Laid Open
LaidOpen explores the naked truth about sexuality, from trauma to transcendence. Join us for honest conversations whether you are turned on or can’t find the switch. Get questions answered about how to take baby steps towards having connected sex. This podcast is for post-trauma thrivers and their loved ones to understand how all forms of trauma affect sexual expression. Charna has spent over two decades helping people heal and find pleasure in their bodies. Every week she shares her own story, answers your questions, offers practical exercises, and interviews other survivors, as well as experts and authors in the field of somatics, trauma, healing modalities, mindfulness, and the arts. Most importantly, nothing helps a podcast grow like a positive review from people just like you. So if you’re moved by the work that myself or my guests are doing or the topics you’ve heard in this podcast, please like, share and review so more people can find our community.
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Suffering As A Portal To Creative Awakening with Adrienne Shamszad
11/28/2023
Suffering As A Portal To Creative Awakening with Adrienne Shamszad
Hey there! Have you ever thought about how we discover ourselves through the different voices we try on in life? I'm excited to share an amazing conversation in this episode where we explore exactly that. I sit down with , a talented musician I got introduced to through my friend Ned Buskirk from You're Going To Die. Adrienne's story is truly inspiring—she found her true voice when she began losing it. That struggle led her on a journey to uncover the ways she'd been silenced, and it changed everything for her. We dive deep into Adrienne's artistic process, how she channels her art, and the mind-body connection in her journey as an artist. But it's more than that; it's about growing up as an artist, finding paths by tapping into something higher, and letting that energy flow through her art. One thing Adrienne said that stuck with me is, "Suffering can sometimes be this incredible portal in life, pushing us toward awakening or awareness." That hit hard, reflecting on how challenges can shape us in unexpected ways. Join us as we uncover Adrienne Shamszad's story—a story of resilience, artistry, and the search for authenticity. We'll explore how she found her voice amid life's hurdles and how her journey might resonate deeply with your own. Come along and let's discover together the transformative power of self-discovery through art and resilience.
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Disorientation, Eroticism, and Traumatophilia with Dr. Avgi Saketopoulou
11/14/2023
Disorientation, Eroticism, and Traumatophilia with Dr. Avgi Saketopoulou
Dr. Avgi Saketopoulou is a New York-based psychoanalyst and therapist with extensive experience with trauma, queerness, gender diversity, and the nuances of consent. In her latest book, “,” Dr. Saketopoulou argues that we have become culturally obsessed with healing trauma and points to the ways traumatized people synthesize their pain. In her book, she also makes an important distinction between limit and affirmative consent, which we dissect as concepts through art and creative expression at large. This leads to an enriching conversation about the evolution of self, coming out whole after trauma, how trauma brings us into a new awareness and chances who we are fundamentally, and the ever-important question… is trauma ever healed? We also pull apart the crossover between eroticism and consent, the erotics of racism, and how through traumatic experiences we can unlock our potential as these encounters are not about guarding the self but about risking experience. In this episode, I have a truly fascinating conversation with Dr. Saketopoulou that begs us each to look at the traumas we’ve experienced, how we can relate to these events, not pathologize them and use them not to master trauma but to rub up against it so it opens us up to encounters with opacity.
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Navigating Callouts, Cancelation and Accountability with Misha Byruck
10/31/2023
Navigating Callouts, Cancelation and Accountability with Misha Byruck
This season, we have been loosely exploring “cancelation” what it means for the canceled person if it works, and how we can integrate the canceled person back into society. This week’s episode continues with that theme and is an extension of our last episode featuring canceled sexuality coach Charlie Glickman. This episode features , a sexual integrity coach who works to support people to live their sex lives in line with their values. He specializes in supporting subjects of public callouts and cancelations and assists over three dozen men to take accountability for sexual harm and return to their lives transformed. He also leads courses and workshops on sexual integrity, kink, and consent. Mischa is also part of Charlie’s accountability team. Mischa and I explore how we can put preventative systems in place to avoid a power dynamic that prevents people in a passive position from approaching the more powerful person with feedback or notes on unintentional abuses of power. This all starts with an awareness that leaders in a power position (bosses, coaches, teachers) need to acknowledge the lack of power their audience has. Tools like these can help to avoid many harmful situations that result in leaders feeling scrutinized. We also talk about why, as a society, we wait for harm to occur to establish accountability systems. What if this became the norm? Of course, this takes understanding and acknowledging the power differentials built into our roles, socioeconomic, gender, and race. We end with an exercise that briefly explains how to somatically navigate defensiveness as it arises and staying present when being called out.
