The Intimacy Inquiry

Andrew Phipps
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Sexuality

Welcome to The Intimacy Inquiry. Join us for open, curious, and non-judgmental conversations exploring the vast landscape of intimacy and sexuality. We delve into everything, including but not limited to, the value of good sex education to the importance of exploring and understanding our own bodies, overcoming trauma, and how to forge deeper connections with your partner, . Our expert guests include sex therapists, adult content creators, sexologists, authors, somatic healers, porn addiction specialists, marriage and family therapists, intimacy therapists, trauma-informed counselors, and many more. Using explicit language with respect, we fearlessly tackle topics like love, desire, passion, relationships, sexuality and gender, BDSM, tantric sex, massage, touching, kissing, and masturbation – essentially, anything and everything related to intimacy. If you're ready to explore the complexities and nuances of human connection and desire in a respectful and insightful way, you've found your space. Subscribe to The Intimacy Inquiry and join the conversation.

  1. 3h ago

    Porcelain Victoria: Inside the Real Life and Business of a Professional Dominatrix

    Professional dominatrix Porcelain Victoria, who hosts the podcast Behind the Paddle and runs her own dungeon in Scotland, joins Andrew Phipps for a frank conversation about a decade in kink. She talks about discovering BDSM as a self-taught teenager, the accidental booking that turned her into a professional dominant, and why she found the same relief in consensual spanking that she once found in self-harm. The conversation covers aftercare, the emotional demands of the job, what clients are really looking for when they hand over control, and a detailed, sobering look at UK sex work law and the case against the Nordic model. Warm, unflinching and genuinely educational. Guest: Porcelain Victoria, Behind the Paddle podcast. https://porcelaindolly.co.uk/ https://www.youtube.com/@BehindthePaddle/videos Host: Andrew Phipps.

    Porcelain Victoria: Inside the Real Life and Business of a Professional Dominatrix

  2. 6d ago

    From Sexual Assault Hotline to Sex Shop Owner: Jenn Mason's Unlikely 20 Year Path

    Certified sexologist and sex coach Jenn Mason, founder of the inclusive Bellingham sex shop Wink Wink and an elected member of the Bellingham School Board, joins Andrew Phipps to talk about pleasure after trauma, the sex education most of us never got, and why she believes a solo pleasure practice matters as much as a partnered one. The conversation ranges from the impossible gap between a puritanical culture and unlimited online pornography, through desire in long, logistics heavy relationships, to the sex education gap in midlife and beyond. Honest, funny and genuinely useful. Guest: Jenn Mason, Wink Wink, Bellingham, Washington. https://www.heyjennmason.com/ https://winkwinkboutique.com/ Host: Andrew Phipps.

    From Sexual Assault Hotline to Sex Shop Owner: Jenn Mason's Unlikely 20 Year Path

  3. Sep 22

    "I Banned the Word Sex From My Practice," and Here's Why: Dr Lori Davis

    Dr Lori Davis, a Doctor of Nursing Practice, AASECT certified sex counsellor and Relational Life Therapy coach, joins Andrew Phipps to unpack why she's banned the word "sex" from her own practice, and why what most couples call "mismatched desire" is better understood as a desire bind, a shared dynamic rather than one partner's fault. The conversation ranges across menopause and hormone therapy, the somatic roots of shame and desire, pornography's "fast food" effect, and whether monogamy is really the natural default it's assumed to be. Honest, warm and genuinely practical. Guest: Dr Lori Davis, sex counsellor and relational therapy coach. https://dr-loridavis.com/ Host: Andrew Phipps. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-phipps-ap/

    "I Banned the Word Sex From My Practice," and Here's Why: Dr Lori Davis

  4. Sep 15

    Kiki Maree: Why Consent Isn't a One-Time Checkbox

    Kiki Maree is a trauma-informed sexologist, inclusive sex educator and sexological bodyworker based in Sydney, Australia, specialising in women's and vulva-owner's sexuality and partnered intimacy. She's the founder of Yonilicious Academy, an international training school certifying somatic sex coaches and yoni massage practitioners, and the author of a series of children's books on bodies, boundaries and consent. Kiki has kindly provided 2 free resources for you to enjoy: Kink Unwrapped: https://www.yonilicious.com.au/kink-unwrapped Intimacy Conversation Practices: https://www.yonilicious.com.au/intimacy-conversation-practice Kiki and Andrew talk about the shame she grew up with around her own body, how the kink community taught her more about consent and communication than years of academic study, and the common themes she sees in clients, from shame and numbness to performance pressure. They discuss what a yoni massage actually is and why she built a global school around it, what's genuinely missing from sex education for children, and why she believes consent needs to be checked in on continuously, not treated as a single yes. This episode includes candid discussion of sexuality, kink and personal experience and is intended for a mature audience. Guest: Kiki Maree, trauma-informed sexologist, founder of Yonilicious Academy https://www.yonilicious.com.au/https://substack.com/@kikimareexx?r=2u9fyk&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profilehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kiki-maree-0204a9167?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_apphttps://www.facebook.com/kristin.yonilicious@yoniliciousYoniliciousHost: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry

    Kiki Maree: Why Consent Isn't a One-Time Checkbox

  5. Sep 8

    Pamela Madsen: The Biological Clock Is Finite, the Erotic Clock Is Infinite

    Pamela Madsen is a somatic wellness educator and founder of Back to the Body, a series of immersive retreats where women explore touch, pleasure and embodiment in a safe, structured space. Before this work, she was a nationally known fertility advocate and founding executive director of the American Fertility Association, where she coined the term "biological clock." Her memoir, Shameless, tells the story of a married mother who, decades into her marriage, went looking for a more honest relationship with her own desire. Pamela and Andrew talk about the boredom, not brokenness, that started her own search for something more after more than two decades of marriage, why touch work is often the missing piece talk therapy alone can't reach, what many men misunderstand about women's pleasure, and why she believes desire doesn't have to fade with age. They also discuss the professional structure and strict boundaries behind her retreats, and how permission, not perfection, is what keeps long marriages alive. This episode includes frank, anatomically detailed discussion of sex and pleasure and is intended for a mature audience. Guest: Pamela Madsen, somatic wellness educator, founder of Back to the Body, author of Shameless backtothebody.org@thepamelamadsen@backtothebodyorghttps://backtothebody.org/pages/masterclassHost: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry

    Pamela Madsen: The Biological Clock Is Finite, the Erotic Clock Is Infinite

  6. Sep 2

    Nikkiema Rai: What a Desire Mismatch Is Really About

    Nikkiema Rai is a somatic sexologist, self-discovery coach and international speaker based in Melbourne, Australia. With almost a decade of experience, she works at the intersection of somatics, NLP, sexological bodywork and what she calls "the erotic mysteries," helping career-driven women move out of overwhelm and back into genuine connection with themselves and the people they love. Nikkiema and Andrew talk about why so many successful women feel disconnected from their own bodies, what a session with a somatic sexologist actually looks like, and why a mismatch in desire between partners is rarely just about sex. They cover how modern porn is quietly reshaping expectations of intimacy, why curiosity fades as we get older, how to build the capacity to talk to a partner about a kink or fantasy, and one small, practical way to start reconnecting with your own body today. Guest: Nikkiema Rai, somatic sexologist, self-discovery coach and international speaker https://nikkiemarai.com/ Host: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry

    Nikkiema Rai: What a Desire Mismatch Is Really About

  7. Aug 25

    Heather "Lulu" Mazzei: From Polyamorous Sex Therapist to Monogamous Mystic

    Heather "Lulu" Mazzei is a licensed clinical social worker, certified psychedelic-assisted therapist, and practitioner of tantra and sacred sexuality. Three years ago she left a thriving sex therapy practice and burlesque career in LA, moved from solo polyamory to a monogamous marriage, and relocated to a small community in the Sacred Valley of Peru, tracing a path toward what she now calls "spirit-centered sexuality." She's the author of the guidebook Spirit Sex. Lulu and Andrew talk about the night she realised her old life wasn't enough, even at its most outwardly successful, what surrender actually feels like when it isn't weakness, why slowness and reduced distraction let us access real pleasure and connection, and why she believes redefining sex as something broader than a fixed menu of acts changes people's relationships to their own bodies. Toward the end of the conversation, Lulu shares a recent stage IV colon cancer diagnosis and what she's holding onto for the future. Guest: Heather "Lulu" Mazzei, licensed clinical social worker, certified psychedelic-assisted therapist, tantra and sacred sexuality practitioner, author of Spirit Sex Host: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry website: alternativelove.com Substack: https://alternativelove.substack.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/alternativelove.sf/

    Heather "Lulu" Mazzei: From Polyamorous Sex Therapist to Monogamous Mystic

  8. Aug 18

    Kori Strobl: Why Setting a Boundary Isn't the Same as Holding One

    Kori Strobl spent two decades doing the emotional labour of people-pleasing before learning to hold boundaries instead of just setting them. A self-leadership and relationship coach with a master's in spiritual psychology, she works with couples both individually and together, a combination most therapists are trained to avoid. In this conversation, Andrew and Kori talk about the real difference between a boundary and a request, why chemistry so often gets mistaken for compatibility, how victim/villain thinking keeps couples stuck, and why some differences between partners are simply irreconcilable, without either person being at fault. They also cover ethical non-monogamy, the modern loneliness epidemic, and why the body often knows what the mind hasn't caught up to yet. Guest: Kori Strobl, self-leadership and relationship coach https://www.koristrobl.com/ https://www.instagram.com/koristrobl/ Host: Andrew Phipps, Intimacy Inquiry

    Kori Strobl: Why Setting a Boundary Isn't the Same as Holding One
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Ratings & Reviews

About

Welcome to The Intimacy Inquiry. Join us for open, curious, and non-judgmental conversations exploring the vast landscape of intimacy and sexuality. We delve into everything, including but not limited to, the value of good sex education to the importance of exploring and understanding our own bodies, overcoming trauma, and how to forge deeper connections with your partner, . Our expert guests include sex therapists, adult content creators, sexologists, authors, somatic healers, porn addiction specialists, marriage and family therapists, intimacy therapists, trauma-informed counselors, and many more. Using explicit language with respect, we fearlessly tackle topics like love, desire, passion, relationships, sexuality and gender, BDSM, tantric sex, massage, touching, kissing, and masturbation – essentially, anything and everything related to intimacy. If you're ready to explore the complexities and nuances of human connection and desire in a respectful and insightful way, you've found your space. Subscribe to The Intimacy Inquiry and join the conversation.

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew Phipps
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    142
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Andrew Phipps
  • Show Website
    The Intimacy Inquiry

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