Normalizing Non-Monogamy - Personal Stories of Polyamory, Swinging, and Beyond

Nick has been exploring consensual non-monogamy for about a decade and is the hinge in a cohabitating triad with Jace (Episode 254) and Sammy. He shares how he and his partners balance their time, find time for themselves, and how they co-create a beautiful home dynamic where they each bring their unique strengths. Nick is also incredibly honest and vulnerable about his challenges and growth throughout his journey.   We're also extremely grateful to Nick for sharing about his experience and journey of coming out. He grew up in a very religious Catholic home, played music in his church, and was married to a woman when he met and fell for his now husband, Sammy. His coming out changed his life in drastic ways and yet he feels like he is more able to be himself than ever before.   It's also no secret that music is Nick's life... Don't forget to check out Nick's incredible band, Brother Hawk. You won't regret it!   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Check out our weekly peer support groups!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

This interview with Liana is so much fun! Get ready to laugh... Liana describes herself as a "severely gay", queer, and polyamorous relationship nerd. Although, she admits the "relationship nerd" part is a bit newer and came as a result of being terrible at relationships when she was younger. We've all been there, right?   Liana recognized her queerness as a freshman in high school but struggled with Catholic guilt for a few years before coming out during her senior year. A few years later, as a senior in college she discovered polyamory and started down that road, as well.   Liana is super vulnerable in sharing about her journey of coming out multiple times and how they were linked but also very unique at the same time. We also have great conversations about being partnered through the process of coming out, making mistakes, and just being yourself. The takeaway today... It's okay to not know what you're doing!   Liana is also a queer relationship and love coach who works primarily with people in the queer and poly communities and is co-host of the Queer and Poly Podcast. Check out all her work via her Instagram page.   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Check out our weekly peer support groups!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

Joli and Ken have known one another since Joli was born. Then, somewhere around 14 years ago something clicked on the dance floor. (Not a euphemism) Since that night, these two have been on a powerful and beautiful rollercoaster ride together as they have learned about themselves, each other, and how to relate in a way that feels right for them.   Our conversation with these two is amazing. Not only are they super vulnerable about their growing pains, and sometimes just pains... But, they've done an astonishing amount of work to understand exactly what was going on for them during those times and how they can reflect on it with invaluable insights for the rest of us.   Joli has taken learning about how to make her relationships better to a new level. As she says "My way out of trouble has always been to dive in 100%, so I got my doctorate in depth psychology, a certification in sexuality education, and became a researcher known for my work on the archetypal experience of jealousy."   Lucky for all of us! Joli is now a relationship coach who works 1:1 and in groups to help people dream up and create relationships that work for them. Together, her and Ken also host the Playing with Fire podcast. Please check out all of their work at jolihamilton.com!   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Check out our weekly peer support groups!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

Frank and his fiancé have been together for about eight years and have explored a wide variety of flavors of non-monogamy. They opened up their partnership a few years back when one of his fiancé's former partners came to town and things just sort of happened. Since then, they've been figuring out what works for them.   Some of the major themes from this conversation are how Frank and his partner thread the needle of finding people to connect with and how they communicate their wants, needs, and capacities to ensure they're co-creating the right kind of relationship or friendship with people.   Frank is also the creator, writer, and star of Open To It! Open to It is a queer comedy series about a loving gay couple, who experiments with becoming a hot gay throuple. But threesome sex and open relationships come with more complications than limbs.   It's absolutely hilarious! Check it out!   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Check out our weekly peer support groups!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

Leah and Brady have been together for about five years and came to the partnership with different backgrounds in non-monogamy, Leah was pretty much brand new to the idea and Brady had been exploring non-monogamy for about 20 years. Together, they decided to open their partnership from the very beginning.   There are so many things we love about this conversation but there are a few things we extra love.! Leah and Brady are super vulnerable and honest about their struggles in finding a rhythm that worked for them. They're also really transparent about their individual growth journeys as they learned how to support one another, build a new family, integrate previous partners and kids, and create a partnership that works for both of them... Even if it's not 100% "equal" in how they approach it.   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Check out our weekly peer support groups!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

Sara has known she was non-monogamous her whole life but only found the words to describe it about seven years ago. She was initially introduced to non-monogamy when a partner of hers proposed the idea of swinging. However, she really got hooked when she discovered her love for forming deeper connections and delightful crushes!   Sara now sees polyamory as part of her identity and is practicing solo poly with a twist of kink swirled in. Sara's perspectives and experiences in navigating neurodivergence, love, communication, coming out, and frankly just living life are incredibly beautiful. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Check out our weekly peer support groups!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

Ann and Charles are in their early thirties and found each other a few years ago. They both came to the partnership with backgrounds in non-monogamy.   Ann has been polyamorous her whole life but became self-aware of this about nine years back. Her experience was mostly in polyamory and the kink scene. Specifically, the DDLG/CGL (daddy dom little girl / caregiver little) communities. Charles on the other hand, came to the partnership with a few years of experience in the swinging lifestyle. Together, they have opened one another's eyes and worlds to new possibilities and adventures.   There is a third partner who is also part of the relationship and our conversation today: Jason. This interview was supposed to happen last year but sadly Jason was killed in a car accident. Our interview today focuses primarily on the partnership between Ann and Charles, but Jason is a big part of their lives.   We are so grateful to both Ann and Charles for sharing this powerful story and for offering to be a resource for anyone who may be experiencing a similar loss while exploring polyamory.   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

We are thrilled to have all three co-hosts of the Multiamory podcast on this week. Or as they sometimes refer to themselves... "An emotionally bonded triad who are coparenting a podcast baby." All funny stuff aside, these three have an incredible story and have been in various relationship dynamics together including a quad, a triad, and *gasp* even monogamy. Along the way, they learned a whole lot.   Lucky for you (and us), they took many of those hard-earned lessons and have shared them over the last nine years on their podcast. And just yesterday, (May 23, 2023) they released their new book! Multiamory: Essential Tools for Modern Relationships. We highly recommend it as a practical set of tools and strategies for improving your relationships of any kind.   We're delighted that in our conversation with them, they took some of these tools and wove them into their individual and collective non-monogamous journeys. We found it powerful to hear how some of these tools came to be and how they've personally field-tested them for us. This interview is packed with amazing stories and wisdom.   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

Terry has been exploring polyamory for about 50 years and we are so excited to help share her story with the world! And no, that's not a typo... Fifty years! During that time, polyamory took on many different forms for Terry and has been shaped by her rich personal connections and chosen family of polyamorous thought leaders. Our conversation today is a mix of her personal story and a polyamory history lesson, all rolled into one!   Her experiences over the years also helped inspire her new book: Fifty Years of Polyamory in America: A Guided Tour of a Growing Movement. Please check out her book and all of her work at Live The Dream.   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/

Mariko has an incredibly powerful and beautiful story. She was born and raised in Japan and came to the US for her Master's degree at age 25. She spent most of her life (so far) as a married business woman seeking approval from everyone in her life. And then, everything changed a few years back... Mariko shares with us her journey of challenging nearly all of the beliefs she held in life and what can happen when you do. She's taken on the mission of approaching life with radical honesty and listening to herself above all else. This conversation is all about reclaiming your untapped power and we're so excited to share it with you.   Please go check out all of Mariko's work at mistressmariko.com (spoiler alert😜) and her LinkTree. Mariko has now completed a sex and relationship coaching program, become a certified Dominatrix, and is building a beautiful community. You can also watch her TEDx talk as well. Enjoy!   Check out the full show notes here.   Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! $10 Off - Online STI Testing https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/