87. Gold Medal Gossip

It's hard to build connections, much less businesses, when you can't communicate freely online. For small business owners, online platforms are crucial to promoting their brand to potential customers and collaborators. But for sęxual health professionals, this is hindered by social media policies that conflate the professional with the prurient. Thankfully, there are folks like Leah Spasova, founder of the Sëxperts Business Community and advocate for entrepreneurs everywhere. She joins Wolf and Stef this week to talk about community-building strategy, championing intimacy & wellness innovation, and doing what it takes to build a business in the digital age. Show Notes

It's been at least a month since Wolf and Stef have ruined online dating for someone, right? Well, guess who's back, friends! From Stef's love of forensic procedurals to Wolf's fascination with oracle trilateration, we're here to explain and explore a whole new kind of vulnerability in some of the biggest dating apps in the business. Whether you are online to meet someone for the next thirty years or the next thirty minutes, you're going to want to hear this. Show Notes

You know that feeling when you meet someone new, and everything seems to click, and you're super excited to hear from them until, one day... you don't? Yeah. You got ghosted. If you've ever been left thinking WTF after a promising paramour pulls a vanishing act, this episode is for you! This week, Stef and Wolf are joined by Peter Jonason, a social/personality psychologist who uses evolutionary theory to (mostly) explain personality, mating strategies, and sęxuality. He's here to explain why ghosting happens and what lessons we can learn about dating by looking at how other creatures approach courtship. Show Notes

What do the Gremlins, Feminist Theory, and Stefani's 3rd grade Odyssey of the Mind team have in common? They all got us thinking about adaptive technologies and how we can promote pleasure and intimacy across the lifespan. In this week's free-ranging conversation, Stef and Wolf talk about aging, living and loving with disabilities, and Stef's favorite buzzy (and not so buzzy) toys for all bodies. Show Notes

This week Wolf and Stef are joined by the amazing Mona Terry, Chief Victims Officer for the Identity Theft Resource Center. In an age where it seems like our data is stolen by someone new every day, she's here to help us understand the scope of the problem, the systems that can protect us, and what to do if (when) it happens to you. Show Notes

Wolf and Stef just got back from New Orleans - a city known for daring and debauchery. So it's probably not a huge surprise that the #1 question they were asked by the folks they met in NOLA was, "What can I do to keep from getting called out when I say or do something that rubs others the wrong way?" Doxxing is a very real concern these days, and self-righteousness has been weaponized on both sides of the culture war. Wolf and Stef wax philosophical about this and discuss what, if anything, someone can do to keep from being canceled. Show Notes

Friend of the show and brand new author Stephanie Sigler is joining Wolf and Stefani this week and she is opening up... about all things ENM! A multiple-award winning sėxuality coach, she's here to share her tips on everything from how to navigate a group chat when you're chatting about "group activities" and what NOT to do on lifestyle apps to the best way to update- and if you choose, disseminate- your personal health info quickly and privately. Listen in this week as Wolf learns what to do when TWO Stef's show up to the conversation. Show Notes

A man in Britain is suing Apple for the dissolution of his marriage. Could his wife have been upset about his years of infidelity? No way- clearly, his iOS is to blame. This week, Stef and Wolf sit down to ask why this case is happening, what designers could do differently to prevent these situations, how to best keep your everyday messages private, and also just a general "WTF, Richard?" Show Notes

Stefani spent many years working in shelters for people at risk: homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and shelters for young people who didn't feel safe at home. There's one thing they all lacked: pretty much any kind of cybersecurity. Yeah! The people who are protecting the most vulnerable among us are often operating from a pretty vulnerable place themselves. This week, Stef and Wolf are joined by Dr. Kelley Masata, the founder and CEO of Sightline Security, a nonprofit which works with other nonprofits to develop a security strategy that protects their people, supports their mission, and fits their budget. She's here to share her own story of cyberabuse and her vision for creating a safer online world. Show Notes

It's summer in an even-numbered year and you know what that means! No, not easier math for numerologists... the Olympics are back! And while neither Goerlich is known for their athletic acumen, Stefani is here to answer all of Wolf's questions about the latest gossip coming out of Paris. From cardboard beds to a cornucopia of condoms... we've got all your pre-Games gossip (and perhaps a little sęx-and-tech context!) for you this week on Securing Sexuality. Show Notes