Private Parts Unknown: Sex & Love Around the World

Latest Episodes:

Samantha Allen Takes Us Across "Real Queer America" Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

For the 2nd episode of Private Parts Unknown, your favorite commuter companions – Courtney Kocak & Sofiya Alexandra – are thrilled to welcome Samantha Allen, author of the new book Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, as well as Love & Estrogen, & senior reporter for The Daily Beast.

First: Your bestie hosts are super excited to be back weekly, effective immediately. Our 1st Helsinki ep drops next week, so now we're looking ahead to upcoming destinations: namely, New York & Tokyo. In the meantime, we fell in love with Samantha Allen's new book, so we had to have her on the show.

Then: Samantha gives us a tour of the thriving LGBT communities in Middle America she discovered on her six-week road trip, which was the basis of Real Queer America. She (& her delightful wife, Corey!) shares how Trump was an unintended source of inspiration for the book, why more letters of the LGBT acronym hang out together in rural areas vs. the cliquey-ness of many urban queer hot spots, the beautiful connections that can be borne out of oppression & opposition, the impact of Mormonism on her gender identity & how her & Corey's love story began in the Kinsey Institute bookstacks!

For more Samantha Allen:

Buy Real Queer America + Love & Estrogen
Check out her website samanthaleighallen.com
Follow her on Twitter @SLAwrites

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soldiers of Pole Strippers' Union is Making it Rain Workers' Rights Feb 22, 2019

Show notes

For the 1st ever episode of Private Parts Unknown, your favorite commuter companions – Courtney Kocak & Sofiya Alexandra – are honored to welcome the badass stripper-activists – Antonia Crane, Domino Rey & Naomi Amadeo – behind the newly-formed California Exotic Dancers Union, Soldiers of Pole.

First: Your bestie hosts wax nostalgic about their recent trip to Helsinki, Finland. It was the best experience ever & we can't wait to share what we learned in future episodes, but for now, we just give you a lil taste. ;)

Then: The Soldiers of Pole give us the scoop on their brand-spankin' new strippers' union, how they all met, the Dynamex California Supreme Court case that confirmed their classification as employees vs. independent contractors, their supportive Strip Talk series, the impact of SESTA/FOSTA, how the stigma & shame surrounding sex work complicates the unionization effort, reports of exploitation by club owners from the front lines: forged paychecks, contracts that force dancers to sign away their rights, bribery, intimidation, retaliation & other classic union-busting techniques, tips from Antonia's recent MEL Magazine article "A Regulars' Guide to What Happens When Your Favorite Strip Club Unionizes" & of course, info on tonight's Wildcat Strippers' Strike outside Crazy Girls Hollywood!

***SUPPORT THE CALIFORNIA EXOTIC DANCERS UNION, SOLDIERS OF POLE, FOR THEIR WILDCAT STRIKE TONIGHT, FRIDAY 2/22, FROM 9PM-12AM OUTSIDE OF CRAZY GIRLS IN HOLLYWOOD.***

For more Soldiers of Pole:

website soldiersofpole.com
Instagram @soldiers.of.pole, @antoniacrane, @dominoinla & @naomi_amadeo

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laci Mosley on Southern Courtship, Eating Ass & Wondering if There's Anyone Out There for Her Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

For the 31st episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – is thrilled to welcome hilarious actress, improviser & comedian Laci Mosley.

First: The triad reveals that this is the very last episode ever of Reality Bytes... BUT Courtney & Sofiya will be back by Valentine's Day with an all-new show: Private Parts Unknown, for which we'll be traveling to uncover stories of love & sexuality around the world. Our 1st stop is Helsinki, Finland! Since DFR is in Coupletown, population 2, he's going to be holding down the fort in LA & checking in occasionally as our male correspondent.

Then: Laci has us in stitches as she explains how she knew it was time to leave NYC, the sad reality of colorism in LA dating, her penchant for scamming, the Fyre Festival documentaries, her dating app experiences on Bumble & Raya (where you at, Ben Affleck?!), her budding bisexuality, the eating ass trend, the single person’s fear that maybe there’s no one out there for them, Tyler Perry’s archetype of a strong black woman, Southern courtship, what’s going down in her DMs (P.S. it’s a little bit scary), the stage of singlehood where you fantasize whole romantic relationships with acquaintances, dating someone with the same name as her for material & why it's hard to decide if she wants to be half of a power couple or an alpha monolith with an adoring beta.

For more Laci Mosley:

See her perform at UCB LA – she's on Leroy for Harold Night & MAMA for Maude Night
Follow her on Instagram @divalaci
Follow her on Twitter @divalaci

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brittani Louise Taylor Met Her Fiancé on Tinder & Then Slowly Discovered He Was an Abusive Con Man Jan 14, 2019

Show notes

For the 30th episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – is down a Dave, but nonetheless thrilled to welcome Brittani Louise Taylor, YouTube star & author of the new book A Sucky Love Story: Overcoming Unhappily Ever After.

First: Courtney & Sofiya reflect on their past experiences in toxic & abusive relationships.

Then: Brittani delves into the real-life romance that inspired the book – meeting on Tinder, losing her virginity (in her early 30s), getting pregnant, navigating life as a new mom, winding up in debt & out $100K... then finding out her fiancé is a complete con artist. She emphasizes the importance of looking out for red flags & trusting your gut when things feel wrong. She also shares her advice on when & how to leave an abusive relationship, why it’s important to document instances of abuse, the insidiousness of mental & emotional abuse & how she discovered the deception of her (now former) partner & baby daddy. Plus, we loved her stories about finding strength in her mom & her adorable son Rex. For more Brittani Louise Taylor:

Buy A Sucky Love Story: Overcoming Unhappily Ever After
Check out her YouTube channel
Follow her on Twitter @brittanitaylor
Follow her on Instagram @brittanilouisetaylorpics

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Evans on IG Thirst-Trapping, Pro-Wrestling & How to Perform a Magick Masturbation Sigil Jan 07, 2019

Show notes

For the 29th episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – is thrilled to welcome Rachel Sam Evans, Snarled senior content manager & host of Dark 5, as well as co-host of the Best of the Rest wrestling podcast.

First: The triad is hella sprung on Rachel's conspiracy theory/pro-wrestling/satanism/masturbation energy/carnival vibe, so we just get right into the interview.

Then: We get into Rachel's latest Instagram post of her beautiful ass, putting out BDE on IG, the benefits & drawbacks of thirst-trapping (there should only be benefits!), subtle ways women can be held back professionally because of social optics or a wife's jealousy, developing before her classmates, getting her period at age 9, her 1st time masturbating, the ring rat & chuckle fucker labels, her type (FREAKS, BABY!!!), her 1st job at Noise Haus, sneaking out of the house to have sex as teenager, her very cool mom who will 100% listen to the podcast (hi, Aunt Vicky!), tryna date French boys, comedians vs. wrestlers, the dope ass indie wrestling scene in Los Angeles, Satanism (it doesn't mean what you think it does) & how to perform your very own magick masturbation sigil. For more Rachel Evans:

Watch her show Dark 5 on Snarled
Listen to her podcast Best of the Rest
Follow her on Instagram @rachelsamevans
Follow her on Twitter @rachelsamevans

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Year's Eve Special: 2018 Year in Review & 2019 Resolutions Dec 31, 2018

Show notes

For the 28th episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – does their 1st foray into guestlessness (don't worry, we'll be back with a guest next ep!) to review the personal & professional strides each has made over the past year, along with some goals for 2019.

Among the revelations: Dave (finally!) has a girlfriend, Sofiya gives her best surrogate update yet & Courtney's rejection resolution was a big success.

We also talk about our favorite interviews of the season: Michael Feldman & Michael Rachlis, Reza Aslan & Jessica Jackley, Greg Behrendt & Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt, Ryan Singer, Ester Steinberg, Biniam Bizuneh, Jack O'Brien & Miles Gray of The Daily Zeitgeist... gah, all of our guests have been so amazing, it's really hard to choose! For more Reality Bytes:

Follow Reality Bytes on Instagram @realitybytespod
Follow Reality Bytes on Twitter @realitybytespod
Like Reality Bytes on Facebook @realitybytespod
Follow Courtney on Instagram @courtneykocak
Follow Courtney on Twitter @courtneykocak
Follow Sofiya on Instagram @thesofiya
Follow Sofiya on Twitter @thesofiya
Follow Dave on Instagram @ddranks
Follow Dave on Twitter @saysdaverankin

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Fine of Dame Products on Marriage, Nonmonogamy & Running a Sex Toy Company During the #MeToo Movement Dec 17, 2018

Show notes

For the 27th episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – is down a Dave, but nonetheless thrilled to welcome Alexandra Fine, the co-founder & CEO of Dame Products, a Brooklyn-based sex toy company.

First: Inspired by reading "5 Sex Trends You Totally Don't Have to Like (or Even Try!)" on Dame's aptly-titled blog "The Horizontal," Courtney & Sofiya unpack their personal preferences for five different sex trends – anal sex; threesomes, group sex, polyamory & other sorts of open relationships; intense stimulation (DOUBLE YES!!); shower sex; BDSM & heavy kink play.

Then: Alex fills us in on Dame's origin story & her trajectory into the women's pleasure profession. We also talk about conversations surrounding sex in the workplace during the #MeToo movement when sex IS your business, sexual harassment vs. humans are innately sexual beings, advertising's gender bias, marriage, the necessary work of cultivating the erotic energy in a long-term relationship, our natural addiction to newness, nonmonogamy, terminology to better explain & explore modes of pleasure (orbiting, layering, edging & grounding – thanks OMGYes!) & the company's Kickstarter success.

This episode is brought to you by Dame Products. Visit dameproducts.com & use code REALITY to save $10 off your order! For more Alex Fine:

Follow Alex on Instagram @afinehuman
Follow Alex on Twitter @afinehuman
Follow Dame Products on Instagram @dameproducts
Follow Dame Products on Twitter @dameproducts

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kudzi & Tiffany of Love in Limboland on LA Dating Horror Stories & How to Keep the Momentum Going Without Wasting a Ton of Time Texting Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

For the 26th episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – is thrilled to welcome the hosts of the Love in Limboland podcast Kudzi & Tiffany.

First: The triad discusses our tendencies to stay friends with exes vs. banishing them to the dark side of the moon. We also talk about jealousy & the chillness that comes from being secure in your relationship.

Then: We get into it with Kudzi & Tiffany about cultural differences between South Africa & the United States, the contrasting tone of race relations in both places, living in the bubble of Los Angeles, being work friends before starting their podcast, bringing a date to the holiday party gone wrong, Watergate: The Great Manners vs. Independent Woman Debate, who should pay for the 1st date, being bad a texting as a dating dealbreaker, how to keep the momentum going without wasting a ton of time texting, the importance of taking it offline as soon as possible, qualities they're each looking for in a potential partner, how long it takes to feel comfortable being vulnerable in a relationship, the riskiness of saying 'I love you' 1st, finding the right crazy-stable ratio in relationship dynamics, dating multiple people & their LA dating horror stories. For more Kudzi & Tiffany:

Listen to their podcast Love in Limboland (Courtney's on the latest ep!)
Follow Love in Limboland on Instagram @loveinlimboland
Follow Kudzi on Instagram @iamkudzi
Follow Tiffany on Instagram @tiffstips

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Singer on Overcoming His Fear of Intimacy, Male/Female Friendship & His New Album "Free Love" Dec 10, 2018

Show notes

For the 25th episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – is thrilled to welcome standup comedian & host of the Me & Paranormal You podcast Ryan Singer to talk about his new comedy album Free Love (now available for free!!!).

First: The triad talks about that super annoying phenomenon where neurotic people (aka us) will take a little offhand comment someone makes & blow it completely out-of-proportion in their minds.

Then: Ryan shares why he calls his podcast a mindcast (thus inspiring us to start calling Reality Bytes a genitalcast), his experience with a lowkey STD called Molluscum (whaddya know, Dave's also had Molluscum!), how he's overcoming his fear of intimacy & abandonment issues, his foray into a serious relationship for the 1st time in seven years, how to stay friends with exes & former hookups, why our society's weird POV on male/female friendship is so wack, a hot tip for younger men, the difference between dark mystery vs. fun mystery, why The Notebook is actually a fucked up standard for romance, the real-life implications of depicting women characters as nagging bitches in film & TV, the dangerous impact of social media & dating apps on social skills when it comes to dating & relationships, exhibitionism as a kink & how he got kicked off Tinder. For more Ryan Singer:

Download his comedy album Free Love (for free!)
Listen to his podcast Me & Paranormal You
Follow him on Twitter @rysing
Follow him on Instagram @rysing

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Krista Williams & Lindsey Simcik of Almost 30 on Reframing Infidelity & Sexual Harassment & the Keys to a Successful Partnership Dec 03, 2018

Show notes

For the 24th episode of season 4, your fearless triad – Courtney Kocak, Sofiya Alexandra & Dave Rankin – is thrilled to welcome the hosts of the Almost 30 podcast Krista Williams & Lindsey Simcik.

First: The triad got a very poignant, special message from a fan this week (thank YOU, you know who you are). We talk about feeling lost, the journey of finding oneself again, and the church of Cheryl Strayed (praise be!).

Then: Krista & Lindsey share their most impactful Almost 30 interviews to date (hello, Dan Savage & John Wineland), a more sympathetic way to think about infidelity, what it's like to change at different rates within a relationship, the excitement & fear of having babies, the influence of their parents' relationships on their own, how they reframe sexual harassment & #MeToo-type situations without adding shame, the stifling effect of outrage culture, how they knew right away their connection was special, what it's like to work together & the keys to a successful partnership.

This episode is brought to you by Ritual vitamins. Check out ritual.com/reality to try Ritual – happiness guaranteed, or your 1st month's on them! For more Krista Williams & Linsey Simcik:

Listen to their podcast Almost 30
Follow Almost 30 on Instagram @almost30podcast
Follow Krista on Instagram @hundredblog
Follow Lindsey on Instagram @lindseysimcik

If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating & sexy review! xo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Private Parts Unknown: Sex & Love Around the World

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected