As Celeste describes it, she's had a long and illustrious journey of exploring different relationships and relationship styles as she continues learning who she is and what works best for her. For so long she tried to fit herself into what she calls "primary possessive partnerships" and unfortunately spent much of her time being triggered. Today, Celeste identifies as "solo open" and has filled her life with lovers, partners, and friends that she feels deeply connected to while also feeling safe and securely attached. This conversation is so beautiful and full of vulnerability, laughter, and love as Celeste takes us on her powerful journey. Enjoy!

Celeste Hirschman, MA, is a visionary in intimacy and personal transformation. As co-founder of the Somatica Institute, she merges profound insight with compassion, empowering individuals to unlock deeper connections and embrace their authentic selves. With a Master’s in Human Sexuality Studies and a background in Women’s Studies, Celeste has co-authored three transformative books and contributed groundbreaking research in adolescent sexuality. You can learn more about Celeste and all of her work at somaticainstitute.com.

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Genevieve a.k.a. Chill Polyamory makes polyamory education and entertainment on Instagram, TikTok and Patreon. She’s also on YouTube where she reviews polyamory in pop culture @chillpolyamory, and she hosts a non-monogamy storytime podcast called “I could never…”

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Jet is a 40 year old mother of two girls who has been married for over 20 years, and up until about two years ago she assumed she was monogamous. A few years ago she started to develop a deep friendship with a co-worker and ultimately realized she had fallen in love with him just as he was moving away. She decided to be honest with her husband about her feelings and as they were doing research about what to do and what this means for their marriage they discovered polyamory and non-monogamy.

Through the same resources they were learning about polyamory, they also realized that her husband was likely on the asexual spectrum. For the last few years Jet and her husband have been trying to reinvent their relationship in a way that works for both of them since he has no interest in being in an open relationship and she is realizing she has been polyamorous her whole life without recognizing it.

This interview with Jet is incredibly vulnerable and powerful as she shares the heartbreak and challenges she and her husband are navigating in their partnership as they continue to be deeply in love and otherwise happy in their marriage.

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Sonia and Gabe were originally on the podcast back on Episode 193 and today we have the honor of having them back to talk about how their partnership has shifted and grown since then.

Sonia and Gabe have been together for over two decades and a few years ago they intentionally removed the sexual component of their relationship. In our beautiful conversation today they share how they reached their decision and how they continue to deepen their connection, intimacy and commitment to one another without relying on sex. This conversation is really powerful and vulnerable and we hope you get as much from it as we did.

Gabriel is also the director of a new adult animated educational series, called Welcome to Kinkyville, about kink and how to do it safely. The kickstarter campaign wrapped up back in 2021 and they've spent the last few years creating a pitch-pilot and it is incredible! You can check it out over at welcometokinkyville.com!

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Holly grew up in a super religious and closed-minded environment and started rebelling in her late teens after moving out on her own. She fell in love, married her girlfriend, and a few years later they quit their jobs and bought one-way plane tickets out of the country to learn and explore other ways of living.

While out exploring the world Holly was introduced to non-monogamy and has since been figuring out how she wants to be in relationship with others. Like many of us, her path is winding and ever-evolving. Holly currently identifies as solo polyamorous and is finding her way back to herself after her last relationship. Join us as Holly shares her beautiful adventure with us!

Holly also does really powerful work and she describes it in her bio on SoulPlay's website better than we ever could:

Born and raised in South Louisiana, Holly embarked on her transformative journey in 2009, leaving her career and letting go of everything she owned to forge a new path. Since then she's traveled extensively, immersing herself in diverse cultures and ways of life, seeking purpose and a way to channel her skills toward creating positive change. During her travels, she took on various odd jobs, including helping to produce a grassroots weekend music festival in New Zealand. That experience ignited a passion for event production, which became the foundation of her new career. Today, she lives in the Bay Area and produces events full-time, crafting spaces that invite personal and collective transformation. Since 2015, she's been honored to serve as a founding contributor and Executive Director for SoulPlay, where she's made community and connection the heart of her purpose and passion.

Save $100 on your SoulPlay tickets here until April 19th!

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Dani strongly identifies as polyamorous and feels that she was born this way. However, she's only been actively exploring and practicing polyamory for a couple of years. She's currently in a self-proclaimed "midlife crisis era" and has been reimagining and reinventing herself after coming out of a 16-year monogamous marriage.

Spoiler alert! Figuring out what we want in life can be really hard! Dani's explored lots of different complex relationships and connections over the last few years and today she's in a place where she is longing to be in love again... At the same time, she has a real fear of enmeshment and getting swept away on the relationship escalator. Dani vulnerably takes us inside her emotional and challenging journey of navigating the discomfort of the unknown as she finds herself.

Dani is a writer, speaker, facilitator, storyteller, coach, business consultant, and the host of the "Another Way" podcast. She believes we all get to create the lives we want and that we don't have to settle or do what anyone else expects of us. And! We don't have to do it alone. To learn more about Dani and all of her work, please check out her website!

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Eka is back! We first talked to her about two and a half years ago on episode 255 when she was just about to have her first child. She's in her mid-thirties and has been exploring non-monogamy in a variety of ways since about 2012.

Since we last spoke, Eka and her partner Em had baby Elle and it's been an adventurous few years! Today Eka shares how having a newborn (and now a toddler) has impacted her life, her relationships, and her sexuality. She's been exploring her sexuality, demisexuality, kink, and multiple connections and partnerships all while figuring out how to be a new mom! There's never a dull moment and we absolutely love when we get to talk to Eka and hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

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Cathy and Steve are both in their fifties and have been exploring various forms of non-monogamy since they got together about six years ago. They met through a recovery fellowship program and built a friendship over a few years before they started dating and dipping their toes into non-monogamy as a way for Cathy to explore her bisexuality.

Cathy and Steve come from very different relational backgrounds... Steve was married to his ex-wife in a multi-decade "mostly successful relationship that ran its course" whereas Cathy had been suppressing her sexuality for decades only to have it bubble up through infidelities in multiple marriages before she met Steve.

Their relationship is built on a foundation of open and honest communication and friendship where they both feel like they're able to be their authentic selves. Their non-monogamous adventures have had ups and downs and have spanned the spectrum of swinging, hotwifing, cuckolding, and polyamory. They do a bit of everything and they're figuring it out as they go!

After you listen to this beautiful interview we encourage you to check out Cathy and Steve's writing on Medium and on their website under the pseudonyms Sam and Kate!

Check out the full show notes here.

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