Our Better Half

You are invited to an intimate and insightful conversation with our co-hosts. Rosara poses a question about couples who’ve literally lost touch with each other sexually and, in many cases, physically. Sabitha, Jane, and Rosara discuss their ideas about bridging the canyon, paddling across the ravine, finding their way back to each other, healing old wounds, embracing the vulnerabilities, and reframing intimacy. Our co-hosts offer valuable insights and wonderful recommendations from their collective decades of experience. And they do all of this with kindness, love, and acceptance. Join us for a wonderful conversation. If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half, please give us a 5-star rating and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. It really helps support our show! As always, thanks for listening!  

This episode explores the significance of intergenerational learning and social/racial justice within the sexual health field. We had the joy of interviewing Mariotta Gary-Smith about her experiences of mentorship from Black women/femme elders that also inspired the trajectory of her career as a social justice actionable agitator. Mariotta Gary-Smith (she/her/Queen [reserved]) is a 3rd generation social justice agitator & Oregonian. Her family history of civil rights seeded her interest in social justice - she found human sexuality on her own. After high school, Mariotta earned degrees from Agnes Scott College and the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. In Fall 2008, she was one of five nationally selected Fellowship Scholars for the Inaugural Class at the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health (CESH) housed at the Morehouse School of Medicine. In 2009, Mariotta co-founded the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WoCSHN; pronounced ‘wok-shyn’) – an online-based, collective organization f

Our guest this time is Dr. Daniel N. Watter. Dan is an existential sex therapist and he has so much to say about appreciating sexuality as we age instead of extolling the virtues of youthful sexuality. He has a fresh approach to the connection between death anxiety and sexuality. Dan talks with us about the existential importance of the penis and the idea that the penis is speaking but sometimes in a whisper. Dr. Watter is the author of more than 30 professional articles and book chapters on topics such as sexual function and dysfunction, and ethics in healthcare practice. He most recently completed the new book, The Existential Importance of the Penis: A Guide to Understanding Male Sexuality and a new article about men, sex, and aging for the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Dan has been a practicing clinical and forensic psychologist and certified sex therapist for more than 35 years. He is licensed as both a psychologist and a marital and family therapist. In addition, he is Board Certified in Sex Therapy by th

Our guest this time is James Wilson, the Executive Officer of the Theatre and Performance program at the City University of New York Graduate Center. His research and teaching interests include African American theatre and performance, gender and sexuality studies, and musical theatre history. He is the author of two books and today we’ll be talking about his book Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Performance, Race, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance. His essays have appeared in numerous academic journals and chapter anthologies. He is a voting member of the Drama Desk, nearly 60, and a lover of Broadway. His thoughts and reflections on Florence Mills, Gladys Bentley, and other queer performers in the Harlem Renaissance are spell-binding and we think you’ll truly enjoy him like we did! Not only does he shed light on the often overlooked LGBTQ contributions to the era's creativity and fights for justice, he does so with gusto and great research! If you’d like to purchase his book, please go to y

In this episode we interview Dr. Lexx Brown-James, President of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). Dr. Lexx is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an AASECT certified sexuality educator and supervisor. Dr. Lexx is also the Director of the University of Michigan’s Sexual Health Certificate Program and is the first Black woman to be elected President of AASECT. Dr. Lexx provides education and therapy from womb-to-tomb through her practice, The Institute for Sexuality & Intimacy, LLC . As a multiple time Amazon best seller and creator of Dr. Lexx’s Relationship Tune Up Cards and The Black Girls' Guide to Couple's Intimacy, Dr. Lexx is an international sexologist featured in Essence, The New York Times, Scary Mommy, NPR, multiple news outlets, Vice, Buzzfeed, as well as multiple journal publications and books. You can find out more information about Dr. Lexx Brown-James at https://www.lexxsexdoc.com/. For more information about Dr. Konnie Mccaffree

Jacqueline Boyd brings passion and expertise to the field of aging and LGBTQ+ advocacy. A dynamic speaker, facilitator, and entrepreneur, Jacqueline is the owner of The CarePlan, the country’s first LGBTQ+ centered care management and care development company. As part of The Care Plan’s leadership, Jacqueline has consulted with national and local organizations such as AARP, SAGE, Howard Brown Health Centers, and AIDS Foundation Chicago to enhance services offered to LGBTQ+ older adults. Jane met Jackie at a conference in Dayton, Ohio and was blown away by her compassion, her wisdom, and her exquisite capacity to connect with others. She is creating what she calls queer magic in her work as an aging advocate and changemaker. She not only works with LGBTQ elders as clients, she’s a major proponent of the care ethic and offers valuable resources available on their website. If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if y

Hey Listeners! This episode features an interview with Dr. Reece Malone and explores the significance of intersectionality and decolonization to the sex therapy process. Dr. Malone spoke about erotic racism and its impact on desirability of bodies, the internalization of these experiences, and impact on clients. Dr. Reece Malone is an award-winning certified sexologist with a Masters of Public Health and a Doctorate of Human Sexuality. He is a sex therapist and a Certified Sexuality Education Supervisor through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), and acquired Diplomate status with the American Board of Sexologists. Complementing his private practice, he is an adjunct professor at Antioch University Seattle Couple and Family Therapy Department and an instructor at the California Institute for Integral Studies. Dr. Reece Malone is the CEO and founder of Sexuality Consultants and Support Services in Manitoba and his counterpart company, Diversity Essentials. As an

Our guest this time is Sarah Dahlston, the Senior Director of Education at Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and a Certified Sexuality Educator. We recorded this episode before the November, 2024 elections. In the first half of the interview Sarah offers her perspectives post-Dobbs on reproductive justice in a different political climate, then we shift focus to navigating sexuality with a chronic illness. Sarah and Rosara offer helpful ideas for timing, talking, and self-advocacy. If you’d like to learn more about Sarah Dahlston, you can contact her here. If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half, please give us a 5-star rating and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. It really helps support our show! As always, thanks for listening!  

In this week’s episode we welcome Dr. Michele Angello, a leading expert in the field of gender diversity. Dr. Angello specializes in providing therapy for gender-variant and transgender individuals, including youth and adults, as well as those who identify as genderqueer. She offers both individual and group therapy, as well as family therapy. Dr. Angello’s expertise has been recognized at local, national, and international conferences, where she has shared her work and experience on transgender youth and children with transitioning parents. She also facilitates several monthly support groups for transgender adults, youth, and their families. As a sought-after speaker, Dr. Angello frequently presents on transgender youth issues to universities, corporations, and media outlets. Her appearances include notable shows like Larry King Live and the Tyra Banks Show, as well as various documentaries on transgender issues. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Angello is a trailblazer in academia, having developed the

As an older adult, if your doctor is not comfortable asking about your sexual health but you’ve got questions, this episode is just what you need. Our guest this time is Dr. Jennifer Vencill, an assistant professor, board certified clinical health psychologist, and AASECT certified sex therapist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She is passionate about answering patient questions and teaching her colleagues. She is dually appointed in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, as well as the Division of General Internal Medicine, where she spends the bulk of her time providing integrated sexual health care and educating fellows, residents, and medical students about the importance of sexual and gender health. Dr. Vencill’s research focuses on sexual health, health disparities and minority stress in marginalized sexual and gender communities, and mixed orientation relationships. She sits on the editorial board of The International Journal of Sexual Health and Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Ge

Join us for our first ever live recording at the Annual AASECT Conference in a fascinating discussion with our esteemed guest, De-Andrea Blaylock-Solar. She’s the first Black AASECT Certified Sex Therapist in St. Louis. We’re talking about sex, religion, exegesis, prostate cancer, embodied sexuality, widowhood, and a thing she calls Christian plus. Resources we talked about on this episode include the Instagram account Unfit Christians and The Day God Saw Me As Black from D. Danyelle Thomas, Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Is Not Enough by Candice Marie Benbow, Sensual Faith: The Art of Coming Home to Your Body by Lyvonne Briggs, the Theater of War productions, and the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN). You can reach De-Andrea directly at Sankofa Sex Therapy. If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half

Hey Listeners! You may have guessed we are on our summer break. While we’re all trying to rest and recuperate and regenerate, we’re reverberating with great news! What a season we had last year! So many great guests. So many things we learned. So many laughs. And a few tears, mostly of joy, because we won a coveted award. We won the AASECT award for best podcast of the year. What an honor and what a hoot to not only receive the award from our peers and our own organization, but we got to record an episode in front of a live audience (our first) at the AASECT conference in June. I won’t give away too much. You’ll hear more soon. It was fabulous! The other great news is we got picked up for Season 10! Yes that’s right we will be back with a whole new season in September with Jane, Sabitha, Rosara, and Jayleen. And our wonderful sponsors. And a whole slew of new and captivating discussions and guests. Talk to you soon! If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love o

Join us for a fast-moving and fun conversation with Sabitha, Rosara, and Jane as we talk about sexual fantasies as we age. What are sexual fantasies? How are they useful? What’s the difference between masturbatory and relational fantasies? Sabitha offered some great resources for our listeners: any of Nancy Friday’s books (though they are a bit heteronormative), Jack Morin’s book, The Erotic Mind, and Justin Lehmiller’s book, Tell Me What You Want. If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half and want to support our show, please give us a 5-star rating and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! As always, thanks for listening!  

In honor of Mother’s Day, Jane, Rosara, and Sabitha are talking about mothering, the havoc it wreaks with our lives, the discoveries, and impacts on our sexuality. They also wonder aloud about daughtering, especially as their parents age. Join us for a look into the lives of our co-hosts. And let us know your thoughts. If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half and want to support our show, please give us a 5-star rating and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! As always, thanks for listening!  

Our guest this time is Mx. Sizzle, a trailblazing Persian and Kurdish hard femme who serves as a sexual health, BDSM, and kink educator. They hold a bachelor’s degree from New College of Florida and a master's degree in public health from the University of Florida, with a focus on queer and transgender health. As the founder of "A Different Kind of Different, LLC," they create safe spaces for sexuality exploration and empowerment that prioritize equity and justice. Mx. Sizzle’s nationally acclaimed workshops and unwavering dedication to amplifying marginalized voices have a profound and positive impact on society. Their pursuit of a PhD in Clinical Sexology is a testament to their commitment to education and inclusivity, while inspiring others to join the movement of decolonizing sex education. Learn more about Mx. Sizzle on their website: mxsizzle.com, and check out these great articles on kink and sexual health! In other news… Our Better Half won the 2024 AASECT Podcast Award! We are thrilled to have rece

Our guest this time is Kathy Labriola, a nurse, counselor, and hypnotherapist in Berkeley, California. She has provided affordable mental health services to alternative communities for the past 30 years. Kathy is the author of four books on consensual non-monogamy including her latest, Polyamorous Elders: Aging in Open Relationships. She is extra crunchy, rides a bike, lives in a housing cooperative, grows organic vegetables, raises chickens, and has been a card-carrying bisexual and polyamorist for 50 years. If you want to learn more about Kathy Labriola and her writing, check out her website at www.kathylabriola.com! If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half and want to support our show, please give us a 5-star rating and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! As always, thanks for listening!  

Our guest this time is the wonderful Dr. Israel Martinez, a certified sex therapist and coach with a group practice that specializes in therapy with the LGBTQ+, ethically non-monogamous, and kink/BDSM communities. He is the author of the book Helping Gay Men Find Love: Tips for Guys on Dating and Beginning a Healthy Relationship, has been published in the book Social Workers: Finding Real Solutions to Real Problems, and created and curates www.queermentalhealthhelp.com. He also supervises and trains other therapists to more ethically and effectively treat clients within gender, sexual, and relationship diversity. Dr. Martinez is clinically licensed in NY and NJ. He lives in NJ with his husband, Matt, and their cat, Mijo. You can reach him at www.LGBTtherapyNJ.com. If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half and want to support our show, please give us a 5-star rating and follow us on Facebo

Tushabe Wa Tushabe, an Assistant Professor at Widener University in The Center for Human Sexuality Studies, graduated from St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, in Indiana, earned a Master's in women's studies from Texas Women's University, and received a Ph.D. in Decolonial African Epistemologie from Binghamton University. Tushabe's research interests focus on decolonial and indigenous knowledges and practices, and sexualities through languages. When not in the classroom, writing, or mentoring students, Tushabe can be found enjoying the outdoors, especially waterfalls, mountains, and hiking. When Tushabe is with family, they enjoy listening to the young and the elders in the community tell stories they grew up hearing from their elders. If you would like to learn more about Tushabe’s work, you can check it out HERE! If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half, please give us a 5-star rating and

Cindy Gallop is a woman taking the world by storm, disrupting venture capital and erotic imagery available online. Cindy is an advertising consultant, the founder and former chair of the US branch of the advertising firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and, most important for our conversation today, she is the founder of If We Ran The World and MakeLoveNotPorn. Cindy's TED Talk is one of the most talked about presentations from the 2009 TED conference, and she was recently quoted in the New York Times. Go check out Cindy’s amazing work at MakeLoveNotPorn, and If We Ran The World! If you want to catch up on other shows, just visit our website and please subscribe! We love our listeners and welcome your feedback, so if you love Our Better Half, please give us a 5-star rating and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. It really helps support our show! As always, thanks for listening!  

Dr. Igor Grabovac graduated in Medicine from the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb in Croatia. During his student days, he developed an interest in improving health in vulnerable communities and conducted research on discrimination of LGBT patients and doctors in the Croatian health care system. He has worked for the International Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer Youth and Student Organization (IGLYO) as a member of the Health Working Group, where he was involved with policy and research on access to healthcare for young LGBTIQA+ people in Europe. After a medical internship and obtaining his medical license as a general practitioner, he started working at the Institute of Occupational Medicine, University Clinic for Internal Medicine at the Vienna General Hospital. He has also earned his doctorate in Public Health at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, where he was the first resident physician in public health in Austria at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicin