1 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Good Mom's Bad Choices. I'm Erica and 2 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: I'm Nila. 3 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 2: Happy Wednesday. 4 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 3: Happy Wednesday, everyone. 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: It is the last episode of Design Your Life August. 6 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: This month has been so amazing, you know, connecting with 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: so many different people talking about our experiences and you know, 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: designing our life. And I'm just really excited because I 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: think you guys have heard us talk about our book club, 10 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: and we have been meeting up with our book club 11 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: every two weeks and we're reading The Ethical Slut right 12 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: now by Janet Hardy and Dossy Easton, and it's just 13 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: been so empowering. So, I don't know, just a lot 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: of deep reflection happening. 15 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 3: A lot of enlightenment. 16 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, I feel like I'm connecting with my tribe just 17 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 4: but I'm like, I knew I. 18 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 3: Wasn't the only one. I knew it. 19 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,759 Speaker 1: I knew this made sense. God, I knew I could 20 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: slat and be respected and happy. 21 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 4: And so I'm really really really excited. You know, Erica 22 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 4: and I are master manifestors. Our entity is on point. 23 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 4: And when we started reading this book and we started 24 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 4: this book club, we were like, oh my god, we 25 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 4: have to find Janet and Dossie. We have to find 26 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 4: them and we have to email them and they I 27 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 4: would really like to talk to her or them, And 28 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 4: sure enough we found Janet Hardy and she's joining us today. 29 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 3: I'm so excited. 30 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 4: Thank you, Janet, the author of The Ethical Slut and 31 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 4: fellow Mama and just badass woman for coming on our 32 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 4: show today. 33 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 5: My very great pleasure. I love doing these. 34 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 3: How are you doing today? 35 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 5: My life is a little bit confusing right now, but 36 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 5: you don't want to hear about that. It's not relevant 37 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 5: to your audience. 38 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 4: Mostly fine, Well, I'm sure no matter what audience is listening, 39 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 4: anybody's audience always has some shit, because that's life, right. 40 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 5: Yeah, My stuff right now is aging related stuff. And 41 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 5: you get to, you know, your late sixties, and there 42 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 5: are things to be considered. So someday, you know, forty 43 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 5: years from now, you guys will look back and said, yeah, 44 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 5: Janet tried to tell me about that. 45 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 4: There's so many being a woman that shit people don't 46 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 4: tell you, I know, God, including Yeah, as you get 47 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 4: older and the things that you have to really be 48 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 4: mindful of, think about and consider. 49 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: I guess we'll offline about that later. And I have 50 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: a bunch of questions, How can I better prepare? 51 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 2: So Janet. 52 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: At the top of our show, we typically pull a card, 53 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: and so I did pull a card. And today's card 54 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: is the page of cups. 55 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 4: The page of cups, guys, and this card, it's a 56 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 4: creative card for opportunities, intuitive messages, and curiosity impossibilities. 57 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 3: On the page of Cups, it's. 58 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 4: A man who's wearing like a blue tunic with a 59 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 4: floral print and a beret on his head that's long 60 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 4: and a flowing scarf. He stands on the shore with 61 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 4: a wavy sea behind him, holding a cup in his 62 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 4: right hand. Surprisingly, a fish pops its head out of 63 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 4: the cup and looks at the sea behind him. 64 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 3: What does all of this mean? Though? 65 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 4: The page of cup suggests a new idea or opportunity 66 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 4: has come to you out of the blue. Your creative 67 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 4: energy is flowing, and now the question is how you 68 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 4: will express it. Will you snap up this new idea 69 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 4: and turn it into something or will you let someone 70 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 4: else bring it into fruition. It is up to you 71 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 4: to spend the time exploring the idea and see what 72 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 4: you want to move forward. Hm, it's the time of birthing. 73 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 4: It seems you know, the fish always like when you 74 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 4: dream of fish, they always say like someone's pregnant. 75 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 2: Relax. 76 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 3: No, I'm not saying that there's birthing as in an idea. 77 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 3: Women in the room and none of us have no baby. 78 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 4: There's no babies to be had between the three of us, 79 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 4: four of us. 80 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 3: I'm getting my hair braided. 81 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:53,119 Speaker 1: Oh yes, by the way, you guys, this say, isn't 82 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: get another episode of Jamale getting her hair braided. 83 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 4: Us getting her hair? Well, yeah, I'm getting my hair 84 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 4: braided this time. But you know, girls got to do 85 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 4: what a girl's got to do. So here we are 86 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 4: doing what we got to do. 87 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: Janet, do you have an affirmation that you can share today? 88 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 5: Well, I'm not really an affirmation kind of a person. 89 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 5: I get up in the morning and see what the 90 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,280 Speaker 5: day looks like and make my decisions based on what's ahead. 91 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,359 Speaker 5: So take it as it comes, I guess is my affirmation. 92 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 3: Take it as it comes. 93 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 4: That's a good affirmation because that is you got to 94 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 4: take everything as it comes. You can't overanalyze and overexpect. 95 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 3: I don't hate it. 96 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's kind of an anti affirmation affirmation, but that's 97 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:32,840 Speaker 5: my life. 98 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, the same thing. Girls got to do, 99 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 3: girls gotta. 100 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: Do well, you can't do anything but take it as 101 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: it comes, because you don't know what the fuck is 102 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: gonna come. 103 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 5: Yeah. I read the most marvelous poem the other day 104 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 5: that this man was writing about the battle between his 105 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,480 Speaker 5: heart and his brain, and his brain was all in 106 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 5: the future and his heart was all in the past, 107 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 5: and eventually wound up spending time with his lungs because 108 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 5: breathing is what you do in the now. And I 109 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 5: loved it so much. 110 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I like that. It's true. 111 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 3: It is true. 112 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 4: Sometimes we worry so much about the shit we can't control, 113 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 4: we forget to be present, and like it ruins. You 114 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 4: wake up a morning like should have been stressing for 115 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 4: eight days or eight years or whatever, and you're like, 116 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 4: should have been present? 117 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: Well, I just want to jump into this book and 118 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: you know your journey with the Ethical Slut. This month's 119 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,280 Speaker 1: theme on the podcast is designing your life, and I 120 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: feel like, obviously sex and sexuality is. 121 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 2: A huge part of that. 122 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: I just wanted to ask you, how has being an 123 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: ethical slut helped design your life? 124 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 5: It has less to do with who I'm having sex 125 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 5: with at the time, as it does with not making 126 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 5: hard boundaries between things. If the world is trying to 127 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 5: present me two options A and B, I'm going to 128 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 5: be thinking about what C might be. Because once you 129 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 5: step away from paradigm of lifelong monogamy, which let's face 130 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 5: it is not working very well for a lot of people, 131 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 5: then you get away from the kind of dualistic wrong 132 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 5: or right kind of thinking begin to consider all the 133 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 5: options that are out there, including doing nothing, which is 134 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 5: an option that I think doesn't get quite as much 135 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 5: attention as it should. It's just a more fluid way 136 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 5: of looking at the world. 137 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 2: That's beautiful. 138 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 4: I have a question, like, can you tell us how 139 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 4: this came about? Like I know you've written other books, 140 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 4: but like Ethical Sled. We're reading right now the third 141 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 4: edition in our book club. But this is not before 142 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 4: It's time because people have been having sex and being 143 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 4: sexual for forever. Obviously we're existing, But like, what made 144 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 4: you motivated you to write this book? Like what's your 145 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 4: relationship with Dossie? How did you guys come together and 146 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 4: like start this journey? Because you've made the third edition, 147 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 4: so it's going to live forever. It's something that everyone 148 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 4: needs to hear and read through no matter what, like 149 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,919 Speaker 4: what life, your style you're exploring. I feel like so, 150 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 4: I'm just curious at that time, when you wrote this book, 151 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 4: when it was less common and like acceptable to talk 152 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 4: about sex in this way, how did it come about? 153 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 5: Dossie and I had already written two other BDSM books 154 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 5: at the time. We'd written the Bottoming Book and the 155 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 5: Topping Book, and so we were getting invited to speak 156 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 5: about those and we met before we started writing books. Obviously, 157 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 5: she was doing a program at a BDSM club and 158 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 5: she needed a demo model for a caning demo she 159 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 5: wanted to do. And I got wind of this, and 160 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 5: I knew DOSSI to weigh at but not well, and 161 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 5: I said to me, I want to do that. So 162 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:31,679 Speaker 5: we met up ahead of time to go over our 163 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 5: plans for the workshop and what my limits were and 164 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 5: so on. And during that conversation over coffee, I said, 165 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 5: you know, someone asked me the most interesting question the 166 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 5: other day. They asked, Okay, you have written a good 167 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 5: book about how to be a female top or dom, 168 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 5: and your partner Jay has written a good book about 169 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 5: how to do BDSM, mostly as a top or as 170 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 5: a dom. When is someone going to write a good 171 00:07:57,520 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 5: book about how to be a bottom? And I thought, 172 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 5: what a good question that is, because a lot of 173 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 5: people think that a bottom is a blank canvas, and 174 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 5: that is not the case. There's a lot of skills 175 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 5: involved in being a good bottom, and a lot of 176 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 5: ways of channeling the energy that you have to get 177 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 5: good at. And so here I was having coffee with Dossie, 178 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 5: who was one of the best bottoms I'd ever seen, 179 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 5: and I said, someone asked me this great question, would 180 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 5: you be interested in writing a book about that? Because 181 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 5: I was at the time running Greenery Press that published 182 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 5: all these books. And she said, well, yes, I think 183 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 5: it's a great idea for a book, but I don't 184 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 5: feel like I can write it by myself. I think 185 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 5: I would need a colleague to write this. And so 186 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 5: that was how we met. We wrote the book together, 187 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 5: and then we wrote another book together, and then we 188 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 5: wrote another book together, and then we wrote another book 189 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 5: together for in total. So, okay, what was the workshop 190 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 5: on It was called pain Play with Canes. Pain Play 191 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 5: with Canes from Psyche to Soma, because that's the way 192 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 5: to wow. We are both big fans of being on 193 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 5: either end of a cane, and so that was just 194 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 5: a really excellent way for us to connect because you know, 195 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 5: even in front of an audience something like that, where 196 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 5: you're doing intense sensation play, it's deeply intimate. And so 197 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 5: we connected very deeply through this demo and we've been friends, colleagues, sometimes, lovers, 198 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 5: sometimes play partners, always collaborators, and lovers, whether it's physical 199 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:30,719 Speaker 5: lovers or emotional lovers for thirty years next time. 200 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:32,319 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's so beautiful. 201 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 4: You know what, I've never heard anyone say, like physical 202 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 4: lovers or what was that other companion lovers emotion Well, 203 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 4: because Erica and I always call each other platonic wives. 204 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 4: We are emotional lovers because we support each other in 205 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 4: all things, but we're not physical lovers. But now I 206 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:51,319 Speaker 4: have another term to add to our our LinkedIn. 207 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 2: Our emotional LinkedIn. 208 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 5: My current marriage is that we are emotionally deeply bonded, 209 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 5: but we are not sexual together, which is partly an 210 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 5: age thing and partly we have both had all the 211 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 5: kinds of sex to have in the world and we're 212 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 5: kind of done, so we don't connect at that level. 213 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 5: I ran across a term the other day in a 214 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 5: story I was reading queer platonic, and so I went 215 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 5: and looked it up, because nobody can keep up with 216 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,440 Speaker 5: all the terminologies that are getting made these days. But 217 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 5: queer platonic is you, guys, and it's us. It's a 218 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 5: really useful construct. And I think that's also a part 219 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 5: of the way of looking at life that being an 220 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 5: ethical slut involves, is recognizing all of your love relationships 221 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 5: as being important, whether or not they are sexual, whether 222 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 5: or not they're romantic. 223 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's so important. 224 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: I think we talked about that last month on the 225 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:51,079 Speaker 1: podcast just how platonic love or queer platonic, platonicy. 226 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 5: Queer platonic. Yes, it's not one of the easier ones 227 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 5: to say. The actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the 228 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,839 Speaker 5: British actors call their relationship, they call themself those heterosexual 229 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 5: life partners, which you know, gosh, so many men are 230 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 5: so bad at being nurtured by or nurturing other men, 231 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 5: and so that just makes me happy in a deep 232 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 5: place when I when I hear about men who are like. 233 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so important to treat your friends just like you, 234 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,719 Speaker 1: you know, treat your lovers, check on them, tell them 235 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: you love them, be like intent, you know, kind when 236 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: you're having arguments and conversations, reach out when there's a disagreement, 237 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: you know, I think a lot of times, you know, 238 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: in friendships, well will be quick to end a friendship, 239 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: but we will keep a toxic lover around forever and ever. 240 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 5: Yeah we've all done it, And yeah, you're right. 241 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: How old were you when you kind of entered into 242 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: this space? Like, and how did that happen? Like what 243 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,719 Speaker 1: was the catalyst to all of this and opening up 244 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:47,839 Speaker 1: your sluttiness? 245 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 5: My interest in BDSM is lifelong. I can remember having 246 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 5: kinky fantasies when I was four, but this is a 247 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 5: generational thing. I had no role model for anything like that. 248 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 5: I thought, well up into my twenties pushing thirty, that 249 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 5: I was the only person in the world that wanted 250 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 5: to get spanked or spank someone. It was just my 251 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 5: little thing. And then when I found out that other 252 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 5: people were the same. By then, I was married and 253 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 5: had two kids, and we tried to explore that between us, 254 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:22,560 Speaker 5: but it just wasn't his thing. And I had discovered 255 00:12:22,679 --> 00:12:24,839 Speaker 5: that this was not a want, this was a need 256 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 5: for me. That kind of sexual explorativeness and the desire 257 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:34,440 Speaker 5: for ecstatic experience that's kind of hardwired in me, I think, 258 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,840 Speaker 5: and a fairly standard suburban marriage was not ever going 259 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 5: to meet it. And we didn't have a book like 260 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 5: The Ethical Slut that might have taught us how we 261 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 5: could have that and have the dear friendship that we 262 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 5: had then and still have. We just didn't know how, 263 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 5: so we divorced, which was probably honestly the best decision. 264 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 5: We remained very good friends. We co raised our kids 265 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 5: full physical and legal custody. He's an important person in 266 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 5: my life. But we should have stayed friends, I think, 267 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 5: is what that boils down to. We should not have 268 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 5: tried to be spouses, and once we quit trying to 269 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 5: be spouses, we got to be friends again, which was lucky. 270 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: For some of our listeners that are not joining us 271 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: on the book club, I'm just wondering if you would 272 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,439 Speaker 1: be able to share with them what is an ethical slut. 273 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:24,679 Speaker 5: An ethical slut is a human being of any gender 274 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:33,439 Speaker 5: or orientation who recognizes that sex connection romantic attraction are 275 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 5: ways of fulfilling oneself and fulfilling other people. That it 276 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 5: doesn't have to be done under the table, it can 277 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 5: be done honestly and with full disclosure, and that all 278 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 5: these things can be ways of growing and ways of 279 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 5: helping the people we love grow. So we are not 280 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 5: so much into limiting our possibilities. We sluts. We like 281 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 5: to see a little bit of everything that's out there 282 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 5: and choose at the time what looks good and what doesn't. 283 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 5: But we also recognize that what looks good to us 284 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 5: at thirty may not be what we want at forty. 285 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 5: What looks good on us on Tuesday may not look 286 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 5: good to us on Friday. I mean, it's being open 287 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 5: to possibilities, I think is what it boils down to, 288 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 5: including sexual possibility. 289 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 3: That's so beautiful. 290 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 4: I've always been you know, it's strange, like that seems 291 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 4: like a basic concept to like have ample possibilities and 292 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 4: be open to them and have ample love and express 293 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 4: that and like that love. 294 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 3: Doesn't you know it could be intimate? Could not. 295 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 4: I've had such platonic, great sexual experiences like one night 296 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 4: stance and I felt so fulfilled after I'm like. 297 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 3: Wow, that was great. 298 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 4: That was a lovely person, and like I don't have 299 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 4: to explore a deep relationship with them later. Like I 300 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 4: do have an issue with hoarding people. Erica calls it, 301 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 4: and I call it like I like to whole, Like 302 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 4: I'm not clingy, I don't really, I'm not needy. But 303 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 4: I'll call someone, I'll keep up with them, and I'll 304 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 4: them in my life. But like, sometimes it's okay to 305 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 4: have a platonic relationship and that that person in that 306 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 4: relationship doesn't serve you on a regular or active, you know, 307 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 4: regular basis. 308 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 5: Absolutely bass Darcy and I like to point out that 309 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,320 Speaker 5: we've been doing what we do together for going on 310 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 5: thirty years now. If we ever tried to live together, 311 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 5: we would have to leave that just you know. We 312 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 5: will occasionally go to a workshop and stay in a 313 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 5: hotel room together for three or four days, and we're 314 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 5: ready to be done at the end of that. She 315 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 5: has this weird thought that I don't quite understand that 316 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 5: you should only spend money you actually have, and I've 317 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 5: never quite gotten that. And she also thinks it's important 318 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 5: to do the dishes within a day after you get 319 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 5: them dirty, and I don't quite get that either. So 320 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 5: we're not good models for the traditional monogamy centrist relationship 321 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 5: where you live together. What we are is terrific models 322 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 5: for different ways of being long term lovers with a person. 323 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 3: I think it's so beautiful. 324 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 4: I think as women, especially if you're lucky, you'll get 325 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 4: the ethel sled in your lifetime. If you're lucky, you'll 326 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 4: honor that part in yourself that says it's okay to 327 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 4: have these blotonic, you know, experiences and encounters. But so 328 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 4: often I feel like women are so riddled with shame, 329 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:16,160 Speaker 4: even from a small age, that it literally fucks up 330 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 4: your whole shit. It fucks up how you express yourself, 331 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,200 Speaker 4: it sucks up how you see yourself, and often for 332 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 4: some people who are you know, don't ever get to 333 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 4: receive the permission that it's okay and it's actually normal. 334 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 4: It's like it can really cause severe trauma with if 335 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 4: you don't try to remove the shame of it all. 336 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 4: Because I've told Rika so many times, like I'm a 337 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,160 Speaker 4: sexual person and I've tried to be in certain type 338 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 4: of monogamous relationships and then I cheat, I fuck it up, 339 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 4: or I get shamed and I feel bad about explorative, 340 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 4: you know, curious person that I am, and it's taken 341 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 4: time to unfold those layers and unlearn those things, so 342 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:54,440 Speaker 4: I just I can only imagine how it was for 343 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 4: you in a time where it was just so fucking 344 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,080 Speaker 4: vanilla and so strict, and having these feelings because a 345 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 4: lot of times. 346 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 3: This is just deeply who the fuck you are, This 347 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 3: is who I am. 348 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,399 Speaker 5: Well, let us not forget that I'm a child with 349 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:07,719 Speaker 5: the sixties. It has not always been the way it 350 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:11,000 Speaker 5: is now. When I was young and beginning to explore, 351 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 5: that was quite honored as a pathway for at least 352 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 5: some communities. But what happened to me, and I think 353 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 5: what happens to some of us, is I met the 354 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 5: guy that I would go on to marry my first husband, 355 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 5: and we just sort of defaulted to monogamy because that 356 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:29,040 Speaker 5: was what you did. We never talked about it, it 357 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 5: was just what we did. And then it felt almost 358 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 5: like falling into a ripdwann Winkle sleep and waking up 359 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 5: ten years later going wait, I don't remember ever saying 360 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:41,240 Speaker 5: I wanted this, but this is what I have now. 361 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 5: And when I ended that marriage, when we parted, it 362 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,199 Speaker 5: was just very clear that I was never going to 363 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 5: promise monogamy again, and I never have. There have been 364 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:57,439 Speaker 5: times that I have been functionally monogamous, but with the 365 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 5: understanding the mutual understanding, but if I meet someone that 366 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 5: looks appealing, I'm going to go check that out. Yeah, 367 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 5: we're going to need to accommodate that. It's been a while, 368 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,119 Speaker 5: but I'm not saying it couldn't happen. 369 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 4: So like, speaking of going down this journey of this 370 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 4: monogamous marriage and then you know, having this epiphany and 371 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 4: coming out at how old were your kids at that point, 372 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:25,479 Speaker 4: how did you like kind of transition them, and how 373 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 4: did you transition as a mother? You know, you've had 374 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 4: this epiphany and then now honoring yourself, right, because people 375 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:33,160 Speaker 4: have epiphanies all the time, but they don't They stay 376 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 4: in marriages, they stay doing shit they don't want to do. 377 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 4: How did you say, I'm going to make this shift 378 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 4: and then how did you present it to your kids? 379 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:40,880 Speaker 3: And how did that work out? 380 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,440 Speaker 5: My kids were at the time, I think twelve and six, 381 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 5: and my ex and I told them that we weren't 382 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 5: going to live together anymore, and there was kind of 383 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:54,359 Speaker 5: a big dark cloud over the household. We actually did 384 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 5: stay together for a couple of weeks when we were 385 00:18:57,840 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 5: looking for other places to live. That was a very 386 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 5: strange two weeks, but we explained that you know, we 387 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 5: still both wanted to be part of their lives and 388 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,479 Speaker 5: we were going to make that happen, and we just 389 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,480 Speaker 5: felt it was better if we don't live together anymore, 390 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 5: and so in the beginning, that's what we did. We 391 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:17,119 Speaker 5: found an apartment in Sacramento, where we were living at 392 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:20,440 Speaker 5: the time, and just switched the kids back and forth. 393 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,359 Speaker 5: In the beginning, they were with me during the weekend, 394 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,439 Speaker 5: with him on weekends, and then when I fell in 395 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 5: love with a person and with the kink community and 396 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,160 Speaker 5: moved to San Francisco, we switched that because they didn't 397 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 5: want to change schools, so I became the weekend parent. 398 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 5: He became the weekday parent, which met meeting every Friday 399 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,679 Speaker 5: and Sunday in a midpoint in Balletje for dinner, which 400 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:46,959 Speaker 5: in hindsight I think was really great. I'm glad it 401 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 5: worked out that way, although it was a logistical decision 402 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,440 Speaker 5: at the time, but those dinners, when we were sitting 403 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 5: and chatting and trading books that we thought the other 404 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,680 Speaker 5: would like and so on, were how we rebuilt our friendship. 405 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:02,560 Speaker 5: After you know, the difficulty of the marriage counseling and 406 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 5: the breakup and all of that, it gave us a 407 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 5: little intermediate space to begin to figure out who we 408 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 5: were going to be to each other again, and that 409 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 5: was how we kept on being friends. So that was great. 410 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 5: Although the commute was a bitch Friday night from Santa Clara, 411 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 5: where I was working at the time, to Valeo is 412 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,679 Speaker 5: stop and go the whole way, So it just was 413 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,320 Speaker 5: what it was, and I did it. And I went 414 00:20:28,359 --> 00:20:31,919 Speaker 5: through several years there in Sacramento of having a circle 415 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 5: of fuck buddies, which is a pattern that's really comfortable 416 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 5: for me. We all knew each other, several of us 417 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,199 Speaker 5: were sleeping with several others of us. It was a 418 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 5: pretty free floating tangle of people and it was fun. 419 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:47,640 Speaker 5: I did not introduce any of them to my kids 420 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:49,919 Speaker 5: as my lovers. They knew one or two of them 421 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,360 Speaker 5: as my friends, but I felt that I didn't want 422 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:56,359 Speaker 5: to bring anybody into their lives until I was pretty 423 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,439 Speaker 5: sure that they would be a long term arrangement. So 424 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,920 Speaker 5: the first person I introduced to them as my lover 425 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,679 Speaker 5: was Jay, the man that I lived with for thirteen 426 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:09,919 Speaker 5: years when I moved to the Bay Area, and so 427 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 5: at that point, yes, I did bring him into their 428 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 5: lives and then we for a while we had a 429 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 5: housemate that I was occasional lovers with Tom and he 430 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 5: met the kids too and was taken into their life 431 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 5: as part of their family. But my other partners, the 432 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,679 Speaker 5: people I was playing with and having sex with, I 433 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 5: did not present to my kids. It just felt like 434 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 5: that would be too confusing to them. Then we got 435 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 5: into a situation where I was involved with a much 436 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 5: younger guy that i'd met online, and he did sort 437 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 5: of become part of the household. He was around. I 438 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 5: don't know whether my kids were aware that he was 439 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 5: a lover or not, but we didn't tell them that. 440 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,439 Speaker 5: But what happened was he wound up being really close 441 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 5: friends and still is to my younger son, at which 442 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,640 Speaker 5: point I said, yeah, Okay, enough of the lover thing. 