DFD #16 | Desire and Devotion w/ Christina Braver

DFD #16 | Desire and Devotion w/ Christina Braver

What happens when a romance novelist refuses to believe that desire and faith have to live on opposite sides of the room? In this episode, we sit down with Christina, a local author whose work explores pleasure, shame, spirituality, and the deeply human stories that live underneath them all. As both a Christian and a writer of sex-positive romance, Christina brings a perspective that challenges the easy assumptions many of us were handed about bodies, purity, love, and what it means to be “good.” Together, we talk about growing up inside religious messages that often made sexuality feel dangerous, dirty, or something to be controlled, especially for women. Christina shares how her own faith, curiosity, and writing helped her begin untangling shame from belief, and how romance novels can become more than entertainment. They can offer representation, permission, healing, and a more honest language for desire. This conversation moves through church, scripture, sexuality, interpretation, womanhood, marriage, pleasure, and the complicated process of reclaiming parts of ourselves we may have been taught to hide. It is thoughtful, vulnerable, funny, and deeply human. At the heart of it all is a bigger question: What if faith and sexuality are not enemies? What if love, embodiment, and pleasure have always belonged in the same conversation? Connect with Christina Braver Website | ChristinaBraver.com [https://christinabraver.com/] IG | @ChristinaBraverRomance [https://www.instagram.com/christinabraverromance/] FB | @ChristinaBraverRomance [https://www.facebook.com/christina.braver.1/] Connect with Aiua Wild IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SensuousRevival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/sensuousrevival/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ReviveYoSenses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/reviveyosenses] Connect with Adam Riehl IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/adamriehlhealing/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/adamriehlheaing] Website | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AdamRiehlHealing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.adamriehlhealing.com/]

DFD #15 | The Space Between Perspectives w/ Maurice Anthony

Some conversations don’t fit neatly into one side or the other. In this episode of, we sit down with Officer Maurice Anthony for a grounded, honest, and deeply human conversation about perspective, responsibility, race, community, and what it means to serve from inside a system that many people have complicated feelings about. Maurice brings a rare and thoughtful lens to the conversation. From working in corrections to becoming a police officer, he shares how his experiences shaped the way he sees people, conflict, accountability, and the power of simply treating someone like a human being first. He talks about the tension of showing up as both a Black man and an officer, the assumptions people project onto the badge, and the importance of building trust before there is ever a crisis. This episode moves through hard topics without trying to flatten them into easy answers. It is about the space between identity and uniform, frustration and compassion, authority and service, being misunderstood and still choosing to show up with intention. Maurice doesn’t offer a perfect solution. He offers something better: honesty, humility, and a reminder that change often starts in the smallest moments of connection. Connect with Aiua Wild IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SensuousRevival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/sensuousrevival/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ReviveYoSenses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/reviveyosenses] Connect with Adam Riehl IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/adamriehlhealing/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/adamriehlheaing] Website | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AdamRiehlHealing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.adamriehlhealing.com/]

DFD #14 | The Gift Unseen w/ David Lunsford

In this episode of Deep Funny Dirty, we sit down with David for a conversation about identity, faith, embodiment, and the strange, sacred work of becoming yourself. Born without one hand and raised inside a Christianity that promised miracles, David shares how years of praying to be “healed” eventually led him into a much deeper question: what if wholeness was never about being fixed? Together, we explore moving beyond religious fear, reclaiming spirituality, learning to trust intuition, and finding the kind of self-love that turns old wounds into creative power. It is tender, funny, honest, and a little mystical, exactly the kind of human mess we love. A conversation about overcoming, unbecoming, and discovering the magic that was already there. Connect with David Lunsford Website | EmotionalCreative.com [https://www.emotionalcreative.com/] IG | @_davidlunsford_ [https://www.instagram.com/_davidlunsford_/] Email | David@EmotionalCreative.com Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/4oa8OdU2gtZ27bprXOrByv?si=guxduBJ1Q8KFHmx5Ill3oQ] Connect with Aiua Wild IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SensuousRevival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/sensuousrevival/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ReviveYoSenses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/reviveyosenses] Connect with Adam Riehl IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/adamriehlhealing/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/adamriehlheaing] Website | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AdamRiehlHealing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.adamriehlhealing.com/] Intro Song | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Borderless by Luke Rain & Cello Joe⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/track/4RfWNSkpEHT9o33VmZkDZn?si=55e4c28399f749cc]

DFD # 13 | Meeting Myself in the Darkness

This episode was originally recorded for Journey of the Modern Soul and has been brought into the Deep Funny Dirty world as part of the evolution of this work. A few years ago, I found myself circling an idea that both pulled me in and freaked me out a little: darkness therapy. Not the metaphorical kind… the real, sit-in-complete-darkness-for-days kind. It took time, a lot of questioning, and some honest self-inquiry to figure out whether this was something true for me or just something that sounded intense and interesting. Eventually, I said yes to a 5-day darkness sit. In this episode, Aiua Wild joins me to unpack that experience through a Deep Funny Dirty lens. We get into what actually happens when the lights go out, what comes up when there is nothing to distract you, and how confronting, strange, and unexpectedly humorous it can be to sit with yourself in that kind of space. We talk about the challenges, the mental loops, the moments of clarity, and the kind of growth that does not come from trying to fix yourself, but from actually being with what is there. It is deep. It is a little weird. There are moments that are funny in that “well, here we are” kind of way. And like most things worth exploring, it is not about the darkness itself. It is about what you find when you stop running from it. Connect with Aiua Wild IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SensuousRevival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/sensuousrevival/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ReviveYoSenses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/reviveyosenses] Connect with Adam Riehl IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/adamriehlhealing/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/adamriehlheaing] Website | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AdamRiehlHealing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.adamriehlhealing.com/] Intro Song | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Borderless by Luke Rain & Cello Joe⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/track/4RfWNSkpEHT9o33VmZkDZn?si=55e4c28399f749cc]

DFD #12 | From Survival to Sovereign w/ Shalise Poulton

This episode explores Shalise’s transformation from a life shaped by disconnection and survival into one rooted in embodiment, self-trust, and sovereignty. After a difficult marriage and years of seeking validation through relationships and sex, she found herself deeply disconnected from her body and identity. Patterns of numbing and external validation led to a breaking point that sparked a profound spiritual awakening and a new direction forward. Through her journey, Shalise reflects on the difference between using intimacy to fill a void and learning to reconnect with the body in a conscious, grounded way. Her introduction to tantra became a turning point, not as a surface-level idea of sexuality, but as a path of awareness, healing, and integration. Themes of shame, power, identity, and self-worth run throughout this conversation, along with the courage it takes to step away from old patterns. Shalise shares what it has meant to embrace celibacy, reconnect with her body, and cultivate a sense of wholeness from within. This is a story of reclamation. From disconnection to embodiment. From survival to sovereignty. Connect with Shalise Poulton Website | SacredScarlettRose.com [https://sacredscarlettrose.com/] IG | @Shali.Maaa [https://www.instagram.com/shali.maaa/] Connect with Aiua Wild IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SensuousRevival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/sensuousrevival/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ReviveYoSenses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/reviveyosenses] Connect with Adam Riehl IG | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/adamriehlhealing/] FB | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AdamRiehlHealing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/adamriehlheaing] Website | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AdamRiehlHealing.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.adamriehlhealing.com/] Intro Song | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Borderless by Luke Rain & Cello Joe⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/track/4RfWNSkpEHT9o33VmZkDZn?si=55e4c28399f749cc]