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

Hi Amy, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The Shameless Sex podcast started in June 2017. At that point in time we had over a decade of experience working as certified sex educators and pleasure product industry consultants. In January of that year we were invited to guest on our dear friend and colleague Dr. Emily Morse’s popular podcast called Sex With Emily. The topic of the episode was Orgasms, Squirting, and the Year of Anal Licking, and the theme of the conversation was all about authentic, empowered women shamelessly sharing our real-life experiences in sex and relationships. During this time April was going through a divorce while Amy was in the middle of one of many rounds of breakups within a particular toxic relationship. We were both heartbroken yet optimistic as we were having new, adventurous sexual experiences as part of our healing process and newfound freedom. Needless to say, sharing our true sexual selves on air not only felt liberating, but also resulted in a hot episode known as one of Emily’s favorites, and inspired us to start our own show.

With Dr. Emily Morse’s blessing, we spent the next few months building the business. We had previous experience with startups, so we knew the first step was to create our mission statement alongside an extensive business plan. Our mission was clear to us: we wanted to inspire shameless intimacy, great sex, and radical self-love – hence the name Shameless Sex. Our passion is to help people feel comfortable learning about a topic that is often scary and intimidating – all with a playful yet informative twist.

We also got clear that this was first and foremost a passion project as opposed to needing to be a lucrative business. We would continue on for as long as we enjoyed the creative process (or when it became a profitable business), and if it ceased to feel that way then we would close out the show.

While we were experienced in public speaking and creating businesses from the ground up, one important facet of this type of business we knew nothing about was the how-to’s of podcasting, so we set out to teach ourselves. Amy learned how to record, release and distribute podcast episodes via YouTube tutorial videos, and April consulted other podcaster friends about equipment, marketing, and all of the in-betweens. Next up was acquiring a domain, building a website and social profiles, and then playing around with the recording process. We had a specific launch date in mind, so we wanted to make sure everything was ready beforehand including producing a few prerecorded episodes.

The creation process took time, work and energy, and we loved every second of it and felt even more alive along the way. Once we launched our show and began receiving positive feedback from newfound fans, we knew we had found our calling and would never look back. Now, almost eight years later, we are in the top 1% of podcasts globally and top five in the sexuality category in the US. Shameless Sex has been an ever-growing lucrative business since the year it was created, and we plan to keep it going until we are in retirement mode. It’s one of the best business choices and creations we have ever made, and we are so grateful to get paid to talk about our favorite topic in life. Shameless Sex.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Amy was voted both 2022’s and 2024’s Sexpert of the Year within the pleasure products industry. She is a sex and relationship coach trained in both the Somatica® and Hakomi Method, certified sex educator, lead educator for Uberlube, as well as co-owner of a mother-daughter owned online pleasure boutique called Pure Pleasure Shop. Amy has a passion for promoting shame-free, pleasure-focused sexuality education while emphasizing the deep emotional and energetic forces behind great sex and intimate connection, offering everything from private sessions to how-to workshops to erotic empowerment retreats.

April is a Certified Sex Educator who has been educating people about sexual pleasure, health and wellness, and pleasure products at a global scale since 2008. She travels internationally as Vice President and co-owner of Hot Octopuss, an innovative pleasure product company. April was voted Woman of the Year in the pleasure products industry in 2016, as well as 2024’s Sexpert of the Year, and has dedicated her life to the business of sex and pleasure.

Together, Amy and April combined forces to create the Shameless Sex Podcast, inspiring radical self-love, sexual empowerment, and shame-free intimacy. Shameless Sex is unabashed real talk about sexuality with a playful twist. To learn more, or to order their latest book Shameless Sex: Choose Your Own Pleasure Path to Unlock the Sex Life You’ve Been Waiting For, go to shamelesssex.com

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Dr. Emily Morse of Sex With Emily

Website: http://shamelesssex.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shamelesssexpodcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ5DSUSsnNlAdncmSGjEkwQ

Image Credits
Ervin Ramirez https://www.instagram.com/passionthroughlenses/

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