That’s So Intimate

We're loving this 17th‑century word: Velleity — a wish so faint it never moves toward action. We talk about how that tiny, hovering longing shows up in our lives: the dreams we tuck away (moving cities, learning a language, writing a book, mending a relationship) and the reasons why we don’t go after them — fear, timing, tenderness, the cost of grief, or simply not wanting to give something up. We riff on whether these whispers are nudges toward your dharma or soft fantasies that keep you comfortable. Sometimes a velleity is a useful filter; other times it’s a signal pointing at fear or shame or a value you’ve unconsciously chosen to protect. We get into the messy middle — the gap between longing and action — and how to tell if a desire wants to be lived, needs grieving, or could become a future promise. Practically, we explore questions that helped us: What would you do if you weren’t afraid? What would your deathbed self wish you had tried? Which small side quests are blocking your main quest? We talk timing, building capacity, pseudo-actions (the busywork that pretends to be progress), and how naming these desires can free you to choose more consciously. If this episode strikes something in you, bring it home: name your longings, sort them into ‘try now’, ‘try later’, and ‘let go’, and be gentle with the work of grieving the ones you won’t pursue.  Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: Instagram | Facebook | yogaearthsoul.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

**Get Outside Challenge** Spring is here and Bryan & I want to invite you into something delightfully simple yet sooo rewarding: 20 minutes outside daily for 30 days. No pressure, no perfection — just showing up to feel the sun, breathe the air, listen to water, and notice how you shift. Whether you live near a rushing river, a small patch of grass, or just a sunny driveway, this challenge is for people who want more calm, clearer sleep, fresher focus, and gentler, real-life connection. We’ll walk you through tiny, doable prompts — go barefoot, sit by water, notice a living creature, or step outside in the rain — and give you a community to share what you discover. Expect benefits like better sleep, lowered stress, a stronger immune system, brighter mood, and sharper creativity — and maybe a surprise moment of awe when you least expect it. Come as you are. Bring a friend, your kid, or your dog. Ditch the earbuds if you can, check the daily prompts, and fully enjoy your 20 minutes outside...simple really. Kickoff is April 12th — sign up at YogaEarthSoul.com to join the challenge, grab free course access when you complete it, and be entered to win our amazing Grand Prize that includes private coaching, YES membership, and even an online 200-hour yoga training! We can’t wait to see how a month of small, outdoor practices changes your days. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: Instagram | Facebook | yogaearthsoul.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Hey friends — what are you grateful for? We'd love to hear from you, our beloved listeners. Even in these difficult times gratitude can be found in the small luxuries, nature's beauty, and kind gestures. In this episode Bryan and I sit by the fire and get honest about gratitude: what it really means, why it’s more than a feel-good platitude, and how it rewires our nervous systems and relationships when we practice it. We unpack gratitude as an awareness that goodness often comes from outside ourselves — think oranges, rain, farmers, and the timing that feels like a little miracle. We also talk about why gratitude can feel scary for people who are used to hustling, and how it isn’t about fake positivity: you can hold grief and gratitude at the same time. Practical stuff you can try: a one-minute nightly practice of naming three specific things you’re grateful for, a gratitude “rampage” when you feel a spark of beauty, and using gratitude language in relationships to build trust and repair. Small, specific acknowledgements make gratitude land more deeply. We also dig into the tricky parts — when gratitude feels threatening in a group that bonds over complaint, or when someone’s been wronged — and offer gentle ways to shift the pattern without dismissing real pain. Gratitude doesn’t erase the hard; it enlarges our ability to hold life’s complexity. An invitation for you: try the exercises and send us three things you’re grateful for. Subscribe, share with someone you love, and let’s keep getting intimate about the little and big gifts of life. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: Instagram | Facebook | yogaearthsoul.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

The tension you're feeling is real. I like to call it the Enough Paradox and it is pervasive in our culture - both feeling inadequate (a question of worthiness - 'Am I enough?') and having far too much on our plate (the feeling of overwhelm - 'I've had enough!').  Can you relate? In this episode we unpack that heavy little word—enough. Is it the quiet contentment of having what we need, or the sharp stop of "I can't take another thing"? We talk about both sides: the ache of not feeling worthy that pushes us to do and buy more, and the burnout shout that finally forces us to slow down or walk away. We get honest about the messy, somatic side of overwhelm—when tears come, when your body says stop. Practical little fixes come up (touching the ground, child’s pose, getting outside, moving your body), but we also name the limits of quick fixes. Sometimes you need a nap or a walk, sometimes you need to change your life. We chat about how consumerism and performance culture sell us the idea that more stuff or constant productivity will make us enough, and how minimalism and small practices can actually free energy. There’s also so much about worthiness: when we do to be loved, we often end up overwhelmed. The repair starts with reparenting, community, and honest connection. Community matters. Stories from a men’s group and even a polar-plunge meetup show how the people you’re with change what ‘‘enough’’ looks like—supportive groups can raise your healthy enough and lower the overwhelm, while pushy norms can make you perform past your limit. Learning to say no, ask for help, and choose where to invest your energy is a skill worth practicing. We lean into the balance of doing and being: take action where it matters (that’s enough), but don’t let endless doing be your identity. If the world feels unbearably heavy, small actions—voting, calling a friend, joining a group—help you feel like you’re doing enough without trying to carry everything alone. Ultimately, the practice is simple and subtle: notice when you’re pushed past your limit, come back to your body, rewire your story about worthiness, and find people who make you feel seen and accepted. A few gentle reminders we close with: lie down in the grass, say “I am enough,” and remember that sometimes the bravest act is choosing what to let go. You are enough. You have always been enough. You will always be enough. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: Instagram | Facebook | yogaearthsoul.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Join us this week for an AWEsome episode where Bryan and I lean into the wonderous emotion of awe. Awe is that whoa-feeling when something vast shows up and your whole world has to stretch to make room for it. Psychologists call it vastness + accommodation — you meet something bigger than yourself, you feel small, then you reorganize and somehow feel a bit larger for having seen it. We riff on everything that sparks that stop-in-your-tracks beauty — the ocean, a full moon, a ridiculous piece of music, your kid sledding down a forbidden hill, a tiny lichen colonizing a rock, or the first seed you ever planted. Awe can show up as goosebumps, tears, a body-shift or that little hiccup of energy you can’t explain. It’s not always sweet — awe can land in grief, outrage, or the shock of seeing human cruelty — but even that intensity wakes you up. Science says awe softens the ego, lowers stress and inflammation, boosts generosity and curiosity, and helps us feel connected. It can spark new thinking and open-hearted action. But it’s also personal — what gives me chills might be ordinary for you, and the same experience can feel different depending on where you are in your life. We talk about how to invite more of it: balance structure and flow (set an intention to see the sunrise, then actually get up for it), cultivate curiosity like a child, spend time in nature, hold space for human stories, and even explore tools like yoga philosophy or plant medicine if that’s right for you. Put yourself in the way of beauty on purpose — buy flowers, watch the moon, make a bucket list of things that will astonish you. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: @yoga_earth_soul | Facebook | Youtube Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome to That’s So Intimate. A podcast where we explore living well through deep, curious conversations. I’m Sarah, guide at Rad Intimacy, inviting you to remember your sacred self. I’m Bryan, guide at Sadhana Yoga School, where we share wisdom for life. Let’s get intimate. This week we unpack community — both the literal group of people who share a place, purpose, identity or experience, and that quieter feeling of fellowship and belonging that can (or can’t) come with being part of a group. We ask the big questions: can you be in a community without feeling connected? Can you feel like you belong to a community you’re not technically part of? And what makes one community fill your cup while another feels hollow? We talk about participation as a hinge of belonging — community comes from the Latin communis (together) and munis (bound), so there’s an element of shared duty. Sometimes participation is as simple as living in a place; other times it’s committing time, ritual, or shared labor. Think neighborhood potlucks and holiday invites, pickleball crews, online book clubs, and intentional co‑housing villages where people literally share chores, meals, land and life. There’s so much more choice today than a century ago: geographic ties are looser, we find affinity online, and we can curate overlapping communities for different parts of our lives. That’s a beautiful freedom — and a challenge. Thriving communities seem to have clear shared values or purpose, simple rituals and regular gatherings, a person (or people) willing to ignite things, and enough flexibility to evolve when life changes. We also get into the tender, practical stuff: how communities survive disagreements, why diversity of thought matters, and how the practice of listening across differences is itself part of the work. We name Ubuntu — "I am because we are" — and how mutual care, shared prosperity and reciprocity make belonging feel real. Hint: success unshared often feels hollow; shared joy and shared work are what make community matter. And yes, research backs it up — people with real social networks and deep friendships live better, longer, and more resilient lives. So if you’re craving connection, it’s worth leaning into multiple communities (not just romantic partners or family) and investing in the ones that nourish you. If this episode sparked something in you, subscribe, share with someone you care about, or drop us a note with a word or topic you want explored next. We’re growing this beautiful conversation, one intimate chat at a time — come hang out. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: @yoga_earth_soul | Facebook | Youtube Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛  

Have you ever been to a meeting, workshop, or dinner party where you felt extra safe, cared for, and able to be your full self? This likely didn't happen by accident, but because the host, leader, or facilitator thoughtfully prepared, consciously led, and made it possible for the magic of gathering to flourish. Bryan and I consider what it actually looks like to hold a space for others, whether that’s a yoga class, a dinner, a meeting, or even a hike. We talk about the invisible architecture of connection: those tiny, often unseen details (lighting, temperature, chairs, bathrooms, food, timing) that either let people relax into a moment or yank them out of it. The basics aren’t glamorous, but they’re the foundation — without them nothing else can bloom. Then we get into the juicy part: how structure creates safety, and how safety makes room for the spirit — the magic that turns a group of people into a real, memorable experience. We riff on Priya Parker’s idea of “purpose first,” share stories (from awkward parties to the Fyre Festival cautionary tale), and talk about simple rituals — a shared breath, a candle, a clear prompt — that lift a gathering into something sacred. There’s also practical facilitation talk: orient people, set expectations, name roles, offer time boundaries, use go-arounds or timed shares to get everyone involved, and know when to lean into an individual breakthrough versus hold to the agenda. And yes — being the host doesn’t mean being rigid or controlling: it means caring enough to provide a container so others can show up fully. If this episode stirred something, we’d love to hear it. Record a quick voice memo with a comment or question and send it over — we might play it on the show. And if you’re craving more of this, bring a friend to a space you love, or try curating one yourself — even small acts of intention change how people feel. Thanks for being here — let’s keep practicing and creating magical spaces together. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: @yoga_earth_soul | Facebook | Youtube Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

How are you at waiting calmly or allowing things to unfold as they will? Sometimes the pace of patience is excruciatingly slow and sometimes we lose our cool when stressors get high. In this episode Bryan and I dive into the last of our three P’s: Patience. We talk about what patience really is (hint: it’s not passive), why it’s both a virtue and a skill, and how it shows up in messy, real-life moments — like the pressure cooker of event planning, parenting while under the weather, and the long, cyclical work of grief. We share stories about losing our cool (been there), learning to trust others and ourselves, and finding the balance between steady waiting and necessary action. We also explore the shadow side of patience — when it becomes complacency — and how modern life, with its obsession for speed and instant gratification, is quietly eroding our ability to sit with uncertainty. Along the way we pull in references to nature, spiritual perspectives, and even walking-for-peace monks to remind you that patience can be practiced one step at a time. If you’ve ever wanted to be kinder to yourself during hard seasons, learn to regulate your emotions under stress, or simply stop letting the external world dictate your internal weather, this chat is for you. Stay curious, be gentle with yourself, and remember: patience is not about inaction — it’s about steady presence, trust, and loving the unfolding.  Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: @yoga_earth_soul | Facebook | Youtube Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

When is the last time you really played, just for play sake?  Play isn’t just a childhood luxury but a grown-up practice that sparks creativity, calms the nervous system, and opens us to deeper connection. Sarah and Bryan talk about the difference between unstructured play (think: a bucket and some balls, making up a game as you go) versus structured play (pickleball, salsa, a choreographed dance). The magic often happens when you’re invited to invent and improvise: the brain lights up, time flies, and you remember how to be delightfully ridiculous. Play asks for willingness and a little bravery. There are stories — handstands in the middle of town, plunges into cold water, truth-or-dare over drinks — that show how risking a little silliness can build trust, spark attraction, and make someone feel like a keeper. Play is a social risk that pays off in deeper intimacy. There’s real science here too: play raises endorphins, lowers cortisol, lifts mood, boosts resilience and creativity, and is linked to better emotional stability and healthier aging. With anxiety and depression up worldwide, rediscovering play is literally good medicine. Of course, play needs consent and attunement — jokes, sarcasm, or pranks only land when everyone’s in. Use curiosity to check in: is this playful for both of us? If not, pause. When consent is present, play becomes a kinder, braver form of connection. They also widen the lens: playing with nature (wandering without agenda, climbing a tree, delighting in small discoveries) and seeing life as divine play — lila — turns routine struggle into playful curiosity. Even spiritual practice, flirting, and foreplay can be reclaimed as sacred, joyful play. Practical tips: play a little every day — try a silly morning movement, invent a game while cooking, bring a playful prompt to a date, play with your kids, or add a lighthearted ritual at work. Start small, practice when you’re safe, and expand into public as your comfort grows. Journal, improvise, dance, or just throw rocks in a pond — permission to be childlike is a practice, not a costume. If this episode made you smile, try one tiny playful experiment today and notice how your mood and connections shift. We’re rooting for you — let curiosity lead, laugh loudly, and remember play isn’t frivolous: it’s fundamental. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: @yoga_earth_soul | Facebook | Youtube Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

What does it really mean to be present?  What would change if you treated your attention as the rare, unrepeatable gift it actually is? In this episode of That’s So Intimate, Sarah and Bryan slow things down and explore presence as more than paying attention. Presence is the ability to stay with what’s here — even when it’s uncomfortable, uncertain, or intense. Together, they unpack how presence shows up in: Moments of crisis and calm Relationships and conflict Parenting, partnership, and leadership The body’s wisdom and nervous system responses They talk about how clarity in a crisis can actually be a sign of deep presence — when we’re regulated enough to respond instead of react. Presence isn’t about being perfect or peaceful all the time. It’s about staying connected to yourself, your body, and the moment in front of you. You’ll hear reflections on: The difference between reacting and responding Why presence starts in the body, not the mind How grounding and regulation create choice What it looks like to “show up” for yourself and others Why presence is a practice, not a personality trait This episode is an invitation to pause, breathe, and remember: You don’t have to do more to be present — you just have to be here. A great listen if you’re navigating stress, change, relationships, or simply wanting to feel more alive in your daily life. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Yoga Earth & Soul: @yoga_earth_soul | Facebook | Youtube Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Drum roll please....today we finally announce our new project — Yoga, Earth, & Soul (or YES for short)! This conversation is part origin story, part love letter, and part invitation. Sarah & Bryan share how YES was born from a deep longing many of us feel — to live in harmony with ourselves, each other, the natural world, and spirit. Not as a trend. Not as a performance. But as a way of life. In this episode, you’ll hear: What YES (Yoga, Earth, & Soul) really is — and what it’s not Sarah’s journey from living “in her head” to learning how to listen to her body and soul Bryan’s lifelong connection to yoga and nature — and his growth edge around belonging and community Why so many people crave deep connection after yoga teacher trainings (and what’s been missing) The idea of a “modern spiritual home” — without dogma, hierarchy, or pressure What harmony actually means (hint: it’s not people-pleasing or pretending everything’s fine) The Celtic concept of anam cara — soul friends — and why true belonging changes everything This episode explores big questions in a grounded, human way: What does it mean to live in alignment? How do we stay connected in a busy, consumer-driven world? What if community wasn’t something you visited once — but something you practiced over time? YES is an invitation To slow down. To listen more deeply. To remember that you belong — to yourself, to the earth, and to each other. If you’ve ever wished for a place to gather regularly… If you crave soulful conversation, embodied practice, and real connection… If you’re seeking harmony instead of hustle… This episode is for you. _______________________________________________________________________ Reach us, join us, and follow along on the YES journey: Instagram Facebook YouTube

In this episode we sink into a single beautiful word: harmony. We riff off Gandhi’s line about thoughts, words, and actions lining up, and then open into four directions of harmony: with yourself, with others, with nature, and with spirit. We talk real-life examples — not enough sleep, the loud inner critic, family dynamics, and what happens when ecosystems lose balance — to show how disharmony shows up in body, mind, and community. We also get practical. Harmony isn’t about people-pleasing or pretending everything’s fine — it’s a skill set. We explore listening and presence as the foundation for repair, small rituals that actually help (hello, cacao by the fire and a morning check-in), and movement practices like yoga, hiking, and other “super connectors” that combine body, mind, and nature for more bang-for-your-time. Along the way we share cross-cultural threads — like Fa'a Samoa’s reverence for balance — and the surprising idea that predators in an ecosystem can actually create harmony. We talk about creating containers where difference is honored, how to reframe objectives (competition vs. connection), and why skill-building — emotional regulation, active listening, and repair — matters so much. This episode is warm and practical: we give examples you can try (checking in with how much sleep you actually need, experimenting with a daily ritual, getting outside, or choosing practices that give you multiple forms of connection at once). We also tease a new project grounded in harmony and joy — designed for seekers, people who love nature, yoga, deep conversations, and creative expression — and invite you to join the community if any of that lights you up. If you want more ease, more aliveness, and a practical path toward feeling more whole, tune in and let this conversation be a gentle map: listen, practice, repair, and create harmony in the directions that matter to you. Hit subscribe, share with someone you care about, and drop us a note if there’s a word you want us to explore next.

Do you identify a seeker? Or maybe you're pursuing a path of personal development? If there's a curious flame that lives inside you yearning for something more then take a listen to this episode. We lean into that yearning — the endless why that pushes some of us to question, wander, and learn. Sarah and Bryan unpack how seeking shows up in childhood, schooling, relationships, parenting, and spiritual practice, and they talk honestly about the light and shadow of always wanting more. We compare curiosity to seeking, explore how structure and grounding can balance restless longing, and imagine how seekers and mentors can support each other on the path. If you’re tired of the status quo and feel pulled toward more meaning — or if you’re someone who loves the comfort of being but is curious about growth — this episode offers compassionate, practical conversation and small steps to begin (or pause) your seeking. We also tease a new offering for folks who want community, practice, and guidance as they explore. Grab a warm drink, get cozy, and join us as we dig in the dark — together. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected]

'No' is a complete sentence. But for many of us saying a calm, but confident 'no' can be a challenge. Today we’re digging into the small and empowering word: no. We talk about how no can be a boundary, a protection, a practice, and even the first step toward a truer, freer yes. We unpack what it means when a yes isn’t really a yes (you’re choosing the lesser of two bad options), and why real consent only shows up when people feel safe enough to say no. From kids who learn that no equals punishment to adults navigating jobs, power dynamics, and romance, we explore how context shapes our ability to share an honest 'no'. We get practical: how to be the kind of person who invites authenticity (curiosity > agenda), how to honor a simple 'no' in the moment, and how redirecting a no into a specific yes can preserve intimacy instead of shutting it down. We also talk about the masculine/feminine energy balance — how grounded steadiness creates the container that lets someone safely say yes or no. Saying no builds trust both ways. If someone can say no to you and you receive it without judgment, you can go deeper. If you can say no and the world doesn’t fall apart, you learn to trust yourself more. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Have you said 'yes' when you didn't mean it or said 'yes' before you had the chance to really think about what it means for your life? 'Yes' is a deceptively simple word, yet more complex than it appears.  Turns out there's different flavors of 'yes': clean/uncomplicated, polite, fear-based, hopeful, and exhausted. So how can you slow down, listen to your body, and consult your values before deciding?  We talk about small, joyful yeses (like stepping into sunlight), big life yeses (kids, jobs, relationships), and the cost-benefit scales and second- and third-order consequences that shape our choices. You’ll hear practical guidance on how to ask for time to decide, how to create safer spaces for others to answer honestly, and ways to bring more wholehearted yeses into your everyday (from music during laundry to savoring morning rituals). If you’re wrestling with obligations, family dynamics, or fear-based decisions, this episode offers compassionate insights on self-trust, consent, and reclaiming agency — plus a reminder that you get to choose again and again. Tune in and find out how saying yes (or no) can be a radical act of presence. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

It’s the Holiday Season and you’re probably seeing the word “joy” everywhere — on cards, in songs, in well-meaning wishes. In this episode we get curious about what joy really is: is it just a brighter form of happiness, or is it something deeper and steadier? We riff on Khalil Gibran’s beautiful line — “your joy is your sorrow unmasked” — and how the full range of our experience can actually expand the capacity for deep aliveness. We talk about the difference between happiness (a visiting smile when conditions are sweet) and joy (the quieter ground beneath your feet that can stay when the weather turns). Joy isn’t about denying pain — it can hold grief and light at the same time — which is why it’s such a radical, inclusive wish to send someone in the Holidays. Practical and tender, we share three simple pillars for tending your joy: slow down and listen to your own heart, spend time with nature (even a single plant or a night sky can remind you you’re part of the miracle), and deepen intimacy with the people you care about. We also run through small, doable moves you can try today: pause and be present, cultivate gratitude, move your body, create without clinging to outcomes, and stop comparing your life to someone else’s highlight reel. If you’ve ever felt hollow despite having the “perfect” holiday scene, this episode is for you — instead of chasing a pleasurable or happy moment, we offer ways to come back to a well of steady joy that’s always there when you practice for it. Let's take a breath together and try some Loving Kindness meditation: May you be safe and without fear. May you be healthy and strong. May you be happy and free from suffering. May you live with ease and joy. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Do you often consider your intention before doing things? In this episode we unpack what intention really means (the why behind what you do), how it’s different from goals or outcomes, and why it matters whether you’re setting an intention for yourself or for someone else. We talk about how intentions carry energy, how they can misalign with impact, and why checking that impact matters when you’re interacting with others. Think of intention as the feeling you want to carry out of an experience — the way you want to feel after a yoga class, a conversation with your kid, or even your morning shower. It’s not only about the action; it’s about who you want to be in that action. We share concrete examples (teaching adjustments in yoga, connection with your kids, the tiny rituals of morning routines) so you can see intention in real life — both the small daily moments and the big, five-year visions. We also tease apart intention, manifesting, and goal-setting. Manifesting is often more internal — calling things in and a type of receptivity that allow possibility in — while intentions give you direction and invite external steps. Both are useful. We recommend doing both: imagine boldly, then take practical, aligned steps toward it. If you’ve never done intention work, start small: set an intention for a meal, a day, or a short yoga practice and notice how that changes things. Build trust by experimenting — small wins show you this actually works and makes bigger intentions feel possible. And remember to leave space for play and spontaneity; being intentional doesn’t mean being rigid or perfectionistic. Want a simple practice? Clear your mind (walk, breathe, journal), imagine what you deeply want (no limits), then choose three things to cultivate in the next year. From there: what can you do today, this week, and this month to move toward those things? Check that compass often — daily, weekly, or at least monthly — instead of once a year. This episode is also an invite: Vision and Vibes — a ritual-filled, embodied visioning workshop on Sunday, January 11th where we’ll use movement, cacao, guided meditation, and journaling to craft intentions you can actually live into. Even if you don’t make the workshop, the practice is simple, sacred, and surprisingly powerful. Set an intention today — plant a seed for your future self! Resources: Register for Vision & Vibes - held at Aloha in Keene, NH Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

We're excited to announce our first guests on the podcast — my stepbrother Jimmy and his partner Jackie!! We an honest, beautiful conversation about what family actually is. It’s less about blood and more about who shows up: the people who hold you through grief, who make English muffins at dawn, or who fly across the country for chemo. Family came up as responsibility, duty, acceptance, and unconditional love, but also as something fluid you get to shape. We talked about addiction, caregiving, and those painful, unavoidable parts of family — and how those hard moments can also be the ones that deepen our bonds. We swapped ritual stories — pizza nights, game and puzzle tables that spark real conversation, Sunday traditions, and shared projects — little customs that create safety and connection. Those small, repeatable acts are the glue: they give us reasons to overlap, to be together, and to become closer. We also dug into labels and belonging: partners who aren’t married, family trees that don’t include every loved one, and generational ways of seeing things. The takeaway? You can expand your definition. You can choose to show up. You can be the kind of person who makes someone else feel like family. If there’s one thing to walk away with: cherish the people who show up, make space for new traditions, and don’t underestimate how lucky and grateful you can be for the family you build. Now go call someone you love — maybe invite them over for pizza. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Hi friends — the Holidays are here and we're unpacking one complicated (heavy, beautiful, messy??) word: family. Family used to mean the people you shared a household with or the descendants of a common ancestor. In recent history the definition has expanded to include chosen family, step family, friends, and more. In this episode we wander through all the definitions and what they actually feel like in real life. If I had to put it simply: family can be the blood you were born with, the people who raised you, the ones you’re building life with now, and the folks you choose when home doesn't feel safe. Sometimes it’s a neighbor who clears your driveway more than an uncle you only text at reunions. Sometimes it’s all living things  — like the earth itself is reminding you you belong (as in Mary Oliver's poem Wild Geese). We talk about how family shapes our nervous systems and our stories, how being a caregiver and being a child are two very different family roles, and how choices made in youth can echo for decades.  We also get real about the hard stuff: estrangement, shame, the decisions people make that push others away, and the grief of parents and kids who miss each other during phases of growth. There’s honest talk about how families can get stuck in expectations (hey, living vicariously through your kids) and how marriage, partnership, or legal status sometimes determines who gets welcomed into the fold. We bring practical tools too — like the zones of intimacy (concentric circles of closeness) and a tiny phone hack: add a strawberry emoji to contacts of people you want to grow closer to. It’s an easy way to be intentional about relationships instead of letting them drift. Boundaries come up as a form of love: Prentice Hemphill’s line — boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously — is our favorite. Boundaries can be temporary, a way to protect your energy while you heal, or a long-term shift when relationships no longer support your wellbeing. We hold both gratitude and resentment at once — loving someone and being hurt by them — and talk about repair: when ruptures can be healed, when they can’t, and how sometimes life events reorder priorities so people move closer again. Ultimately family is an evolution, and sometimes it’s community, Sangha, or chosen kin that becomes the home you need. Resources: Zones of Intimacy Wild Geese by Mary Oliver Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Hey friend — Welcome back to That's So Intimate.  We have a special treat for you - we're sharing our 10 Tips to survive and enjoy the Holiday Season. Are you familiar with the Holiday pressure cooker? If this time of year makes your chest tighten a little, this episode is like a warm hug. We share practical, gentle ways to move through the season with more calm, connection, and a lot less pressure. Think simple breathing techniques, honest boundaries, tiny rituals that actually restore you, and ways to find real connection instead of chasing perfection. We talk about using the breath as your fastest reset (shorter inhales, longer exhales), choosing connection over putting on a show, and setting realistic boundaries around time, money, and emotional capacity. You'll hear how micro-moments of calm — stepping outside for air, sipping tea, or a quick walk — can change the energy of the whole day. There’s space here for grief, awkward family conversations, and messes — because letting your feelings belong is part of being human. We remind you to stay hydrated and nourished, keep up your rituals that ground you (even five-minute ones count!), and soften expectations so the moment you’re in can actually be enjoyed. If things get heavy, reach out — find a Holiday buddy (or two or three) to have on standby to text, call, or connect with. End the day with a tiny gratitude-and-release ritual to soothe your nervous system and sleep better. Go gently, and remember: the holidays can be messy and beautiful at the same time. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back, dear listeners, to That's So Intimate. Bryan and I are back this week talking about the word generosity.  The who, what, and why of giving and all it's complexities. We start with the simple meaning of generosity: the act of giving more than what’s needed. But then we soften into the deeper layers — generosity as a flow of energy, a way of living from a sense of “there’s enough,” a practice rooted in the heart. From there, we open the door to the shadow side of giving. We look at the moments when generosity stops being a simple offering and turns into something heavy, confusing, or draining: When giving comes with unspoken expectations When we hope to earn love or approval through our actions When we slide into martyr mode, putting everyone else first When generosity becomes a way to feel important When giving keeps us from receiving, staying safe behind the role of the “giver” We talk about how these patterns often come from old stories: the need to be liked, the fear of not being enough, the belief that love must be earned through self-sacrifice. Through a gentle yogic and spiritual lens, we explore the teaching of dāna from the Bhagavad Gita — the three kinds of giving — and how they help us see the difference between pure giving, ego-driven giving, and giving that harms more than it helps. This episode reminds us that real generosity is balanced, honest, and rooted in choice. It’s not about losing ourselves. It’s not about keeping score. It’s not about being “the good one.” It’s about letting kindness move through us in a way that respects our own needs as much as someone else’s. We close with questions that invite reflection: Am I giving from fullness or fear? Do I feel tired or resentful after I give? What happens if I let myself receive as much as I offer? This conversation is an invitation to practice generosity from the heart — without losing ourselves, and without tying love to the act of giving. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome to That's So Intimate.  In this episode Bryan & I sit with the elusive, beautiful concept of time — what it is, how we feel it, and how it shapes the way we love, work, and live. We riff on definitions (is time the measure of existence?), physics (Einstein’s relativity), and how perception warps the moments — why a day can stretch or fly, why grief and reminders of mortality make time feel suddenly precious, and why some cultures track time by tides and cycles while modern life measures it by productivity. We talk about the cultural forces that shape our schedules — from sundials to standardized train time to the modern chronocratic push to equate worth with output-per-hour — and how that pressure can crowd out rest, ritual, and real connection. Then we get practical: small rituals that anchor us (weekly dinners, fireside evenings, a daily gratitude alarm, the high/low/prospect check-in with kids) and ways to align where you spend your minutes with what you truly value. We also get real about trade-offs: money for time, travel vs. creature comforts, the impulse to “do more” vs. the gift of simply being. We ask gentle, powerful questions — what would you change if you had one year left? Who would you see more? What would you stop doing? — and offer a kind invitation to notice, prioritize, and choose intentionally without shame. This is a warm, conversational episode about presence, mortality, and the everyday practices that make life feel rich. If it lands with you, share it with someone you love and lean into the small rituals that help time feel sacred. Let's get intimate.

Welcome to That's So Intimate. I'm Sarah from RAD Intimacy and I'm Bryan from Sadhana Yoga School — we're back from a short break to sit with a word that quietly shapes our days: commitment. We trace it back to its Latin roots (to bring together, to entrust) and chat about how commitment is really devotion made visible — whether it’s to a person, a project, your morning practice, or to the way you want to move through the world. We push past the narrow romance-only story most of us first think of and talk about commitment as something you can practice moment-to-moment: committing to presence on an evening with a partner, to self-care in a tired season, or to small steps toward a new career. We share tools like a simple commitment statement — "I am a commitment to ___ for the sake of ___" — that helps you get clear on what matters and why. We also get real about the sticky parts: fear of being pinned down, the heartbreak of broken trust, how a single mistake doesn’t necessarily cancel decades of care, and why recommitment — honest, ongoing check-ins — can be the healthiest move. There’s room for persistence and grief, for ceremony and repair, and for reshaping commitments as life changes. Practically, we suggest baby commitments (test the waters with small actions), value-driven commitments (commit to care, presence, or truth), and remembering that commitment can be both grounding and fluid — a container, not a cage. Whether you’re clearing space to start a morning practice, realigning work and family, or learning how to be more honest and whole in relationships, there’s a way to make commitments that honor who you are now. If this episode sparked something in you, jot down a commitment statement, try one small step this week, and lean into presence over certainty. Hit subscribe, share with someone you care about, and send us a word or topic you want us to unpack next — we love hearing from you.

Hey friend — today on That's So Intimate Bryan and I dig into the fiery topic of Passion. We open with Khalil Gibran: “Your reason and your passion are the rudder and sails of your seafaring soul,” and then wander into what passion really is: a fierce ache, a yearning, and yes, historically, a kind of suffering (passio). That history makes sense — sometimes wanting something deeply hurts — but passion has also evolved into our aliveness, creativity, and erotic spark. We talk about passion as the sacral-center energy: sensual, creative, messy in the best way. When it’s balanced, it’s vitality, joy, and erotic imagination. When it’s out of balance it can be obsession, apathy, or distraction. That’s where the “riverbanks” metaphor comes in — structure and safety help channel the flow so passion can bloom without drowning practical life. Think of masculine energy as structure or riverbanks and feminine energy as flow. We all carry both. The trick is to stop treating them like gender rules and start treating them as tools: curiosity, reason, and container-setting paired with surrender, feeling, and movement. Together they give you both meaning and safety. We push back on the idea that logic is superior and passion is reckless. You can be wildly passionate and wise — and you can be logical and hollow. The sweet life is the one where you check in: is this desire aligned with my values? Is it rooted in fear or genuine longing? Sometimes the answer is “let’s go,” and sometimes it’s “let’s set riverbanks.” Practical, tiny ways to invite more passion: start small. Cook a beloved meal slowly, dance in your living room, journal what lights you up, try a sensory fast so the next bite or breath feels electric. Boredom can be a gateway to creativity; deprivation can sharpen desire. These are experiments, not dramatic declarations. On sexuality and shame: if your erotic life has been tamed or shamed, that energy can leak into other parts of life. Do the inner work — shame work, somatic practices, hip-openers, slow movement — to reclaim pleasure as information, not something to hide. Your body knows things; listen to it gently. Relationship dynamics matter: one partner’s passion can be another’s chaos unless there’s clear communication and agreed-upon riverbanks. When someone creates safety, the other can open. Vulnerability + a grounded container = the chance to blossom. We also dig into culture: a capitalist, patriarchal system often prizes logical, measurable success while mistrusting the feminine fire. That’s a loss. Passion can’t be bought — it’s the kind of joy that makes a battered Jeep feel richer than a polished SUV. Don’t wait to “retire” your life of feeling — weave small sparks into the everyday. To wrap: passion is a gift and a compass. Let it inform you, then bring reasoning, curiosity, and boundaries so it can serve your life instead of sabotaging it. So tell me — what lights you up right now? What would a tiny, brave step toward that passion look like today? Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back, dear listeners, to That's So Intimate. Today Bryan & I  unpack the big, often scary word: change — what it means, why we so often resist it, and how to move with it rather than against it. We talk about that familiar sting of the unknown, the comfort of stability, and why both safety and flow are essential for a healthy life. We wander through nature metaphors (seasons, strawberries, butterflies) and human ones (identity, golden handcuffs, the runner who becomes something else). Change can be beautiful and terrifying: sometimes it’s a graceful falling away, sometimes it’s messy, awkward, and loud. That messy middle is normal — and where most real growth happens. Practical stuff, friend: start small. Try a different route home, change the order of your morning, say yes to an invite you’d usually skip. Treat life like an experiment — curiosity beats fear. Picture the most beautiful outcome you can imagine and let that image pull you through the hard parts. And recruit a cheerleader or two; having someone in your corner makes all the difference. We also dig into relationships and how change shows up there. Think of the relationship as its own third entity worth tending: weekly check-ins, honest requests, and focusing on the bond (not just the other person) can hold space for both people to evolve. Nobody wins when we force someone to become someone else — but everyone wins when we practice compassion, curiosity, and clear communication. Listen to your body. Sometimes the change you resist is the body screaming for rest, or movement, or a new routine. Aging, injury, panic, and stress are all feedback — use them as signals to adapt, not reasons to shrink. Practices like yoga, breathwork, and a steady community can be your anchor through transitions. And here’s a perspective tweak with huge power: the story you tell about a thing often moves mountains more than the thing itself. Shift the narrative, notice growth points instead of framing everything as failure, and hold gratitude alongside the hard stuff. If you’re stuck between options, remember: often both are fine — pick one, move, learn, pivot if needed. Change is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be punishing. Get curious, get playful, and remember you don’t have to go it alone. There’s room for aching and joy, cocooning and flying — and we’ll be here to witness it with you. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back to That's So Intimate!  In this episode Bryan and I get curious about the idea of "home" as both a place and a feeling. We talk about home as a noun (those four walls, the hearth, the winter refuge) and as a verb (returning, belonging), and we get honest about what it means when home is missing — whether by choice or circumstance. We touch on everything from the womb as our first home, to the comforts and burdens of physical houses, to the deep solace you can build within yourself. We chew on big questions — can a traveler feel at home? How does childhood, trauma, and trust shape our inner sanctuary? — and share practical, warm ideas for cultivating home: creating cozy rituals, leaning on community, tuning into your body, and making space for love and safety. We also celebrate small comforts (hello, candles and warm pie) and name how healing touch, honest communication, and belonging can make any place feel like home. Resources: Finding home in a yoga community...find yours with Sadhana Yoga School. Cozying up with the practice of Hygge The Book Wintering by Katherine May The Prophet by Khalil Gibran - on Houses Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Hey friend — in this episode Bryan and I sit down to unpack the word connection. We talk about what it means to be linked — emotionally, spiritually, physically — and why those overlaps matter for meaning and belonging. We dig into the small, everyday ways we find connection (the Venn diagram of shared books, hometowns, or hobbies), and the larger, deeper ties — family, land, nature, the divine, and even an idea or outcome you’re attached to. We get curious about mutuality: can connection be one-sided? Does the land feel it? Is it a chemical thing (hello oxytocin and dopamine) or an energy exchange? Bryan brings a yogic lens — that everything comes from the same source — so connection can be both an inherent truth and something we cultivate. Safety, trust, curiosity, and vulnerability keep coming up as prerequisites for connection. We talk about how attachment styles from childhood shape our ability to open up, and why courage is often the price of connection. If you’ve ever felt protective or defensive, you’re not alone — that’s a human response, and it can be healed. Intimacy and connection are cousins: intimacy is the practice of sharing parts of ourselves, and that sharing deepens connection. But connection shows up in lots of ways — intellectual, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual — and sometimes baby steps are all we need to begin. We also talk outcomes and attachment: how to show up fully and practice without getting crushed by one specific result. There’s a tension between taking action and holding results lightly, and we reflect on how fear of failure can keep us from trying the things that matter most. Play and nature get a big spotlight. Bryan shares a sweet moment playing in the woods with his son — balance beams, streams, and total presence — and we agree that play plus nature is a magical doorway to connection because it lowers defenses and invites joy. We touch on tools that help people feel connected, from somatic therapy to plant experiences that can open the heart and perspective. And while we don’t pretend there’s a one-size-fits-all fix, we celebrate glimpses of oneness — those moments when everything feels aligned. If this episode landed for you and you want to practice connection in person, join us for our Love in Practice Relationship Day Retreat — a full day with Bryan and me digging into tools for intimacy, repair, and self-relationship. Visit radintimacy.com or email [email protected] for details. "Connection is why we're here: it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives." — Brené Brown Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome to That's So Intimate — a warm, curious space where Sarah and Bryan invite you into conversation about purpose, dharma, and what it means to live a life that actually feels like yours. Together they unpack how to tell the difference between social expectations and your inner callings, why choice can sometimes be more paralyzing than necessity, and how fear often tags along when we step into what truly lights us up. They explore practical ways to get clearer: waking up earlier to a favorite practice, carving out quiet time to tune into your intuition, trying small experiments to feel how things land in your body, and leaning on trusted people who’ve walked the path you’re curious about. They also get honest about the real-life stuff — money constraints, parenting responsibilities, and the messy middle of transitions — and offer gentle permission to sit with the discomfort and keep trying. If you’ve ever felt hollow in your day-to-day or been stuck wondering what your gifts are for, this episode is a friendly guide to noticing the signals: joy, energy, and aliveness when you’re on purpose — or lethargy, distraction, and doubt when you’re not.    Resources: Bhagavad Gita - many English translations of this Sacred Sanskrit text Discover Your Dharma by Sahara Rose Offerings: Sadhana Yoga School's Teacher Trainings with Bryan Transform your practice. Transform your life. "Taking this training is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself."           - Jody, YTT student 2022 In-person 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (located in Keene, NH) Online 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Hybrid (Online & In-Person) 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training 'Relationship like a PRO' Workshop Series with Sarah & Bryan Because love is something we do, not just something we feel. Relationships don’t run on autopilot. They grow stronger when we practice how we connect, communicate, and care for each other. In this workshop series, you’ll learn how to relationship like a PRO—with intention, skill, and heart. We’ll practice tools to help you find common ground, hear each other fully, and navigate challenges without losing connection. You’ll walk away with the your very own Relationship PRO Toolbox, packed with skills you can use right away like Mindful Communication, Boundary Setting, Repair After Rupture, Rebuilding Connection, Reigniting Passion, and more. Message Sarah to join! [email protected] Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back loves! Today we’re talking about repair, not the home-repair kind but the way we mend hurts or missteps with the people we love. Think of it like kintsugi: the cracks don’t ruin the pot, they become the gold. This episode walks through why repair matters, how it actually works, and how repair attempts can make relationships deeper and more beautiful. We break repair down into practical steps you can try right away using the Relationship Repair Ladder. Repair Ladder Steps: Pause and regulate Acknowledge impact Take responsibility Express care and commitment Collaborative repair  Reconnect  Some fixes are 30 seconds (a quick apology and a hug), and some take months of intentional work. Both are repair. Both matter. We also dig into why “sweeping things under the rug” sometimes seems to work, why timing and nervous-system regulation are real and necessary, and how patterns of small un-repaired slights can grow into walls and estrangement. Boundaries vs. walls, resentment vs. protection — we talk about those differences and how to keep love and self-respect in balance. If you want a real-life model, we share a careful, staged reconciliation process (think reading a book together, listening without interruption, and giving everyone time to sit with what they heard). These are the tools Bryan used with his parents - Book: It Didn't Start With You by Mark Wolynn Desmond Tutu's Four-Part Reconciliation Process: Tell the story (an uninterrupted recount of your experience) Name the hurt (give voice to the feelings that arose) Grant forgiveness (release anger and resentment toward the other) Renew or release the relationship (decide on the future of the relationship) So if a relationship in your life feels strained, this episode is your friendly, practical guide to trying again. Reach out, take one small rung on the repair ladder, and remember: repair is hard, but it’s also how we make love stronger. Try it with someone you care about and see what gold appears. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

