A leading clinical psychologist and sex therapist has shared her personal and professional journey towards embracing authentic sexual expression in a new podcast episode.
Dr Lori Beth Bisbey joined host Marcela Alonso on the Get Schooled podcast for an episode titled From Closet to Kink: Owning Your Authentic Sex Life. In the conversation, which aired on 14th July 2026 and was recorded in Los Angeles, she traced the experiences that shaped her career and reinforced her belief that sexual authenticity begins with knowing what genuinely fits.
The discussion saw Dr Bisbey recount how she entered the field, her current work and future aspirations. She explored how individuals can distinguish genuine desire from societal expectations, making space for conversations on kink, self knowledge and the freedom to make deliberate choices free from inherited shame.
“Marcela created such a warm, curious space for a real conversation,” said Bisbey. “I enjoyed looking back at the experiences that shaped my work and discussing why it matters for people to understand what they genuinely want instead of simply following the model they were given. That awareness makes it easier to choose what actually works.”
Dr Bisbey is a clinical psychologist, accredited advanced GSRD therapist, sex and intimacy coach, author, speaker, and podcast host based in Edinburgh. With more than 30 years of experience helping people create and sustain meaningful and exciting relationships, she specialises in GSRD (gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity), consensual non-monogamy, and kink/BDSM, and supports traumatised people to move from victim to survivor and back into life.
Dr Bisbey serves as the Specialist Relationship Therapist on Open House: The Great Sex Experiment on Channel 4 and hosts the weekly podcast The A – Z of Sex. She works as a speaker, workshop facilitator, and media commentator on sex, sexuality, intimacy, relationships, and sexual trauma.
Her published works include Chopping Wood, Shaping Metal and Other Erotic Stories, Dancing the Edge to Reclaiming Your Reality: Essential Life Skills for Gaslighting (and Trauma) Survivors, and Dancing the Edge to Surrender: An Erotic Memoir of Trauma and Survival. She identifies as a queer, consensually non-monogamous leather woman and is in a full-time authority transfer-based relationship with her husband.
The episode reflects growing public interest in conversations around sexual authenticity, kink awareness, and mental health connections to intimate relationships. Research in recent years has pointed to links between open discussions about desire and reduced anxiety in personal relationships, though experts emphasise individual contexts vary widely.
UK health organisations note that open, non-judgemental conversations about sexuality can support better mental health outcomes. While not every individual explores kink or non-traditional relationship structures, professionals like Dr Bisbey advocate for informed, consensual choices tailored to personal needs.
The Get Schooled podcast episode From Closet to Kink: Owning Your Authentic Sex Life with Dr Lori Beth Bisbey is available now on major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify, and Podchaser. Listeners can learn more about Dr Bisbey’s work by visiting DrLoriBethBisbey.com and her Linktree.