Our Better Half

Our guest this week is Terri Clark, an accomplished public health advocate with over 30 years of experience working on issues that advance the field of sexuality and aging, including the sexual health of older adults and working with aging services providers to insure inclusive, responsive services for LGBTQ older adult communities. Terri is co-author/editor of 25 Great Lesson Plans about Sexual O...

Dr. Kathryn Ellis frames conversations about sexual pleasure with candor. She is a PhD in Occupational Therapy and an AASECT Certified Sexuality Counselor. She got her start at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where she developed the Occupational Therapy Sexuality and Intimacy Clinic and her book is about giving hope to wounded veterans.  You can find out more about Dr. Ellis at her  w...

Our guest this week, Lucie Fielding (she/they), is a sexuality educator and resident in counseling in Charlottesville, Virginia. They have an MA in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute as well as a PhD in French from Northwestern University. Their background in literature attunes them to ways narrative and image impact our embodied sexualities.   She talks about the "magically mu...

Dear Listeners,    We are delighted to share that Our Better Half will be returning this September for our seventh season ! Big shout-out to our  sponsors  for making this possible, and to you, listeners, for your ongoing support. In this trailer, hosts Dr. Jane Fleishman and Dr. Rosara Torrisi discuss some of the things they're looking forward to this fall.     By the way, with six seasons under...

Dear Listeners:   This week we offer you a quick episode as we wrap up this season of the podcast. And what a season it's been! Rosara and Jane recall their conversations with Dr. David Whitehead, Dr. Peter Kanaris, Kelly Gordon, Dr. Lee Phillips, Dr. Imani Woody, Joan Price and Jessica Drake, Cyndi Darnell, and give thanks to their new co-hosts, Dr. Jayleen Galarza and Dr. Sabitha Pillai-Friedman...

When Wildilisa Silverman talks about sex magick, she says it's "using the energy of the erotic to make your hopes and desires into a reality. " She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who received her MFT from Hofstra University. She is passionate about helping others live the life they deserve. Her practice focuses on the various needs of her clients–through individual, couples, relations...

Our guest today is Greg Dawson, a licensed clinical social worker who works at the Dallas VA as a case manager and therapist treating veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He treats veterans, family members, older adults, sex offenders, people with disabilities. He also works as a sex therapist at CAYA (which stands for Come As You Are), a sex therapy based private practice. He does educati...

Dr. Sonia Bahlani is one of the world's leading pelvic pain medicine specialists. She graduated magna cum laude from her undergraduate school and then went on to receive her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Virginia Commonwealth School of Medicine. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and then went on to a prestigious fellowship at the Smith...

Gregory C. Carrow-Boyd is a Unitarian Universalist Master Credentialed Religious Educator, Aspirant for ministry, and doctoral student at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Greg also works as the Coordinator for More Than Sex-Ed, a Greater LA-based sexuality education collective that bring...

Dr. Imani Woody is the founding director and CEO of Mary's House for Older Adults, Inc. She has a Ph. D. in Human Services, specializing in non-profit management.  Dr. Imani has been an advocate of women, people of color and LGBT/Same Gender Loving issues for more than 20 years. Dr. Woody is a member of the National LGBT Elder Housing Initiative, and presented on LGBT housing issues at the White H...

Our guest today is Dr. Jessica Zager, a Doctor of pelvic health physical therapy, a sex counselor, and sexuality educator. As one of five physical therapists worldwide with an AASECT certification in sex counseling, she is uniquely equipped to help her patients transcend their sexual and/or pelvic dysfunction by taking into consideration their whole selves, be it ambitions, body, mind, spirit, or...

Kelly Gordon is a 31-year old entrepreneur and consultant based in the West Midlands, UK. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 3 which is a genetic disability --  meaning that she uses an electric wheelchair to get around. Kelly is currently working with Hot Octopuss as their disability lead and is creating an inclusive space that gives advice and sells products to make sex easier and more excitin...

Charlie Arrowood is an attorney in New York State. They primarily provide transition-related legal services to transgender clients, including name and gender marker change assistance and guidance regarding health insurance coverage and employment matters. You can find out more about Charlie's work here:  Twitter: @ch_arrowood & @arrowood_law Instagram: @charrowood Facebook: Charlie Arrowood & Arro...

Our guests this week are Joan Price and Jessica Drake. Joan is the pre-eminent expert on senior sex and Jessica is an award-winning filmmaker and sexuality educator. Together, they have collaborated on A Guide to Wicked Sex: Senior Sex with real people having and talking about senior sex.  You can learn more about the video here . And you can learn more about Joan here . You can follow Jessica on...

On today's episode, we are excited to welcome Dr. Lee Philips, a clinician who works with his patients to treat chronic illness and sexual dysfunction. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist. In addition to his private practice in Washington, DC, Dr. Philips lectures around the country and is currently writing his first book, Sex & Love When You Are Sick , a...

Valentine's Day in COVID times is going to look a bit different than other times. Our co-hosts have cooked up a little something that can help make it special. Want to wake up the neighborhood? Join us for this special gift to you, our beloved listeners. And if you'd like to find more shows, visit our website and please subscribe ! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback. You can find us o...

Dr. David Whitehead is a board-certified plastic surgeon. Dr. Whitehead is not just any plastic surgeon, though. In addition to the several areas of expertise he has developed, Dr. Whitehead is the gender affirming surgeon here on Long Island in New York, especially when it comes to genital surgeries.  You can visit his Northwell Health profile here . If you have questions for Dr. Whitehead or wan...

Today's guest is Dr. Tracie Q. Gilbert, a Black femme sexuality educator who uses conversation to help achieve sexual wellness and healing for Black people intergenerationally. She is the founder of Thembi Anaiya (which means hope) and she is truly a gift to our world. We love talking with Dr. Gilbert and hope you'll enjoy the show! You can find their inspirational messages on her lively Instagram...

Nathalie Huitema-Nuijens, originally from the Netherlands, with 15 years of experience working with older adults as a sexologist and psychologist, is on a mission. She wants to discover the determinants of sexual consent capacity in older adults with dementia. It's a fascinating topic. If you have questions for Nathalie or want to know more about her research, please contact us here . And if you'd...

Our guest this week is Debby Herbenick, PhD, MPH and a Professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health, Director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. She's a recent past-president of AASECT and an AASECT-Certified Sexuality Educator and the lead investigator of the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), a decade-long study of the sexual attitudes and behaviors of...

Dr. Jane Fleishman is our wonderful co-host. Today, join Dr. Jayleen Galarza and Dr. Rosara Torrisi as they interview Jane about her book The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism, and Aging.  Jane is an award-winning sexuality professional with a PhD in Human Sexuality from the Widener University Center for Human Sexuality Studies. She conducts research, teaches classes, and writes...

Our guest today is Dr. Peter Kanaris, PhD. Peter is an award-winning AASECT certified sex therapist on Long Island. He holds a doctorate in Clinical and School Psychology. He is a graduate Post-Doctoral Fellow of the Albert Ellis Institute in NYC where he served as a senior clinician, training supervisor and faculty member. Peter has also served as the Public Education Campaign Coordinator for the...

We are thrilled to welcome Cyndi Darnell, an internationally renowned sex and relationship therapist and clinical sexologist originally from Australia. Her approach spans the clinical to the esoteric. She maintains a global consulting practice in NYC and online and offers insight into the quandaries of the erotic to transform fear and reclaim shame into freedom. You can learn more about her work h...

Our guest today is Ellen Barnard, owner and founder of A Woman's Touch Sexuality Resource Center. Ellen is an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator who has focused much of her work on aging and chronic illness. She has adopted an inclusive and welcoming, person-centered education approach with extensive resources.  You can find more information about A Woman's Touch here where you can also find plen...

Our guest today is Daniel Kaplan, a clinical social worker in gerontology and a professor at Adelphi University. His research focuses on older adults with neurological disorders and the changes they face in their lives and relationships. As the former National Director of Social Services for the Alzheimer's Foundation, he discusses an innovative approach using poetry to spark creativity for people...