Lust in Translation

We’re back with our second Quickie to unpack The Cut’s viral piece “My Husband Has No Friends” and what it reveals about male loneliness, emotional intimacy, “man-keeping,” the mental load in marriage, friendship after kids, individuality in long-term relationships, the desire gap, and why a partner can’t be your everything.

I am joined by Birna Gustafsson, as we bring in different perspectives from Iceland, Brazil and the US to this topic.

Are you a husband with no friends? What have you found to be the most difficult part and what would help you seek friendship again? Are you a wife who manages your husband’s social life, or at least tries to get him out there? How has this impacted your relationship? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!

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Spice things up and deepen your connection with my Wonderlust Intimacy Card Deck: 10% off with code LUST athttps://wonderlust.co

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Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Follow Birna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbirna/

Work with Birna: http://birna.net

You want your partner. You’re attracted to them. So why does initiating sex feel like a task you can’t start?

Natassia sits down with clinical sexologist, licensed psychotherapist, and ADHD sex and relationship researcher Dr. Leann Borneman, LCSW, CST, to unpack ADHD, executive function, desire, initiation, sensory sensitivity, perimenopause, responsive desire, kink, and what she calls “erotic accommodations.”

Misdiagnosed as bipolar as a kid and only diagnosed with ADHD as an adult through her daughter’s evaluation, Leann went on to produce the first doctoral research on ADHD and BDSM in heterosexual women, and she speaks here as both a clinician and a woman living it.

They explore why sex and desire need executive function to access, why so much standard desire advice falls flat for ADHD brains, and why Leann has a love-hate relationship with scheduling sex. This conversation reframes distraction, delays, and “sex paralysis” as barriers you can map, not proof that something is wrong with you.

Whether you have ADHD, love someone who does, or have ever felt your desire disappear somewhere between wanting and doing, this episode will give you language you didn’t know you were missing.

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Spice things up and deepen your connection with my Wonderlust Intimacy Card Deck: 10% off with code LUST at https://wonderlust.co

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/%E2%81%A0https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Work with Leann:https://www.bornemancoaching.com/

Follow Leann on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/drb_unfiltered/

Listen to her podcast, ADHD Realities:https://www.youtube.com/@ADHDRealities

Read her Substack:https://drleannborneman.substack.com/

Welcome to our first Quickie! These are shorter segments of what’s in the news on sex and relationships, and this week we are covering the Kinsey Institute and Playboy's new study on the Gen Z "sex recession," hookup culture, financial stress and dating, #MeToo's unintended lessons, SSRIs and desire, celibacy as a status symbol, loneliness influencers, post-Roe caution, and Olivia Wilde's new film I Want Your Sex.

I am joined by Birna Gustafsson, whose episode 11 on Season 1 was a big hit!

If you've ever worried about the young people in your life, or wondered whether a sex recession is even a bad thing, this one will change how you read the headlines.

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Spice things up and deepen your connection with my Wonderlust Intimacy Card Deck: 10% off with code LUST athttps://wonderlust.co

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Follow Birna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbirna/

Work with Birna: http://birna.net

Why does he reach for you at night when he barely spoke to you all day? And why does your "not tonight" feel to him like the door closing?

Natassia sits down with licensed marriage and family therapistGeorge Faller, founder of the New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy and co-author of Brave Love, Great Sex. George is a former FDNY lieutenant who became a couples therapist after 9/11, when nobody else in the room wanted to work with the firefighter couples. He's also the first man on the podcast.

Together they unpack attachment styles, the pursuer–withdrawer cycle, emotionally focused therapy, "criss-cross" couples, male desire, low libido, the mental load, repair after conflict, triggers, co-regulation, scheduling sex, and why "vulnerability" is the wrong word to use with men.

They explore why so many couples swap roles between the living room and the bedroom—she pursues the conversation, he pursues the touch, and each becomes the other the moment they're rejected.

From the fight that starts in less than a tenth of a second to the therapy advice George says sets men up to fail, this conversation makes the case that men's sexual pursuit isn't "just" about orgasm, that low desire is usually a relationship problem rather than a body problem, and that sex doesn't only follow love—it builds it.

Whether you're the one who pulls away, the one who pushes, or a couple who's stopped having sex altogether, this episode gives you the map for seeing the cycle—and getting out of it together.

