Sex Help for Smart People
Hosted by Dr Liz Powell · Laura Jurgens, Ph.D.
5.0from 44 ratings
- 144
- Episodes
- 11
- Transcribed
- 44
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2024
- First episode
About Sex Help for Smart People
Formerly The Desire Gap Podcast Most people who feel disconnected from their desire, their pleasure, or their partners have spent years assuming something is wrong with them. It isn't. The disconnection is real — but it traces back to what most of us were never taught: how to be in our bodies fully, how to connect to each other authentically, how to know and ask for what we need without guilt or shame. Culture shapes that — the broader culture we inherit, and the family we grew up in — and it can be unlearned. Pleasure, secure attachment, and authentic desire are your birthright. You can learn what you were never taught — and unlearn what got in the way. Dr. Laura Jurgens is a somatic sex and intimacy specialist, Master Certified Intimacy Coach, American Board of Sexology Certified Sex Educator, and former research professor whose work sits at the intersection of nervous system science, attachment theory, and genuine embodied pleasure. Every episode delivers the somatic, body-based tools that generic relationship advice and most therapists miss entirely — because desire, pleasure, and connection aren't fixed by talking more. They're fixed by giving your body and your nervous system reparative experiences that shift you out of your past. This show covers: getting out of your head during sex · low libido and what actually helps · somatic and nervous system approaches to intimacy · desire discrepancy and mismatched libido · secure attachment and relationship repair · sexual shame and body disconnection · how to talk about sex without fighting · ADHD and desire · the orgasm gap and why it exists · reclaiming pleasure on your own terms. Whether you've tried therapy, books, date nights, or just quietly wondering why intimacy feels harder than it should — this show will help you understand why those things don't move the needle — and what does. New episodes weekly. Start wherever you are. Free resource: Get Out of Your Head — A Starter Guide to Releasing the Pressure, Shame, and "Shoulds" Around Intimacy at https://laurajurgens.com/guide Wheel of Erotic Emotions: https;//laurajurgens.com/wheel For deeper analysis and the research behind desire, arousal, and attachment -- plus a chance to ask me questions, subscribe to my Substack here: https://laurajurgens.substack.com/
- Publisher
- Laura Jurgens, Ph.D.
- Category
- education · health & fitness · health & fitness
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- Yes
- First episode
- 30 Jan 2024
- Latest episode
- 12 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
11 of 144 episodes have a transcript.
12 Oct 2026
Sex After Divorce and Purity Culture: How Amber Let Go of Sexual Shame
5 Oct 2026
How to Last Longer in Bed: What It Really Takes
28 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
How to Initiate Sex With a Responsive Desire Partner
Inside a recent episode
How to Initiate Sex With a Responsive Desire Partner
Published 28 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] It will always kind of shut you down and it'll shut you down whether you have responsive desire or not. But Just remember, to be able to follow the breadcrumbs of yes, you have to be allowed to stop whenever you want to stop, right? So you know this already from going for a walk. If every single time you put on your shoes, you thought, I have to do a 12-mile hike, you will not go for a walk very often, right? But if you can put on your shoes sometimes and just like, I'm going to go around the block and oh, the weather is nice. I think I'm going to go a little farther. Right. And now all of a sudden you did go for a 12 mile hike. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on Sex Help for Smart People
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Amber
- Maggie Reyes
- Danielle Harel
- Caitlin V
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 5.0 / 5
- 30 ratings
- Spotify
- 5.0 / 5
- 14 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 58 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 85
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 0
- Engagement
- 77
Contact Sex Help for Smart People
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Sex Help for Smart People
Who hosts Sex Help for Smart People?
Dr Liz Powell host the show. Published by Laura Jurgens, Ph.D..
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Sex Help for Smart People take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
11 of 144 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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