Ep 338 - Daniel

Like many of us, Brett started initially exploring non-monogamy before he had the language to describe it or a framework to understand it. Initially, he was in a long-distance relationship that had an agreement around being open. He eventually moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where his relational world opened up even further. Upon arriving in The Bay, Brett found himself living with a polyamorous couple, exploring the the vibrant play party scene, and getting involved with various Burning Man communities. All of these experiences helped open Brett up to a world of diverse relationship models that he continues to explore as he strives to hone a never-ending list of relational skills. In 2022 Brett founded the Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-monogamy (OPEN). OPEN is a nonprofit organization dedicated to normalizing and empowering non-monogamous individuals, relationships, and communities. More than that, they’re a movement of people working toward a future where romantic and intimate relationships between consenting adults are accepted and protected regardless of relationship structure, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Please check out the incredible work they're doing and find out how you can impact change as well! Check out the full show notes here. Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

Jessica is in her mid-thirties and has been practicing non-monogamy for over 11 years. From a very young age she decided she didn't want to follow the traditional relationship scripts and norms that most people do. When she started dating in college, she was very intentional about moving into non-monogamy with her partner from the very beginning of their relationship. Even though they were very intentional about what they were doing and how they were relating, they didn't have the words or language to describe it. In the beginning, they were pretty much making it up as they went. Jessica and her partner started off dating together and eventually learned about many different ways of being open. This led her to discover relationship anarchy and the relationship anarchy smorgasbord. Today, Jessica is open to the ebb and flow of life and relationships. She focuses a lot of her social energy on fostering deep friendships and community as she lets relationships take the form that makes the most sense for each one. Jessica's passion for community and helping others is inspirational and goes beyond her personal life. She also volunteers on the board for a Seattle-based non-profit called Evergreen Hearts. Their mission is to empower people who practice non-traditional relationship styles to build community and grow relationship skills through social functions, educational events, and educational resources. We encourage you to check out the incredible work they're doing to build and support community. Check out the full show notes here. Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

Abbey and Liam have been together for over 12 years and in an open relationship for about 10 of them. They initially started by exploring the idea as a fantasy through talking and sharing sexy stories back and forth on a private Tumblr page. Eventually, the fantasy turned into "Hey... Ya know, we could actually do this." which inspired them to begin exploring the New York City swinging world as they slowly opened their relationship. Today, their flavor of non-monogamy is a fluid negotiation between the two of them depending on what life looks like and what they're both wanting and needing. In today's beautiful interview they share about the power of forming deep friendships and community, how coming out changed their lives and allowed them to be honest about who they are, and how they thrive at being loving parents to their kiddo while navigating multiple relationships! If you can't get enough of Abbey and Liam, you're in luck! For the last few years they've been creating a powerful resource called the Evolving Love Project where they explore the topics of authentic and open relationships, sex positivity, parenting and empowered birth through a podcast, events, retreats, writing, and community! Definitely check it out! Check out the full show notes here. Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

Daniel feels he was born polyamorous but it took him until about eight years ago to stop conforming to monogamy. He was in a monogamous partnership for about 18 years which transitioned into a beautiful friendship that has lasted until today, instead of just blowing up in a spiteful mess. This was his catalyst to exploring different ways of relating and ultimately polyamory. At the core of Daniel's story is an incredibly beautiful journey of self-discovery, personal exploration and growth. This is a powerful and vulnerable interview and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Check out the full show notes here. Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

Meshai and Fin team up together to answer amazing listener questions every fourth Friday of each month! Today's questions are about how to persevere when it feels like it's been hard for a while AND what information is ours to share about our partners and how do we do it in a way that feels good for them. If YOU have a question, we'd love to hear it! Please, ask us anything by clicking here! We are super excited to be partnering with Meshai for the Ask Us Anything episodes! She first appeared on the podcast on Episode 233 and we're honored to have her back! Meshai is relationship coach with the team at Expansive Connection. She believes in the power of living as one’s authentic self, and the freedom that comes from changing perspectives. She loves putting the puzzle pieces of a couple's sexual energy together and aiding them in positive and explorative movement. Her coaching work implements creative synergy, openness, self-expression, and the confrontation of challenges through self-determination. She helps individuals from diverse populations move forward with their goals while being fully aware that trauma can play on the whole person. Meshai is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and is certified in both Trauma Therapy and Sex Therapy, and she is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. You likely know me (Fin) from over 300 episodes of Normalizing Non-Monogamy. Just in case you don't, I cohost the podcast with my partner Emma and we have been in an open relationship together for over 15 years. I also completed a sex and relationship coaching program through the Somatica Institute in March 2024!   Check out the full show notes here.   Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Check out our weekly peer support groups!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing  

Megan and Brett have been together for over 18 years and have been married for over 13. The idea of non-monogamy marinated in the background of their relationship for many years before they sort of both leaned into it around the same time a few years ago. They opened their relationship in a slow and calculated way and now find themselves in the beautiful grey area where they're a little too swingery for the polyamorous people, a little too polyamorous for the swinging community, a bit too kinky to consider themselves vanilla, and a bit too vanilla to call themselves kinky! Today, they take us on their beautiful journey of growing together though both the great times and the more challenging ones. Check out the full show notes here. Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

Kat is a polyamorous queer woman in her mid-thirties who has been pushing against the status quo her whole life as she strives to be her authentic self and live a life full of joy. Kat grew up in the Baptist Church and had even taken a vow of chastity when she was 14. Also, things aren't quite that straightforward... Her first make-out session was with a group of friends before they all went to the movies in high school, she came out to her mom as bisexual when she was 16, and her first time having sex was in a threesome while living in Europe. So, perhaps the norms aren't a good fit for everyone? Kat has truly lived a life of adventure. She's lived all over the world and explored a wide range of relationship styles from monogamy to various forms of non-monogamy and kink. Kat is also an LGBTQIA+, kink, and non-monogamy-affirmative therapist who provides online therapy for adults, romantic partners, and chosen family. She specializes in empowering people to work through shame, anxiety, depression, ADHD, coming out, and relational issues. You can learn more about Kat and how to work with her by clicking here! Check out the full show notes here.   Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

Mara and Mike have been together for almost 25 years and married for almost 20 of them... They've also been in some form of an open relationship pretty much the entire time. Lucky for us, they've organized their relationship into six phases! They walk us through each phase as they share all of the different ways they've related to one another and with themselves. We cover everything from their early days of swinging, the challenging duality of being a professional and a parent while also being adventurous and slutty, processing shame, and adapting their relationship and communication styles to better fit who they are as a team, and as individuals. We're excited to share this beautiful journey with you and we hope you enjoy it! Check out the full show notes here. Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

We are so excited to have Dr. Evelin Dacker back after more than four years... And this time, she's here to tell her incredibly powerful personal story! Dr. Dacker takes us on her journey of self-discovery over the course of more than three decades of being in relationships. She remembers having compersion from a very young age, even if she didn't have the words for it, and she's always felt like she was non-monogamous. Yet, like many, she got swept off her feet and into a 20-year detour of monogamy. Then, in her mid-forties, she joined a roller derby team and made a very intentional decision to shift her life and relationship in an effort to not completely lose her sexuality... From her website www.evelindacker.com : I am a Mexican-American, bicultural, bilingual, trauma-informed,  Integrative Family Physician who specializes in sexual wellness, menopause and hormones, and vitality throughout life. My unique approach to health incorporates pleasure as an important aspect for healing trauma and illness. In addition to practicing medicine, I specialize in teaching a sex positive approach to sexually transmitted disease,  am the creator of the STARS Talk framework for intimacy communication, and work toward incorporating sexuality into primary care through educating health care providers on sex-positivity. In addition, I hold workshops on consent and sexual communication geared toward young adults to help reduce sexual assault on college campuses. Check out the full show notes here.   Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing

Romi has always been an insatiably curious person who questions the status quo. This combination has led him to a life full of incredible adventures and human connection. Romi describes the first decade of his marriage as "monogamous, yet adventurous..." and he takes us along for the ride as he tells his powerful story of self-discovery. Today, he's a father with multiple deep partnerships and is in a polyamorous marriage. Not only does Romi live a life of adventure for himself, he's also dedicated his career to helping provide spaces for people to explore who they are. This led to the creation of SoulPlay! SoulPlay aspires to create a world where every individual is celebrated. Where unique desires and needs are acceptable. Where people can be free to be themselves, express themselves, and interact in a way that feels nourishing to them without fear of judgement or shame. SoulPlay 2024 is June 6-16 and you can learn more and get your tickets at www.soulplay.co. See you there!! Check out the full show notes here.   Submit a question for our Ask Us Anything Episodes! Click here to join our upcoming Virtual Meet and Greets! Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet!   Skip the ads and sign up for the Premium Feed!   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! $10 Off - Online STI Testing