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The Process of Repairing When You’ve Been Canceled with Charlie Glickman
10/17/2023
The Process of Repairing When You’ve Been Canceled with Charlie Glickman
As a society, we are struggling with how to hold people accountable. The trend of cancel culture is public shaming with the hope that those who are canceled will lose their power and position. Often, they regroup anyway and do the same thing again in a new place and a new community. This is the cycle of abuse at play. This week, I welcome Bay Area sex educator on the podcast to talk about being canceled and the self-discovery that unfolded in the multi-year accountability process of healing himself, his relationships, and his place in his community. While speaking on his experience, Charlie explains how to set up an accountability team, how essential somatic therapy is in rewiring the ways in which we respond when under stress, and how he discovered his own trauma response. We also talk about the ways that gender role conditioning impacted him, how the patriarchy sets up boys to be divorced from their emotions at a young age, and how this makes it impossible to have the men these boys grow into communicate responsibly until they unlearn the characteristics of toxic masculinity. Charlie is a case study of how we can approach people whom we need to hold accountable. He also models what can be expected when someone addresses their own trauma. This is an important episode and an even more important topic that we will all need to address if we want to make changes in our society to move forward and end cycles of violence.
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The Impact of Systemic Dis-ease on the Collective with Fariha Róisín
10/03/2023
The Impact of Systemic Dis-ease on the Collective with Fariha Róisín
These days, lots of us are being forced to see how the ways we exist in the world both help and harm. Today’s guest is queer, Bangledeshy author and artist, Fariha Róisín aka @fariha_roisin. Her latest book “” does a tremendous job of tackling this topic through the narration of her own life. She uses her story of surviving childhood sexual abuse and a mentally ill mother to guide us through the resources that aided in her healing. While also, attributing all of our traumas to the lack of wellness within society and how that’s all reflected in the larger systems we live within. Fariha’s vulnerability on her journey with wellness and dis-eased history and the way it mirrors the global systems of capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy speak on the ways oppression is designed to repeat itself. Part of this has been done through the destruction of ancient ways of knowing, better known as epistemicide. This includes a near wipeout of magical women with witch hunts executed globally, which is really an attack on the knowingness of womanhood. Although there is much to learn from Fariha, this remains one of my most tender episodes to date, as it speaks on a variety of topics including selective wellness and how that sends ripples globally. We end with an energetic composting exercise on how to clear everything from the energy we collect throughout our day to the energy that’s been attached to us for generations.
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The Complexity of Desire, Shame, and Trauma with Dr. Lori Beth Bisbey
09/19/2023
The Complexity of Desire, Shame, and Trauma with Dr. Lori Beth Bisbey
It is such an honor to welcome this week’s guest onto LaidOPEN Podcast. (@drbisbey) is a clinical psychologist, acclaimed sex/intimacy coach, author, podcast host, and GSRD (gender, sexuality, relationship diversity) therapist with over 30 years of experience. She’s also the Specialist Relationship Therapist on the UK show “” (you have to watch!) and host of the weekly podcast “” In this episode, we talk about her journey moving from a trauma victim to a survivor and how she integrated her life into her work to help others step into joy and vibrancy in their own lives. Plus, we cover a variety of topics related to this including: the nuances of boundaries and consent inside powerplay BDSM relationships, learning to discern and listen to danger signals, healing PTSD and shame, and life after becoming a survivor. The episode ends with Dr. Bisbey breaking down the Four Parts Of Consent so have your pens handy, you’ll want to take notes.
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The Magical Art Of Self Acceptance with Christina Carlson
09/05/2023
The Magical Art Of Self Acceptance with Christina Carlson
This week we welcome , an embodiment and energetic coach, speaker, teacher, and the host of the podcast, “." Christina and I talk about her experience of being raised as an Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian, leaving the church, and how dance helped free not only her body but her mind. Eventually, Christina discovers another church, and falls in love, but over time signals in her body help her to recognize that the church environment is not for her. We also talk about how this paved the way for what she currently does, working as an embodiment and energetic coach, and the ways she employs practical spirituality in all that she does especially her work. Christina ends this incredible conversation with an exercise that eases us into the practice of observing ourselves and staying inside our bodies.
