The Sexual Wellness Sessions

Many of us lack confidence in our bodies, and have anxieties or worries about how our body might look, especially when comparing ourselves to others. These anxieties can extend to our genitals with many struggling to accept their body which can interfere with desire, arousal and sexual functioning as well as self-esteem and sexual self confidence. Lydia Reeves is a female body casting artist who went through this herself as she struggled with how her vulva looked. This lead to her booking herself in for labiaplasty surgery aged 18, which she then ended up cancelling a year later.   Now Lydia is a body casting artist and an author, with her platform being focused on body diversity and acceptance helping people to learn how to celebrate not only their bodies, but accept themselves as a whole. Lydia has cast thousands of bodies, including thousands of vulva casts which aim to help people to break away from negative thinking about their bodies, and celebrate the difference in us all.  --- Lydia Reeves is a Brighton-based female body casting artist, who after body casting thousands of vulvas and hearing about the relationships that people had with their bodies, put 200 of these vulva casts into a book alongside these intimate stories. Lydia's work celebrates body diversity and acceptance showing that no two bodies, and no two vulvas are the same. She runs body casting sessions from her studio in Brighton, running casting sessions for breasts, vulvas, bums, pregnant bodies, chests and much more. Follow Lydia On Instagram At @lydiareeves_artist and find out more about her book My Vulva And I --- The Sexual Wellness Sessions is hosted by Kate Moyle, a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist, and author of The Science Of Sex : Every Question About Your Sex Life Answered.   Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateMoyleTherapy

The transition to parenthood for a couple is one that consists of huge highs and plenty of challenges, as we navigate the shift of going from couple to family, and all that comes with that. Parenting can bring intense joy and love coupled with demands on our emotions, time, availability and energy as we nurture our children through different stages of their development, whilst trying to balance our own and our partners needs alongside it all. The Gottman's  studied new parents in a longitudinal study and found that 67% of couples experienced a decline in relationship satisfaction in the first three years of their baby’s life, and in this episode Relational Life Therapist Victoria Shalet discusses what's going on for couples and relationships during these parenting years, and what we can do to care for ourselves and our relationships. --- Victoria Shalet MBACP is a Psychotherapist and Certified Relational Life Therapist. She worked as an actor for over twenty years before re-training to be a Humanistic Psychotherapist. After a number of years working with individuals and couples, she was inspired to deepen her training in the US with renowned couple’s therapist Terry Real, and later went on to train with Trauma expert Gabor Maté in his Compassionate Inquiry programme. Alongside her colleague Debbie Isaacs she is the co-creator of “The Couples Therapists” creating content on social media to help couples, and she is the founder of Oxford House Therapy – a therapy practice for different types of therapy in London. Follow Victoria On Instagram At @spaceinmetherapy and @thecouplestherapists --- The Sexual Wellness Sessions is hosted by Kate Moyle, a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist, and author of The Science Of Sex : Every Question About Your Sex Life Answered.   Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateMoyleTherapy

In this discussion, Avril Louise Clarke, a clinical sexologist and brand manager for The Porn Conversation, delves into the concept of porn literacy as a tool for navigating the evolving landscape of sexual content online. She emphasizes the importance of critical thinking about pornography, distinguishing between fantasy and real-life intimacy. Avril advocates for open family dialogues on sexuality, shares insights on ethical pornography production, and underscores the need for comprehensive sex education to equip younger generations with the knowledge to engage thoughtfully with sexual media.