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Spice things up and deepen your connection with my Wonderlust Intimacy Card Deck: 10% off with code LUST at https://wonderlust.co

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/%E2%81%A0https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Buy Brave Love, Great Sex by George Faller and Dr. Laurie Watson: https://amzn.to/4y05iP1

Work with George:https://georgefaller.com

Follow George on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fallergeorge/

What's the first thing to go when a relationship starts to fall apart?

Natassia sits down with Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist Liliana Doyon, LMFT, President of the New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy, to unpack keeping the peace, self-abandonment, the pursue-withdraw cycle, attachment styles, repair after conflict, resentment, caretaking and "emotional foreplay," and what actually happens in the room when couples get stuck in the same fight.

Liliana is also a first-generation Mexican American who integrates curanderismo — cacao ceremony, sound baths, and limpias — into evidence-based couples work.

They explore why "let's talk about it later" is where repair dies, why the first thing to go in a relationship is sex, and why the accommodating partner ends up unseen and unheard.

Whether you're the one who pushes to talk, the one who walks away, or the one who has stopped bringing things up at all, this episode may change how you hear your partner and yourself.

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Spice things up and deepen your connection with my Wonderlust Intimacy Card Deck: 10% off with code LUST athttps://wonderlust.co

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/%E2%81%A0https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Work with Liliana Doyon: https://www.lilianadoyon.com/

Follow Liliana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilianadoyon/

Why do you love the way you love?

Natassia sits down with Gaby Balsells, a Clinical Psychologist licensed in Guatemala, relationship coach, and author of Dating 101https://www.modernintimacy.com/therapist/gaby-balsells/to unpack attachment styles, secure vs. anxious vs. avoidant attachment, dating after divorce, honesty vs. transparency, shape-shifting in relationships, raw spots vs. core wounds, the three types of sex, aftercare, and what actually makes desire feel safe.

Trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy and a board member of the New York Center for EFT, Gaby wrote her dating book while walking through her own divorce after a ten-year relationship, and she's candid about the mistakes she made on dates that she would have flagged in her own clients.

From why no one can be truly secure in dating to why sex with the wrong person can feel so good, this conversation reframes attachment not as a label you're stuck with but as a pattern you can rewire. Gaby also makes the case that dating isn't a numbers game, it's an energy game.

Whether you're anxious on the apps, in a marriage that still feels stuck, or trying to understand why the same fight keeps happening, this episode will help you see the pattern underneath it.

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If it takes you a while to get in the mood, your body may just need a different kind of stimulation, which is exactly why I love Aura by Mila: find out what works for you athttps://heymila.co/lust.

Couples who talk about sex have better sex, so I created the Wonderlust Intimacy Card Deck to make that conversation fun and easy: get 10% off with code LUST athttps://wonderlust.co.

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Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Work with Gaby Balsells (free 30-minute consultation):https://www.modernintimacy.com/therapist/gaby-balsells/

Follow Gaby on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gabybalsells/

Read Gaby's book, Dating 101:https://www.amazon.com/Dating-101-Guide-Finding-Love/dp/B0DG297LYWhttps://amzn.to/3TeYcHYhttps://www.amazon.com/Dating-101-Guide-Finding-Love/dp/B0DG297LYW

What if most of what we get wrong about sex — in the bedroom, the doctor's office, and the comments section — starts with asking the wrong questions?

In this candid, wide-ranging episode, Natassia sits down with sex educator and public health advocateBirna Gustafsson, who teaches at Harvard Sex Week and instructs nurses and midwives in sexuality in clinical practice at the University of Iceland, to unpack consent beyond the checklist, sex and disability, desire and frequency myths, sexual communication, oral sex, enthusiasm versus technique, queer pleasure, the viral "real eater" phenomenon, and the sex ed most of us never got.

From the ER case studies she teaches — the ones nursing school never prepares you for — to the sold-out BJ class and the oral pleasure workshop men refuse to attend, to the TikTok trend Playboy interviewed her about, Birna makes the case that the measure of a good sex life was never what you're doing or how often. It's how you feel about it. And that enthusiasm — real, embodied attraction to the moment — beats technique every time.

Whether you're the one asking the questions (as a partner, a parent, or a practitioner) or the one who's never had the words to answer them, this conversation will change how you talk about sex.

