Sex Birth Trauma with Kimberly Ann Johnson

In this episode, Kimberly Ann Johnson and filmmaker/producer Jackson Kroopf reflect on their respective experiences watching Best Picture Winner Anora. They discuss their contrasting experiences of seeing the films in theaters, what role sex and violence played in the film, and unpack some of what they were drawn to and troubled by in the film. And while they both found the hedonism in the film uncomfortable, the film's ending landed, particularly in its portrayal of power dynamics, intimate rapport, and the broken fantasies that emerge in pursuit of the American dream. Along the way, they consider to what extent the film’s success hinged on a desensitized audience and what that might say about where we find ourselves culturally when it comes to the female body, our nervous systems, and sexuality. If you’d like to dive deeper into these topics, consider signing up for Kimberly’s upcoming course Activate Your Inner Jaguar: Movement, Meditation & The Female Nervous System.   What You’ll Hear * Why Kimberly walked out the first time she saw it. * A consideration of how sex and violence functioned in the film. * What commentary is the film making about the nature of sex work? * The erotic vs. the pornographic * What is the moral center of the film? * What role does comedy play in the film? * Sadness around desensitization in our culture * The desire for representations of sexuality that are connected, off-script, non-generic * Representations of sexuality on a woman’s own terms * The fantasy of the American Dream falling apart * Old world vs. new world when it comes to 1st and 2nd generation immigrants * Is there any worth in bearing witness to extreme hedonism * Can cinema re-sensitize us? * Does violence in films reflect what’s in the collective or determine what’s in the collective? * What happens when couples more openly discuss their sexual preferences? * Can repair happen if a negative sexual experience takes place with a partner? * Longing for seeing representations of moral men outside of "hero" roles Links Sign up for the course Activate Your Inner Jaguar: Movement, Meditation & The Female Nervous System here [https://kimberlyannjohnson.com/may-jaguar/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=my%20life%20is%20an%20open%20floor%20plan&utm_campaign=4%2F16%20jaguar%20whole%20list].

In this episode, Kimberly Ann Johnson is joined by journalist, and fellow Jaguar, Kristin Butler to discuss the case of Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman: a celebrity couple who are currently both facing charges around Gaiman’s ongoing sexual misconduct. Kimberly and Kristin share their own personal reactions to the case, as well as the way the reporting on the story reveals common challenges for women dealing with fallout from sexual boundary rupture, particularly fawning. They explore the complexities of boundary violations, the impact of the #BelieveSurvivors movement on men, and the psychological responses for women searching for agency and empowerment post boundary rupture. The conversation touches on the broader implications of sexual abuse, the role of social media, and the importance of Activate Your Inner Jaguar work in empowering individuals to recognize and assert their boundaries. They discuss the power of embodied consent and the challenges of navigating gray areas in sexual interactions, as well as circumstances where structural power and interpersonal power fluctuate in relationships between men and women.   What They Discuss? * Trigger warnings and disclaimers in journalism * Fawning between young women and older men who abuse their power * What is the journalistic responsibilities of storytelling and reporting around sexual boundaries * An in depth consideration of Tortoise Media’s podcast series Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman * Fawning when the threat is not front of you * What happens when your flight response doesn’t activate? * How does our nervous system respond to a boundary rupture? * Tendencies to blame oneself after a sexual boundary rupture * Self-Gaslighting * What’s a trauma loop? * What is compelling me to enter certain sexual situations? * How does activate your inner jaguar empower women? * What is the responsibility women have to their own nervous systems and for their behavior? * The complexity of #BelieveSurvivors * What is too overprotective for a parent? * Is it safe to be a sex positive parent? * How do highly publicized extremes impact sexual norms? * How does virtual socialization impact our in person interactions? * How does emotional support from AI impact our relationships * It’s become normalized to for men and women to degrade/insult men  * The quieter forms of anti-male bias * How does structural power and relative power play out between men and women? * How does power play out in everyday relationships? * The power of embodied boundaries   Links Sign up for Activate Your Inner Jaguar: Movement, Meditation, and The Female Nervous System here [https://kimberlyannjohnson.com/may-jaguar/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=my%20life%20is%20an%20open%20floor%20plan&utm_campaign=4%2F16%20jaguar%20whole%20list] - Early Bird price ends May 2nd

In this deep dive into menopause and elderhood, Kimberly and Kate Codrington discuss how they see their inter-generational work with women around self-care and cultural work. Kate’s book The Second Spring: The Self-Care Guide to Menopause and her more recent The Perimenopause Journal have made an indelible impact as Kimberly transitioned to the other side of the menopause hill. Two women, in their second spring, consider their responsibilities to women in various cycles of womanhood. They explore the impact of teachers, trauma, and the digital age on women, highlighting the need for resilience, play, and the ability to hold paradoxes. The discussion also touches on the importance of role models, the ever-changing dynamics of female elders, and the significance of embodied compassion in doing work in the women’s wellness and healthcare fields.   Bio Kate’s mission is to change the way we regard menopause and show how we can relax into our own, inner authority through our cyclical nature, deep body intelligence and menopause process. Life around and within is always communicating with us and her passion is for the ‘soft animal body’, the magic of the liminal, and the potential of emergent processes. Kate refuses to take herself too seriously and tries to never take on anything that is not pleasurable and delicious. She is a menstrual and menopause mentor, speaker, workshop facilitator, writer, podcaster and have been a therapist for more than 30 years.  She is also an artist currently weaving textiles, words, story and stitch. She’s in her second spring, which means post-menopause, and has deep gratitude for the education that the menopause process has gifted her. The Perimenopause Journal is now available at your favourite booksellers and my first book Second Spring: the self-care guide to menopause was published by HarperCollins 2022. What You’ll Hear * The responsibility of female elders * Accountability, compassion and intention Setting around the journey to menopause * How does post-perimenopause impact mother/daughter relationships * What is the purpose of elders? * The power of some worldly detachment * Michael Mead’s “Growing Downwards” * Embracing different styles and adornments as we age, reflecting on the changes in the body and preferences. * The importance of being playful and expressive in one's choices, regardless of age or societal expectations. * The intersection of joy and pleasure with healing * Competition between women in the wellness and healthcare field   Links Website: https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/ [https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/] IG: @kate_codrington The Perimenopause Journal [https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/the-perimenopause-journal-unlock-your-power-own-your-wellbeing-find-your-path/] Activate Your Inner Jaguar: Sex Edition - Get on the Waitlist here [https://kimberlyannjohnson.com/eros-waitlist/]

In this episode, Kimberly and return guest Sophie Strand celebrate publishing week for Sophie’s extraordinary new book The Body is a Doorway: A Memoir: A Journey Beyond Healing, Hope, and the Human. They discuss where Sophie currently finds herself in a post-diagnosis reality and what writing the book taught her about the mysteries of illness. She emphasizes the complex power of doctor relationships and medical information on the body through the nocebo effect. Kimberly and Sophie talk through what it looks like to support someone dealing with illness day to day. Sophie shares her personal and social experiences with chronic illness, as well as the contemporary cultural pressures to intertwine identity with labels. She also highlights the role of community, creativity and bad story on diagnoses and treatments. This open-hearted conversation touches on the broader implications of health, identity, and the need for a more open and relational approach to care and self-understanding.   Bio Sophie Strand is a poet and writer with a focus on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. Her poems and essays have appeared in numerous projects and publications, including Spirituality & Health, Atmos, Braided Way, and Art PAPERS. She is the author of The Flowering Wand and The Madonna Secret, and the creator of the popular Substack “Make Me Good Soil.” She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.   What They Share * The impact of a long-awaited diagnosis * The No-Cebo Effect * What we pay attention to we pray towards * The Mystery of Illness * Bad Story in Myth and Psychotherapeutic fields * Self-Diagnosis * How to tell a different stories about chronic illness * Performing Sickness to have invisible illness be more visible * How to check in with friends having a hard time/facing health challenges * End of the addiction line * Chronic Sickness as it relates to sobriety * Eco-cidal culture wants to turn everything into product * Somatic Protest * Body can’t work * The miracle of GoFund Me alongside an unaffordable health care system * History of oral culture * Orality and Literature by anthropologist Walter Ong * What is an individual? * Monotheism of Psychology * The impulse to classify is about control and fear * Prayer is another energy that might have a better idea of what I need * Vending Machine Prayer * Finding book endings that aren’t fantasies * How to separate negative from worse * How to operate with one spoon   Links IG @cosmogyny Substack https://sophiestrand.substack.com/ [https://sophiestrand.substack.com/] Sophie's New Book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sophie-strand/the-body-is-a-doorway-a-memoir/9780762487417/?lens=running-press [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sophie-strand/the-body-is-a-doorway-a-memoir/9780762487417/?lens=running-press] The Body is A Doorway Amazon Review page: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/?ie=UTF8&channel=glance-detail&asin=0762487410 Money and The Nervous System Sign-Up: https://kimberlyannjohnson.com/money-the-nervous-system/

This is a special re-release of an episode featuring guest host Jackson Kroopf speaking with the incomparable Kimberly Ann Johnson and Stephen Jenkinson. We’re bringing this conversation back to let you know about something special happening this weekend from Stephen Jenkinson and the Orphan Wisdom School: Sanity and Soul: Die Wise 10 Years. Taking place on March 15th and 16th at 10am Pacific, this 6-part online event is a deep dive into the wisdom of death, grief, and the soul, 10 years after the publication of Stephen's transformative book Die Wise. You’ll get to experience the depth of Stephen’s work in a pretty unique way: through 4 recorded grief counsel sessions with dying people, hearing Stephen practice, in 2025, the kind of work described in Die Wise. Plus, he’ll be joined by two brilliant colleagues—a neuroscientist studying human consciousness and a filmmaker exploring the afterlife—to discuss the lasting impact of Die Wise on grief counseling, death doulas, and the way these ideas continue to shape our world. If you want to learn more and register, visit orphanwisdom.com/events. But now, enjoy this conversation from March 2023, following Reckoning at Mt. Madonna. Please do consider gifting yourself or a loved one this upcoming offering, Sanity & Soul that promises to provide some ceremony in these  troubled times in ways only Stephen and the Orphan Wisdom School can. Link: https://orphanwisdom.com/event/die-wise-sanity-and-soul-ten-years-on/ [https://orphanwisdom.com/event/die-wise-sanity-and-soul-ten-years-on/]   What You’ll Here in this Episode: Reflections on witness from retired birth and death workers The value of disillusionment The power of loneliness The proliferation of self pathologizing The complex politics of feelings The religion of western psychology Adolescents grabbing for pop psychology labels The respect in not offering solutions The eagerness to escape from pain while grieving Is love dead? Blessing not as approval but the emergence of something new Marriage as both celebration and loss Matrimony between cultures An only child and single parent inviting in a new husband Building an escape route as you enter a union The no-go zone of contemporary western marriage 15 minute weddings, 15 minute funerals, 15 minute births The cultural casualties of uniformity Being healthy enough to tend to home and neighbor   Links ig @reckoning live Sanity & Soul Sign-Up https://orphanwisdom.com/event/die-wise-sanity-and-soul-ten-years-on/ [https://orphanwisdom.com/event/die-wise-sanity-and-soul-ten-years-on/]