Podcasts about Pleasure

We spend a lot of our lives searching.Searching for success. Happiness. Security. The next achievement. The next stage of life. The thing that will finally make everything feel complete.The writer of Ecclesiastes spent a lifetime chasing those things—and came to a surprising conclusion. Pleasure wasn't enough. Work wasn't enough. Wisdom wasn't enough. Even success couldn't carry the weight of a meaningful life.This week, we explored where meaning is actually found. Not in having all the answers, but in learning to recognize God's presence in the ordinary moments we're often too busy to notice.Because maybe the life we're searching for has been closer than we imagined all along.Key TakeawaysEcclesiastes gives language to the wonder and struggle of being human.Achievement, pleasure, and success cannot ultimately satisfy our deepest longings.God has placed eternity in the human heart.Spiritual practices help us become aware of God's presence, not earn God's approval.Meaning grows as we learn to recognize that God is already with us.Key MomentsWhy Ecclesiastes opens with "Everything is meaningless."The search for meaning through pleasure, work, wisdom, and success."A time for everything" as a description of life, not a prescription.God has "placed eternity in our hearts."Learning to see God's presence in ordinary life."Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I'm with you."ScriptureEcclesiastes 1Ecclesiastes 3Ecclesiastes 12ReflectionWhere have you been looking for meaning—and what would change if you began looking for God's presence instead?ConnectEcclesiastes doesn't pretend life is simple. It gives us permission to wrestle with the questions while reminding us that God's presence is not something we have to earn or chase. Sometimes the invitation is simply to slow down long enough to recognize that he has been with us all along.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Connect with us:

2 August 2026

In today's episode, Rachel is just coming out of two days of indulgent alone time. Her husband took both the kids to Stockholm, and Rachel got to bask in a clean, quiet house for the first time since she can remember. She spent the time walking, reading, going inward, doing retreat prep, and simply allowing herself to enjoy things.Oftentimes, we feel like we have to earn pleasure, joy, rest, and play. We think we have to work so hard until we deplete ourselves - and then we can take time to slow down. But what if that's not true? What if we should reach for those things just because? What if pleasure is our birthright? Today's episode will help you shift the narrative and enjoy your life more.

