✨Shine Bright, Fireflies! Connecting with Authentic Sexuality & Shedding Compulsory Heterosexuality

Reclaiming Your Sexual Self Workshop | with Mallory Hanfling, LCSW | Friday, Oct. 17th, 2025 | The Provincetown Inn, Provincetown, Massachusetts during Women's Week | 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. | Reclaiming Your Sexual Self Tickets, Fri, Oct 17, 2025 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite Mallory Hanfling, a late-in-life lesbian/firefly, queer therapist, and sexuality educator provides attendees with the SexEd that you wish you got in high school. Covering everything from anatomy and the mechanics of all different types of queer sex, to toy maintenance, and to sexual communication and consent, Mal will help you reconnect with your sexual self, learn how to listen to and trust your body, and answer the questions you were too shy to ask out loud.

"Strengthening Love: Building Secure Bonds for Lesbian Couples" is a comprehensive course for lesbian couples who are seeking to build a better relationship. Designed by lesbian psychologist and couples therapist, Dr. Robin Sesan, this course is ideal for any lesbian couple who finds themselves stuck in a rut, desires connection, and wants to build emotional safety in the relationship. This do at your own pace course includes video instruction, worksheets, and offers an online community in Authentically Us, where couples can discuss the outcomes of their assignments for each course unit. Yes, you can learn how to create positive interaction and build intimacy that lasts! Learn more and register at https://healthylesbianrelationships.com/

In this episode of Coming Out & Beyond: LGBTQIA+ Stories, host Anne-Marie Zanzal welcomes Mallory Hanfling, a Philadelphia-based therapist specializing in identity development, coming out, and connecting with one’s most authentic self. As the founder of Courage to Grow Counseling, Mallory provides a safe and supportive space for LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, helping them navigate the challenges of later-in-life coming out.

But Mallory’s work doesn’t stop there—she’s currently pursuing a PhD in Human Sexuality at the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS). Her research focuses on how community mitigates the impact of compulsory heterosexuality on later-in-life LGBTQIA+ individuals.

As a passionate advocate for community, Mallory coined the term "Fireflies" to represent women, non-binary, and trans people who are exploring their sexual identity later in life. Through her weekly Firefly peer support group, she helps Fireflies at all stages of their journey connect, share, and empower one another.

Whether you're coming out later in life, questioning your identity, or looking for a supportive community, Mallory’s insights and experiences will resonate deeply.

🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

💡 How Mallory helps later-in-life LGBTQIA+ individuals navigate identity development

🏳️‍🌈 Why community is essential for those coming out later in life

🧠 The role of therapy in healing from compulsory heterosexuality

🌟 What it means to be a "Firefly" and how to join the Firefly peer support group

🎓 How Mallory’s PhD research is changing the conversation around later-in-life queerness

📢 Practical advice for embracing authenticity and self-discovery

🌐 Learn More About Mallory Hanfling

You can learn more about Mallory and her work on her website, https://www.couragetogrowcounseling.org/about

Books that resonated with Mallory are Untamed by Glennon Doyle https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52129515 and Bossy Pants by Tina Fey https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167987272-bossy-pants?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=zHsUsI2...



Mallory's coming out song is Drive by Incubus. https://youtu.be/fgT9zGkiLig?si=g98J8LJ24IjUvXBm

💬 Have you experienced a later-in-life coming out journey? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

❤️Join Authentically Us! A supportive community for those coming out later in life to the LGBTQIA+ community. Connect, share, and find guidance on your journey through mutual support groups, workshops, and live Zoom meetups. 💜Sign up today at www.annemariezanzal.com

💠 Visit our website: : [ www.annemariezanzal.com]

💠 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amzanzal

💠 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/annemariezanzalcoaching/

💠LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariezanzalpurposefulempowerment/

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell to stay updated on powerful stories from Coming Out & Beyond!