Pamela Madsen is a somatic wellness educator and founder of Back to the Body, a series of immersive retreats where women explore touch, pleasure and embodiment in a safe, structured space. Before this work, she was a nationally known fertility advocate and founding executive director of the American Fertility Association, where she coined the term "biological clock." Her memoir, Shameless, tells the story of a married mother who, decades into her marriage, went looking for a more honest relationship with her own desire.

Pamela and Andrew talk about the boredom, not brokenness, that started her own search for something more after more than two decades of marriage, why touch work is often the missing piece talk therapy alone can't reach, what many men misunderstand about women's pleasure, and why she believes desire doesn't have to fade with age. They also discuss the professional structure and strict boundaries behind her retreats, and how permission, not perfection, is what keeps long marriages alive.

This episode includes frank, anatomically detailed discussion of sex and pleasure and is intended for a mature audience.

Guest: Pamela Madsen, somatic wellness educator, founder of Back to the Body, author of Shameless

• backtothebody.org
• @thepamelamadsen
• @backtothebodyorg
• https://backtothebody.org/pages/masterclass

Host: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry

Nikkiema Rai is a somatic sexologist, self-discovery coach and international speaker based in Melbourne, Australia. With almost a decade of experience, she works at the intersection of somatics, NLP, sexological bodywork and what she calls "the erotic mysteries," helping career-driven women move out of overwhelm and back into genuine connection with themselves and the people they love.

Nikkiema and Andrew talk about why so many successful women feel disconnected from their own bodies, what a session with a somatic sexologist actually looks like, and why a mismatch in desire between partners is rarely just about sex. They cover how modern porn is quietly reshaping expectations of intimacy, why curiosity fades as we get older, how to build the capacity to talk to a partner about a kink or fantasy, and one small, practical way to start reconnecting with your own body today.

Guest: Nikkiema Rai, somatic sexologist, self-discovery coach and international speaker

https://nikkiemarai.com/

Host: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry

Heather "Lulu" Mazzei is a licensed clinical social worker, certified psychedelic-assisted therapist, and practitioner of tantra and sacred sexuality. Three years ago she left a thriving sex therapy practice and burlesque career in LA, moved from solo polyamory to a monogamous marriage, and relocated to a small community in the Sacred Valley of Peru, tracing a path toward what she now calls "spirit-centered sexuality." She's the author of the guidebook Spirit Sex.

Lulu and Andrew talk about the night she realised her old life wasn't enough, even at its most outwardly successful, what surrender actually feels like when it isn't weakness, why slowness and reduced distraction let us access real pleasure and connection, and why she believes redefining sex as something broader than a fixed menu of acts changes people's relationships to their own bodies. Toward the end of the conversation, Lulu shares a recent stage IV colon cancer diagnosis and what she's holding onto for the future.

Guest: Heather "Lulu" Mazzei, licensed clinical social worker, certified psychedelic-assisted therapist, tantra and sacred sexuality practitioner, author of Spirit Sex

Host: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry

website: alternativelove.com

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