Today's episode is about sex. And I know that word alone is enough to make some people skip past this one — which is exactly why I wanted to make it.

This episode is a little different from our usual format. You'll hear from audience callers who responded to our casting call asking for your spiciest, most unexpected sex stories. What we got back was so much more than I anticipated — hilarious, raw, surprising, and genuinely human. But first, you'll hear excerpts from my conversation with Vanessa Marin, a licensed sex therapist with over 20 years of experience who joined me to bring some real expertise to the table.

My conversation with Vanessa includes a 30-day kissing challenge she and her husband actually did, the concept of "the ick" and what gratitude research says about relationship satisfaction. We also chat about her GET intimate technique: three surprisingly simple things that can rebuild connection even in the driest of dry spells.

Then you'll hear a clip from my full conversation with Melanie, which is available as its own episode linked below. Melanie is deeply involved in the BDSM community, and what I expected to be a conversation about kink turned into a deep dive on trust, communication, consent, and something called subspace — which I genuinely had never heard of before. She completely shifted some of my assumptions, and if this clip intrigues you, I highly recommend going back to listen to the full thing.

And finally, you'll get a taste of my conversation with Emily — also linked below as its own full episode — whose story starts as a spicy, unusual submission and takes a turn I truly didn't see coming. There's a chicken coop. There's a sensory deprivation box. There's a lot more I'm not going to spoil here. What I will say is that this one goes somewhere I never expected, and I think it's one of the most unexpectedly moving conversations we've had on this show.

These are real stories from real people — and I think that's exactly the point. So many of us feel like we're the only one having the experiences we're having. We're not.

Follow Vanessa: https://www.instagram.com/vanessaandxander/?hl=en

Listen to Melanie's full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-stuff-with-lucie-fink/id1724982367?i=1000763998066

Listen to Emily's full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-stuff-with-lucie-fink/id1724982367?i=1000752856564

Sponsors:

Clean Simple Eats: Clean Simple Eats is undeniably clean and 100% delicious. Shop the best-tasting protein drinks at https://www.CleanSimpleEats.com

Spindrift: Visit https://www.drinkspindrift.com and use code "lucie" for 15% off.

SKIMS: Shop SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at https://www.skims.com/realstuff #skimspartner

Ogee: Go to https://www.ogee.com/LUCIE and use code LUCIE to get 20% off certified organic makeup that performs like luxury.

Labcorp: Visit https://www.OnDemand.Labcorp.com/realstuff and use code "realstuff" to save up to 15% on select tests.

Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I’m finally talking openly about my body — something I've sidestepped since I first started posting online. I've always had a naturally slim frame, and from the moment I started sharing myself on the Internet, many people in the world had something to say about it. In a world where most people are trying to lose weird, I know having a naturally slim frame isn’t a relatable starting point for most people. But I'm done dancing around it.

I'm walking you through my entire weight gain journey: how a gallbladder surgery and a later celiac diagnosis changed my body in ways that had nothing to do with how I wanted to look, the unsolicited comments I've gotten from strangers online for years, and why I finally decided — for reasons that have nothing to do with the comments — that I wanted to get stronger and put on some healthy weight.

I get into what I've learned from working with a health coach, the realities of trying to build muscle and nourish my body intentionally, and why this has been a slower and more complicated process than people might assume. I also talk about one of the wildest lessons of this whole experience: no matter what your body looks like or what you post, someone will tell you it's wrong. I've heard it from both ends now, and I have thoughts.

Sponsors:

Labcorp: Visit https://www.OnDemand.Labcorp.com/realstuff and use code "realstuff" to save up to 15% on select tests.

Spindrift: Visit https://www.drinkspindrift.com and use code lucie for 15% off.

Alaya Naturals: Visit https://www.alayanaturals.com/realstuff and enter code REALSTUFF at checkout for 20% off your order.

Rhoback: Use code REALSTUFF at https://www.Rhoback.com for 20% off your first order through the end of this week.

Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod

Find Lucie here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink

Website: https://luciefink.com/

Subscribe to my free newsletter "The Lucie List" here: https://thelucielist.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Executive Producer: Cloud10

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we have another incredibly sweet love story! When Lucy wrote in to share how she and her wife fell in love, I knew I had to have her on to share all of the details.

Lucy and Liv spent years believing they were both completely straight. They were best friends, inseparable, and deeply connected, but neither of them ever imagined their friendship could become something more.

Then, during a Thanksgiving trip that neither of them expected to be life-changing, everything shifted.

In this conversation, Lucy walks me through the entire journey: growing up assuming she was straight, forming an intense friendship with Liv, the confusing and exhilarating moment their feelings changed, and how they navigated falling in love while trying to make sense of what it meant for their identities, families, and futures.

We talk about friendship, sexuality, labels, intuition, and what it feels like when a connection is so powerful that it completely rewrites the story you thought your life was going to follow.

Whether you've questioned your own identity, experienced an unexpected love, or simply enjoy a beautiful love story, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the most important relationships arrive in ways we never could have predicted.

Sponsors:

Clean Simple Eats: Clean Simple Eats is undeniably clean and 100% delicious. Shop the best-tasting protein drinks at https://www.CleanSimpleEats.com

Cotton: Learn more at https://www.TheFabricOfOurLives.com

Ritual: For a limited time, save 25% on your first month at https://www.Ritual.com/REALSTUFF

Spindrift: Visit https://www.drinkspindrift.com and use code lucie for 15% off.

Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod

Find Lucie here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink

Website: https://luciefink.com/

Subscribe to my free newsletter "The Lucie List" here: https://thelucielist.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Executive Producer: Cloud10

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.