7 podcasts about intimacy to listen to as a couple (and what to talk about after)

Some of the best conversations about desire don't start in bed. They start on the highway, with a podcast on, when someone on the show says something and one of you goes: “Wait… would you do that?”

That's the whole idea of this article. A good podcast does what we try to do with Intimate Challenge: someone else brings up the topic, and you just have to react. No need to find the right words to start a hard conversation. The episode already did it for you.

Why podcasts work so well for couples

• Side by side, not face to face. In the car or on a walk, you're not staring at each other. Awkward topics feel lighter when your eyes are on the road.
• The topic comes from outside. “They talked about libido differences” is a lot easier to say than “I've been thinking about our libido difference.”
• You discover things without trying them. A fantasy, a word, a practice you'd never heard of. Hearing about it costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
• It turns dead time into couple time. Commutes, road trips, dishes, a Sunday walk.

How to listen together (without it turning into a lecture)

A few simple rules make the difference between a fun conversation and an uncomfortable one:

1. Pick the episode together. Scroll the titles and choose a topic that makes you both curious, not the one that “someone really needs to hear.”
2. Anyone can hit pause. Something surprised you, made you laugh, or made you uncomfortable? Pause and say it.
3. One question each at the end. Short, light, no pressure to have a deep answer. We give you one for each show below.
4. Never use an episode as ammunition. “See, you should be like that” kills the ritual instantly. The goal is curiosity, not comparison.
5. “I don't know yet” is a valid answer. Some ideas need a few days before you know what you think.

7 podcasts to listen to together

1. Pillow Talks with Vanessa and Xander Marin

Vanessa is a psychotherapist with about 20 years of experience in sex therapy. Xander is her husband, together since 2007, and as he puts it, a regular guy. They co-wrote the bestselling book Sex Talks. The show feels like a double date: practical sex tips, relationship advice, and honest (often funny) stories from their own bedroom.

• Vibe: warm, funny, very practical
• Heat level: medium
• Best for: your first episode together. Hearing a real couple talk about sex makes it much easier for you to do the same.
• Where to listen: the official Pillow Talks podcast page

Talk about it after: “Which of their tips would you actually want to try?”

2. Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

Each episode is a real, anonymous couples therapy session with psychotherapist Esther Perel. Infidelity, mismatched desire, resentment, grief: you hear real people work through it in real time. It's less advice and more listening in on other couples' hardest conversations.

• Vibe: deep, moving, sometimes intense
• Heat level: low on explicit content, high on emotion
• Best for: a longer drive, when you have time to talk afterward
• Where to listen: Where Should We Begin? on Esther Perel's website

Talk about it after: “If we were in that room, what would we have said differently?”

3. Sex With Emily

Dr. Emily Morse has recorded more than a thousand episodes of judgment-free advice on sex, communication and relationships. Listener questions, guest doctors and therapists, and she has no problem getting concrete about anatomy and technique.

• Vibe: friendly, direct, like a knowledgeable friend
• Heat level: medium to high
• Best for: browsing by topic. With that catalog, there's an episode for almost any question you've never dared to ask.
• Where to listen: all Sex With Emily episodes

Talk about it after: “Did you learn something about your own body, or mine?”

4. Sex For Couples with Heather Shannon

Made for committed couples who feel stressed, guilty or frustrated about their sex life and want to feel playful again. Heather Shannon is a certified sex therapist and Gottman-trained couples counselor. The show was called Ask A Sex Therapist until early 2026. New episodes come out every Monday.

• Vibe: gentle, reassuring
• Heat level: low to medium
• Best for: long-term couples who feel a bit stuck in a routine
• Where to listen: Sex For Couples on Apple Podcasts

Talk about it after: “What's one small thing that makes you feel desired?”

5. Speaking of Sex with The Pleasure Mechanics

Chris and Charlotte, a couple, host a calm and very specific show about the physical side of sex. They're great at demystifying the things people are too shy to ask about anywhere else.

• Vibe: calm, educational, technique-focused
• Heat level: medium to high
• Best for: when you want new skills rather than opinions
• Where to listen: Speaking of Sex on the Pleasure Mechanics website

Talk about it after: “Is there something from this episode you'd like us to try slowly, no pressure?”

6. Sex and Psychology with Dr. Justin Lehmiller

A social psychologist breaks down the research behind desire, fantasy and attraction. If you like knowing why something works, this is the show that cites the studies and explains what they actually found.

• Vibe: curious, nerdy in the best way
• Heat level: medium
• Best for: “did you know…” moments that lead to surprisingly personal conversations
• Where to listen: the Sex and Psychology Podcast page

Talk about it after: “Did anything in there sound like us?”

7. Savage Lovecast

Dan Savage has been answering sex and relationship questions for decades, and the podcast has run since 2006. Callers bring everything from jealousy to kink logistics, and the answers are blunt, often funny, and quotable.

• Vibe: blunt, funny, no filter
• Heat level: high
• Best for: couples who like a strong opinion to react to, including on topics like open relationships (we wrote about that here)
• Where to listen: the Savage Lovecast archive

Talk about it after: “Did you agree with his advice? What would you have told the caller?”

Bonus: if you speak French (or want to practice)

We're based in Quebec, and some of our favorite intimacy podcasts are in French. If you understand Quebec French, these are worth it:

• Couple Ouvert (Thomas Levac and Stéphanie Vandelac): a real couple, a comedian and his partner, talking about sex and culture with a different guest every week. Each episode ends with listeners' disastrous date stories. Despite the name, it isn't about open relationships.
• Sexe Oral (Lysandre Nadeau and Joanie Grenier): two friends exploring sexuality from every angle, every week since 2021, with zero taboos.
• Filles de Joie (Sonia von Sacher): sexualities, identities and the Quebec culture scene, in a free and unfiltered format.
• Velours (Kim Rusk): Kim welcomes a pair of guests, often a couple, for frank conversations about desire, relationships and contradictions.

Several of these shows are supported by Éros et Compagnie, one of the shops in our guide to Quebec's best erotic shops.

After the episode: turn curiosity into a conversation

A podcast plants an idea. Sometimes it stays in the car. Sometimes one of you thinks about it for days without saying anything, because it feels like a big thing to bring up.

That's exactly what Intimate Mirror is for. You each answer a questionnaire privately, like the Yes / No / Maybe checklist, then reveal together where you match and where you differ. If an episode made you curious about something, it's an easy way to find out if your partner is curious too, without having to bring it up cold (more on how the checklist changes communication).

So next time you're in the car, skip the playlist. Pick an episode together, keep a finger near the pause button, and see where the conversation goes.