Pleasure Project: Sex and Relationships

Latest Episodes:

Money & Relationships w/ Jennifer Love | Szn. 2 Ep. 6 Apr 18, 2024

Show notes

Jennifer Love is a wealth alchemist, money therapist and the CEO of LivWeal Institute. Since 2001, she has help impact-focused leaders and entrepreneurs go from being spent, stuck, and self-critical to running profitable multi-million dollar businesses—with full confidence, and a deeply nourished life.

Jennifer hosts retreats called “Dear Money, Let’s Talk”™ which guides participants through a process of heart-to-heart conversations to grow ‘get-through-anything’ kind of self-trust. She helps participants cement unshakable self-worth, and amplify their value for more powerful exchanges with others.

Dr. Jenn and Jennifer Love have a candid and meaningful conversation about both money and wealth—which are not one and the same.

Topics include:

⁃ How wealth impacts worth

⁃ Common misconceptions about wealth

⁃ How money affects relationship (including s*xual) dynamics

⁃ Cultivating a healthier relationship to money and earning

⁃ Retreats for those who need to shift their inner dialog about money

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#podcast #love #pleasureprojectpodcast #drjennkennedy #therapy #couplescounseling #therapy #couplestherapy #romance #partnership #longtermrelationship #pleasureproject #intimacy #relationships #jenniferlove #wealth #alchemy #money

Types of Love | Szn. 2 Ep. 5 Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks about the eight Types of Love as defined by Sternberg. There are 8 different configurations within relationships, and often times couples (or throuples) have one or two of the elements, but not all three.

These elements include -

Passion: sexual attraction, lust, flirtation

Intimacy: feeling close to, understood by and vulnerable with another

Commitment: agreements about the configuration and boundaries of the relationship

These configurations can change throughout the lifetime, and throughout the dynamics of a pairing.

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Love by Design w/ Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh | Szn. 2 Ep. 4 Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh is a globally renowned author, speaker and thinking partner. Her third book Love by Design: 6 Ingredients to Build a Lifetime of Love is the result of her two-decade-long research on the status of thriving relationships and its key ingredients, namely: attraction, respect, trust, shared vision, compassion, and loving behaviors. Dr. Nasserzadeh whose work has been featured on NPR, the BBC, ABC, CNN, and USA Today, is based in Los Angeles, CA, and travels widely.

In this episode Dr. Jenn and Dr. Sara discuss her new book at length. Dr. Sara says, “Love is a job with no job description.” She reflects the challenges couples face as they try to navigate the myriad roles they are expected to play for one another. She then articulates the pitfalls of romantic love and introduces her model of Emergent Love as an alternative approach for longer term, lasting love.

The key tenets of Emergent Love include:Attraction: Recognizing the evolving roles and attributes you find appealing in your partner. Respect: Having high regard for your partner and keeping their needs and priorities in mind. Trust: Believing that your partner will show up for you consistently and in the ways that matter to you and you do the same for them. Shared Vision: Making a commitment to go somewhere or build something together with shared priorities. Compassion: The capacity to show up fully for your partner without making it about yourself. Loving Behaviors: Manifesting love through specific, exclusive, and tender actions toward your partner. Making each other feel special.

Dr. Sara also offers the Platinum Rule: Do to others what they want done to them—which means be a generous and considerate lover and spouse. Tune in for this thoughtful and winding discussion about long term partnerships. You can find Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh at: Instagram:@dr.saranasserzadehWebsite (You can join her newsletter for more resources here: https://www.sara-nasserzadeh.com/ YouTube: @dr Sara Nasserzadeh Dr. Sara also designed a relationship assessment for couples. Access it here: Relationship Panoramic Inventory #podcast #love #book #pleasureprojectpodcast #drjennkennedy #therapy #couplescounseling #therapy #couplestherapy #romance #partnership #longtermrelationship #pleasureproject #interview

Confidence: How it Affects Your Sex Life | Szn. 2 Ep. 3 Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

Confidence is a HUGE factor in your intimate life. It is a reflection of both how you feel about yourself and how confident you feel in your relationship and toward your partner.

In this episode, Dr. Jenn Kennedy looks at historical messages and experiences to see how they impacts how attractive you feel and confident you act.

Confidence is affected by both psychological and interpersonal components. For example, how attractive or deserving do you feel? This affects what you project to others and influences the outcome. Interpersonal is also impacted because your self esteem and confidence (in self and in your partner) play out in how you ask for what you want s*xualy. Confidence matters both in the everyday as well as in the bedroom. And much of desire starts before sex.

Dr. Jenn unpacks the role of automatic thoughts, which can hijack your mind and derail your best intimate intentions. Notice how what you think affects how you act.

Dr. Jenn discusses the responsibility that comes with initiating or being the receiving party of someone else's initiation (both can be stressful) and both are influenced by confidence.