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Healing Ways To Love Yourself with Catherine Drysdale
08/22/2023
Healing Ways To Love Yourself with Catherine Drysdale
Welcome back to LaidOPEN Podcast! This week we welcome , a pleasure activator and sex & relationship coach. She’s also the host of Your Pleasure Path Podcast, which went viral on TikTok earning over 16 million monthly listens. It’s easy to see that helping bring joy and vibrancy into people’s lives is Catherine’s calling. We chat about life as a sex educator and all the roads that can lead to healing–even though not all healing roads are meant for everyone. We also talk about her success as a coach, finding a sex-positive audience at Cosmopolitan Magazine, and her sex magic master class Multi Orgasmic, featured in the magazine. We end this episode with an EFT Tapping exercise designed to help people incorporate self-love and acceptance into their lives, and most importantly, feeling worthy of pleasure. You’re not gonna want to miss this episode Catherine is a true delight.
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The Art Of The Conscious Conversation with Nick Palladino
08/08/2023
The Art Of The Conscious Conversation with Nick Palladino
On today’s episode, our guest is certified conscious executive and leadership and life coach (). In addition to coaching Nick’s spent his career training and teaching movement, breathwork, meditation, and entrepreneurship to clients. He brings these tools to his podcast . Together with his co-host, Nick focuses on having conversations with guests that elevate the consciousness of the planet through conversations that change people's lives. Nick brings his conscious conversations to LaidOPEN Podcast where we talk about the matrix of coaches, teachers, and therapists that have begun to emerge since the onset of the Pandemic. And how this community works together to support and refer clients in order to get people the help they need. We end this episode with Nick leading a short meditation that can help you learn to check in with yourself and regulate your system in a quick and easy way.
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Cumming As You Are with Sexpert Susan Bratton
07/25/2023
Cumming As You Are with Sexpert Susan Bratton
Welcome back to LaidOPEN Podcast. This week we have renowned intimacy expert , author and publisher of 34 books and programs, including “Relationship Magic,” “Revive Her Drive,” “The Steamy Sex Ed®️ Video Collection,” and her Amazon #1 International Bestseller, “Sexual Soulmates: The Six Essentials for Connected Sex, as well as, . Susan joins us this week to talk about her expanded orgasm practice, which can help you to have better and better big Os your entire life. She also speaks with Charna about female arousal, embracing ageless sexuality and how getting off is a learned skill any of us can accomplish if we put in the effort to learn. Plus we end this episode with an exercise from Suaan about how to slowly warm up and turn on a vulva owner’s whole system and all aspects of their genitals. Find the visual component for this exercise .
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Putting An End To Socially Acceptable Medical Rape with A’magine
07/11/2023
Putting An End To Socially Acceptable Medical Rape with A’magine
Did you know that you can go in for any kind of surgery at a teaching hospital, and while under anesthesia receive pelvic exams, from multiple students, (yes this happens to men with anal or prostate exams) without your consent? Most people are shocked to discover that they could go in for a knee surgery and be given an anal or pelvic exam they did not consent to. However, let’s call it what it is, medical rape and 85% of medical students currently report having done this. On today’s episode I speak with activist, author, educator, speaker and filmmaker about her award winning documentary film that tackles this topic, . These pervasive exams are still very much legal in 27 states in the US and continues to occur where it is illegal despite laws meant to prevent this practice. Together A’magine and Charna talk about when pelvic exams happen when you’re unconscious, medical rape, sexual assualt in Western medicine, and unlearning the dehumanization that causes sexual assault in the medical filed and society at large. The conversation is capped with an embodied mindfulness practice led by @Amagine.
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The Curious Case Of The Bait & Switch with Sabrina Cognata
06/27/2023
The Curious Case Of The Bait & Switch with Sabrina Cognata
On the season opener of LaidOPEN Podcast, we welcome LaidOPEN Podcast producer Sabrina Cognata as our guest. When Charna receives a message from a listener who wants to potentially work with her and then sends a sexually explicit message, Charna reaches out to producer Sabrina who says, “Make art, not war. In addition to being a producer of a variety of podcasts and projects, @sabrinasee is the creator of The Dickoupage Project aka @thedickoupageproject, which you can find on IG. Initially, the dick pic art project was available online, but you can sign up to read it via her , to get a better idea of her work and how it influenced and informed the conversation she has with Charna. Together the two talk about consent, vulnerability, boundary crossing, the motivation behind sending unsolicited dick pics, fight, flight, and freeze responses, anger, manipulation, and of course, the bait and switch. The episode ends with a fantastic exercise from Charna to help address a variety of reactions when you find yourself in a situation where someone you trust or attempted to trust has set out to manipulate you.
