The sexual wellness industry is booming with new products, platforms and apps joining the market all the time. When this is in combination with the huge role that social media and the internet plays in our lives, we can see that influencers have the potential to play a big role in starting conversations, raising awareness and breaking down taboos. Someone who has harnessed this is Shakira Scott, known as Scotty who Trademarked the term Sexfluencer™ to combine her sex education work with brand partnerships, being an advocate, and helping people to learn more about how to boost their sexual well ..read more

In this episode Jack Guinness describes how The Queer Bible is the book that the younger him needed and wished for. Growing up in Britain under Section 28 meant that generations of LGBTQI+ people grew up without seeing themselves or people like them in books, publications or media. This left so many feeling isolated in their feelings and experiences which Jack describes as a big part of his own life. He talks about how in telling the stories of many queer icons, written by and contributed to by so many other queer figures puts these stories out in the world where they belong, helping many to c ..read more

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists nearly 3/4 women will experience pain during intercourse at some point during their lives, and yet despite this many struggle to get answers to why they are experiencing this type of pain.   There are multiple reasons that someone may be experiencing pain in their genitals and pelvic area. It can occur at different points during their menstrual cycle, can be a more constant pain, or it can be more acute at certain times for example during or after sex. Commonly associated conditions with pain during sex are endometriosi ..read more

Many of us lack confidence in our bodies, and have anxieties or worries about how our body might look, especially when comparing ourselves to others. These anxieties can extend to our genitals with many struggling to accept their body which can interfere with desire, arousal and sexual functioning as well as self-esteem and sexual self confidence. Lydia Reeves is a female body casting artist who went through this herself as she struggled with how her vulva looked. This lead to her booking herself in for labiaplasty surgery aged 18, which she then ended up cancelling a year later.   Now Ly ..read more

The transition to parenthood for a couple is one that consists of huge highs and plenty of challenges, as we navigate the shift of going from couple to family, and all that comes with that. Parenting can bring intense joy and love coupled with demands on our emotions, time, availability and energy as we nurture our children through different stages of their development, whilst trying to balance our own and our partners needs alongside it all. The Gottman's  studied new parents in a longitudinal study and found that 67% of couples experienced a decline in relationship satisfaction in the f ..read more

With the changes the world has seen as a result of the internet, and latterly the smartphone with the debut of the iPhone in 2007; there has never been more availability of information and content online at the click of a button. This has completely changed the way in which so many people access pornography and has reduced barriers to who can access it and when.   With this ever-growing online sex culture, porn literacy can offer a way of helping people to think critically, and build awareness and knowledge around the portrayal of sex that they see online. This can help them to feel infor ..read more

Adapting your life after an accident or illness is something that many individuals and couples have to go through, but many report sex and intimacy being the part of their lives that they feel least resourced to know how to manage with the big changes that have taken place for them. Knowing where to start, how to talk about it or even how to understand how sex might be affected post injury can feel like a very challenging conversation to have with a medical professional, let alone a partner.   Ed & Lois Jackson are a couple who have been through this first hand, when in their twenties ..read more

Attachment theory is a commonly discussed psychological and relational theory that is rooted in how we develop attachments in early childhood, and continue them throughout our lives, adulthood and couple relationships. There are thousands of books written on the topic of how we can understand relationships, be better in relationships and choose the right partner - but Dr Stan Tatkin would argue that as humans we are all difficult and therefore difficult partners; which is why relationships are some of the hardest work that we'll do in our lives. 1.9 Million people have watched his Ted Talk Rel ..read more

Sex, pleasure and orgasm are influenced by numerous parts of our lives - biological, social and psychological - but what happens in our brain when we fantasise, experience desire or orgasm? And how do experiences like stress and anxiety interrupt our sex lives on a brain and body level? Neuroscientist, author and researcher Dr Nan Wise unpacks what she has seen in her research using fMRI brain scans, and goes onto explain how the different parts of our lives can work with and against each other to boost or hinder sexual experiences, and what we can to do help. She talks about the role that ple ..read more

Research shows at least 1 in 3 women find some aspect of their birth traumatic. Someone's birthing experience can be influenced by an almost unlimited number of factors both contextual and personal, which can make all the difference to how someone feels about their childbirth experience.  Birth trauma can be considered to be a unique trauma experience for various reasons as Dr Rebecca Moore will explore in this episode, and in 2014 birth trauma was recognised in the NICE guidelines. Many of those affected by birth trauma, describe struggling to know where to turn for support or how to eve ..read more