Adapting your life after an accident or illness is something that many individuals and couples have to go through, but many report sex and intimacy being the part of their lives that they feel least resourced to know how to manage with the big changes that have taken place for them. Knowing where to start, how to talk about it or even how to understand how sex might be affected post injury can feel like a very challenging conversation to have with a medical professional, let alone a partner.   Ed & Lois Jackson are a couple who have been through this first hand, when in their twenties their lives changed overnight when Ed suffered a life changing Spinal Cord Injury and was told he may never walk again. Fast forward a year and Ed was climbing Mount Snowdon, and the couple later founded charity Millimetres2Mountains to help those who have been through life changing illness or injury to face new challenges and re-define their own limitations. A big part of this conversation is about how an injury like this impacted them both as individuals and as a couple, both in terms of their relationship but also sex and intimacy. Ed has Brown Séquard Syndrome meaning that he has paralysis on one side of his body and loss of sensation on the other which means that they have had to be creative and adaptive when it comes to sex, and they share how learning how to communicate, laugh and be curious as a couple have been hugely important parts of the process. --- Ed Jackson's professional rugby career got cut short when he dived into the shallow end of a swimming pool in 2017 sustaining a spinal cord injury at C6/C7. Life changed on a sixpence for both him and his wife Lois. A lot of things were taken away, including Ed's, identity, his bladder and bowel performance and his sexual function. Instead of focusing on what Ed couldn't do they directed all their energy into the things he could. This has led him to climbing mountains, public speaking and the creation of their own charity – The Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation which uses the outdoors to support other people who have gone through trauma. Alongside co-founding the charity Lois also works as a life coach, a part of which is offering support for their beneficiaries.  Follow Millimetres2Mountains on Instagram at @Millimetres2Mountains and learn more about them at https://www.millimetres2mountains.org/ Follow Lois on Instagram at @LoisJackson8 Follow Ed on Instagram at @EdJackson8 --- The Sexual Wellness Sessions is hosted by Kate Moyle, a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist, and author of The Science Of Sex : Every Question About Your Sex Life Answered.   Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateMoyleTherapy

Dr. Stan Tatkin, a relationship expert and co-founder of the PACT Institute, explores the intricate world of attachment styles and their profound impact on intimacy. He argues that all humans have struggles in relationships due to our inherent complexities. The conversation highlights the significance of mutual effort, effective communication, and understanding individual attachment styles for maintaining connections. Tatkin offers insights into reigniting intimacy and fostering deeper emotional bonds, emphasizing the biological foundations of love and the importance of shared experiences.

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Nan Wise, a neuroscientist and author of "Why Good Sex Matters," dives deep into the brain's role in sexuality and pleasure. She discusses how stress and mental health impact sexual experiences, emphasizing the importance of self-care and genuine desire. Dr. Wise explores the neurochemistry of bonding, explaining how oxytocin and dopamine contribute to pleasure. She also examines the effects of technology on relationships and advocates for prioritizing healthy pleasures over societal pressures.

Research shows at least 1 in 3 women find some aspect of their birth traumatic. Someone's birthing experience can be influenced by an almost unlimited number of factors both contextual and personal, which can make all the difference to how someone feels about their childbirth experience.  Birth trauma can be considered to be a unique trauma experience for various reasons as Dr Rebecca Moore will explore in this episode, and in 2014 birth trauma was recognised in the NICE guidelines. Many of those affected by birth trauma, describe struggling to know where to turn for support or how to even start a conversation, which can make them feel even more isolated in their experience and add to the symptoms and emotions that they are going through. In this episode Dr Rebecca Moore talks through how we can better understand the impact of a traumatic pregnancy or birth; both for those going through it, partners and loved ones; and how we can start to change the conversation and access to information for the better. --- Dr Rebecca Moore is a Perinatal Psychiatrist with over twenty years experience dealing with infertility, pregnancy loss, anxiety, depression, OCD and trauma. After developing a particular interest in birth trauma, she founded the annual Birth Trauma Conference and Make Birth Better. Instagram - @BirthBetter @Drrebeccamoore  --- The Sexual Wellness Sessions is hosted by Kate Moyle, a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist, and author of The Science Of Sex : Every Question About Your Sex Life Answered.   Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateMoyleTherapy

Most of us interact with some form of media on a daily basis, with it creating both positive and negative influence on various aspects of our health and wellbeing. The messages and information that we digest from mass media are now often translated across social media and our smartphones, meaning that it can be hard to constantly think about what we are reading and why, rather than just taking it in. These messages and narratives can show up in our sex lives as myths that we believe to be facts, which are often left unchallenged due to the still taboo nature of sex; and further impact how we think about and experience sex, and how we address problems and challenges in our sex lives. In this episode Sophia Smith Galer unpacks some of the information and disinformation that's impacting our sex lives, and discusses the role of media literacy in our sex education. --- Sophia Smith Galer is an award-winning journalist and content creator credited for pioneering journalism on TikTok. Sophia's push for representation in newsrooms for younger audiences and the stories and platforms that matter to them has won her a series of accolades, including the British Journalism Awards' Innovation of the Year in 2021, a spot on the Forbes Under 30 List and recognition in British Vogue as one of the 25 most influential women in the UK in 2022. Follow Sophia on TikTok and Instagram @sophiasmithgaler --- The Sexual Wellness Sessions is hosted by Kate Moyle, a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist, and author of The Science Of Sex : Every Question About Your Sex Life Answered.   Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateMoyleTherapy

Why is sexual communication one of the key ingredients of our sex lives, but yet is one of the hardest things for us to do? Very few of us feel well set up or equipped to talk about sex comfortably, and so in this episode Vanessa and Xander Marin New York Times Best Selling authors of  Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life and hosts of  Pillow Talks podcast, unpack the specifics and mechanics of how to talk about sex, covering the five conversational steps from their book  - acknowledgement, connection, desire, pleasure and exploration. Vanessa is a sex therapist with 20 years of experience and has been featured thousands of times in major publications, and Xander describes himself as a regular dude. As a couple they share the ups and downs in their relationship, while giving you step-by-step techniques for improving yours. Follow them on Instagram @vanessaandxander --- This episode is sponsored by Roam, a brand changing the game when it comes to sexual wellness by creating inclusive, skincare inspired sex care that is good for you and good for the planet. With a selection of lubes designed for different explorations, from front and back lube to masturbation cream and massage oil. Condoms that contain 40% less packaging than traditional condoms and a selection of discreet, rechargeable toys to guarantee a better solo experience.  Roam believes that everyone should feel confident and comfortable having sex. By breaking down taboos and challenging stigmas around sex, Roam is here to make the world a more sex-positive place and make everyone feel seen. Get 20% off with Code SESSIONS20 at exploreroam.com Follow Roam on Instagram @exploreroam --- The Sexual Wellness Sessions is hosted by Kate Moyle, a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist, and author of The Science Of Sex : Every Question About Your Sex Life Answered.   Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateMoyleTherapy

The practice of manifesting has gained a lot of attention over the last few years, and so for this final episode of series three I wanted to understand how manifesting can show up in our dating lives, relationships and sex lives. Defined as the practice of thinking aspirational thoughts with the purpose of making them real, I see a lot of cross over with my work as a therapist. Both practices are about helping people to remove barriers and self-doubt, build confidence and helping people to get to where they want to be, whatever that looks like for them.   Not knowing much about manifesting apart from what I have learnt through Roxie Nafousi and her book MANIFEST: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life, made her the perfect guest for this conversation. Roxie has been named "The Manifesting Queen" by Forbes, and "The A-Lists favourite manifestor" by The Sunday Times Style Magazine.   •••   Roxie Nafousi is a self-development coach, the author of Sunday Times Bestseller, MANIFEST: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life, and Manifest: Dive Deeper which is now available for pre-order for release in January 2023. Roxie is also an ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation, hosts the popular podcast series called "The Moments That Made Me", and is the creator of "The Journal" a powerful 12 week self-love and empowerment programme in collaboration with The Head Plan.    Roxie's commitment to transforming the lives of people who suffer with emotional and mental health issues and helping them to fulfil their potential has seen her become a renowned and respected figure in the wellness world.    Instagram @roxienafousi     https://www.roxienafousi.com/   Pre-Order Manifest : Dive Deeper here    •••   Today's conversation was brought to you by Hanx, who offer trusted contraception and intimate health treatments - without the stigma. Set up by best friends Sarah and Farah, Hanx offers natural, sustainable, sexual wellness essentials such as condoms and lubricants that are free from unecessary chemicals that can lead to UTIs and yeast infections. Hanx believe it's time the world stopped being weird about our sex lives, and that starts with tackling taboos around sexual health and they champion a no-blushes approach about everything from your vaginal pH to how to have *that* contraception conversation.   HANX is offering listeners 20% off the Bestseller Bundle, which brings together: -10 Pack of HANX Condoms in Standard or Large size. Ultra-thin, ultra-sensitive, vegan, biodegradable and no nasties.  -HANX super-gentle, water-based Lubricant. It's safe to use with condoms and sex toys, for pre-and post partum sex and for those experiencing menopausal dryness. Plus: it's proudly unflavoured with no thrush-inducing glycerine and  - An organic cotton Subtle Pouch which is perfectly sized to fit a pack of HANX and a Lubricant, plus any other bedroom essentials. - Just add to basket and use code SWS20 at hanxofficial.com Instagram @HanxOfficial  •••   The Sexual Wellness Sessions is hosted by Kate Moyle, a Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist and Certified Psycho-Sexologist. Kate believes that so much of what needs normalising when it comes to sex and relationships can be changed through conversation; and this is why the podcast is focused around the idea of hosting informal but informative conversations.   Follow Kate on Instagram at @KateMoyleTherapy