LOVELINK

Dr. Will Siu is a psychiatrist, speaker, and expert on psychedelics. He has been featured on the Netflix show The Goop Lab and has been trained by MAPS in MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy. In this informative, moving, and existential conversation, we talk about how psychedelics are amplifiers of the unconscious, the research behind them, and Will’s personal experience with depression, loneliness, and his journey towards healing and discovering psychedelics. Let’s face it, psychedelics are becoming progressively more mainstream and are already an integral part of our culture’s search for healing and mental health. This interview helps us understand its power, potential, and risk.

ADHD is a condition that makes it difficult for a person to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. While often diagnosed in children, many adults struggle with ADHD without ever realizing they have a disorder. In this interview, Dr. Tuckman draws from his research of over 3000 adults in a couple in which one partner has ADHD, and shares with us the ways ADHD impacts a couple's relationship and sex life. He reveals some surprising outcomes, including that couples with ADHD have more sex! The interview offers some practical strategies to help individuals with ADHD as well as their non-ADHD partner. We also talk about how all couples struggle with inattention, why working ADHD patients are so fun, and how effort no matter the outcome is crucial for a successful relationship.

In our first pod featuring LOVELINK, Dr. Simon and Dr. Humphrey have a casual conversation on the coronavirus. We talk about the social implications, how to emotionally connect while practicing social distancing, and ways to manage anxiety during a time of uncertainty. We also share our own experiences of living with a partner in extremely close quarters and what it's like to collaborate virtually. During this challenging and turbulent moment, we remember that we are all in this together and connection to others is more important now than ever.

Dr. Suzanne Iasenza is like a cool aunt you can talk to about sex without worrying she’ll tell your parents. She’s warm, funny, and non-judgmental. In this highly informative interview, Dr. Iasenza talks to us about the fluidity of sexual preferences and what we can learn about our partner and ourselves when we stop judging and start getting curious. Iasenza provides concrete strategies for helping people get comfortable talking about sex and playful ideas for increasing intimacy. If you’re seeking some inspiration to enhance your sex life or some help talking about sex with your partner, this is a must listen. It’s also a helpful episode for clinicians that are curious about sex therapy.

Dr. Amelia Kaplan Romanowsky is a psychologist, professor, and author. She has co-authored the book Treating Affect Phobia, teaches at Montclair University, and has a private practice in Maplewood, NJ where she specializes in couples therapy. Developing healthy boundaries is a pillar of Dr. Romanowky's clinical work and she teaches this to her clients in both individual and couples therapy. To hold healthy boundaries helps contribute to a positive self regard as well as cultivating open and respectful relationships. In this incredibly informative interview, Dr. Romanowsky describes what it means to be over-boundaried, under-boundaried, and walks us through practical ways of developing healthy psychological boundaries. A must listen!

Women in straight relationships are increasingly making more than their male counterparts. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29% of women earned more than their male partners in 2016, up from 18% in the 1980’s (https://nyti.ms/2O6SLXi ). This sounds like good news, yet our culture spins a narrative that breadwinning women spells disaster for couples (https://on.mktw.net/2Xz3exQ). In this interview, Dr. Lina Perl walks us through her research on breadwinner women that debunks current myths and provides a nuanced view of the challenges and strengths of breadwinner women families. But this interview is also about much more including the politics of parental leave, negotiating career and motherhood, and critically – how the success of women in the workplace is an opportunity for men to deepen their relationship with others.

Dirty Lola is a sex educator, storyteller, and creator of Sex Ed A Go-GO, a live sex Q&A talk show performed regularly in NYC and taken around the country. She teaches sex education at conferences, universities, and you can find her behind the counter at Shag, a sex shop in Brooklyn. In this fun and at times provocative interview, Lola teaches us all about kink and BDSM, what it means to experience pleasure through pain, and the potential for empowerment and healing in submission to a partner. She shares with us her personal journey of discovering her sexuality, sex ed growing up in the south, how she cultivated her own body and sex positivity, and her introduction into to kink and polyamory.

Jette Simon is a Danish clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with couples from around the world. She is an Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy trainer and Director of the Washington DC Training Institute for Couples Therapy and EFT Institute in Copenhagen. She’s also Signe’s mom! In this personal interview with us from 2017, she shares insights from her past romantic relationships and her clinical work with couples. We talk about what makes for a good relationship, the function of affairs, cultural norms, and starter marriages. Jette also offers up some motherly words of wisdom that can help anyone maintain hope after a break up or improve their current relationship.

This is the second episode in our series on women, sex, and tech. We are strong supporters of female entrepreneurs, as ones ourselves, and it’s been so exciting to pick the brains of like minded women who are dedicated to spreading sex education and promoting sexual wellness. Our guest today is the cofounder of Allbodies (formerly Cycles and Sex), an education platform to teach people about their bodies. With an emphasis on the reproductive cycle and sexual wellness, Allbodies is a company whose mission is provide accessible information that is often taboo or shaming. It is a sex positive, body affirming platform that covers topics from pregnancy, birth control, hormones, sex-ed, and menstruation. All the questions that many of us have and we’re not often told. https://www.allbodies.com

In this engaging interview, polyamory expert and coach, Effy Blue, talks to us about what makes for successful poly relationships and how to decide whether a polyamorous lifestyle is right for you. Effy shares her personal journey from monogamy to polyamory and offers up lots of practical advice about everything from talking to your monogamous partner about polyamory, how to think about scheduling poly relationships, and effective communication skills. Even if you're monogamous, you might be surprised by how much there is to be learned from poly relationships.