Love Is Us: Exploring Relationships and How We Connect Karin Calde

Do you suspect that you or someone you care about has a sex addiction? Sex addiction is a topic that is being discussed more often nowadays, but misunderstandings are common. Listen to this episode to learn more.
My guest today, Eric FitzMedrud, is a licensed psychologist who specializes in relationships and sexual issues. His specialty is helping men improve their sex lives by learning to regulate their emotions, removing sexual entitlement, and honing their sexual consent and negotiation skills. FitzMedrud is a member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. He has been published in an academic book an academic journal and has spoken at multiple conferences. He has also trained therapists and taught many graduate courses in psychology. FitzMedrud has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is polyamorous and bisexual, and lives with his wife of twenty-three years and his life partner of six years in San Francisco’s East Bay area, California.
Learn more about Eric:
Website: https://www.drericfitz.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/drericfitz/
Book: A Better Man: A Guide to Consent, Stronger Relationships, and Hotter Sex
Learn more about Karin:
Website: https:www.drcalde.com
IG (relationships): https://www.instagram.com/theloveandconnectioncoach/
IG (psilocybin facilitation): https://www.instagram.com/wildwoodfacilitation/following/
 
TRANSCRIPT
Intro:
Karin: This is Love Is Us, Exploring Relationships and How We Connect. I'm your host, Karin Calde. I'll talk with people about how we can strengthen our relationships, explore who we are in those relationships, and experience a greater sense of love and connection with those around us, including ourselves. I have a PhD in clinical Psychology, practiced as a psychologist resident, and after diving into my own healing work, I went back to school and became a coach, helping individuals and couples with their relationships and personal growth. If you want to experience more love in your life and contribute to healing the disconnect so prevalent in our world today, you're in the right place. Welcome to Love Is Us.
 
Episode:
Karin: Hello, everybody. Today we're going to be talking about sex addiction. And this is a topic that other people have come to me wanting to talk about and I have turned them away. And that is because it is not without controversy, and we're going to get into why that is today. But it's really important to me that I bring you good information and not information that might be harmful. And I certainly want to bring you the best information, the most accurate information that I can. So I am really happy to have found my guest today. His name is Eric Fitz Medrud and he is a therapist specializing in relationship and sexual issues, and he's based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he is also a speaker. He is a member of the American association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and therapists. He's been published in academic books and journals, and he also has a book called the Better Man, a guide to consent, stronger relationships, and hotter sex. And he was just really nice to talk with as well. And I really think he knows his stuff. So there's just one thing that I want to leave you with before we start, and that is we didn't talk too much about a term called out of control sexual behavior, and that is an alternative term to sex addiction. And I'm just going to give you quick definition here that I found online. It's from Douglas Braun Harvey, who I believe is kind of the pioneer in calling it this and describing it. He says it is a sexual health problem in which an individual's consensual sexual urges, thoughts, and behaviors feel out of control. And he saw it as a sexual problem, not a sexual disorder or illness. But again, we're going to get into that in this episode. I hope that you get something out of it, and I hope that you will leave me a review that re

Jealousy is a normal human emotion that you likely experience from time to time. But when it starts to dominate your life and interfere with your relationship, it might be time to give it a second look. My guest today, Shannen Bryant, can help you understand what's driving the jealousy so that you can enjoy your relationships and your life. 
Shanenn Bryant is the founder and CEO of Top Self, a self-development company offering coaching, courses, and community to those with feelings of low self-worth, insecurity, and jealousy in their relationship. 
Using her instructional design certification and nearly a decade of experience in Learning and Development, Shanenn has developed many sales, systems, and development skills courses and delivered more than 400 training classes. 
As a relationship confidence expert, and the host of the Top Self podcast, she has inspired thousands to break up with bogus beliefs, crack the control code, and overhaul their insecure habits.
Learn more about Shannen:
Website: https://www.topself.com/
IG: http://Instagram.com/topselfcoach
Learn more about Karin
Website: https://www.drcalde.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theloveandconnectioncoach/
 

Getting unstuck from a relationship pattern is often why people seek out coaching or therapy, whether it's on their own or with a partner. While most people find they need support in changing those patterns, there are some things you can do. It's not about trying to change your partner; rather, it's intensive self-work. That's not to say that the issue is necessarily with you, but regardless of what's happening, anyone has the power to shift the dynamic in their relationships (except, perhaps, when there's an extreme power differential). Are you ready to dive in?
Learn more about Karin:
Website: https://drcalde.com
Instagram: @theloveandconnectioncoach

Nearly half of all people are predicted to be part of a stepfamily at some point in their lives. Starting (or continuing) that journey with an understanding of the unique dynamics of blended families can help smooth the ride, improve your relationships, and help to make it a supportive environment for kids and adults alike. This episode will help get you started.
Amy Stone is a mentor and coach for stepparents. She is a mom, a stepmom, and a grandma. She is a certified life coach but it is her personal experience as a wife and stepmom pushed her to create her own unique path to happiness. Today she shares her lessons learned and tools with others who find themselves in a similar situation.
When she’s not coaching she’s usually running or swimming or biking - Amy is a 7-time Ironman Triathlon finisher and an avid marathon runner.
 