This week on That’s So Intimate, Bryan and Sarah are back to continue their conversation on Trust.  They talk through real-life moments (like airport delays and a curious plane pin), how trust and timing shape our lives, and why balancing effort with ease is the secret sauce to a more peaceful, juicy life. They get personal, sharing how trusting themselves and the rhythms of life helped them through big transitions — from building careers to dating, parenting, and learning to follow intuition. Expect practical ideas you can try today: start small to build trust, practice clear communication and repair, loosen control in tiny ways, and notice the helpers and small kindnesses around you. This episode feels like a conversation with a wise friend: warm, thoughtful, and full of little invitations to experiment with surrender. If you’ve been pushing too hard or feeling stuck in limbo, this one will help you find your balance and remember that sometimes letting go opens room for something more beautiful. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected]   Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome to That's So Intimate — where Sarah and Bryan get cozy with the big, messy questions. In this episode we unpack Trust: what it means, where it lives (in others, the universe, and especially inside you), and how our culture, news cycles, and personal histories shape our ability to surrender and rely on one another. They trade stories — from spilled cacao to washed-out roads — to explore how trust is often specific (we trust people for certain things), learned (through community and crisis), and practiced (try surrendering a small thing this week). They also talk about the balance between self-reliance and interdependence, how media fear shifts our perspective, and why asking for help can actually strengthen connection. If you’ve ever wondered how to trust more without compromising your safety, or how to build a resilient inner compass so you can lean into life with less control, this episode is a warm invitation. Cozy up, breathe, and let the conversation open a little room for you to experiment with trust — in yourself, in others, and in the world. Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share:  If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛  

Welcome to another enriching episode of That's So Intimate, where we delve into the profound world of sacredness in our everyday lives.  In this episode, we ask the big questions - can everything be sacred, and how do we cultivate reverence in our daily routines? From viewing our bodies as miraculous, living beings to recognizing the divine in nature, we explore different facets of what it means to live with a sacred perspective. We share personal stories that highlight moments of sacred connection, be it in the simple act of breathing, the beauty of nature, or in deep human relationships. Join us as we discuss the transformative power of viewing the world through 'sacred goggles', and how this shift in perception can bring a deeper connection, more gratitude, and a richly textured appreciation for life. We'll also share fascinating insights from ancient Celtic spirituality and the wisdom of authors like John O'Donohue, offering you new ways to see and honor the sacred dimension in everyday life. Tune in to discover how acknowledging sacredness can enrich your relationships, deepen your connections, and inspire the way you live, breathe, and love. Let's celebrate the beauty of being alive, together, in this vibrant community we're nurturing. We can't wait to share this intimate conversation with you! Resources: Celtic Spirituality Authors John O'Donohue John Philip Newell Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome back to That's So Intimate! Bryan and I are delving deep into the world of love. Are you ready for another heart-to-heart? We kick things off reminiscing about a magical cacao sharing circle at a festival, where Bryan and I first truly connected. It's funny how love sneaks up on you, isn't it? But wait, we don't just stop there — we dive into the peculiarities of love declarations. Ever wondered why saying "I love you" is so vulnerable? Join us as we unravel this unique bridge between heart and courage. We navigate through the spectrum of love, from feeling those first butterflies to dealing with heartbreak's depths. Do we often feel the loss of love more than the joy of finding it? It's a tricky tango, right? Let's chat about it. Our conversation also spins around the idea of expressing love and knowing the difference between love and lust. Because hey, who hasn't confused the two? Through laughter and vulnerability, we question societal norms on love, monogamy, and even the concept of loving more than one person. Don't worry; we're taking it all in stride. This episode is not all serious! As we shed light on love languages and explore how we express love uniquely, you'll absolutely find something that makes you smile. As always, we're here to connect, inspire, and explore the intimate nuances of our human experiences. Want to dwell deeper into love's mysteries? Come, join our chat. We promise it's worth your while!   The full Loving-Kindness Mediation May I/you be safe and without fear May I/you be healthy and strong May I/you be happy and free from suffering May I/you live with ease and joy First offer this meditation to yourself, then to a loved one, a stranger or acquaintance, someone difficult in your life, and finally to all beings.  Namaste  Connect with Us: Sarah Koch: @radintimacy | radintimacy.com Bryan Russell: @sadhanayogaschool | sadhanayoga.com Suggest a topic: DM us or email [email protected] Subscribe & Share: If this episode moved you, subscribe wherever you listen and share it with someone who might love it too. Let’s grow this beautiful, curious, intimate community—together. 💛

Welcome, dear friend, to another episode of That's So Intimate.  Join us as we unpack the layers of politeness rules, dreaming of a world that's less about archaic societal norms and more about genuine connection. You'll hear personal stories about family dynamics, social expectations, and the pressures to conform to politeness vs. the yearning for authenticity and realness. Politeness may once have been taught as a path to respect, but we explore how it might sometimes limit us, curb our sincerity, and hinder true connections. Imagine if we shifted our focus from conventional politeness to everyday kindness and authenticity. Would this shift open our hearts wider to those around us, creating deeper, more meaningful connections? How do we redefine what it means to be "polite" in today’s fast-paced, diverse society? We promise an episode full of lively debate, personal reflections, and perhaps some provocative thoughts that push you to reconsider notions we often take for granted. So, dear friend, settle in with us. We can’t wait to hear what this conversation stirs in you—because your perspective matters in this intimate dialogue as much as ours. Until next time, remember, be kind, stay curious, and don't hesitate to dance with authenticity.

Hey there, and welcome to "That's So Intimate." Join us, Sarah from Rad Intimacy and Bryan from Sadhana Yoga School, on a heartfelt journey into the world of belonging. We're diving deep into those warm, fuzzy feelings we crave when we truly connect with others, and perhaps more importantly, ourselves. Have you ever wondered if you're just fitting in or if you really belong? We get it—life can feel like a balancing act. In this episode, we chat about the difference between just being part of a group and developing those soul-nourishing connections. We share personal stories of longing for deeper friendships and communities, swaps of places we've traveled to, and how they shaped our sense of belonging. We also unravel the relationship between personal alignment and how it impacts where we feel most at home. Is it a values thing? Perhaps a bit of social anxiety, or just the vibe of the place? We help guide you through pinpointing what factors feed your spirit. Our chat ranges from the shifting nature of belonging, thanks to personal growth or life changes, to the beauty of feeling grounded with the nature around you. We ask the big questions, like how our family ties affect our sense of belonging and why trust plays such an integral role. And if you've ever battled with perfectionism or felt the sting of change, we're here to explore how these elements impact your ability to feel truly seen and valued. Join us for an intimate conversation that promises a little introspection, a bit of gentle challenge, and a whole lot of love. And hey, if you vibe with us and have ideas for future topics, we'd love to hear from you! Until next time, let's keep exploring the intimate connections that make life rich.

Welcome back to another episode of That's So Intimate! This week, it's just you, me, Sarah, your guide from Rad Intimacy, and my insightful co-host Bryan from Sadhana Yoga School. We're diving deep into the alluring and often misunderstood world of solitude. Have you ever wondered whether being alone really has to mean feeling lonely? Or what it truly means to be at peace in your own company? Grab your favorite mug, fill it with something warm, and get cozy as we explore these questions together. In today's chat, we break down solitude beyond its textbook definition. It's more than just being away from others—it's an opportunity for an authentic rendezvous with your inner self. We unravel the preconceived notions society feeds us about aloneness versus being in solitude, with all its potential for peace and even discomfort. Spoiler alert—solitude isn't always the serene retreat you might think it is; sometimes, it's about courageously facing the not-so-pleasant thoughts we've tucked away. But that's part of what makes embracing solitude a sacred practice in our journey toward self-discovery and fulfillment. Let’s tackle those hurdles and discover the richness that solitude can truly offer! We talk about everything from how solitude's presence shows up differently for everyone to why retreating from the digital noise can be a godsend for finding that elusive quietude. And hey, whether you're a seasoned solitude practitioner or just dipping your toes into this sea of self-reflection, there's something here for you. We promise—you'll walk away with a new lens to view this sacred time with yourself, a space that lets you grow, heal, and find your center. Stay tuned till the end, where we share some thought-provoking quotes to reflect on solitude’s angst and allure. You might just find yourself inspired to carve out your own pocket of solitude, whatever that looks like for you. So hit play, because this is going to be not just a conversation, but an intimate exploration of the self. Enjoy!

Hey there, welcome to another intimate episode of That's So Intimate! Today, we're diving into a word that's been making waves – "align." Have you ever thought about what it truly means to be in alignment with your innermost self? We're chatting about those moments when your insides vibe perfectly with your outsides, and how that reflects the authenticity we all crave. Join us, Sarah from RAD Intimacy and Bryan from Sadhana Yoga School, as we peel back the layers on what alignment truly means. From matching our actions with our feelings to aligning our words with our deepest desires, we're exploring how these connections bring us peace in the chaos. This episode is all about tapping into your sacred self, fostering intimate relationships, and living life with a sense of purpose and joy. Alongside juicy personal stories and insights, we unravel societal norms, different voices in our head, and how to distinguish between core needs and wants. So whether you're curious about living a simpler life, finding your life's purpose, or just seeking some good ol' soulful conversation, you're in the right place. Grab your favorite drink, settle in, and let's get intimate – you're going to love this enlightening journey.

In today's episode of "That's So Intimate," we're diving into something that touches all our lives in one way or another—courage. You know Sarah and I love to explore those deeper questions, and today we're asking, "Is courage really the price of connection?" It's like we're standing on this metaphorical bridge, where each step towards our authentic selves requires a bit of boldness and belief in something bigger than us. We touched on the beautiful, messy journey of weaving courage into the fabric of our everyday lives. Everything from admitting when something just isn't right anymore, to embracing the unknown and trusting ourselves to take that next step on life's exhilarating bridge. Whether it's changing careers, ending relationships that outwardly look 'perfect,' or daring to show up in spaces are calling us—all of it takes courage. And you know what? It's not just about being outwardly brave but finding that quiet, resilient strength within. We even explored how sometimes it's the small acts of courage that can transform our lives in ways we never imagined. It's not always about the big leaps but trusting in the whispers of our intuition to guide us toward a life that feels right for us. Courage, my friend, is a muscle we can all learn to flex a little stronger each day. Get cozy, grab your cup of tea, and get ready to reflect on your own journey as we chat about the courage it takes to live life on your terms. Let's be brave together.

Welcome to That's So Intimate, where we dive deep into the art of living well through curious, heartfelt conversations. I'm Sarah from Rad Intimacy, and alongside Bryan from Sadhana Yoga School, we're on a mission to invite you to connect with your sacred self. In our discussions, we unravel the layers of what intimacy truly means, beyond just sex and physical touch. We've realized that intimacy is also about spiritual connections and embracing vulnerability. It's fostering honest conversations and embracing authenticity in all our relationships. Whether with close friends, partners, or even with ourselves, intimacy is about digging deep, building connections that bring more meaning to our lives. Our conversations are like a journey of self-discovery, exploring how we can be more intimate with anything and everything—from places that touch our spirits to the food we eat and its journey to our plates. It's about connecting deeply, growing trust, and nurturing relationships that enrich our lives. Join us as we share our intimate dialogues with you, reflecting our own vulnerabilities and hopes for cultivating a community where you can find connection and meaning. We're here to explore the beauty of curiosity and the wonders that unfold when we look beyond the surface. Excited for more? Hit subscribe and share this journey with someone who might find it as intriguing. Have a topic or word you'd like us to explore? Drop us an email or reach out on Instagram—your thoughts are the spark for our next conversation.