Noah Hopton, CEO and Founder of Finvisor, helps startups and growing businesses simplify operations by building integrated back-office teams that combine accounting, finance, payroll, HR, insurance, and technology. By combining experienced financial professionals with modern technology, Noah enables businesses to streamline operations, stay compliant, and focus on sustainable growth.  In this conversation, Noah introduces The Adjacent Extension Framework—Earn the Trust, Build the Relationship, Listen for Other Problems, Connect Other Specialists, and Empower the Team with Tech. He explains why proactive service creates lasting client relationships, how solving adjacent business challenges leads to sustainable growth, and why integrated back-office teams outperform disconnected vendors. Noah also shares how AI is reshaping finance operations by automating repetitive work, empowering finance professionals to focus on strategic decision-making, and helping businesses leverage technology to enhance—not replace—human expertise. — How to Outsource Your Back Office with Noah Hopton  Good day, listeners. Steve Preda here with the Management Blueprint Podcast, and my guest today is Noah Hopton, the CEO and Founder of Finvisor, helping seed and Series A companies that have outgrown spreadsheets and part-time bookkeepers but aren’t ready for a full-time finance team yet. Their job is to give you the financial clarity to make good decisions at every stage of growth. Noah, welcome to the show.  Yeah. Pleasure to be here, Steve.  Well, great to have you here, and I’m very curious about your career and your business and what you built here. I’m particularly curious about your personal ‘Why’ and how you manifest it in your business.  Personal ‘Why.’ That’s great. Well, I’ll be honest, I didn’t go in thinking I was going to be an accountant or run an accounting firm. You know, I studied accounting in school. Eventually, I thought I was going to probably be more in a kind of front-of-house sales relationship because I enjoyed the people part—making relationships and meeting people.  But I was very fortunate that I found the consulting, fractional CFO world, where I got to discover a love of problem-solving, creating relationships, and creating value for clients. For me, it was kind of this love of helping clients understand their business, helping clients understand what to think about around the corner, where it's not just being in-house with one set of books that you're closing.Share on X  When you’re at Finvisor, my day-to-day, at least when I started, was probably working with 10 to 12 clients a month and helping them understand, “Okay, how did they perform last month? Can they hire a certain number of people? And what’s the plan going forward?”  Yeah, I mean, that’s super helpful. I started life in accounting as well with KPMG, and what attracted me was to essentially have that language of business so that I would be able to understand how a business works and have this confidence of not flying blind, right? That’s really, really cool. So how did you evolve from a CFO into a founder? What was the trigger point for you?  So I was very fortunate. I actually was at a prior firm at one point when I started my career, and they were a little bit like the cobbler with bad shoes, where eventually they decided they had to close shop, and clients were going to be given notice. I, myself, was given notice saying, “Hey, in a week, you’re not going to have a job, Noah.” And so I was really given this moment in life, saying, “Hey, if I enjoy what I’ve been doing, do I think I could do it better than the firm I’d been at?  And do I want to make this leap into being a founder and starting a business?” And so my co-founder and I both talked to each other and said, “Look, we love our clients. We love what we’ve been trying to build. I think we just need to do a little bit of a refresh and restructuring of how this operates.” And so we started our own company. I was very lucky that I started with about, I had about 30 clients and a team of four on day one, which I think is unusual.  Most people in the accounting space start off as a one-person shop, trying to grow from one to two, and having to double their clients or double their size to get there. We were fortunate to have five team members and 30 clients on day one. Originally, our vision was just, “Hey, let’s help with the fractional CFO and the bookkeeping,” but that really evolved over time as we added additional services and really understood where our clients were having problems in their back office.  What are the areas where maybe the insurance brokers they’d been working with weren’t very hands-on and kind of came in once a year? Our clients were asking us, as their CFO, “Hey, can you help us select our health insurance?” And we’re like, “Well, we’re kind of doing the broker’s job. Why don’t we build out our own team?” So that was one of the first verticals we moved into and added by building an insurance brokerage. From there, we kept building, where now not only do you have your CFO and accountant helping you, but you also have them with the ability to go out to market, help you compare quotes, and help get your insurance in place. So you’re essentially expanding the array of virtual services that you’re providing, or fractional services that you’re providing, to your clients?  Correct. Yeah. We really try to own the full back office end to end because I think a lot of people deal with, “Okay, great, I have a bookkeeper, I have a tax accountant, I have an R&D tax provider,” and they’re dealing with four or five different vendors that don’t really communicate. The client is the person playing telephone between the two, and we’re like, “Wait, stop. Why is this the solution?” We should just build a different business where it’s all under the Finvisor umbrella.  It’s all full-time team members who are actually working together on behalf of the client, even if fractionally. Some of our clients only need five hours of a payroll specialist, but they need someone to own that role, and they need that person to be able to talk to their sales tax team because it’s like, “Oh, we hired someone in a new state. Is sales tax applicable there?” And connect those dots because, when you have these disconnected providers, you have a lot of things that can drop because they’re not in people’s field of view.  Yeah, I mean, it’s a great service. If you can get a competent team that will take care of your back office, then you can focus on figuring out message-market fit and then essentially scaling revenue. You don’t have to worry about it, and you don’t have to babysit inexperienced people that maybe you can afford to hire, but who would not be able to own the job.  Yeah, exactly. I mean, it’s kind of the, “Do you want to…” You know, I think at least when we started in 2014, there was more of a generalist bookkeeper. That’s kind of the typical solution people went with. Nothing against that, but it’s kind of nice to have dedicated specialists in the different back-office areas that you need. I mean, bookkeepers are great.  They’re usually not your best payroll and HR people. They’re not thinking about California final-paycheck laws, or whether you need to offer a 401(k) if you hire someone in California. Whereas, if you have someone whose entire job is payroll and HR, and you need Finvisor to help run your payroll, they’re going to be thinking about those edge cases and helping you along so that you can just build your business, get to the next milestone, and not worry about tripping yourself up because of compliance, taxes, or a lack of visibility in your reporting. Yeah, that’s great peace of mind. So this podcast is about frameworks, and I wonder, what is your framework? How do you help your clients, or how do you figure things out? What have you developed? We’re about 400 frameworks in, so I’m looking for something unique that helps you and is easy to explain—three to five steps maximum.  Yeah. I mean, one of the ones that comes to mind for us is what we’ve really called the Adjacent Extension Framework. So, first, do really good work and earn your client's trust in one area. Makes it easy for them to approach you.Share on X For us, it’s historically been accounting. People think, “Great, get my books put together.” But for us, it’s really about creating a relationship and earning the client’s trust.  Then, as step two, listen for the other problems they’re having. What are the adjacent problems they’re asking you to solve? And then for us, what we’ve really done is double down in those other areas by building specialists in those verticals. Once you’ve earned the client’s trust, if you’re doing their accounting and all of a sudden they’re struggling with invoicing or collections, you can say, “Hey, we can also help you with accounts receivable and collection efforts because we see your AR balance increasing on your financial statements.” At that point, they’re already thinking, “Great, I like working with this person.  Let’s give their team a try and help us solve another problem.” So, for us, it’s really been about finding those adjacent problems, building a team that specializes in them, and then connecting the client with the right expert. The last piece that’s really coming to market now is using technology to empower the team. Historically, a lot of our value came from having experts who could handle the edge cases or the gray areas between payroll, accounting, taxes, and sales tax. Now, with technology, you can also build the data infrastructure to highlight what’s happening for the client while helping guide the team as they manage those clients.  Love it. So what I’m hearing is, number one—or maybe even number zero—is do a great job, right?  The trust.  Okay. So that’s maybe another way of saying it: earn the trust. But is doing a good job enough to earn that trust, or is there more to it?  I mean, I think in any service business, you want to be proactive. A lot of bookkeepers, accountants, and even legal professionals are usually waiting for the client to ask a question before providing an answer. I think the goal should be to think ahead for the client and proactively provide guidance. That came naturally for us because we sit in the fractional CFO seat.Share on X  But even if you’re just doing bookkeeping, you can still catch these things for clients and help them out. Or if you’re selling P&C insurance and helping clients with their general liability coverage, you can think about what other types of coverage they may need. So I’d say the more proactive you can be, the better. The other thing is meeting clients where they already are.  For us, a lot of our clients are on Slack, so we connect with them on Slack. We chat with them as if we were full-time employees because we don’t want the experience to feel different. We don’t want you to feel like you’re emailing a generic support inbox and not knowing when someone is going to get back to you. If you only need fractional-level support, it shouldn’t feel like you’re getting fractional value or a fractional level of communication.  I love it. So you actually own the function inside the organization, so it feels like you’re part of the team, or your people are part of their team. So that builds the trust. So, do a great job, or earn the trust, number one. Number two, build the relationship. Number three, listen to other problems that they might have. Number four, connect them to other specialists. And number five, empower the team with technology.  Yeah. That’s a lot of it. I mean, as an advisor, we’ve grown… I mean, 60% of our growth comes from client referrals. So I think you know you’re doing something right if clients are recommending you to their friends and network. And so hopefully, if someone’s listening to this and you’re not getting referrals, you should be thinking about, “How do we either create more trust for our clients to be referring us, or how do we become more top of mind when clients are having these conversations?”  That’s great. So 60% of your growth comes from referrals. What’s the other 40%? How do you drive growth? What drives growth for you? What’s the other way to drive growth besides referrals?  Yeah. I mean, I think it’s also being connected with the ecosystem that you’re in. In our space, there are a lot of technology partners. Think about Xero, which is an accounting software, QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, payroll software like Rippling, Bill.com. They all have accounting partnerships, and the more you can build with them and grow your team alongside them, clients will reach out to them and say, “Hey, do you have someone who can help us set up Bill.com or help us set up Rippling?  We don’t have a payroll team to do our state tax registrations.” So we’ve seen a lot of good momentum as our software partners start sending us clients to help us grow. I think the other area is trying to figure out where you can have partnerships that will do introductions. We’ve been very fortunate in partnering with a number of VCs. Obviously, the VCs have worked with us because we’re on the board, or we had a mutual client. A lot of them will start to build partnership channels, and it’s a great opportunity.  They’ll say, “We just invested in this company, and you should go talk to Noah’s team to help with your accounting or your fractional CFO.” So it’s really about finding those tangential operators or entities that complement whatever you’re doing.  So are these primarily personal relationships that need to scale, or do you have a way to scale this across other people in your organization—this ability to develop partners? Or is it mainly you?  It depends on the role. A lot of our fractional CFOs on the team continue to build relationships. I would say probably 40% of our new clients come through a channel that’s not through me. There’ll be other people on our team who have built relationships with another VC or another software company. I think one of the key things we’ve always focused on is hiring people who are very, I would say “doers” might be the wrong word, but people who can self-manage and be project managers.  If you find the right people who can take a step back and look at the bigger picture, I mean, sometimes people come to Finvisor and they don’t realize that we ourselves are a business. Yes, you’re doing accounting like you were in-house and getting the books closed, but if you do good work and you realize clients are having problems, you have to think, “Hey, how can I help clients more and also help Finvisor create a win-win?” A lot of times, when we’re hiring, we’re trying to find people who have that type of drive to continue building and helping us internally, and not just do one part of the puzzle they’re responsible for. That might not be the most direct answer, but I would say a lot of it is hiring—making sure it's not just me leading the growth, but me building a team that can help lead the growth outside of just me.Share on X  Yeah. So how do you share the context so that your team members can connect the dots as well as you can? What’s your approach to that?  There’s a couple of ways we’ve done it. One way is we use a note-taker that then feeds into our CRM. For all client communication, whether they meet with us on Zoom or Google Meet, the transcripts are put into a centralized hub for us. It also connects to our CRM in terms of what we’re doing for the clients. At any point in time, someone can ask, “Hey, what’s going on with this client?” They can understand, “Great, this is what the payroll team talked to them about this week.  This is what the CFO team talked to them about last month. These are the problems they’ve been bringing up.” So we can capture that information without it having to be provided orally every single time, and without having to rely on a chat or an email to the team. There are some moments when it’s useful to give the team a larger update, but in general, it’s good to figure out a way to capture the essence of what you’re doing for your clients so that the team can then, in an AI chat-specific way, talk through, “Hey, great, what’s going on with this client? What are their needs? What has changed in the last six months? Who’s working on the client?”  I’ll have a VC that we’re talking to say, “Oh, we’re looking to invest in the CPG space and this type of vertical. Do you have any clients?” We’re at a point now where I don’t know every client. I usually have an idea about most clients, but there are definitely clients where I don’t know everything that’s happened in the last six months because I don’t talk to all 200 clients.  But I can go to our central hub to gain that information and understand, “Okay, great, which client is looking to fundraise and might want to be connected to this VC?” It’s a nice way to connect the dots. They’re looking to invest. The client is looking to raise. We also do brown-bag sessions. We’re a distributed team, so I think you have to be a little more intentional about how you educate the team. We’ll have weekly meetings where we walk through new technology, new changes in what we’re offering, new positioning, and continue educating the team in a more structured format.  The other thing we’ve done to help the team understand what’s going on is to make information as accessible as possible, similar to how we communicate with clients. So the team doesn’t have to log in to a pretty outdated CRM to pull information on a client. It’s either available directly in the Slack conversation or in a more modern tool like Notion, where you can easily search and find the information you want. So basically, you’re managing and harvesting your data and using that to feed people information about how they can develop partnerships. Is that what I’m hearing?  Yeah. And I think a lot of it is also figuring out which playbooks and processes are repeatable, documenting them better, and then educating the team around them. For example, with our fractional CFOs, we want to be in the board meeting. If we can be in the board meeting, A, we can help clients answer questions about their finances more easily, and B, it’s good to have visibility into what the board is saying about the business and where they want to go.  Then, obviously, the VCs are going to say, “Oh, great, this is Ian at Finvisor.” If he reaches out to me about a partnership, they’re going to have a better understanding of what we do because they’ve been in the room with us—or they’ve been in a virtual or in-person boardroom with us.  So you’re basically sharing the playbook so that they have a better understanding of what they can refer you for. Correct. Yeah.  So, switching gears here, Noah, what’s one thing that you’re trying to actively figure out in your business right now?  I mean, the question everyone is trying to figure out, at least in my space, is how they’re going to use AI in some fashion. That’s the kind of million-dollar question everyone keeps talking about—AI in accounting, AI in finance. Right now, we’re really structured in how we’re trying to use it and apply it. But the question I have is, what’s the next year going to look like? What’s five years going to look like as this technology gets more legs and more trust behind it? We’re pretty intentional about what we’re building and how we’re using some of the newer technology with AI. But I think there’s a lot that, at least for me, you have to continue to iterate. The world today feels different than it did three months ago. I’d say for most of Finvisor’s history—and this has been 12 years—it hasn’t felt like that, where a year later things might feel marginally different because we’re maybe 20% bigger or whatever might have happened.  Now, I think there’s a lot more excitement and unknown around technology and how it can either make people more efficient or help highlight and surface better issues that clients need to talk through. But I also feel like we’re in a moment where everyone’s trying to throw AI into every technology. So we're also trying to stay true to who we are, which is people first, relationships first—technology powering us, not being the solution.Share on X  So as you’re scaling AI to improve the information that your people have, your CFOs have, that presumably is going to lead to people doing less of the mechanical, repeatable tasks and more of the judgment tasks. So how do you scale judgment as you’re scaling the impact with AI?  On our side, I think it’s A, trying to organize and structure the data coming in. B, trying to create tooling that isn’t unique to one client but is built in a way that can be customized for each customer. A lot of the firms I talk to that are in the Finvisor space just take a blanket approach—turn Claude on for every fractional CFO, let them connect it to QuickBooks, and try to figure out their own playbooks.  That’s not how we’ve ever run the business. We don’t just hire accountants and let them run the accounting and see how the output turns out. We’re more focused on figuring out what is actually useful for review. Right now, I think AI has been most helpful around quality. It can definitely check that things are consistent and make sure edge cases are being caught.  I think we’re going to get to a future state where it’s not only making sure quality is at the 95th percentile of confidence, but also giving visibility into metrics like CAC, LTV, and churn—things that would normally take longer to pull together. Your fractional CFO might currently spend hours reviewing Stripe data or Shopify data to come to a conclusion. AI can cut out maybe 40% of that data-cleanup layer, where it’s like, “Okay, now they have the tools to dig in and understand what the underlying problem is,” instead of spending so much time cleaning up the data and getting everything organized.  So currently, at least my thesis is that it’s going to allow us to manage more clients because some of the day-to-day—I don’t want to call it busy work—but the work you have to do before you get to the exciting parts of the job will become more automated and less manual, like pulling data out of Stripe, Shopify, your CRM, or NetSuite.  So does that mean you’ll have a different type of people, maybe higher-level thinkers? Or do you think you can elevate your current team to that level?  Yeah. I think you’re… Sorry, I know I was originally answering this through the fractional CFO lens. Most of our fractional CFOs are already at the top of that organizational pyramid. For them, it’s really about helping them have cleaner data, better visibility into the actions they need to take, and better insight into what they should be reviewing and discussing with the client.  If I think more broadly about the back-office finance team, I do think a lot of the more generalist staff accountant and AP specialist roles won’t be spending as much time on the day-to-day blocking and tackling. If a client has 1,000 transactions a month flowing through their bank and credit cards, historically that accountant would sit in QuickBooks Online clicking “Okay, okay, okay,” reviewing every transaction and coding it. Eighty percent of those transactions will simply be coded automatically in real time as they come in. That leaves them to focus on the 20% that actually requires human judgment.  For me, the question is, can we continue to empower those people to be more impactful with that 20%? Are they the right people for that 20%? We’ve always tried to hire people who are proactive and broader thinkers, so I think we have the right team to step into that. If we’d built a traditional BPO model with an outsourced accounting team made up of people who were really just coding transactions at a basic level, I’d be more worried because getting those people to step up and handle edge cases is difficult.  But that’s not how we’ve historically built Finvisor. We’ve always tried to find people who are a little more… I’d rather hire an A-plus player than a B-player just because there’s some savings in the cost structure. I’d rather have the right people who can perform 80% of the time when they’re at bat than just hire someone because they’re cheaper.  Yeah.  Wrong baseball analogy there, but yeah.  Yeah, I understand. So you have A-plus people. Maybe the people who are doing more bookkeeping-type services—their jobs may become automated—but your A-players are going to have best-in-class information, and they can serve more clients that way.  Yeah. I still think that if you think about the typical accounting structure—if you’re working in-house and you have a bookkeeper and a controller—it’s still helpful. Depending on the size of the company, if you’re a small company, you probably won’t need that bookkeeper.  The controller can handle the edge cases and close the books. But at a certain scale, you’ll still want that junior resource supporting the controller so the controller can focus on the higher-level, more strategic work. I think people will simply be able to do more with less if they’re the right person. There will be people who, if they aren’t good at staying on their toes and figuring out edge cases, won’t be the right fit.  AI will probably replace some of those roles. But I think there’s a great opportunity for people who can think more strategically. They don’t have to be a CFO. They can just be a really smart bookkeeper who’s good at handling edge cases. They’ll simply be able to manage three times as many clients as they could when they had to code every single transaction.  Okay. If you had a magic wand and you could fix one thing in your business over the next 12 months, what would it be?  One area that we probably haven’t prioritized enough because of growth is SEO, AEO, and our overall sales build-out. Our paid advertising hasn’t been the strongest part of our business because it hasn’t been the top priority. If I had a magic wand, I’d have someone clean up our SEO and AEO visibility because I know clients love us and we do great work, but I don’t think we’re showing up the way I’d like from an SEO and AEO perspective. So that would be it. Yeah.  Yeah. Yeah. Love it. So, who are your ideal customers? Who do you want knocking on your door? Is it venture-backed companies primarily, or do you also work with private company founders? Who are your sweet-spot customers?  A lot of our clients are going to be in that 5-to-50-employee range, where they don’t need a full-time back office, a full-time accountant, a full-time CFO, or a full-time payroll specialist, but they need someone to own those roles. That way, we can put together the right Finvisor team to support them. We’ve intentionally made ourselves pretty modular, so while the largest group of our clients is in the tech VC world, we also have a lot of SMBs—law firms, beauty businesses, and other professional services businesses.  I would say that, if you looked at the Finvisor client base as a whole, you’d probably see a lot of startups. But we’re also starting to see more SMBs and more traditional businesses that don’t have VC funding but still need help with their accounting, bookkeeping, and modernizing their back office. So it’s a bit of both. Most of our clients are going to be in that 10-to-50- or 100-employee range, where they’re complex enough that they care about their financials and want to understand what they spent last month, where they’re going, and how they’re going to get there.  Earlier-stage companies are sometimes just a little too early. If you’re a one- or two-person company with just an idea, there’s a reason people think about their financials on more of a cash basis. They can think about the five clients they’re working with. Their bank balance ties pretty closely to their financials. There’s not a huge difference between the two when you’re a sole proprietor.  But as you start to evolve, that’s where Finvisor can provide more value. For all of our clients, we do accrual accounting, so we’re recognizing your revenue and your costs over the life of the service. As you start to grow and build, that’s really helpful. Obviously, if you’re at day one, it’s less impactful because you’re living more day to day, week to week, and month to month.  Steve Preda: Okay. So if we have those kinds of companies—which we do among our listeners—and they hear about this and want to fix their back office and outsource it to a reliable partner who can help them own those functions and give them good advice, what’s the best entry point? Where should they go, and how can they connect with you personally as well?  Yeah. hello@finvisor.com comes to me and the sales team. There’s probably a 95% chance you’ll talk to me if you reach out because I still love connecting with most new businesses that come through the door. The other area I wanted to call out that could be helpful for businesses is PEOs. PEOs are great, but I think at some point clients need to graduate from the PEO, and Finvisor is uniquely positioned to be both your insurance broker—helping you quote large-group plans—and your payroll and HR team to help you leave the PEO.  For a lot of our clients, once they pass that 100-employee mark, it’s like, “Great, we now qualify for a large-group plan,” which might have better rates than what they’re getting through the PEO. They just don’t have the team or bandwidth to get off the PEO. We’ll come alongside those larger companies and say, “Great, let’s quote a large-group plan for you. We’ll also put together a transition plan to register you in the 20 states where your employees are currently located.  We’ll make sure you get your workers’ compensation and employment practices liability insurance in place so there’s really no difference—apples to apples—from being in the PEO to running your own payroll.” We help with that transition because I’m always surprised to see companies with hundreds of employees still on a PEO, where the savings could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars if they left. They just don’t have the internal team because they’ve always been on a PEO. They’ve never had to do state registrations, so they don’t know how to do them. Because of that, they’re usually not looking for an alternative path to get off that structure. We can at least review it with them and help them out if it’s a good fit. And just to remind our listeners what a PEO is, in case they don’t know.  Oh, sorry. Yeah. A PEO is a Professional Employer Organization. If you’ve heard of companies like TriNet or Justworks, they’re PEOs. In the health insurance space, there are four primary ways you can get health insurance. Most companies start with small-group plans in the early days because they’re state-mandated. For example, in California, if you’re under 100 employees, the rates my company gets would be the same rates Steve’s company gets if we’re both under 100 employees and we’re asking Blue Shield for a quote from the same ZIP code. That’s small-group insurance.  Then there’s level-funded, where carriers quote specifically based on your employee group. There’s large-group, which is somewhat similar but designed for larger organizations. Then there’s the PEO. Let’s say you’re a 10-person company. You don’t have enough employees to qualify for large-group health insurance, which is usually discounted because the risk is spread across hundreds of employees. The PEO says, “We’ll employ your team. Instead of you directly employing 10 people and buying health insurance for only those 10 people, we’ll employ your team and give you rates based on the 10,000 employees we already have.” PEOs are really popular in places like California and New York, where health insurance is very expensive.  But once you get above about 100 employees, you can usually qualify for your own large-group rates, which are similar to what the PEO is getting. The difference is that the PEO is generally marking up those rates because they need to make a margin on the plan. You can often get those rates directly yourself.  Yeah. That makes perfect sense. Okay. So if you’re listening to this and you’re building a venture-backed startup, or you’re the founder of a professional services firm, a law firm, or another small business with 10 to 100 employees, and you don’t yet have the budget—or maybe you simply don’t need—a full-time CFO, insurance advisor, HR leader, and other functional specialists, then reach out to Noah and Finvisor.  Check out what they have to offer and see what services might be a good fit for your business. Thanks, Noah, for coming on the show and sharing your expertise. It’s fascinating to see how this field is evolving, how you’re tapping into technology, and how you’re focusing on the highest-quality CFOs to help your clients. If you enjoyed this conversation, stay tuned.  Follow us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure you don’t miss an episode. Every week, we bring you exciting entrepreneurs and their best management frameworks. Thanks for coming, Noah, and thanks for listening.  Thanks, Steve. Appreciate it. Important Links: Noah's LinkedIn Noah's  website Noah's email: hello@finvisor.com

