What are Sexual Fantasies? Sexual fantasies offer a window into human sexuality, which is exactly why they're worth understanding! Fantasizing is widely considered a normal, healthy part of sexual life, though like most things, context matters and there are circumstances where it can become complicated. Don’t worry–we’ll talk about it! The simplest way to define a sexual fantasy comes from researchers Leitenberg & Henning (1995): "any mental imagery that is sexually arousing for the individual." These sexual mental imageries often center on common themes.

Are we tired of talking about Heated Rivalry?

Absolutely not.

But why do we love Heated Rivalry so much? What is it that’s keeping us talking?

From the emotional heart of the story, to the timely LGBTQ professional hockey coming-out moment, to the S-E-X, there’s a lot to unpack.

And honestly? That’s exactly why people can’t stop talking about it.

Have you ever said “yes” to something you were unsure about? Or “no” to something that you wanted to do? What about in the context of sexual activity? If yes, you’ve experienced sexual ambivalence!

Researchers wanted to know what happens when therapists get specialized training to work with neurodiverse couples, specifically, couples where at least one partner is Autistic, so they sat down with those therapists and asked. Using a qualitative approach of focus groups and interviews, the study captures what practitioners found helpful, what they wished they had more of, and how the training changed how they support their neurodiverse clients!

When a show becomes a cultural touchstone, it’s often because of chemistry—the kind that makes viewers lean in, blush, or scream into the void at 2 a.m. Heated Rivalry, the queer hockey romance series based on Rachel Reid’s beloved novels, has delivered all of that and more. But beyond the steamy on-screen connection between its two leads—Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov—there’s an essential creative force making it possible: the intimacy coordinator.

Let’s look at what makes Heated Rivalry’s chemistry work so well on screen, how actors cultivate that connection off screen, and why intimacy coordinators are now indispensable in television production.

Is Heated Rivalry the new Fifty Shades of Grey? Not just as a book, but as a screen phenomenon?

Let’s compare.

In this powerful interview, Amanda Jepson, LPC, ACS, SHA and AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, challenges clinicians to rethink how we design and deliver sexual health interventions. As a co-founder of Respark Foundation and a Clinical Therapist at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic, Amanda specializes in working with active duty and veteran military members, first responders, and survivors of combat trauma, abuse, and sexual assault.

“It’s okay to learn how to trust yourself.”

That simple statement may sound obvious. But as Dr. Desiree Robinson explains in this interview, self-trust is not something we inherit from social media, peers, or even our parents’ generation. It is a skill developed through self-knowledge, lived experience, and trial and error.

For professionals pursuing sex therapist certification, this message is more than personal advice. It is clinical wisdom. The ability to help clients trust themselves begins with cultivating that capacity within ourselves.

In this conversation, Dr. Robinson shares her origin story, the frameworks she uses—including Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)—and what the next generation needs to understand about boundaries, dignity, and relational health.

The sexual health and wellness industry is growing rapidly — but growth alone does not guarantee business success. For professionals looking to launch or scale a business in this space, understanding retail strategy, consumer behavior, and brand positioning is critical.

In a recent interview, retail marketing expert Nicole Leinbach Hoffman shared powerful insights into what it really takes to succeed in sexual wellness retail — and her message aligns perfectly with the mission of SHA’s Growth Accelerator Certificate Program, designed for anyone who wants to develop a business in the sexual health space.

Whether you’re a therapist, coach, educator, product founder, or brand builder, these insights will help you think like a strategist — not just a practitioner.

As more professionals pursue a Sex Coach and Sexologist Certification, the conversation around pleasure, embodiment, and trauma-informed care is evolving rapidly. In her interview with the Sexual Health Alliance, Erica Leroye offers a powerful reframe: masturbation is not simply a sexual act — it is nervous system training, attachment repair, and embodied self-regulation.

When people think about sexual health, they often think about performance, desire, or relationships. Rarely do they think about the vulva as a living, hormone-responsive tissue that can be protected, repaired, and optimized across the lifespan.

In this powerful interview, Dr. Maria Uloko—internationally recognized sexual medicine specialist, surgeon, researcher, and educator—shares an insight that truly moves the needle:

You can have the same vulva at 20 at 100 years old.

It’s a statement that surprises almost everyone. But it’s grounded in science, regenerative medicine, and years of clinical expertise.

Many couples arrive in therapy carrying an invisible rulebook they never consciously agreed to.

Sex looks a certain way.Relationships follow a certain structure.Bedrooms are shared.And sex, more often than not, ends when he is finished.

According to Erin Musick—Registered Psychologist, AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, yoga teacher, and long-time clinician—these rules aren’t natural truths. They’re scripts. And increasingly, therapists and couples alike are questioning whether those scripts still serve anyone.

For many people, sexual health conversations are still wrapped in shame, comparison, and the quiet belief that there is a right way to have sex—and that anything outside of it is a problem to be fixed.

According to Dr. Joe Kort, that belief does far more harm than good.

In this interview with Sexual Health Alliance, Dr. Joe Kort—psychotherapist, board-certified clinical sexologist, and founder of The Center for Relationship and Sexual Health—shares one of the most powerful and liberating insights in sexual health work:

The way you have sex is right for you—as long as it’s consensual and between adults.

Infidelity is one of the most destabilizing experiences a relationship can face. For many people, it shatters trust, safety, and a sense of shared reality in an instant. The emotional aftermath is often intense—shock, anger, grief, confusion, and self-doubt can all surface at once. In the middle of that pain, the dominant cultural message is clear: If your partner cheats, that’s it. Trust is gone forever. End the relationship.

When people hear the words BDSM or adventurous intimacy, many still picture something fringe, extreme, or rare. These assumptions persist despite decades of cultural change and growing research to the contrary. According to Dr. Brad Sagarin, Professor of Social Psychology at Northern Illinois University, those assumptions are not just inaccurate—they actively limit how people understand desire, intimacy, and connection.

In this interview, Dr. Sagarin draws from years of research on BDSM communities and intimate relationships to challenge some of the most entrenched myths about sexuality. His work highlights a powerful truth: many desires people believe are unusual are actually widely shared, and when people communicate openly about them, relationships tend to become healthier, more trusting, and more satisfying.

Consent is often described as the cornerstone of sexual health. It’s taught, promoted, and emphasized across education, activism, and clinical work—and for good reason. Consent matters.

But according to sexual health researcher Dr. Liam Wignall, consent is not where the work ends. In fact, if we stop there, we miss the factor that most consistently shapes sexual well-being across relationships, communities, and healthcare systems: communication.

What Silva Neves Teaches Us About Porn, Shame, and the Importance of Holding the Middle Ground

At Sexual Health Alliance, we know that few topics in sexual health provoke as much emotion, polarization, and confusion as porn.

For some people, porn is framed as inherently harmful, addictive, or morally corrupting. For others, it’s seen as neutral entertainment or even a source of pleasure, exploration, and well-being. Public discourse often treats these positions as mutually exclusive—and anyone who doesn’t pick a side is viewed with suspicion.

What Dr. Ryan Kent Teaches Us About Acceptance, Resilience, and Sexual Confidence

Most people don’t struggle with body image because they haven’t tried hard enough to “fix” themselves. They struggle because they’ve been taught—explicitly or implicitly—that their bodies are only acceptable if they are perfected, stable, and complete.

In this conversation, Dr. Ryan Kent—licensed clinical consultant, certified sex therapist, educator, and founder of Afterglow Behavioral & Sexual Health—introduces a radically different approach to body image healing: the Wabi-Sabi Body Framework. Rooted in an ancient Japanese philosophy and adapted for modern therapeutic work, the framework offers something many people have never been given—permission.

Permission to be imperfect.Permission to be impermanent.Permission to be incomplete.

And, perhaps most importantly, permission to still be worthy of desire, intimacy, and connection.

Dr. Kent brings this lens to his national consultation and training work with clinicians across the United States, as well as through his weekly blog, In the Know With Afterglow. His clinical focus centers on body acceptance, resilience, and sexual confidence—especially for individuals and couples navigating how chronic medical and health conditions impact sexual pleasure, intimacy, and connection.

This article explores what the Wabi-Sabi Body Framework is, why it resonates so deeply in a culture obsessed with optimization, and how it offers both individuals and professionals a practical, compassionate path forward in body image and sexual health work.

What Dawn Moore Wants Mothers (and Sexual Health Professionals) to Understand About Help, Pleasure, and Not Settling

Many mothers don’t lose desire because they “stopped caring about sex.” They lose desire because they’re drowning—under labor, under pressure, under guilt, and under a cultural story that says good mothers should do it all alone.

In this interview, Dawn Moore—SHA Sex Coach Certification Student and founder of Mama Comes First—names a belief that quietly shapes countless households: the good mother does everything on her own. She explains how this expectation doesn’t just make motherhood harder. It can erode mental health, strain intimacy, and teach women to ignore their own needs for years.

Dawn’s work sits at the intersection of maternal wellness and sexual health. As a triple board certified Advanced Nurse Practitioner specializing in mental health and women’s health, a sex educator, a midwife, and a mom of four, she speaks from lived experience and clinical insight. Her message is direct: asking for help is not weakness—it’s the unlock. And sexual health must be treated as real health, especially after motherhood.

If you grew up in a generation where sex wasn’t discussed openly, you may have learned to treat sexual questions as private—or even embarrassing. Many people carry that discomfort well into midlife, long after their relationships, bodies, and needs have evolved.

SHA Certified Sex Educator, menopause coach, and podcaster Karen Bigman knows this firsthand. In this interview, she shares how her own journey through divorce, dating, menopause, and a surprising medical appointment shifted her from quiet curiosity to unapologetic advocacy. Her message is clear: sexuality doesn’t end at 50, 60, or beyond—and the most powerful tool for improving sexual well-being isn’t a secret technique. It’s conversation.

Let’s learn more about Karen’s key insights on life and sex after 50, why so many people still feel shame about normal sexual concerns, and what professionals (and everyday partners) can do to help midlife sexuality feel more supported, informed, and fulfilling.