In this episode:

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Why "how often do you have sex?" is the wrong question — and what to ask instead

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The consent conversations nobody prepares you for: Alzheimer's, disability, and the patients medicine forgets

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The class men refuse to take, and what it says about gendered scripts

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Why enthusiasm beats technique — and whether it can be taught

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What "real eaters" are, why women are raising the bar, and how to spot the fakes

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Why the performance IS the experience in queer sex — and what everyone else can learn from it

Follow Birna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbirna/

Visit her website: https://birna.net

Subscribe to her new platform, Explicit Studies: https://explicitstudies.substack.com

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As a sexologist, I'm picky about the products I recommend, and LBDO has become one of the brands I trust both personally and professionally. On my solo nights, I reach for Rush, their air-pulse stimulator that's soft, intuitive, and elegant enough to live on your nightstand. And with my husband, we bring in Loop, LBDO's vibrating ring that adds a warm hum of pleasure for both of us. Upgrade your solo and partnered rituals athttps://us.lbdo.com/discount/LUST15 and use code LUST15 at checkout for 15% off.

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Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠http://lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

What happens after the healing? Therapists are trained to treat trauma. Almost none of them are trained for what survivors actually need next: a passionate, embodied, erotic life.

In this episode, Natassia sits down with Dr. Holly Richmond — somatic psychotherapist, sex therapist, and author of Reclaiming Pleasure — to explore the gap nobody talks about. Holly shares her own story of a decade-long sexless marriage, the moment eroticism cracked her open, and the three-step clinical framework she's spent her career building for women who want to reclaim desire on the other side of trauma.

They get into why the body expresses trauma rather than stores it (and what that means for healing), the surprising fantasies survivors often develop and why they make complete psychological sense, why safety and comfort are not the same thing — and why confusing them quietly kills desire in long-term relationships. Plus: the prescription for day sex, what self-pleasure and masturbation actually have to do with each other, and why "I don't care if I ever have sex again" is never the end of the story.

This one is for anyone who has ever felt shut down, disconnected from their body, or quietly wondered if desire is gone for good. It isn't.

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Rebuilding your relationship with pleasure starts with tools that feel good to reach for. Explore LBDO's beautifully designed intimacy essentials at lbdo.com — use code LUST15 for 15% off.

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Dr. Holly Richmond’s website: https://drhollyrichmond.com/

Dr. Holly Richmond’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drhollyrichmond

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Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

We grow up believing desire is supposed to arrive on its own — instant, spontaneous, the way it looks in the movies. So when it doesn't, we quietly wonder what's wrong with us.

This week, I sit down with Rachel Baker, founder of the Australian sexual wellness brand LBDO, to take that myth apart. Rachel started LBDO after a fluorescent-lit sex-shop experience left her thinking there has to be a better way — and after losing her mother and leaving a career at L'Oréal, she built it.

We get into the difference between spontaneous and responsive desire (and why "I'm never in the mood" almost never means something is broken), the brakes and accelerators that quietly run your libido, and why the "I'm addicted to my vibrator" fear is a myth. We also talk honestly about libido in pregnancy and grief, how to actually talk to a partner about sex, the censorship battles facing women's pleasure online, and why the most beautiful thing you can do is stop hiding it in a drawer.

Whether your desire has gone quiet or you just want to understand your body better, this one will leave you feeling a lot less alone — and a lot less broken.

Explore LBDO at lbdo.com — use code LUST15 for 15% off.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:40 Why sex shops are built to embarrass you

01:20 The first-vibrator story that sparked a brand

03:46 Fear-based vs pleasure-based sex education

06:41 Losing her mom & building a "safe space"

07:17 How to actually talk to kids about sex

09:29 The L'Oréal insight behind LBDO

10:46 Launching a sexual wellness brand in lockdown

16:18 Who's really buying (teens to women in their 70s)

17:15 The customer review that brought Rachel to tears

18:14 Why communication is lubrication

19:17 Where does libido go in pregnancy?

20:17 Responsive vs spontaneous desire (you're not broken)

21:35 Brakes & accelerators: the dual control model

23:50 Turn-ons, turn-offs & why stress kills desire

26:20 The clitoris, anatomy & designing for pleasure

27:52 Why Rush took 3 years to design

29:09 The hotel housekeeping story

30:32 Will a suction toy desensitize you?

32:02 The "vibrator addiction" myth, debunked

33:57 Vibrator vs suction toy: the real difference

35:50 Bringing toys into a relationship

37:30 Selfridges, Bloomingdale's & pinch-me moments

39:11 The censorship war on women's pleasure

41:27 Viagra is fine, but "clitoris" gets flagged?

42:40 Keeping desire alive while working with your husband

45:33 Pregnancy, pelvic floor & getting honest

47:05 An orgasm a day: the health benefits of pleasure
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Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Your desires aren't proof that something's wrong with you. They're information about a deeper emotional need, and the path to a fulfilling erotic life is understanding the feeling underneath the act, releasing the shame around it, and learning to communicate it.

This week I'm joined by Amanda Dames, aka The Kink Consultant — sexologist, Somatica Certified Sex and Relationship Coach, and former NYC Dominatrix who once lived a double life: working at the Wall Street Journal by day and running sessions in a New York City dungeon by night. Amanda has spent years in the room with people's most private fantasies, and what she's learned quietly dismantles almost everything we're taught about desire.

Because underneath even the most surprising kink is something deeply human: a need to be seen, to surrender, to feel wanted, to feel safe. The act is just the packaging.

As Amanda puts it: no one is broken. The work was never about fixing your desire; it's about decoding the feeling underneath it, releasing the shame, and learning to say it out loud.

We get into the psychology of what powerful men secretly crave, why pain can register as pleasure, how politics shapes our fantasies, and the real reason desire fades in long-term relationships. And if there's a desire you've never had the words for, or a conversation you've been too nervous to start with your partner, this episode is a map for both.

Whatever you want, you're allowed to want it. Let's decode it together.

In this episode:

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Why "no one is broken" — and where our desires actually come from

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The real difference between a kink and a fetish

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What powerful, high-achieving men are really seeking when they surrender

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How shame (not the kink itself) is the thing standing in your way

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Why desire fades in long-term love — and the "build a bridge" framework to bring it back

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How to name a desire you've never had words for, and bring it to your partner without the cringe

Chapters

00:00 — Intro

01:00 — Realizing she was kinky at five

04:00 — Kink vs. fetish, and why no one is broken

06:30 — How "the status quo" decides what's kinky

07:30 — Cuckolding vs. hot-wifing: same act, opposite headspace

09:00 — How politics shapes our fantasies

11:00 — The double life: Wall Street Journal by day, dungeon by night

14:00 — What a dominatrix actually does (it's not what you think)

15:00 — The powerful men who had everything but one thing

18:00 — "My desire is to be punished" — why desire doesn't have to make sense

25:00 — What every client really wanted: to be seen

28:00 — Safe words, consent, and the session that still haunts her

35:00 — Losing it all in one month — and rebuilding

40:00 — Dating in line with your desires (+ the genius Hinge trick)

45:00 — Building a bridge: keeping kink alive in a marriage

47:00 — The mental load that's quietly killing your sex life

57:00 — How to bring up your kink with your partner

01:01:00 — What to understand before you live out any fantasy

Work with Amanda Dames: https://www.amandadames.com/

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_kinkconsultant/

It’s really hard to feel sexy when your vagina feels off. If you’re bracing for irritation, infections, or yet another post‑sex UTI, it’s almost impossible to stay present in the bedroom.

Momotaro Apotheca offers organic solutions that Natassia uses everyday to take care of her intimate health—from their soothing balm, Salve, to their UTI supplement, probiotic, and yeast infection suppository.

Build your own ritual at https://momotaroapotheca.com/discount/lust and get 20% off with code LUST.

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠http://lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Juliette LaMontagne did everything right — the husband, the kids, the career. Behind the scenes, her 25-year marriage was unraveling: codependency, her husband's relapse after decades of sobriety, and a separation she believed was the end.

Then came an unexpected second chance, and an unconventional path back to desire.

In this episode, the writer behind the serial memoir Touch Me There (now being adapted for television) shares how she rebuilt her marriage and her erotic self from the ground up: psychedelic-assisted therapy, s*xological bodywork, the Wheel of Consent, and the radical accountability that changed how she and her husband connect—in and out of the bedroom.

Read Juliette's serial memoir, Touch Me There: https://juliettelamontagne.substack.com/

00:00 – Introducing Juliette Lamontagne

01:22 – The life that looked perfect

06:23 – Marriage, addiction, and collapse

09:35 – Separation and a turning point

18:28 – Reuniting during Covid

19:32 – Discovering k-assisted therapy

23:37 – Remission versus recovery

26:35 – Releasing shame

31:11 – Psychedelic couples therapy

39:00 – Enter s*xological bodywork

44:18 – Breathwork and awakening desire

46:10 – Vulva mapping and de-armouring

51:28 – Understanding org*smic meditation

63:05 – The Wheel of Consent explained

65:04 – Relearning touch with her husband

69:00 – The power of taking and allowing

72:33 – Rebuilding erotic connection

78:52 – The all-women s*x retreat

82:49 – First experience with shibari

85:11 – Why surrender is so difficult

88:21 – The meaning behind Touch Me There

90:43 – Where to find Juliette’s work

It’s really hard to feel sexy when your vagina feels off. If you’re bracing for irritation, infections, or yet another post‑sex UTI, it’s almost impossible to stay present in the bedroom. Momotaro Apotheca offers organic solutions that Natassia uses everyday to take care of her intimate health—from their soothing balm, Salve, to their UTI supplement, probiotic, and yeast infection suppository. Build your own ritual at https://momotaroapotheca.com/discount/lust and get 20% off with code LUST.

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠http://lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

The creators of the hit live comedy show Ask a Fuckboy pull back the curtain on modern dating, relationship psychology, and the chaotic behavior that keeps singles questioning everything. From ghosting, breadcrumbing, and love bombing to dating app burnout and the myth of “if he wanted to, he would,” the conversation blends sharp humor with surprisingly honest insights about attachment styles, communication, and finding lasting love.

Andie Popova and Val Parker share the real-life dating disasters that inspired their sold-out comedy phenomenon, including outrageous stories of serial daters, shared toothbrush scandals, and the unexpected lessons they've learned from analyzing thousands of dating experiences. Whether you're navigating Hinge, recovering from a situationship, or wondering why dating feels harder than ever, this episode offers a funny, relatable, and thought-provoking look at how people connect, sabotage themselves, and ultimately find the right partner.

00:00 – Pre-show setup and dating banter

03:18 – The origin of Ask a Fuckboy Comedy Show

05:57 – Why fuckboys do what they do

07:47 – Can women be fuckboys too?

08:23 – The psychology of the chase

11:52 – Two opposite dating strategies

14:39 – Why people hate dating

17:09 – How to survive dating apps

19:57 – You can’t say the wrong thing to the right person

20:50 – The wildest Ask a Fuckboy stories

22:31 – The different types of fuckboys

24:30 – Love bombing versus real connection

25:25 – Manifesting the right partner

26:24 – Dating a self-described fuckboy

29:30 – Can a fuckboy change?

31:29 – The role of friends in dating behavior

32:50 – Hot takes: coffee dates

35:51 – FaceTime first dates

37:09 – Catfishing, height lies, and profile photos

38:22 – Aspirational dating and punching above your weight

39:47 – When a partner won't take the next step

44:00 – Marriage, commitment, and relationship timing

50:00 – Dating myths and audience questions

57:00 – Final dating lessons and closing thoughts

Buy tickets to watch Ask a Fuckboy live: https://www.askafuckboy.com/

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askafuckboy/

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It’s really hard to feel sexy when your vagina feels off. If you’re bracing for irritation, infections, or yet another post‑sex UTI, it’s almost impossible to stay present in the bedroom. Momotaro Apotheca offers organic solutions that Natassia uses everyday to take care of her intimate health—from their soothing balm, Salve, to their UTI supplement, probiotic, and yeast infection suppository.

Build your own ritual at https://momotaroapotheca.com/discount/lust and get 20% off with code LUST.

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠http://lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Why are women's health issues often brushed off as “just part of aging”?

In this eye-opening episode, Natassia sits down with board-certified family nurse practitioner, women's longevity and sexual medicine expert Jackie Giannelli to unpack the truth about perimenopause, menopause, libido, hormone replacement therapy, GLP-1 medications, hair loss, testosterone, vaginal estrogen, peptides, and sexual wellness. They explore why so many women feel dismissed when experiencing brain fog, fatigue, low desire, anxiety, and disrupted sleep and what can actually be done about it.

From the controversy surrounding hormone therapy and breast cancer fears to the surprising effects of GLP-1 medications on libido and pleasure, this conversation challenges outdated medical narratives and offers practical insights for women who want to reclaim their vitality, confidence, relationships, and long-term health. If you've ever wondered whether feeling “flat” is normal, this episode may change the way you think about aging and wellness.

00:00 – Welcome and introduction

01:15 – Why women feel dismissed by healthcare

02:58 – The first signs of perimenopause

05:25 – Sleep, libido, brain fog, and hormone decline

06:25 – Normal vs. optimal hormone levels

09:41 – Medical gaslighting and menopause care

11:32 – When hormones aren't the whole story

13:05 – Testosterone therapy for women

15:03 – Understanding estrogen, progesterone, and hormone balance

17:28 – Bioidentical vs. synthetic hormones

19:19 – The Women's Health Initiative controversy

22:04 – Breast cancer fears and hormone therapy

24:52 – Feeling flat, dopamine, and SSRIs

26:10 – GLP-1 medications and sexual side effects

29:20 – Combining hormones with GLP-1 treatment

32:08 – Long-term concerns about GLP-1 medications

36:12 – Hair loss, hormones, and weight loss drugs

41:37 – Peptides explained

44:01 – The peptide regulation gray area

46:00 – PT-141, Addyi, and female libido treatments

51:16 – Why vaginal estrogen is underused

54:13 – Designing a home for intimacy and connection

57:08 – The science of music and arousal

59:00 – Closing thoughts

Follow Jackie Giannelli on Instagram

On this note: It’s really hard to feel sexy when your vagina feels off. If you’re bracing for irritation, infections, or yet another post‑sex UTI, it’s almost impossible to stay present in the bedroom. Momotaro Apotheca offers organic solutions that Natassia uses everyday to take care of her intimate health—from their soothing balm, Salve, to their UTI supplement, probiotic, and yeast infection suppository. Build your own ritual at https://momotaroapotheca.com/discount/lust and get 20% off with code LUST.

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠http://lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

What if your “low libido” is actually a lack of imagination?

In this episode, Natassia sits down with writer Carly Pifer, founder of literary erotica platform Aurore, to explore what women really want, how responsive desire styles get turned on by storytelling and why reading erotica is such an effective form of low-pressure foreplay.

Carly shares the real‑life experiences that inspired her crowdsourced erotica platform—from interviewing strangers about their intimate lives in bars and going on Tinder “research dates” across Europe to rewriting painful relationships through erotic fiction and helping women feel less ashamed of what turns them on.

For the past two years, Natassia has been an avid reader of Aurore’s stories and loves how it offers a playful way to sample different scenarios, learn what actually lights you up (and what doesn’t), and bring those discoveries back into your own sex life. If you’re curious, use code NATASSIA to get 10% off your subscription at http://readaurore.com.

00:00 – Why women connect more with erotica than porn

02:00 – Responsive desire vs spontaneous desire

04:18 – Erotica as a place you go mentally

05:25 – Writing through body image insecurities

08:16 – Turning insecurity into eroticism

09:39 – Building Aurore and crowdsourced erotica

10:30 – Why romance novels don’t work for everyone

12:02 – Feeling emotionally safe during sex

13:32 – The rise of “real eaters”

15:44 – Interviewing strangers about sex in bars

18:21 – What people secretly reveal about intimacy

20:03 – Bathroom habits and relationship comfort

22:09 – Pubic hair trends and attraction

24:34 – Tinder dates across Europe

27:12 – Why men struggle to talk about intimacy

28:55 – Two Frenchmen in Paris story

32:12 – Why sex gets better with age

33:35 – Writing erotica as emotional healing

35:01 – Men learning oral sex from lesbian stories

36:25 – What women actually want sexually

37:18 – Fantasies as clues to your deeper desires

39:16 – Using erotica to communicate with partners

41:10 – How to start talking about fantasies

43:45 – Why sexual coaching matters

44:16 – Making quickies hotter through fantasy

45:16 – Love Is Blind and relationship psychology

46:43 – The rebellious origins of Aurore

48:05 – Straight men writing erotica

50:15 – The jeans story and male desire

51:10 – Why threesomes dominate fantasies

53:09 – Female gaze, dick pics, and visual desire

55:14 – Writing erotica to heal sexual trauma

56:34 – Understanding consensual non-consent fantasies

59:10 – Rewriting trauma through fantasy

01:01:06 – A powerful body acceptance writing exercise

01:02:22 – Final thoughts and where to find Carly

It’s really hard to feel sexy when your vagina feels off. If you’re bracing for irritation, infections, or yet another post‑sex UTI, it’s almost impossible to stay present in the bedroom. Momotaro Apotheca offers organic solutions that Natassia uses everyday to take care of her intimate health—from their soothing balm, Salve, to their UTI supplement, probiotic, and yeast infection suppository. Build your own ritual at https://momotaroapotheca.com/discount/lust and get 20% off with code LUST.

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Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠http://lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

Let’s be honest: it’s really hard to feel sexy when your vagina feels off. If you’re bracing for irritation, infections, or yet another post‑sex UTI, it’s almost impossible to stay present in the bedroom.

In this episode, I sit down with vulvovaginal wellness founder Lindsay Wynn of Momotaro Apotheca for what is essentially Vaginal Health 101—a crash course on UTIs, yeast infections, pH balance, the vaginal microbiome, and why so many of us were never taught how any of this actually works.

We break down the basics in plain language while also talking about the emotional side—shame, anxiety, and that constant low‑grade fear that something is “wrong” with you.

You’ll also hear how Lindsay’s own nightmare cycle of recurrent infections pushed her to create the products she couldn’t find: organic salves, suppositories, probiotics, and UTI‑support supplements designed to soothe symptoms, protect the microbiome, and help you feel good in—and about—your body again.

Think of this as your bedside‑table guide to feeling more comfortable, more informed, and more confident the next time you get naked with someone, including yourself.

Curious to learn more about Momotaro Apotheca? It’s the organic solution that actually works, and I use it everyday. From their soothing balm, Salve, to UTI Supplement, Probiotic, and Yeast Infection Suppository, they have you covered.

Build your own ritual at https://momotaroapotheca.com/discount/lust and get 20% off with code LUST.

Guide to 10 vagina smells and what that means about your intimate health: https://momotaroapotheca.com/blogs/vaginal-wellness/vaginal-scents-odors

00:00 – Meet the founder & origin story

02:00 – The wilderness mistake that changed everything

04:30 – How infections spiral out of control

06:30 – The science behind vaginal health & bacteria

08:30 – Why traditional treatments don’t always work

11:30 – Discovering natural and antimicrobial solutions

14:30 – Building a wellness brand from scratch

16:00 – Daily rituals and preventative care

18:30 – Products that actually work (and why)

21:30 – Shocking gaps in sex education

24:00 – What we were never taught about our bodies

26:30 – What’s “normal” when it comes to smell & pH

29:00 – How to talk to a partner about intimacy issues

32:00 – Overcoming shame and stigma

34:00 – Gen Z, sex, and changing cultural norms

38:00 – Relationships, pleasure, and the orgasm gap

43:00 – Expanding the product line & business growth

46:00 – Supplements, probiotics, and what matters

49:00 – Holistic approach to vaginal health

52:00 – Practical tips to prevent infections

56:00 – Final thoughts on sex, health, and confidence

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠http://lustintranslation.com ⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/ ⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

What does it actually look like to build a relationship outside the traditional script, and make it work?

In this honest and eye-opening conversation, Hayley Folk opens up about her journey from a young, open marriage to becoming a leading voice in polyamory and modern relationships. She shares how discovering her queerness, navigating an open marriage, and ultimately redefining partnership transformed her understanding of love, desire, and personal truth.

From play parties and kink exploration to therapy, communication, and emotional safety, this episode goes far beyond surface-level takes on non-monogamy. Instead, it reveals the real work behind it: vulnerability, boundaries, and radical honesty.

Whether you’re curious about polyamory, questioning traditional relationship norms, or just want a more honest look at intimacy and connection, this conversation offers a powerful, human perspective on what it means to love, and live, authentically.

00:00 – Podcast intro & guest welcome

01:20 – Why polyamory is gaining attention

03:40 – Growing up queer & early relationship dynamics

06:00 – Open marriage vs polyamory explained

08:00 – Falling in love outside a marriage

10:00 – First experiences with women

12:00 – Meeting Kyle & building radical honesty

15:00 – Safety, communication & emotional openness

16:00 – One penis policy explained

18:00 – Boundaries, anxiety & early challenges

21:00 – Therapy and redefining the relationship

23:30 – First play party experience

25:30 – How confidence and boundaries evolved

27:30 – Discovering kink and impact play

30:00 – Vulnerability, trust & emotional intimacy

34:30 – Advice for attending sex parties

37:00 – Consent, safety & aftercare in kink

41:00 – Misconceptions from pop culture

42:30 – Open marriage memoir trends & gender dynamics

46:30 – Mistakes people make opening relationships

48:30 – Rules vs agreements vs boundaries

50:30 – Staying connected in long-distance marriage

52:30 – Living apart while married

54:30 – Poly vs monogamous dating dynamics

56:30 – Final thoughts & closing

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Let’s be honest: it’s really hard to feel sexy when things feel off down there. Momotaro Apotheca is the organic solution that actually works, and I use it everyday. From their soothing balm, Salve, to UTI Supplement, Probiotic, and Yeast Infection Suppository, they have you covered.

Build your own ritual at https://momotaroapotheca.com/discount/lust and get 20% off with code LUST.

⸻

Hayley Folk is a sex and relationships writer and polyamorous content creator based in New York City. She specializes in writing about sex, wellness, mental health and more. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, Refinery29, Cosmo and more. When she’s not sharing about her life as a bisexual, polyamorous woman married to a man online, you can find her writing her upcoming memoir, thrifting or on an airplane.

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoly.pocket/

Follow her on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thepoly.pocket

⸻

Lust in Translation Podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights: ⁠lustintranslation.com⁠

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/⁠

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/⁠

What if the beliefs you were taught about sex, purity, and relationships were never actually yours?

In this episode, Certified Holistic Sexuality Educator and Embodied Intimacy & Relationship Coach Lauren Elise Rogers unpacks the hidden impact of purity culture and the long road back to personal agency, pleasure, and truth. She shares her story of growing up in a highly controlled religious environment, navigating a marriage shaped by repression and confusion, and ultimately reclaiming her identity and voice.

Lauren takes us inside the emotional and psychological unraveling that comes with questioning everything you were taught about desire, gender roles, and partnership. From how sexual shame lives in the body to the deep rewiring required to build healthy, fulfilling relationships, this conversation is raw, honest, and deeply illuminating.

Together, we explore the intersection of sexuality, faith, trauma, and healing—offering a nuanced, real-world look at what it takes to reconnect with your body, your desires, and your truth.

Whether you're unpacking your upbringing, craving deeper intimacy in long-term relationships, or simply curious about how desire is shaped (and reshaped), this episode is a powerful invitation to rethink everything you thought you knew about sex and connection.

00:00 – Introduction & Lauren’s background

01:00 – Growing up in purity culture

03:00 – Ownership of the body & early conditioning

05:00 – Marriage expectations and gender roles

07:00 – Trauma, loss, and a broken marriage

08:30 – Feeling undesired & sexual confusion

10:00 – Discovering desire and self-exploration

12:00 – Shame, literature, and awakening sexuality

14:00 – What actually turns people on

16:00 – Eroticism vs long-term relationships

18:00 – Reintroducing desire in partnerships

20:00 – Role play, fantasy, and mental stimulation

21:30 – Faith vs sexuality: can they coexist?

24:00 – Rewriting harmful beliefs about sex

26:00 – Biology, pleasure, and the body

28:00 – Female desire and evolutionary dynamics

30:00 – Owning sexuality without shame

32:00 – Why sex education failed us

34:00 – Coaching clients through sexual shame

37:00 – Rewiring beliefs stored in the body

39:00 – Cultural messaging and gender roles

41:00 – Marriage, obligation, and sexual expectations

43:00 – Toys, pleasure, and removing stigma

46:00 – Expanding pleasure in real life

48:00 – Monogamy, safety, and desire

50:00 – Rethinking marriage and fulfillment

52:00 – Dating scripts and societal conditioning

53:30 – Sexual health and overall well-being

55:00 – Parenting and breaking the cycle

57:00 – Comprehensive sex education vs abstinence

59:00 – Raising confident, informed kids

01:01:00 – Final thoughts & closing

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Lauren Elise Rogers is a Certified Holistic Sexuality Educator and Embodied Intimacy & Relationship Coach, celebrated for her warm and approachable style. Her holistic and embodied approach to education and coaching is deeply rooted in her own pain-to-purpose journey. Lauren brings an empathetic and non-judgmental approach to her coaching, podcasts, and speaking engagements, offering practical tools that empower her clients and audiences to take ownership of their pleasure and grow in confidence and connection. She is known for creating shame-free spaces, where she invites individuals and couples to navigate complex topics like long-term partnerships, consensual non-monogamy, life transitions, purity culture and LGBTQIA+ issues.

Follow Lauren here: instagram.com/sex_ed_for_you

Lauren's website: https://sexedforyou.com/

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Lust in Translation Podcast

Desire, Decoded.

Subscribe to the Lust in Translation newsletter: lustintranslation.com

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lustintranslationpod/

Follow Natassia on on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassiamiller/