Being a Parent Without Losing Your Erotic Self with Darshana Avila – Say YES to Yourself! Podcast – Transformed by Birth Podcast

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I’m joined by trauma-informed somatic educator, practitioner, and speaker Darshana Avila for a conversation about eroticism, intimacy, desire, and reconnecting with ourselves during the perinatal period and beyond. Together, we explore the difference between sex and erotic energy, the impact of pregnancy and parenthood on our relationship with pleasure, body image, intimacy, and desire, and why becoming a parent often invites us into a profound reckoning with our erotic selves. Darshana shares practical ways to approach intimacy during postpartum, the importance of consent within long-term relationships, and how reconnecting with our own bodies can become a pathway toward healing, self-compassion, and deeper connection. This conversation is an invitation to move beyond performance, pressure, and expectations and toward a more expansive understanding of eroticism as vitality, creativity, pleasure, and life force.