74 - Sex Therapist Jenni Skyler Gives You Permission for Pleasure

Note: If you are not comfortable listening to a conversation about sex and sexuality in front of other people (kids, your boss, etc), then please be sure to listen to this one when you’re in a place to do so. Meet Jenni Skyler - an AASECT certified sex therapist, board certified sexologist, and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Jenni helps people get in tune with their own sexuality and fully embrace themselves as healthy sexual beings. Her mission is to help people give themselves permission for pleasure. Jenni is one of those amazing people who tackles a topic - one that is often shrouded in secrecy, shame and confusion - without judgment in a way that helps people feel comfortable.  Jenni’s background is both difficult and empowering. Her mother became addicted to drugs and left when Jenni was very young, so she was raised by her father who was a very positive, strong influence in her life. She learned about sex when she was very young as her father addressed it in a somewhat clinical way as a fact of life. There was never any shame or secrecy around the topic. As Jenny got older, she became the de facto Dr Ruth of her friends. Eventually she found her way into the profession and decided to become a licensed therapist. Today, Jenni is the founder of the Intimacy Institute in Boulder. If you’re local, come to Skirt Sports Women Run the World event on Tue, Nov 14. Jenni will be leading the strength workout and she’ll be one of our featured speakers. I’ll be honest. I was so excited to have Jenni on the show, but I felt like I kept stumbling over my questions. It was not as easy for me to ask direct questions as I thought it would be! Today we talk about: What it means to be a sex therapist Jenni's path to the trade: discovering her own sexuality and embracing it as she became an adult Jenni's parents: the dad who raised her and the mother who left Sex and kids: how and when do we talk to them about sexuality in a safe and open way Sex and marriage: is it possible to maintain the "butterflies" through a lifelong relationship Sex and sports: is there a correlation? Sex and aging: what can we expect The keys to a healthy relationship: Respect, Transparency, "Desire Deposits" In the end, as Jenni says, it’s all about optimizing your own life. Ask yourself where and how you want to shine. When you give yourself permission for pleasure you open yourself up to a life of positivity and that’s what we are all striving for in the end. Thanks for tuning in today. If you want to reach Jenni, check out the Intimacy Institute website – she has lots of content on this subject!  All right everyone, you know what time it is. It’s time to get out there and Run This World. Have a great workout and I’ll see you next week.