Normalizing Non-Monogamy - Interviews in Polyamory and Swinging

Courtney just turned 50 and has been exploring polyamory and non-monogamy for the last three years or so... However, her story begins long before she and her husband of 16 years opened their relationship in 2022. Today, Courtney takes us all the way back to the first time she had simultaneous crushes at age four... Rocky and Superman! Today's interview with Courtney is full of laughter, joy, heartbreak, whirlwind relationships, self-discovery, and beautifully vulnerable and powerful stories of life and love. Join us! You won't regret it. And! If Courtney's story resonated for you and you're looking at real estate in the Asheville area, please reach out to her through her website [https://www.bestlivingwnc.com/]! Check out the full show notes here. [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/post/episode405] Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet! [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/community]   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! [https://www.bonfire.com/humaningishard/] $10 Off - Online STI Testing [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/test]

If you were thinking of skipping this one, consider rethinking that... Derek first learned about polyamory from one of the original writings on the subject in Green Egg Magazine back in 1990 (see link in show notes below)... He was in his early twenties and showed it to his college girlfriend and they sort of jumped right in! They explored non-monogamy together for a few years before parting ways and Derek found himself "scared back into monogamy" for many years. Fast-forward just a couple years and Derek gets married in 2015... When he met his wife, Kay, a few years prior he brought up the idea of non-monogamy but she wasn't interested. However, she brought the idea back to him in 2016 and they decided to open their relationship for about a year before starting a family. When their son was about three they decided to open up again and during the time they had closed their partnership Kay had come out to him as queer. Then, around 2021 Kay came out to Derek as a lesbian. Today, Derek and Kay are nesting co-parents and are rebuilding their friendship. Derek also has a girlfriend of about 18 months who lives nearby and describes himself as ambiamorous... Comfortable with both monogamy and non-monogamy. Join us today as Derek shares his incredibly powerful and beautiful story. Check out the full show notes here. [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/post/episode404] Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet! [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/community]   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! [https://www.bonfire.com/humaningishard/] $10 Off - Online STI Testing [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/test]

Marla has been exploring and practicing non-monogamy for about 20 years after learning about it during their first year of college. After getting out of their last monogamous relationship early in their college experience, Marla fell in love with their best friend and never really looked back. Like many of us, they were kind of making it up as they went and figuring it out along the way. Today we have a fantastic conversation with Marla about their journey, their struggles and triumphs, as well as the wisdom they've earned along the way. We dig into the reality of being an imperfect human, the importance of relationship repair, queer-platonic partnerships, and everyone's favorite topic... Hierarchy! More about Marla from their website: www.polyamarla.com [https://polyamarla.com/] Marla (they/them pronouns) is a relationship therapist and educator specializing in non-monogamy and *2SLGBTQIA+ identities. They have been practicing polyamory since 2005, and facilitating programs on the subject since 2009. (*2Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and beyond) Like you, they are a fabulous and sometimes messy human being. As a member of so many of the communities they support, Marla takes accountability when they’ve made mistakes, and doesn’t shy away from challenging conversations. Their goal is to provide support and education for people who want to understand or practice non-monogamy. They advocate for the health of non-monogamous communities by offering services to people within, and adjacent to those communities. Please check out all of Marla's work on their website [https://polyamarla.com/] and don't forget to grab a copy of their brand new book Nonmonogamy and Defying a Paradigm [https://thornapplepress.ca/books/nonmonogamy-and-defying-a-paradigm/]! Check out the full show notes here. [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/post/episode403] Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet! [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/community]   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! [https://www.bonfire.com/humaningishard/] $10 Off - Online STI Testing [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/test]

Sarah is an elder Gen Z in her mid to late twenties who feels like she's always been polyamorous but didn't have the words for it. Like many, her initial dating experiences followed the model of serial monogamy, but for her it always felt terrible to "have to" end a decent relationship just because she met someone else she had feelings for. Not anymore! A few years ago she met her primary partner and they've been in an open relationship since the beginning. In this fantastic interview Sarah shares how she and her partner navigated the early days of being non-monogamous when neither of them had any experience or models of how to do it. We also have great conversations about how they handle hierarchy, how she navigates dating monogamous people since she lives in a place with few polyamorous folks, and how she keeps herself safe as she explores in ways that feel very natural for her. Check out the full show notes here. [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/post/episode402] Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet! [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/community]   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! [https://www.bonfire.com/humaningishard/] $10 Off - Online STI Testing [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/test]

Cooper and his wife are in their forties with three kids and have been married for over 17 years. While they only "officially" opened their relationship about three years ago it wasn't a completely foreign concept to them when they got together and they always had a mindset and understanding that there was more out there. Cooper's wife initially brought up the idea of opening their relationship when her libido started to wane during perimenopause but they quickly realized this was about way more than that... It was a doorway to a whole new set of possibilities and opportunities for them both! In this wonderful conversation Cooper shares with us how he and his wife navigate non-monogamy with slightly different styles and desires and how they handle hierarchy in their connections with others. He also digs into their experiences with supporting each other through breakups and how they manage all of this while raising a family, working. and living full lives. We love how Cooper and his wife approach their relationship and life with such an open and curious mindset - we hope you enjoy this interview as much as we do! Check out the full show notes here. [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/post/episode401] Join the most amazing community of open-minded humans on the planet! [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/community]   Click here to order your very own NNM shirt! [https://www.bonfire.com/humaningishard/] $10 Off - Online STI Testing [https://www.normalizingnonmonogamy.com/test]