Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. This is such a deep, vulnerable, and beautiful conversation. Orit and her husband discussed opening their relationship fairly early on. However, personal history and trauma made the conversations scary and triggering for Orit. She shares with us her powerful journey of healing over the last decade and how she and her husband currently explore polyamory together. She speaks elegantly about her path of healing trauma, transitioning and grieving relationships, holding multiple opposing truths at once, her brief experiences in swinging, and so much about new relationship energy (NRE). We absolutely love this one and hope you do, as well. Orit doesn't just walk the walk, she also loves helping others. She is a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, and has a MS in Dance/Movement therapy with over 13 years of experience. As she says on her website: "I call myself a Trauma and Relationship Expert because I’ve helped thousands heal from past wounds and improve their relationships. But to be honest with you – I’m still making mistakes in my own relationships. I’ve had 10+ years of therapy, coaching, and plant medicine journeys – yet, I’m still learning. I’ve grown so much since the days I used to sabotage my relationships with uncontrollable jealousy and fear. A decade ago, I could barely stand the idea of my husband texting another woman. Now, we’re in a loving & stable polyamorous marriage. Healing does and can happen! I am living proof and it is my mission to share it with the world as best as I can. This has been far more than a personal transformation. This is my calling." Please check out all of her amazing work at www.oritkrug.com. www.oritkrug.com Couple's Retreat Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Don't forget to... Ask Us Anything! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Sex At Dawn Expansive Connection Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. "You have to do the work..." gets thrown around all the time these days in love and relationships. Never before have we heard a more powerful discussion of what "the work" is than this one with Bru and Mark. They talk through the raw and beautiful work they have both done individually, and together, to get to where they are today. They're both in their mid-thirties and are high school sweethearts who have been married for over 18 years. They're also about two years into a very slow and intentional opening of their relationship. They opened, explored, paused, redesigned, and are now opening again. Again, this conversation is incredible from beginning to end. Bru and Mark talk so vulnerably about their experiences growing up intensely Evangelical Christian, leaving the church, healing complex PTSD, and finding and rebuilding a loving and supportive community around themselves. Enjoy! Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Don't forget to... Ask Us Anything! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. Rachel Lark is a bisexual, kinky, polyamorous, cis female musician, performer, and writer. And that's all before she's had her morning coffee! Raised by two sex-positive philosophers, Rachel tends to question most things, rather than blindly following the herd. In a similar fashion, this is one of our more philosophical interviews about non-monogamy. We absolutely love it and hope you do as well. As we mentioned, Rachel is a musician and performer. What we didn't tell you is that she is an AMAZING musician and performer and you should definitely check out her website for more information on her work and her current fall 2023 tour! One last thing... Many of the world's greatest creative minds and artists make their living $5 and $10 at a time by finding their most loyal and supportive fans. Please consider supporting Rachel's work by contributing to her Patreon. It may seem crazy, and it's hard to explain how much getting a new Patreon supporter means to indie artists and creators. She has about as many supporters as we do in our virtual community and we know how much it makes our day when we get a new member. Emma and I still text each other immediately to celebrate. I imagine it's the same for Rachel. Here's that link again. www.rachellark.com Rachel's Patreon Rachel's Instagram | @rachellarkmusic Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Don't forget to... Ask Us Anything! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Polysecure All About Love Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. Quick episode announcing the our new Ask Us Anything episodes! Fin is teaming up with Meshai from Expansive Connection coaching to answer all of your non-monogamy related questions! Click here to record and submit a question! Please be in a quiet place when you record your question and keep your question to 2 minutes or less. This helps ensure the highest audio quality possible when your question is played on the podcast. Thank you. Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. This is one of those interviews you'll listen to over and over... Chaneé is absolutely full of incredible experience and wisdom. She is a 36 year old, black, pansexual, polyamorous mom, wife, partner, event planner, coach, and educator. She grew up in an evangelical Christian family and ultimately started questioning who she wanted to be in the world around the time she was 19. Fast forward a few years and she and her now-husband opened their relationship pretty much from the beginning and then, accidentally found themselves in their first triad. Over the last decade, Chaneé has dedicated herself to researching, understanding, and teaching the world about polyamory and non-monogamy. One of the things we love about Chaneé's work is that her teaching is not theoretical. It is extremely practical and pragmatic, as you will hear in this conversation when she talks about what "good communication" actually means. And how to practice it. Please support all of Chaneé's work by checking out her LinkTree. And, please remember to pre-order your copy of A Polyamory Devotional! Chaneé's LinkTree Chaneé's Instagram | @chaneespeaks Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Oakland Non-Monogamous Speed Dating/Friending Focus Friday 2.5 - Compersion! With Marie Thouin Pre-Order: A Polyamory Devotional: 365 Daily Reflections for the Consensually Nonmonogamous Evita's LinkTree Polysecure GroupMe MarcoPolo Trapeze Atlanta Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. Lauren and Lars have been together for about 20 years and decided to open their marriage about five years ago. They initially opened slowly at a pace they both felt safe with. They used their weekly date nights to read and study The Ethical Slut and they got super intentional about their relationship and getting connected before they dove in. And then... Dive right in, they did! Lauren and Lars are pretty active in the swinging lifestyle and also blur the lines a bit between friends and more. One of the things we love about our conversation is how they embrace the power of human connection, regardless of labels. We also have some beautiful conversations about what the early days of opening up looked like for them when they weren't exactly sure what they were wanting, or what was even available. Bringing it around full circle, Lauren is now a lifestyle coach who works with people of all orientations who are interested in the lifestyle and consensual non-monogamy. She's a trained co-active coach and has completed Gottman Level 1 Training, as well. Please check out her website to learn more! www.swinginglifestylecoach.com Lauren's Instagram | @swinginglifestylecoach Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode The Ethical Slut Trapeze Atlanta Episode 107 - Chris + Fred Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. Natalie and her husband have been exploring non-monogamy for over 25 years. They initially opened their marriage as they were redesigning it after it was rocked by an infidelity. For about the first decade they explored swinging and dating together. When her husband got deployed, they decided to give polyamory a try and it opened a whole new world for both of them. Natalie shares honestly and vulnerably with us about the challenges, and the powerful beauty, of her decades long journey of exploring who she is through non-monogamy. She talks about how she's developed beautiful metamour relationships, built community so her partners aren't her only support system, and how she's built a home that now includes her husband's partner cohabitating with them. Still not enough for you?! Perfect! Head over to Natalie's Medium account where you can read so much more about her adventures! Natalie's Medium | @nataliedavisadventures Natalie's Instagram | @nataliedavisadventures Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Polyamory Today Medium The Ethical Slut Opening Up Dan Savage Episode 150 - Polyamory Today (Rachael) Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. We absolutely love this conversation! So much of this episode is about the never ending journey of trying to figure out how to embrace who you truly are and how to love others for who they are. As Casey was growing up, she often had different interests than many of her friends and people around her. She learned quickly to stuff those desires down and developed a lot of shame around who she was. Casey started dating and got into her first relationship when she was a junior in college. However, she found herself struggling to maintain monogamous commitments and often ended up cheating or pursuing serial monogamy. Neither of which felt good to her, or were the ways she wanted to be relating to people she cares for and loves. About a decade ago, she entered into a partnership that was open from the very beginning. She and her partner worked together to open slowly in a way that worked for them and gave her the space to process some of the shame that she had been carrying for her whole life. Casey is now embracing and exploring her queerness and her polyamorous journey in her personal life and in her professional life. Taken directly from her website www.caseycalvert.com, "I realized that I really liked the part of me that I tried to keep hidden from the world, and I wanted to share her with more people. So I started moving away from topless glamour shoots to fully nude fetish. But that wasn’t enough. The exhibitionist in me wanted more. Hardcore porn was the next step." Besides being an inspiration in her personal and relational lives, she does the same as a porn performer, content creator, writer, director, and producer. She works closely with Erika Lust and ListCinema to produce fantastic feminist porn and sex-positive content. Her latest project is a series called Primary, which tells the stories of multiple people exploring polyamory in an honest and sexy way. We encourage you to please go check out and support all of Casey's work. www.caseycalvert.com Casey's Instagram | @caseycalvert Lust Cinema Primary Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. Bree is a queer, polyamorous, Chicana in her mid-thirties who is also a mother of two toddlers and has been married about a decade. Oh! And, she also has a boyfriend of almost two years. She's had a non-monogamous approach to relating as long as she can remember, but started being intentional about how she approached it when she met her now-husband in college. Bree and her husband slowly opened their relationship and began exploring from the very beginning. The initial stages were mostly making out with friends and crushes, but over time it grew into