22. How to Reclaim Yourself & Live a Life of Pleasure with Regena Thomashauer

Hey Brave Table fam, and welcome back for another super juicy episode. My guest today is Regena Thomashauer, also known as Mama Gena. She is a teacher, a mama, the New York Times best-selling author of Pussy: A Reclamation, and Founder and CEO of The School of Womanly Arts, which began in her living room in 1998 and has since turned into a global movement. 

Above all else—Regena believes that women are the greatest untapped natural resource on the entire planet. 

What you’ll get out of this episode… 

- A brief history of the divine feminine and how we moved from a matriarchy into a patriarchy

- Why now is the best time to be living on this planet as a woman

- The importance of pleasure in connecting to your deepest desires

- The life of the Courtesan, why it was so important, and how the women’s movement ended it

- Why women need to fill up on pleasure as much as they can and use the lens of pleasure to reach a different paradigm

- Tips to practice sensuality and self-pleasure so you can flood your body with feel-good hormones and turn on your radiance

- Giving yourself permission to connect with your life force

- The art of the turn-on and turning yourself on

- Why you should always follow your desires, even when it leads to unexpected places

- And much, MUCH more

Regena’s story starts with childhood abuse. From the time she was 5 years old, she remembers feeling drained, disconnected from herself, and as though she didn’t have enthusiasm for the day. She recalls being in her bed and seeing a goddess sitting on the edge of it in her peripheral vision. But every time she would turn to look at it, it would disappear. 

Regena longed to find her goddess. Later in life, in her 20s, she researched ancient goddess traditions and learned about the matriarchal societies of the past to find out why the feminine was missing in our modern day. 

Then one day at University, she got an assignment asking her to prepare as if the most important person in the world was coming for a visit (which, turns out, that's you!). 

As women, we’re always taught to take care of our partners, our kids, our parents—but never of ourselves. So with this assignment, Regena pampered herself for the first time... ever. She looked in the mirror in a state of pleasure and finally awakened the inner goddess she had been searching for. This was the moment that would change everything for her, realizing that this goddess is within every woman and that pleasure is the key to revealing it. 

The reality is that we are witnessing global unhappiness among women right now. 1 in 4 women will experience depression, and only 1 in 5 will seek treatment. There are eating disorders, an alarming level of self-harm, and built-up resentment. Despite all of the gains women have made, we are still a bit lost. 

But ladies, what if you could reclaim your power by exploring your sensuality and understanding what pleases you—instead of what pleases other people? Your freedom lies in following your desires; that’s your life force talking to you. It’s time we all find our inner goddess and lead lives of pleasure.

More resources on Regena and things she mentions in this episode…

- Buy Regena’s New York Times best-selling book, Pussy: A Reclamation.

- Visit Regena’s website at https://mamagenas.com/ and find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mamagena/ 

- More on the film Dangerous Beauty.

- A book about Regena’s favorite Courtesan, Marie Duplessis, The Girl Who Loved Camellias: The Life and Legend of Marie Duplessis.

- More about pleasure through
sex with Alexa Bowditch.

- And part two of that convo, what you didn’t learn about sex in school.

- How my husband Ajit and I keep the fun and pleasure in our relationship.

- More on healing childhood wounds with Marissa Peer.

Thanks for listening, fam. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, then please consider leaving me a 5-star review so that you can help others find the show!