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One Taste into the World of Cults with Rebecca Farrar, William Winters & Tyson Adams
02/28/2023
One Taste into the World of Cults with Rebecca Farrar, William Winters & Tyson Adams
This week we welcome, William Winters, Rebecca Ferrar, and Tyson Adams to talk about their various experiences with cults or cult-like communities with a special focus on the One Taste community. is an integrated men’s work practitioner and happens to have done a lot of searches around cults after having his own experiences in different communities. You may also remember @tysonadams_ as a returning guest from Episode 55. William Winters is the founder of the , @bonobotribe on IG, a sex-positive community that throws parties, teaches workshops, and offers general resources to poly people. And is a well-known astrologer better known on IG as @wildwitchofthewest, who also participated in the One Taste courses. She is still integrating and understanding what she took away from her experience there. Together we spend an hour dissecting our own experiences, yes, even I have my own experiences with the One Taste community and chat about a variety of things related to One Taste and cults at large. This includes the differences between cults and communities, our natural desire to belong, how to spot a cult, the sense of language or jargon these communities often have, and what it means if you leave the group and ultimately are forced to abandon the community you’ve learned to lean on. If cults, the brainwashing used by nefarious leaders, and how people become drawn to and eventually a part of cults is something that interests you, make sure you check out our episode when it comes out tomorrow.
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From The Mixed Up Files of Sara J. Benincasa
02/21/2023
From The Mixed Up Files of Sara J. Benincasa
For our penultimate episode of Season 3, we welcome author, actress, comedian, and mental health advocate, Sara Benincasa. She’s the author of four books, "Agorafabulous!: Dispatches From My Bedroom," which explores her journey with anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia. You may also have seen her on the hit drama “Law & Order: SVU.” Sara and I sit down to talk about the importance of therapy and all the different ways we heal. Plush, we explore generational trauma, substance abuse, and watching your parents do their own work. We end this episode with a great little exercise led by Sara.
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Happy Valentine’s Day: A Relationship Advice Episode with Charna Cassell
02/14/2023
Happy Valentine’s Day: A Relationship Advice Episode with Charna Cassell
Hello! Happy Valentine’s Day. Today I am going to do something a little bit different. I’ll be doing this episode all by myself where I answer the questions you’ve sent in looking for advice. I love being able to connect with my listeners, especially on a day like today, Valentine’s Day, which can often put a lot of societally based pressure on people to feel like they should be coupled up, or simply feel like their relationship should be at a certain place. We’re going to do a deep dive into questions like “How do I communicate to someone on a dating app that I want to feel safe” and “How to slide into someone’s DMs and not seem like a creep” and even “How to be single and date casually when you love intimacy.” If you’re new here, don’t worry if you have something you want me to answer, I plan to do more of these episodes. Just head to my website CharnaCassell.com and click on the link in the header that says “Ask Charna” to submit your question.
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Journeying Into the K-Hole with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with Carrie Katz
02/07/2023
Journeying Into the K-Hole with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with Carrie Katz
Today’s episode is a special one. I’m joined by my friend and birthday twin, , on our birthday, February 7th. Carrie’s a fellow somatic psychotherapist and as you’ve probably surmised, my birthday twin extraordinaire. Together we celebrate our birthday and discuss ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and answer listeners' questions about the ins and outs of determining whether you could benefit from ketamine. I candidly share how I’ve benefited from ketamine-assisted journeys to reboot my nervous system. While Carrie shares about her client work, using her knowledge to answer all your questions. We discuss the recent large transitions Carrie has gone through with the loss of her dad, her son going to college, and the disbanding of Rosen Coven, a band she’s traveled the world with for over two decades. If you’ve ever considered doing a Ketamine journey with a professional to help you with your anxiety, depression, PSTD, complex PTSD, ODC and more–this is the episode for you. We do a deep dive into people who are potentially good candidates for ketamine therapy and circumstances when it’s inappropriate. We also talk at length about the difference between social use, versus therapeutic use, especially since so many people self-medicate. Carrie ends the episode with a beautiful rose in the heart meditation sometimes used in the ketamine space.
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Becoming An Expert Witness with Dr. Walter Sipe
01/31/2023
Becoming An Expert Witness with Dr. Walter Sipe
Please welcome this week’s guest, Dr. Walter Sipe. He’s a beloved colleague and friend of mine, who started his career as a pediatric gastroenterologist, before switching gears and becoming a psychiatrist. He has a private practice where he works with adolescents and adults. More importantly, he’s inherited the unusual legacy of being an expert witness around cases of institutional abuse of power and child sexual abuse. Walt was born to parents who met when they were both members of the Catholic clergy. His mother was a nun and his father was a priest who both eventually quit the cloth. Walt's father, A.W. Richard Sipe, became a psychiatrist whose specialty was testifying as an expert witness thanks to his experience in the church and his research and writing about celibacy. In this week’s episode, we explore a variety of interesting topics, including cults and how to spot the difference between a cult and a spiritual community focused on personal evolution. This opens the door to conversation on many of the learning communities in the bay area that blur this line. Plus, we even talk about what makes a leader sociopathic and how to determine when one is. Walt’s story is an unusual and compelling one. I hope he decides to write a memoir one day. He ends his episode with a simple breathing and grounding practice that can help you reset.
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Claiming Your Cock: Semen Retention and Healing the Earth with Tyson Adams
01/24/2023
Claiming Your Cock: Semen Retention and Healing the Earth with Tyson Adams
This week’s guest wants to help men unlock their soul force. Tyson Adams is an integrated men’s work practitioner. His leadership program for accelerated self-awareness is aimed at giving men the tools to lead better lives. With over 2 years of celibacy, Tyson developed a self-practice to release himself from and heal himself from an addiction to porn. He uses this work to help men in this same way, but also in their relationship with their cock, and claiming their cock. In the time we were together, we talked about how certain ailments can be related to ancestral trauma or past lives, as well as, mindful masturbation, mirror masturbation, and being your own lover. Tyson also speaks on the importance of connecting to yourself rather than objecting yourself and how that simple practice can shift men’s relationships with women and the earth. He also lets us in on the ways in which healing from a chronic physical ailment that forced him to relate to his cock differently. We end the episode with Tyson leading a breathing practice that helps shift attention away from compulsive behavior.
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Healing Birth Trauma: Repattern Your Life with Annie Brook
01/17/2023
Healing Birth Trauma: Repattern Your Life with Annie Brook
If you haven't heard of Annie Brook before, you should have. She has a Ph.D. in perinatal psychology and is a seasoned somatic psychotherapist who works with birth trauma and developmental trauma. Her work is key to discovering why you repeat the same behaviors, resulting in the same disappointing outcomes over and over again. If you are curious about why you keep repeating the same patterns, and want to change but don’t know how--this is the episode for you. Annie explains the different courses she offers so anyone can become ready for the relationship they’ve always wanted or heal their birth trauma. Additionally, she's trained therapists for decades in how to work with complex trauma in a sustainable and effective way. Plus, how to facilitate the unwinding and repatterning of patients on a cellular level. We talk about all the ways birth trauma can imprint and show up in adults, how to detect it, and integrate it to fully heal, something most of us want, even if we can't admit it to ourselves. We also, both share our in-utero and birth experiences and Annie provides some case studies from her over 4 decades of experience.
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Using Breathwork To Connect To Yourself with Nathaniel Hodder-Shipp
01/10/2023
Using Breathwork To Connect To Yourself with Nathaniel Hodder-Shipp
This week we welcome , a drug and alcohol counselor, breathwork practitioner, and founder of the American Breath Work Association and , an 800-hour breathwork clinician that provides more intense training for teachers and practitioners. We sit down and talk about Nathaniel’s journey of becoming involved with breathwork, his decision to help create Breathwork For Recovery, and the necessity of developing equity, ethics, and regulation in the field of breathwork. I also share my story about attempting to learn breathwork and that it was a traumatizing experience. Nathaniel offers a compassionate take on what I went through, which may have also happened to some of you. We end the episode with two breathing practice options you can choose to do to reset and reframe yourself anywhere, and at any time. This episode is a must for anyone looking into breathwork who wants to know about it from a real expert.
