LaidOPEN Podcast

This week, we're welcoming Sara Reardon, a pelvic floor physical therapist who's also known as The Vagina Whisperer.  You may know her from her viral TedX talk on rethinking postpartum care. One of the most important things we cover is that everyone has a pelvic floor (men/women/non-binary people) and that pelvic pain is not only a condition that impacts pergnant or postpartum women. That's because oftentimes, it isn’t until we experience pelvic floor pain or issues that we become aware of this part of our body. Sara's mission includes normalizing conversations about the pelvic floor, helping people understand what this muscle is,  and how to know when it needs to relaxed or be strengthened. We also chat about the different conditions that might bring you to a pelvic pain physical therapist and symptoms that are actually signals of pelvic pain. And that chronic stressors, conditioning and belief systems about sex or historical trauma can impact the tension in your pelvic floor. We end with Sara guiding us through a ribcage breathing practice that is a precursor to any pelvic floor releasing.

If Mark Tanaka sounds familiar to you that’s because he’s a past guest of LaidOPEN Podcast and featured on Episode 28. Untying the Knot. Mark’s a Qi gong and Yoga teacher, who specializes in nervous system regulation, parts-work, attachment coaching and one of my absolute favorite people. This week he returns as an expert to help answer your anonymous questions. The question this week is about the discomfort we can feel in being vulnerable. Especially, in relation to our significant other and the decision to have children and why we want them. An important conversation for anyone considering having children with reservations based on their own childhood. Plus, as always, we end the episode with an amazing exercise. Mark guides us through one that helps teach us to be with our vulnerable parts Additionally, if you have a problem or even question you need help with, please write in! I welcome listeners to write in any questions so a qualified expert and I can discuss how to navigate your questions and concerns. 

Welcome back to LaidOPEN Podcast! More and more I feel like I am magnetizing potential lifelong friends and like-minded collaborators I feature on my podcast. People like this week’s guest, @yestantra better known as Dominique D’Vita, spent her life as a cardiovascular RN until she found tantra and found her calling as a trauma-informed tantra coach.  Dominique has been a repeated guest on The Playboy Channel where she’s featured as a tantra expert. Together we chat about sex as a spiritual practice, the different kinds of tantra, what tantra is exactly, and how it can increase solo and partner-based pleasure.  We all deserve pleasure and if reading that makes you feel weird or gives you anxiety, this episode will be especially poignant for you.

While I don’t know Logan Cohen personally his authenticity, the deep work he has done on himself, and his willingness to feel his feelings and allow his vulnerability to shine through. I’m moved by the vital offering Logan contributes to the world as an author, a psychotherapist, and a trauma professional. He is bringing quality content to TikTok and IG, as well as through his work with couples and individuals in private practice.  Logan Cohen is a remarkable man driven by a purpose, being of service, helping men develop emotional intelligence, and educating people about the impacts of trauma. In his book “How to Hu(Man) Up in Modern Society: Heal Yourself and Save the World,” he puts gender role conditioning into a historical and social context. We discuss the importance of healing within the community, his work with volatile couples, and dealing with narcissists. Plus, we speak about how the suicide of his friend led him to write his book, the work he had to do in his personal and professional life to see his privilege as a man and unlearn his social and emotional conditioning, and his close relationship with his grandfather, who was holocaust survivor on Schindler’s List and how that has informed his commitment to building empathy in the world and being of service. We wrap up the episode with Logan leading an exercise around developing more awareness and connection to what you are feeling. There’s so much essential content in this episode, which is why I’m starting the season with it. I hope you’re ready to be as impacted by Logan’s work as I am.