PLEASURE SEEKING.  We all need recreation and leisure to relieve the pressures and daily grind of everyday life. But if we build our lives solely around pleasure seeking, we find that it ultimately does not provide the satisfaction, relief, and rest we desire.  Our reward comes when we align our desires with God's will, the source of all relief, pleasure, and joy.  Join the conversation: anycatholicconversation@gmail.com 

Sam has a tough class and John offers some sage advice. The news story features a trip, but is it for business or pleasure? Plus, John and Sam report live, sort of, from the England vs Panama World Cup classic. A fun filled comedy podcast, introduced by John Maurice and Sam O'Toole. They have been comedians for years, friends for longer, and humans for longer than that. You'd be mad to miss it. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and wherever you get your podcasts. www.johnandsaminjapan.comFind our Anniversary Special ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, you can even get it for free!Check out Ruben VM's stuff at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@rubenvm⁠

Kirt & Mr. Sal discuss Season 1 Episode 6 of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed in which Squishy Fruit makes a great snack. Shoe Hammer some Show Hoppers into your day! Website: showhoppers.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShowHoppers Contact Us: showhopperspodcast@gmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Jenkins, the Traitors star, joins James Smith for a raw conversation about resilience, identity, and rebuilding a life after everything is taken away. At 21, Andrew was pronounced dead at the scene of a catastrophic car accident, lost half his skull and over half his blood, and was told he'd never walk, talk, or recognise anyone again. He walked out of that hospital and then spent 15 years suffering in silence behind a good body, a nice house, and a successful banking career.

Hear us out: An awkward sex scene can actually be better than a frictionless one. Take the examples Sanj and Tyler cite from Business or Pleasure and Act Your Age, Eve Brown! Then, Riss M. Neilson shares her experiences writing chronic illness and disability and delivering romance to characters who deserve love and steam. Plus, a what-we’ve-consumed-this-month roundup ending with a wildly bad Italian accent courtesy of a rewatch of The Wedding Planner. Most-memorable sex scene mentions: Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert. Riss M. Neilson is the author of A Love Like the Sun and The Bridge Back to You. Her rec: Reel by Kennedy Ryan. What we’ve consumed this month: The Invite, Lisa Kleypas’s The Wallflower series, Fossil Feud by Maggie North, Chase Me If You Can by Heather Francis, and The Wedding Planner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Aaron hosts solo.   Aarons talks with Nina Pick. Nina is a somatic healing practitioner and integrative counselor, Neuro Affective Touch practitioner, group facilitator, and author. She shares her story of recovery since 2009. Nina explains how engaging the body accesses a deeper level of healing. She helps us to understand the connection between communication and addiction. Nina also explains the heart-genital disconnection, and how to reconnect them. She gives guidance on when only one partner is doing their own work. Listen in to this fascinating discussion.   Links: Nina Pick Books: Sober Secure: An Attachment-Based Guide to Dating, Sex, and Love in Recovery The Mind-Body Guide to the 12-Steps: Finding Joy, Sensuality, and Pleasure in Recovery   NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) Sacred Impact Men's Retreat August 13-17, 2026 Canadian Samson Summit Sept 18-20 Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit   Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402   If you have thoughts or questions and you'd like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com.     The opening and closing music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society. Transitional music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/   For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com.  Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com. The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.

Happiness is the enemy of the future. Happiness is like a mirage in the desert; it eludes your grasp when you most strive for it. And yet, in my first book, I wrote about how…“I've found the happiness that I didn't give a damn about…”Here I'll break down why not giving a damn about happiness makes you happier, quantitatively and qualitatively. To illustrate the principle of “hedonic adaptation,” I'd like you to think about going on an awesome vacation...01:01 The Genetic and Biological Roots of Happiness02:00 Hedonic Adaptation and Vacation Fatigue11:16 The Impact of Hedonic Adaptation on Life Satisfaction16:36 Boredom with Pleasure and the Search for Meaning19:58 Making Meaning the Compass in Life24:15 The Genetic Purpose and Parenthood as Happiness34:31 Spirituality, Superstition, and Deep Happiness38:04 Gratitude as a Practice for Lasting Happiness40:56 Epicurean Living and Community44:16 Reframing Happiness as the Absence of Suffering47:13 The Ultimate Pursuit: Meaning Over HappinessFor every mentioned here, read: Don't give a damn about happiness

What if you've been surviving your life instead of actually living it, and you didn't even know it? ✨ Enrollment for the Ziva Experience is officially open. Meditation to dissolve stress at the root, embodied manifesting to turn emotion into fuel, and a community built to hold you through all of it. Join us now → experience.zivameditation.com In this episode, Emily Fletcher sits down with Tammy Lewis, a business owner, mother of two, and now a Ziva Guide, to trace what changed between the version of her quietly holding everything together and the version of her now manifesting a cross-country move, a new school, and an entirely different marriage, with speed and ease. Before Ziva, nothing was broken, but everything was heavy: she was managing everyone else's emotions while hers sat at the bottom of the list. "It was getting by," she says. "I was surviving my life instead of actually living it." She found Ziva in 2021, and between being consistent with her daily Ziva Meditation practice, two pilgrimages, and years of practicing Ziva Magic's embodied manifesting formula, she learned to tell a thought that's “of her” from guidance that moves “through her.” Now her emotional lows resolve in minutes instead of days, manifestations show up almost daily, and she sums up her reality in one line: "Honestly, everything feels like magic." In this episode, they explore: The “before” picture: a good, full, busy life that was still a constant clench in the body — holding, managing, getting by The internal tool of asking what's “of me” versus what's “through me” during meditation, and how it sharpened her guidance How clearing childhood-level stuff she didn't know needed clearing kept expanding her capacity to receive Manifesting a cross-country move, a new school, and a mountain home in the same ten days she got clear on what her family truly wanted Her first, reluctant encounter with emotional alchemy at a Costa Rica retreat, and why part of her still resists it today Growing up Catholic and the jolt of first hearing “use your pleasure to pray” Why the Ziva circles, not just the meditation, became the real differentiator — and her new role guiding them Key Moments: 00:00 – Meet Tammy Lewis: the before and after 03:21 – “It's literally all magic”: journaling on Persephone before the call 06:53 – Her most recent evidence of magic: leaving expat life in Panama 09:06 – Turning guidance into action, Michael Jackson-style 10:51 – The tool: what's “of me” and what's “through me” 12:11 – The before picture: who was Tammy pre-Ziva 13:43 – The weight of life as a constant clench in the body 15:19 – Clearing invisible cages she didn't know were there 17:47 – Life now: shorter lows, funnier meetings 20:59 – Her son's word of the year: friendship 23:15 – Describing the meditation: the first practice she's ever craved 25:31 – Embodied manifesting: it's the feeling, not the thing 28:26 – The speed of manifesting and collapsing timelines 31:39 – Her first emotional alchemy experience, reluctantly, in Costa Rica 34:39 – The myth of Persephone and the underworld 38:03 – Pleasure as prayer, and her Catholic upbringing 43:03 – Leading the Ziva circles: community as the real differentiator ✨ The Ziva Experience is open for enrollment. Meditation to dissolve stress at the root. Embodied manifesting to turn your emotions into fuel. A mantra ceremony and a community built to hold you through all of it. Enroll now: zivameditation.com/experience

MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED SERIES REVIEW Camboy (plural camboys): noun – A man who publishes webcam photographs or videos of himself. Apple Plus presents a series starring former She-Hulk Tatiana Maslany as Paula. She's a single mother with a laptop and private relationship with a camboy named Trevor. Paula doesn't seem like the type. She has […]

Why does it feel so hard to put your phone down? From endless scrolling to social media, pornography, and constant notifications, modern technology has learned how to capture our attention in ways previous generations never experienced. In this episode, Andrew and Benjy unpack the science of dopamine and explain why the problem isn't dopamine itself. It's the way our natural reward system has been hijacked by instant gratification. They explore how technology offers rewards without effort, why that leaves us feeling emptier over time, and what it looks like to build a healthier relationship with our attention. Along the way, they discuss digital detoxes, novelty, purpose, relationships, faith, and why lasting joy is found through growth, not endless stimulation. What you'll hear in this episode: What dopamine actually does and why it isn't the enemy How social media and pornography exploit your reward system Why scrolling never feels satisfying The difference between earned rewards and instant gratification How novelty can either deepen your life or distract from it Practical ways to create healthier technology habits Why purpose, effort, and real relationships lead to lasting joy Technology isn't going away. The question is whether you'll use it intentionally or let it shape the person you're becoming.

In this interview, Kim Butts shares her 30+ years of experience in prayer ministry, the importance of a theology of prayer, and practical steps for churches to become houses of prayer. Discover insights from her journey, resources, and how God is moving in this season.

MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED SERIES REVIEW Camboy (plural camboys): noun – A man who publishes webcam photographs or videos of himself. Apple Plus presents a series starring former She-Hulk Tatiana Maslany as Paula. She's a single mother with a laptop and private relationship with a camboy named Trevor. Paula doesn't seem like the type. She has […]

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0729db.mp3 Listen to Bible reading Through My Bible Yr 03 – July 29 Amos 1 – 2 Amos 1 1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheep breeders [1] from Tekoa. He saw a vision concerning Israel during the days of Uzziah king of Judah and during the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 He said:     The Lord roars from Zion.     From Jerusalem he sends out his voice.     The pastures of the shepherds dry up, [2]     and the top of Mount Carmel withers. Judgment Against Aram 3 This is what the Lord says:     Because of three sins [3] of Damascus,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because they cut up Gilead with iron threshing boards. [4] 4 So I will send fire against the house of Hazael,     and it will consume the fortresses of Ben Hadad. 5 I will break the bars of the gates of Damascus,     and I will cut off the one seated in the Valley of Aven,     and the one who holds a scepter in Beth Eden. [5]     So the people of Aram will go into exile toward Kir. [6]     The Lord has spoken. Judgment Against Philistia 6 This is what the Lord says:     Because of three sins of Gaza,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because they sold an entire population into exile,     handing them over to Edom. 7 So I will send fire against the city wall of Gaza,     and it will consume her citadels. 8 I will cut off the one seated in Ashdod,     and the one who holds a scepter in Ashkelon.     I will also turn my hand against Ekron,     and what is left of the Philistines will perish.     The Lord God has spoken. Judgment Against Canaan 9 This is what the Lord says:     Because of three sins of Tyre,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because they delivered over an entire population and exiled them to Edom,     and they did not remember a treaty of brotherhood. 10 So I will send fire against the city wall of Tyre,     and it will consume her citadels. Judgment Against Edom 11 This is what the Lord says:     Because of three sins of Edom,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because he [7] pursued his brother with a sword,     and he had no compassion. [8]     His anger kept tearing Israel apart,     and his fury raged without stopping. 12 So I will send fire against Teman,     and it will consume the citadels of Bozrah. Judgment Against Ammon 13 This is what the Lord says:     Because of three sins of the Ammonites,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their own territory. 14 So I will ignite a fire against the city wall of Rabbah,     and it will consume her citadels         with a battle cry on the day of war,         with a strong wind on the day of the storm. 15 Then their king will go into exile,     he and his officials together.     The Lord has spoken. Judgment Against Moab Amos 2 1 This is what the Lord says: Because of three sins of Moab,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because they burned the bones of the king of Edom to make lime. 2 So I will send fire against Moab,     and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth.     Moab will die in an uproar,     with a battle cry, with a blast of a ram's horn. 3 I will cut off the judge [9] from her midst,     and I will kill all her officials with him.     The Lord has spoken. Judgment Against Judah 4 This is what the Lord says:     Because of three sins of Judah,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because they rejected the law of the Lord,     and they did not keep his statutes.     Their lying idols led them astray,     the idols that their fathers followed. 5 So I will send fire against Judah,     and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem. Judgment Against Israel 6 This is what the Lord says:     Because of three sins of Israel,     because of four, I will not hold back judgment,     because they sell the righteous for silver     and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth,     and they turn aside the claims of the oppressed.     A man and his father go to the same young woman.     In this way they profane my holy name. 8 They stretch themselves out beside every altar         on pieces of clothing they seized as collateral.     In the temple of their gods they drink wine obtained through fines. 9 I was the one who destroyed the Amorites in front of them,     the Amorites, who were as tall as cedars,     who were as strong as oaks.     I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below. 10 I myself brought you up from the land of Egypt,     and I led you in the wilderness for forty years,         so that you would take possession of the land of the Amorites. 11 I raised up some of your sons to be prophets,     and some of your best young men to be Nazirites.     Is this not so, you people of Israel? declares the Lord. 12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine,     and you commanded the prophets, “You must not prophesy!” 13 Look, I am weighed down under you,     just as a cart is weighed down when it is loaded with sheaves of grain. [10] 14 There will be no escape for the swift runner.     The powerful man will not be able to exert his strength,     and the strong warrior will not be able to save his own life. 15 The archer will not stand his ground.     The swift runner will not save himself,     and the horseman will not save his own life. 16 The most courageous among the warriors will flee naked on that day,     declares the Lord. Footnotes Amos 1:1 Or ranchers Amos 1:2 Or mourn Amos 1:3 Or crimes Amos 1:3 A threshing board or threshing sledge is similar to a toboggan, but it has iron teeth protruding from the bottom. It is dragged over piles of grain to cut up the straw and release the kernels of grain. Amos 1:5 Valley of Aven and Beth Eden mean Valley of Wickedness and House of Pleasure. They may be figurative names for the region around Damascus. Amos 1:5 The location of Kir is unknown. It probably lies far to the north or east. Amos 1:11 Edom is referred to by the singular he because it is also a name of Jacob's brother Esau. Amos 1:11 Or he destroyed pregnant women Amos 2:3 Or ruler Amos 2:13 The meaning of the verse is uncertain. It may mean I will weigh you down as a cart is weighed down. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

Have you ever felt like you become a completely different person during the second half of your cycle? One week you're energized, focused, and confident. The next, you're battling brain fog, irritability, anxiety, exhaustion, and wondering what happened to the version of yourself from just a few days ago. In this live conversation, Dr. Mariza sits down with entrepreneur, former Snapchat executive, and founder of The Cycle, Anastasia Sartan, to explore the overlooked realities of PMDD, hormone fluctuations, and why women's changing biology has been largely ignored by the wellness industry. After struggling with debilitating PMDD while working in the high-pressure tech world, Anastasia set out to create the first functional beverage specifically designed to support women through every stage of their hormonal journey—from the luteal phase and menstruation to perimenopause and menopause. Together, they discuss how chronic stress, motherhood, the invisible mental load, nervous system dysregulation, and modern work culture amplify hormonal symptoms, leaving many women feeling like they're constantly pushing through instead of truly thriving. This conversation is a powerful reminder that your changing hormones aren't a personal failure. They are an invitation to better understand your body, prioritize rest, and finally embrace products, habits, and support systems that were designed with women in mind. ANASTASIA SARTAN Anastasia Sartan is an entrepreneur, former Snapchat executive, data scientist, and founder of The Cycle, the first functional beverage brand created to support women throughout every phase of their hormonal cycle. Inspired by her personal journey with PMDD, she is on a mission to close the gap in women's wellness by creating innovative products that help women feel supported, understood, and empowered. IN THIS EPISODE What PMDD really is and why so many women are misdiagnosed Why hormone fluctuations dramatically impact mood, energy, and resilience The hidden connection between chronic stress, motherhood, and hormonal symptoms How nervous system regulation supports women's hormonal health Why women's wellness products have historically overlooked hormonal cycles The inspiration behind creating The Cycle functional beverage Why rest may be one of the most powerful tools for hormone health How honoring your body's changing needs helps you thrive through every season QUOTES“Periods are a lifestyle, not a medical condition.” “We had the hormones to scaffold us... until we didn't.” “Women deserve products that are designed for women's biology.” RESOURCES MENTIONED Use code DRMARIZA and get 5% off on The Cycle Functional Drinks https://onthecycle.com/s/312c05 Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your MitoQ Order https://www.mitoq.com/energized Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your Troscription Order http://troscriptions.com/ENERGIZED The Cycle Website Anastasia Sartan Instagram RELATED EPISODES  762: Why Women Need to Stop Being “Good Patients” and Start Advocating for Better Healthcare with Dr. Mariza 761: Finding Your Way Back to Pleasure and Feeling Fully Alive with Gabriella Espinosa 760: The Mindset Shift That Helps You Stop Feeling Stuck with Dr. Rachel Goldman 717: “I Don't Feel Like Myself Anymore”: The Mental & Emotional Reality of Perimenopause

Dr. Robert Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist, professor emeritus of pediatrics at UCSF, and bestselling author of Fat Chance, The Hacking of the American Mind, and Metabolical who has spent 40+ years studying metabolism and the role of sugar in chronic disease. In this conversation, he breaks down the real root of modern burnout, why fructose acts as a poison without its fiber "antidote," and the science of how sugar hijacks the same reward circuitry as any other addiction.In this episode, we discuss:(0:00) Trailer(1:45) The Real Root Of Burnout: Cortisol And Neuronal ATP Depletion(8:02) The Amygdala's Four Brakes And Why They're All Failing At Once(15:57) How Sugar Damages Every System In Your Brain(17:55) Fructose vs. Fruit: Why Fiber Is The Antidote To The Poison(21:27) The Orange Juice Scam That Reshaped How We Eat(25:51) Why Ultra-Processed Food Makes You Eat 500 More Calories A Day(31:09) Why Sugar Is Addictive (And The Economics That Prove It)(38:46) Why You Don't Need Dietary Sugar To Live(42:12) What Vietnam Vets Taught Us About Addiction And Environment(43:57) Pleasure vs. Happiness: Dopamine, Serotonin, And Why It Matters(51:46) Why Calorie Counting Is Dangerous(52:35) The Truth About GLP-1s Like Ozempic: Benefits And Risks(1:03:30) The Right Order To Eat Your Food To Blunt Blood Sugar(1:11:07) The Highest-ROI Steps To Build Stress Resilience(1:13:05) Breaking Belief Systems With Psychedelics And Wim HofLearn more about Dr. Lustig here:Website: https://robertlustig.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertlustigmdMetabolical: https://metabolical.comWatch this episode on Youtube:https://youtu.be/7BY4dtNj1SA

For many Filipinos living in Australia, staying connected to home can start with something simple—listening to familiar voices on the radio. A long-time Filipino resident in Australia, who has been living in the country since 1987, says tuning in to SBS Filipino has been a source of connection and comfort over the years. - Ayon sa isang matagal nang residenteng Pilipino sa Australia, na naninirahan doon mula pa noong 1987, ang pagsubaybay sa SBS Filipino ay naging pinagmulan ng ugnayan at ginhawa sa paglipas ng mga taon.

