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© 2025 Permission for Pleasure
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A podcast to educate and equip women with the information and confidence they need to express, experience and enjoy their sexuality. Cindy Scharkey RN, BSN, brings her 35+ years of experience as a healthcare professional to open the doors to healthy conversations about sex. This is a community where you can listen and learn to give yourself permission for pleasure. Visit www.cindyscharkey.com for educational blogs and newsletter.
133 Episodes
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Did you know that 45% of women report birth trauma? The ripple effects of that are often never talked about. Obstetrician, and perinatal mental health expert Dr. Jessica Vernon joins me for a straightforward conversation about her book, Then Comes Baby: An Honest Conversation about Birth, Postpartum, and the Complex Transition to Parenthood. We discuss sleep deprivation, baby blues, and how to recognize postpartum depression and anxiety. Learn more about Jessica Vernon MD More on this topic: ...
Have you ever been curious to explore new ways to communicate through touch? Anne-Lorraine Selke, the creator of Touchcards, shares why she created a card deck that offers people ways to “rediscover the richness of touch with the people you love.” She gives us examples from intimate cards to playful ones, as we offer ways to bring more connection into your relationships through touch. Find Touchcards and use my 10% discount PERMISSION Mentioned in this episode: Touch pleasure practice T...
Engage in flirty conversation to add some playful energy to your relationship. These “Would you rather” game questions offer you an easy way to play together and can spark meaningful discussion if something takes you by surprise! Use this episode on your next date night, long car ride or walk around the block. Mentioned in this episode: Bedroom Games Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual Garden on GoodReads Toys, Fantasy and Play in the Bedroom 24 Communication Starters and Questions ...
We talk a lot about the repercussions of purity culture for women, but what about men? This topic is often silenced, creating what sexuality educator Erica Smith calls a “fertile ground for shame.” She joins me to break the taboo, sharing the after effects men frequently encounter. Erica Smith is an award winning sexuality educator and consultant with 25 years of experience. She developed the Purity Culture Dropout™️ Program to help people learn all of the sex education that they missed...
Is orgasm a learnable skill? My guest Dr. Erica Marchand outlines the necessary components women need to orgasm in this top 10 episode from Season One. We discuss faking O’s, ranking O’s, and the mind-body shift of allowing rather than making orgasm happen. Erica Marchand, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist offering individual, couples and sex therapy in Los Angeles. Learn more about these topics Answering your questions about orgasm Faking orgasm The clitoris - it's a network Stimulation of ...
One of the most shared episodes on the podcast, this conversation about pleasure and embodiment offers a framework for understanding a healthier way to be in your body. Hillary McBride, PhD provides tools to help us untangle the cultural scripts we have taken in, along with gentle guidance for how we can reframe sensuality and learn to listen to our bodies. Hillary McBride, PhD., is a therapist, researcher, speaker and author More on these topics: Mother's, Daughter's and Body Image, re...
From logistics on positioning, to setting the stage before you step in - in this episode I talk you through the basics on how to add shower sex to your intimacy repertoire. Showering together has never been more fun, safe and intimate. Mentioned in this episode: Pleasure Practice Uberlube use code CINDY Shower sex for beginners on the blog ORDER my Book Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual Garden JOIN my Newsletter: Good Education for Good Sex FOLLOW on Instagram @cindyscharkey VISIT...
Catriona Boffard, a Clinical Sexologist, Psychotherapist, Sexuality Researcher, Podcaster and Author joins me to share her personal experience, and clinical expertise in a discussion about women and ADHD - how it can affect your brain, sex, and life. You’ll hear all about orgasms, medications, sexual cues and solutions to common communication challenges. Catriona Boffard is an expert in the field of sexual behavior, well-being, and mental health, and is particularly passionate about working w...
Continuing our conversation for the over 50 crowd with helpful tips including transition time, positions, pillows, vibrators and more. Listen in as we get creative with shifts in desire, and tools to accommodate our changing bodies. Learn ways to make sex more interesting. More on these topics Desire styles Embracing your desire How curiosity fuels desire Vaginal estrogen, vaginal moisturizers, and lube for sex Erectile dissatisfaction vs. Erectile dysfunction Sexual adaptations and aid...
Menopause doesn’t mean your sex life is over. In fact, you may find yourself having the best sex of your life! Join me for a chat specifically for the over 50 crowd. Let’s talk about desire, arousal, and changing things up as we change. Your pleasure matters! Visit our episode sponsor Uberlube, use CINDY for 15% off Mentioned in this episode: Guide to lube Perimenopause: Hormones and Symptoms Permimenopause: Treatment Options Everything we get wrong about initiation Two ways affection can de...
Community guest Kaleigh Osadick joins me to share ideas to remove shame around self-expression. We chat about challenging the norms, and reframing what defines sexy. Learn to role play with her scene creation tips, and gain the confidence to be the main character in your sex life! Kaleigh Osadick is an educator, coach and producer with over a decade of experience teaching acting, voice, and embodiment. With a background in theatre, and psychology-through play and voice, she's helped ma...
Self-touching or masturbation is one healthy way to be sexual, but certainly not the only way. From investigating your sexual ethics to creating your own sensual playlist, movement, and more - these ideas will help you explore being a sexual person outside of masturbation. Mentioned in this episode: 10 Ideas - no masturbation required My letter to young women Questions to ask yourself with Cyndi Darnell Sensuality on the blog Using your senses for pleasure Sexy playlist Reconnecting to you...
Throughout life, we all face changes in our body that impact how we experience pleasure with sex. Laura Glazebrook PT, DPT, specializes in neurological injuries and all manner of pelvic health concerns. She joins me to talk about adaptations, tools, toys, and positional aids - for all bodies. Whether you’re post surgery, post injury, or navigating change, this conversation is full of practical tips, products, and resources for all of life’s seasons. Visit our episode sponsor Uberlube and use ...
Oral sex is a highly reliable path to pleasure and orgasm for women. This episode is the second most downloaded of all episodes on the show. So, I am bringing it back for new listener's and their partner's. I talk about creating anticipation, building arousal toward crescendo and specific tongue techniques to stimulate the clitoris and vulva. Also hear tips on positioning, when to add variety, and when to stick with consistency. Learn the signs of approaching orgasm, to help your partner go o...
Want to slow down and experience more pleasure in your life? Euphemia Russell, a somatic coach and author of Slow Pleasure shares practical ways to focus on sensations, as well as practices to shift your state towards enlivening. Learn to create pleasure habits and increase your capacity for pleasure in and out of the bedroom. Euphemia Russell is a somatic coach and bestselling author ofSlow Pleasure. They are trained in somatic coaching, International Coaching Federation, sex-positive educat...
Dr. Candice Nicole Hargons, a leading expert in sex research, shares her list of ingredients for good sex from her book Good Sex: Stories, Science and Strategies for Sexual Liberation. She walks us through strategies to study our sexual satisfaction as well as tools to increase it. Does frequency make the list? Nope? Tune in to learn what does. Dr. Candice Nicole Hargons is an award-winning associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and author of Good Sex. As a ...
I’m bringing back conversations with members of our community where they share their stories and we explore what they have learned about their bodies, sex and pleasure. My new friend and poet, Sarah Jeannine Gawthrop, joins me to talk about her journey of pleasure reclamation through the sacred forest and poetry. Sarah Gawthrop is a queer, neurodiverse poet and editor on the West Coast of Canada. Her writing explores themes of place, identity, and longing, with a focus on how nature shapes o...
Answering your community questions: “Do I have to swallow?” “Can I get pregnant from pre-cum?” and “Are wet dreams normal?” I’ll also explain the difference between semen and sperm, why a cum cloth is a good idea and the pregnancy rate with the pull-out method. Mentioned in this episode: Can I get pregnant from pre-cum? Can men be multi-orgasmic? Do women ejaculate? What is squirting? Cum cloth: Play Towel by Coconu use code 30PLEASURE ORDER my Book Permission for Pleasure: Tending...
Susan Bratton calls herself the “Orgasmanaut.” She’s here to share what she has learned, along with some juicy and practical ways for you to experience more orgasms. As her mentor taught her; with sex - there is always something more! Listen to hear the ingredient list and recipe to follow for more! Visit our episode sponsor UBERLUBE and use discount code CINDY Susan Bratton, "Intimacy Expert to Millions" is a champion and advocate for all those who desire intimacy and passion their wh...
If you want to enhance the intimacy and eroticsm in your relationship - this conversation is for you! Nicolas Velotta, lead relationship researcher for Arya - a couples sexual wellness company, talks about erotic styles and four specific erotic personas. This episode will help you to open a conversation about your turn-on's, desires and preferences with a partner. Learn more about Arya and use discount code CS15 Nicholas Velotta is a relationship scientist and sexologist exploring how technol...
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