EDST STAFF & COLLABORATORS
Anne Hodder-Shipp
Anne Hodder-Shipp, CSE (they/she) is EDST’s founder, as well as a class facilitator. She also is the founder of EDST’s “sister” org, EDSE. Anne has worked in the sexuality field since 2007 and is certified via AASECT, SFSI, ANTE UP!, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, and multiple other human sexuality programs.
Anne is also the author of Speaking from the Heart: 18 Languages for Modern Love and its accompanying workbook, The Speaking from the Heart Workbook: A Practical Guide to the Modern Love Languages, and a contributing author of Fundamental Concepts and Critical Developments in Sex Education: Intersectional and Trauma-Informed Approaches. Most recently, Anne was welcomed as a member of the board of directors for SIECUS, a historic sex ed policy, advocacy, and coalition-building non-profit.
Dawn Serra
Dawn Serra, RCC, CCC (she/her) is an EDST collaborator, as well as a class facilitator. She is the co-founder and co-owner of Tend and Cultivate Counselling, the first counseling group in Canada that specializes in providing non-stigmatized care to those in larger and fat bodies. Dawn believes her clients are incredibly wise and she approaches counselling as a collaborative endeavor that centers their lived experience.
Counselling is Dawn’s second career, embarked upon in her early 40s while running two businesses and navigating perimenopause and chronic pain. This is not something she fell into by chance, but instead something she committed to from a place of deep passion, life experience, and desire.
Paula Leech
Paula Leech, LMFT, CST, CSTS (she/her) is EDST’s lead collaborator, as well as a class facilitator. She is an AASECT-certified sex therapist who specializes in bringing relationships and individuals toward a greater sense of intimacy and a thriving, evolving connection (to self and other(s)) that can grow alongside them. She also works as a Supervisor of Sex Therapy and trains sex therapists to become more competent, confident providers, and she is inspired by the inevitable transformation of the therapists themselves as they witness and become part of fantastic growth and change in their clients.
Taylor Spaziani
Taylor Spaziani, LMFT, LPC, CSE (she/her) is a collaborator and Operations Coordinator at EDST. She is a Denver-based therapist that specializes in relationships and sexuality. She is also an AASECT-certified sexuality educator. Her work is rooted in the belief that pleasure is healing — that when we release sexual shame and reconnect with our authentic desires, we open the door to deeper joy, intimacy, development, and connection. Her interest in the field was sparked through curiosity and compassion — a fascination with what happens when we stop performing and start truly feeling, and through wonders as to why something that is such a core part of our humanity, often gets silenced & shamed. Taylor has experience facilitating courses on human sexuality and creating and organizing course curriculum for sexuality certification courses, which is what led her to contributing to the mission at EDST!
EDST CLASS FACILITATORS
Bethany Stevens
Bethany Stevens (she/her) teaches Sex & Disability for EDSE and is a queer femme wheelchair-using sexpert and disability consultant working on a doctorate in sociology at Georgia State University. She has spent the last 15 years delivering presentations, facilitating workshops, and teaching in public health, disability studies, and social work infused with pleasure politics and disability justice.
Bethany’s sexpertise is infused with critical disability studies and pleasure politics, with a particular focus on media representation of disabled sexuality and possibilities of body liberation in disability organizing. Connect with her and the group on IG and Twitter @disaBethany.
Bianca Palmisano
Bianca Palmisano, MSN, RN, SANE-A (they/them) teaches Sexually Transmitted Infections & Care for EDSE and is a nurse, sex educator, and the owner of Intimate Health Consulting. They specialize in training healthcare providers to better address sexual health and the needs of systemically marginalized communities. Bianca works in the Washington, DC area as an abortion nurse, and is also a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. They also serve as a Genito-Urinary Teaching Associate (GUTA), teaching medical, physician assistant, and nurse practitioner students how to perform competent and trauma-informed breast and pelvic exams. They have been a guest lecturer for multiple medical education programs, including George Washington University, Johns Hopkins, and University of Chicago.
Cyndi Darnell
Cyndi Darnell (she/her) has taught Master Classes for EDSE and is a NYC-based, internationally renowned sex and relationships therapist and clinical sexologist. Originally from Australia, her approach spans the clinical to the esoteric, with a strong emphasis on somatic approaches and Narrative therapy.
She holds a board affiliate position for the University of Wisconsin - Stout Graduate Certificate in Sex Therapy Program. She’s a clinical associate with Pink Therapy UK and faculty on Pink Therapy's Foundation Certificate in Gender, Sexuality & Relationship Diversity Therapy and at New York’s Omega Institute. Her academic work is published in the Journal of Sex Education (UK) and Sexual & Relationship Therapy (UK). She's writing her first book for Rowman & Littlefield due out in 2022 on reigniting desire in relationships
Her online courses and podcast The Erotic Philosopher meet today’s adult sex education needs by bridging the gaps in peoples’ knowledge regarding pleasure, relationships, passion and desire. She maintains a global consulting practice in NYC and online and offers insight into the quandaries of the erotic to transform fear into freedom.
Goody Howard
Goody Howard (she/her) teaches Sex and Aging with EDSE and is an intimacy consultant, sexuality educator and HIV activist who has worked as an adult industry insider for more than 10 years. She informs, educates and empowers her clients with the knowledge that sexual pleasure IS sexual health. Goody hosts sex-positive workshops around the country that are focused on intimacy & empowerment. She layers her focus on pleasure and education with her energetic and engaging presentation style. Goody's oral sex series LICK! and Lip Service! are her most popular classes, but she's been teaching comprehensive sexuality education and healthy relationships for campuses, companies, and communities for over 12 years! Her mantra is “Be Good or Be Good At It!” and she is determined to normalize sex-positive conversations as a way to ease stigma and improve sexual responsibility.
Dr. Grace Abruzzo, PT, DPT, CAPP-OB, CD(DONA), PYT-C, (they/them) teaches Pelvic Health and Function with EDSE and is a licensed physical therapist and wellness coach specializing in pelvic health for women and people with vaginas. A certified specialist in obstetric and pelvic physical therapy, Dr. Grace uses an integrative approach to treating people in preparation and recovery from childbirth. Dr. Grace also spends time in birthing spaces, supporting mamas during labor and birth.
Dr. Grace utilizes an integrative approach to wellness, which includes interventions like education; manual therapeutic techniques, including visceral, myofascial, and internal pelvic mobilizations; yoga therapy; meditation practice; and general life coaching.
Ignacio G Hutía Xeiti Rivera, M.A., (they/them) has taught Sexual Orientation and Identity and Trauma-informed Sex Ed with EDSE and is a cultural sociologist with expertise in sexual trauma and healing for marginalized populations. Ignacio is a Queer, Trans/Yamoká-hu/Two-Spirit, Black-Boricua, and Taíno activist. They are an internationally known speaker, educator, writer, and performer with over 20 years of experience on multiple fronts, including economic justice, anti-racist, mujerista, LGBTQI2S, and sex positive movements. Ignacio’s work is influenced by their lived experience of homelessness, poverty, and sexual trauma and is focused on providing educational opportunities geared toward the sexual liberation of transgender, gender variant, and queer people of color. As the Founder and Executive Director of The HEAL Project, Ignacio is on a mission to prevent and end childhood sexual abuse through healing the wounds of sexual oppression and embracing sexual liberation.
N. Jasmine Johnson
N. Jasmine Johnson, MSW, MA, LCSW, (she/her) teaches Porn Literacy with EDSE and is a licensed clinical therapist and owner of virtual mental health practice Blue Pearl Therapy LLC. She has a strong therapeutic emphasis on Intimacy Post Injury & Illness, Trauma, Drama and Kink, and Sex-Positive Parenting. Jasmine is the co-owner of Royal Fetish Films and Jet Setting Jasmine LLC where the love of the arts, film, and sex education are combined to produce erotica that stimulates and engages the audience to push their sexual boundaries. Jasmine shares more than 20 years of experience, with partner King Noire as Adult Entertainers, Educators, and Master Fetish Trainers. The duo are award-winning adult film stars and have dedicated their craft to creating a more inclusive and ethically sound adult entertainment industry.
Joan Price (she/her) has taught Sex and Aging with EDSE and is an author, educator, and advocate for ageless sexuality, and she has been called other things by the media: "senior sexpert," "the beautiful face of senior sex," "wrinkly sex kitten," and — her favorite — “the woman leading a sex revolution for seniors.” At age 76, Joan continues to talk out loud about senior sex, partnered or solo, in speeches, workshops, and webinars, and on her zesty blog, which includes senior sex news, views, and sex toy reviews from a senior perspective.
Joan has been writing and speaking about senior sex since 2005. Her books include Sex after Grief: Navigating Your Sexuality After Losing Your Beloved; The Ultimate Guide to Sex after Fifty: How to Maintain – or Regain! – a Spicy, Satisfying Sex Life; and Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud about Senior Sex, winner of Outstanding Self-Help Book 2012 from the American Society of Journalists and Authors and 2012 Book Award from American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. Joan also narrated and collaborated on “jessica drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Senior Sex,” an explicit, educational film for Wicked Pictures, and she writes the “Sex at Our Age” column for SeniorPlanet.org.
Dr. Joy Cox (she/her) teaches Body Image with EDSE and is a social justice advocate who uses research and leadership skills to foster social change through the promotion of true diversity and inclusion initiatives. Much of Dr. Joy's work has focused on matters of intersectionality addressing race, body size, accessibility, and "health" within the context of body acceptance and fat liberation. Dr. Joy received my Ph.D. in Communication from Rutgers University in 2018 with an emphasis on organizational communication and its impact on marginalized groups and boasts more than eight years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research. In addition to research and teaching, Dr. Joy is the host of the Fresh Out the Cocoon podcast, which showcases the lived experiences of fat Black womxn and femmes, and the co-founder of Jabbie, an identity-inclusive, body affirming app that encourages people to move their bodies in their own way.
