Intimacy Matters

Real Relating with Nicola Foster

Intimacy Matters is a podcast all about love, sex and relationships. Join qualified sex and relationship therapist Nicola Foster and her partner Jason Porthouse as they talk about all aspects of sexuality and relating. Featuring occasional guests who are also experts in the field of intimacy. Whatever your stage in life - whether single or dating or in a long-term partnership; whether a couple or a thruple or a moresome; friends-with-benefits to happily married, and all flavours in-between - you'll find enlightening discussions and plenty of thought-provoking ideas in our fortnightly show.

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Top 10 Intimacy Matters Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Intimacy Matters episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Intimacy Matters for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Intimacy Matters episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Desire Discrepancy

Intimacy Matters

04/10/24 • 39 min

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Welcome to the latest episode of the Intimacy Mattters podcast where we dive into intimacy and relationships.

Highlights of this episode include:

Sex Frequency: How often is "normal"?
Spontaneous vs. Responsive Desire: Why knowing the difference makes ALL the difference.
Navigating Differences: Contrary to popular belief, sex can improve with time through exploration, communication, and a shift away from performance-based attitudes.
Initiation Strategies: We share some playful approaches to help initiate intimacy without pressure.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

If you're ready to take the next step in deepening your connections, register for Nicola's newsletter - free ideas, tips, resources and details of upcoming events https://www.realrelating.com/newsletter
If you'd like to contact us - suggestions for topics, guests, brickbats or bouquets - find us at www.realrelating.com/podcast.
Connect with Us: Visit www.realrelating.com and follow Nicola on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/realrelatingwithnicola/
Subscribe and Review: Subscribe on Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/intimacy-matters/id1560947607and leave a review to help us create supportive content.
Contact Us: Email us at [email protected] with questions or topic suggestions. We'd love to hear from you!

Anna Sansom - Writing The Erotic

Intimacy Matters

05/07/24 • 59 min

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In this episode we welcome erotic author Anna Sansom. We chat to Anna about all things erotic - and how we can get in touch with our own desires through creativity, even when it might feel really challenging. We also discuss her book Desire Lines - part
memoir, part guide to reclaiming our erotic nature.
Anna is a queer cis woman (pronouns: she/her) who is endlessly curious about how we experience and express our unique sexual selves. She started writing erotica over two decades ago, has had a full-length erotic novel published and several short stories in anthologies and online. She has a PhD in occupational therapy and is the co-creator of In Touch with Yourself, a guided journey for women who want to reconnect with their pleasure, sensuality, and sexuality, using creative, playful, and empowering personal practices. She loves drinking tea, swimming in the sea, and talking to her cats.
You can find her at annasansom.com and intouchwithyourself.co.uk, and on Facebook (@AnnaSansomWriter) and Instagram (@Anna_Sansom_Writer).
Anna's Substack is at https://annasansom.substack.com/

Endings

Intimacy Matters

04/21/24 • 39 min

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Endings, though difficult, are an essential part of life. Whether it's a breakup, divorce, or the loss of a loved one, endings can be traumatic. In the podcast we talk about how society often downplays the significance of endings, offering clichés like "plenty more fish in the sea," which fails to acknowledge the pain and complexity of separation.

Research shows that the pain of a breakup can trigger physical responses similar to those of physical injury. Heartbreak is real and can have a profound impact on our well-being. What can we do to support ourselves during these times?

We also talk about conscious uncoupling, as popularized by Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin - what is it and how do you go about it?
Recommended resources:

Book: The Wisdom of a Broken Heart - Susan Piver
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast for more discussions on intimacy and relationships.

The Power Of Both / And - Embracing Creative Tension

Intimacy Matters

02/27/24 • 27 min

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Are you tired of the never-ending battle over how to load the dishwasher? 🍽️
Do you and your partner feel like you're constantly at odds? 🤔

In our latest podcast episode, we explore the fascinating concept of polarity in relationships and how it impacts every aspect of our lives.

Join us as we discuss:

The two types of people who load dishwashers: the precision-driven Scandinavian architect 🏠 and the free-spirited raccoon on meth 🦝
How pushing each other into polarities can create unnecessary conflict and tension 🚫
Practical strategies for finding balance in your relationship 💑
Real-life walk through of how to do a BOTH / AND exercise

Whether you're a newlywed, in a long-term relationship, or navigating the complexities of dating, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable tips that you can apply to your own relationship journey.