For our Season 2 finale, please welcome Amanda Yates Garcia aka the Oracle of Los Angeles. In one of my most enchanting conversations, we speak about her book “Initiated,” being born into witchcraft, the trauma of colonization, surviving a legacy of trauma, and using witchcraft as a tool for healing.  Amanda also talks about her own excellent podcast (which I can’t recommend enough) “Between the Worlds,” where she interviews new guests each week on the topic of divination, tarot, and magic. I don’t like to play favorites, so I won’t, but there’s so much good stuff packed into the hour we’re together that you don’t want to miss. Plus, it ends with an exercise from Amanda about the ways we can incorporate sex magic into our sex lives. Learn more about witches and how any of us can use witchcraft to create the lives we want, in this week’s episode of LaidOPEN Podcast.

This week we welcome Media Midwife, Ahri Golden. She’s an award-winning artist, producer, podcast coach, professor, and mother of two. Ahri’s work is informed by a passion for making meaning through stories and creative responses to the world that is unfolding within and around us. Together we talk about her journey of becoming the Media Mid-Wife and what that entails. Plus, she speaks about her anti-hustle perspective, the importance of listening to our bodies, and making embodied art. Ahri ends the episode with an exercise she uses with her clients on how to use creativity to transmute and access their stories.

Our guest this week is Pleasure Advocate, Erotic Blueprint Coach, & Sex, Intimacy & Relationship Expert, Melissa Louise. Together we talk about the journey that led her to this field. We also speak about supporting women to reclaim their divine birthright of feeling aliveness, the ability to be orgasmic and turned on, no matter what their age or relationship status.  Don’t worry, we also talk about the ways she helps men by supporting them to feel more attractive, powerful, trustworthy, make more money, and find freedom by lasting longer in bed. Plus, Melissa guides an exercise in genital breathing that helps with presence as well as more blood flow and turn-on. You’ll learn all this and more in this week’s episode of LaidOPEN Podcast.

This week, I chat with Chelsea Coleman, a brilliant musician, and storyteller. I first met her at an event called, “You’re Going To Die” which creates room for people to talk about death, dying, and grieving. Together, Chelsea and I talk about her journey to healing Fibromyalgia and how having a baby helped her develop the embodied boundaries to do that.  We also speak about growing up in Fundamentalist Christianity, the structure and safety found in the black and white thinking of the church, learning to suppress your own needs, sacrificing your own wellbeing, abusive relationships, and healing shame. Plus, Chelsea sings a beautiful song about joy. There’s something for everyone on this week’s episode of LaidOPEN Podcast.

This week our guest is Aaron Quinn, an Oakland Firefighter for over 20 years, a yoga teacher as well as an advanced Wim Hof method instructor.  We speak about his journey as a firefighter, which led him to develop a whole-body wellness program, including meditation, physical fitness, and nutrition for new firefighters. This program also helps recruits learn tools to aid in the parts of the job that can be psychologically taxing.  Additionally, we touch on a variety of topics and stories that have impacted Aaron’s life. This includes his participation in brain research done on the impact of practicing Wim Hof, the role spirituality plays in his life, his ability to receive in his personal life outside of supporting others, as well as, the epidemic proportion of PTSD and suicidal ideation amongst firefighters. We end this incredible episode with a wonderful guided meditation led by Aaron to help us envision ourselves whole.  You can learn more about Aaron and his work at @live.serve.thrive on Instagram and at his website Live Serve Thrive.

When it comes to relationships, most of us have realized one size doesn’t fit all. My guest today is Kate Loree. She’s a sex-positive licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in the non-monogamous, kink, LGBTQ, and sex worker communities. Kate’s also the author of “Open Deeply: A Guide to Building Conscious, Compassionate Open Relationships,” which i think everyone should read regardless if they’re poly or not.  Kate’s story is an interesting one. She spent a decade in the poly lifestyle and uses those experiences to contribute to her wisdom as a therapist. In this week’s episode, she explains how she guides people through the pitfalls of creating relationships tailored to their own specific needs. Additionally, Kate provides useful case studies to illustrate how to use her communication model to help couples manage their triggers. Not only that, she breaks down how understanding different attachment styles or injuries, and historical trauma are valuable and relevant in successfully navigating an open relationship. There’s so much to gain from her story and knowledge and can’t wait to share it with the world tomorrow.