233. Intentional Intimacy: From Sweat to Sex - How Moving Your Body Fuels Connection
Release Date: 08/11/2025
261. Great Sex Grows
Female by Design
Hey friend — welcome back to the Female By Design Podcast! Today marks the relaunch of one of my favorite teaching series: Great Sex Grows. It originally aired back in 2022, and honestly? I still stand by every word of it. It's practical, it's real, and I think it can meet you right where you are. I'm jumping in with a fresh intro episode — sharing where life has taken me over the last four years, what I've learned, and why this message feels even more true to me today than when I first recorded it. Life has been full. Our family has walked through some significant health challenges,...
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260. Is This Marriage Healthy? Recognizing Destructive Patterns with Leslie Vernick
Female by Design
What’s the difference between a difficult marriage and a destructive one—and how do you know when it’s time to speak up? In this powerful conversation, Francie sits down with counselor and author Leslie Vernick to unpack destructive patterns in marriage, reclaiming your voice, and what it truly means to be a strong, biblical woman. Together, they address harmful teachings around submission, the loss of a woman’s voice, and how to discern between normal marital struggles and unhealthy or abusive dynamics. This episode offers both clarity and practical wisdom for...
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259. Overcoming Body Insecurity: Healing Shame & Reclaiming Confidence in Your God-Given Body
Female by Design
How do you overcome body insecurity and actually feel at home in your body? In this episode, Francie addresses the shame, disconnection, and cultural lies that shape how women view their bodies—and invites you back to God’s truth: your body is not a problem to fix, but a gift to receive. You’ll learn how body image struggles are often rooted in disconnection, why separating from your body isn’t spiritual, and how to begin rebuilding a relationship with your body through truth, gratitude, and awareness. This is an invitation to move from criticism to compassion—and from...
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258. To Shave, Wax...or Nothing?
Female by Design
It's one of those questions more women have than are willing to ask out loud. In this episode of Female by Design, Francie tackles the topic of pubic hair grooming — not from a medical or therapeutic chair, but from the spirit of let's just have the conversation. Because when we can talk about our bodies without shame, that's exactly where freedom grows. This is not a moral issue. There is no law, no biblical mandate, no "Christian way" to groom. Francie opens by inviting listeners to release the tension that so often surrounds conversations about our bodies and sexuality, and to approach...
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257. The Healing Power of Oxytocin with Carly Bayless
Female by Design
What if one of the most powerful tools for healing your nervous system isn't a supplement or a protocol — it's a hug? In this episode, Francie sits down with functional medicine nurse practitioner Carly Bayless to take a deep dive into oxytocin: what it actually is, why it matters far beyond labor and breastfeeding, and how finding "oxytocin opportunities" throughout your day could be the missing piece in your healing journey. Whether you're navigating chronic illness, new motherhood, a demanding season of life, or simply a cortisol-soaked Tuesday — this conversation will change the way...
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256. Help Your Husband Learn What Brings You Pleasure
Female by Design
Francie tackles another listener question — one of the most personal and practical she receives: How can I help my husband better learn what brings me pleasure? What she loves about this question is the word the listener used: learn. Because that's exactly the right frame. Becoming a great lover isn't about natural talent or chemistry — it's about paying attention, practicing, and becoming a student of each other. And for most women, before they can teach their husband anything, there's a more foundational step: learning what brings them pleasure themselves. Francie gets honest about how...
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255. Making Sexual Communication More Comfortable
Female by Design
Francie answers one of the most-requested questions she receives from women in her live events: How do you make talking about sex with your husband less awkward? This episode grew out of a recent in-person Q&A at a local moms group — where the questions came so fast and so honestly that Francie knew she had to bring the conversation to the podcast. She's doing something different this season: sprinkling real listener and event questions throughout upcoming episodes, and this one kicks off that series beautifully. But this episode goes deeper than tips. Before Francie gets practical, she...
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254. Finding Safety, Presence & Pleasure: Unlocking the Female Heart, Mind, and Body
Female by Design
Our calendars are full, demands are never-ending, and overwhelm is knocking with every new notification. In this final part of the “Unlocking the Female Heart, Mind, and Body” series, Francie leans into the impact of our busy lives on our bodies. This episode unpacks how the nervous system—designed by God—is central to our ability to feel safe, be present, and receive pleasure. It’s not just about emotions or mindset. It’s about how your body was wired by God to experience intimacy, connection, and peace. When safety is absent, disconnection becomes the norm. But there is another...
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253. Power of Play: Unlocking the Female Heart, Mind, and Body
Female by Design
Overwhelm. Pressure. Tension in your body and to-do lists in your head. Not the recipe for receptivity, mutual pleasure, and oneness. So many women are living in a constant state of doing—managing families, navigating stress, and holding everything together. But when there’s no space for play, our nervous systems stay locked in survival mode. And when our bodies are braced and burdened, intimacy feels more like a demand than a delight. In this episode, Francie explores the surprising power of play as a key to unlocking feminine integration. Playfulness is one way to reclaim our God-given...
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252. From Stuck to Sensual: Unlocking the Female Heart, Mind, and Body
Female by Design
It’s too common that women feel disconnected from their bodies, unsure how to enjoy pleasure and physical intimacy without shame, anxiety, or confusion. This episode is an honest invitation to begin healing that disconnection. Francie shares the first of three powerful keys to unlocking the female heart, mind, and body—wisdom formed through years of mentoring women inside her Circle community. These insights are about stepping into wholeness as a woman created for joy, connection, and delight in God’s design. “Your body isn’t the obstacle. It’s the place where God’s...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Intentional Intimacy series, Francie explores an often overlooked but powerful link: movement and intimacy.
Through candid stories, practical insights, and a sprinkle of humor, she shares how exercise—whether solo or with your spouse—can shift the atmosphere in your marriage. From walking dates to YouTube workouts and squats in the kitchen, Francie gives real-life ways to move your body and experience the ripple effects in your confidence, energy, and sex life.
You’ll also hear about:
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Why sweating together increases connection
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Five specific “sexercises” that boost desire and enjoyment
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How hormones, confidence, and fun all play a role in your embodied intimacy
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And why this is more about movement than perfection
Whether you're lifting weights or chasing your kids, this episode will leave you with fresh vision to care for your body—and invite intimacy in the process.
Bonus: Learn how movement can even tone your pelvic floor and increase pleasure.
Resources and Invitation to Go Deeper:
Growth Courses
101 Strong Foundations for Married Sex, here
201 Pleasure and Orgasm: Passion and Practicals, here
Before (And After) I Do, here
Get Connected Inside the Circle Group Mentorship
Keep learning and get direct access to Francie! Join the Circle group mentorship. Inside the Circle, we talk practicals and get support to grow. Learn more here: The Circle
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