JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION ON THIS EPISODE AND MORE IN MY FREE FACEBOOK GROUP, FIND YOUR FEMININE FIRE HERE.

Amanda Testa is a trusted healer, coach, and guide who’s served hundreds of clients over the years with masterful skills in coaching, pleasure embodiment, and somatic trauma resolution.

After thousands of hours of training in trauma informed sex and relationship coaching, tantric sex coaching, energy healing, somatic trauma resolution, breathwork, yoni egg coaching and more, she’s seen time and time again the magic and wisdom of our bodies.

We all have the ability to return to our blueprint of health, aliveness, pleasure and sovereignty, and you can too.

With her powerful, loving and gentle support her clients find their desire and pleasure again, find safety and bliss in their bodies, and remember they are enough just as they are.

Find out more about her new monthly Pleasure Membership HERE.  

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EPISODE 250: The Pleasure Foundation Membership is Now Open!


Amanda Testa: Hello, and welcome to the Find Your Feminine Fire podcast. I am your host, Amanda Testa, and today is day six of six solo podcast minisodes on stories about fun and desire, and today I’m going to share with you all of the details of The Pleasure Foundation. So, this episode is an invitation to join my new pleasure membership.

If you have tuned into the past five episodes, you’ll have heard quite a few stories around pleasure and desire, why it feels hard, why just a dose of fun can revive your desire, what makes it hard, how it all comes together, why it’s so key and important. Really, the intention for The Pleasure Foundation is to remind you that your pleasure matters. You matter. You enjoying your life matters, right? Your pleasure is a key part of that. I am so grateful for you for listening in and for being here because this just shows that you are someone who does care about your desire.

1:01

You care about your pleasure. You value yourself and your experience in this world and want it to be good, right? I think that’s an amazing thing to claim. In our busy lives, it can be so easy to forget to center our own pleasure, right? It can be so easy. We are so conditioned to take care of everyone else, and I know, myself, I have to make it a real priority to do because it is not easy. It’s so much easier to do something for someone else, to clean up my house or to be on calls with clients all day or to be doing things to support things I’m passionate about. I love to be busy, and also, I love to slow down and do nothing. That has been an art that I have cultivated of being able to slow down and be with what feels good and to enjoy pleasure for my own nourishment. The Pleasure Foundation is a space dedicated to cultivating this, to cultivating your sexual aliveness, your sensuality, your nervous system regulation.

So, with this membership, you’ll enjoy pleasure rituals each month guided by me and my guests as well as you’ll get community support and much more.

2:03

The key is I want this to be doable. One of the things about our nervous system is, in our crazy world that we live in, it’s very often the case that we are running around, we are either busy and kind of over-stressing ourselves to the point where, then, we shut down. And so, it can be very common that we’re up and down and up and down. Really, what we want to be is a little more centered, a little more in that range of resilience, that place where we feel more resourced, like we’re more able to respond versus react when things feel stressful.

One of the great ways to do that is through pleasure practices. And so, what you can expect from The Pleasure Foundation membership is it’s a simple way to practice regularly supporting your pleasure nourishment. You’ll get monthly intentions, journaling prompts, and some oracle spreads. You’re gonna get one breathwork practice per month and one 60-minute embodied pleasure practice per month. And so, really, the intention with these practices is that you are going to give your body a chance to relax.

3:00

You're gonna give your body a chance to move through stress. You're gonna give your body a chance to find what feels good and just be with yourself, to nourish your body. So, what can pleasure do for you, you may ask?

Well, one of the main things it can do is reduce stress. In our hectic lives, it’s really hard to carve out time to nourish our pleasure, even when we know how important and impactful it can be, it could be hard to make time for it. The good news is, pleasurable activity is proven to inhibit anxiety responses in the brain and, again, as I’m talking about regulating our nervous system, that’s what that means. That means feeling more resourced, more resilient when things feel challenging. It’s not like we’re gonna get rid of stress altogether. We’re gonna have better tools to nourish our self through it. Our culture is riddled with stress, and when we take time to marinate in what feels good and let our body process all it is holding, we feel more content. We feel more present. We feel more capable of handling all the things that are on our plate. A regular pleasure practice can also increase self-love.

4:02

As we spend time with ourselves, we are able to start to peel back the layers of negativity and judgment that can keep us from truly loving ourselves, from loving our bodies, and truly trusting that we are enough just as we are because you are enough exactly as you are today, and these practices help you to remember that. You are able to enable new habits of kindness and compassion and allow those to enter the picture, kind of get rid of that harsh inner voice and feel more connected to yourself (the empowered parts of you), more comfortable in your skin, and more compassionate towards yourself and your experiences, right? Because that compassion piece is so key, and it’s like a muscle. You have to cultivate it.

The other beautiful thing about a pleasure practice is it activates your sensual aliveness, our connection to our sensations - that ability to be in the moment, to drop into your sight, your smell, your taste, your touch, all the things that bring you joy and presence in whatever way you can access that, right?

5:03

Because I know it’s different for every person. But in the ways that you can connect to your senses, this takes ordinary experiences and turns them into rituals of gratitude and aliveness. When you can be very aware of your senses, it’s a portal like flow. It can bring you into these trance-like states. Also, it can activate all parts of your brain so that you can be more fully aware and present in the moments that matter in your life, whether that is taking your kid and dropping them off at school or shopping at the grocery store or enjoying intimacy with yourself or with your partner. It’s that ability to drop in and be present in the moment versus having your mind spinning.

The other beautiful thing about a regular pleasure practice is it helps you to experience better orgasms. A regular practice devoted to your pleasure creates more sexual pleasure as well because both pain and pleasure are first perceived in the amygdala (that’s the part of our brain that’s dedicated to emotional extremes, survival), and pleasure and pain originate in the nucleus accumbens just below the level of thought.

6:01

There are values placed upon sensation, mingled with emotion and thoughts, so when we have a sensation that, then, triggers an emotional response which, then, triggers whether we feel pleasure or pain. And what I love about this neuroplasticity is that we are able to rewire our brains. We can rewire our brains to feel more pleasure, and the more we engage in pleasurable experiences, the easier it is for our nervous system to default to regulation. This means less stress, more pleasure, more desire, better sex, and better orgasms too. Let’s be honest, who doesn't want better orgasms? Come on! [Laughs]

All right, and also, have some fun, man! Have some flipping fun, you know? Fun and play are at the heart of this work because I really feel like that is the key to making it doable and enjoyable. My dad always told me that I was a balloon looking for a party, [Laughs] which is the truth. I love a good time, and I love to infuse my practices with gentleness, wisdom, and playfulness, and that’s the feedback I always get form my students is that have a very warm and gentle and inviting style that makes it very comfortable and feel safe enough to drop into these practices in a way that is supportive.

7:09

Here in The Pleasure Foundation, you're gonna be able to support and celebrate what feels good with other amazing souls who also want to celebrate their joy and pleasure, and the community aspect of this work is really so healing because, as I talked about in the last episode, shame dissolves in the light. When we gather together to celebrate pleasure, it’s a powerful, healing experience. So, some of the keys that you're gonna walk away from, my intention is that if you are consistent and sticking to your practices and showing up twice a month, that you are going to walk away with these keys.

Key number one is nervous system regulation. As I talked about earlier, we can use our pleasure to nourish our wellbeing. You can use these practices to go from feeling overwhelmed to feeling regulated and calm, to feeling more creative and present because I truly believe, and I have seen it in my experience and with my clients and students that our creative energy and our sexual energy are one in the same, so when we can kind of activate this aliveness within us, our creativity is skyrocketed.

8:03

Key number two is just to educate ourselves, right? We haven't been taught. It’s not our fault we were never taught the proper anatomy of pleasure, but with education and understanding your anatomy and what brings you pleasure, you're gonna be able to learn more about what it takes to feel good and what you enjoy based on your unique pleasure profile because everyone’s different, right?

Key number three is practice. As I keep saying, the practice part is such the key part. You know, it’s the doing, it’s the showing up, it’s taking what you’ve learned and actually putting it into practice, and repetition is what builds new neural pathways to pleasure. So, we need to practice so we can more easily default to pleasure. Being celebrated and encouraged along your pleasure journey by supportive, like-minded peers eliminates shame and guilt for putting yourself first. So, again, this is why that community aspect is so key.

A little bit about me, if you're not aware. I think many of you know me because you’ve been listening to my podcast. So, if you're just tuning in, as well as being the host of the Find Your Feminine Fire podcast, I am, as well, a holistic sex and relationship coach. I’m a trusted healer, coach, and guide.

9:10

I’ve served hundreds of clients over the years with masterful skills and coaching pleasure embodiment and somatic trauma resolution. After thousands of hours of training in trauma-informed sex and relationship coaching, tantric sex coaching, energy healing, somatic trauma resolution, breathwork, jade egg coaching, and more (I’ve done all the things, let me tell ya), I’ve seen time and time again the magic and wisdom of our bodies. We all have the ability to return to our blueprint of health. It is within us, this blueprint of health, aliveness, pleasure, and sovereignty, and you can, too. With my powerful, loving, and gentle support, my clients find their desire and pleasure again. They find safety and bliss in their bodies and remember they're enough just as they are. That is my deepest, deepest desire is my intention with this is that you come home to yourself, right? You have that remembrance of who you are and the power of that, the amazing, amazing power of that.

10:07

Again, this is easy and doable. There are only two classes a month, so you’ll have the time to drop into your pleasure without adding too much to your plate. You're gonna have accountability. You're gonna be held in your commitment to centering your pleasure by being a part of this group with a powerful community of like-minded peers, and when you give yourself this gift to drop into your connection with yourself, your body, and your pleasure, it’s priceless, right? Less stress equals more joy, and I would love to have you here. It’s only going to be $44 a month for a limited time for founding members and, again, you're gonna get monthly intentions and journaling prompts, a monthly breathwork session, a monthly pleasure practice, community accountability and support, and you can also join if you want to just jump all in and go for a full year, there is a discount there as well, plus you’ll get a bonus one-on-one session with me. So, that founding membership year-long cost is only $396. Again, there are always payment plans available, all that good stuff.

11:02

We’re gonna explore different themes every month, and, really, the intention is that you have these different opportunities to explore and to get to know yourself a little bit better.

So, I just want to go over, too, some of the frequently asked questions because I know these come up a lot.

Q: What if I can’t make the live session?

A: So, we’re gonna meet live every other Tuesday (two times a month on Tuesdays) at 11:00 AM Mountain Standard TIme. I know not everyone can make that, so all calls will be recorded and posted within 24 to 48 hours on the course portal. So, you’ll also have access to a course portal, and on that, you’ll also find lots of other great resources on kind of the basics of what you need to jump into this program strong, to feel good, to have what you need.

The commitment is you can join for a monthly membership, and you can sign up for however long you want, right? You can cancel anytime with 30 days’ notice, but it is a membership-type format so when you cancel, you lose access to the membership. So, you won't be able to access the content unless you're a current paid member, but the intention is that you are going to love it, and you're gonna be so happy to be there. You're gonna invite all your friends, and you guys are gonna have the best time ever. [Laughs]

12:07

Q: What about privacy?

A: This is another question that comes up. “I don't want anyone to know I’m doing this.” Well, first of all, your privacy is protected, and when everyone joins, we have a community agreement that everyone signs off on. Everything is confidential, and, yes, we are addressing sexuality and sensuality, but all the practices are done in the privacy of your own home. No one can see you or hear you. This is a webinar-style format, so it’s me teaching and talking and then you receiving. That’s what you get to do. You get to show up and receive and, of course, if you have questions or anything like that, I’m there to interact with you, but you certainly don't have to if you don't want to, and if you do, then you can just raise your hand, and I can bring you on. But, for the most part, you have all the privacy you need.

Q: Who is this for?

A: If you're new to exploring pleasure or if you are a seasoned pleasure connoisseur looking to deepen your practice, this is the space for you. All calls will have tiers so you can engage the practice in a way that feels doable to you, honoring yourself and your body’s wisdom above any invitation I offer.

13:05

As you always hear me say: “Your sovereignty is the number one thing to trust.” The goal is to make pleasure easy and accessible for you no matter where you are on your journey. All femme-identified folks are welcome. I stand for equity and equality of all people, inclusive of race, genders, and sexual orientation. In such, I’m committed to and actively engaged in my own anti-racist work and intersectional feminism journey, and it always is continued. This will never end. As we circle together, we also intentionally co-create more conscious, welcoming, inclusive spaces.

And, at the same time, I will admit I do know this. I have the lived experience of a white, cis, hetero woman who has lived a pretty privileged life. And while I continue to do my personal work, I am always open to feedback, and I am always open to conversations, and if I do anything that causes harm, I'm committed to talking about that and to devoting resources to handling it to honor and support your experience.

14:00

Q: What am I gonna need for the practices? What do I need?

A: Okay, well, here’s what you need. Ideally, you have a private, quiet space for the practices. I’m gonna share a little joke about that because in our house, the only door that has a lock on it is the bathroom. So, I do 90% of my practices in the tub because I love a bath and because I’m just like this is the perfect place for me! Nothing else is required, right? You just need a private space about the size of a yoga mat.

If you desire additional tools, you can always add those in as you desire, but we’ll talk all about that and answer any questions and provide additional resources in advance of our opening circle. So, you can always reach out to me if you do have questions there. Again, you can always reach out at amanda@amandatesta.com or you can book a complimentary call with me if you go to www.amandatesta.com/activate. If you have more questions, you can reach me there. You can DM me on Instagram @abtesta or go to the website and join us!

If this is feeling like, “Oh, my god, I’m excited for this! I feel a tingle in all the right places,” then you are so, so invited!

15:02

All are welcome into The Pleasure Foundation if you are a femme-identifying being: www.amandatesta.com/tpf. I hope to see you there, and thank you, again for tuning into these six minisodes. We’ll be back to our regular programming next week, but I do hope that you have found value in really kind of getting the nitty gritty around pleasure and why it feels so challenging and why it’s so important and how you can easily weave this into your busy life. Sending you much love, and we’ll look forward to seeing you inside!