101. Sexual Health x Mental Health: Dr. Tara Explores Parallels Between Intimacy & Personal Wellbeing

We've never had a podcast episode quick like this one! (Mature content warning)Sex and relationship expert Dr. Tara is here to help us turn up the intimacy in our relationships, leading to better mental health and overall wellbeing. Dr. Tara is not only a tenured professor of sexual and relational communication at California State University Fullerton, she’s an author of Sexual Communication: Research in Action, an award-winning sex researcher, host of the Luvbites by Dr. Tara podcast, and resident sex expert on the popular British dating show, Celebs Go Dating. She’s also the #1 sex educator on TikTok!Today she shares how to communicate your desires with your partner and how to become more sexually powerful. Our conversation helps break the stigma around women being sexually explorative, uncovers the root of why many of us feel sexually repressed, and reveals common issues people in and out of relationships face in their sex lives. She also gifts us with specific practices and strategies for strengthening your personal sexual experience while reigniting intimacy in your long term relationship. Dr. Tara pulls back the curtain on why it’s so important to have a healthy sex life for your mental health and what the research shows about how being sexually satisfied influences your overall happiness. We also go through some listener questions about overcoming cheating in a relationship and how to start conversations about sex with your partner. This one might make you blush but you’ll also walk away with valuable insight for improving intimacy and connection in your relationship!(00:02:36) Exploring Sexual Health & Empowerment(00:13:31) How to Reignite Intimacy in A Long-Term Relationship(00:24:26) Confronting Insecurities, The Stigma Around Pleasure & Sexual Compatibility(00:30:10) Dr. Tara Answers: Are You Sexually Compatible? Click here for full show notesGuest Info:• Website: luvbites.co• Instagram: @luvbites.co• YouTube: Luvbites by Dr. TaraResources:• Start a conversation in your The Big Silence merch: thebigsilence.com/collections/shop-all• Read: The Big Silence: A Daughter's Memoir of Mental Illness and Healing • Follow Karena Dawn on Instagram: @karenadawn• Follow The Big Silence on Instagram: @The.Big.Silence• Subscribe: The Big Silence YouTube Channel• Therapy For All: Resources for those in need• Thank you to our partners! Go to thebigsilence.com/partners for special offers for our listenersDonate to The Big Silence thebigsilence.com/donate to be a part of the movement to break the silence and make noise with