The Examined Lives (ENM Vibes)

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We reviewed The Invite! It has everyone talking, including us. I don't usually give this away in the description, but I loved this movie so much I want everyone to know... and to go see it themselves. Listen as Ben and I break down the movie's most defining moments and relate them to our own lifestyle and relationship experiences. This one is so much fun! (And apologies to Seth Rogen for what I said... I really wouldn't mind seeing him naked.)

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Retreats: https://www.swinginglifestylecoach.com/inperson-retreats
Get my book: For Better or Even Better: 7 Lessons on Love & Life from a Non-Monogamist or PDF version here: https://go.swinginglifestylecoach.com/book 
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Lauren and Ben return with a deep dive into HBO Max's DTF St. Louis - a weatherman, a case of peyronies, and a friendship intimate enough to be its own subplot.
Is it a show about ethical non-monogamy? Not exactly. Infidelity is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, but is it sex positive? Weirdly, mostly yes. Lauren and Ben work through where the line is between "ethical for me" and "not my responsibility to police," why validation and self-esteem get so tangled up in sex and dating apps, and why so many messy non-monogamy storylines in TV seems to end the same way (spoiler: it's not good).
They also get into the show's surprisingly tender male friendship, a very memorable new term (SPH, if you're taking notes), and why "modern love" might be the most overlooked phrase in the series. Plus: BBC myths, hot wife dynamics, and the eternal question of what happens when your self-worth is riding on an app match.
Got a show or movie with an ENM thread we should cover next? Send it our way. More from Lauren at swinginglifestylecoach.com and @swinginglifestylecoach on Facebook and Instagram.

STD Hero: or use coupon code Lauren10 at checkout.
Retreats: https://www.swinginglifestylecoach.com/inperson-retreats
Get my book: For Better or Even Better: 7 Lessons on Love & Life from a Non-Monogamist or PDF version here: https://go.swinginglifestylecoach.com/book 
Website: SwingingLifestyleCoach.com
 Social Media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swinginglifestylecoach
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwingingLifestyleCoach
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVZR-9HggJ51NaJnXCnq0Ew

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Ben and Lauren kick off this week’s episode with a few spicy tales from her latest swinger shenanigans at a lifestyle resort- because why ease in when you can dive right in? It’s late October, which means it’s officially Swinger Christmas (aka Halloween), so the party-talk begins.
From there, they turn their attention to She’s Gotta Have It (2017), the bold, unapologetic series about Nola Darling - a free-spirited Black artist navigating love, sex, and identity as she dates three men and a woman. Lauren and Ben unpack the gender dynamics, power plays, and deeper layers that make Nola such a complex character - not just as a polyamorous woman, but as a whole human being.
With themes touching on women’s autonomy, sexual assault, body image, and self-expression, this lively conversation explores how She’s Gotta Have It dares to mix art, sex, and social commentary in ways that still feel fresh and provocative today.

STD Hero: or use coupon code Lauren10 at checkout.
Retreats: https://www.swinginglifestylecoach.com/inperson-retreats
Get my book: For Better or Even Better: 7 Lessons on Love & Life from a Non-Monogamist or PDF version here: https://go.swinginglifestylecoach.com/book 
Website: SwingingLifestyleCoach.com
 Social Media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swinginglifestylecoach
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVZR-9HggJ51NaJnXCnq0Ew

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Lauren and Ben dive into Splitsville—the gloriously unhinged new movie where a handjob-fueled car crash leads to divorce, an “open marriage circus,” and a bro-fight so long it could’ve had intermission popcorn. Lauren actually saw the whole film (so you don’t necessarily have to), while Ben only managed the trailer—though that doesn’t stop him from handing out hot takes and wishing for raunchier American comedies.
Along the way, we get weekend updates: cozy threesomes, Billy Idol rocking shirtless at 69, and Ben sheepishly asking Lauren to boss him around more. The conversation hits all the messy intersections of monogamy and ENM—“no rules” hookups that go sideways, honesty that isn’t honest, and whether penises deserve serious actor cred.
It’s a roast of cinematic chaos, equal parts disaster and delight.

STD Hero: or use coupon code Lauren10 at checkout.
Retreats: https://www.swinginglifestylecoach.com/inperson-retreats
Get my book: For Better or Even Better: 7 Lessons on Love & Life from a Non-Monogamist or PDF version here: https://go.swinginglifestylecoach.com/book 
Website: SwingingLifestyleCoach.com
 Social Media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swinginglifestylecoach
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwingingLifestyleCoach
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVZR-9HggJ51NaJnXCnq0Ew

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 Lauren and Ben kick off with Ben's hilariously mundane life updates - school stress and parties - while Lauren reveals about her French nudist swinger village jaunt, where badges are mandatory but clothing is not. This episode covers everything from unicorn cakes to awkward throuple jealousy. They dissect "Trigonometry," a slow-burn British gem where a couple accidentally throuples with their Olympic swimmer lodger, complete with vulva slip-ups, drag bar unicorn roasts, and a honeymoon ruined by overthinking the "third." Their poly insights shine: no role models means dramatic mess-ups, but it's refreshingly real on unicorn vulnerabilities and coming-out chaos. Tune in for laughs around the truisms that ENM is sometimes stickier than movie theater floors. 

STD Hero: or use coupon code Lauren10 at checkout.
Retreats: https://www.swinginglifestylecoach.com/inperson-retreats
Get my book: For Better or Even Better: 7 Lessons on Love & Life from a Non-Monogamist or PDF version here: https://go.swinginglifestylecoach.com/book 
Website: SwingingLifestyleCoach.com
 Social Media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swinginglifestylecoach
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwingingLifestyleCoach
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVZR-9HggJ51NaJnXCnq0Ew