We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Dopp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Questioning whether to give up is the monster that follows you like your shadow. It’s always there. You’re a human being and doubt is an unavoidable feeling. I think for me with the work I do the only thing that makes me want to stop is my own question of whether my work has value. But deep down I know it does. And that’s where the mental health element of being an entrepreneur is rooted. You have to find a way to deal with the moments of doubt, creating healthy conversations with yourself and then examining what the work actually is. If something’s not working then try to find a new angle. Try to adapt or grow rather than let go of all the work you have done. All truly magnificent creations are the product of time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
SMUNTH was kind of an accident, honestly. I found myself working at a menial bakery job that was draining me to no end. I worked crazy hours and needed something to do that would bring me joy. Reading became a form of escapism for me. Then, in April of 2024, all the fantasy and lit-fic novels I was reading were becoming too heavy for me. I decided nothing would be more fun than if I read only smutty romance books for a whole month. I called it SMUNTH – a month of smut. What was crazy was how alive I felt during that month. It was like my brain woke up and I started having conversations with all my friends and family about what I was reading. I realized I had learned a lot about sex and pleasure in these books that many of my female friends and family were not aware of. This is when it became apparent that there is a real stigma around educating yourself about sex beyond what is commonly discussed. I had no intention of SMUNTH becoming a thing that would live on past my fun challenge. But my friends wanted more and I thought, “hey if this can help make my friends feel less nervous to pick up a book, then maybe this could help others too.”

SMUNTH does not run from taboo or the obscure. It does not judge, nor does it degrade. With every blog and every video I am trying to ask questions about sex, relationships, and stories that feel like friendly encouragement. I try to open the reader’s minds rather than reinforce fearful stereotypes. Everyone’s limit is at a different place on a wide spectrum of what’s acceptable to them, what they deem right or wrong. I think when we engage in healthy discourse and educate ourselves about sex and pleasure it empowers us to expand that limit and hopefully, we become more empathetic towards others who have different sex lives from our own.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you haven’t been to downtown Culver City, you are missing out! A perfect day starts with a Philz Coffee and Pops Bagels rotation. You order your coffee at Philz. While you wait, head next door and place your bagel order. Then go back, grab your coffee and sip on that until your perfect bagel sandwich is ready. With both in hand, sit outside to watch people and enjoy the weather. By the time 11 a.m. rolls around you amble down the street to the Ripped Bodice, LA’s most renowned Romance bookstore. You peruse the shelves, pick up a towering stack of books, maybe a cute sticker or two, and possibly find yourself in a lively conversation with one of the wonderful humans that work at the front desk. Once you are done, you can grab some snacks at the farmers market before walking or driving to one of the many parks nearby and dive into the world of your new book. When it’s time for your evening plans, guess what?! You can go back to Culver to listen to live jazz at the Culver City Hotel and sip a cocktail before heading to one of the amazing restaurants in the area. The twinkly lights everywhere will give you the perfect atmosphere to fill your LA night.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
SMUNTH would not exist without all the women in my life that were brave enough to talk to me about sex. As women, we are told from a young age that to unabashedly talk about sex is unladylike. It’s rooted in our Puritan culture. We get degraded and called names the second we express an interest in learning about sex as adolescents. This thought process stays with us as we grow up. It instills in us the idea that talking about sex will somehow reflect poorly on us. But when I started to open up about what I was reading and learning through romance books, I found that my friends and family were also curious and maybe even a bit shy. But they asked me questions and engaged with me in my work.

It was these same women who told me this work was valuable. They are the ones who are there for me when that fear in the back of my head persists. Will people think less of me or take away my “good woman” persona if I speak up about sex? They remind me that the risk is worth taking because the persona is just a perception. They make me brave.

Website: https://www.smunth.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.smunth?igsh=dmJ5MTMyMGF4djFs&utm_source=qr

Other: TikTok

@its.smunth

News letter
https://smunth.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=61f24c908dc24aee6560af4bc&id=f4c8e68805

Image Credits
Chloe Kaminski

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.