Podcast Interview: Rachael Rose – Creator of Hedonish, Educator, Writer, Activist

Cheers Sexy People!

I am truly delighted to share my latest podcast interview that I just released with founder of the Hedonish blog, educator, writer, and activist, Rachael Rose. Rachael is a chronically ill sex educator and graphic designer – which is her “muggle” job before she got interested in sex education. One of the main focuses of her blog Hedonish is the intersection of chronic illness and sexuality. Rachael and I were destined to cross paths, as we are both from the Philadelphia area, both graphic designers, both sex educators and bloggers, and both activists! Also we similarly love to attend polyamory conferences around the country apparently as we keep running into each other. We have crossed paths at the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, Southwest Love Fest, and if memory serves also at Poly Living Philadelphia. Oh Rachael, what a delight it is to get to know you and keep running into each other across the country. Yay! I so appreciate all of the amazing work that you are doing to help marginalized folks of all kinds. Love it! So needed and appreciated.

Here is Rachael’s bio:

Rachael Rose is an educator, writer, and activist whose work focuses on sex-positivity and the intersections of chronic illness and sex. She uses her website, Hedonish, to educate others by providing inclusive, sex-positive, pleasure-focused education and teaching people how to advocate for their sexual health and the sex lives they want to have.

Some topics we discuss in this educational, fun, and fascinating interview:

— Rachael shares with us how she was in a long-term monogamous relationship and eventually opened it up, and explored polyamory with her partner.
— Rachael notices that there is quite a bit of overlap between creative folks (such as graphic designers as ourselves), sex education, and polyamory.
— She shares how her current long-term relationship (that she started relatively young) has lasted over eleven years – and how that journey eventually led her to discover polyamory.
— The Hedonish blog was Rachael’s brainchild before she even knew what polyamory was. She shares about how it was a launching pad for getting into sex education. What started as a sex toy review blog slowly became a venue for discussing challenges between chronic health issues and sexuality.
— Rachael vulnerably shares what her chronic health issues are that she deals with. I cannot pronounce the condition (a very rare disease) myself, so you’ll need to listen to the episode to understand it better. In short, this condition is unpredictable, challenging, and creates allergic reactions repeatedly and without warning. Yikes!
— She creatively shares how she thinks of her condition as a metaphor of being another partner in her relationship structure, as it dictates her schedule, her ability to function with others, and when she can work. It can show up as brain fog in her life, which can be frustrating.
— We talk about how stress can make EVERYTHING worse, especially health conditions!
— We touch on empathy quite a bit in regards to empathizing with others and their potentially unique health conditions. In Rachael’s case, she is physically very sensitive to perfumes. She now considers this a litmus test for if she will allow someone in her life, as many folks react negatively to being told not to wear perfume due to other’s health conditions. An interesting question: Why can some folks get so angry at the boundaries or requests others make to take care of their own health —> something basic to our existence (versus enjoying a luxury such as perfume)? We touch on the concept of able-ism and lack of education.
— I share about one of the many reasons I take the time, effort, and energy to travel (and down the street) to educate myself at sexuality and polyamory (as well as entrepreneurial) conferences around the country.
— Tune in to listen to this awesome podcast episode!

Thank you Rachael, for being so awesomely generous with your time, for all of your activism and educational work with Hedonish (despite your health condition no less!), and for sharing your wisdom and insights with us via the podcast interview! It was enlightening, deeply informative, and so fascinating! Follow her work and adventures at hedonish.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @henonish, and find her graphic design business at geneticlemon.com.

If you would like to be interviewed either in written form or via audio on the podcast, please feel free to contact me and we will set something up. Thank you!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. SEXY SUMMER GIVEAWAY —> LWB PODCAST CONTEST for NEW or UPGRADED PATRONS

We have some exciting goings on here at Loving Without Boundaries (LWB). We offer exclusive content for you via the LWB podcast and my Patreon page for those who choose to become a patron. I have updated our awesome offerings to give you even more value. I invite you to check out how you can come join the party over at Patreon! Want to hear more from our amazing interviewees? You got it! Want to dig deeper into the community and your fellow poly folk? Right on, let’s do it! Want free coaching sessions? It’s all there! Read on to find out more…

OUR BIG AUDACIOUS GOAL: To get to $250 a month to help cover the cost of broadcasting fees and our amazing sound engineer. Once we reach this milestone, I will be doing the happy dance! I’ll even video it for our new patrons! Yes that’s right! I’ll video me jumping up and down celebrating YOU and helping us get to this important milestone for the podcast. Go to this post to learn find out how you can win prizes by becoming a patron and supporting the continuation of this work.

2. GUEST PODCAST APPEARANCES

I recently have had the honor of being featured on three other podcasts:

Curios Fox Podcast – Episode 4 on Metamours (Your Lover’s Lover) – which was recorded live in Brooklyn, NY
Seek, Discover, Create with Lexi Sylver
Core Confidence Life with Dennis Sumlin
With PolyAnna, Episode 7 – which was recorded live at Southwest Love Fest 2019, which was attended by Marla!

Check them out! We talk about all things jealousy, consensual non-monogamy, and living an alternative lifestyle while maintaining healthy relationships. On “With PolyAnna”, I vulnerably share a story about why pole dancing changed my life! Tune in to find out more!

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT OFFER – We continue to have some exciting goings on here at Loving Without Boundaries (LWB). We now have exclusive content for you via the LWB podcast and my Patreon page for those who choose to become a patron. Please visit the link to check out how you can come join the party over at Patreon! Want to hear more from our amazing interviewees? You got it! Want to dig deeper into the community and your fellow poly folk? Right on, let’s do it! Want monthly “Hangouts” with yours truly and other patrons? Cool! Let’s do it! It’s all there! Come join us, and enjoy exclusive content made just for you, our patrons of this work!

NOTE: Monthly group “hangout” and coaching calls for all of our podcast patrons at any level are under way. If you are supporting the podcast, I am supporting you on your journey. Come join us and meet like-minded folks on the same journey you are!

UPCOMING POLYAMOROUS-FRIENDLY EVENTS

1) Free LWB Facebook Group for Healthy, Sex Positive, Open Relationships — Ready to explore healthy, deeply connected (and virtually jealousy-free) open relationships? It’s all possible – especially when surrounded by a community of people already doing it. Many in newly open relationships experience roller coaster emotions of jealousy, insecurity, and feel alone on their journey. That’s why I created this free Facebook group where people are coming together to share actionable tips for succeeding in multiple loving relationships, explore deeper love, and find mutual understanding and support. There’s an abundance of rock star information posted in the group daily by our amazing members. We create a safe place to engage that’s fun and thrilling! Click here and request to join our free group!

2) Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit (SFS), Alexandria, Virginia, August 15–18, 2019 — The Sexual Freedom Summit features human rights activists, sexuality educators and researchers, professionals from the legal and medical fields, authors, sexual freedom movement leaders and organizational partners all working toward the time when sexual freedom is fully recognized as a fundamental human right. This Summit is for EVERYONE interested in learning about the issues in the realm of sexual freedom, advancing their current knowledge and in gaining the tools to actually create the change we need to accomplish. I hope to see you there! ANNOUNCEMENT: I will be doing a live LWB podcast recording this Thursday evening, August 15th around 7pm in Alexandria, VA with special guests Ruby Johnson, Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti. There may even be a surprise special guest! CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Limited seating!

3) Endless Poly Summer, West Virginia, August 16–21, 2019 — New to polyamory? A polyam pro, but open to new connections? Poly-saturated, but looking for community? It’s all here in WV at Endless Poly Summer (https://cfnc.us/endlesspoly/) every August. Family friendly with a focus on self-discovery, intimacy building, boundaries, with a healthy dose of nature, cuddle piles, and deep conversations. This is a chance to meet other poly people at a deeper level, learn the skills needed to improve your relationships, and become a part of a supportive network of people with common values.

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Wishing you peace, love and happiness
(and thrilling, fun sex too!)

Kitty

Need more specific help aligning your relationships with who you are?

** Discover Your Core Values & Create More Meaning in Your Love Life **

Are you feeling a little lost, challenged, or uninspired in your relationships and would love some guidance on your journey?

Our Free Breakthrough Session Call is a great place to start your path of discovery, so you can have more loving and intimate relationships that inspire you! And our “Discover Your Path to Fulfillment in Open Relationships” coaching packages are a deeper-dive into the topic of self-discovery with alternative relationships, with a one-on-one guide to achieve maximum results in your life. Whether you’re already non-monogamous, involved with someone who is, or “poly-curious” and wondering if non-monogamy might be right for you, I work with people struggling with every aspect of multiple intimate relationships.