The Pleasure Zone with Milica Jelenic - Diamond Host Why does sex disappear from relationships that were once full of passion? Why does great sex slowly become routine, and why does desire disappears when love is still alive? Does sex matter enough to keep the spark alive? Do couples crave intimacy but don't know how to maintain or invite desire back? What disappears first, sex or intimacy? In this episode, you'll discover: *C@ck blockers that you might not have considered *Why comfort can kill desire, and how predictability quietly assassinates your sex life. *What the couples with great sex loves are doing, and what you are failing to do *Using some basic C's to bring the great sex back: communication, connection, consent and curiosity! Join Milica Jelenic, Holistic Health Practitioner, Sex & Intimacy Coach on this episode of The Pleasure Zone where we will find out what happens "When Good Sex Disappears." Grab your Yes, No, Maybe list - all about Playful Tips for Pleasure here  5 Key Takeaways / Highlights Good sex rarely disappears overnight—it is usually eroded by unresolved issues over time. Resentments, poor communication, unmet needs, chronic stress, and emotional disconnection gradually chip away at intimacy until desire begins to fade. Comfort without growth can become the enemy of passion. While emotional safety is essential, relationships that become overly predictable and routine can lose the novelty, curiosity, and excitement that help keep desire alive. Intimacy grows when couples continue exploring, communicating, and evolving together. Great sex is built through intentional connection, not luck. Couples who maintain fulfilling intimate relationships make time to communicate honestly, flirt, play, stay curious, and discuss their desires and boundaries. They actively nurture their relationship instead of assuming passion will maintain itself. Gratitude and playfulness help reignite desire. Focusing on what you appreciate about your partner, creating shared experiences, laughing together, and introducing variety into your relationship can strengthen emotional connection and naturally support a healthy, satisfying sex life. Not every relationship can—or should—be revived. While many intimacy challenges can be improved through communication, growth, and mutual effort, ongoing abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, repeated boundary violations, or a complete unwillingness to address relationship issues are important signs that it may be healthier to walk away.   The Pleasure Zone – A Guide For Curioius Pleasure Seekers Inspired Choices Network Hosts Author Milica Jelenic   Amazon.com – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1997615401 Amazon.ca – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1997615401     ~ More About The Pleasure Zone ~ Milica Jelenic is a Sex & Intimacy Coach, Speaker, and Pleasure Advocate who empowers individuals and couples to cultivate deeper intimacy, authentic connection, and greater vitality. Through her intuitive, playful, and compassionate approach, she helps clients release judgment, embrace their bodies, and discover how pleasure can become a powerful catalyst for healing, confidence, and a more fulfilling life. Known for creating a safe, engaging, and transformative space, Milica combines insight, curiosity, and practical guidance to inspire meaningful change. She invites people to explore new possibilities, reconnect with themselves, and experience the joy, ease, and aliveness that come from living with greater pleasure, presence, and self-acceptance.    MilicaJelenic.com   www.milicajelenic.com/    Email   milica.jelenic.mj@gmail.com    YouTube   www.youtube.com/@thepleasurezone    LinkedIn   www.linkedin.com/pub/milica-jelenic/37/349/772    Instagram   www.instagram.com/thepleasurezoneradio/    Facebook   www.facebook.com/MilicaPZ       TikTok   www.tiktok.com/@milicajelenic1 The Pleasure Zone with Milica Jelenic: https://www.inspiredchoicesnetwork.com/podcast/the-pleasure-zone-milica-jelenic/

bondo - Zuma [Bondo LP]Gilla Band - Placeholder [Pugnello LP]Foglights - The Rain Felt Kind [Nous Deux EP]P.P. Rebel - Sanctuary [Devotee LP]chest. - Lotus Eater [Happy, Broken LP]Hannah Cole - MMA [Switchbacks LP]Battery Operated Orchestra - Alligator [Sea Views Soft Rains LP]Formal Sppeedwear - A Concise History [Punch Card LP]Freak Slug - Girl, Intentions [Amulet LP]johnny foreigner - The New Navigation [Forwards! LP]Simona Castricum - Rupture [Single]Slow Fiction - junior year [dollhouse LP]Homework - Made [Bang Here If Stuck LP]Vanishing Twin - Bring Me The Axe [Archives LP]Kristin Hersh - Moths [Sugar on Blackstone LP]Jetstream Pony - Grimalkin Tom [PETS SOUNDS LP]Velocity Girl - I Know Exactly What You Mean [1989-1992 LP]Jah Wobble and Tian Qiyi - Tomorrow Never Knows [Mystic Liverpool LP]Visiting Hour - Long Spring [Visiting Hour LP]Black Reverie - Revolution or Reverb [Revolution or Reverb single]The Laughing Chimes - Small Town Racecars [Behind Your Blue Fields LP]Leadville - Marilyn [Eleven LP]Regent - The Best of Things [single]Cong Josie - Wawa Life [Naked on the Street / Wawa Life [AA single]Larsovitch - Corps [single]Trauma Party - Are We in Heaven [Because You've Been Good EP]Origami Horses - Vultures [single]Boy Harsher - Hard Beat [GET MEAN LP]Content Blocks - Beach Resort [Hard Out LP]Perennial - Modernism [Modernism LP]LXRP - Artifacting [LXRP LP]Arab Strap - Glamour Magick [Half-Told Tales LP]Lovejoy - Living In The Light [single]

Preached in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, UK

**SHOW NOTES**Why does sex become more difficult the more we care about someone? In this conversation, I sit down with psychosexual and relationship therapist Kate Moyle to unpack the psychology behind performance anxiety, modern sexual culture, and why so many men feel pressure to perform instead of connect.We explore how stress, distraction, shame, relationship dynamics, and unrealistic expectations affect intimacy, along with practical ways to build healthier communication, confidence, and connection in the bedroom. Whether you're navigating anxiety around sex or simply want a deeper understanding of intimacy, this conversation offers practical insights grounded in both science and clinical experience.SHOW HIGHLIGHTS00:00 – Introducing Kate Moyle00:20 – What a Psychosexual Therapist Does02:56 – Is Modern Sexual Culture Broken?05:52 – Performance vs Presence in Sex08:13 – Why Anxiety Shows Up During Intimacy11:08 – Changing Gender Roles and Sexual Expectations13:46 – The Biopsychosocial Model Explained15:04 – Everyday Stressors That Affect Sex18:29 – Creating the Conditions for Great Sex22:06 – Porn, Media and Unrealistic Expectations26:13 – Why Communication Is Essential for Great Sex29:57 – Attunement Over Performance31:30 – Pleasure vs Performance35:57 – Understanding Unreliable Erections38:29 – The Psychology of Performance Anxiety46:41 – Breaking the Anxiety Cycle53:35 – Addressing Shame Around Sexual Performance56:52 – Masculinity, Potency and Self-Worth59:26 – When Relationship Issues Affect Intimacy01:03:13 – Where to Find Kate Moyle***Tired of feeling like you're never enough? Build your self-worth with help from this free guide: https://training.mantalks.com/self-worthPick up my book, Men's Work: A Practical Guide To Face Your Darkness, End Self-Sabotage, And Find Freedom: https://mantalks.com/mens-work-book/Heard about attachment but don't know where to start? Try the FREE Ultimate Guide To AttachmentCheck out some other free resources: How To Quit Porn | Anger Meditation | How To Lead In Your RelationshipBuild brotherhood with a powerful group of like-minded men from around the world. Check out The Alliance. Enjoy the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the tools and training they're looking for. And don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyFor more, visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram

What does it mean that every glance you take is a moral act — and that the world you see is literally shaped by what you're aiming at when you look? This lecture builds from a deceptively simple observation about perception and intent into one of the oldest and most unsettling ideas in the biblical tradition: that the spirit you bring to your decisions determines what reality reveals to you. Moving through the stories of Jacob's ladder, Elijah's cave, and the still small voice that turns out to be harder to hear than any earthquake or firestorm, Peterson traces the case that conscience, calling, and the instinct to aim upward are not three things but one — and that the God of the Old Testament is less a being to be believed in than a direction to be chosen, one glance, one word, one sacrifice at a time. This lecture was filmed on December 2nd, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Unlock the ad-free experience of The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast and dive into exclusive bonus content on DailyWire+. Start watching now: http://dwpluspeterson.com/yt ALL LINKS: https://feedlink.io/jordanbpeterson // LINKS // Peterson Academy https://petersonacademy.com Books - https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

RJ Spina, a metaphysician who healed himself from chest-down "permanent" paralysis, reveals that suffering isn't real—only your mistaken ownership of a character that was never truly you. From being told he had 48 hours to live to feeling pure joy while his body broke down, RJ shows that liberation comes when you stop identifying with your thoughts, pain, and story. He witnessed agonizing pain without suffering, proving that you are the awareness watching the storm, not the storm itself.Using metaphors like the sun (untouched by weather) and the time-lapse camera (unaffected by the fire it records), he explains that healing isn't a process—it's an instant release of crystallized identity. The ego mind keeps you trapped by turning everything into a drawn-out journey, but letting go can happen in a single second.We explore why narcissists are a separate genus of being designed as catalysts for your evolution, why the soul deliberately chooses trauma for accelerated growth, why unconditional love is actually a spiritual control agenda, the one-second meditation technique, why pain and pleasure are identical sensations at higher consciousness, and how manifesting wealth operates through the exact same inner mechanics as healing your body.Your character gets traumatized—but you, the I AM, have never been touched. Will you keep rearranging furniture in the same room, or finally step out of the house entirely?___

Une partie de sexe riche, décomplexée et pleine de mots crus et doux.Pour participer toi aussi à #faitmaison, clique sur le lien “travailler pour nous” dans le menu sur voxxx.orgHébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

1. Pursue God's Presence Now a. Run to Him for Refuge b. Submit to His Good Reign c. Delight in Godly Fellowship d. Flee Worldly Idolatry e. Treasure Him Above All Else f. Trust His Sovereign Care g. Rest in His Perfect Counsel 1. Enjoy God's Presence Forever a. He Will Give You Eternal Life b. You Will Walk in Eternal Joy

Kirt & Mr. Sal discuss Season 1 Episode 5 of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed in which Hazel wants frozen waffles. Shoe Hammer some Show Hoppers into your day! Website: showhoppers.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShowHoppers Contact Us: showhopperspodcast@gmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kyle and Joe interview Rachel Turetzky & Douglas S. Wingate about their perspectives on the WilsonLeary 8 Circuit Model of consciousness. They recently released a CE approved program on Psychedelic Education Center to train therapists on this model and how to integrate the 8 Circuit Model into your clinical therapy practice. In this episode: Maybe Day and maybe logic: Honoring Robert Anton Wilson and learning to hold beliefs, models, and interpretations more lightly Reality tunnels: How biology, experience, culture, and conditioning filter our perception of reality Robert Anton Wilson's legacy: Guerrilla ontology, stand-up philosophy, Prometheus Rising, and using humor to destabilize rigid beliefs Timothy Leary beyond the caricature: His early work in psychology, the development of the Eight-Circuit Model, and the parts of his intellectual legacy that are often overlooked The first four circuits: Bodily safety, emotional territory, language and symbolic thinking, and social and relational conditioning The upper circuits: Sensory and somatic intelligence, metacognition, archetypal and transpersonal experience, and unitive states of consciousness Metaprogramming: Identifying the beliefs, imprints, and automatic patterns shaping our lives—and developing the capacity to revise them Circuit Zero and Stanislav Grof: Prenatal and perinatal experience, the basic perinatal matrices, and the lasting influence of early development Normalizing unusual experiences: Archetypal encounters, ancestral material, entities, out-of-body experiences, synchronicities, and other phenomena that conventional psychology may struggle to interpret Psychedelics and re-imprinting: How expanded states may loosen entrenched developmental patterns and create opportunities for psychological change Pleasure as therapeutic material: Anhedonia, chronic survival states, the "hedonic intelligence" of Circuit Five, and learning to experience joy without treating it as a distraction from the work Clinical applications: Using the model during psychedelic preparation to identify intentions, developmental imprints, and material that may emerge Medicine and dosage selection: How MDMA, ketamine, psilocybin, LSD, and 5-MeO-DMT may produce different experiences depending on the intention and dose Integration and verticality: Grounding expansive, archetypal, or unitive experiences through the body, emotions, relationships, and everyday life Chapel Perilous: Understanding destabilizing experiences, ontological shock, spiritual emergencies, and the process of reconstructing meaning afterward Beyond psychedelics: Connections with yoga, meditation, occult practice, Chinese medicine, chakra systems, and other psychospiritual traditions The new course: The structure of The Eight-Circuit Model of Consciousness: An Integrative Framework for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, including its 14 lessons, practical exercises, assessments, certification, and continuing-education options

