Season 13 • Episode 1010

1010 - Centering Pleasure in Sexual Health

Feb 12, 2026

15:13

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Sexual Health

Episode Description

About this episode:

Sexual education often focuses on the potential risks of unplanned pregnancies and STIs. But an approach to sexual health that includes frank discussions of what feels good could yield better health outcomes. In this episode: Sexual health expert Joshua O'Neal talks about the value of starting sexual health conversations with enjoyment and comfort. Note: This episode was produced in collaboration with the National Coalition of STD Directors.

Guests:

Joshua O'Neal, MA, is a sexual health educator and program director at the Southeast HIV/STI Prevention Training Center.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

Promoting protection and pleasure: amplifying the effectiveness of barriers against sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy—The Lancet
Pleasure and PrEP: Pleasure-Seeking Plays a Role in Prevention Choices and Could Lead to PrEP Initiation—American Journal of Men's Health
Pleasure as a measure of agency and empowerment—Medicus Mundi Schweiz
Pleasure As Tool For STI Prevention: Part 2—NCSD Real Talk

Transcript information:

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