Our Better Half

What is sex? (for older adults) Results just in – older adults have a wide and varied palette when it comes to describing what gets them going sexually. Listen to the results of our survey on older adults' sexual expression. You might be surprised to hear some of their responses! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback. Send us new ideas for surveys. Please write to us at this address . An...

Lynn Comella is our guest on this week's episode and we are grateful to have her with us. Lynn is the author of Vibrator Nation: How Feminist Sex Toy Stores Changed the Business of Pleasure, published by Duke University Press. Check out Lynn's website for more information and how to order the book. Buy it from your local feminist sex toy store (and give them your support) or from your local, indep...

On today's show we are thrilled to have Dr. Patricia Young with us. Patricia is a Physical Therapist, founder and owner of Restore Physical Therapy and Wellness, specializing in pelvic floor health. She received her Ph. D. in Physical Therapy at Temple University and is knowledgeable and delightful to talk with. She's got great resources on her website on pelvic health. And she was recently quoted...

How do we communicate sexually? Is it verbal? Non-verbal? A combination of each? On today's show, Jane and Ashley discuss what the research says about sexual communication and the results of our first listeners' survey. As always, they've got tips for you. Give a listen, and enjoy! Research we discussed on today's show: Fleishman, J. M. (2016). Coming of age at the time of Stonewall: Internalized...

This week we talked to Joan Price, the author of The Ultimate Guide to Sex After 50, Naked at Our Age and Better Than I Ever Expected . In this episode Joan speaks about her inspiration for her books, the changes in the field of sexuality and aging, sex toys and tips for both older adults and younger folks in regards to sex and aging. For more information on Joan Price and to check out her books g...

What do we mean when we talk about body image? What are the researchers saying about it? How does body image affect us as we age? And what are the implications on our sexuality? Join us as Jane and Ashley discuss the latest research and give some tips. So check out the show. We love our listeners and welcome your feedback. Please write to us at  this address . And thanks for listening!  Research w...

This week we talked to Joan Ditzion, one of the authors of Our Bodies, Ourselves . In this episode Joan speaks about the history and inspiration of the legendary book and how it has evolved throughout the years. And she has tips for women on different aspects of aging. For more information on Our Bodies, Ourselves or to check out their great web resources, visit https://www.ourbodiesourselves.org...

This week we cover a few topics that affect us as we age. We have the great pleasure to have Dr. Mitchell Tepper , a sexologist who focuses on sex and disabilities on our show this week. Mitch discusses his research and an extraordinary documentary he and Dr. Mark Schoen are creating called, "Love After War." It's an in-depth look into the lives of active duty service members and veterans who have...

Show Notes #50 Interview with Patti Britton On this show, we have an interview with the fabulous Dr. Patti Britton talking about her work, her loss, and how her work moves her through her grief. Find out more about Sexology University and Sex Coach U here at Dr. Patti Britton's website .  So check out the show. We love our listeners and welcome your feedback.  Please write to us at this address ....

As this is the start of Black History month, we wanted to raise up the work of Black women who've expanded our knowledge of sexuality and why Black Lives Matter. So stay with us. We talk about talented and courageous Black women: Audre Lorde, Angela Bowen, Mandy Carter, and Imani Woody. And we explain why Black Lives Matter to us as two white women. Opening music by Kabbalistic Village, closing mu...

With the new publication of the landmark model for sexuality, Circles of Sexuality, Ashley interviews her mentor and creator of the model, Dr. Dennis Dailey. Dennis is humorous, humble, and an honor to have with us. So check out the show. We love our listeners and welcome your feedback.  Please write to us at this address . And thanks for listening!   Opening music by Kabbalistic Village, closing...

You don't want to miss this episode. It all starts with Jane's rant about sexual harassment with tips on what to do and where to turn for help . We also talk about prairie voles who are not only adorable but they mate for life. So check out the show.  We love our listeners and welcome your feedback.  Please write to us at this address .  And thanks for listening!   Opening music by Kabbalistic Vil...

Dr. John DeLamater died on December 13, 2017. A leader, a teacher, a mentor, and a researcher of older adults' sexuality, Jane and Ashley recount his significant research to continue his legacy. Jane rants about disasters awaiting the latest DC tax "reform" and wants us all getting involved locally . Ashley's into S'Naps and self-care. Great show so check it out! We love our listeners and welcome...

Just in time for the holidays. If you're feeling kind of down, grieving a loss, or sensing a bit of skin hunger, this episode may give you some reprieve. We discuss research on sexual bereavement , when you're mourning the loss of sexual intimacy. We offer tips on dealing with loss of a sexual partner. We love our listeners and welcome your feedback.  Please write to us at this address .  And than...

In this episode, we look at the connections between physical health and sexual well-being. From sexual satisfaction for midlife women (age 45-60) and erectile dysfunction for men, to pelvic thrusts for all, we cover a lot of ground. So check out the show.  We love our listeners and welcome your feedback.  Please write to us at this address .  And thanks for listening!   Opening music by Kabbalisti...

This week, we highlight the work of Dr. Dennis Dailey and the Circles of Sexuality, first published in 1981 in a text on aging , recently updated in a book about addictions, and coming soon to a journal on life planning. And it feels like we're back in the 80s with attacks on Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security at the national level -- start getting active locally. We offer more tips on great...

In this show, we turn the mic over to Dr. Beverly Whipple, an award-winning, internationally-known sexual health researcher. She's one of our favorite sex researchers and she was very generous about her time so we devoted this entire episode to her and her work.    Dr. Whipple is professor emerita at Rutgers University, a sex researcher, co-author of  The G Spot and Other Recent Discoveries about...

This was a wild show.  In addition to getting lube all over Ashley's arms and hands, we had three exciting segments.    For our research segment, we discussed  Barry McCarthy's research on sexual satisfaction with older adults  and the concept of Good Enough Sex for older adults.  Yes, the article is cisgender and yes, it is heteronormative.  However, we found that many of the concepts McCarthy an...

We're not going to lie, this episode started out with Ashley and Jane taking the whole idea of sensuality to a new level, dipping fruit into warm chocolate sauce with sea salt.  That got them thinking about all the ways food can enrich and enliven your sexual life.  They started with the ABC's of erotic foods but got sidetracked as the chocolate sauce started dripping.  Before they lost consciousn...

​This episode is dedicated to that old faithful term, the Golden Age, which was often use to refer to seniors.  Jane remembers taking one of those Zumba classes a few years ago that was called Zumba Gold, and noticed after it began that, not only could she do all the dance steps but she was also one of the youngest members of the class.  She also remembered her grandmother going to the Golden Age...

The title of our show begins with dandies, a term used in the late 19th century referring to men wearing women's or effeminate clothing.  Most of Oscar Wilde's male protagonists were considered dandies and some of them were also gay.  We think the term is similar to the term, metrosexual.  And we connected this to Jane's latest research on older adults in same-sex relationships countering previous...

We spoke about a most spectacular day for all who believe in freedom, January 21, 2017.  Ashley and Jane were both in Washington, DC.  The women's march occurred literally all over the world and has been deemed the largest crowd of any march in the history of the U.S.  Latest  estimates  indicate there were over 600 sister marches involving almost 5 million marchers on every continent in every par...

In honor of the Women's March and doomsday (AKA the Inauguration), Jane and Ashley get into cats, pussyhats, and the ACA. Here are this episode's sources, as well as some helpful links: Baun, MM., Bergstrom, N., Langston, NF., Thoma, L. Physiological effect of human/companion animal bonding Nurs Res. 1984 May-Jun;33(3):126-9. Animal companions and one-year survival of patients after discharge from...

Jane and Ashley get into hormones, orgasms, and and obscenity laws in this super sciencey episode of Our Better Half!

If you'd like to read more about the issues that Jane and Ashley talked about on this podcast, here's some great links for you: Yana Tallon-Hicks is a terrific sexuality educator and you can learn more about her and see her amazing TED Talk at  http://yanatallonhicks.com/ Al Vernaccio's book is called  For Goodness Sake  and you can find it here  https://alvernacchio.com/for-goodness-sex/ Peggy Or...