Tune in now to learn a brilliant way to enjoy a more harmonious partnership! 🎧✨

Show notes:
Book - Navigating Polarities: https://amzn.eu/d/e9jB6d9
Blog - https://www.realrelating.com/blog/both-and

Coping With Adversity In Relationship

Intimacy Matters

06/06/24 • 51 min

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Coping With Adversity In Relationship: Communication, Self-Care, and Support

Episode Summary: This episode explores how partnerships are tested by life’s challenging events like illness, bereavement, miscarriage, and unemployment. We discuss how stress can take couples out of sync, and provide strategies for navigating tough times together.

Key Topics Discussed:

We start by examining the impact of significant life events on relationships, highlighting how stress disrupts daily life. Often, couples facing adversity become adversarial or disconnected. A major theme is the vulnerability involved in asking for help. We address the challenges of seeking and receiving support, offer some practical self-care tips, and discuss ways to navigate boundaries and consent.

Adam Wilder - Togetherness, Intimacy and Sovereignty.

Intimacy Matters

05/23/21 • 51 min

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In this episode we talk to Adam Wilder about all sorts of interesting stuff - how Togetherness, his school of connection and online community, started; safety versus authenticity (and how to navigate between them); the collective and the individual; 'us and them' and how we can use our common experiences to foster connection. We also touch on men's work, how we bring connection into our intimate relationships, saying no, how Dutch people break up with friends, notions of sovereignty and much, much more...
Adam's website can be found here: https://www.wilderintimacy.com

Togetherness can be found here: https://www.togetherness.com
And remember you can find us at https://www.realrelating.com/podcast

Ruth Culver - From Surviving to Thriving

Intimacy Matters

05/08/21 • 48 min

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Ruth Culver talks to us about the fascinating world of Internal Family Systems therapy, and her work linking IFS with Polyvagal Theory. Sounds complex? You'll be an expert after this podcast, which is full of learning and warmth too. Ruth talks about how we process trauma and how IFS can help us to gently access this and ultimately heal ourselves and our relationships.
Ruth's website can be found here: http://calmheart.co.uk

Her Survive/Thrive diagram can be dowloaded here (requires email).
And remember you can find us at www.realrelating.com/podcast

Jan Day - The Art Of Conscious Relationships

Intimacy Matters

04/26/21 • 49 min

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We talk to acclaimed relationship and intimacy expert Jan Day. We discuss Living Tantra, her school of intimacy and relating, and her forthcoming book. We look at what constitutes a conscious relationship and how to cultivate one, and get some advice on practices that couples can use to help keep intimacy alive in long term relationships.
For more information visit Jan's website: www.janday.com
And you can find us at www.realrelating.com/podcast

Janet McGeever - Sex and the Menopause

Intimacy Matters

04/11/21 • 46 min

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Janet McGeever is an educator, speaker, psychotherapist and author, based in Australia. Together with Diana Richardson she wrote Tantric Sex and the Menopause, and regularly hosts women's and couples workshops in Australia. We chat to Janet about her background and path to becoming a teacher, menopause issues, how we change as we age, the differences between the sexual response of men and women, and much much more.
Janet can be found here: www.janetmcgeever.com

Cate Mackenzie - Bridging, Flirting and being an Octopus

Intimacy Matters

03/28/21 • 47 min

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We chat to sex and relationship therapist Cate Mackenzie about being in lockdown with your partner, the importance of flirting and the difference between Turtles and Octopuses. Cate introduces us to the practice of Bridging as away of enhancing communication, and the importance of 'going slow'. We also find out how it was to do couples therapy 'live' on air with Denise Van Outen and fiancé Eddie!
Cate's website is here: www.catemackenzie.com
And you can find us at www.realrelating.com

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FAQ

How many episodes does Intimacy Matters have?

Intimacy Matters currently has 17 episodes available.

What topics does Intimacy Matters cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, Counselling, Sex, Relationship, Dating, Love, Therapy, Podcasts, Intimacy, Relationships, Spiritual, Sexuality and Couples.

What is the most popular episode on Intimacy Matters?

The episode title 'Adam Wilder - Togetherness, Intimacy and Sovereignty.' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Intimacy Matters?

The average episode length on Intimacy Matters is 44 minutes.

How often are episodes of Intimacy Matters released?

Episodes of Intimacy Matters are typically released every 14 days, 23 hours.

When was the first episode of Intimacy Matters?

The first episode of Intimacy Matters was released on Mar 24, 2021.

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Intimacy Matters

Real Relating with Nicola Foster

Top 10 Intimacy Matters Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Intimacy Matters have?

What topics does Intimacy Matters cover?

What is the most popular episode on Intimacy Matters?

What is the average episode length on Intimacy Matters?

How often are episodes of Intimacy Matters released?

When was the first episode of Intimacy Matters?

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