a way to make commitments that honor who you are now.

If this episode sparked something in you, jot down a commitment statement, try one small step this week, and lean into presence over certainty. Hit subscribe, share with someone you care about, and send us a word or topic you want us to unpack next — we love hearing from you.

Hey friend — today on That's So Intimate Bryan and I dig into the fiery topic of Passion. We open with Khalil Gibran: “Your reason and your passion are the rudder and sails of your seafaring soul,” and then wander into what passion really is: a fierce ache, a yearning, and yes, historically, a kind of suffering (passio). That history makes sense — sometimes wanting something deeply hurts — but passion has also evolved into our aliveness, creativity, and erotic spark.

We talk about passion as the sacral-center energy: sensual, creative, messy in the best way. When it’s balanced, it’s vitality, joy, and erotic imagination. When it’s out of balance it can be obsession, apathy, or distraction. That’s where the “riverbanks” metaphor comes in — structure and safety help channel the flow so passion can bloom without drowning practical life.

Think of masculine energy as structure or riverbanks and feminine energy as flow. We all carry both. The trick is to stop treating them like gender rules and start treating them as tools: curiosity, reason, and container-setting paired with surrender, feeling, and movement. Together they give you both meaning and safety.

We push back on the idea that logic is superior and passion is reckless. You can be wildly passionate and wise — and you can be logical and hollow. The sweet life is the one where you check in: is this desire aligned with my values? Is it rooted in fear or genuine longing? Sometimes the answer is “let’s go,” and sometimes it’s “let’s set riverbanks.”

Practical, tiny ways to invite more passion: start small. Cook a beloved meal slowly, dance in your living room, journal what lights you up, try a sensory fast so the next bite or breath feels electric. Boredom can be a gateway to creativity; deprivation can sharpen desire. These are experiments, not dramatic declarations.

On sexuality and shame: if your erotic life has been tamed or shamed, that energy can leak into other parts of life. Do the inner work — shame work, somatic practices, hip-openers, slow movement — to reclaim pleasure as information, not something to hide. Your body knows things; listen to it gently.

Relationship dynamics matter: one partner’s passion can be another’s chaos unless there’s clear communication and agreed-upon riverbanks. When someone creates safety, the other can open. Vulnerability + a grounded container = the chance to blossom.

We also dig into culture: a capitalist, patriarchal system often prizes logical, measurable success while mistrusting the feminine fire. That’s a loss. Passion can’t be bought — it’s the kind of joy that makes a battered Jeep feel richer than a polished SUV. Don’t wait to “retire” your life of feeling — weave small sparks into the everyday.

To wrap: passion is a gift and a compass. Let it inform you, then bring reasoning, curiosity, and boundaries so it can serve your life instead of sabotaging it. So tell me — what lights you up right now? What would a tiny, brave step toward that passion look like today?

Connect with Us:

• Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com
• Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com
• Suggest a topic: DM us or email podcast@radintimacy.com

Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back, dear listeners, to That's So Intimate. Today Bryan & I unpack the big, often scary word: change — what it means, why we so often resist it, and how to move with it rather than against it. We talk about that familiar sting of the unknown, the comfort of stability, and why both safety and flow are essential for a healthy life.

We wander through nature metaphors (seasons, strawberries, butterflies) and human ones (identity, golden handcuffs, the runner who becomes something else). Change can be beautiful and terrifying: sometimes it’s a graceful falling away, sometimes it’s messy, awkward, and loud. That messy middle is normal — and where most real growth happens.

Practical stuff, friend: start small. Try a different route home, change the order of your morning, say yes to an invite you’d usually skip. Treat life like an experiment — curiosity beats fear. Picture the most beautiful outcome you can imagine and let that image pull you through the hard parts. And recruit a cheerleader or two; having someone in your corner makes all the difference.

We also dig into relationships and how change shows up there. Think of the relationship as its own third entity worth tending: weekly check-ins, honest requests, and focusing on the bond (not just the other person) can hold space for both people to evolve. Nobody wins when we force someone to become someone else — but everyone wins when we practice compassion, curiosity, and clear communication.

