Why Staying Married Is the Hardest Part — And How to Do It Anyway | ft. Bonnie Comfort

Why Staying Married Is the Hardest Part — And How to Do It Anyway | ft. Bonnie Comfort

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2381878/fan_mail/new] Between years three and seven, most marriages hit a wall. The rose-colored glasses come off, the red flags you ignored start waving, and suddenly you're wondering if you chose the wrong person. Spoiler: you probably didn't. But nobody told you this was coming — and nobody taught you what to do when it does. In this episode of Between the Sheets with Dr. Z, Dr. Stephanie Zwonitzer, DNP sits down with psychologist, author, and marital therapist Bonnie Comfort — yes, that's her real name — for a candid, deeply human conversation about what it actually takes to stay married. Bonnie spent 25 years in clinical practice in Portland, Oregon, and her memoir Staying Married Is the Hardest Part draws on both her professional expertise and her own 33-year marriage, which included sexual incompatibility, fetishes, infidelity, and ultimately — a love that lasted until her husband's death. What you'll learn in this episode: * Why most couples don't have a communication problem — they have an anger and resentment problem, and how to tell the difference * The 3–7 year disillusionment pattern and why it's completely normal (and survivable) * How childhood wounds show up in adult relationships as disproportionate anger — and how understanding that changes everything * Why the small daily bids for connection your partner makes matter more than grand romantic gestures * What mismatched libido and mismatched sexual desire actually look like in a long-term marriage — and what a 25-year therapist says to do about it * Why fetishes and kinks are largely not amenable to therapy — and what that means for couples navigating sexual incompatibility * How pillow talk, hot tub rituals, and 15-minute check-ins can do more for a marriage than a weekend getaway * Love languages, the Gottman bids for connection, and why doing what your partner needs instead of what you would want is the real skill Bonnie's memoir Staying Married Is the Hardest Part is available wherever books are sold. Find her at bonniecomfort.com and on Psychology Today. 📅 Hormonal changes affecting your desire, mood, or intimate relationship? We can help. Book a consult at reviveish.com Work with Dr. Stephanie www.reviveish.com info@reviveish.com Episode is sponsored by Boston Scientific and EDCure. For more information click here: www.EDCure.com/BTS  Connect with Between the Sheets: IG: @ReviveISH Email: podcastbetweenthesheets@gmail.com #podmatch Want to be a guest on Between the Sheets: Exploring Sexual Health & Wellness? Send Stephanie a message on PodMatch here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreviews/btswithdrz

What Romance Novels Teach About Sex That Nobody Else Will | ft. Christina Braver

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2381878/fan_mail/new] Less than 2% of men have a penis larger than 7.5 inches. Yet nearly every romance novel hero does. And that's just one of the ways we're accidentally doing people harm — through the very stories meant to turn them on. In this episode of Between the Sheets with Dr. Z, Dr. Stephanie Zwonitzer, DNP sits down with romance author Christina Braver for a conversation that's equal parts hilarious, eye-opening, and genuinely educational. Christina writes what's called "steamy open door" romance — meaning you're in the room, with all the language, dirty talk, and real human messiness that comes with it. But unlike most of the genre, her books feature heroines with endometriosis, survivors of sexual shame culture, women who can't orgasm with a partner, and men who have their own wounds around sex. Real people. Real problems. Hot outcomes. What you'll learn in this episode: * Why neuroscience says reading about sex activates your brain almost identically to having it — and why that matters for arousal and desire * How romance novels can be the safest way to explore a fantasy before ever bringing it up with your partner * The real reason women loved 50 Shades of Grey (hint: it's not the BDSM) * Why the "bigger is better" myth is actively hurting men — and what the research actually says about penis size and sexual satisfaction * How to use a book, a podcast, or a short story to start the conversation you've been afraid to have * Why vibrators are tools, not competition — and why if you can be replaced by one, that's useful information * What the menopause low libido experience actually feels like from the inside, and why your partner not wanting sex probably has nothing to do with you * The four most common female sexual fantasies — and how men can tap into them without becoming someone they're not Christina's books are available at christinabraver.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Her resources tab is stacked with sexual health reads worth bookmarking. 📅 Dealing with low libido, painful sex, or hormone changes affecting your intimate life? Let's talk. Book a consult at reviveish.com Work with Dr. Stephanie www.reviveish.com info@reviveish.com Episode is sponsored by Boston Scientific and EDCure. For more information click here: www.EDCure.com/BTS  Connect with Between the Sheets: IG: @ReviveISH Email: podcastbetweenthesheets@gmail.com #podmatch Want to be a guest on Between the Sheets: Exploring Sexual Health & Wellness? Send Stephanie a message on PodMatch here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreviews/btswithdrz

They Lied About Estrogen — And Your Doctor Probably Doesn't Know It | ft. Dr. Lindsey Berkson

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2381878/fan_mail/new] In 2002, a press release changed everything — and it was based on no statistical evidence. The result? Hormones were pulled from medical school curricula, millions of women were scared off hormone therapy, and 25 years of patient care suffered for it. The FDA's own 28th director has since admitted: they got it wrong. In this episode of Between the Sheets with Dr. Z, Dr. Stephanie Zwonitzer, DNP sits down with returning guest Dr. Lindsey Berkson — hormone scholar, researcher, two-time cancer survivor, and author of Oxytocin Medicine — for one of the most information-dense conversations this podcast has ever had. Dr. Berkson has been working with oxytocin in clinical practice for 18 years and has 556 scientific citations in a book that's only 193 pages. She knows her stuff, and she is not pulling punches. What you'll learn in this episode: * The truth about the Women's Health Initiative and how a single press release — with no statistical backing — convinced medicine that estrogen causes breast cancer * Why hormones actually protect tumor suppressor genes — and what the science really says about estrogen, testosterone, and cancer risk * What oxytocin actually is, why it's one of the most powerful and underused hormones in medicine, and how to get it over the counter * How oxytocin works as an appetite adaptogen — helping people who overeat eat less, and helping anorexics have a healthier relationship with food * Why women make more oxytocin during sex with someone they love (yes, the science backs this up) * How oxytocin can be used for PTSD, GERD, Barrett's esophagus, inflammatory bowel disease, bone metastasis pain, and blood sugar regulation * Why men with stage four prostate cancer are now being put on testosterone — and thriving * Dr. Berkson's own cancer story, the radiation she refused, and the principal investigator who called her while she was on the table This episode is for the patient who has been told "we got it all — go home and hope for the best." There are more tools. This is where you start finding them. 📖 Book: Oxytocin Medicine by Dr. Lindsey Berkson — available wherever books are sold  📧 Reach Dr. Berkson: admin@drlindsayberkson.com [admin@drlindsayberkson.com]  📅 Ready to work with a hormone specialist who actually knows the nuances? Book a consult: reviveish.com Work with Dr. Stephanie www.reviveish.com info@reviveish.com Episode is sponsored by Boston Scientific and EDCure. For more information click here: www.EDCure.com/BTS  Connect with Between the Sheets: IG: @ReviveISH Email: podcastbetweenthesheets@gmail.com #podmatch Want to be a guest on Between the Sheets: Exploring Sexual Health & Wellness? Send Stephanie a message on PodMatch here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreviews/btswithdrz

The Sex Talk Nobody Has With Cancer Patients — Until Now | ft. Claire Rumore

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2381878/fan_mail/new] When cancer enters the picture, intimacy is one of the first casualties — and one of the last things anyone talks about. In this episode of Between the Sheets with Dr. Z, Dr. Stephanie Zwonitzer, DNP sits down with Claire Rumore — sex educator, intimacy specialist, and stage four pancreatic cancer survivor — for a conversation that oncology appointments rarely make room for. Claire didn't just study this gap academically. She lived it, survived it, and then built an entire body of work to fill it. From gynecological cancers to prostate cancer to tongue cancer, the effects on intimacy go far beyond the physical. They touch body image, relationships, identity, and what it means to feel like yourself again — and yet most patients are sent home without a single resource to navigate any of it. What you'll learn in this episode: * Which cancers and treatments most commonly affect sexual health — and how * Why most oncologists don't have this conversation (and why it's not entirely their fault) * The real reason sexual health gets deprioritized in traditional medicine — including the billing codes that make it nearly unbillable * What erotic grief is, why every cancer patient experiences it, and why honoring it is essential to healing * The concept of the "subtle sexual" — and why slower, softer, and more emotional intimacy is a valid and powerful sexual identity * How to use conversation starter tools with a partner when words are hard to find * Where clinicians can send patients today for free, expert-curated resources Claire's resources: * 🌐 cancerandintimacy.com — free resources for patients, survivors & partners * 🌐 exploresubtlesexuality.com * 🌐 cancerandintimacy.institute — for clinicians & helping professionals * 🌐 cancerevolve.com — for cancer clinics, hospitals & nonprofits * 🌐 claireremore.com 📅 Navigating hormonal or sexual health changes after cancer treatment? We can help. Book a consult at reviveish.com Work with Dr. Stephanie www.reviveish.com info@reviveish.com Episode is sponsored by Boston Scientific and EDCure. For more information click here: www.EDCure.com/BTS  Connect with Between the Sheets: IG: @ReviveISH Email: podcastbetweenthesheets@gmail.com #podmatch Want to be a guest on Between the Sheets: Exploring Sexual Health & Wellness? Send Stephanie a message on PodMatch here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreviews/btswithdrz

Your Lube Has Bacteria In It — And Other Things Nobody Told You | ft. Catherine Magee of Playground

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2381878/fan_mail/new] Did you know the most important ingredient in your lubricant is water — and if it's not properly purified, it's full of bacteria? Neither did we. In this episode of Between the Sheets with Dr. Z, Dr. Stephanie Zwonitzer, DNP sits down with Catherine Magee, co-founder of Playground Intimate Health and Wellness, to have the conversation your gynecologist probably isn't having with you. Catherine brings a powerhouse background in skincare and cosmetics (think Bare Minerals, Rodan & Fields, Sephora, Ulta) and one big realization: the intimate wellness category was built for men, not women — and it's been selling women ingredients they wouldn't put on their face, let alone their most sensitive tissue. What you'll learn in this episode: * Why most drugstore lubricants (yes, including KY Jelly) haven't updated their formulations in decades — and what's actually in them * The pH science behind vaginal health and why the wrong product is making your BV and UTIs worse * Why vaginal dryness isn't just a "sex problem" — it's connected to urinary symptoms, recurrent infections, and tissue atrophy * The difference between water-based, oil-based, and silicone lubricants — and how to choose * Why using a vaginal moisturizer is like skincare for your vaginal tissue (and why you should start in your late 30s, before symptoms hit) * How to break the ice with your partner — without having "the big conversation" * Why 100% of women will go through perimenopause and menopause, but almost none of us were prepared for it The stat that stopped us: More women experience vaginal dryness than eat breakfast in the morning. And yet most suffer in silence — because no one taught us to talk about it. This one's for the woman who has razor blade pain and thinks something is wrong with her. Nothing is wrong with you. There are tools, there are solutions, and this episode is a great place to start. 🎙️ Guest: Catherine Magee, co-founder of Playground Intimate Health and Wellness 🔗 Find Playground: helloplayground.com | @hello.playground on Instagram & TikTok 📅 Struggling with vaginal dryness, hormone changes, or sexual discomfort? Let's fix that. Book a consult at reviveish.com Work with Dr. Stephanie www.reviveish.com info@reviveish.com Episode is sponsored by Boston Scientific and EDCure. For more information click here: www.EDCure.com/BTS  Connect with Between the Sheets: IG: @ReviveISH Email: podcastbetweenthesheets@gmail.com #podmatch Want to be a guest on Between the Sheets: Exploring Sexual Health & Wellness? Send Stephanie a message on PodMatch here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreviews/btswithdrz