443 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:58,959 Speaker 5: That feels kind of weird and creepy, so let's not 444 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,879 Speaker 5: be that anymore. Let's just be friends. And he was. 445 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 5: He was a loved part of our household for all 446 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 5: the years that we were in the Bay area. And 447 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 5: I just saw him again for the first time a 448 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 5: couple of months ago when I happened to be in Sacramento, 449 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 5: and he's just dear. He's a dear person to me. 450 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,160 Speaker 5: And he and Ben talk all the time. They talk 451 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 5: almost daily, so it's still a really important friendship. They 452 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 5: were roommates for a while. So this is what I 453 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 5: was saying about the fluidity of being a slot is 454 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 5: somebody can be your lover and then your friend, and 455 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,640 Speaker 5: then your son's best friend, and then your son's roommate 456 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 5: and so on. I suppose, at least in theory, if 457 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 5: we lived close together, we could be lovers again, but 458 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 5: probably not. That feels like history that doesn't want to 459 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 5: be dug back up again. But that kind of fluidity 460 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:46,400 Speaker 5: is what I love. 461 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:48,919 Speaker 1: Was there ever a point where you had to have 462 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: a conversation with your son and say, like, I'm in 463 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:55,680 Speaker 1: the BDSM community. This is my thing, this is my community, 464 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: These are my people. I know there's obviously a lot 465 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:00,399 Speaker 1: of I think misconceptions to which I love for you 466 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: to share about your community that you know, one might 467 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: fear sharing with your child. 468 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,439 Speaker 3: You know, I don't know how has that benefited you? 469 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 4: And I'm sure your kids are grown now, so like, 470 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 4: how do you think that's made like affected their lives? 471 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 4: And now that they're obviously they have a better understanding 472 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,919 Speaker 4: of who you are, and now that they're adults. How 473 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,520 Speaker 4: do you think like that's shaped their personalities, their openness 474 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 4: or their or their lack thereof or whatever. 475 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:25,000 Speaker 3: I don't know who they are, so. 476 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,879 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know what there's their sexualities 477 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,400 Speaker 5: are at all. They keep that private and that's entirely appropriate, 478 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 5: so we don't talk about that. At the time, when 479 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 5: they were still young, my partner then and I made 480 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,399 Speaker 5: the decision that it wouldn't have been our choice to 481 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 5: be as closetive to them as we were, But we 482 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,439 Speaker 5: were both at that point becoming fairly visible people. We 483 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,160 Speaker 5: were on the national speaking circuit, we were giving interviews, 484 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 5: and we both knew from what we've seen happen in 485 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 5: other communities that if people who think BDSM or poly 486 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,399 Speaker 5: or whatever are awful, terrible things and they decided to 487 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,439 Speaker 5: get you for it, that's the first place they're going 488 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 5: to look at your kids. And we wanted to be 489 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 5: able to stand up in front of a judge if 490 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 5: need be, and say no, we have kept this entirely separate. 491 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 5: Our books are locked up, our things are locked up. 492 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 5: So we did that until they turned eighteen, until the 493 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 5: first one turned eighteen, and then we had a formal 494 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 5: coming out thing, which it didn't surprise him even a 495 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:25,119 Speaker 5: tiny bit. He knew what outfits he'd seen me leaving 496 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 5: the house in he'd you know, we used to give 497 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 5: a big Christmas pot luck every year, and he'd probably 498 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 5: been overhearing conversations between our friends there. But we maintained 499 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 5: that formal boundary between that part of our life and 500 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 5: my life as a parent until they were of age. 501 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 6: So I finally met someone on the Field. You guys, 502 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,199 Speaker 6: oh my god, you did. Yes, I met someone on Field. 503 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 6: If you guys have heard me talk about this app, 504 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 6: it is an alternative lifestyle dating app. I have just 505 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 6: been interested in meeting more open people, people that are 506 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:08,439 Speaker 6: not afraid to just, I don't know, go there with me, 507 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:13,200 Speaker 6: whether it's in conversation, sex exploring, and Field provided that 508 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 6: for me. 509 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,879 Speaker 4: It's the largest dating community of progressive humans across the globe, 510 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,119 Speaker 4: so you can meet like minded people who are willing 511 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 4: to explore. That's f e e l dot slash good Moms. 512 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:26,960 Speaker 6: That's right. 513 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 4: You can download Field for free today and support good 514 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:32,000 Speaker 4: Moms when you go to f E e l d 515 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,720 Speaker 4: dot com slash good Moms. So you know, I have 516 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,320 Speaker 4: a little bit in New York, right, and we FaceTime 517 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:40,680 Speaker 4: all the time, and FaceTime sex gets old. But I've 518 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 4: recently got a new toy from Satisfire and it comes 519 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 4: with this app, the Satisfy or Connect app, and he 520 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 4: can control my vibrator from his home. So we're like 521 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 4: playing virtually with my vibrator. 522 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,919 Speaker 6: What that's amazing because sometimes distance disconnects people. But it 523 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 6: sounds like with this toy, you guys can stay connected 524 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 6: and he can still please you from afar. 525 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 4: Yes, it's like floor play from Afar. 526 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 2: And you know what. 527 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:08,760 Speaker 1: I've went on their website and the satisfied devices are 528 00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: so beautiful. They're using cutting edge technology, they're high quality 529 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:14,960 Speaker 1: designs and their affordable prices. 530 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 4: And not only that, I couldn't just record his voice 531 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 4: and it creates a vibration just to the tone of 532 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 4: his voice and even songs that I like. 533 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 6: So you're fucking his voice basically what I know. 534 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:29,960 Speaker 4: And right now, the Satisfier is offering our lucky listeners 535 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 4: thirty percent off any Satisfire when you go to satisfire 536 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 4: dot com and enter GMBC thirty at checkout. 537 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 1: Again, if you're looking for one of our favorite new devices, 538 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,880 Speaker 1: you guys, you have to try this. Go to sa 539 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: tis f y Er dot com and use promo code 540 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:50,879 Speaker 1: GMBC thirty for thirty percent off. 541 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 2: You're welcome. 542 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 1: You have a chapter in the book about motherhood or parenthood, 543 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: and I read this interesting part and it struck me. 544 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: I think, because you know, Jamila and I we are 545 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: very transparent with our kids, obviously within reason of what's appropriate, 546 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:12,440 Speaker 1: but we do, you know, I think we a lot 547 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,160 Speaker 1: of things that are I guess would be deemed taboo. 548 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,400 Speaker 1: We like, you know, our kids know that we smoke cannabis. 549 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: We are very upfront about having our kids understand their 550 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:27,440 Speaker 1: bodies and the proper names for them, and just honestly 551 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: answering questions in an honest way. And so when I 552 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: was reading this chapter, you were talking about how your 553 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: kids did not choose your lifestyle. And therefore, when like 554 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,119 Speaker 1: kids come over, when their friends come over, if you 555 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: have those inappropriate pictures hanging up, or you have, you know, 556 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: I guess, remnants of your lifestyle around your home. It's 557 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:52,200 Speaker 1: respectful and it should be you know, I guess addressed 558 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 1: in some capacity to remove them from your home so 559 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,320 Speaker 1: that your kid doesn't have to explain you know, like 560 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:03,560 Speaker 1: the spank people on the weekends. Yes, for me, I 561 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:06,199 Speaker 1: thought I was conflicted about that. To be honest, I 562 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: was like, yes, I think it's not Your kid didn't 563 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: choose the lifestyle, you know. Yeah, they get to have 564 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: their boundaries corrected. 565 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 5: And if one of their boundaries is, you know, keep 566 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:20,919 Speaker 5: it on the download when my friends are here, then 567 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:24,360 Speaker 5: you do. That's respectful of their boundaries. I can't see 568 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 5: any other way other to do Otherwise, when they've asked 569 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 5: you to keep it quiet, strikes me as profoundly disrespectful. 570 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,439 Speaker 5: I do want to point out that there is a 571 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 5: great deal of difference between the era and which this 572 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 5: was happening to me and the era in which this 573 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 5: is happening to you. All of these alternative lifestyles are 574 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 5: much better understood and less taboo than they were when 575 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 5: I was a young parent. Which is not to say 576 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 5: there isn't still trouble out there, but the chances of 577 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:58,640 Speaker 5: it turning into a real problem are lower now than 578 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,200 Speaker 5: they were then. Of course, on what part of the 579 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 5: country you live in, what your community is, what your 580 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 5: job is, you know, if you were a preschool teacher 581 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 5: or a minister, then coming out might not be a 582 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 5: good idea to your kids or otherwise. 583 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 1: And I thought about that too, because I was like, 584 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: this was like a different time too, but even still, 585 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: even still now, I mean, there is a lot of 586 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: stigma attached to lifestyles, even as open and things that 587 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 1: are changing. I do think that, you know, for you know, 588 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: especially Jamila and I would live in Los Angeles and 589 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: then like you could go to New York, if you 590 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:39,080 Speaker 1: go to Chicago, Atlanta, like those places, you know, there's 591 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:41,240 Speaker 1: just a community and it's more open. But if you 592 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:44,720 Speaker 1: go to like these smaller towns, like this is still 593 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: very much you know, hush hush taboo, and like you 594 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 1: might have to be careful what you have in your home. 595 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 1: You might have to be careful who comes over and 596 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 1: your kids go through your shit, because you know, kids 597 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: loved to do that shit. 598 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 2: I was that kid. I was that kid. 599 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:00,640 Speaker 1: I was like, what is this. 600 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,880 Speaker 5: One of the stories I've been writing. I'm working on 601 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 5: another book, an other memoir called Slut and Sons that 602 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,120 Speaker 5: takes place in the period of time when my kids 603 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 5: were still young and I was becoming well known as 604 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 5: an author and speaker and educator. In BDSM in Polly 605 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 5: and how that balance happened back then. And one of 606 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:25,400 Speaker 5: the stories I tell is finding a magazine under my 607 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 5: son's mattress that he had stolen out of my nightstand, 608 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 5: And the reason it was in my nightstand is that 609 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,200 Speaker 5: it had a story in it that I had written, 610 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 5: a smutty story, fortunately published under a pseudonym, but it's 611 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:41,280 Speaker 5: going to happen. They're going to find your stuff. Even 612 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 5: if you choose not to be out to your kids, 613 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 5: be prepared to answer questions if your secrecy doesn't hold up. 614 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 5: If you come out to your kids to any degree, 615 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 5: they need to know that you're safe. That's going to 616 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:57,160 Speaker 5: be their main concern, that you're not going to get hurt, 617 00:30:57,200 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 5: that you're not going to get sick. Of course, back 618 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 5: when this was all happening with me, AIDS was still 619 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,640 Speaker 5: a huge issue, and so they needed to know I 620 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 5: wasn't doing high risk sex behavior. They needed to know 621 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,120 Speaker 5: I wasn't doing high risk kink behavior. That's only fair 622 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 5: if you're dependent on someone, you know what, you want 623 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 5: to know that that someone is taking care of themselves. 624 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:16,600 Speaker 1: One of the things I know you were talking about, 625 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: as far as like the fluidity that you've had in 626 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 1: relationships over time, and I often think about obviously, jealousy 627 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: is a really big, you know, issue in relationships and 628 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 1: a lot of the reasons why people choose monogamy. And 629 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 1: even in your book, you have this quote where you say, 630 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:35,880 Speaker 1: let us point out that monogamy is not a cure 631 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: for jealousy. And I love that quote because I think 632 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: so much of that is based on why people are monogamous, 633 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 1: because they think that if they are monogamous, then just 634 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: eliminates that feeling of jealousy. And like, I know your mind, 635 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 1: you're in, you know you're I'm yours, but we all 636 00:31:55,120 --> 00:32:00,600 Speaker 1: know that literally, like monogamy is oftentimes the recipe for jealousy. 637 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 5: I don't think there's any way to escape jealousy. I mean, 638 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:06,360 Speaker 5: if you want to be celibate, then you can escape 639 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 5: sexual jealousy, but you're still going to feel jealous about 640 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 5: other things that people have that you don't. One of 641 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 5: our insights about jealousy when we were working on the 642 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:18,240 Speaker 5: later editions of the book is that there is no 643 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 5: one emotion it's called jealousy. Jealousy is a whole bunch 644 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 5: of different emotions that it can be territorial, it can 645 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 5: be insecure, it can be fearful, it can be competitive, 646 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,040 Speaker 5: And so that's one of the things I think that 647 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 5: makes it so difficult to overcome jealousy is we treat 648 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 5: it as though it were monolithic, and it isn't. It 649 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 5: can be any one of a number of things. And 650 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 5: what my jealousy is might not be your jealousy, And 651 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 5: so you have to tease it apart and get a 652 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 5: better read on what it is you're afraid of or 653 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:54,680 Speaker 5: angry about before you can begin to solve it. Jealousy. 654 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,480 Speaker 5: You know, anybody who's raised more than one child knows 655 00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 5: that jealousy is something that's pretty well programmed into it. 656 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 1: I was gonna say, I was going to ask you that, 657 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:04,719 Speaker 1: do you think that jealousy is innate or it's a 658 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:05,680 Speaker 1: social construct? 659 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 5: My dogs get jealous I mean if you're petting. If 660 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 5: you're petting one of them, the other one will come 661 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 5: and try to stick itself between the two of them. 662 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 5: I think it's pretty much hardwired into not even being 663 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 5: a mammal, into being a sentient being on the face 664 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:24,280 Speaker 5: of the earth. People are going to have something that 665 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:26,920 Speaker 5: you want, and sometimes the answer is to get some 666 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,120 Speaker 5: of that for yourself, but sometimes the answer is to 667 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,080 Speaker 5: take it away from them. And that's what jealousy looks like, 668 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 5: is somebody else wants something you have, and or somebody 669 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 5: you want something somebody else has, and you want to 670 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 5: take it away from them so that you can have it, 671 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:43,880 Speaker 5: which you know it's not the best way of dealing 672 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 5: with that problem, but it has to be unlearned, and 673 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 5: it has to be unlearned over and over. You never 674 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 5: get so good at polly or at monogamy that you're 675 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:55,920 Speaker 5: not going to get sucker punched. Once in a while, 676 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:57,959 Speaker 5: something's going to happen that you didn't know was going 677 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,560 Speaker 5: to be a problem and turns how it is, and 678 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:04,440 Speaker 5: then you have to sit down and talk to yourself 679 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 5: first about what it is you're feeling, and then start 680 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:11,239 Speaker 5: looking for some help, whether it's from the person that's 681 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 5: directly involved or from your friends in not feeling so bad. 682 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 5: There's a lot of self care techniques you can use. 683 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:21,600 Speaker 5: There's a lot of reassurances you can ask for, there's 684 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:24,040 Speaker 5: all kinds of ways to cope when you share that. 685 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 1: Maybe some self care tips, Because I feel like jealousy 686 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:31,840 Speaker 1: is an overarching theme in so many of women's lives, 687 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:35,360 Speaker 1: especially as it pertains to their relationships with their lovers. 688 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 5: So in terms of just bringing yourself back to ground 689 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:43,799 Speaker 5: zero before you lose your shit and make it into 690 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,880 Speaker 5: a big thing. Is what you would use to calm 691 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:50,040 Speaker 5: yourself anytime you are feeling a very strong negative emotion, 692 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:53,920 Speaker 5: If you're really angry, if you're really in deep grief, 693 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:56,839 Speaker 5: what would you do to help. If you're the kind 694 00:34:56,880 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 5: of person who likes a bubble bath and some fresh flower, 695 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,319 Speaker 5: then that's what you do to sort of get all 696 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,279 Speaker 5: that adrenaline back down. I like to exercise myself into 697 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 5: exhaustion when I'm feeling really strong emotion, preferably something constructive, 698 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:13,959 Speaker 5: like going into the messiest, shittiest part of the house 699 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 5: and throwing stuff around until I can't move anymore, which 700 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,760 Speaker 5: is getting less and less appropriate as I get older, 701 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:22,359 Speaker 5: but there it is, is what I do. I need 702 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:25,400 Speaker 5: to try this, Yeah, it works for me. Or go 703 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:27,520 Speaker 5: to the gym. Go to the gym and lift until 704 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:32,400 Speaker 5: all your muscles are shaking. Yeah. Darcy likes to play 705 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:38,680 Speaker 5: solitaire to calm herself when she's feeling overly stimulated. So 706 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:40,960 Speaker 5: it's just a matter of finding what works for you. Yourself. 707 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:43,640 Speaker 5: Some people like to journal, some people like to draw, 708 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 5: some like to dance. It's just a matter of what 709 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:49,919 Speaker 5: works best with your limbic system to get it back 710 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 5: down to where it needs to be, and then you 711 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:54,799 Speaker 5: can start talking to people about what you need to 712 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 5: not feel so bad. 713 00:35:57,440 --> 00:35:59,920 Speaker 1: My child's father we broke up, and then I started dating. 714 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:01,600 Speaker 1: And I had been in that relationship, and it was 715 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,560 Speaker 1: a monogamous relationship at least I was monogamous, but he 716 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 1: was ethically non monogamou unethically non monogamous. But after that, 717 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,160 Speaker 1: because even in that relationship, like it was the same thing, 718 00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:14,799 Speaker 1: like we entered in this relationship and it was just 719 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:16,879 Speaker 1: monogamous because that was like the only option I thought 720 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 1: we had. And I always knew that I was interested 721 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:23,279 Speaker 1: in women. I always knew that I was interested in exploring, 722 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,640 Speaker 1: like you know, I guess three sums or group sex 723 00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:30,520 Speaker 1: elements and just I guess and some just like uninhibited 724 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:34,879 Speaker 1: love and sex. And so when I ended that relationship, 725 00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:38,480 Speaker 1: I started seeing someone and we were dating under the 726 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 1: circumstances that he was he knew that he could not 727 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:44,520 Speaker 1: be monogamous. It was just not physically possible for him. 728 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:47,560 Speaker 1: And but that he loved me and that we were 729 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:49,080 Speaker 1: going to date and we were going to be open, 730 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:52,040 Speaker 1: and so I was like, great, I finally get to 731 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:54,840 Speaker 1: explore this this space with someone that I care about, 732 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:57,640 Speaker 1: and so I did, But really I just defaulted back 733 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,840 Speaker 1: to monogamy because it was just something that I was 734 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,399 Speaker 1: so used to doing, and when I love someone, I'm 735 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:04,840 Speaker 1: very hyper focused on them. So I literally like I 736 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,520 Speaker 1: had to like force myself to like open myself up 737 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: in that way. And the only reason that it happened 738 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:12,320 Speaker 1: was because one day we were out and he showed 739 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: me his phone and some woman was texting him, and 740 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 1: I could tell that it was like very emotional, and 741 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:18,880 Speaker 1: I was like, we hadn't we had not been We 742 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:21,439 Speaker 1: had been saying we're non monogamous, but we hadn't ever 743 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,480 Speaker 1: really talked about what we were doing. So it came 744 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,480 Speaker 1: as like this, like oh my god, Like oh no, 745 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:31,440 Speaker 1: I was like, oh shit, Like you love someone else, 746 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:33,759 Speaker 1: when do you have the time I'm with you all 747 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 1: the time? Like and we were actually at a museum. 748 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:40,040 Speaker 1: We're like walking through this like very like fine art 749 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,799 Speaker 1: museum when you showed me this text by accident, and 750 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 1: I was like okay, and I just remember like. 751 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:46,840 Speaker 2: Okay, Erica, like you have to breathe, because what are 752 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:47,239 Speaker 2: you gonna do. 753 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:49,239 Speaker 1: You're not gonna throw a fit because you agreed to 754 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:49,880 Speaker 1: this shit. 755 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 2: Okay, so let me just. 756 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 1: I did so much breathing and so much talking to 757 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:59,520 Speaker 1: myself and like, and then by the end, by the 758 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:01,920 Speaker 1: time I left that museum, because I had literally just 759 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: had so many conversations with myself about you wanted to 760 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,359 Speaker 1: do this. This is part of the growing pain of 761 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:12,279 Speaker 1: navigating in a new space. It's fucking uncomfortable at first, 762 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:14,359 Speaker 1: and it feels foreign, and then you're like do I 763 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: want this because this doesn't this feels not good or 764 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:18,280 Speaker 1: I don't know how this feels. 765 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:20,400 Speaker 2: But I think that's with any space. 766 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:22,680 Speaker 1: But by the time I left that museum, like I 767 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:26,680 Speaker 1: was like I almost felt excited in a way because 768 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:29,279 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, I need to go do my thing, 769 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:32,440 Speaker 1: like I just gave myself permission, and also like just 770 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:35,359 Speaker 1: excited just like that you know, this is a new 771 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:36,040 Speaker 1: space that I'm in. 772 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:37,400 Speaker 2: I'm excited to. 773 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:39,880 Speaker 1: Navigate through all of the feelings and it doesn't have 774 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:42,400 Speaker 1: to be this like scary negative thing. I knew that 775 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: he didn't love me any less, even though there was 776 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:47,920 Speaker 1: a process of me like, oh, this is bitch, Who 777 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:48,880 Speaker 1: the fuck is she? 778 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:50,440 Speaker 2: What does she looks like? She looks like? 779 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:53,080 Speaker 1: Women always want to know, We always want to know 780 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:54,360 Speaker 1: what she looks like. 781 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:55,480 Speaker 2: Must know what she looks like. 782 00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 1: We can talk shit, like it's just this comparison thing. 783 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:01,480 Speaker 1: But now I'm in a space and this was like 784 00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:04,919 Speaker 1: two and a half years ago where I feel very 785 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:09,920 Speaker 1: little jealousy. Like in relationships, there's like a and it 786 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 1: feels so it really feels so free, Like there's moments 787 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 1: where I catch myself but I do not dwell I'm 788 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 1: not a dweller, and like it's just feels so liberating, 789 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:25,879 Speaker 1: whether you are in a monogamous relationship or whatever relationship 790 00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 1: you are, to like really really focus on the jealousy 791 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:34,040 Speaker 1: part because A, it ain't cute. B it's stressful, it's draining. 792 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 2: And see it's. 793 00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:38,680 Speaker 1: Just I just feel like especially with sex, like I think, 794 00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:41,319 Speaker 1: like for me personally, like I would not end a 795 00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:44,720 Speaker 1: relationship because my partner had sex with someone else, especially 796 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,279 Speaker 1: if like we were especially unless that would I don't 797 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:48,960 Speaker 1: even think if that was the agreement, I would do that, 798 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:52,440 Speaker 1: I think because sex is important. But like my emotional 799 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 1: bond and like my trust is not wrapped up all 800 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:55,520 Speaker 1: in sex. 801 00:39:55,719 --> 00:39:58,840 Speaker 4: I mean, I understand that I've had sex that's not 802 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,280 Speaker 4: emotionally driven. I understand that, but you know, it's interesting. 803 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 4: I have an interesting relationship with jealousy. As we're having 804 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,920 Speaker 4: this conversation, it's like reminding me like growing up my parents, 805 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:14,320 Speaker 4: my mom was crazy jealous, crazy jealous, like constantly asking 806 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:18,200 Speaker 4: my dad where he was going, constantly like a woman would. 807 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:21,280 Speaker 3: Pass by and say, hi, Like what was that bitch? 808 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:25,719 Speaker 5: It must be a really painful way to live. 809 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 3: And I thought that and I saw that. I said, God, 810 00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:29,040 Speaker 3: that's painful. 811 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:31,640 Speaker 4: And I also saw my dad do stupid shit and 812 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:36,000 Speaker 4: like be neglectful and be and have outside relationships. 813 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:37,200 Speaker 3: I saw how it affected her. 814 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 4: But it made me say, for one a, I felt 815 00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:43,000 Speaker 4: and I understand, like if you haven't developed this part 816 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:44,680 Speaker 4: of yourself and this is like it made me. 817 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 3: I felt like it was weak. 818 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,480 Speaker 4: I felt like it was weak because you are essentially 819 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:52,160 Speaker 4: putting yourself in this position with this person that is 820 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:56,360 Speaker 4: obviously an unethical slut, but you were it, doesn't you know? 821 00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 4: And obviously that adds to someone's insecurity. That adds to 822 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:04,200 Speaker 4: someone's jealousy. So when I as I got older and 823 00:41:04,239 --> 00:41:08,080 Speaker 4: I experienced jealousy, it irritated me to feel that way, 824 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:09,319 Speaker 4: you know, like I don't want to feel this way. 825 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 4: Like honestly, it was between like not wanting to have 826 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:15,640 Speaker 4: attachments to people. But as I've evolved and had these 827 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:18,319 Speaker 4: conversations when I do care about people and things come 828 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,000 Speaker 4: up and I'm like, I'm able to be like how 829 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:21,960 Speaker 4: much do I really care? 830 00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:23,200 Speaker 3: Do I still love them? 831 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:23,520 Speaker 2: Yes? 832 00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:25,200 Speaker 3: Do they still love me? Probably? 833 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:27,839 Speaker 4: And also like I don't have a fear of Like 834 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:30,759 Speaker 4: I don't have a fear of losing someone, like I'm 835 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:33,640 Speaker 4: a cool I'm cool. You're lucky to have me, And 836 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:35,799 Speaker 4: like if I don't want to be in fear of 837 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:39,319 Speaker 4: someone stealing my person. And you know, honestly, I'm like 838 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:42,640 Speaker 4: working through a lot of like childhood trauma right now, 839 00:41:42,719 --> 00:41:45,040 Speaker 4: and I'm my parents are still this way, you guys, 840 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:48,120 Speaker 4: and nothing has changed. They're still married, there's still the 841 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:52,399 Speaker 4: same people, And it makes me really sad. It makes 842 00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:57,040 Speaker 4: me sad that like you didn't have opportunity to have 843 00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:00,160 Speaker 4: the ethical slut to release those feelings, like I just like, 844 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:03,640 Speaker 4: how much of your life did you waste with these emotions. 845 00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:04,799 Speaker 3: It's so unhealthy. 846 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:09,880 Speaker 5: My parents' marriage ended over serial infidelity, and I wonder 847 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:13,799 Speaker 5: sometimes if I had written this book in time for them, 848 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:16,960 Speaker 5: whether they'd still be together, and what that might look like. 849 00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:19,000 Speaker 1: I think we need to give the book to her parents. 850 00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:21,320 Speaker 4: I used to think that my behavior was a rebellion 851 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:22,719 Speaker 4: to the way I grew up. 852 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:24,399 Speaker 3: I'm like, am I doing this too? 853 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:28,640 Speaker 4: As a like a reactive of the things that I've witnessed. 854 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:32,239 Speaker 5: You know, there's a term in the poly community. It's 855 00:42:32,239 --> 00:42:36,040 Speaker 5: called compersion. That is the feeling of being happy to 856 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,520 Speaker 5: see your partner happy with someone else, and a lot 857 00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:42,960 Speaker 5: of educators define it as the opposite of jealousy, but 858 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,400 Speaker 5: I don't think it is. I think it is entirely 859 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:48,640 Speaker 5: possible to feel both jealousy and compersion at the same time, 860 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:51,400 Speaker 5: where part of you is happy to see your partner 861 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:53,640 Speaker 5: having a great time with someone else, and part of 862 00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 5: you is feeling a little small and jealous about the 863 00:42:56,719 --> 00:42:57,279 Speaker 5: whole that. 864 00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:59,960 Speaker 1: Happened to me at the sex club with you with me, 865 00:43:03,719 --> 00:43:06,200 Speaker 1: we share that story on our Patreon guys, so if 866 00:43:06,239 --> 00:43:08,319 Speaker 1: you want to hear about our experience at the sex 867 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:12,719 Speaker 1: club in Brooklyn, you should because. 868 00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:13,319 Speaker 5: I think I spoke there a couple of years back, 869 00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:15,759 Speaker 5: and I know the place you're talking about that I 870 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,400 Speaker 5: can't wait to go back. Nice folks, Nice folks. I 871 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:19,560 Speaker 5: had a very good time there. 872 00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:22,919 Speaker 1: So about I just have a question about monogamy because 873 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:25,520 Speaker 1: we just we recently did at our book club, we 874 00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:28,000 Speaker 1: did a poll and we asked our you know, the 875 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:30,400 Speaker 1: people that are in the club, like what kind of 876 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,959 Speaker 1: relationship structure are they currently interested in. 877 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:34,879 Speaker 2: Or are in? 878 00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:39,399 Speaker 1: And most of them, you know, said monogamy. Some of them, 879 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:42,120 Speaker 1: I think it was like six percent said poly a 880 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:46,799 Speaker 1: few said monogamish, but overall it was monogamy, which kind 881 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,880 Speaker 1: of surprised me, only because, you know, because I don't know, 882 00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:52,960 Speaker 1: I guess I assumed that someone who would pick up 883 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:56,759 Speaker 1: this book is it's because they are either interested in 884 00:43:57,200 --> 00:44:01,160 Speaker 1: other alternative lifestyle or monogam mischi, or they are already 885 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:02,839 Speaker 1: you know, tapped into that. 886 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 2: What are your views on monogamy? 887 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:07,360 Speaker 1: I know there's a chapter in here where you praise monogamy, 888 00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:10,080 Speaker 1: and for me, sometimes I feel like monogamy can almost 889 00:44:10,120 --> 00:44:13,720 Speaker 1: be can be kind of like a kink in some capacity. 890 00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:18,120 Speaker 5: Like, yes, it can. My colleague Tristan Tarmino calls it 891 00:44:18,239 --> 00:44:21,040 Speaker 5: radical monogamy, and I think that that's kind of cool. 892 00:44:21,080 --> 00:44:23,520 Speaker 5: I like the idea. I have nothing against monogamy as 893 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:26,399 Speaker 5: long as it's freely chosen. If someone takes a look 894 00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:29,640 Speaker 5: at all the options there are on the buffet and says, 895 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:31,440 Speaker 5: you know, this is the one that looks good to me, 896 00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:33,879 Speaker 5: and nothing against these other ones. But at this point 897 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:37,319 Speaker 5: in my life, I want to be monogamous. Go I'm 898 00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:40,640 Speaker 5: all for it. I think it can be a great relationship. 899 00:44:40,719 --> 00:44:43,960 Speaker 5: It isn't for me, But for example, my first husband, 900 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,640 Speaker 5: I think is just deep down in his hardwiring, he's 901 00:44:47,640 --> 00:44:51,000 Speaker 5: a monogamous guy, and he's read my books. I mean, 902 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:53,640 Speaker 5: he knows there are other options, but that's not what 903 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:56,759 Speaker 5: he wants. So as long as everybody is choosing it 904 00:44:56,840 --> 00:45:00,799 Speaker 5: freely and with awareness of the other options, I think 905 00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:03,239 Speaker 5: it can be a really good way to go. Particularly 906 00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:06,319 Speaker 5: if you have a lot of other commitments in your 907 00:45:06,320 --> 00:45:08,560 Speaker 5: life to work or making art or the things you do. 908 00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:11,319 Speaker 5: It may not be that you want to put the 909 00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:15,560 Speaker 5: amount of energy and effort into maintaining multiple relationships that 910 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:19,040 Speaker 5: could otherwise happen. So it's just an issue of what's 911 00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:19,600 Speaker 5: important to you. 912 00:45:19,640 --> 00:45:23,520 Speaker 1: At the time as I journeying in my relationships and 913 00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:26,439 Speaker 1: understanding what I want out of a partner, I've been 914 00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:31,160 Speaker 1: more leading into monogamish whereas before I was open, which 915 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:33,560 Speaker 1: I find I'm like, is this my life going to 916 00:45:33,560 --> 00:45:35,040 Speaker 1: be like this all the time? Like I don't want 917 00:45:35,040 --> 00:45:36,920 Speaker 1: say flip flopping, but like it will evolve. 918 00:45:36,920 --> 00:45:39,160 Speaker 4: You'll feel differently at different times, I know, differently with 919 00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 4: different partners. 920 00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:41,880 Speaker 3: With you, this is what I feel like with you. 921 00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:43,279 Speaker 4: I feel like we have a space to be more 922 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:44,960 Speaker 4: open because this is just who we are. 923 00:45:45,239 --> 00:45:48,120 Speaker 3: I think it kind of will change and shift how 924 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:49,200 Speaker 3: way you feel. 925 00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:52,440 Speaker 5: I think if we all lived in a world where 926 00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:55,000 Speaker 5: we all had access to all the dishes on the buffet, 927 00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:58,440 Speaker 5: what would happen in many cases is we would want 928 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,359 Speaker 5: to slut around when we were young and exploring, And 929 00:46:01,400 --> 00:46:04,359 Speaker 5: then during our years of being parents, we might want 930 00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:07,440 Speaker 5: to be monogamous, because God knows, an active parent has 931 00:46:07,560 --> 00:46:10,880 Speaker 5: enough on their plate without trying to maintain multiple relationships. 932 00:46:11,160 --> 00:46:13,600 Speaker 5: And then when we get older and more established in 933 00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:16,759 Speaker 5: our careers and the kids aren't demanding constant attention, we 934 00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:20,600 Speaker 5: might want to be polly again or open or monogamoush 935 00:46:20,719 --> 00:46:23,680 Speaker 5: or whatever, and then going on into old age, some 936 00:46:23,760 --> 00:46:28,000 Speaker 5: of us might choose to be celibate. It's about maintaining 937 00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:31,919 Speaker 5: the possibilities and not judging them except as to how 938 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:33,680 Speaker 5: useful they are to you at the time. 939 00:46:33,960 --> 00:46:34,320 Speaker 2: Amen. 940 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:36,759 Speaker 3: Amen, Yeah, that makes sense to me. 941 00:46:37,520 --> 00:46:39,680 Speaker 4: I feel like the more I talk to my grandma 942 00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:42,560 Speaker 4: and she's the disappointment she has in God for making 943 00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:45,520 Speaker 4: her work and men not work, I'll probably be more 944 00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:46,560 Speaker 4: of a lesbian again. 945 00:46:47,760 --> 00:46:49,520 Speaker 5: I would be pissed off too if I were her. 946 00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:51,799 Speaker 5: That's an excellent thing to be on it. 947 00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:52,920 Speaker 4: She was like, you know, I just want to let 948 00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:55,560 Speaker 4: you know God really he played an evil trick on women. 949 00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:58,200 Speaker 4: I'm like, what's going on? She's like, ice work, fine, 950 00:46:58,239 --> 00:47:00,400 Speaker 4: everything's fine. None of these men can do it. 951 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:09,800 Speaker 5: If I had another lifetime to be a writer and educator, 952 00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:14,560 Speaker 5: I would be looking at in particular heterosexual sis he 953 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:17,560 Speaker 5: men and what a raw deal they've been dealt, and 954 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:19,919 Speaker 5: how they need what they need to get their ship 955 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:24,439 Speaker 5: back together, because I think they're often pretty broken these days, 956 00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:27,360 Speaker 5: and I would want to help fix them if I 957 00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:29,920 Speaker 5: could start all over again, do something differently. 958 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:31,120 Speaker 2: You know, it's so funny. 959 00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:34,239 Speaker 1: Jamila said something we recently are like, we should do 960 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:36,239 Speaker 1: something for the men or some shit, and I was like, 961 00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:38,560 Speaker 1: I'm not working for these men, like I'm. 962 00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:41,600 Speaker 3: But I get it. 963 00:47:41,640 --> 00:47:43,040 Speaker 4: But I said, oh, what are we going to do 964 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:45,320 Speaker 4: when all the women are healed and ready and open 965 00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:47,399 Speaker 4: and smart and the men are there's no one. There's 966 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:49,520 Speaker 4: gonna be a community of lesbian I know. 967 00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:50,279 Speaker 2: I know, you're totally right. 968 00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:52,080 Speaker 1: It just felt like, oh my god, this is such 969 00:47:52,120 --> 00:47:54,879 Speaker 1: a daunting task. Must we fix everything? Yeah? 970 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:55,960 Speaker 2: We have fun. 971 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:00,360 Speaker 5: I had a theory when Queer Eye for the Straight 972 00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:02,799 Speaker 5: Guy was first on the air and a huge hit 973 00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:07,600 Speaker 5: that what was drawing us to it was the opportunity 974 00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:09,400 Speaker 5: to see men taking care of each other and not 975 00:48:09,440 --> 00:48:12,799 Speaker 5: depending on women to do it. That to me was 976 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:16,480 Speaker 5: really healing to watch. Oh here's a great story I 977 00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:19,680 Speaker 5: was told by a gay man at an event where 978 00:48:19,680 --> 00:48:23,560 Speaker 5: I was speaking. He said, I have the cure for jealousy. 979 00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:26,400 Speaker 5: And I said, okay, I mean, you know, tell me, 980 00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:28,520 Speaker 5: I'll make a million dollars. He said, no, here's the 981 00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:32,319 Speaker 5: cure for jealousy. My boyfriend had another boyfriend who I 982 00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:35,680 Speaker 5: really didn't much like, and the guy showed up at 983 00:48:35,680 --> 00:48:39,080 Speaker 5: our house one day when my boyfriend wasn't home, and 984 00:48:39,440 --> 00:48:41,840 Speaker 5: when I said so, he said, would it be okay 985 00:48:41,840 --> 00:48:43,759 Speaker 5: if i'd take a nap in your spare room because 986 00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:46,920 Speaker 5: I'm exhausted and I really need to sleep for a while. 987 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:48,640 Speaker 5: And I couldn't think of a reason say no, so 988 00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:50,399 Speaker 5: I said sure and showed him to the spare room. 989 00:48:50,920 --> 00:48:53,239 Speaker 5: And then I thought, you know, I'm kind of tired too, 990 00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:56,239 Speaker 5: And I got on the bed and took a nap 991 00:48:56,280 --> 00:49:00,319 Speaker 5: with him, and seeing him there sleeping and totally open 992 00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:03,879 Speaker 5: and totally vulnerable, I couldn't dislike him anymore. I didn't 993 00:49:03,880 --> 00:49:06,880 Speaker 5: feel jealous anymore, and I thought that was the sweetest story. 994 00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:07,800 Speaker 5: So sweet. 995 00:49:08,280 --> 00:49:10,600 Speaker 1: You see, to watch your lover's lover sleep. 996 00:49:10,400 --> 00:49:11,960 Speaker 4: It's kind of like a mother and her child, Like 997 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:13,400 Speaker 4: you know when you look at your child, and like 998 00:49:13,719 --> 00:49:17,080 Speaker 4: you just just love you so much, innocent, not talking. 999 00:49:17,160 --> 00:49:19,160 Speaker 1: Maybe if we saw more people sleep, there'd be more 1000 00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:21,479 Speaker 1: compassion in the world, and maybe maybe we need to just. 1001 00:49:21,680 --> 00:49:23,120 Speaker 2: We need we need sleep camps. 1002 00:49:24,600 --> 00:49:29,359 Speaker 5: There's an exercise in Buddhism that's to imagine someone awful 1003 00:49:29,600 --> 00:49:31,879 Speaker 5: as a tiny child that you're taking care of and 1004 00:49:31,880 --> 00:49:36,040 Speaker 5: cradling in your arms. And there is something about seeing 1005 00:49:36,080 --> 00:49:41,080 Speaker 5: someone that pure and vulnerable that it's hard to be mad. 1006 00:49:41,120 --> 00:49:42,400 Speaker 2: It's true. It's true. 1007 00:49:42,480 --> 00:49:45,960 Speaker 1: I've seen some of the most not nice people sleep 1008 00:49:45,960 --> 00:49:48,319 Speaker 1: and been like, wow, you were a child one right, 1009 00:49:48,440 --> 00:49:49,719 Speaker 1: right right? What happened? 1010 00:49:51,120 --> 00:49:52,120 Speaker 5: That is a big question. 1011 00:49:52,600 --> 00:49:54,640 Speaker 3: That's my problem. What happened? How can I help? 1012 00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:57,719 Speaker 4: Let me open up your mind, let me be, let 1013 00:49:57,719 --> 00:49:59,240 Speaker 4: me fix you, let me heal you. 1014 00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:01,560 Speaker 3: You deserve a lo There's so much love to be given. 1015 00:50:03,120 --> 00:50:06,239 Speaker 5: Yeah, that's the trap, isn't it? Sixty six years old? 1016 00:50:07,840 --> 00:50:09,920 Speaker 4: Why do you draw the line for love? I love you, 1017 00:50:09,960 --> 00:50:13,200 Speaker 4: but I have boundaries. I can't figure I can't do 1018 00:50:13,239 --> 00:50:14,520 Speaker 4: it all well. 1019 00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:16,440 Speaker 1: And actually, that's a good question before we go, how 1020 00:50:16,480 --> 00:50:18,719 Speaker 1: do you draw the line of boundaries and having being 1021 00:50:18,760 --> 00:50:22,200 Speaker 1: an ethical splat that like kind of like blurs boundaries 1022 00:50:22,239 --> 00:50:24,880 Speaker 1: and like kind of leaves you open, Like how do 1023 00:50:24,920 --> 00:50:28,600 Speaker 1: you actually? Because I do think that there's in some capacity, 1024 00:50:29,680 --> 00:50:34,600 Speaker 1: maybe you disagree. I think people do need boundaries, you know, Like, no, not. 1025 00:50:34,640 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 5: Having boundaries is a really uncomfortable and dysfunctional way to live. 1026 00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:43,719 Speaker 5: I think the boundary that works for me is it 1027 00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:46,000 Speaker 5: has to do with knowing what's mine to control and 1028 00:50:46,040 --> 00:50:50,880 Speaker 5: what is not. And I don't get to control who 1029 00:50:50,960 --> 00:50:54,400 Speaker 5: you're sleeping with. That's you. I do get to control 1030 00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:56,919 Speaker 5: what you bring home to me, And if you come 1031 00:50:56,960 --> 00:51:00,160 Speaker 5: home to me angry because of something that happened with them, 1032 00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:02,759 Speaker 5: then I need to set a boundary. This is not 1033 00:51:02,840 --> 00:51:06,160 Speaker 5: my job to fix. If you read my memoirs, my 1034 00:51:06,200 --> 00:51:08,680 Speaker 5: personal writing, you'll see that I come back again and 1035 00:51:08,719 --> 00:51:11,640 Speaker 5: again to the idea of skin as a boundary and 1036 00:51:11,719 --> 00:51:14,799 Speaker 5: knowing that what's inside my skin is mine and I 1037 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:17,000 Speaker 5: have to take care of it, and what's outside my 1038 00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:20,560 Speaker 5: skin it's not my job. And I'm speaking here as 1039 00:51:20,560 --> 00:51:22,640 Speaker 5: someone who did try to fix an awful lot of 1040 00:51:22,640 --> 00:51:25,719 Speaker 5: people in my day and who got mostly through it 1041 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:29,960 Speaker 5: in therapy, and I just keep coming back to that 1042 00:51:30,160 --> 00:51:32,239 Speaker 5: this is not mine to control, This is not mine 1043 00:51:32,280 --> 00:51:35,759 Speaker 5: to fix. What I get to control is the things 1044 00:51:35,760 --> 00:51:36,800 Speaker 5: that affect me directly. 1045 00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:38,120 Speaker 2: Yes, I love that. 1046 00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:40,440 Speaker 3: I love that I do. I'm going to use that. 1047 00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:42,040 Speaker 3: I'm gonna have to adopt that mantra. 1048 00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:45,480 Speaker 5: Yes, maybe that was the affirmation you asked me, how 1049 00:51:45,480 --> 00:51:45,759 Speaker 5: about it? 1050 00:51:46,520 --> 00:51:49,560 Speaker 4: Maybe I need to like save some time right now. Okay, 1051 00:51:49,560 --> 00:51:52,120 Speaker 4: So we have a segment on our show that we 1052 00:51:52,239 --> 00:51:55,799 Speaker 4: call hories. It's short for horror stories. It's like the 1053 00:51:55,840 --> 00:51:59,920 Speaker 4: most slutty sluty thing fun It could either be like 1054 00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:04,480 Speaker 4: highly horrific or funny, or just like a wonderfully slutty, 1055 00:52:04,840 --> 00:52:08,359 Speaker 4: top notch slut experience. Story if you have any I 1056 00:52:08,400 --> 00:52:09,160 Speaker 4: think that you do. 1057 00:52:09,400 --> 00:52:15,120 Speaker 1: Oh who stories. 1058 00:52:16,080 --> 00:52:18,400 Speaker 5: Actually, the thought that came to my mind as soon 1059 00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:21,200 Speaker 5: as you said that was a wonderful scene that I 1060 00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:24,759 Speaker 5: was part of at a kink conference in Canada. And 1061 00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:28,000 Speaker 5: the idea of the scene was to enable a very 1062 00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:31,239 Speaker 5: large husband to fist his very tiny wife for the 1063 00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:34,759 Speaker 5: first time. And so a bunch of us women got 1064 00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:37,319 Speaker 5: together in the room there with them, and we held 1065 00:52:37,320 --> 00:52:39,480 Speaker 5: our hands up against each other to see who had 1066 00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:41,880 Speaker 5: the smallest hands. I have very large hands, So I 1067 00:52:41,920 --> 00:52:45,120 Speaker 5: went last, and each of us in turn fisted her 1068 00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:47,640 Speaker 5: and while all the rest of us were holding her 1069 00:52:47,719 --> 00:52:51,920 Speaker 5: and caring for her and being sort of handmaidens, until 1070 00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:55,000 Speaker 5: I went last because big hand. And then she was 1071 00:52:55,080 --> 00:52:57,279 Speaker 5: open and turned on and happy enough that he was 1072 00:52:57,320 --> 00:52:59,080 Speaker 5: able to slide his hand in and fist her for 1073 00:52:59,120 --> 00:53:01,560 Speaker 5: the first time. And it was just miraculous. It was 1074 00:53:01,800 --> 00:53:06,480 Speaker 5: so loving, the energy was so sweet that we were 1075 00:53:06,480 --> 00:53:09,719 Speaker 5: helping this couple make something happen that they couldn't make 1076 00:53:09,760 --> 00:53:12,880 Speaker 5: happen on their own about it. It was just. 1077 00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:15,600 Speaker 3: Talk about a village. 1078 00:53:16,040 --> 00:53:17,280 Speaker 5: Yes, it really was a village. 1079 00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:20,480 Speaker 1: And I love how like deeply emotional like that. It 1080 00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:23,040 Speaker 1: makes you like that you were able to facilitate that 1081 00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:24,000 Speaker 1: for a couple. 1082 00:53:24,120 --> 00:53:27,000 Speaker 5: That's so beautiful. Yeah, it's one of my scenes that 1083 00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:29,440 Speaker 5: I still get teary about talking years later, because it 1084 00:53:29,480 --> 00:53:32,160 Speaker 5: really was moving and it was I had this profound 1085 00:53:32,160 --> 00:53:35,239 Speaker 5: moment of oh my god, I love my life. Other 1086 00:53:35,280 --> 00:53:36,239 Speaker 5: people don't get to do that. 1087 00:53:36,560 --> 00:53:39,040 Speaker 1: I often feel that way too, even in this space 1088 00:53:39,080 --> 00:53:41,919 Speaker 1: and being able to interview you know, someone like you 1089 00:53:42,280 --> 00:53:46,160 Speaker 1: and you know just I'm just so I'm grateful for 1090 00:53:46,239 --> 00:53:47,080 Speaker 1: you coming on the show. 1091 00:53:47,239 --> 00:53:48,839 Speaker 2: Thank you so so much. 1092 00:53:48,920 --> 00:53:51,400 Speaker 3: Thank you being open to doing this and holding space 1093 00:53:51,400 --> 00:53:51,719 Speaker 3: for us. 1094 00:53:51,800 --> 00:53:53,959 Speaker 1: Thank you for writing this incredible book. 1095 00:53:54,040 --> 00:53:55,160 Speaker 2: You guys, thank you. 1096 00:53:55,200 --> 00:53:57,200 Speaker 4: Tell Dossie we said thank you too. This is it 1097 00:53:57,320 --> 00:53:58,520 Speaker 4: helped us tremendously. 1098 00:53:59,239 --> 00:54:02,719 Speaker 5: Yes, Dossi had major surgery on her spine yesterday. I'm 1099 00:54:02,760 --> 00:54:04,520 Speaker 5: heading down there in a week or so to help 1100 00:54:04,640 --> 00:54:08,080 Speaker 5: with her recovery. Then I will be sure to communicate 1101 00:54:08,880 --> 00:54:10,880 Speaker 5: your best wishes to her. And I also want to 1102 00:54:10,880 --> 00:54:13,719 Speaker 5: tell you tell your listeners that I am blogging the 1103 00:54:13,760 --> 00:54:18,440 Speaker 5: book in progress at www dot slutinsuns dot com. So 1104 00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:20,640 Speaker 5: if they want to hear about a lifetime of a 1105 00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:23,359 Speaker 5: good mom making bad choices, there it is. 1106 00:54:23,640 --> 00:54:24,000 Speaker 4: Heay. 1107 00:54:24,239 --> 00:54:26,239 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, you guys, make sure you pick up 1108 00:54:26,239 --> 00:54:28,239 Speaker 1: The Ethical Slut. This is such an important book for 1109 00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:32,520 Speaker 1: men to buy, for your husbands, your boyfriends, you know, 1110 00:54:32,719 --> 00:54:34,640 Speaker 1: black us, black and brown girls. 1111 00:54:34,640 --> 00:54:35,439 Speaker 2: We need to read this shit. 1112 00:54:35,640 --> 00:54:37,960 Speaker 1: There's a lot of like a lot of undoing that 1113 00:54:38,040 --> 00:54:41,399 Speaker 1: we have to do around sexuality, I think even more 1114 00:54:41,440 --> 00:54:43,759 Speaker 1: so in some ways, a lot of ways. So make 1115 00:54:43,760 --> 00:54:45,759 Speaker 1: sure you get this book. If you haven't joined our 1116 00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:49,960 Speaker 1: book club, please please join. We're reading Dossie and Janet's 1117 00:54:50,000 --> 00:54:53,400 Speaker 1: book all through September and we're doing meetups which are 1118 00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:55,640 Speaker 1: getting We've had one so far and it was so wonderful. 1119 00:54:56,120 --> 00:54:57,880 Speaker 1: Where can we so they can find you on that 1120 00:54:57,920 --> 00:54:58,760 Speaker 1: specific website? 1121 00:54:58,840 --> 00:54:59,600 Speaker 2: Is that where we should? 1122 00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:01,799 Speaker 5: Yeah? Yes, that would be the best place to find 1123 00:55:01,800 --> 00:55:03,400 Speaker 5: me right now. I do have an author's site, but 1124 00:55:03,440 --> 00:55:06,040 Speaker 5: it's kind of in transition. So yes, you can find 1125 00:55:06,080 --> 00:55:07,440 Speaker 5: me on slutinsuns dot. 1126 00:55:07,280 --> 00:55:08,759 Speaker 3: Com spluttinsuns dot com. 1127 00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:11,080 Speaker 4: I'll be joining you on this journey because I'm excited 1128 00:55:11,160 --> 00:55:12,080 Speaker 4: to hear all about it. 1129 00:55:13,200 --> 00:55:15,880 Speaker 1: Okay, cool love, Love to see you there and you 1130 00:55:15,920 --> 00:55:19,160 Speaker 1: guys can find us. That's Good Moms Underscore Bad Choices 1131 00:55:19,200 --> 00:55:23,600 Speaker 1: on Instagram. On Twitter, we are good Mom Underscore Bad Girl. 1132 00:55:24,160 --> 00:55:28,440 Speaker 1: Make sure you rate and review this episode on Apple Podcasts. 1133 00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:32,680 Speaker 1: Please please do that right now. Please, And if you 1134 00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:34,880 Speaker 1: do want to hear about our sex club story and 1135 00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:37,600 Speaker 1: so many other roll ups that we have over there. 1136 00:55:37,640 --> 00:55:40,040 Speaker 1: We have a segment on our Patreon called the roll 1137 00:55:40,120 --> 00:55:41,920 Speaker 1: Up where me and Mila roll up our weed and 1138 00:55:41,960 --> 00:55:43,760 Speaker 1: we talk shit and we say a lot of stuff 1139 00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:45,920 Speaker 1: we don't say on the podcast, So make sure you 1140 00:55:45,920 --> 00:55:49,839 Speaker 1: go check that out. That's patreon dot com, backslash, Good Moms. 1141 00:55:49,600 --> 00:55:52,720 Speaker 2: Bad Choices and we'll see you next week. 1142 00:55:52,920 --> 00:56:01,560 Speaker 4: Bye bye, Ella solo record. Yeah The Lastest Day Asked 1143 00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:03,919 Speaker 4: Gomo by Lamoiselle La the Lazula