Listen to your body. Sometimes the change you resist is the body screaming for rest, or movement, or a new routine. Aging, injury, panic, and stress are all feedback — use them as signals to adapt, not reasons to shrink. Practices like yoga, breathwork, and a steady community can be your anchor through transitions.

And here’s a perspective tweak with huge power: the story you tell about a thing often moves mountains more than the thing itself. Shift the narrative, notice growth points instead of framing everything as failure, and hold gratitude alongside the hard stuff. If you’re stuck between options, remember: often both are fine — pick one, move, learn, pivot if needed.

Change is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be punishing. Get curious, get playful, and remember you don’t have to go it alone. There’s room for aching and joy, cocooning and flying — and we’ll be here to witness it with you.

Connect with Us:

• Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com
• Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com
• Suggest a topic: DM us or email podcast@radintimacy.com

Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back to That's So Intimate! In this episode Bryan and I get curious about the idea of "home" as both a place and a feeling. We talk about home as a noun (those four walls, the hearth, the winter refuge) and as a verb (returning, belonging), and we get honest about what it means when home is missing — whether by choice or circumstance. We touch on everything from the womb as our first home, to the comforts and burdens of physical houses, to the deep solace you can build within yourself.

We chew on big questions — can a traveler feel at home? How does childhood, trauma, and trust shape our inner sanctuary? — and share practical, warm ideas for cultivating home: creating cozy rituals, leaning on community, tuning into your body, and making space for love and safety. We also celebrate small comforts (hello, candles and warm pie) and name how healing touch, honest communication, and belonging can make any place feel like home.

Resources:

Finding home in a yoga community...find yours with Sadhana Yoga School.

Cozying up with the practice of Hygge

The Book Wintering by Katherine May

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran - on Houses

Connect with Us:

• Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com
• Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com
• Suggest a topic: DM us or email podcast@radintimacy.com

Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Hey friend — in this episode Bryan and I sit down to unpack the word connection. We talk about what it means to be linked — emotionally, spiritually, physically — and why those overlaps matter for meaning and belonging.

We dig into the small, everyday ways we find connection (the Venn diagram of shared books, hometowns, or hobbies), and the larger, deeper ties — family, land, nature, the divine, and even an idea or outcome you’re attached to.

We get curious about mutuality: can connection be one-sided? Does the land feel it? Is it a chemical thing (hello oxytocin and dopamine) or an energy exchange? Bryan brings a yogic lens — that everything comes from the same source — so connection can be both an inherent truth and something we cultivate.

Safety, trust, curiosity, and vulnerability keep coming up as prerequisites for connection. We talk about how attachment styles from childhood shape our ability to open up, and why courage is often the price of connection. If you’ve ever felt protective or defensive, you’re not alone — that’s a human response, and it can be healed.

Intimacy and connection are cousins: intimacy is the practice of sharing parts of ourselves, and that sharing deepens connection. But connection shows up in lots of ways — intellectual, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual — and sometimes baby steps are all we need to begin.

We also talk outcomes and attachment: how to show up fully and practice without getting crushed by one specific result. There’s a tension between taking action and holding results lightly, and we reflect on how fear of failure can keep us from trying the things that matter most.

Play and nature get a big spotlight. Bryan shares a sweet moment playing in the woods with his son — balance beams, streams, and total presence — and we agree that play plus nature is a magical doorway to connection because it lowers defenses and invites joy.

We touch on tools that help people feel connected, from somatic therapy to plant experiences that can open the heart and perspective. And while we don’t pretend there’s a one-size-fits-all fix, we celebrate glimpses of oneness — those moments when everything feels aligned.

If this episode landed for you and you want to practice connection in person, join us for our Love in Practice Relationship Day Retreat — a full day with Bryan and me digging into tools for intimacy, repair, and self-relationship. Visit radintimacy.com or email sarah@radintimacy.com for details.

"Connection is why we're here: it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives." — Brené Brown

Connect with Us:

• Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com
• Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com
• Suggest a topic: DM us or email podcast@radintimacy.com

Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