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

Rapunzel is back to talk with us again and this time she brought a partner with her. She's been married twice and swore she wasn't going to do that nonsense again... Guess what? She was wrong! This episode is an amazing look at how two people with very different levels of experience in non-monogamy have been able to come together and build an incredible partnership.   See photos and more details o...

Welcome to Episode 7 of Focus Fridays, a series of topic specific discussions with other contributors, and a bit different from our traditional story-focused interviews. In this episode we continue our discussion on shame with Jill and Jack, a couple who grew up in a conservative Mennonite group and are now exploring non-monogamy. They have been working through all of the shame they have experienc...

A few years back, while going through a very difficult and isolated time in her life, Katt's hairdresser suggested that she should check out Fetlife... Since then she has been experiencing huge personal growth and change in her life as she has been opening herself up to new ways of exploring life, relationships, and ultimately non-monogamy. This is a powerful and vulnerable episode and we hope you...

Welcome to Episode 6 of Focus Fridays, a series of topic specific discussions with other contributors, and a bit different from our traditional story-focused interviews. In this episode we discuss the topic of shame with A.J. Bond, the host of the Discomfortable Podcast . We have an incredible discussion around what shame is, the difference between shame and guilt, and how to deal and sit with sha...

Hazel and James started their relationship over a decade ago, but with a twist... Hazel was married. She talks about how she has reconciled the guilt from her infidelity and how she and James have used it as a catalyst to open their own marriage as a team. They have been exploring non-monogamy for a few years and in that short time they have covered everything from swinging to having a partner and...

Welcome to Episode 5 of Focus Fridays, a series of topic specific discussions with other contributors, and a bit different from our traditional story-focused interviews. In this episode we tackle a potentially sensitive, but very important topic: consent. Our guests are Ginger and Ryan from the Life on the Swingset Podcast and the Intellectual Foreplay Podcast . We hope you take this message forwa...

Jamie was first introduced to non-monogamy during college when her and a boyfriend started to explore swinging. Since then she has been learning what her needs are and taking care of her relationship with herself. This has led her to discovering, and dare we say, fall in love with, polyamory. She now identifies as solo poly and has been working the last few years to create and grow amazing communi...

Welcome to Episode 4 of Focus Fridays, a series of topic specific discussions with other contributors, and a bit different from our traditional story-focused interviews. Today we continue our discussion around sexual health with the Courtney Brame, the founder of the non-profit and podcast Something Positive for Positive People . Through his non-profit and podcast, Courtney is creating a resource...

Chanelle and Grant have been married for over 10 years and started exploring non-monogamy a few years back when their jobs kept them apart for extended periods of time. It has also helped them navigate mismatched libidos and to create a great network of open-minded friends after relocating. They have been on an amazing journey to find what works best for them, going to polyamory meetups, swinger c...

Welcome to Episode 3 of Focus Fridays, a series of topic specific discussions with other contributors, and a bit different from our traditional story-focused interviews. In this episode we talk with Dr. Evelin Dacker, a family physician with her own practice near Portland, Oregon. She is also the executive director of Sex Positive Portland and created the integrative disclosure framework, STARS ....

Maria and Jory have been exploring non-monogamy since the start of their relationship about 15 years ago. As you will learn, they have found a blend somewhere in the middle of swinging and polyamory to be a great fit for them. Beyond that, they discuss how their relationship looks monogamous to most people but that they do not like to close themselves off to opportunities and experiences that life...

Welcome to Episode 2 of Focus Fridays, a series of topic specific discussions with other contributors, and a bit different from our traditional story-focused interviews. Today we’re talking with Catherine, a therapist and relationship coach who specializes in working with people in open relationships. We discuss how to have intentional conversations with your partner. This is the framework around...

Sarah and Ed discovered swinging on a work trip to Desire a few years ago... Yes, for real, apparently that's a thing. They started exploring it slowly and have always taken a very laid back and casual approach to the whole thing. Their outlook is super refreshing and a great one if you are new to non-monogamy or swinging. Beyond that, they show how just being yourself is the best approach to swin...

Our first Focus Friday episode ever! These episodes are topic specific discussions with other contributors, a bit different from our traditional story-focused interviews. In this episode, we talk to some of our best friends, Jessica and Matt, who we came out to last summer. They have no background in non-monogamy, so we have a fun discussion with them trying to guess the meaning of vocabulary term...

Daniel grew up with non-monogamy being modeled for him from an early age and actually rebelled against it for quite a while. In this episode he talks about what caused him to give it a second chance and what his model of non-monogamy looks like. He also has a great approach to self-care as it relates to being in relationships of any kind. Check it out so you're up to speed when we have him back on...

Welcome to Season 1 of Focus Fridays!   This is a short trailer for a new project where we have collaborated with many content creators, sex educators, and professionals to have discussions on specific topics instead of doing our normal story-focused interviews. Don't worry, there will be no changes to our regular Wednesday show. Season 1 will include 10 episodes and be released every Friday start...

If you are looking to introduce swinging or non-monogamy to your partner via podcast, this is probably one of the best episodes we can think of for doing that. Chris and Fred have an amazing approach to everything. Beyond that, Chris shares some vulnerable and beautiful insight into exploring swinging as a woman and just exploring what it means to be a sexual being who is a woman and mom. We can't...

This is a super fun interview with a partner of one of our previous guests. Rachel is married to Norm from episode 80 and she is here to share her perspective on their journey together and her own personal journey. She is a ton of fun and a wealth of information and experience. She's also our first guest who got started in this journey using a website specifically designed for people to cheat on t...

Laura and Casey cover a ton of ground in this extremely relatable episode. They are in their mid-30's and have been together for over 20 years. In that time, one of them definitely didn't nail it when bringing up non-monogamy to the other, they have shifted their approach a few times, seen powerful shifts in their confidence, navigated raising kids, and have been having a lot of fun! This one has...

In her early twenties Dedeker continually found herself wanting to cheat on her partners even though she loved them and still wanted to be with them. She never cheated, but after confessing this to a friend of hers one night, he pitched the idea of open relationships to her. After she was done being offended, she researched it extensively and began the incredible journey that led to the story she...

Claire and Phil met in high school but didn't end up getting together until a few years later. They've been together for over 10 years now and sort of stumbled into non-monogamy pretty early on after giving each other hall passes in college. Spoiler alert, it was a learning experience! Since then they have had some ups and downs and explored a blend of swinging and polyamory. Lately, it seems as i...

Brian and his wife have been exploring non-monogamy in various capacities over the past few years and have ultimately decided to separate. To protect her privacy, they decided the best strategy would be for Brian to share the story on their behalf and we appreciate their vulnerability in doing so. It's a great example of how many people leap to the conclusion that non-monogamy caused the relations...

Brandy and Will have been together less than a year and jumped into the world of swinging very early on! They both came out of long marriages and were committed early on to being wide open and transparent with each other which led to opening the relationship. If that wasn't enough, they also just started an online store to help people in the swinging lifestyle find sexy outfits and accessories for...

Lee and Ron are the first same gender male couple that we have had the opportunity to have on the show and we're so excited to help get their story out into the world. They have been together about seven years and over that time they have both had the opportunity to explore things about themselves that have led to amazing growth and experiences. Their story is powerful in many ways and we hope it...

One of the esteemed hosts of the Multiamory podcast joins us this week to share a bit more about his personal story. He has been exploring non-monogamy in various forms for about 14 years and has some amazing insights and advice to share on top of his incredible story. Be sure to check out the Multiamory podcast as well for over 200 episodes of pure wisdom from Jase and the rest of the team!   Sho...