Learn more about Amy:
Website: https://amysaysso.com/
​​IG: https://www.instagram.com/amysaysso_coaching/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/theamysaysso/
 
Learn more about Karin:
Website: https://drcalde.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theloveandconnectioncoach/
 
TRANSCRIPT
Intro:
Karin: This is Love Is Us, Exploring Relationships and How We Connect. I'm your host, Karin Calde. I'll talk with people about how we can strengthen our relationships, explore who we are in those relationships, and experience a greater sense of love and connection with those around us, including ourselves. I have a PhD in clinical Psychology, practiced as a psychologist resident, and after diving into my own healing work, I went back to school and became a coach, helping individuals and couples with their relationships and personal growth. If you want to experience more love in your life and contribute to healing the disconnect so prevalent in our world today, you're in the right place. Welcome to Love Is Us.
 
Episode:
Karin: Hello and welcome, everybody. Today we're gonna be talking about stepfamilies, or if you prefer the term, blended families. And this is a subject that's near and dear to my heart. As someone who grew up as a kid in a stepfamily and at a time when there wasn't a lot of good information about how to do that in a way that works best for kids and the adults as well. But also now, as an adult, I have a stepfamily. I'm not a step parent, but my husband is a stepfather to my kids. And so I see that it's really important for us to have more of an understanding of those dynamics and the challenges that come along with it, with the rewards. So when I started coaching, I was working primarily with step families, and I still work with a lot of step families, but have expanded my audience a little bit. But I'm super excited to have my guest today, Amy Stone. She is a stepmother, a long term stepmother, and now is a mentor and coach to stepfamilies, and she was just a joy to talk with. She really knows her stuff, and she's got a great sense of humor, and I felt like we could talk about a million different things. So I hope you get something out of this episode. Perhaps I will invite her back. She also has a podcast of her own called Amy says so. So I hope you like it. And thanks for being here. Here we go.
 
Karin: Welcome, Amy.
[02:24] Amy: Hi. I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
[02:27] Karin: Yeah, I'm excited to have you. This is an important topic, and I have been on the lookout for the right guest to have to talk about this, because it's something near and dear to my heart, and I wanted someone who really knows her stuff, and I think that's you.
[02:47] Amy: Thank you. Thank you. I accept that compliment.
[02:51] Karin: Oh, wonderful. And we'll get into your podcast and everything toward the end. But I just want to start out with asking, where are you in the world?
[03:02] Amy: I am in sunny Miami, Florida.
[03:05] Karin: And you said it's getting warm there.
[03:07] Amy: It is. I mean, this is the time of year. Starting in February is the time of year wher

Your sexual fantasies contain wisdom. Tune into this episode with Artemisia de Vine to learn about your sexual fantasies and how listening to their innate wisdom can help you change your life in ways you never imagined. 
Artemisia is a Certified somatic sexologist, BA in anthropology and former sex worker and professional dominatrix. She’s also a sexual fantasy expert who teaches the world's leading sexperts the meaning of our sexual fantasies, and how to bring them out of our heads and into our beds. Understand how stories work and you understand why we have sexual fantasies - and how to create powerful, real-life transformative sexperiences that satisfy the real desire behind the story symbolism. Artemisia de Vine is the author of upcoming book: The Spirituality of Smut: The surprising wisdom of sexual fantasies. 
 
Learn more about Artemisia:
Website: https://www.artemisiadevine.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artemisiadevine/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtemisiadeVine
 
Learn more about Karin:
Website: https://www.drcalde.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theloveandconnectioncoach/
 
TRANSCRIPT
Intro:
Karin: This is Love Is Us, Exploring Relationships and How We Connect. I'm your host, Karin Calde. I'll talk with people about how we can strengthen our relationships, explore who we are in those relationships, and experience a greater sense of love and connection with those around us, including ourselves. I have a PhD in clinical Psychology, practiced as a psychologist resident, and after diving into my own healing work, I went back to school and became a coach, helping individuals and couples with their relationships and personal growth. If you want to experience more love in your life and contribute to healing the disconnect so prevalent in our world today, you're in the right place. Welcome to Love Is Us.
 
Episode:
Karin: Hello, everybody. As you begin to listen to today's episode, I want to urge you to put aside all your judgments and tap into your curiosity if at all possible. Now, if you struggle with that and you notice a critic or judgmental part of you popping up, just notice that and see if that part of you or those parts of you can make some room for you to listen to this episode with an open mind. Because my guest today, Artemisia divine, is onto something big here. And I think there's a good chance you're going to learn something today that, for some of you at least, could be life changing. I certainly learned something from talking to her. She is so smart and insightful. This is about way more than sex and sexual fantasies. But by tapping into them and really listening to them, you just might unlock something really important for yourself. I am grateful for her and the work that she's doing. I hope that you will let me know what you think of it by visiting me on Instagram where I'm the love and connection coach. Where you can leave me a message as well. And you can also let me know what relationships and self development topics you'd like me to cover in upcoming episodes. I would love to hear from you. So thanks for being here.
[02:11] Karin: Buckle up.
[02:11] Karin: And here we go. Welcome, Artemisia.
[02:16] Artemisia: I am delighted to be here with you.
[02:19] Karin: All right, people might have already guessed, but tell us where you are in the world.
[02:25] Artemisia: My accent gave me away. Did it? I am in Australia. I'm in rural Victoria, outside of Melbourne. So right down the bottom. And I live in the future because it's already tomorrow for me. The time's over. There you go.
[02:44] Karin: And have you always lived in that region of Australia?
[02:49] Artemisia: Oh, I've lived and worked all around Australia. But probably this has been one of my main homes. This and Sydney probably feel like my homes. Oh, my goodness. I've got a croaky throat. First thing in the morning, it is early because we have different time zones. Yeah.
[03:08] Kari

Learn more about Brenda:
Website: https://www.brendawinkle.com/
Podcast: https://www.brendawinkle.com/podcasts/your-yes-filled-life
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/brendawinkle/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.winkle111
 
Learn more about Karin:
Website: https://drcalde.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theloveandconnectioncoach/
 
TRANSCRIPT
Intro:
Karin: This is Love Is Us, Exploring Relationships and How We Connect. I'm your host, Karin Calde. I'll talk with people about how we can strengthen our relationships, explore who we are in those relationships, and experience a greater sense of love and connection with those around us, including ourselves. I have a PhD in clinical Psychology, practiced as a psychologist resident, and after diving into my own healing work, I went back to school and became a coach, helping individuals and couples with their relationships and personal growth. If you want to experience more love in your life and contribute to healing the disconnect so prevalent in our world today, you're in the right place. Welcome to Love Is Us.
 
Episode:
Karin: Hey, everybody. Today we're going to be talking about breath work with my friend Brenda Winkle. And Brenda had been on my show back during episode number 38 where we talked about boundaries. And I'm so excited that she agreed. Come back and talk about her work as a breath work facilitator. And the reason I'm so excited about this and the timing is that I've been learning about breath work just in small bits over the past few years. You know, one step at a time. And the more I learn about it and the more I experience about it, the more I appreciate it and can see how powerful it can be for a lot of people. So the timing of this episode is really interesting because during, during my practicum training in becoming a psilocybin facilitator, we had four days of the practicum, and for an hour and a half each morning, we did breath work. This facilitated breath work experience, and it was a little bit different than I think Brenda does. It's called Vivation. There are lots of different kinds of approaches you can take, but it was incredible to hear everyone's experience of it. You know, people talked about their back pain disappearing and feeling like they were in this state of bliss. During the experience, you know, someone else talked about how they were able to relax for the first time in months after some really difficult experiences. I felt like I was able to let go of some of the trauma that I had experienced back in January, and it was a very physical release and it felt incredible. And then someone else talked about how there was, you know, this thing in her childhood that always upset her and nod at her, and it just seemed to not bother her anymore after this. So it was really incredible to hear people's experiences and, you know, it can be used in different ways. It doesn't have to be that you do it for an hour and a half or even an hour. It can be just a simple technique, like Brenda walks us through toward the end of the episode. So I hope you like this one, and I hope you will leave me a review. I would love to get some more reviews, and I really appreciate, appreciate you being here. So here we go. Welcome back, Brenda.
[03:13] Brenda: Hi, Karin. Thank you for having me.
[03:16] Karin: I'm so glad I get to be able to say welcome back. I think you're the. My second repeat guest, so I'm excited to have you back and talk about breath work this time, because last time we talked about boundaries, right?
[03:33] Brenda: Yeah, that's right. I'm excited to talk about breath work, too. So thank you for having me back. It means a lot. Well, good.
[03:39] Karin: I'm glad to have you here. In case someone missed the last episode. Tell us where you are in the world.
[03:45] Brenda: Well, I live in Lake Oswego, Oregon, which is a suburb of Portland, which.
[03:50] Karin: Is really close to me.
[03:53] Brenda: