The Dating & Desire Podcast is a Christian dating and sexuality podcast for singles and dating adults who want more than rules or fear-based answers. Hosted by relationship coaches Bridgett Blood and Lauren Mathues, the show explores Christian dating, sexual desire, emotional safety, boundaries, and integrity. Through honest conversations with pastors, therapists, and relationship experts, we help you navigate physical boundaries and sexual formation with faith and self-trust. Because your desire is holy, your body is good, and your story matters.
Dating and Desire Podcast
Claim This Podcastby Bridgett Blood and Lauren Mathues
5.0(15 reviews)
24 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
Podcast Overview
The Dating & Desire Podcast is a Christian dating and sexuality podcast for singles and dating adults who want more than rules or fear-based answers. Hosted by relationship coaches Bridgett Blood and Lauren Mathues, the show explores Christian dating, sexual desire, emotional safety, boundaries, and integrity. Through honest conversations with pastors, therapists, and relationship experts, we help you navigate physical boundaries and sexual formation with faith and self-trust. Because your desire is holy, your body is good, and your story matters.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/20/2026
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Recent Episodes
June 30, 2026
EP.23 Singleness, Sexuality, and the Desire to Be Known with Dr. Carol Tanksley
<p>Dr. Carol Tanksley, a physician and minister, brings a rare blend of medical wisdom, theological depth, and lived experience to the conversation around singleness and sexuality. Having lived through long-term singleness, a cherished marriage, widowhood, and singleness again, she speaks with honesty about desire, intimacy, the body, and what healthy sexual formation actually takes.</p><p><br></p><p>One of the deeper tensions she names is the way many singles have been given information about what not to do, but very little formation around what to do with longing, touch, sexual desire, and the need to be known. Dr. Carol invites a more embodied understanding of discipleship, one that does not reduce desire to sin or collapse intimacy into sexual activity, but honors the emotional reality beneath the ache. </p><p><br></p><p>Her teaching moves toward a more connected vision of integrity, wholeness, and life in the light. Rather than relying on fear, rigid rules, or surface-level accountability, she points to the kind of formation that happens when desire is brought to Jesus, trusted community, and wise discernment. This is not about hiding the heart behind walls, but learning how to steward longing with honesty, maturity, and love.</p><p><br></p><p>For anyone dating, healing, or navigating singleness, this conversation offers a slower and more trustworthy way. What to pay attention to… is what comes alive in you around another person, where your longing is asking for care, and whether that desire can be held with peace, connection, and trust. Healthy love begins with discernment, clarity, and self-trust.</p><p><br></p><p><strong></strong><a href="https://youtu.be/55UOxafABPo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Watch this episode on YouTube</strong></a><strong></strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Connect with Dr. Carol Tanksley</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.drcarolministries.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/drcarolministries" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/drcarolt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolMinistries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Facebook</a></li><li><a href="https://www.drcarolministries.com/intensives/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">In-person Intensives</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/497i434" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Her book, Sexpectations</a></li></ul><p>If something in this episode resonated with you, here are two ways to go deeper depending on what you need: </p><p><br></p><p><strong>🩷 Work with Bridgett</strong></p><p>You don’t need more rules. You need a deeper understanding of your sexual desire.If you still feel confused about how to navigate dating without shutting down or crossing your boundaries, Bridgett helps you build sexual self-trust and honor your values</p><p>→ <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/reclaim" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> RECLAIM Cohort</a> </p><p>📓 <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/freebies" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Free Guides and Ecourse</a> </p><p>→ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bridgettblood/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> </p><p>→ <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Website</a> </p><p><br></p><p>💙<strong> Work with Lauren</strong></p><p>If you’re feeling unsure what to do next— whether that’s meeting people, choosing who to pursue, or trusting your judgment in dating, Lauren helps you move forward with clarity and confidence.