Everyday Intimacy with Angela Rivero

What We Know, What We've Forgotten & What We're ReclaimingWhat does it mean to truly understand the female experience? Not just our hormones or reproductive health, but how our biology, identity, relationships, work, creativity, and life experiences are all connected.In this episode, I'm joined by Apollonia Gallegos, founder of Mi Hita, a womanhood studio exploring the many dimensions of being a woman.Apollonia shares the unexpected path that brought her here. After witnessing two births as a child, pursuing a career in educational equity through Teach for America, and eventually training as a doula during the pandemic, her own experiences led her to explore women's bodies and the knowledge she felt women deserved to have.She also speaks openly about experiencing pregnancy loss. Those experiences changed her relationship with her body, her priorities, and what she understood about the demands women place on themselves. She has since welcomed a child.We also explore the knowledge women have inherited, the wisdom we've lost, and the importance of creating space for women to make informed choices about their own lives.Because women are creators. We create life, businesses, art, communities, and entirely new versions of ourselves. And that deserves to be recognized.In this conversation:Why understanding female biology changes how we understand a fuller experience of being a woman.What we've lost, inherited, and continue to rediscover through generations of women.Why knowledge gives women agency and more freedom to make their own choices.What it means to build lives and environments that make room for the realities of women's bodies and experiences.This is a conversation about what women know, what we've been missing, and what becomes possible when we understand ourselves more fully.Meet Apollonia GallegosApollonia Gallegos is the founder of Mi Hita, a womanhood studio bringing together female biology, modern research, ancestral and cultural wisdom, and women's lived experiences.With more than 17 years of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition, along with a background in education and organizational leadership, Apollonia works at the intersection of biology, culture, work, creativity, and identity.Her training includes women's hormone health, fertility awareness, birth and postpartum education, doula training, yoga, breathwork, and somatic facilitation.Mi Hita was inspired in part by her Northern New Mexico roots. Its name is a Spanglish expression of "mijita," a term of endearment and belonging, reflecting the experience of living between languages, cultures, and identities.Connect with Apollonia:Website: ⁠https://www.mihita.co/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mi_hita/⁠Connect with Angela:Website: ⁠https://somashift.org/⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theangelarivero/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556510103080/⁠Everyday Intimacy with Angela Rivero. The taboo. The messy. The deeply human.

You can understand your patterns, talk about your feelings, and explain exactly why you do what you do. But when was the last time you stopped analyzing yourself long enough to actually experience yourself?In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, we explore what happens when we shift from thinking about the body to living in it, with a focus on feminine embodiment, body confidence, and the power of embodied experience.Because your body isn't just something to figure out. It's where you feel, move, express yourself, experience pleasure, and connect with your own aliveness.In this conversation, we explore:What becomes possible when you move beyond talking about your experience and start actually experiencing it?Feminine embodiment is more than a concept. What does it mean to move from understanding something intellectually to feeling it in your body?Your relationship with your body matters. How does that connection influence your confidence and the way you move through the world?What happens when you give yourself permission to feel, move, and be in your body? Dr. Somer Nicole is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Somatic Therapist, and CranioSacral Therapist with more than 20 years of experience bridging science and soul. Her work integrates nervous system science, somatic practices, pelvic floor rehabilitation, feminine embodiment, and energy work to support women in reconnecting with their bodies and their innate power.An invitation to explore a different way of relating to yourself. As you listen, notice when your mind starts explaining, analyzing, or trying to figure something out. Can you pause and notice what you're actually experiencing in your body instead? No need to make anything happen. Just get curious.Meet Dr. Somer NicoleWebsite: ⁠https://www.somahealingcollective.com/medicine⁠Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dr_somer_nicole/⁠Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/somer.nicole.98⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/somernicole/⁠YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-x3tAIR545ymhcFiaw3XCQ⁠Connect with Angela Rivero Website: ⁠https://somashift.org/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/theangelarivero/⁠Everyday Intimacy explores the taboo, the messy, and the deeply human through conversations about somatics, sex, grief, trauma, pleasure, and aliveness.Keywords: Dr. Somer Nicole, feminine embodiment, somatic therapy, embodied movement, body confidence, nervous system, body awareness, mind-body connection, Everyday Intimacy podcast, Angela Rivero.

What happens when your gut starts making decisions for you? What you eat, where you go, what you wear, whether you feel comfortable being intimate, and how much of your life you’re willing to risk having a bad gut day? Angela talks with Mikayla Loquist about gut health, food flexibility, and what it takes to feel more comfortable in a body that doesn’t always feel predictable.Mikayla is a Gut Health Coach who helps women reclaim their lives from ongoing digestive issues, build a more flexible relationship with food, and find greater digestive comfort. She has lived with Crohn’s disease since childhood and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her personal experience, background in traditional healthcare, and continued education in functional nutrition and behavior change have shaped her holistic, personalized approach to gut health.In this episode, we explore:Why gut health involves more than what you eatHow to navigate bloating, digestive discomfort, and food reactionsWhy food isn’t always the enemy, even when your body seems to react to everythingThe emotional toll of ongoing gut issues, including embarrassment, anxiety, and feeling limited by your bodyHow digestive symptoms can affect confidence, relationships, and intimacyWhy individualized support matters more than one-size-fits-all food rulesHow small, manageable changes can support your well-being over timeIf you’re tired of planning your life around your digestion, afraid to eat certain foods, or frustrated by advice that doesn’t seem to work for your body, this conversation offers a different perspective on navigating gut health.Because the goal isn’t simply to manage symptoms. It’s to have more freedom to live your life.Connect with Mikayla LoquistWebsite: https://www.mikaylarosewellness.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikaylarosewellness/TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@mikaylarosewellnessFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579691442979Connect with Angela Rivero and SomaShiftWebsite: https://somashift.org/Listen to Everyday Intimacy for conversations about somatics, intimacy, sexuality, grief, trauma, and what it means to live with greater aliveness, connection, and pleasure.SEO keywords: gut health, gut health coach, Crohn’s disease, digestive health, chronic digestive issues, bloating, food sensitivities, food flexibility, functional nutrition, holistic gut health, gut microbiome, women’s gut health, digestive discomfort, gut health and stress, gut health and intimacy, Angela Rivero, Mikayla Loquist, Everyday Intimacy podcast.

In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, Angela sits down with Emma Swain, Sensual Embodiment Coach and founder of The Sensual Embodiment Method SEM), to explore why insight and personal growth don’t always translate into feeling open, connected, and alive in the bedroom.Emma shares how grief and personal healing shaped her work, and explores the roles of psychology, somatics, tantra, and sacred sexuality in her approach to intimacy.Together, they unpack why so many women feel stuck in their heads, the difference between intellectual understanding and embodied pleasure, and why intimacy may need focused attention and support of its own.A candid conversation about grief, healing, shame, and reclaiming connection with your body and pleasure.​How much of your sex life is happening in your head?  ​What it means to become a shameless woman ​Discovering your sexual blueprint and what genuinely turns you on​The 13 types of female orgasm and what women may not know about their pleasure potential​The relationship between sexuality, spirituality, and science​Why intimacy deserves attention beyond what happens in the bedroomEmma Swain is a 5x certified Sensual Embodiment Coach with 12+ years across psychology, somatic healing, and feminine embodiment. She is the founder of The Sensual Embodiment Method (SEM), which has helped 450+ women go from feeling shut down and disconnected in their bodies and relationships to feeling truly alive, turned on, and magnetic again.Through her work, Emma helps women explore their unique sexual blueprint, expand their capacity for pleasure, and become shameless in their sexuality. Her approach weaves together psychology, somatics, and feminine embodiment, with a passion for exploring how sexuality, spirituality, and science intersect.Her deeper mission is to be a breaker of chains and a mender of hearts.Connect with AngelaIf this conversation stirred something in you, this is the kind of work I offer through my own somatic intimacy coaching practice.I work with women to explore the patterns, sensations, emotions, and experiences that shape how they move through life, relationships, intimacy, and desire.I offer virtual sessions and in-person sessions in Escondido, California.⁠www.somashift.org⁠Connect with EmmaWebsite: https://emswaincoaching.com/linksInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/emswain_coaching/5 Pillars: https://emswaincoaching.com/sem-5-pillar-deep-dive-opt-in-pageEVERYDAY INTIMACYThe taboo. The messy. The deeply human.Somatics. Sex. Grief. Trauma. Women’s thriving. Aliveness. Desire. Pleasure.Subscribe to Everyday Intimacy for more conversations that invite you to get curious about yourself, your body, and what’s possible.Come curious. Leave changed.

In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, host Angela sits down with Dr. Veda to explore sexual vitality, desire, and the many factors that shape how connected we feel to ourselves and our bodies.Dr. Veda shares her perspective on why libido is about more than hormones. Stress, emotional well-being, movement, life stage, and our relationship with our own desires can all be part of the picture. Together, Angela and Veda discuss practical ways to check in with the body, build presence, and make space for intimacy through changing seasons of life.In this episode:What it means to feel “turned on” beyond sexual arousalWhy hormones matter, but may not tell the whole storyWhy desire can shift: Dr. Veda explores how desire is a reflection of vitality, and why changes in libido may have less to do with hormones or attraction and more to do with stress, depletion, disconnection, circulation, and our relationship with ourselves.Dr. Veda is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, founder of the Turned On Clinic in San Diego, and host of Quantumly Kinky, where ancient wisdom meets modern intimacy. She believes desire isn’t something we lose; it’s a reflection of how connected we are to our bodies, our nervous systems, and our deepest truth. Through her work, she helps people awaken vitality, sensuality, and authentic connection by blending Eastern medicine, frequency medicine, and the science of regulation. Her mission is simple: to help people become deeply turned on to their lives.Connect with Angela Riverowww.somashift.orghttps://www.instagram.com/theangelarivero/Connect with Dr. Vedahttps://www.instagram.com/dr.sarahveda/https://turnedonclinic.com/If this conversation sparked something for you, come find me at SomaShift. I offer somatic coaching for women who are ready to explore their patterns, desire, intimacy, and aliveness in a deeper way.The taboo. The messy. The deeply human.Everyday Intimacy.Somatics. Sex. Grief. Trauma. Women’s thriving. Aliveness. Desire. Pleasure.

Money, Shame, and the Stories We InheritWhat does your relationship with money have to do with your childhood, your relationships, your sense of security, and your sense of self?Probably more than you think.In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, Angela talks with Chrissy Chase, an Accredited Financial Counselor and financial coach known as “the therapist with a spreadsheet,” about the emotional side of money.We explore the money stories we inherit, why shame can keep us avoiding our finances, how money can create distance and resentment in relationships, and why financial conflict is often about much more than dollars and cents.Chrissy also shares practical ways to move from avoidance to confidence, why transparency matters between partners, and how small steps can create real financial change.The childhood messages that become our adult money storiesWhy it can feel impossible to talk about money Why “I’m bad with money” is often a story, not a factHow money conflict can affect intimacy and trustWhy women can experience money as “his money” instead of “our money”Emotional spending, loneliness, scarcity, and our relationship with desireWhat healthy money communication actually looks like in a relationshipWhy both partners need access and transparencyPreparing for major financial conversations, including supporting aging parentsWhy it is never too late to change your relationship with moneyChrissy Chase is an Accredited Financial Counselor and financial coach who helps individuals and couples create healthier relationships with money. Drawing from her background in finance and her own life experience, she combines practical financial strategies with an understanding of the emotional and relational patterns behind financial decisions.Known as “the therapist with a spreadsheet,” Chrissy helps people reduce money stress, communicate more effectively, and create financial systems that support the lives they actually want.She is also the author of Money Talks Before the Wedding, a workbook designed to help couples have essential conversations about money before marriage.Website: www.CLCFinancialCoaching.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissychasefinancialcoach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrissy.chaseLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissychase/EVERYDAY INTIMACYThe taboo. The messy. The deeply human.Somatics. Sex. Grief. Trauma. Women’s thriving. Aliveness. Desire. Pleasure.www.somashift.org

Rob Kancler on...A lot of people genuinely struggle with sex. They’re disconnected, they don’t know what they want, or they’re stuck trying to perform it “right.” But what if we were never actually given a map for creating the sex life we want?In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, Rob Kancler and I explore the ways men and women have been taught to approach sex through performance, technique, expectations, and scripts, and what becomes possible when we move beyond them.We talk about:The performance map: What men are taught sex is supposed to be, how that creates anxiety and disconnect, and what women may not realize is happening underneath it.Beyond technique: Why presence, attunement, openness, and authenticity can matter far more than knowing what you’re “supposed” to do.What women need to know about themselves: Female sexual performance, desire, vulnerability, and what can happen when you stop performing and start actually experiencing.What creates lasting sexual fulfillment: Moving from surface-level sex toward deeper connection, honesty, and presence.Rob Kancler has spent twenty years studying human sexuality. His claim is that almost nobody knows how to have the sex life they actually want, and that fixing it is worth a thousand times what it takes. Men and women repeatedly report the best sex of their lives after the first time they encounter his frameworks.Connect with RobRob Kanclerhttp://somawisdom.com/http://somawisdom.com/everydayintimacyhttp://instagram.com/robkanclerhttp://facebook.com/rob.kanclerConnect with AngelaSomaShiftInstagram

Dawn Dalili on...Your Hormones Aren’t the Whole StoryWhat if your hormones are explaining how you feel, but not necessarily why?In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, Dr. Dawn Dalili and I explore the relationship between the life you’re living and what your body is saying about it.Dr. Dawn Dalili is a Naturopathic Physician and expert in women’s hormones. After more than 15 years of supporting women with emotional eating, metabolism, and hormones, she began noticing an undeniable connection between what was happening in women’s bodies and the lives they were living. Today, her work focuses on helping women understand that relationship and listen differently to what their bodies are communicating.Your body knows before your brain is ready to admit it. What symptoms like fatigue, irritation, low libido, and other changes might be communicating.Hormones are the how, not always the why. We explore why hormones matter while also looking at the life, choices, desires, and circumstances surrounding what your body is experiencing.What happens when you stop trying to fix yourself. Why honoring your truth and your desires can tell you more than another supplement, protocol, or attempt to override what you feel.Perimenopause as a portal. Instead of seeing this stage of life only as something to manage, what if it creates an opportunity to pay attention to what is no longer working and what you actually want?This conversation is about women’s hormones, perimenopause, desire, libido, metabolism, fatigue, irritation, and the powerful relationship between our bodies and the lives we are living.Sometimes the body isn’t asking to be fixed. It may be asking you to tell the truth.Connect with DawnThe Price of Being Good - https://foraliveness.com/Dawn’s WebsiteDawn on InstagramLearn more about Dawn’s work and Devoted, her offering for women’s aliveness, vitality, and health.If this episode gave you a new way to think about your body, your hormones, or your desires, share it with another woman.And if you’re ready to explore a deeper relationship with your body, nervous system, emotions, desires, and life, learn more about working with Angela at https://www.somashift.org/The taboo. The messy. The deeply human.Somatics. Sex. Grief. Trauma. Women’s thriving. Aliveness. Desire. Pleasure.

Beth Switt on: What if the thing you’ve been trying to get rid of is actually trying to tell you something? In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, Beth Switt and I explore what happens when we start listening to the body instead of treating every symptom, sensation, or emotional response as something that needs to be fixed.​How subconscious beliefs show up in the body through tension, symptoms, emotional releases, and patterns we may not consciously recognize.​Why symptom relief isn’t always resolution and what can happen when we turn the volume down without addressing what’s underneath.​The difference between knowing and knowing — understanding something intellectually versus actually experiencing it in your body.​Why safety, choice, boundaries, and co-regulation matter when doing deeper work.​Turning toward instead of bypassing — meeting discomfort, shame, and protective patterns with curiosity and compassion.​Building capacity before going deeper rather than pushing for catharsis.​Remembering what’s working, too. We talk about resilience, brilliance, and the wisdom and resources already within you.Beth Switt is an integrative bodyworker, heart-centered hypnotherapist, and transformational coach devoted to helping people remember the wisdom that has always lived within them. She guides deeply caring people in releasing subconscious survival patterns that keep them disconnected from themselves so they can reclaim their voice, their power, and the courage to live in alignment with their own truth.“My body is my partner.”Connect with BethWebsiteInstagramhttps://www.altheafera.com/inner-compass-journeyConnect with AngelaWebsiteSubscribe to Everyday Intimacy so you don’t miss the next conversation.Sex. Somatics. Grief. Trauma. Discovery. Everything in between.Come curious. Leave changed.

Gigi Hunt on: What if your hormones aren’t the whole story?Women are cyclical, yet so much of modern life asks us to be consistent, productive, and operate at the same capacity every day. Gigi Hunt helps women understand what happens when we stop fighting that reality and start working with the body instead.In this episode of Everyday Intimacy, we talk about the connection between the nervous system, hormones, and the menstrual cycle, and why understanding that relationship can change the way you experience your energy, emotions, productivity, and life.In this episode, we explore:Women are cyclical. What that actually means beyond simply having a period.Your cycles, hormones, and nervous system are constantly communicating. Gigi explains the connection and why the nervous system is like the conductor of the hormonal orchestra.Your cycle phases affect far more than your period. We get into the luteal phase, energy, consistency, emotions, productivity, and why you may feel like a completely different woman at different points in your cycle.Gigi Hunt is a Cycle & Flow Mentor who helps women understand the connection between their nervous system, hormones, and menstrual cycle so they can create more ease, self-trust, and alignment in life and business. Blending science, somatics, and feminine wisdom, she teaches women how to work with their cyclical nature rather than against it. Her work helps women move from burnout, overwhelm, and self-doubt into a deeper relationship with their body, energy, and inner rhythm.Gigi’s message:You aren’t lazy. You aren’t broken. You aren’t bad at consistency. You’re a cyclical being trying to live a linear life.Learn more about Gigi and her Sync Your Flow course at Sync Your Flow.https://gigihunt.com/link-in-biohttps://www.facebook.com/gloflo.withgigihttps://www.tiktok.com/@gloflo.withgigi?_r=1&_t=ZT-97nF98D61NNConnect with Angelawww.somashift.orghttps://www.facebook.com/angela.riv.1Subscribe to Everyday Intimacy for more conversations about sex, somatics, grief, trauma, discovery, and everything in between.