What Excites Us!

Stop Healing and Start Pleasuring with Sharon Marie Scott ep 74

Have you ever pursued something that felt taboo... and wondered if the shame around it was trying to tell you something? Sharon Marie Scott says yes. And that it's pointing you straight to your fastest path to freedom.
In this conversation we dig into the pleasure ceiling and what happens when you stop collapsing before you can fully receive... the Jenga tower framework for understanding your core wounds... the dark masculine and feminine as energetic currents moving through all of us... and why Sharon walked away from the healing world entirely to come at all of this through pleasure instead.
Her book Forbidden Alchemy: Transmuting Taboo Into Erotic Medicine is the book she wished she had. And Flesh & Flame: Pleasure as the Portal to Divine Mastery is out now too.
Find Sharon at sharonmariescott.com and at linktr.ee/sharonmariescott. Visit Gwyn at WhatExcitesUs.com

Lie Back and Think of England with Jess WIldman - ep 73

Have you ever caught yourself saying "I shouldn't want that" or "I should just be grateful"... and wondered where that voice is even coming from?
Jess Wildman is a Personal Power Coach who helps women shed the weight of societal expectations so they can live delicious lives full of pleasure and joy. Her work is rooted in a simple but radical idea: that personal power begins the moment you stop outsourcing your own desires.
In this episode we get into all of it... shame, sex, body image, self-trust, diet culture, and why "fine" is not good enough for you. Jess brings warmth, zero judgment, and some genuinely great anecdotes to conversations most women aren't having anywhere else.
In this episode:
Why every "should" might be a self-betrayal
How diet culture and shame around sex are running the same con
The moment Jess realized she'd completely outsourced herself
Body image, performance anxiety, and why the lights-off thing has to go
Porn, pleasure, and what we're accidentally teaching ourselves
Why "fine" is actually a cry for help
How to start reclaiming your personal power right now
Content note: This episode includes an open conversation about disordered eating and diet culture. Please take care of yourself as you listen.
Find Jess:Instagram: @personalpowercoach Email: hello@jesswildman.com
Visit What Excites Us! and Gwyn:WhatExcitesUs.com

Stop Editing Yourself with Elize Simon - ep 72

If you've ever edited yourself down to be more lovable, Elize Simon is here to tell you to stop. As a relationship and communication coach and self-described professional permission granter, Elize helps people build love that actually feels good — without hiding who they are to get it.
In this conversation with Gwyn, Elize unpacks why so many people enter relationships for the wrong reasons, what real communication looks like when emotions are high, and how her Sacred Goodbyes ritual helps people move through heartbreak with grace instead of getting pummeled by it. She also completely rewires the way you think about flirting. Grab her free dating profile checklist and the Sacred Goodbyes download — both linked below.
This episode originally aired as part of the Reclaiming You Summit.
Both Elize and Gwyn are firm believers that Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski should be required reading for every human with a body. Elize also quotes the legendary Regena Thomashauer, better known as Mama Gena, whose several books are equally worth your time. Find them all at bookshop.org/shop/whatexcitesus
Find Elize at linktr.ee/elize.simon and instagram.com/elize.simon. Visit Gwyn at WhatExcitesUs.com.

Kink 101 through How to do it Right with Nyxie Noc

Kink isn't what porn taught you or abuse. Here's what it actually is, and how to do it without being garbage about it.
Nyxie Noc is a kink educator, sadist, presenter extraordinaire, and one of the most knowledgeable and genuinely thoughtful people out there teaching. In this episode, they break it all the way down - from what kink actually is to what makes someone an ethical dominant, and why agency is the missing piece of every consent conversation you've ever had.
They get into partialism and the possibility that certain kinks are literally inborn. The very real and very serious dangers of breath play that pornography consistently gets wrong. Why voyeurism is not an education, the femdom myth and why you should pay a sex worker if that's what you actually want. They discuss what ethical dominance looks like, including why caregiving and sadism are not opposites. The three negotiation questions Nyxie asks that will change how you think about any kink scene.
There's a content note: if you're squeamish around intense language, be aware in the middle s afew lines mught stun you a second, but please stay. This one is absolutely worth it.
Nyxie Noc / Viridi Lux Consulting:linktr.ee/viridi_lux_consulting Instagram: @viridi_lux_consulting
All the other links listed atWhatExcitesUs.com

From Purity Culture to Boudoir Photographer with Wren Morrow

What does your body feel like to you right now... is it yours?
If you grew up in purity culture, you know that question hits different. Wren Morrow did grow up in that world, deeply immersed in it, and then in 2016 she chose a completely different story. Now she's an outdoor embodiment photographer in the Pacific Northwest, guiding women through wild places and watching them come back to themselves.
Gwyn and Wren talk about the slow unraveling of religious shame (not the confrontational approach... the feminine slipping-out-of-the-knot version), what actually happens to a body when skin meets the outside world without anything in between, and the aligned action that finally makes affirmations land in your nervous system.
Plus: blizzards on demand, oracle cards mid-shoot, and why Wren thinks she became a therapist anyway... just with better scenery.
Find Wren at wrenmorrow.com andhttps://www.instagram.com/_wrenmorrow/ Visit Gwyn at WhatExcitesUs.com

What You Get Wrong About Non-Monogamy with Ellecia Paine

You think jealousy means you're not cut out for non-monogamy. Ellecia Paine is here to tell you that's not quite right.
Ellecia is a non-monogamy coach, host of the podcast Nope, We're Not Monogamous, and someone who spent 13 years in a monogamous marriage before deciding... nope. Not doing that again. And she did it knowing she was a jealous person. That's not the punchline. That's the point.
We talk about what ethical non-monogamy actually looks like (spoiler: it's not a light switch), how to figure out what you actually want versus what you think you want, why confidence and self-worth are at the root of almost every relationship challenge, and how shame keeps us small, quiet, and deeply unfulfilled. We also get into intimacy, what it actually means, and why masturbation is genuinely great relationship research.
This one is for Susan in Kansas who's curious but doesn't know where to start. And also for the rest of us who just want to feel a little more free in how we love.
Go find Ellecia at elleciapayne.com Come find me at whatexcitesus.com to get on the newsletter so you don't miss what's next.
What we cover:
The main styles of ethical non-monogamy and what actually sets them apart
Why jealousy isn't a disqualifier... it's just an emotion that needs tools
How shame was designed to keep us small (and how to start moving through it)
The confidence and self-worth stuff that surfaces the moment you open a relationship
Baby steps for anyone curious about non-monogamy but not sure where to start
Why knowing yourself intimately (yes, that kind of intimately) is the foundation of everything

Reclaim Your Radiance a Women Thrive Panel discussion

What happens when women stop abandoning themselves and start listening to the quiet, messy, holy truth of what they actually need?
In this panel conversation, Gwyn Isaacs joins the Amplify Alliance for an honest exploration of what it really means to reclaim your radiance. Together they talk about trauma, people pleasing, self-abandonment, nervous system safety, shame, burnout, faith, intuition, embodiment, and the not-at-all-neat process of becoming yourself again.
This isn’t a conversation about faking confidence or performing positivity. It’s about the real work... the layered, human, often messy practice of remembering your worth, reconnecting with your body, and choosing yourself with more honesty and compassion.
If you’ve been feeling disconnected from yourself, your desire, your energy, or your inner light, this episode offers both validation and possibility.
We talk about:• how women lose touch with themselves through overgiving and self-sacrifice• trauma, dissociation, and learning to feel safe in the body again• the wake-up calls that begin real transformation• why change is often messy, uncomfortable, and worth it• reclaiming radiance through grace, truth, rest, connection, and perspective• practical ways to reconnect with yourself when life feels heavy
Connect with the panelists
Dana S. Diazhttps://danasdiaz.com
Dr. Lisha Antiquahttps://lishaantiqua.com
Erika Fetterly – House of Her Collectivehttps://houseofher.ca
Samantha Karimhttps://www.samanthakarim.com
Rosaly Didonna – The Purifying Placehttps://www.thepurifyingplace.com
Marla Sackshttps://www.marlasacks.com
Join the Women Thrive Summit
Register here:https://lp.womenthrivesummit.com/gwynisaacs
Connect with Gwyn
Website:https://whatexcitesus.com
Join Gwyn’s email list and explore more conversations about sex, pleasure, embodiment, and becoming more yourself.

Feel Safe in Your Body Again: incl. a guided nervous system practice to rebuild trust

What if your body isn’t broken… it’s protecting you?
After trauma, many people feel disconnected from their bodies. Touch can feel overwhelming. Pleasure can feel distant. And safety can feel like something that belongs to other people.
In this masterclass replay with trauma recovery coach Arci Grey, we explore how to begin rebuilding trust with your body through gentle, guided nervous system practices you can follow along with.
This episode includes grounding exercises, breathwork, and simple somatic tools designed to help you reconnect with yourself without forcing or pushing past your edges.
We also talk about shame, dissociation, and why your body’s responses during trauma don’t mean what you may have feared they meant.
Healing doesn’t happen by overriding your body.It happens by learning to feel safe inside it again.
You are not broken.And you don’t have to rush.
In this episode, we explore:
• Why safety must come before pleasure• The difference between sex, intimacy, and pleasure• How trauma affects the nervous system and body trust• Why shame after trauma is so common• What genital non-concordance is and why it matters• How dissociation and disconnection show up in daily life• Gentle, guided exercises to help you reconnect with your body• How small, repeatable practices create lasting change
This episode includes guided nervous system exercises you can follow along with, including grounding, breathwork, and somatic awareness practices designed to help you reconnect with your body in a way that feels supportive and safe.
This is not about forcing yourself forward.This is about starting exactly where you are.
Explore more episodes and resources:https://whatexcitesus.com
Learn more about Arci Grey:https://arcigrey.com
If this episode resonated, follow the show and share it with someone who might need this reminder.
Safety, trust, and pleasure can be rebuilt.One small step at a time.

Chemistry Isn't Enough: The 3 Pillars to Great Sex with Deborah Kat

Chemistry can spark attraction… but it rarely sustains intimacy.In this episode, Gwyn Isaacs talks with Deborah Kat about what actually carries relationships past the honeymoon phase: empowerment, communication, and pleasure skills.
If you’ve ever felt deeply connected at first… and then slowly confused about why desire faded, this conversation offers a grounded, compassionate reframe.
Deborah Kat is a sex expert, tantric educator, professional dom, and host of The Better Sex Podcast. Together, she and Gwyn unpack the myth that chemistry alone is enough and explore the real skills that sustain intimacy over time… skills most of us were never taught.
This episode dives into Deborah’s three pillars of great sex and relationships:
Empowerment — knowing your yes, your no, and your wants
Communication — timing, tone, nervous system safety, and repair
Pleasure skills — touch, attunement, curiosity, and practice
Along the way, they talk about how cultural scripts (romance novels, sitcoms, movies) quietly sabotage real relationships, why fantasies don’t equal obligations, and how treating relationship like a lab instead of a performance can bring more ease, safety, and desire.
You’ll also hear:
Why willingness and permission matter more than “doing it right”
How pleasure is a learned skill, not instinct
Common communication mistakes couples make around sex
How to start hard conversations without pressure or shutdown
A grounding boundary practice for knowing what’s yours (and what’s not)
This is a thoughtful, practical, deeply human conversation about intimacy as something you practice, not something you magically master.
Links & Resources
Deborah Kat’s website + Relationship Lab PDF: https://deborahkat.comDeborah’s podcast: The Better Sex Podcast
Join Gwyn’s email list: https://whatexcitesus.comLearn more about the Reclaiming You in person retreat: ReclaimingYou.net
Sponsor: Momotaro ApothecaPlant-based intimate care supporting vulva comfort and pleasureUse code GWYN20 for 20% off: https://momotaroapotheca.com

From Survivor to Sovereign - Trauma, Identity, and Embodied Leadership with Dr. Lisha Antiqua

From survivor to sovereign … without turning “healing” into a full-time job.
Dr. Lisha Antiqua (soul psychologist, founder of Your Own University) joins me for a conversation about post-traumatic growth, identity reclamation, and why trauma is an injury … not a life sentence, not a personality trait, and definitely not proof you’re broken.
We talk about why pleasure can feel unsafe after trauma, how to start with “micro-pleasures” that don’t overwhelm your nervous system, and how to shift from coping forever into actually living. We also get into Lisha’s Reclaim Intimacy work (brain, heart, and “part”) and the stages many survivors move through as they become leaders … Rebuilder, Messenger, Architect.
We wrap with where to find Lisha, what she’s teaching at the Women Thrive Summit, and what she’s building next.
 
We unpack:
Post-traumatic growth (and what it looks like in real life)
Why pleasure can feel terrifying after sexual trauma
“Micro-pleasures” and nervous system re-patterning (without forcing anything)
Identity reclamation … and why you don’t have to stay in the identity of “healing”
Reclaim Intimacy: reconnecting brain, heart, and “part”
The stages of leadership after trauma: Rebuilder, Messenger, Architect
Building a platform, a message, and a legacy from lived experience
Connect with Dr. Lisha Antiqua:lishaantiqua.comyourownuniversity.comTikTok + Facebook: Dr. Lisha Antiqua
 
The Women Thrive Summit:
Watch both Dr. Lisha and my talks free by registering here
 
More from me / the show:whatexcitesus.com
 
And don't forget to get your vulva care products from:Momotaro Apothecahttps://momotaroapotheca.com/GWYN20 or code GWYN20 at checkout