Episode Details

In this week’s episode of The Audaci-Tea Podcast, hosts Lisa and Sovereign are joined by psychologist and certified sex therapist Dr. Kate Balestrieri for a conversation about what sex can look like after decentering men.

From attachment styles and emotional regulation to celibacy, sexual freedom, solo exploration, and the lingering effects of purity culture, Dr. Kate answers some of the hosts’ most unhinged questions about women, sex, desire, and relationships. They unpack why women can struggle to take up space sexually, how patriarchal conditioning shapes our ideas about pleasure, and why understanding your own body can be one of the most empowering things you can do.

But first, in Tea Time, Lisa and Sovereign discuss the tragic death of actress Hayden Panettiere, react to Karoline Leavitt announcing her departure as White House Press Secretary, and cringe at Andrew Tate supporters doing push-ups outside his jail in an attempt to show their loyalty to their dork king.

Later, they open the mailbag to help a 25-year-old listener who was love bombed at 19, manipulated into abandoning her engineering degree, and is now trapped in an abusive marriage with a man who tells her no one else will ever want her. She wants to know whether she should secretly return to school or focus on saving money to build a way out.

🎧 This episode explores what sex, pleasure, and relationships can look like when women stop centering men's needs and start reclaiming their own desires, boundaries, and autonomy.

🎙️ Topics Discussed:
• Decentering men and prioritizing yourself in relationships and sex
• Attachment styles, emotional regulation, and "good girl" conditioning
• Celibacy, sexual freedom, and solo sexual exploration
• Purity culture and the myths surrounding women's sexuality
• Consent, sexual autonomy, and how consent can be weaponized
• Pornography, feminism, and reclaiming women's sexual agency

✨ Links and Resources Mentioned:
Hayden Panettiere, Actress Known for Heroes, Remember the Titans and More, Dies at 36
https://people.com/hayden-panettiere-dies-at-36-12061075

Hayden Panettiere's death sparks renewed backlash against Neutrogena
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2026/08/18/hayden-panettiere-neutrogena-backlash/91347226007/

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave at the month's end
https://apnews.com/live/trump-news-midterms-primaries-updates-08-12-2026

"I've Never Been More Dry": Andrew Tate Supporters Doing Push-Ups To Protest Has Unlocked A New Level Of Ick
https://www.buzzfeed.com/beccamonaghan/andrew-tate-push-up-protest-miami

📚 This Week's Recommendation:
Follow Dr. Kate!
https://linkinbio.mymodernintimacy.com/bio

What Happened to My Sex Life?
A Sex Therapist's Guide to Reclaiming Lost Desire, Connection, and Pleasure
by Dr. Kate Balestrieri
https://theexperimentpublishing.com/catalogs/winter-2025/what-happened-to-my-sex-life/

Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life
by Emily Nagoski