What if some of the best lessons about confidence, boundaries, and getting what you want came from professional dominatrixes?

Not from a business executive. Not from a motivational speaker. From people whose work requires an unusually sophisticated understanding of power, negotiation, consent, and human behavior.

Journalist and author Lindsay Goldwert went looking for exactly those lessons. What she discovered challenged her understanding of authority, sexuality, relationships, and the way people advocate for themselves.

Before becoming an intimacy and identity coach, Coral spent years as a sex worker. Behind closed doors, she encountered successful, high-achieving men in a context where many of the usual expectations surrounding masculinity disappeared. Men who were confident and powerful professionally could suddenly talk about fear, desire, shame, loneliness, relationships, and parts of themselves they rarely showed elsewhere.

In this episode of The Sexology Lab, Justin takes us inside research examining masturbation among pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal women—and a follow-up study that asked participants to engage in self-pleasure three to four times per week. The conversation expands beyond masturbation to explore orgasm, sleep, mood, desire, hormone therapy, sexual health and aging, vibrator myths, healthcare education, and why our definition of pleasure may need to evolve as our bodies do.

When Alyssa Ljubicich joined Netflix's The Circle, producers thought they knew the character she would play. The "sexy girl." She worked in sexual health. She talked openly about sexuality. She even arrived with a vulva pillow. But there was a problem. That wasn't who Alyssa was. Behind the reality-TV storyline was someone becoming increasingly serious about sexual-health education, professional training, research, and helping people understand their bodies without shame.

In this episode of The Sexology Lab, intimacy coordinator and intimacy director Jamie Monahan takes us behind the camera to explain what really happens when actors film intimate scenes—and why the job of an intimacy coordinator is about much more than making sure nobody crosses a line.

In this episode of The Sexology Lab, intimacy coordinator and intimacy director Jamie Monahan takes us behind the camera to explain what really happens when actors film intimate scenes—and why the job of an intimacy coordinator is about much more than making sure nobody crosses a line.

In this episode of The Sexology Lab, sex therapist and trauma specialist Amanda Jepson explains why trauma of all kinds—not only sexual trauma—can affect sexuality, intimacy, pleasure, attachment, and the nervous system. She also explains why trauma-informed sex therapy often means slowing down, building safety first, and helping people reconnect with pleasure on their own timeline.

In this episode of The Sexology Lab, psychologist and sex therapist Dr. Nazanin Moali explains why the invisible labor we carry every day quietly drains our desire—and why the solution isn't simply "trying harder" to get in the mood.

For more than 25 years, sociologist Dr. Eli Sheff has studied people whose relationships don't always fit conventional expectations. Her research offers a window into consensual non-monogamy, polyamorous relationships, and families raising children outside the traditional two-parent monogamous model. Across this two-part conversation on The Sexology Lab, we move from one deeply personal question—How do I want to love?—to a much bigger cultural one: What actually makes a family work?

For more than 25 years, sociologist Dr. Eli Sheff has studied people whose relationships don't always fit conventional expectations. Her research offers a window into consensual non-monogamy, polyamorous relationships, and families raising children outside the traditional two-parent monogamous model. Across this two-part conversation on The Sexology Lab, we move from one deeply personal question—How do I want to love?—to a much bigger cultural one: What actually makes a family work?

Most people know Midori as a pioneering kink educator. Fewer know the experiences that made her one. She immigrated to the United States from Japan as a teenager without speaking English. She later joined the military, discovered San Francisco's underground sex-positive movement during the height of the AIDS crisis, and learned from many of the people who helped shape modern sexology. Those experiences taught her to ask better questions—not only about sexuality, but about culture, power, education, communication, and how we decide what is considered "normal." The result is a conversation that stretches far beyond BDSM. It's about how curiosity changes everything.

This conversation explores how pornography is produced, how performers are supported behind the scenes, why the company has embraced the term indie adult cinema, and what responsibilities adult media creators have in a world where explicit media has become one of the most influential forms of sex education.

In this episode, Dr. Joshua Gonzalez explains what he sees every day in his practice as a men's sexual health specialist. From erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation to testosterone, fertility, confidence, and social media, he separates medical reality from cultural myth.

In this episode, Dr. Nicole McNichols shares what teaching more than 4,000 college students every year has taught her about modern sexuality. From Gen Z dating culture and pornography to body image, planning intimacy, and relationship science, she explains why better sex has less to do with technique and far more to do with connection. The conversation also explores the ideas behind her book, You Could Be Having Better Sex, offering practical, research-backed strategies anyone can use to create more satisfying relationships.

Cherie Hoeger is the CEO and co-founder of SAALT, a certified B Corporation dedicated to modernizing sustainable period care through reusable menstrual cups, menstrual discs, period underwear, and educational resources. Since launching in 2018, SAALT has grown into a global company committed to improving menstrual health while reducing environmental waste. Through SAALT Gives, the company has donated more than 150,000 reusable period products across dozens of countries while investing in clean water projects and menstrual health education around the world.

In this episode, Laura Ramadei explores how mainstream adult media shapes expectations around bodies, pleasure, orgasm, communication, and performance. She explains why many people unknowingly carry these scripts into real relationships—and why those scripts often leave people feeling anxious, disconnected, or convinced they're "bad at sex."

In this episode, Dr. Tolulope Oko-Igaire provides a rare and candid look into intimacy, marriage, sexual education, and therapy in Nigeria. She discusses how religious teachings, family expectations, gender roles, and cultural traditions influence relationships and sexual satisfaction. The conversation also explores why therapy remains heavily stigmatized, why many couples stay silent about sexual dissatisfaction, and what needs to change for future generations.

In this episode, Michael Vigorito explores why people identify as sex addicts, what research actually says about out-of-control sexual behavior, and how shame, culture, relationships, mental health, and erotic identity all influence the way people experience their sexuality. The conversation offers a more nuanced perspective—one focused on curiosity, self-understanding, and integration rather than labels and judgment.

In this episode, Dr. Laurie Mintz and Dr. Suzette Johnson explain the neuroscience behind SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, why so many women are never warned about it, and what options exist for restoring pleasure, arousal, and orgasm. Most importantly, they challenge the idea that women should simply accept these side effects as the cost of treatment.

When people experience low desire, relationship tension, or sexual disconnection, they often assume something is broken. But according to Dr. Shannon Chavez, many sexual concerns are actually signals from the body rather than problems that need fixing. This conversation explores how stress affects libido, how attachment patterns show up in the bedroom, why emotional safety is essential for intimacy, and how trauma-informed, holistic approaches can help people reconnect with pleasure and connection.