In this episode I'm breaking down 3 things that actually bring most women more pleasure during sex.1️⃣ Getting her fully turned on before penetration 2️⃣ Trading the nonstop fast pace for intentional, slower thrusting and why pausing can feel amazing3️⃣ Letting her grind instead of bounce when she's on topIf you've ever asked her what feels good and received an "I don't know" back, this video will help you both figure it out together.Also mentioned: Ronan, the app I built to help men understand their own bodies so they can show up better for their partners, especially if you're dealing with premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation, ED, porn reliance, or low confidence.Free week trial available now (only on the app store- for now)

High-achieving men often bring their boardroom skills into the bedroom — and it's destroying their relationships. In this episode, David Chambers sits down with Sean Forde Kelly to unpack why successful men struggle with intimacy, how male shame shuts down desire, and what it actually takes to build sexual confidence. Discover why society reduces male pleasure to something basic, how emotional suppression creates disconnection, and the practical steps to become more present, curious, and authentic in your intimate relationships. If you're a man in your 30s or 40s feeling stuck in repeating patterns, this conversation will change how you think about sex, intimacy, and what women actually need from you.   Seán Forde Kelly grew up on a council estate in Manchester. He went on to earn a Masters in Financial Economics, built his first business in 2015, and spent years in the corporate world. Then he started asking different questions and found the work that actually mattered. He now works privately with Founders and CEOs on leadership, impact and relationships — from boardroom to bedroom. Seán is also the Founder of Come What May, a non-profit Sexual Wellness community that has hosted 200+ free events globally since 2022, facilitating thousands of conversations people never thought they could have. Father. Certified Sex & Relationships Educator. Men's Sacred Sexuality Coach. Author of the forthcoming 'A Common Man's Guide to Pleasure'.   Key Topics:  ⭐ Men's Sexuality & Intimacy ⭐ Relationship Communication ⭐ Shame, Vulnerability & Emotional Safety ⭐ Emotional Intelligence & Self-Awareness ⭐ Healthy Masculinity & Male Identity ⭐ Long-Term Relationships & Desire Differences ⭐ Emotional & Physical Intimacy ⭐ Personal Growth Through Relationships ⭐ Conscious Conflict Resolution & Resentment Repair ⭐ Men's Mental Health & Sexual Wellbeing   Connect With David - The Authentic Man: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauthenticman_/  Website: https://www.theauthenticman.net/  For Coaching: hello@theauthenticman.net  Newsletter: https://www.theauthenticman.net/home-subscribe    Connect With Seán Forde Kelly: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comewhatmay.life/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanfordekelly/ Substack: https://substack.com/@seanfordekelly   RELATE:   

How many times have you been told, "Your labs are normal," even though you know something doesn't feel right? In this empowering solo episode, Dr. Mariza challenges one of the biggest beliefs women have been conditioned to accept: that being a "good patient" means staying quiet, pushing through symptoms, and trusting a healthcare system that has historically overlooked women's biology. She explores how decades of research gaps, delayed recognition of perimenopause, and outdated medical training have left millions of women feeling dismissed, unheard, and convinced that exhaustion, brain fog, anxiety, poor sleep, weight gain, and hormone changes are simply part of getting older. Dr. Mariza explains why perimenopause is far more than a reproductive transition. It's a neurological, metabolic, cardiovascular, and whole-body transition that deserves proactive care—not years of unnecessary suffering. Most importantly, she shares practical strategies for becoming an active partner in your healthcare, including how to prepare for appointments, ask better questions, understand your symptoms, and advocate for the care you deserve. If you've ever left a doctor's appointment feeling unheard or wondering if it's "all in your head," this episode will remind you that your symptoms matter, your intuition matters, and you deserve answers. IN THIS EPISODE Why women have been conditioned to become "good patients" The hidden impact of research gaps in women's healthcare Why "your labs are normal" isn't always the full story How perimenopause affects the brain, metabolism, heart, and hormones The questions every woman should ask at her medical appointments How to prepare for appointments so you become an active partner in your care The difference between normal lab ranges and optimal health Why you deserve evidence-based care that prioritizes your long-term health QUOTES “You are the CEO of your health.” “Symptoms are not inconveniences to silence. They are signals to understand.” “Normal isn't always the same as optimal.” RESOURCES MENTIONED Stop surviving and start thriving: join the free 5-day challenge beginning July 27, 2026: https://drmariza.com/jumpstart Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your MitoQ Order http://www.mitoq.com/energized%C2%A0 Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution Thriving in Perimenopause Survival Guide Joy & Blokes Lab Testing RELATED EPISODES  761: Finding Your Way Back to Pleasure and Feeling Fully Alive with Gabriella Espinosa 759: Tired, Wired & Inflamed? The Sleep Fix Most Women Are Missing with Dr. Michael Breus 756: What Low-Grade Inflammation Is Really Doing to Your Hormones, Brain & Metabolism with Dr. Mariza 650: Unlock Your Health: The Ultimate Biomarker & Lab Blueprint to Thrive in Midlife and Beyond

The Pleasure Valley ATV National is one we've had circled on the calendar for a long time. With so many storylines heading into the weekend — including the fallout from the Team USA announcement, battles aplenty across the classes, and the addition of a relay race that ultimately stole the show — PVR lived up to the hype and then some!We've got our race review crew of Billy Cottage and Brian Jenkins back together to relive an unforgettable weekend of racing in Pennsylvania.As always, thanks for DIGGING DEEP with us. Enjoy!Send us Fan MailSupport the show

In this episode I sit down with Lauren Ohayon, creator of the Restore Your Core method and a renowned yoga and Pilates instructor with over 25 years of experience who has helped more than 10,000 women reconnect with their pelvic floor and core when nothing else worked. We talk about why the pelvic floor is so much more than what we have been taught, why Kegels are not the answer, what completing a stress cycle actually means and why it matters, and how so many women are empowered and yet completely disconnected from their own pleasure and sensation. Lauren also busts some of the biggest myths around orgasms, vibrators, and what a healthy pelvic floor actually feels like — and shares one of the most grounding personal stories I have heard on this podcast.This one is rich, funny, deeply educational, and long overdue.Connect with Lauren:https://restoreyourcore.com/www.instgram.com/thelaurenohayonWORK WITH ME 1:1:❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support: https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu❥❥1:1 Coaching with me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcZM5s9c2OjOLwoGMI5jE6rh_JAzjN2d_vCtuVe7e3pVGxw/viewformDOWNLOAD FOR FREE:Stay or Go: 5 Clarity Questions to Reconnect with Your Inner Knowing: https://marinatriner.com/stay-or-go-guideAttatchment Practice: Discover the actual blocks beneath the surface so you can actually have the deep intimacy you crave: https://marinatriner.com/attachment-practice Connect & Ground: 10 Incredible Somatic Practices for Nervous System Regulation: https://marinatriner.com/connect-and-groundAlive & Aligned: 7 Embodiment Practices For Self Connection: https://marinatriner.com/alive-and-alignedTrigger to Rooted: A step by step process of working with your triggers: https://marinatriner.com/trigger-2-rooted VIEW MY COURSES & RESOURCES:https://marinatriner.com/resources CONNECT WITH  ME:Follow me on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/marinatriner/ Subscribe to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@marinatriner Top Episode Quotes:"You can't be safe anywhere if you're not safe in all of you. All of you needs to be known to you, felt by you, to really have true agency, embodiment and safety." — Lauren Ohayon"The human brain is designed to get us through the day. But the human body needs to complete the stress cycle — and those are two very different things." — Lauren Ohayon"We have raised such empowered women who know everything about sex but know nothing about pleasure. And those are not the same thing." — Lauren Ohayon"A tighter pelvic floor is not what we're after. The idea that tighter means healthier is a myth — and it's doing a lot of harm." — Lauren Ohayon"Embodiment is going that layer in where you're not just performing with your body — you are your body. You've become the object you're working with." — Lauren Ohayonsomatic healing, nervous system regulation, trauma healing, pelvic floor, embodiment, stress cycle, pleasure and sexuality, women's health, inner child work, emotional regulation, attachment healing, self trust, body based healing, sexual trauma healing, burnout recovery, survival mode, deep within podcast, Lauren Ohayon, restore your core, somatic coaching 

The Pleasure Zone with Milica Jelenic - Diamond Host Is being horny the only way to know you're ready for intimacy? What if you're horny sometimes, not at all, or in ways that surprise you? Are you ready to unpack the myths surrounding sexual desire and examine how arousal, curiosity, intimacy, and pleasure can exist in many different forms? Whether you're single, partnered, or redefining your relationship with your body, this episode invites you to question old assumptions and discover what truly turns you on. In this episode we will explore: *Why desire and arousal don't always happen at the same time. *How cultural expectations shape what we think "normal" sexual desire should look like. *The difference between spontaneous desire, responsive desire, and genuine interest in intimacy. *Practical ways to deepen connection with yourself or a partner, whether desire feels immediate, gradual, or absent. Join Milica Jelenic Holistic Health Practitioner, Sex & Intimacy Coach on this episode of The Pleasure Zone as we uncover the big question of "Horny or Not, Does it Matter?" Grab your Yes, No, Maybe list - all about Playful Tips for Pleasure here    The Pleasure Zone – A Guide For Curioius Pleasure Seekers Inspired Choices Network Hosts Author Milica Jelenic   Amazon.com – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1997615401 Amazon.ca – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1997615401     ~ More About The Pleasure Zone ~ Milica Jelenic is a Sex & Intimacy Coach. What is pleasure? Have you ever noticed that what is pleasing to one body is not necessarily pleasing to all bodies? What if our bodies like to be pleasing and to gift pleasure to others and to receive pleasure? In this show we will explore the world of pleasure. If your body was sensing pleasure more often would your life have more ease? We start out with magical little bodies that turn on everybody. Babies are always having people come up to them and compliment them on their beauty and get really excited to be in their presence. What would the world be like if we stopped judging ourselves, our bodies and others? How much more fun, joy and pleasure is possible on this planet if we choose to be explorers? Whose ready for an adventure??? Milica Jelenic is an advocate for pleasure. In her private practice she invites clients to create life and lifestyle that offers more pleasure and vitality. Milica's intuitive ability to sense where change is possible and to question what is stuck in the target area creates a very dynamic session that promotes choice, possibility and change.   Milica has impacted the lives and health of individuals both in Canada and abroad with her humor, kindness, gentleness, potency and intensity. Milica's approach is playful, fun and direct. Milica is willing to be whatever energy and space is required for the change you desire.   If you are interested in receiving Milica' monthly newsletter about events, classes and information on booking private sessions send and e-mail through her website.  www.milicajelenic.com/ To get more of The Pleasure Zone with Milica Jelenic, be sure to visit the podcast page for replays of all her shows here: https://www.inspiredchoicesnetwork.com/podcast/the-pleasure-zone-milica-jelenic/  

Summer gives you the space that January never quite does. Time off, time with family, more room to actually reflect on what's happened this year and what you want for the rest of it. In this episode I'm taking you through a mini version of my Pleasure Led Planning process. It's the exact framework we run live every month inside the Sisterhood, so you can do your own mid-year reset right now, wherever you are.This one is meant to be worked through, not just half listened to while you scroll. Pause it, journal on it, talk it through with a friend who's also into her goals and growth. Whatever works for you.What's coveredWhy decision fatigue, not lack of motivation, is usually the real thing stopping you from following throughCelebrating how far you've come. What you're proud of from 2026 so far, including my own experience of staying devoted to my fitness through a genuinely hard yearAuditing your 2026 goals and vision board. What still fits, what's shifted, and why that's completely normal after six monthsMy own curveball this year, my mother in law's cancer diagnosis landing right as I headed into what's usually my busiest season, and what that taught me about seasons and pivotingWhere you're actually at on the line from where you started this year to where you want to beShiny object syndrome versus genuine misalignment, and how to tell the differenceA New Year's Eve journal prompt to get properly clear on what you want for the rest of the yearEmbodiment. Who you're being when you've hit that goal, including my own reflections on stepping into being a wife and training for my half marathon this OctoberOutcome goals versus process goals, and why process goals (the repeatable, habitual kind) tend to get you there feeling better along the wayBuilding your Pleasure Led plan of action. 3 to 5 concrete steps or habits you can start this weekWhy putting it in the calendar is what makes it real, and how to infuse pleasure into even the hardest tasksA quotable moment"Decision fatigue will stop more goals and dreams from coming true than a lack of motivation ever will."Join the SisterhoodI'm offering a 14 day trial to the coaching and membership. Come in, watch the full six month reset call for free, and decide for yourself if it's the right space for you. Cancel any time during your trial and you won't be charged. Zero stress, give it a go.➡️ Join the Sisterhood, 14 day trial.Loved this episode?Please follow or subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you've got a personal development girlie in your life who's also chasing her goals and dreams this year, send this one her way. You might just find your new accountability partner for the rest of 2026.

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What does it look like to live a life that truly matters?The book of Ecclesiastes takes an honest look at life “under the sun” and exposes the emptiness of chasing pleasure, success, wealth and control.In this 10-week series, we'll wrestle with life's biggest questions: Why does life feel so fleeting? Why do our efforts fall short? Is there anything that actually lasts?As we walk through Ecclesiastes, we'll discover that while everything in this world is temporary, a life rooted in fearing God and trusting Him is never wasted.In a vapor-like world, God shows us what it means to live for what truly lasts.This message, PLEASURE & POSSESSIONS DON'T SATISFY, comes out of Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 & 5:10-20.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What if you could handle parenting stress with a simple daily practice? I'm sitting down with the incredible Emily Stella Fletcher, meditation expert and author of "Stress Less, Accomplish More." Emily shares her journey from Broadway star to meditation guru and how her Ziva Meditation technique has been a game-changer in her life as both a mom and a CEO. We're deep diving into how meditation and sacred sexuality can supercharge your life and help you handle the chaos of motherhood with grace.  Snag your spot for Magic Maker, a free 3-part live experience designed to break the invisible cages keeping you from the love, abundance, and joy you deserve happening 7/16, 7/21-23: https://zivameditation.com/cait  Tune in to hear:  How Ziva Meditation transformed Emily's life as a mom and CEO. Using sexual energy as a powerful manifesting tool. How meditation can actually rejuvenate your life and relationships. Ways you can use meditation to help your children manage their emotions Practical tips for integrating meditation into daily life as a parent. Connect with Emily: Free masterclass on the science of Ziva Meditation: https://zivameditation.com/podcast zivaKIDS: https://zivameditation.com/kids Listen to Emily Fletcher's Podcast "Why Isn't Everyone Doing This?" https://link.chtbl.com/whythis Follow Ziva on Instagram: instagram.com/zivameditation Follow Emily Fletcher on Instagram: instagram.com/emilystellafletcher

‘If you're concerned about your own children, what is your responsibility? Amusement? Entertainment? Pleasure? That seems to be the road that everyone is following.' This episode on Children has four sections. The first extract (2:45) is from Krishnamurti's second discussion with teachers in Ojai 1977, and is titled: Our Responsibility to Children. The second extract (20:10) is from the third discussion with teachers in Ojai 1975, and is titled: Can Children Live Without Conflict? The third extract (47:58) is from Krishnamurti's eighth discussion with teachers in Ojai 1983, and is titled: What Is the Future for Our Children? The final extract in this episode (1:05:02) is from the first question and answer meeting in Bombay 1985, and is titled: Do You Love Your Children? The Krishnamurti Podcast features carefully selected extracts from Krishnamurti's recorded talks. Each episode highlights his different approaches to universal and timeless themes that affect our everyday lives, the state of the world and the future of humanity. This episode's theme is Children. Upcoming themes are Detachment and Harmony. This is a podcast from Krishnamurti Foundation Trust. Please visit our website at kfoundation.org, where you can find a popular collection of quotes, a variety of featured articles, along with a wide selection of curated material in the Index of Topics. This Index allows easy access to book, audio and video extracts. Our online store stocks the best of Krishnamurti's books and ships worldwide. We also offer free downloads, including a selection of booklets. You can also find our regular Krishnamurti quotes and videos on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook at Krishnamurti Foundation Trust. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review or rating on your podcast app.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Drawing on Bhikkhu Anālayo's scholarship on the Ānāpānasati Sutta, this talk explores the second tetrad of mindfulness of breathing: the four steps in which joy, happiness, and the subtler mental formations become doorways into deep practice. We look at why pleasure, met clearly, has always belonged on the path, and how the Buddha's own early memory of ease under a rose-apple tree pointed him toward awakening long before any formal practice did. Along the way we'll draw on the words of contemporary BIPOC and queer dharma teachers on what it means to actually receive joy in the body, and explore practical instructions for steeping in wholesome pleasure and calming it without losing it.

Pairing clitoral stimulation with penetrative sex is often the route for more pleasure and orgasms for women. In this episode, learn about a technique called Coital Alignment. This is a variation on the missionary position that incorporates pairing and rocking techniques. Mentioned in this episode:Pleasure techniques on the blogPleasure techniques episodeWhat you need to know about the clitorisCliteracyBecoming Cliterate book reviewORDER my Book: Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual GardenJOIN my Newsletter: Good Education for Good SexFOLLOW on Instagram @cindyscharkeyVISIT my website and blog

What if self-control isn't mainly about saying no, but about keeping Christ at the center of what we desire? Money has a way of revealing what our hearts are chasing. Our spending, saving, giving, and borrowing decisions often tell a deeper story about what we love, what we fear, and what we believe will satisfy us. That's why biblical temperance is about far more than discipline or willpower. In our continuing series on the cardinal virtues and how Christian character shapes the way we handle money, author and theologian Pierce Taylor Hibbs joined the show to help us consider temperance, or self-control.  He is a Senior Writer at Westminster Theological Seminary and the author of The Book of Giving: How the God Who Gives Can Make Us Givers. Today, he reminds us that self-control is not merely a human achievement. It is a gift of the Spirit that helps us enjoy God's gifts without letting them take God's place. Self-Control Is a Heart Issue When many people hear the word “self-control,” they think of willpower. They imagine discipline, restraint, or simply saying no to whatever they want in the moment. But Scripture gives us a deeper picture. Self-control is not merely a personality trait some people have and others lack. It is not gained by sheer determination. Instead, self-control is closely connected to the heart. A lack of self-control often reveals disordered desires—places where our hearts are chasing something other than God. The presence of self-control reveals a heart that is increasingly content in God and His promises. That means temperance is not about rejecting every enjoyable thing in the world. It is about rightly ordering our loves. God must be first, and everything else must take its proper place beneath Him. In other words, self-control is about keeping first things first. A Gift of the Spirit That truth should encourage us. If self-control were only a matter of willpower, many of us would have little hope. We have all experienced the frustration of trying harder, setting new goals, making new rules, and still falling back into the same habits. But Galatians 5 tells us that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It is something God produces in His people as we walk with Him. That does not mean discipline is unimportant. Habits, boundaries, budgets, and accountability can all be helpful tools. But they are not the source of true self-control. The source is God Himself. So when our desires are out of order, the first step is not merely to try harder. It is to turn to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to form in us what we cannot produce on our own. God has given us a new heart in Christ, and by His Spirit, He teaches us to desire what is good, lasting, and true. Enjoying God's Gifts Without Replacing Him Temperance may involve restriction because our desires can easily become disordered. But restriction is not the goal. The goal is joy rightly ordered under Christ. A simple example is something like coffee or sugar. There is nothing wrong with enjoying either. They can be good gifts from God. But if our world were to fall apart without them, that might reveal something about the state of our hearts. The problem is not that we enjoy good things. The problem comes when we love those things more than we love our relationship with the Lord. A helpful question to ask is: What is my heart chasing right now? That question applies not only to food and drink, but also to money. What are our purchases chasing? Comfort? Control? Status? Escape? Approval? Security? Pleasure? None of those desires is unfamiliar to the human heart. And money often becomes the tool we use to pursue them. Why Money Reveals Our Desires Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:10 that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” The issue is not money itself but the heart's relationship to it. Jesus also warned that we cannot serve both God and money. Money is powerful because, in many ways, it functions like a key. It can unlock access to many of the things the heart desires—comfort, influence, experiences, possessions, pleasure, recognition, or a sense of control. That is why our financial decisions are so revealing. They show what we are chasing. Of course, money can be used in a good and God-honoring way. It can provide for needs, support a family, bless a neighbor, fund ministry, relieve suffering, and express worship through generosity. But money can also reveal that our hearts are running after something other than God. Our spending decisions tell a story. The question is whether that story points to Christ as our greatest treasure. The Challenge of a Consumer Culture Financial self-control is especially challenging in a culture that constantly tells us to buy now, upgrade now, and satisfy every desire now. Technology has made temptation more immediate than ever. Social media platforms and online ads are designed to place curated products directly in front of us. The very things we are most likely to want often appear in our feeds, inboxes, and search results. That means our commitment to Christ is being tested constantly—not only by obviously sinful things, but also by good gifts that can quietly become ultimate things. A vacation can be a gift. A home can be a gift. A hobby can be a gift. A meal, a phone, a car, a cup of coffee, or a new pair of shoes can all be received with gratitude. But when the gift becomes more captivating than the Giver, our desires have become disordered. Temperance helps us receive God's gifts with open hands, gratitude, and perspective. Jesus Shows Us Perfect Self-Control One beautiful picture of this comes after the resurrection in John 21. The disciples had spent the night fishing and caught nothing. Jesus met them on the shore and neither rebuked them for fishing nor told them that physical things did not matter. Instead, He helped them find fish, prepared a fire, and invited them to breakfast. Fresh fish and warm bread were not treated as distractions from spiritual life. They were gifts to be enjoyed with Jesus at the center. That is a wonderful picture of temperance. Biblical self-control does not require us to reject every earthly blessing. It teaches us to enjoy every blessing in communion with Christ, remembering that He is better than the gifts He gives. We do not need to abandon money or pretend material needs do not matter. But we do need to ask whether Christ remains central in how we earn, spend, save, give, and enjoy. A Question for Every Financial Decision So how can we practice temperance in our financial lives this week? One simple question can help: How is God remaining central in this decision? That question does not produce a mechanical answer, but it does reveal the heart. It invites us to pause, pray, and consider whether our money is serving our love for God or competing with it. Self-control is not the joyless denial of every good thing. It is the Spirit-given ability to enjoy God's gifts without letting them replace God as our ultimate treasure. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I'm 67, and my wife is 68. We have a traditional IRA, and I'm concerned that once RMDs begin at 73, the withdrawals could eventually push us—or my wife, if I pass first—into a higher tax bracket and increase Medicare premiums. What planning steps should we consider? I've been overpaid on Social Security SSDI and am currently repaying it. Do I have to repay the full amount before I can switch to my regular Social Security retirement benefit? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) The Book of Giving: How the God Who Gives Can Make Us Givers by Pierce Taylor Hibbs Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if there was a pill that could radically change how women feel desire? In this episode, DB talks to her mom, the incredible Dr. Rebecca Levy-Gantt, about libido pills. What can they do -- and what's more marketing than reality? Are pills like Addyi the "Viagra for women"? FROM THIS EPISODE: "Testosterone, Pleasure, and the Libido Myth with Dr. Rebecca Levy-Gantt" from Season 13; "Hyposexuality Disorder with Dr. Rebecca Levy-Gantt" from Season 4; Listen to the Sex and Psychology Podcast here to go to an episode we love on your podcast app of choice! ABOUT OUR GUEST: Rebecca Levy-Gantt is a retired OB-GYN, nationally certified menopause practitioner, and author with more than 30 years of experience caring for women through every stage of reproductive and menopausal health. After decades in clinical practice, she now focuses on writing, speaking, and educating about menopause, aging, women's health, and the emotional realities of life in medicine. She is the author of the memoir Womb With A View and writes widely on women's health, relationships, and life transitions with warmth, honesty, and humor. TAKE OUR SMUT QUIZ: Find your page-turning turn-on with our new SMUT QUIZ! In just 5 questions, you'll get right to the good stuff with curated pages, poems, and audios. No slow burn. No fluff. Just pleasure.; Take the quiz here: https://sexedwithdb.fillout.com/smutquiz  ASK AN ANONYMOUS SEX ED QUESTION: Fill out our anonymous form to ask your sex ed question. ABOUT SEX ED WITH DB: Sex Ed with DB is your go-to podcast for smart, science-backed sex education — delivering trusted insights from top experts on sex, sexuality, and pleasure. Empowering, inclusive, and grounded in real science, it's the sex ed you've always wanted. Season 14 of Sex Ed with DB is ALL ABOUT PLEASURE! Solo pleasure. Partnered pleasure. Orgasms. Porn. Queer joy. Kinks, sex toys, fantasies -- you name it. We're here to help you feel more informed, more empowered, and a whole lot more turned on to help YOU have the best sex. GET IN TOUCH: Email: sexedwithdb@gmail.com CONNECT WITH US: Instagram: @sexedwithdbpodcast; TikTok: @sexedwithdb; Threads: @sexedwithdbpodcast; YouTube: Sex Ed with DB; X: @sexedwithdb SEX ED WITH DB SEASON 14 SPONSORS: Uberlube, Magic Wand, Nancy, and Happy V. Get discounts on all of DB's favorite things here! DISCOVER SEX POSITIVE EVENTS IN YOUR CITY: Subscribe to our newsletter for S.E.X I.R.L: your curated monthly list of sex-positive events, spaces, and experiences happening in person across major cities. FOR SEXUAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: Check out DB's workshop: "Building A Profitable Online Sexual Health Brand" SEASON 14 TEAM: Creator, Host & Executive Producer: Danielle Bezalel (DB) (she/her); Producer and Growth Marketing Manager: Wil Williams (they/them); Social Media & Communications Manager: Iva Markicevic Daley (she/her) MUSIC: Intro theme music: Hook Sounds; Background music: Bright State by Ketsa; Ad music: Soul Sync by Ketsa, Always Faithful by Ketsa, and Soul Epic by Ketsa.; Thank you Ketsa!

Have you ever looked around at your life and wondered: "When did I stop feeling like myself?" Maybe you're checking all the boxes, taking care of everyone else, managing your career, your family, your home, and your health—but somewhere along the way, joy, curiosity, desire, and pleasure started to disappear. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Mariza sits down with Gabriella Espinosa, women's wellness expert, host of the Pleasure in the Pause podcast, and advocate for redefining pleasure and connection in midlife. Gabriella shares her own journey through perimenopause, where anxiety, overwhelm, brain fog, low libido, and feeling disconnected from herself led her to explore the missing conversation around pleasure, body awareness, intimacy, and nervous system safety. Together, they discuss why so many women lose connection with their bodies after years of caregiving, striving, and putting everyone else first—and why pleasure isn't a luxury, but an essential part of feeling alive, energized, and connected. They also explore how changing hormones, stress, and survival mode impact desire, why intimacy can be rebuilt at any age, and how simple daily moments of joy and sensation can help women reconnect with themselves. If you've been feeling like the version of you who felt vibrant, playful, confident, or deeply connected has disappeared, this conversation will remind you that she isn't gone—and it's never too late to rediscover her. GABRIELLA ESPINOSA Gabriella Espinosa is a women's wellness and pleasure advocate, yoga and breathwork teacher, host of the Pleasure in the Pause podcast, and executive producer of the upcoming documentary Hot. Through her work, she helps women reconnect with their bodies, redefine pleasure, and navigate midlife with greater confidence, connection, and vitality. IN THIS EPISODE Why so many women feel disconnected from themselves during midlife How perimenopause can impact desire, intimacy, and confidence Why pleasure is an important signal of safety, vitality, and wellbeing How chronic stress and survival mode affect connection with your body The importance of learning the language of your own needs and desires Why intimacy and pleasure can be rebuilt at any age Simple practices to reconnect with your body through sensation How to advocate for your pleasure, health, and relationships QUOTES “Pleasure has no age limit or expiration date.” “Pleasure is actually information.” “Perimenopause doesn't mean the end of pleasure. It can be the beginning of a new exciting chapter.” “What feels good in my body?” RESOURCES MENTIONED Use code DRMARIZA and get 10% off on your Womeness Order https://www.womaness.com/DRMARIZA Stop surviving and start thriving, join Midlife on Fire Collective now https://drmariza.com/firecollective Pleasure in the Pause Podcast Get the 7-Day Pleasure Body Journal Pleasure in the Pause Website Gabriella Espinosa Website  Gabriella Espinosa Instagram Gabriella Espinosa Youtube RELATED EPISODES  760: The Mindset Shift That Helps You Stop Feeling Stuck with Dr. Rachel Goldman 759: Tired, Wired & Inflamed? The Sleep Fix Most Women Are Missing with Dr. Michael Breus 758: Why Your Body Can't Heal Until It Feels Safe: The Nervous System Shift That Changes Everything with Dr. Dave Rabin 717: “I Don't Feel Like Myself Anymore”: The Mental & Emotional Reality of Perimenopause

Nina Pick is a somatic healing practitioner and integrative counselor dedicated to helping individuals develop healthy relationships and full, embodied lives. In private practice in Western Massachusetts, she is also a group clinician at the Berkshire Transition Network, where she facilitates groups for men in early recovery.She received an MA in counseling psychology with a focus on marriage and family therapy from Pacifica Graduate Institute and an MA in comparative literature from UC Berkeley. She is a certified NeuroAffective Touch practitioner and a Safe and Sound Protocol provider, with additional training in a range of modalities spanning psychotherapy, somatics, spiritual leadership, and energy medicine.Her books include Sober Secure: An Attachment-Based Guide to Dating, Sex, and Love in Recovery and The Mind-Body Guide to the Twelve Steps: Finding Joy, Sensuality, and Pleasure in Recovery. In this episode, we discuss:An attachment-based approach to recoveryHow early attachment wounding influences adult relationshipsDating for secure attachmentBoundaries around a partner's substance useWhy shame intensifies in early sobrietyRethinking codependencyMoving from isolation to healthy interdependence Relationship focused recovery meetingsFor additional Sober Secure resources, including a meeting facilitator's guide, visit ninapick.com/sober-secure_SUN & MOON SOBER LIVING:Access a free mindfulness meditation guided by Mary Tilson to help manage cravings and regulate emotions: https://pages.sunandmoonsoberliving.com/easemeditationFollow along on Instagram: @sunandmoon.soberliving ___Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

The Master Constipator discovers another galaxy ripe for conquest and sets out to bring it under his rule, placing him on a collision course with Lord Primasludge. The story is a deliberately ridiculous space-opera adventure built around galactic tyrants, extravagant threats, absurd character names, and broad science-fiction parody.Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTRCHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Pretend Person” (March 27, 1978) ***WD00:46:23.028 = CBC Mystery Theater, “The Duel” (September 18, 1967) ***WD01:15:59.465 = Chet Chetters, “Conquest of the Master Constipator” (1993)01:46:42.173 = The Clock, “The Bank Vault” (December 27, 1955)02:12:13.607 = The Crime Club, “Sun Is a Witness” (April 03, 1947)02:42:07.075 = Crime Classics, “Shrapnelled Body Charles Drew Sr.” (July 06, 1953)03:11:50.167 = Danger Dr. Danfield, “Murder of Cora Rogers” (September 01, 1946) ***WD03:36:00.066 = Calling All Detectives, “Mr. Frobish Pays to Have Himself Killed” (September 11, 1947) ***WD03:49:54.181 = The Devil and Mr. O, “Official Killer” (January 07, 1972)04:18:43.513 = Diary of Fate, “Marvin Thomas Entry” (June 08, 1948) ***WD04:47:48.773 = Dimension X, “The Outer Limit” (June 08, 1950)05:15:46.853 = Show Close(ADU) = Air Date Unknown(LQ) = Low Quality***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0714

After years of helping individuals and couples navigate the complexities of intimacy, renowned clinical psychologist and sex therapist Dr. Kate Balestrieri has seen it all—from the challenges of fostering honest conversations to the powerful transformation that comes with reconnecting to oneself. In this episode, Dr. Kate shares profound insights into why so many people feel disconnected from their desire and how curiosity, vulnerability, and non-judgment can reignite connection and pleasure in relationships. Drawing from themes in her upcoming book, “What Happened to My Sex Life,” she also reveals how overcoming self-abandonment is the key to living authentically and building deeper intimacy. In this episode, Darius and Dr. Kate will discuss: (00:00) Introduction to Dr. Kate Balestrieri (02:00) Dr. Kate's Journey into Sex Therapy (05:40) Exploring Crime and Psychology (09:35) The Spectrum of Sexuality (12:50) Cultural Shame Around Sex (15:39) Hedonism vs. Shame in Sexuality (18:59) Parenting and Sexual Education (27:14) The State of Sexual Satisfaction (33:40) Improving Partnered Sex Lives (37:58) Navigating Novelty in Relationships (43:59) The Rise of Non-Monogamy (49:03) The Role of Therapy in Sexual Conversations Dr. Kate Balestrieri is a licensed psychologist, certified sex therapist, and founder of Modern Intimacy, with practices in Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago. Passionate about the intersection of mental health, sex, and relationships, she helps individuals and couples heal from trauma, navigate addictions, improve communication, and build deeper intimacy. Guided by a holistic approach that integrates evidence-based practices, Dr. Kate emphasizes the mind-body connection to foster resilience, recovery, and thriving vitality. She also hosts the podcast Get Naked with Dr. Kate, where she explores topics on mental health, sexuality, and relationships. Connect with Dr. Kate: Website: https://www.modernintimacy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-balestrieri-psy-d-cst-csat-s-pact-iii-42b378152/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatebalestrieri/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-naked-with-dr-kate/id1563975869 Book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-My-Sex-Life/dp/1891011766  Connect with Darius: Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine  Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Write a review for The Greatness Machine using this link: https://ratethispodcast.com/spreadinggreatness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices