Permission for Pleasure
A podcast to educate and equip women with the information and confidence they need to express, experience and enjoy their sexuality. Cindy Scharkey RN, BSN, brings her 35+ years of experience as a healthcare professional to open the doors to healthy conversations about sex. This is a community where you can listen and learn to give yourself permission for pleasure. Visit www.cindyscharkey.com for educational blogs and newsletter.
Episodes
106 episodes
Vaginal Estrogen, Moisturizers, and Lube for Sex
Learn the difference between vaginal estrogen, vaginal moisturizers, and lube for sex. This quickie episode outlines what each one is, when their use is appropriate and a few frequently asked questions about each. Bite size education for everyo...
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Season 4
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Episode 100
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8:41
Connecting With Our Bodies and Nervous Systems for More Pleasurable Sex
Our nervous systems play a critical role in connection and the sensory experience of sex. Aurora Allen, a somatic experiencing practitioner and nervous system educator shares practical steps to connect our bodies and nervous systems for more sa...
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Season 4
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Episode 99
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48:29
Everything We Get Wrong About Initiation
Need better ways to initiate sex in your relationship? Vanessa and Xander Marin join me to discuss everything we are getting wrong about initiation and tips to do it better. She's a sex therapist with 20 years of experience, he's a regular dude...
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Season 4
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Episode 98
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42:15
When the Problematic People Are the Ones We Love with Brit Barron
Author Brit Barron joins me to discuss her new book, Do You Still Talk to Grandma? When the problematic people in our lives are the ones we love. Listen in as we talk about the role social media plays, our desire for belonging, and the...
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Season 4
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Episode 97
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31:14
Free Up Mental Space and Improve Your Sex Life
You know that running to do list in your head? It's called the mental load. Although it is often invisible, it has a big impact on our relationships, sexual desire and stress level. Bringing back an impactful episode from the archives with Dr. ...
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Season 4
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Episode 96
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36:19
Practices for Positive Relationships
Dr. Jenn Gunsuallus joins me to share practical tools for positive relationships. Listen in for her 4 point approach to generous listening and ways to answer bids for connection. Celebrate World Sexual Health Day with these tools that all coupl...
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Season 4
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Episode 95
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43:20
Bedroom Games: Fun and Flirty Ideas
Get ready to discover some cheeky and charming ways to turn up the fun and connection between you and a partner! Whether you're looking to bring a little fun into your sexy time or just have a laugh, I’ve got a lineup of games that'll make your...
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Season 4
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Episode 94
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10:04
The Rise in Rough Sex
Dr. Debby Herbenick wants us to know that today's trend for rough sex is different than what we might expect. Her research, as detailed in her book Yes, Your Kid: What Parents Need to Know About Today’s Teens and Sex, shows a rise in a...
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Season 4
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Episode 93
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39:40
Permission to grieve
I have lost my beloved. There are hardly any words for me right now. I have tried to give you the few I could manage in the midst of this deep grief over the sudden death of the love of my life.
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Season 4
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Episode 92
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3:44
Reconnecting to Yourself and to Your Body
This week I'm joining Kara Ryska, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast and sharing our conversation on reconnecting to your body and redefining sensuality. Listen in as we cover some practical ways to build a practice around connecting with ...
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Season 4
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Episode 91
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49:53
Three Things I Would Tell My Younger Self
To celebrate my 60th birthday this week, I want to share three key insights that have significantly influenced my journey towards sexual wellness. These discoveries are crucial in helping you find the freedom to express, experience, and enjoy y...
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Season 4
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Episode 90
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13:50
Embracing Your Desire
Embrace your desire. Own your wanting and gather your sexual agency. Doing this will help you change your relationship with desire. Dr. Juliana Hauser joins me to talk about reframing desire and how to get in touch with your vibrancy. You’ll he...
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Season 4
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Episode 89
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49:39
Do women ejaculate? What is squirting?
Are you curious about female ejaculation and squirting? Tune in as I answer your frequently asked questions. Yes - women ejaculate, and yes women can squirt. However, they are not the same thing. Learn the where, why and how in this - all about...
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Season 4
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Episode 88
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11:49
What Are You Saying With Your Touch?
Loving behaviors is one of the six ingredients Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh has found necessary to build a lifetime of love. In this second part of our conversation, we talk about the importance of touch and developing a touch lexicon within your relat...
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Season 4
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Episode 87
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24:18
What do you call your genitals?
The names we do or don’t call our genitals are fascinating. Where do these terms come from? What about the silence around our private parts? Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh, who specializes in the fields of human sexuality and relationships, joins me to s...
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Season 4
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Episode 86
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33:23
Turn Up the Volume on Your Sex Life
Scientists have found that sexual noises go hand in hand with enhanced pleasure. Whether you hum, purr or moan - giving voice to what your body is feeling may make sex better. Bonus- it also serves as non-verbal communication and positive reinf...
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Season 4
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Episode 85
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5:42
Masturbation - Let's dig in
People masturbate for all kinds of reasons including pleasure, exploration, sleep and pain relief. For women who have never experienced orgasm, self-pleasure is the most scientifically supported sex therapy technique to learn the stimulation ne...
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Season 4
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Episode 84
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43:43
Tips From My Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
All about the pelvic floor! Alexa Charbonneau, PT, DPT of Sarton Physical Therapy, joins me to offer her top tips and education for all ages and stages. Do you cough, laugh, sneeze and wet your pants? Do you have pain with sex? Do you have chro...
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Season 4
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Episode 83
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37:10
Doggy Style, Kivin Method and Why Do I Bleed After Sex
In this quickie episode I’ll introduce you to the Kivin Method or oral for her – sideways. Hear a how-to guide and why you might want to try it. I'll also answer a few community questions including 'How can I make doggy style more intimate?' an...
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Season 4
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Episode 82
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10:40
Sexuality With a Philosophical Lens
My guest found that her college students had very little understanding of their own bodies and how to navigate sex in a healthy way. Professor Gwendolyn Dolske Ph.D. teaches Philosophy at Cal Poly Pomona. One of her classes, Current Debates in ...
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Season 4
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Episode 81
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44:05
Erectile Dissatisfaction vs Erectile Dysfunction
People sometimes assume the source of erectile changes in men as they age is a condition called - erectile dysfunction or ED. This is not always the case. In this episode I am discussing some of the normal sexual changes men may experience in m...
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Season 4
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Episode 80
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13:12
Spicy Audio Stories with Gina of Dipsea
As Gina Gutierrez, the co-founder of Dipsea, says in her Ted Talk, “Using their memories, fantasies, and some focus - women can turn themselves on with their thoughts.” In this conversation, Gina and I discuss exploration of fantasy, the differ...
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Season 4
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Episode 79
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31:58
Conversation Starters to Help You Talk About Sex With a Partner
Most of us didn’t get a lot of education around sex, let alone how to talk about sex with a partner. Just like any new language, sexual conversation is a learnable skill that gets more comfortable with practice. Use the questions and prompts in...
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Season 3
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Episode 78
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10:05
Untangling Sexual Shame
My guest Matthias Roberts, psychotherapist, and author of Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms says, “Wherever there is sex, there seems to be shame.” Matthias writes and speaks nationwide about the intersections...
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Season 3
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Episode 77
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39:52
Perimenopause 101: Treatment Options
There are many options available to treat your symptoms during the menopause transition. I continue my conversation with Dr. Shyama Mathews, a Board Certified OB/GYN, and NAMS Certified Menopause Specialist about perimenopause. We discuss non-h...
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Season 3
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Episode 76
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25:37