“I Can’t Travel in Peace While Being Black”

It's no secret that sex changes as you age, but this listener, who is single in her sixties, is having trouble escaping the ideals of sex that shaped her in her formative years. Girls were taught that sex was meant for after marriage and that it wasn't something to be discussed. It was not something empowering, let alone playful. As she stands with many years ahead of her, she wants to know how to release her deeply embedded shame around sex and have fun hooking up.Cosmo Confessions is made in collaboration with editaudio. If you’d like to submit an anonymous confession to be featured in a future episode, send us a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This confession gets into a topic that carries a lot of stigma: couples therapy. Most people think, “If you’re in counseling, your marriage, relationship, whatever, is about to be kaput.” Not so! People seek out therapy together for a number of reasons other than hating each other’s guts, like our listener on this episode, who wants to go to couples therapy with her partner to talk through the next big stages of life together. Her partner thinks this is a waste of money because their relationship is "great as-is." Should she push him to go to therapy or are there other, less expensive ways that they can work on their relationship together?Our guest is Shan Boodram, who is a certified sex educator, dating coach, and intimacy expert. Shan is the host of the top podcast, "Lovers and Friends with Shan Boodram,” is the best-selling author of “The Game of Desire,” and is the co-host of the Peacock show “Ex-Rated with Andy Cohen.” Quick fact check: It was a Hinge study that found that 86 percent of singles are more likely to go on a second date with someone who referenced on date one that they see a therapist, but only 7 percent of people are actually comfortable bringing it up. Read more about that here.Follow Mia Lardiere and Veronica Lopez on Instagram: @mialardiere and @veee_low. Cosmo Confessions is made in collaboration with editaudio. If you’d like to submit an anonymous confession to be featured in a future episode, send us a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A friendship breakup can hurt more than a romantic breakup, especially when you don’t see it coming. This listener's friend of over a decade suddenly lost her dad by suicide. She supported her through this grieving process—her friend even shared sensitive details about her dad's death that she likely didn't tell anyone else. One day, our listener's friend stopped answering her text messages and their friendship of over a decade was over. How is our listener just supposed to move on without a goodbye?Heads up, this episode contains discussion of suicide. If you or a loved one are struggling, the Suicide & Crisis lifeline is 988.Our guest Jessi Gold, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Wellness, Engagement, and Outreach in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis. You can find her on Instagram (@drjessigold) and at drjessigold.com.Cosmo Confessions is made in collaboration with editaudio. If you’d like to submit an anonymous confession to be featured in a future episode, send us a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our listener had a sex dream about her best friend's boyfriend. 😟 She's never really been into him, so now she feels super awkward. What does this kind of dream mean? Does she secretly like her best friend's boo??Our guest Layne Dalfen founded The Dream Interpretation Center in Montreal in 1997. She has been a lecturer at Concordia University in Montreal since 2005. You can find Layne at www.thedreamanalyst.com.Follow Mia Lardiere and Erika W. Smith on Instagram: @mialardiere and @erikawynn.Cosmo Confessions is made in collaboration with editaudio. If you’d like to submit an anonymous confession to be featured in a future episode, send us a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The world sucks. Your imagination is probably a nicer, safer place. The listener in this episode is writing in to ask if it's irresponsible to give herself permission to be delusional. If everyone else on TikTok can be delulu, why can't she?Our guest Antoni Bumba is a transgender content creator dominating multiple niches with her notorious pop culture parodies, astrology hot-takes, and daily unfiltered vlog-style videos. She’s known on TikTok as the originator of “The BBL Effect” trend.Follow Mia Lardiere and Hannah Chubb on Instagram: @mialardiere and @hannahchubb. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometimes, telling your best friend the truth means that feelings might get hurt. In these situations, you have to ask yourself, “Am I willing to risk a friendship to do what I believe is the right thing?” Our listener is not a fan of her best friend’s girlfriend and things are moving quickly—like, moving in together after six months quickly. Should she tell her how she feels or let the trainwreck keep rolling by?Our guest is Robin Hopkins, is a published writer, actress, podcast host, and former stand-up comedian. She is the author of the award-winning book “If These Ovaries Could Talk: The Things We’ve Learned About Making an LGBTQ Family.” Robin is currently producing and hosting two podcasts: Well…Adjusting (an editaudio original) and Dear Headspace.Follow Mia Lardiere and Abbey Adkison on Instagram: @mialardiere and @abbeya. Follow Robin on socials: @realrobhops.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's just nature that we want what we can't have. In this confession, our listener is struggling with an office crush that's been haunting her for 18 months. "It's so painful as nothing will ever happen between us but the infatuation is so persistent," she says. Oh, and she's married, which makes matters worse. How can she get this man out of her head without finding a new job?Our guest Heather Havrilesky writes the popular Ask Polly advice column on Substack and is the author of “Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage,” the essay collection “What If This Were Enough,” the advice book “How to Be a Person in the World,” and the memoir “Disaster Preparedness.” Follow her on Instagram: @realaskpolly.Follow Mia Lardiere and Kim Duong on Instagram: @mialardiere and @kimduong. Cosmo Confessions is made in collaboration with editaudio. If you’d like to submit an anonymous confession to be featured in a future episode, send us a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our listener caught the travel bug from influencers on Instagram, but she's afraid that she will have a different experience than them in the same beautiful, dazzling locations across the globe because she's Black. Her family members and friends have shared their tales of racism while traveling abroad—being mistaken for a sex worker in Italy or being treated like a zoo animal in China. Is it worth spending a bucket of money on a trip that will make her feel violated?Our guest Kristen Martin is currently an Associate Community Editor at BuzzFeed and has been combining her love for writing and creating content while traveling the world. Through her openness and transparency, her goal is to inspire people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds to explore other cultures. Her TikTok and Instagram handles are @fatfashionandflights. This is the viral TikTok that we reference in the show, where a woman in Japan jumps on Kristen. It currently has 26.1 million views.Follow Mia Lardiere and Annabel Iwegbue on Instagram: @mialardiere and @annabeliwegbue. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're switching up the format in this episode and hear confessions from SEVERAL listeners related to a topic that we probably (unfortunately) all know something about—bad, weird, and awkward sex. At Cosmo, we’re all about having good sex, but sometimes, things just go awry. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You live and you learn from those experiences, but you sure never forget them.Our guest Chrissy Chlapecka is an emerging musician and social media personality from Chicago, making waves with her unapologetic style and unique sound. Stream her debut single, “I’m So Hot,” follow her on TikTok, and follow her on Instagram. Follow Mia Lardiere and Kayla Kibbe on Instagram: @mialardiere and @kaylakibbe. Read Kayla’s column “Sex at 26” on cosmopolitan.com. Oh, and please buy some lube if you don’t have any.Cosmo Confessions is made in collaboration with editaudio. If you’d like to submit an anonymous confession to be featured in a future episode, send us a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are bad exes...and then there are harmful exes. Unfortunately, this discussion is focused on the latter. Our listener was stuck in a relationship with a person who, along with his family, went out of their way to rob her of her self-worth. Now that she’s single and free, she’s having trouble picking up the pieces from her time with this man. All she wants is to be able to move on. And, heads up: this episode contains discussion of abuse. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 800-799-7233 if you or a loved one are in need of help.Our guest Dr. Courtney Tracy is a USC-trained licensed psychotherapist and doctor of clinical psychology in California. She is also a multi-award-winning mental health content creator known as The Truth Doctor with a global online community of over 2 million people. She hosts a hit YouTube Show called The Truth Doctor Show and hosts her own podcast called Human First with Dr. Courtney, where she gets real with her listeners about what it’s like to be a therapist with mental health disorders.Follow Mia Lardiere and Tamara Fuentes on Instagram: @mialardiere and @tamarafuentes_. Cosmo Confessions is made in collaboration with editaudio. If you’d like to submit an anonymous confession to be featured in a future episode, send us a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.