In this candid and sometimes provocative conversation, intimacy expert Susan Bratton and I explore what becomes possible when women stop hiding what they want and men stop seeing desire as something they have to control, manage, or perform around.

Susan has spent decades helping people create what she calls "heart-connected, conscious, passionate lovemaking." Together we explore why great sex isn't about performance, techniques, or getting it right. It's about presence, self-expression, emotional safety, and the courage to tell the truth.

We talk about:

• The difference between conscious lovemaking and performative sex

• Why many women struggle to express what they truly want

• How a woman's desires can become a roadmap rather than something to fear

• What happens when partners stop trying to control each other and start co-creating

• How heart connection creates deeper intimacy and better sex

• Why asking for what you want is one of the greatest gifts you can give a partner

• The surprising ways long-term relationships stay alive, erotic, and connected

Susan shares stories from her own life, relationships, and decades of teaching that challenge conventional ideas about sex, intimacy, and partnership.

While some parts of this conversation are refreshingly direct and adult in nature, the deeper invitation is one we all need: to stop performing, start telling the truth, and create relationships where we can be fully known and fully loved.

If you've ever wondered how to create deeper connection, more satisfying intimacy, or a relationship where desire can be spoken openly, this conversation is for you.

Get Susan's twice weekly tips for great sex at:

https://betterlover.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/BetterLover

Take Shana's quiz to see what's keeping you from the best love and sex of your life:

https://bestlove.scoreapp.com/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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It's becoming clearer and clearer that great sex isn't about performance. So what makes sex great?

In this episode of Practicing Love, I'm joined by sex and relationship coach and author of Harder, Better, Longer, Stronger, Caitlin V, for a powerful and refreshingly honest conversation about what actually creates satisfying, connected sex.

We go beyond the usual tips and techniques and explore what's really happening underneath performance pressure, mismatched expectations, and the cultural messages that shape how we show up in bed.

Caitlin shares insights from a decade of working with men and couples—from early ejaculation and arousal challenges to the deeper emotional and relational patterns that impact intimacy.

And we talk about what it actually takes to create a sex life that feels alive, connected, and sustainable over time.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why performance pressure is one of the biggest blockers to real pleasure and connection
• What's actually behind common sexual challenges (and why it's not just physical)
• How cultural expectations shape men's and women's experiences of sex
• Why unlearning can be more powerful than learning new techniques
• How presence, containment, and emotional safety unlock deeper arousal and intimacy
• The surprising skill that most impacts long-term satisfaction

This conversation is honest, nuanced, and deeply human.

If you've ever felt pressure to "get it right," struggled to feel truly connected during sex, or wondered what actually creates great sex over time, this episode will open up a new way of understanding intimacy.

Find out how to have the best love and sex of your life!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/burble
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Most men want to please the women they love. But many don't understand what actually helps a woman open, relax, and experience truly satisfying sex.

In this episode, I talk with Certified Sexologist Kevin Anthony, host of the Love Lab Podcast, about what men often miss about what women need to make sex great for them.

For many women, great sex doesn't start in the bedroom. It begins with safety, trust, connection, and presence. When a woman feels emotionally safe and deeply connected, her body can relax and open to pleasure. Without that foundation, sex can feel tense, pressured, or disconnected — even when both partners have good intentions.

Kevin and I explore:

• Why safety and trust are essential for women's sexual pleasure
• How connection starts long before the bedroom
• The role of emotional intelligence in great sex
• How presence creates much better sex than performance
• The physical things many men misunderstand about foreplay
• Why women's arousal is more fluid and responsive than many men realize
• How you can create more harmony, connection, and passion

This conversation will give you powerful new perspectives to create deeper intimacy, better sex, and a more connected relationship.

In this episode of Practicing Love, I talk with men's guide Mark J. Platten about why relationships during menopause and midlife feel so challenging, and what men are rarely taught about how to show up.

Most men enter relationships with what Mark calls "Prince tools." They try to fix, perform, or avoid conflict. But menopause often brings emotional intensity, physical changes, and deeper truths to the surface. The old tools stop working.

When this isn't seen as a problem to solve, it's an invitation to grow.

In this episode explore:

• Why so many couples struggle or separate during menopause and andropause
• The difference between "Prince" and "King" energy
• How to stop shutting down or taking things personally
• The biggest mistakes men make during this stage
• How midlife becomes a rite of passage into emotional maturity
• What real intimacy is, beyond just sex
• How vulnerability becomes strength, not weakness

If you love a woman in midlife — or you're moving through this season yourself — this conversation will help you show up with steadiness, heart, and depth.

Because menopause doesn't have to be the end of intimacy.

It can be the beginning of the most honest and connected love of your life.

In this episode of Practicing Love, I talk with men's guide Mark J. Platten about why relationships during menopause and midlife feel so challenging, and what men are rarely taught about how to show up.

Find out how to have the best love and sex of your life!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/burble
License code: CNP489SMTIUXHOMC

On today's Practicing Love podcast, Shana James is joined by divorce coach and NLP practitioner Rachael Sloan for a powerful conversation about how relationships break down — and how they can be repaired before it's too late.

Rachael works primarily with men navigating separation and divorce and is the creator of the Better Beyond Divorce program. Together, Shana and Rachael explore emotional regulation, conflict, boundaries, survival responses, and the unconscious patterns that couples bring into relationships.

This episode is for anyone who wants to communicate more effectively, stay connected during conflict, and build a relationship that can weather hard moments with greater compassion and clarity.

It's a hopeful conversation about staying in love longer, even when things get hard, and how to stop the downward spirals that couples get stuck in.

Find out how to have the best love and sex of your life!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/burble
License code: 3XO0LDATK42BXEXU

Most men are never taught the real source of sexual fulfillment — so they chase performance, goals, or fantasy, while feeling disconnected from the deeper intimacy they actually want.

Find out how to have the best love and sex of your life!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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Former pharmacist Josh Rimany joins Shana to explore what real healing looks like for men in midlife — beyond symptom management or quick fixes. Together they unpack how the mind-body-soul connection restores vitality, why the healthcare system often misses the mark, and how men can find wholeness, purpose, and deeper love after 40. A grounded and inspiring look at the "second mountain of life," where success expands from professional to personal, and starts to include impact and fulfillment rather than just dollars and positions.

Find out how to have the best love and sex of your life!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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Loneliness among men has reached crisis levels, but there are ways to change this. If you've been feeling alone, are tired of surface-level conversations, or unsure how to find men who can be real, honest friends, this conversation will give you tangible ways to connect — one walk, one conversation, or one man at a time.

In this episode I talk with Jonathan Jacobs, founder of the L.A. chapter of Walking Talking Men, about how intentional time and connection can be simple, and create a foundation of real friendship.

We explore why so many men struggle to build close friendships, how vulnerability becomes strength, and why deeper relationships are the key to men's emotional and physical health (as proven by the famous Harvard study on happiness).

Find out how to have the best love and sex of your life!

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/burble
License code: CHROXRSGACRHE8NP