Life presents enough challenges, from inevitable death and illness to man-made strife like poverty, inequality, and war. In the face of human suffering, sexuality is an incredible outlet for joy, healing, pleasure and connection. Yet, social norms make accessing this simple joy harder than it needs to be. In this podcast, we unpack junk narratives about which bodies, identities, relationship styles, or sexual activities are considered acceptable and reclaim the power of sexual freedom. Recent decades have brought meaningful progress in some areas of gender and sexuality, like greater acceptance of LGBTQ people in the institution of marriage and the workplace, and access to contraception that allows women more sexual freedom. Nonetheless, dominant cultural norms still perpetuate narrow ideas about who is desirable or worthy of love and what sexual practices are appropriate. Often, these subtle, pernicious ideas operate quietly beneath the surface and show up in our hearts as shame, isolation or fear. How do we break free? How do we learn to be and love our whole authentic selves, to find the joy and pleasure in authenticity? How do we release the fear that who we are, how we love or what we desire is a problem? What do happiness and connection look like for people who don’t conform to idealized standards? How do we claim the power of sexual freedom for people who have a differently sized body, differently functioning brain, or different levels of mobility; people who work in the sex industry; or people who are slutty, kinky, old, Black or brown, transgender, or polyamorous? Cliff Media is a porn production company that invites people of all walks of life to share in the exciting, scary experiment of co-creating sex-positive spaces beyond fear and shame. We encourage all good-hearted people to participate, as long as they provide STI results, sign release forms, and show up with kindness, humility and a desire to grow. Together, we produce scenes that explore themes of loving community, healthy non-monogamy, joyful kink, and empowered female and queer sexuality. Porn is often derided as gratuitous indulgence in big boobs, hard dicks and offensive stereotypes. But if we set aside the way porn has been used by many mainstream companies and consider the medium itself, it’s actually an awesome opportunity. It’s perhaps the most widely viewed, intimate and uncensored medium, allowing creators to explore topics that go deep into our psyche, including: Shame and acceptance of our bodies and identities Diversity in romantic and sexual relationships Sexual health and ethics Sexual deviance, desire and kink Fear of rejection, judgment or loss Trauma and healing Joy, humor, kindness, and care, and The innate human longing for affection and belonging. In this companion podcast, we dive deep into the topics that underlie our production work. Our host Vanessa Cliff, CEO of Cliff Media, talks with pornstars, participants in Cliff Media shoots, and other sex-positive community leaders. Join us in the joy of being awkwardly human, naked and without pretence. Let’s get free.