Intimacies Blog

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For August, the  “Intimacies” Discussion Group is taking a break. Our next public meeting with be Wednesday, Sept 17, 2008. The subject:  “Risky Love.”

Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Annette Del Canto,  for a conversation on the potential pay-offs of rocking the boat and taking emotional risks.  Learn how the ability to be intimate with others goes hand-in-hand with one’s ability to care for oneself. Annette offers psychotherapy couples and individuals in all phases of relationship.

Meet Wednesday, July 16, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar.  Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences.  No charge, just   bring your sense of humor and an open mind.

This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.

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If you’re gearing up to celebrate Independence Day, think about how independent you are when it come to sex. My next guest at the Intimacies Discussion Group, Jenny Block, has just written a book, Open: Love, Sex & Life in an Open Marriage. It’s about sex within the confines of an open marriage. And Jenny will be talking to us about the many ups and downs she has had as well as the consequences and lessons she’s learned from having made the decision to open her marriage. It’s  a decision she says just may have saved the marriage that she was struggling sexually to survive in. Participants will have plenty of opportunity to share their own stories and ask questions.  If you’d like to join the converation but can’t make it on July 16, please post your stories and questions in reply to this. I’ll pass them on to Jenny and you’ll get a reply.

When we had an Intimacies Group discussion in the past on the topic of polyamory, there was a particularly high turn out. So plan to come early to get your seat. Last time, those who weren’t open to polyamory left with a much more tolerant and supportive outlook toward those who choose to have multiple loving relationships. Curious? It’s only natural. Hope to see you on July 16 at BookPeople.

See http://jennyonthepage.com/openbook.html

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Join me and my special guest, Charla Hathaway of the BodyJoy Intimacy School, for a conversation about how to keep Eros strong in your daily life and nightly lovemaking. Charla’s new book, 8 Erotic Nights: Passionate Encounters that Inspire Great Sex for a Lifetime, follows her success with Erotic Massage (both from Quiver Press).

Meet Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.

Got questions for Charla, ask them now even if you can’t make it to BookPeople, and I’ll get her answers for you.

This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.

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Remarkable Women Gathering Soon!

I am a panelist at the upcoming Remarkable Women’s Conference, June 6th - 8th. Our discussion is titled, “A Call for a New Sexual Revolution,” and our time frame is on Sunday from 2:45 – 3:45. I would love to see you at our presentation.

I’m excited about the conference and being a part of it - they are really creating a first class experience for everyone involved. The conference is a fantastic opportunity to connect with resources in our community, to meet new friends and contacts and to hearing current information on relevant topics.

One of the benefits of being a speaker is that I get to give a discount to my friends. You can find more information about the conference at www.RemarkableConferences.com <http://www.RemarkableConferences.com/> and when you register just enter coupon code SPKR08 to get $20.00 off the price of registration. You do need to register online by May 15th to get the discount, otherwise the price goes up to $149.00, so act NOW. Men are welcome! The networking alone is worth the investment.

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Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Neil Stegall, LCSW, for a conversation about how to keep moodiness from mucking up your love life. Learn how to deal with the emotional fluctuations that affect all relationships. Neil practices psychotherapy to help individuals and couples find practical solutions to improve communication and relationships.

Meet Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.

To join the email announcement list of this group, send email to p2paustin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.

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I’ve been invited to speak on a panel at the Remarkable Womens Conference along with Gayle Michaels, Robin Heart Shepperd and Jade Beaty. The title and description of our hour-long program is:

SEX! Now that we have your attention

Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to…well, you get the idea. When we think of intimacy we generally think of time shared with a partner but it’s about more than that – it’s about falling in love with yourself. Our panel of experts will create a fun, safe environment where you can start to explore some paths to better relationships – not only with your partners but with yourself!

The panel will cap the weekend-long conference. The Remarkable Women’s Conference was created to fill a void in local conferences by providing a space for women from all cross-sections of the community to come together, make meaningful connections, and provide support and encouragement for one another while attending first class break-out sessions and keynote addresses from the best talent that Austin has to offer. The Conference provides a vehicle for women to grow their whole person and includes amazing speakers in topics such as family, workplace, health, relationships and business ownership.

The inaugural event was a huge success and its unofficial motto “Go Big or Go Home” continues to inspire and guide us. This year’s conference is being expanded to include a Friday all-day workshop intensive and a Friday night reception for last year’s participants. The conference itself will take place over Saturday and Sunday and include a Saturday Night networking reception and happy hour.

My book, Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance, will be available for purchase all day Sat and Sunday in the conference bookstore.

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Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Lee Khoury, for a conversation about body image. How you relate to food reflects how you relate to others. Lee is a licensed counselor and marriage therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. Meet Wednesday, April 16, 2007, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of Book People, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.

This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and Book People.

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Join Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Michael Johnson, PhD, for a conversation about how to avoid mistaking sexual intensity for intimacy. Michael counsels individuals and couples on relationship issues and leads workshops on sexual addition.

Meet Wednesday, March 19, 2007, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of Book People, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.

To join the email announcement list of this group, send email to p2paustin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and Book People.

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Ever sense there is an unseen entity interfering with your current love life? Sometimes the memory (conscious or not so) of a past flame interferes with our being fully present and engaged in new romance. Shadow sex can take many disguises. Perhaps you were madly in love in your younger days and your current partner dims in the after glow of a long-ago relationship. Perhaps you had a negative experience (physical or verbal abuse from a past lover or even a parent) that damaged your self esteem in ways from which you never fully recovered. Or are you holding out for the perfect someone you envision yourself with and so you never fully open to the foible-filled mate who is just waiting for you to love ‘em “as is”? Every minute you spend focusing (with longing or loathing) on your ex is a minute that’s holding you back from a better future. Just because someone in your past let you down doesn’t mean that history is bound to repeat itself–unless your expectation for repeated failure is so strong that you set yourself up for it. Don’t blame the man or woman in your life today for what someone else failed to do or say. Be here now, as Ram Das taught. It’s easier said than done, but it IS do-able.

On February 20, Robin Shepperd, Doctor of Chiropractic, will be my special guest at the Intimacies Discussion Group, which meets at BookPeople. We’ll be talking about clearing such entities from our hearts and minds and being more open to a current or future love.

Robin says she helps people to clear “stuckness” around whatever is not working in one’s life. For instance, you really want a romantic relationship, but it is not happening. Together with you, she locates and removes what is preventing your having that knock-your-socks-off relationship, such as past life commitments to another and fear of being hurt again.

Please join us at BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar in Austin, TX, 7 pm - 8:30 pm. If you can’t make the date, please post your comments and questions here. You’ll get answers.

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The Remarkable Women’s Conference is sponsoring an “connectworking” event, Thursday, February 7 from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, at Resource Connection, 321 W. Ben White Blvd., Ste. 203. The event is a preview of the big conference in May and will be focused on passionate love of self and others. Karen Kreps, author of Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance and columnist for The Good Life maazine, will be joined by Robin Shepperd (PassionateWoman.net) and Gayle Michaels (IntimateWisdom.com) in leading an evening of networking and “naughty” games. Chocolate snacks and wine will be served. $5 in advance; $10 at the door. Call 512-448-2266.

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