</p><p>→ <a href="https://calendar.app.google/DqcbBo3bYi5q4vuY9 " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Work with Lauren</a></p><p>→ <strong>Coming in July: </strong><a href="https://laurenmathues.kit.com/63d82cbf1c" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The Mid-Summer Dating Reset</a>→ <a href="https://book.titan.email/claritycallwithlaurenmathues" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Book a Dating Clarity Call</a><strong> </strong>We’ll look at your specific situation and map out your next step. </p><p>📔 Get the free guide <a href="https://laurenmathues.kit.com/477a573d13" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Dating Apps Don’t Have to Be Confusing</a></p><p>→ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/laurenmathues/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a></p><p>→ <a href="http://www.laurenmathues.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Website</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Have more questions?</strong></p><p>Email us at <a href="mailto:datinganddesirepodcast@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">datinganddesirepodcast@gmail.com</a></p>
June 23, 2026
EP.22 Is Masturbation Wrong for Christians? A Thoughtful Conversation on Discernment
<p>Bridgett Blood and Lauren Mathues step into one of the most tender and often misunderstood conversations in Christian sexuality: masturbation, self-pleasure, and how adults make embodied, faithful decisions. With warmth and nuance, they name the range of perspectives people often carry, from “always wrong” to “always empowering,” and invite listeners into a more honest conversation about story, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and what it really looks like. </p><p>The depth of this conversation comes from the way they refuse to separate theology from lived experience. Our bodies, histories, wounds, shame, curiosity, and longings are all present when we talk about sexuality. For some, this topic touches abuse, loneliness, purity culture, pornography, confusion, or fear. For others, it raises questions about freedom, agency, healing, and what it means to live with integrity.</p><p>Bridgett and Lauren offer a framework that moves beyond rule-making and reaction. They talk about discernment, personal conviction, embodied awareness, the difference between pleasure and escape, and the importance of asking whether our practices are leading us toward connection or away from it. Their invitation is not to bypass God or the body, but to listen more deeply to both as part of formation and wholeness.</p><p>What to pay attention to is the fruit of your choices. Are you becoming more connected to God, yourself, and others, or more hidden, isolated, and self-protective? Are you honoring your body with kindness, or using pleasure to avoid the risk of being known and cared for? These questions help create a path toward discernment, clarity, and a deeper trust in your own story.</p><p><br></p><p><strong></strong><a href="https://youtu.be/sabDfLyl9RU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Watch this episode on YouTube</strong></a><strong></strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Mentioned in this Episode</strong></p><ul><li>Bridgett’s free guidebook, <a href="https://stan.store/bridgettblood/p/19-ways-to-engage-sexual-joy-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">19 Ways to Engage Sexual Joy</a></li><li>Pure Desire: Groups and Clinical care for unwanted sexual behavior and betrayal trauma for men and women</li><li>She Recovery: women porn recovery resources</li><li>Tabbitha Westbrook: healthy sexuality after abuse</li></ul><p><br></p><p>If something in this episode resonated with you, here are two ways to go deeper depending on what you need: </p><p><br></p><p><strong>🩷 Work with Bridgett</strong></p><p>You don’t need more rules. You need a deeper understanding of your sexual desire.If you still feel confused about how to navigate dating without shutting down or crossing your boundaries, Bridgett helps you build sexual self-trust and honor your values</p><p>→ <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/reclaim" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> RECLAIM Cohort</a> </p><p>📓 <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/freebies" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Free Guides and Ecourse</a> </p><p>→ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bridgettblood/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> </p><p>→ <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Website</a> </p><p><br></p><p>💙<strong> Work with Lauren</strong></p><p>If you’re feeling unsure what to do next— whether that’s meeting people, choosing who to pursue, or trusting your judgment in dating, Lauren helps you move forward with clarity and confidence.</p><p>→ <a href="https://calendar.app.google/DqcbBo3bYi5q4vuY9 " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Work with Lauren</a></p><p>→ <strong>Coming in July: </strong><a href="https://laurenmathues.kit.com/63d82cbf1c" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The Mid-Summer Dating Reset</a>→ <a href="https://book.titan.email/claritycallwithlaurenmathues" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Book a Dating Clarity Call</a><strong> </strong>We’ll look at your specific situation and map out your next step. </p><p>📔 Get the free guide <a href="https://laurenmathues.kit.com/477a573d13" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Dating Apps Don’t Have to Be Confusing</a></p><p>→ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/laurenmathues/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a></p><p>→ <a href="http://www.laurenmathues.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Website</a></p><p><br></p>
June 16, 2026
EP.21 What we are learning, loving, and a whole lot about kissing
<p>Bridgett and Lauren gather the threads from recent conversations with Dr. Anthony Bradley, Barb Hill, Dr. Andrew Bauman, Dr. Jenna Mountain, Jonathan Hernandez, Adam Young, and Dr. Tony. Across themes of men’s formation, emotional capacity, abstinence, shame, story, and embodied sexuality, they keep returning to what healthy love actually takes. </p><p>The tension is honest: rules can feel safer than discernment, but they cannot do the deeper work of formation. Bridgett and Lauren name the body as a place of wisdom, not fear, where desire, hesitation, grief, attraction, and discomfort all offer meaningful information.</p><p>Their invitation is toward integrity that is connected and whole. Physical closeness is not treated as a formula, but as something that should match trust, commitment, communication, and the relational reality being built.</p><p>For dating and relationships, this becomes deeply practical. What to pay attention to is whether your body feels safe, whether your words can be honest, and whether connection is forming something good in both of you. The fruit is clarity, discernment, and growing trust in yourself.</p><p><br></p><p><strong></strong><a href="https://youtu.be/upOoo2dHcqc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Watch this episode on YouTube</strong></a><strong></strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Mentioned in this Episode</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://andrewjbauman.com/man-land-online-community-is-open/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Join Andrew Bauman's Man Land</a></li><li><a href="https://threepercentco.com/podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Listen to Three Percent Podcast </a></li></ul><p><strong>Heartbreak Albums Bridgett Mentioned:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6nGvTLfDe8Re9cUKx2YcOp?si=Fi8rOqzJQc6sq61eB4jJvw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The Process by Judah & The Lion</a></li><li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3OsuGDfJXeBFUUlYCtkjpq?si=1M1bOpGyTQm5B7drNJ6pZQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Nova by Falcon</a></li></ul><p>If something in this episode resonated with you, here are two ways to go deeper depending on what you need: </p><p><br></p><p><strong>🩷 Work with Bridgett</strong></p><p>You don’t need more rules. You need a deeper understanding of your sexual desire.If you still feel confused about how to navigate dating without shutting down or crossing your boundaries, Bridgett helps you build sexual self-trust and honor your values</p><p>→ <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/reclaim" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> RECLAIM Cohort</a> </p><p>📓 <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/freebies" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Free Guides and Ecourse</a> </p><p>→ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bridgettblood/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> </p><p>→ <a href="https://bridgettblood.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Website</a> </p><p><br></p><p>💙<strong> Work with Lauren</strong></p><p>If you’re feeling unsure what to do next— whether that’s meeting people, choosing who to pursue, or trusting your judgment in dating, Lauren helps you move forward with clarity and confidence.→ <a href="https://calendar.app.google/DqcbBo3bYi5q4vuY9 " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Work with Lauren</a></p><p>→ <strong>Coming in July: </strong><a href="https://laurenmathues.kit.com/63d82cbf1c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Mid-Summer Dating Reset</a>→ <a href="https://book.titan.email/claritycallwithlaurenmathues" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Book a Dating Clarity Call</a><strong> </strong>We’ll look at your specific situation and map out your next step. </p><p>📔 Get the free guide <a href="https://laurenmathues.kit.com/477a573d13" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Dating Apps Don’t Have to Be Confusing</a></p><p>→ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/laurenmathues/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a></p><p>→ <a href="http://www.laurenmathues.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Website</a></p><p><br></p>
24 total episodes available
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