Sex After with Amy Marcs

In part two of Sex After Infertility and Grief, we pick up where we left off with Mina talking about blocking trolls on social media. From there, we explore how trauma resides in the body and the body and brain connection. We discuss the importance of health and fitness and how working out is key to our mental state.We chat about the different love languages and attachment styles, and how communication is key.We talk about sex before and after having kids, how sex changes with our different life cycles, and how important it is in a relationship to continue these conversations around intimacy. We talk about loss and grief and the importance of sharing our stories.You can find Mina at @mina_starsiak_hawk and Steve at @hawk_fit_.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After is produced by @thechrisderosa.

Mina Starsiak Hawk is the star of HGTV’s Good Bones which wrapped its eight-season run this October 2023. Mina has also been seen on HGTV’s Rock the Block and A Very Brady Renovation. She is the co-founder and owner of Two Chicks and a Hammer and hosts the podcast Mina AF. Stephen Hawk is a certified nutrition and fitness expert and the owner and founder of Hawkfit.In this episode, Mina and Steve open up about their struggles with infertility. We talk about listening to our gut and instincts and then taking action. After six months of trying to get pregnant with their second child, Mina knew something was not right. That is when they decided to begin their journey with IVF.Steve opens up about the loss of his mother, father, sister, and best friend – all of which occurred over a very short amount of time. We talk about grief and resilience and how to persevere despite huge personal losses. We talk about pain and how to sit in the discomfort of it all. We talk about how to hold space for others and how important that is. We delve into what to say and what not to say to someone who is grieving. We talk about people's discomfort with silence and how you don't always need to fill things with words. How powerful it can be to be able to sit in the silence and bear witness. This is an incredibly personal and intimate conversation that I feel honored to have been a part of.You can find Mina at @mina_starsiak_hawk and Steve at @hawk_fit_.You can find Mina's Podcast here.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After with Amy Marcs is produced by @thechrisderosa.

Sam Mack is a retired porn and adult film star (Samantha Mack) and was the creator of Porn Boot Camp. She hosted The Badass Film Festival, the Adult Entertainment Award Show, and has directed, written, and produced. She is currently hosting the new late-night talk show ASN Underground with Sam Mack.In this episode, we talk about her origin story – what got her into porn and what life is like now since retiring three years ago. We talk about her going from working in a strip club to fetish porn to fake porn to real porn. We delve into what the industry was like when she began, what it is like today, and how the porn you see on camera is not like the sex you have in the bedroom.You can find Sam at @thesamanthamack_.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After is produced by @thechrisderosa.

Erin Bagwell is a documentary filmmaker and maternal mental health advocate. In 2014 Erin raised over 100k on Kickstarter to fund and produce her first feature-length film Dream, Girl about women entrepreneurs. Dream, Girl premiered at Obama's White House and caught the eye of Oprah. Erin was one of Oprah's Super Soul 100. In 2018 Erin became a mother and started filming “Year One” a documentary that takes an intimate look at the everyday extraordinary moments of being a mom, while also healing from postpartum depression. Erin's story has been featured in Forbes, Ted, Vogue, and The Washington Post. In this episode we delve into postpartum depression, what the warning signs are, and the importance of seeking support and asking for help. How to acknowledge what we are going through so we can move through and heal. We talk about how Erin’s identity changed going from a career woman to a mom, and how identity is a complicated piece of being a mother. We talk about whether our society prepares people enough to become parents, and how American mothers feel like they are completely underwater and exhausted, and discuss how hard it can be to be honest with friends and family when you feel that you are failing at motherhood.We talk about sexual intimacy and how mothers are being touched out: how after holding a baby or having a baby sucking from your breasts how hard it can be to transition to the act of using the body for pleasure. We discuss the importance of giving ourselves Grace and chat about the lessons we learn from nature and the lessons Erin learns from her garden.You can find Erin at @erinbagwell, and you can find her films Dream, Girl here and Year One here.If you feel you may be experiencing Postpartum Depression or Suicidal Ideation, Erin has a list of resources here.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After is produced by @thechrisderosa.

Erin Keating is an Innovative creative leader with a track record of Emmy and Peabody Award-winning original programming for TV and mobile. She has had Senior creative roles at Snapchat, Big Beach TV, IFC TV, and Magna Global Entertainment and was the Supervising Producer of the iconic sketch series Portlandia. She is the founder of media and lifestyle brand Hotter Than Ever and host of the Hotter Than Ever podcast, inspiring women over 40 to break the unconscious rules that have shaped our lives and figure out how to be happier and hotter than ever.  In this episode, we talk about reconnecting to our sexuality after divorce and the path of reawakening. How we do ourselves a disservice when we neglect this essential part of ourselves. We talk about how important it is to stay in touch with your own pleasure. Cultivating your receptivity and availability. Just because you don’t have it with somebody else doesn’t mean you can’t have it. We delve into sexual exploration after marriage and the importance of being very clear about what we are looking for. Learning how to communicate more directly with men, set boundaries, and express what you want. How knowing what you don’t want is as important as knowing what you do want.As a single mother of tween twins, Erin shares when she tells her children she is dating or met someone. We talk about how important it is to see your parents living fulfilled lives, so your children know that a fulfilled life is possible. It is vital to give ourselves permission to change and evolve because when your light is on the world responds to you in a very different way.Erin can be found at @erindkeating.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After is Produced by @thechrisderosa.

At 6 years old, Alexandra Capellini was diagnosed with bone cancer which led to many months of chemotherapy and ultimately an above-knee amputation of her right leg. We reached out to Alexandra after reading her Modern Love Article “His Comfort Is Not My Responsibility" in The New York Times. In this episode, we talk about navigating all the dating apps, when you tell a guy you have a prosthetic leg, and not only accepting our bodies but celebrating them. She is a skier, rock climber, and an active advocate for the adaptive community. Dr. Capellini is an inspiration, and it was an honor to sit down and talk to her.You can find Alexandra at @alexandra.capellini and you can find her Modern Love article here.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After is produced by @thechrisderosa.

Blythe and Kesley Howard are sisters and founders of The Chemo Queens. The Chemo Queens is dedicated to empowering and supporting those with cancer by providing the tools, resources, and community you need to navigate this journey with grit & glamour. In 2021, at the age of 37 Kesley received a diagnosis of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. On Jan 12th, 2022, after 20 rounds of chemo, Kesley rang the bell to celebrate her last and final treatment. Throughout the nine months of her cancer journey, she bravely shared her story. Kelsey is a trailblazer lighting the way for others. While Kesley’s journey with cancer was ending, Blythe’s was just beginning. Blythe was diagnosed with stage II Ovarian Cancer in early December 2022. Blythe had a very successful open abdominal surgery and was out of the hospital in two and a half days. She focused on healing while simultaneously working multiple jobs.  Blythe is an actress who has been seen on multiple recurring guest star roles, and over 60 national SAG- AFTRA television commercials. She finished treatment and rang the bell on June 27th, 2023.  In this episode, we delve into the emotional impact cancer has on us. How our mind and our mental state are key to our healing. How crucial it is to go into this with the best people around us because negative energy affects our healing. We talk about the strength, the superpower that comes from going through cancer, and how life does not end with this diagnosis. That cancer and chemo do not define you. We discuss how important it is to speak up and advocate for ourselves, to no longer dim our light to make others feel comfortable. To keep living and giving ourselves grace. We delve into cold capping and how Blythe was able to save 90 percent of her hair with this treatment. She would sit under a cap filled with 5 pounds of ice on top of her head for six hours straight. Throughout the treatment, she kept thinking there must be a better and more affordable way to do this, which has now become part of the mission of the Chemo Queens. The Chemo Queens are all about uplifting and empowering you. They are committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by cancer and its subsequent treatment. Their mission is to ensure that you never face this journey alone and that you have all the resources and support you need to emerge stronger, sexier, and more uplifted.You can find The Chemo Queens at @thechemoqueens.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After is produced by @thechrisderosa.

Nikea Gamby-Turner is an actress living in Los Angeles, California. She can currently be seen on Abbott Elementary and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. By the age of 13, Nikea was a 34DD. Developing so young and quickly caused her emotional issues. In college, she was finally able to fall in love with her breasts and find her sexual prowess. Then at 30 years old Nikea was diagnosed with breast cancer. She first had a lumpectomy and then 6 months later had a double mastectomy. In total, she had three surgeries within 5 years, her first one in 2004 and her last one in 2006. Nikea is about to celebrate her 20-year anniversary of being cancer-free. In this episode, we candidly talk about the emotional loss of losing our breasts to cancer and how that changes us sexually. We talk about how sex played a role in Nikea’s healing. How the one thing she knew she could do that made her feel like a woman, was to have a lot of sex, and she did. We talk about how it took ten years for her to become comfortable looking in the mirror and walking around naked. How she had to spiral to some very dark places to then find the light. She had to mourn her loss and forgive herself for the way she went about dealing with herself when she had something in life that she could not control. How self-love is the best love and how it is a choice you make every day. We talk about the power of acceptance and living in your purpose. No longer dimming your light for others. How every day she gets a breath is a blessing.You can find Nikea at @okayimhere.You can find Amy at @amymarcs.You can find the show at @sexafterpodcast.Sex After is produced by @thechrisderosa.