polyamorous connections for them both. In this beautiful interview, she shares with us the benefits of having different types of relationships and how they meet different needs and allow her and her husband to experience more of who they are in ways they never had. Bree is also an imagination coach, which is a title we absolutely love! She helps people and couples imagine what their relationships and lives can be through pulling together unique ways of looking at all aspects of who we are and challenging norms. Please go check out her work and learn more at www.baeleche.com. www.baeleche.com Bree's Instagram | @baeleche_ Bree's Linktree Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Somatica Institute Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. Jeannie's story is an absolutely beautiful one. She had what she felt was an "average" or "normal" sex life until she was in her mid-twenties and then she felt her libido shut down. It became really apparent to her when she moved in with her boyfriend (now husband). This set her off on a journey of trying to reclaim and unlock the sexual person she felt she was. We are so grateful for her vulnerability in taking us behind the scenes into the really powerful and hard work she has done both individually, and with her husband. Oh, and spoiler alert... Her boyfriend of two years plays a part in the story as well! About a decade ago Jeannie and her husband started discussing the idea of non-monogamy and opening their marriage. After four years of talking about it, they took their first steps. They opened their marriage. Then, one of them unexpectedly fell in love and they ended up closing their relationship to do some more work together before opening back up. As Jeannie describes it, she went through a huge mindset shift in how she thinks about love, which opened up new ways for her to approach relationships. One of the best parts of all of this... Jeannie wrote a memoir detailing the whole journey. It's a combination of powerful epiphanies and some super sexy and powerful experiences. You can find out more at www.summerofsexiness.com. We hope you enjoy her book and this conversation! www.summerofsexiness.com Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode ENM Speed Dating!! Pussy: A Reclamation Mama Gena Wanting to Want: What Kills Your Sex Life and How to Keep It Alive Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. We are incredibly grateful and delighted to have Chloe and Drew back on the show for a third time. This conversation is so powerful and we know you'll get so much out of it, even without listening to their previous two episodes (Ep 89 and Ep 156). Chloe and Drew met in high school, got married shortly after graduating, and then had to grow up fast when their daughter passed away. Sadly, the grieving process opened the door for each of them to emotionally neglect their relationship. This led to an emotional affair, which ultimately ended with the two of them redesigning their entire relationship. This conversation is a snapshot of where these two are at after years of intense work on themselves and on their partnership. Spoiler alert... They have made monumental changes in how they love through their relationship and life together. Not only were we struck by how much has changed, but this interview is full, from start to finish, with practical and actionable strategies they have used. The way the two of them used a seemingly stupid game on their phone to develop empathy for one another is so beautiful, as is how they approach boundaries, and communicating with their children. Stop reading this and start listening. You will be glad you did. Enjoy. Episode 89 - Chloe + Drew Episode 156 - Chloe + Drew: Round 2 Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Libby Sinback Making Polyamory Work 9 Relationships of a Modern Marriage Polysecure The Body Keeps the Score Scarlet Ranch Kasidie Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure for more info. Nikki and Michael have known each other since they were teenagers, have been together 27 years, and married for 20. They've also both been in the performing arts community for over 30 years. Their initial exposure a few years ago to exploring sexuality and connection outside of their relationship came through incidental and even some accidental experiences they had as part of that community. We love how Nikki and Michael take us through their journey in a very honest and vulnerable way. For them, it wasn't glamorous, romantic, or sexy in the beginning. In fact, the glamour wore off quickly for them as they realized it's about the human connection. It's about self-growth and learning about who you are, questioning your past and the scripts we're taught, and understanding the world around you. And, it can also be really hard, yet, extraordinarily beautiful and powerful. Nikki and Michael also took their 30+ years of experience in theatre, combined it with what they have learned about themselves, consent, sexuality, and life through their experiences in non-monogamy, and created an interactive play called Compersion! While we have not had the opportunity to experience it ourselves, we highly encourage you to check it out! It sounds incredible and unlike anything we have ever heard of. You can learn more at www.steamyromantics.com. www.steamyromantics.com Join our incredible community! and Get your very own Normalizing Non-Monogamy shirt here! Also, don't forget to leave us a review and feedback... It's how we make the show better! Partners Online STI Testing | STD Check.com Resources Mentioned in this Episode Challenging Non-Monogamy Myths Workshop Episode 229 - Evita Episode 89 - Chloe + Drew Episode 156 - Chloe + Drew: Round 2 Our Recommended Resources Music Attribution Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License.