Initiation – Tried and true vs. playful, in the moment ideas. Do you pay attention to partner or self or both? Do you have defeating thoughts? Every partner is different and sex with the same person can be different. Can you adjust?

Receiving – do you feel deserving—not just of attention, but pleasure? Do you know what you want? Can you communicate that to your lover?

Parting questions that take you into your confidence:

When do you feel your best?
What could increase that feeling for you?

#confidence #couples #sexualhealth #sexlife #podcast #drjennkennedy #pleasureprojectpodcast #couplestherapy #therapy #growth #communication #relationships #intimacy #selfesteem #selflove #selfworth

Betrayed Partners w/ Annie Finch | Szn. 2 Ep. 2 Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

Betrayal comes in many forms. During this episode, Dr. Jenn talks to Therapist Annie Finch about what common struggles partners face when betrayed.

Topics covered include:

- Partners feelings of blame

- Long term viability after betrayal

-Rebuilding trust between partners after infidelity

- A personal and relational healing path

Annie Finch is an associate marriage and family therapist with Riviera Therapy. She is certified in sex addiction and drug addiction recovery. She runs a group for betrayed partners and understands well how to facilitate healing after betrayal. Annie also sees couples.

Find Annie at:

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, #147521
Certified Addictions Counselor, CADC I CiCA01160519
Certified Sex Addiction Therapist
Tel: (805) 724-0915
Email: Annie@RivieraTherapy.com

#betrayal #infidelity #couples #podcast #couplestherapy #rebuildingtrust #sextherapy #relationships #therapy #growth #nonjudgement #couplescounseling #partnership #drjennkennedy #thepleasureproject #thepleasureprojectpodcast

Dating & Sex | Szn. 2 Ep. 1 Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Dr. Jenn has covered many topics for people in relationships -- this episode is geared toward those who are currently dating or deciding how to get back into the dating scene.

She discusses how certain pairings complement one another (in the bedroom) more than others .

She also poses and discusses some questions:

What is your strategy for dating?
Do you have a plan - what is your intention? For example, are you looking to explore? Are you looking to find a long-term partner?
Do you date multiple people at once?
Do you have s*x with multiple people at once? If so, do you tell each person?

_____

Do you have interest in unpacking your own relationship to body or sexuality? Contact Dr. Jenn for therapy. You can find out more or sign up at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pleasure Project⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 💋

If you’re feeling ready to join the conversation or have topics you want to hear more about, send Dr. Jenn Kennedy an email with questions and she may address it in a future⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pleasure Project Blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#podcast #sexuality #sexeducation #sextherapy #personalgrowth #education #therapy #sexualhealth #pleasureproject #feminism #spark #theick #dating #single #casualdating

Long-Term Spark w/ Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz | Szn. 1 Ep. 26 Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

In this episode Dr. Jenn Kennedy interviews, Peggy J. Kleinplatz, Ph.D. She is a celebrated author and researcher.

Dr. Kleinplatz is Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is a Certified Sex Therapist and Educator. Her research focuses on optimizing sexual experience, with a particular interest in sexual health in older people, the disabled, chronically ill and other marginalized populations.

In this episode, Dr. Kennedy & Dr. Kleinplatz discuss her research about the strategies employed by couples who have been together 10, 20, even 40 years for fostering a fulfilling s*x life. They hear so many stories of people not having good s*x and of the challenges of keeping chemistry alive in the long haul. But what about the people that are having truly fulfilling s*x - what are they doing differently and how can we all have it?

Key take aways:

Great lovers are made -- not born
Sex becomes more "human" with age
Importance of preparation to ensure a positive experience
The value of empathy and how it improves the quality of s*x

Dr. Kleinplatz has edited or authored five books including New Directions in Sex Therapy: Innovations and Alternatives, winner of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counsellors and Therapists (AASECT) 2013 Book Award and with A. Dana Menard, Ph.D. Magnificent Sex: Lessons from Extraordinary Lovers, winner of the 2021 Society for Sex Therapy and Research Consumer Book Award.

You can contact Dr. Kleinplatz at:

www.optimalsexualexperiences.com

Do you have interest in unpacking your own relationship to body or sexuality? Contact Dr. Jenn for therapy. You can find out more or sign up at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pleasure Project⁠⁠⁠⁠. 💋

If you’re feeling ready to join the conversation or have topics you want to hear more about, send Dr. Jenn Kennedy an email with questions and she may address it in a future⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pleasure Project Blog⁠⁠⁠⁠.

#podcast #sexuality #sexeducation #sextherapy #personalgrowth #education #therapy #sexualhealth #pleasureproject #feminism #couplescounseling #longterm #spark #magificentsex

Goal Setting (in the Bedroom) | Szn. 1 Ep. 25 Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

If we have a single vision of how sex must go, then we tend to miss out on all the fantastic, pleasing, alternative ways we could have discovered ourselves and/or one another. We feel discouraged when our body doesn’t respond, yet we don’t have flexibility to explore is other ways. This scenario happens much too often.

In this episode, Dr. Jenn Kennedy illustrates this challenge with the case of Jon and Angela who have been married for 11 years (no children). Jon is a 56-year-old CEO with a steady diet of stress. Angela, 42, works as a freelance writer and does Pilates regularly. The couple tends to “work hard—then play hard.” Jon has increasingly faced erectile dysfunction over the past year. They have decreased sexual contact to avoid the awkwardness and frustration that results (mostly for Jon) when penetrative sex cannot happen. They have arrived in my office with palpable tension.

In discussing their cycle, the couple acknowledge that when Jon’s work stress spikes or when they have interpersonal conflict (even low level), his ED worsens. And when he cannot achieve erection, they tend to go longer periods of time without engagement. Dr. Jenn suggested they break this pattern by reframing their expectations and their definition of sex. They discuss their goals for sex: pleasure, connection, fun, release. Dr. Jenn wagers that those goals can be met without penetration.

Tune to hear more about this case.

Do you have interest in unpacking your own relationship to body or sexuality? Contact Dr. Jenn for therapy. You can find out more or sign up at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pleasure Project⁠⁠⁠⁠. 💋

#podcast #sexuality #sexeducation #sextherapy #personalgrowth #education #therapy #sexualhealth #pleasureproject #feminism #couplescounseling #goalsetting #goals #newyear #resolutions #intentions

Body Hair w/ Kristi Miller | Szn. 1 Ep. 24 Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

This is a fun one! Dr. Jenn Kennedy and Kristi Miller, LMFT dive into the taboo topic of body hair, including head, face, chest, back, arms, legs, pubic and backside! They discuss how hair affections attraction, self image, cultural influences and body image.

Kristi is the founder of Solutions in Parenting, is a Parent Educator, Parenting Consultant, Certified Mediator, licensed Marriage and Family psychotherapist and Clinical Staff at Riviera Therapy in Santa Barbara, California. She offers a distinctive form of parent education and psychotherapy, coupled with hands-on training for parents, individuals and their families. For more than two decades, she has been dedicated to a specialized form of parent education she developed which honors and encourages parents and helps them define and maintain their own personal styles. This, in turn, allows children and parents to thrive in a loving and collaborative environment.

She authored the book, Establishing Boundaries with Kids; A Parent’s Guide to Negotiating Limits and Improving Parent-Child Interactions, which is written for families, teachers, medical professionals, and mental health professionals to use as a reference guide for using positive parenting techniques with children.

In this episode, Dr. Jenn & Kristi have an open and lighthearted discussion about the following:

Culture influences on body hair grooming
Men vs. Women hair habits
Function vs. fashion of body hair
Fighting the good fight of aging (with hair)
Bias and communication regarding body hair

You can find Kristi at:

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, #111558 Tel: (805) 448-1223 Email: Kristi.M@RivieraTherapy.com

Solutions in Parenting

Riviera Therapy

Psychology Today

Do you have interest in unpacking your own relationship to body or sexuality? Contact Dr. Jenn for therapy. You can find out more or sign up at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pleasure Project⁠⁠⁠⁠. 💋

Non-Monogamy w/ Rebekah Lovejoy | Szn. 1 Ep.23 Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Jenn Kennedy sits down with Rebekah Lovejoy, Ph.D., AMFT, and they discuss all things non-monogamy. They dive into a lot of things people oftentimes want to know about but are afraid to ask.

Rebekah Lovejoy is an associate marriage and family therapist at Riviera Therapy with specialties in somatic psychology, LGBTQ+ populations, nonmonogamy, archetypal psychology, and mythopoetic modalities.

She works with an integrative, existential, humanistic approach that leverages mindfulness, somatic awareness, EMDR, the latest in trauma aware techniques, evidence based psychodynamic treatments, and a respect for the whole person.

In this episode, they discuss:

Defining consensual non-monogamy
Consensual non-monogamy vs. other types of polyamory
Contracting between parties
How LGBTQ+ populations differ
The intricacies and the necessity of deep communication both w/self and partner (s)
Family life and children
Navigating judgment
History of polyamory
Non-monogamy through a depth psychology lens
Book recommendations to get you started

If you’ve ever wanted more information or have been wanting to try non-monogamy, this episode is for you!

You can find Rebekah at:

http://rebekahlovejoytherapy.com

RivieraTherapy.com

Do you have interest in unpacking your own relationship to body or sexuality? Contact Dr. Jenn for therapy. There is also an upcoming⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pleasure Circle⁠⁠⁠⁠ offering. You can find out more or sign up at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pleasure Project⁠⁠⁠⁠. 💋

#podcast #sexuality #sexeducation #sextherapy #personalgrowth #education #therapy #sexualhealth #pleasureproject #feminism #couplescounseling #polyamory #consensualnonmonogamy #nonmonogamy #culture #depthpsychology #psychology

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