Marla Renee Stewart
Marla Renee Stewart, MA (she/her) has taught Master Classes with EDSE and is a professional sexologist, intimacy/relationship/sex coach, speaker, and author. She is the owner of Velvet Lips, a sexuality education company, as well as Contract Liberation, a company focused on research for non-profit groups. As a Lecturer at Clayton State University, she teaches Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies. As the Co-Founder of the Sex Down South Conference, Marla aims to bring diverse groups together to learn and share their experiences in the essence of being authentic and fostering sexual liberation across communities. Marla has studied human sexuality for over 19 years, has educated over 20,000 people in over 13 years, given over 400 workshops, and have served over 100 clients in her private practice, all around the world. She has had her influence in the media, as well; she has written over 200 articles, featured in over 20 magazines and books, and has been on over 30 podcasts and independent television shows. She was featured on Netflix’s Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, Love & HipHop Atlanta, and filmed as a sex expert for Personal Injury Court and Bad Girls Club: Atlanta. In addition, she also sits on the Boards for SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! and the Diverse Sexualities and Research Education Institute. She co-wrote her first book, The Ultimate Guide to Seduction & Foreplay (2020) with Dr. Jessica O’Reilly and is currently writing a chapter and co-editing An Intersectional Approach to Sex Therapy, coming in 2021.
Midori
Midori teaches Kink and BDSM for EDSE and is a trailblazing educator, coach, artist, and trusted expert on kink and BDSM, who brings a multicultural and holistic approach. Her reputation as a leading authority in the field comes from her unique teaching style, which distills complex topics into accessible lessons with eloquence and humanity. She is known for her "head-heart-hands" method, encouraging self-exploration, and creativity in relationships and self-expression.
Midori has received numerous accolades for her work, including the 2022 Humanitarian Award from AASECT, the 2022 Effing Foundation Grant, and recognition as a Saint by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Her intensives and classes are highly sought after. She is best known for her transformative small-group educational intensives, Rope Dojo, and ForteFemme: Women's Dominance Weekend Intensive.
Midori is the author of several books, including The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, Wild Side Sex, and Master Han's Daughter, and has contributed her expertise to numerous articles, columns, and instructional books. She is also an accomplished multi-disciplinary artist.
Nathaniel Hodder-Shipp, B. Msc. – aka Nathaniel V. Dust – (he/him) has taught Trauma-informed Care with EDSE and has worked as a professional healer for almost a decade, using the power of a person’s breath as a catalyst for positive changes in clients’ lives. Equipped with an arsenal of techniques – with a special focus on breathwork – Nathaniel has helped thousands of people process trauma, disarm negative thought patterns, and maintain healthy and happy relationships with themselves and loved ones. Nathaniel is the founder of Breathwork for Recovery, the first and only national organization comprised of certified mental health breathwork professionals with special training in healing trauma, recovery from substance use disorder, chemical dependency, eating disorders, compulsive behaviors, and other mental health issues.
Nathaniel also is EDSE founder Anne Hodder-Shipp’s partner in life and marriage.
Sarah Tomchesson
Sarah Tomchesson (she/her) has taught Kink and BDSM with EDSE and is a kink-positive, pleasure-based educator and pleasure product expert. Since 2007, Sarah has developed, programmed and presented comprehensive, pleasure-based sex education nationwide, and she brings an inclusive and approachable teaching style to topics ranging from Multiple Orgasms for All Bodies to Creating Meaning D/s Dynamics in Play. In addition to her work as a sex educator, Sarah sits on the Board of Directors of SIECUS - Sex Ed for Social Change - and has more than 10 years of executive-level, small business management experience as a sex toy retailer.
Shanae “HonestlyNae” Adams
Shanae "HonestlyNae" Adams, MA, LPCC, NCC, CIGT (she/they) has taught a Master Class with EDSE and serves her community in a variety of ways, including as a therapist, educator, and sex-positive enthusiast. Her mission is sexuality normalization, explanation, and melanated representation. Her passion revolves around the liberation of embracing sexuality. She is known for her dynamic workshops, sex-positive mindset, and eliminating the "taboo" surrounding sex and sexuality.
Dr. Shanéa Thomas
Dr. Shanéa Thomas, LICSW, LCSW-C (He/She/Dr.) has taught Trauma-informed Sex Ed with EDSE and is a bold lecturer and seasoned scholar-practitioner with more than 15 years of professional social work experience in the Washington D.C. metro area. His main commitment is training and strategizing with social workers, educators, and service providers around building safer therapeutic and educational spaces for all people. This is especially for those working in communities who are underserved and under resourced, and those identifying as Black, Indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQI+ folks. Dr. Thomas has facilitated over 50 workshops centering diversity, equity and inclusion needs, grief and loss, mental health, sex and gender, and LGBTQI+ populations. When creating organizational change through strategic planning, Dr. Thomas' work unapologetically centers marginalized voices with community organizations and healthcare institutions to help shift power, privilege, and organizational accountability.