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Ascending Multiple Lifetimes with Sarah Strong
01/03/2023
Ascending Multiple Lifetimes with Sarah Strong
This week we welcome Sarah Strong. She is a star seed coach, divine feminine activation coach, medium empath, telepath, and psychic. She also channels star beings, beings from other dimensions, and many other beings of the light, including the ascended masters angels, and fairies. Together we speak about how trauma can be a gateway to spiritual awakening, paranormal phenomenon, how trauma is associated with spiritual awakening and what can happen when you push a young person well beyond what they’re capable of handling, and how a reaction to that manifests in a variety of ways. She also guides us in a lovely meditation that’s sure to help you clear space as you start 2023.
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Transformation Through Movement with Lucy Wallace
12/27/2022
Transformation Through Movement with Lucy Wallace
I was thrilled to have Lucy Wallace, the founder of , as a guest. I strongly support her mission of bringing dance to incarcerated women to help heal trauma. I share a little about my own experience growing up with a father who was in prison and my own volunteer work teaching kids in an orphanage in Nepal so they could teach their peers. This coincides with Lucy’s program, as she identifies the importance of the teacher training program for the prisoners rather so they can continue to help people instead of going in to “save” them. In addition, we talk about how this mission found her and unfolded with dedication despite all of the bureaucracy inside the prison system and how this transformative program has grown into over 15 prisons nationally. We also explore a variety of other topics that align with Lucy’s work and her program including how trust is earned, holding space versus preaching, and how freedom is a perception and state of mind. We end the episode with a practice Lucy uses with her students that you can also use.
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Accepting You’re Going To Die with Ned Buskirk
12/20/2022
Accepting You’re Going To Die with Ned Buskirk
Our guest this week is a dear friend of mine. Ned Buskirk is the founder of , which started as an open mic that offered a communal space to share stories about death, loss, and grieving. It progressed, as most things do, eventually becoming a nonprofit that brings music to the bedside of hospice patience, operates grief groups, delivers resources to help people in the prison system process their own grief and loss, and even a podcast of the same name, . I truly believe in Ned’s work and purpose, which is why I’ve repeatedly used these resources myself, as well as, referred my clients to them over the years. Together we discussed how You're Going to Die has evolved, reorienting to aliveness and life after tragedy, what he has learned over the years, what his own coping strategies around loss are, remaining humble, being a community resource, and the positive as well as the weighty impact of this work on all aspects Ned’s life. We even spend a good amount of time talking about, , a non-profit and runoff of You’re Going To Die, where Ned brings his work and experiences to the incarcerated. Dying, death, grief, and tragedy are all a part of this journey we call life and Ned brings a lot of necessary community and awareness to these topics. Join us this week in demystifying death by accepting it during our life.
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How the Stars Can Help with Julia Loken
12/13/2022
How the Stars Can Help with Julia Loken
I am so honored to have , a comedian, podcast host, and astrologer from Los Angeles, as my guest this week. I really enjoyed our conversation because Julia is one of those people who can talk about anything while making you feel like you’ve been friends forever. Because of this, we discuss a variety of topics including her astrology podcast @whatsyoursign, her discovery of astrology, and how astrology can be used to gain perspective in our own lives, as well as, how it can be used to look at cultural and political trends. Plus, we talk about how it was for her to listen to her husband’s interview with me, being to another comedian, her bachelorette weekend at the notorious Madonna Inn, the merits of being flexible in an ever-evolving partnership with your best friend, and how therapy led her to develop more self-love and acceptance. We end the episode with Julia guiding us through a brief grounding practice that she uses to reset anywhere, anytime.
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Addressing When Your Pleasure Is Neglected With Jessica Graham
12/06/2022
Addressing When Your Pleasure Is Neglected With Jessica Graham
This week’s episode of LaidOPEN Podcast features former guest . She returns to help me answer a listener's question on the topic of having our pleasure matter in the context of a sexual relationship. This leads us into an extremely interesting conversation between two sex educators about what sex is, how to be an advocate for your own pleasure, what attunement and connection are, how we can freeze up in a sexual situation or hard conversations, how to become present, and how to practice speaking up on your own behalf when you want your sexual needs to be included. There’s a lot to learn about ourselves, how do we relate to others and how we treat our own pleasure. A must-listen for anyone who struggles to communicate their sexual needs.
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Becoming an Authentic Man with David Chambers Part 2
11/29/2022
Becoming an Authentic Man with David Chambers Part 2
Welcome back to Laid OPEN, this week we’re continuing our conversation with David Chambers, a relationship coach and host of the podcast, . We finish our conversation by talking about a variety of interesting topics relevant to men looking to lead authentic lives. This includes, the nature of women to ask for and then recoil at when experiencing a man's vulnerability, sexual shame as it affects men and of course, we speak about sexual freedom and what it means to David. He also speaks to his experience in the ISTA training, which he calls, “incredible.” You won’t want to miss the helpful breathing exercise I use to end this episode. There’s so much to be learned from the conversation I have with David, and I can't wait for you to experience it.
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Becoming an Authentic Man with David Chambers Part 1
11/22/2022
Becoming an Authentic Man with David Chambers Part 1
This is part 1 of a special two-part interview with , who is a relationship coach and host of . David and I engage in a fascinating conversation that explores how to find healthy models of masculinity when you grow up without a dad. he shares about the commitment issues and fear that held him back from not only fulfilling relationships but living a joyful, fulfilling authentic life. We also explore what it takes to grow beyond what your parents are capable of and partnership as a spiritual path. Plus, David ends this episode with a mindful masturbation practice he does with his clients. Stay tuned for part 2 of this important episode coming out next week.
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The Power of the Humble Coach with Anton Wisbiski
11/15/2022
The Power of the Humble Coach with Anton Wisbiski
After a decade of seeking, life coach found himself guiding small groups of friends through breathwork practices. Soon, a coaching career followed. A disinterested student growing up, Anton followed an entrepreneurial path and started his own successful social media business. After working closely with Dr. Joe Dispenza, Bob Proctor, and Tony Robbins–among other seminal teachers– Anton felt he was saturated in the wisdom needed to manifest and create the life of your dreams. In doing this, he healed his own chorionic anxiety and depression. However, much of his own self-work and growth was instigated by using break-ups as a repeated opportunity for self-reflection, change, accountability, and learning. This taught him the value of vulnerability versus positioning himself as the victim and attacking and blaming others. We talk about acknowledging how disappointing mentors can be when their personal lives or actions aren't always in alignment with what they preach. Additionally, we discuss how to remain humble and avoid the pitfalls of public visibility and power. Anton leads a powerful guided meditation you won’t want to miss.
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Overcoming Pelvic Pain with Sara Reardon aka. The Vagina Whisper
11/08/2022
Overcoming Pelvic Pain with Sara Reardon aka. The Vagina Whisper
This week, we're welcoming Sara Reardon, a pelvic floor physical therapist who's also known as The Vagina Whisperer. You may know her from her viral TedX talk on rethinking postpartum care. One of the most important things we cover is that everyone has a pelvic floor (men/women/non-binary people) and that pelvic pain is not only a condition that impacts pergnant or postpartum women. That's because oftentimes, it isn’t until we experience pelvic floor pain or issues that we become aware of this part of our body. Sara's mission includes normalizing conversations about the pelvic floor, helping people understand what this muscle is, and how to know when it needs to relaxed or be strengthened. We also chat about the different conditions that might bring you to a pelvic pain physical therapist and symptoms that are actually signals of pelvic pain. And that chronic stressors, conditioning and belief systems about sex or historical trauma can impact the tension in your pelvic floor. We end with Sara guiding us through a ribcage breathing practice that is a precursor to any pelvic floor releasing.
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Who Told you Crying Made You Weak with Mark Tanaka
11/01/2022
Who Told you Crying Made You Weak with Mark Tanaka
If Mark Tanaka sounds familiar to you that’s because he’s a past guest of LaidOPEN Podcast and featured on Episode 28. Untying the Knot. Mark’s a Qi gong and Yoga teacher, who specializes in nervous system regulation, parts-work, attachment coaching and one of my absolute favorite people. This week he returns as an expert to help answer your anonymous questions. The question this week is about the discomfort we can feel in being vulnerable. Especially, in relation to our significant other and the decision to have children and why we want them. An important conversation for anyone considering having children with reservations based on their own childhood. Plus, as always, we end the episode with an amazing exercise. Mark guides us through one that helps teach us to be with our vulnerable parts Additionally, if you have a problem or even question you need help with, please write in! I welcome listeners to write in any questions so a qualified expert and I can discuss how to navigate your questions and concerns.
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