The Love Drive with Shaun Galanos

Erica met her then boyfriend at the age of 19 years old. She walked into Chemistry 101 and was immediately smitten by the tall, quiet, hunk of a man. She was also drawn to a very specific part of his anatomy that was quite hard to miss. Erica and I talk about her on again off again relationship with Eric (that's right. Meet Erica and Eric) and the particular way in which they slowly opened up their relationship to include other partners. Welcome to Real Love Stories, a new segment from The Love Drive Podcast.  If you have a Real Love Story of your own, send me a message and tell me a little about it. I might pick it for my next recording: https://thelovedrive.com/contact/ If you'd like to support The Love Drive and become a contributing lovebird, then I invite you to do so here: https://thelovedrive.com/join/

We can't flirt and seduce like we use to. The landscape is changing and what we used to get away with no longer works. It's time to step up our seduction game, but how are we supposed to know what works when different people react to different approaches. Thank goodness for people like Dr. Alison Ash. She's a sex and intimacy coach, educator, and the founder of TurnON.love. She's the host of a fantastic workshop called Sleaze-Free Seduction Skills and she's here to show us how sexy seduction can be when it's done with respect and honesty. Let's dive in.  What you'll learn (or why you should care): • The Three-Part Invite to minimize your risk of getting it wrong • How The Almost Kiss takes the guesswork out of the first kiss • What you can do to make talking about consent sexy • Real life examples of sleaze-free seduction you can start using right away Where to find Dr. Alison Ash: Website http://www.turnon.love/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/turnon.love/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/turnon.love/ Mentioned on the podcast: A list of Alison's workshops http://www.turnon.love/upcoming The Perfect Pickup Line blog post https://thelovedrive.com/the-perfect-pickup-line/ What Women Wished You Knew About Oral Sex https://thelovedrive.com/what-women-wished-you-knew-about-oral-sex/ Learn more about The Love Drive Website https://thelovedrive.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive Become a Contributing Lovebird Support The Love Drive here https://thelovedrive.com/join/

What would it look like if we approached food, eating, and how we view our bodies not with restriction, fear, and shame, but rather with love and compassion? Lucky for us, someone can show us how. Jenna Hollenstein, MS, RDN, CDN is a non-diet dietitian, meditation teacher, and the author of the book: Eat to Love - A Mindful Guide to Transforming Your Relationship with Food, Body, and Life. I don't normally pre-order books but when I saw this one being promoted by Susan Piver on Facebook, I jumped.  I wasn't disappointed, and you won't be either by this conversation. Jenna is warm, knowledgable, and a delight to speak with about disordered eating, the dangers of 'magical eating', and what we can do to cultivate compassion for ourselves and our bodies.  What you'll learn (or why you should care): • What the heck is 'magical eating' and why the diet industry is hell-bent on selling it to you • How mindful and intuitive eating can bring peace to your relationship with food and your body • Why diets don't work and what you can do instead • How meditation can transform your hunger and fullness awareness Where to find Jenna Hollenstein: Website https://www.eat2love.com Eat to Love book: https://amzn.to/2IhfWMa Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jennahollenstein Mentioned on the podcast: The Body Respect book by Linda Bacon https://amzn.to/2UFZ3Bd Michael Carroll https://www.shambhala.com/authors/a-f/michael-carroll.html Gail Dines | Anti-Pornography Activist, Lecturer, Author, and Professor http://gaildines.com/ Learn more about The Love Drive Website https://thelovedrive.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive Become a Contributing Lovebird Support The Love Drive here https://thelovedrive.com/join/

Emilie Guimond Bélanger is a sex coach, founder of the Institute of Desire in Montreal, and a teacher of Orgasmic Meditation. She grew up having painful intercourse and got fed up with the lack of pleasurable sensation. At one point, decided to do something about it.  She discovered Orgasmic Meditation, learned from some of the best teachers, and now makes it her life's work to help women reconnect them to the pleasure that sex can bring.  What you'll learn (or why you should care): • What the heck is Orgasmic Meditation and how can it help with pleasure • A step-by-step description of the practice • Resources on finding a partner and ways to approach the conversation • What non-sexual benefits it can bring to your life Where to find Emilie Guimond-Bélanger: Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ommontreal Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/159929948007031 Website https://www.institutdudesir.ca/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/silvykhoucasian Mentioned on the podcast: The Institute of OM https://instituteofom.com/ Lynne Forest https://www.lynneforrest.com/ Montreal OM Meetup Group https://www.meetup.com/OM-Montreal/ The 38 Orgasmic Meditation Meetup Groups https://www.meetup.com/topics/orgasmic-meditation/ Learn more about The Love Drive Website https://thelovedrive.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/thelovedriveshow

Coco McKenzi is an inspirational speaker, sexual assault survivor, and transformational coach who has helped hundreds of women over the last 3 years live their most radiant lives after sexual abuse. When Coco was assaulted, she desperately tried to find resources that could help her make sense of what had happened, and how to move forward. Overwhelmed with resources that were hard to understand, she set out to create the one guide that was easy to read and could help survivors begin the road to recovery as quickly as possible. Her purpose isn't only to help survivors recover but to help them create true power and extraordinary bliss post-sexual abuse. What you'll learn (or why you should care): • How to begin recovering from sexual assault • The importance of telling someone, and of reporting your assault • Ways to begin feeling into your body again • Why the healing journey is worth it Where to find Coco McKenzi: Website | http://www.cocomckenzi.com/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/cocomckenzi Mentioned on the podcast: Coco's free book "Fresh" - The Starting Point Post Sexual Abuse https://coco-mckenzi.mykajabi.com/opt-in Emily Nagoski's blog post What to do When Someone Tells you They Were Assaulted  International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/ BioDynamic Breathwork and Trauma Release Therapy https://www.biodynamicbreath.com/ Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com

The woman I'm speaking to today doesn't like the way her partner touches her, nor does she like to give the kind of touch that he wants. Are they doomed to have a mismatch in what they want, or is there a way to invite curiosity into the bedroom? Together, we explore how bringing curiosity, compassion, and respect to your conversation about what you need in bed can lead to greater connection and closeness with your partner. If you'd like your very own free love advice, head over to thelovedrive.com/freeloveadvice or email me at shaun@thelovedrive to find out how I can help. 

Silvy Khoucasian is a relationship coach with a passion for helping individuals and couples have healthier relationships with themselves and others. She also creates a ton of beautiful content on Instagram, a lot of it centering on boundaries and attachment styles. Today, we deep dive on boundaries - what they are, how to set them, and what to do when they're being violated.  What you'll learn (or why you should care): • What the heck boundaries are and the four types of boundary violations • The difference in how men and women process and talk about emotional reactions • The importance of repairing after a boundary violation has taken place, and how to do • How to bring safety and respect to a conversation about boundaries Where to find Silvy Khoucasian: Website | http://www.silvykhoucasian.com Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/silvykhoucasian Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SilvyKhoucasian Mentioned on the podcast: Silvy's Boundaries Program https://bryanreeves.com/boundaries-silvy/ Harriet Lerner's book - Why Won't You Apologize? https://amzn.to/2XRCBnJ Brene Brown's book - Rising Strong https://amzn.to/2XRCBnJ Rokelle Lerner's book - Living in The Comfort Zone: The Gift of Boundaries in Relationship https://amzn.to/2T09ECe Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com

Galen Erickson is a men's relationship coach and facilitates workshops and men's circles in Seattle, WA. We discuss what it means to be a man in today's world, how traditional toxic masculinity and a more sensitive, heart-centric version of masculinity are at odds with each other, and what men can do to learn how to connect to their emotions more fully.  What you'll learn (or why you should care): • How men can learn to take more risks • The differing views on consent between men and women • The importance of male vulnerability in forming healthy relationships • Alternatives to traditional male sexuality Where to find Galen Erickson: Website | http://www.galenerickson.com Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/passionalchemist/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/erickson.galen Mentioned on the podcast: Mantak Chia's book - The Multi-Orgasmic Man: https://amzn.to/2TfgpFb Brene Brown on Shame and Vulnerability: https://brenebrown.com/ Brene Brown's book - Daring Greatly: https://amzn.to/2EMzKVn Katherine Woodward Thomas's book - Conscious Uncoupling: https://amzn.to/2tQhHHy Marnia Robinson's books - Cupid's Poisoned Arrow: https://amzn.to/2XAjjTy   Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com

Dr. Alexandra Solomon is a love nerd, there's no denying it. She's dedicated her life to the pursuit of learning about love and teaching those around her how to love. She's a clinical psychologist, a professor who teaches the Marriage 101 class at Northwestern University, the author of my new favorite book, Loving Bravely, and so much more. This is a lovely and sincere conversation about vulnerability, boundaries, relational self-awareness, attachment theory, and so much more.  What you'll learn (or why you should care): • Why relational self-awareness is key to a healthy relationship • That reason that even therapists need therapists • The importance of boundaries  • Why we choose partners that trigger our old wounds Where to find Dr. Alexandra Solomon: Dr. Alexandra Solomon on the Web | http://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/ Dr. Alexandra Solomon's book, Loving Bravely: https://amzn.to/2XgVZdk Dr. Alexandra Solomon on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon Dr. Alexandra Solomon on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/dralexandrasolomon Mentioned on the podcast: Ester Perel's book: Mating in Captivity: https://amzn.to/2EeC99S Sue Johnson on Emotional Focused Therapy: http://drsuejohnson.com/emotionally-focused-therapy-2/what-is-eft/ Geneen Roth's book Women, Food, and God: https://amzn.to/2Ew4Bph Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. and Dialectical Behavior Therapy: https://behavioraltech.org/ Brene Brown on Shame and Vulnerability: https://brenebrown.com/ Imago Therapy - Getting The Love You Want: http://imagorelationships.org/ Find out more about The Love Drive here: https://thelovedrive.com

Is the juice worth the squeeze? Are you putting work into a relationship that is no longer serving you? Are you trying to find a way to make something work that perhaps will never work?  This episode might be for you.  If you'd like some Free Love Advice of your own, book yourself on my calendar and let's record a podcast together.  www.thelovedrive.com/freeloveadvice