For years, Aline thought “it will eventually come.” They'd even put themselves in uncomfortable situations to try and force it to happen. It never did. They felt isolated, excluded, and ashamed. What is life without experiencing sexual or romantic desire — from a one-night stand to a coupled relationship? At 20, they finally started to find answers.

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“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

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"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

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Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

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👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Aline thinks back to their childhood and teenage years and remembers how their lack of interest in boys and sex made them an outcast. With the help of Megan Carroll, a sociology professor, and Angela Chen, author of "Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex,” Aline reflects on “compulsory sexuality" and why it’s so prevalent in society.

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“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

✨

"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

✨

Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

✨

---

👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

This episode features excerpts from:

• the movies American Pie, Casablanca, Moulin Rouge
• the TV shows Conan, Dawson’s Creek, Emily in Paris, The Ellen Show
• the Netflix is a Joke YouTube channel, as well as from the French radio show, Loving Fun, produced by Fun Radio.

This podcast was written and narrated by Aline Laurent-Mayard

• Production: Suzanne Colin
• Editing: Théo Albaric
• Original music: D.L.i.d
• Pre-existing music : Freed from Desire, Gala
• Illustration: Super Feat

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Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Aline has sex, in an effort to be like everyone else and because they want to be “liberated." In this episode, Aline tries to understand why they forced themself into sexual encounters.

With the help of Kate Wood, Australian asexual activist and Megan Carroll, Aline tries to dissect the mechanisms behind this self-inflicted violence.

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👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

✨

“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

✨

"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

✨

Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

✨

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This episode features excerpts from the movies Cruel Intentions, and Those Happy Days.

It also features an excerpt from the website OMGYes.

This podcast was written and narrated by Aline Laurent-Mayard

• Production: Suzanne Colin
• Editing: Théo Albaric
• Original music: D.L.i.d
• Pre-existing music : Freed from Desire, Gala
• Illustration: Super Feat

---

Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Aline is afraid of failing in a relationship, so they go to a therapist to make sure they’re not repressing any trauma that “blocks” their sexuality. Aline explores the misconstruction of asexuality by medical and therapeutic communities and how it affects the mental and physical health of asexual people.

Angela Chen, Kate Wood, and David Jay, a legendary asexual activist, all explain that asexuality is still widely perceived not as a sexual orientation, but as a disorder to be cured.

---

👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

✨

“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

✨

"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

✨

Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

✨

---

This podcast was written and narrated by Aline Laurent-Mayard

• Production: Suzanne Colin
• Editing: Théo Albaric
• Original music: D.L.i.d
• Pre-existing music : Freed from Desire, Gala
• Illustration: Super Feat

---

Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

When Aline discovers the concept of asexuality, they are relieved...and scared. They experience phases of doubt and denial before they can truly understand this term and make it their own. In this episode, they look back on the birth of the concept and of the asexual community, thanks to the AVEN website created by David Jay.

---

👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

✨

“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

✨

"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

✨

Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

✨

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This episode features excerpts from the TV show Sex Education produced by Eleven Film and Netflix

This podcast was written and narrated by Aline Laurent-Mayard

• Production: Suzanne Colin
• Editing: Théo Albaric
• Original music: D.L.i.d
• Pre-existing music : Freed from Desire, Gala
• Illustration: Super Feat

---

Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

In this episode, Aline talks to us about the sex life of asexual people (including their own!). Since accepting their asexuality, they have had to rethink their relationship with intimacy and sexual attraction. They’ve also wrestled with and reconfigured their interpretations of relationships and desire. Aline questions the way coupled relationships are normally perceived by talking to other asexual people and listening to their stories.

Special thanks to Fiona Conneely, Seth Rosner, and Sydney Klinghoffer whose voices you'd heard throughout the episode.

---

👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

✨

“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

✨

"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

✨

Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

✨

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This episode features excerpts from the website OMG Yes!

This podcast was written and narrated by Aline Laurent-Mayard

• Production: Suzanne Colin
• Editing: Théo Albaric
• Original music: D.L.i.d
• Pre-existing music : Freed from Desire, Gala
• Illustration: Super Feat

---

Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

In this episode, Aline realizes they are a-romantic, which brings another big revelation — they don’t want to wait for a romantic partner to start a family. Aline explores different kinds of families and co-parenting options, only to realize that romance plays a role in almost all of them. With this in mind, Aline decides they’ll become a parent on their own.

---

👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

✨

“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

✨

"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

✨

Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

✨

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This episode features excerpts from Brut’s story “What is a platonic life partnership?” and from the podcast Call Your Girlfriend.

This podcast was written and narrated by Aline Laurent-Mayard

• Production: Suzanne Colin
• Editing: Théo Albaric
• Original music: D.L.i.d
• Pre-existing music : Freed from Desire, Gala
• Illustration: Super Feat

---

Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Aline always knew they wanted a child. As a teenager, they imagined adopting, having a child with friends, and being a single parent — as if their subconscious already knew that married life was not for them. But, getting a sperm donation in France as a single parent was illegal at the time. Aline had to get “creative” and find the right doctor. While pregnant, they contemplate the idea of raising a kid in a hyper-sexualized and hyper-gendered world.

---

👉 Follow Aline on Instagram @YallahAline!

🇫🇷 Abonnez-vous pour recevoir les épisodes de la saison 2 en français !

---

✨

“This compelling personal story has lessons and insights for anyone with a body”, Tribeca Festival

✨

"Though Free From Desire provides plenty of answers, its success isn’t rooted in being educational—accompanying Aline as they pursue agency and happiness, regardless of who understands it, fuels the show’s magic", The Atlantic

✨

Free from Desire is a podcast originally published in France, where it made the cover of magazines.

It has been Tribeca Festival's best Audio Storytelling and Signal Awards' best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion podcast in 2023, and was one of the 25 best podcasts of 2023 for The Atlantic.

✨

---

This podcast was written and narrated by Aline Laurent-Mayard

• Production: Suzanne Colin
• Editing: Théo Albaric
• Original music: D.L.i.d
• Pre-existing music : Freed from Desire, Gala
• Illustration: Super Feat

---

Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.