{"podcast":{"title":"Sex For Couples with Heather Shannon","slug":"sex-for-couples-with-heather-shannon-5845078","podcast_index_feed_id":5845078,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/ask-a-sex-therapist-with-heather-shannon/","website_url":"https://heathershannon.co/podcast/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/dcbb0239-9ee5-409e-8b0d-71903234ff7d/Sex-For-Couples-Podcast-Tile-2k-Square-Pixels.jpg","author":"Heather Shannon","episode_count":184,"summary":"Sex For Couples is a podcast for committed couples who feel stressed, guilty, or frustrated about their sex life—and want to feel excited, close, and playful again. New episodes are released every Monday. Hosted by Heather Shannon, an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist with 19 years of experience as a counselor and coach, the show breaks down the emotional and psychological reasons intimacy fades and what actually helps couples reconnect. Heather has been featured on BloomTV and quoted in Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, SELF, Glamour, and more. She is a Gottman-trained couples counselor, an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist and has spent 13 years as a practicing Buddhist. Through both solo and guest episodes, Sex For Couples offers approachable advice, open conversations, and helpful tools so couples can communicate better about sex, reduce shame and stigma, and enjoy rediscovering each other. This podcast isn’t about performance or perfection—it’s about helping couples stop overthinking sex and start having fun with it again. For more on Heather's work, visit HeatherShannnon.co. NOTE: This show was formerly called \"Ask A Sex Therapist with Heather Shannon\" and was renamed on Vale…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T10:20:21.504059+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sex-for-couples-with-heather-shannon-5845078"},"episode":{"title":"6 Ways To Effectively Communicate Your Sexual Needs","slug":"6-ways-to-effectively-communicate-your-sexual-needs","published_at":"2026-06-29T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sex-for-couples-with-heather-shannon-5845078/6-ways-to-effectively-communicate-your-sexual-needs","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sex-for-couples-with-heather-shannon-5845078","url":"https://heathershannon.co/podcast/","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/687a5cb5-71ac-4ce3-954a-b712973246a7.mp3","summary":"Want help figuring out your own needs before you bring them to your partner? Take the free Intimacy Audit: https://HeatherShannon.co (click the pop-up) In this episode . . . Great sex isn't about mind reading. If you've stayed silent about what you want, tried to bring it up and gotten shut down, or you're with someone who clams up at the mention of sex, this episode gives you six steps to actually say what you need without putting your partner on the defensive. AASECT Certified Sex Therapist Heather Shannon breaks down how to talk about your sexual needs, desires, and fantasies in a way that builds connection instead of conflict. You'll learn the difference between framing something as a \"need\" versus a \"want,\" how to figure out what you actually desire when you're not sure, and how to bring up bigger topics, like having a threesome, without blowing up the conversation. Find out: Why calling something a sexual \"need\" instead of a \"want\" can create unintended pressure or resentment How to start identifying your own desires, even if you've never really thought about it before The difference between healthy support and codependency in a relationship, and why it matters for your sex life A real example of how to bring up a fantasy with your partner without making it weird What to say when your partner brings up something you're not into How to negotiate sexual differences so both people still feel like themselves Curious about coaching with Heather? Request a free consultation at https://HeatherShannon.co. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp","meta_description":"Want help figuring out your own needs before you bring them to your partner? Take the free Intimacy Audit: https://HeatherShannon.co (click the pop-up) In…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1789,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sex-for-couples-with-heather-shannon-5845078/episodes/6-ways-to-effectively-communicate-your-sexual-needs/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sex-for-couples-with-heather-shannon-5845078/6-ways-to-effectively-communicate-your-sexual-needs.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}