No-nonsense advice on sex, love, relationships, and dating for hopeful romantics, love cynics, and everyone navigating modern love, hosted by Love Coach Shaun Galanos. The Love Drive is for women tired of toxic love advice and men who want to do better. The antidote to the red pill manosphere, we're making emotional intelligence, honest communication, and healthy masculinity cool again.
On July 13th, I lost one of my dear friends. Josh Kalven was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer in March and died four months later. He was a husband, a dad to a five-year-old, and a sweet friend. This episode is a eulogy. I read Josh the letter I wrote him in June, back when we still thought he'd beat it. It's full of stuck ropes, bad slab, his famous hummus sandwich, and everything he taught me about climbing and friendship. And I talk about grief. What losing my dad, my dog, and now Josh has taught me. How devastating it is, and, if you can find it, how beautiful. Grief is unexpressed love. Maybe. It's also expressed love. If there's someone you love who doesn't know it, and an email you've been meaning to send, let this be your invitation to send it. I'm taking August off to move into the new place and rest, so this is the last episode until September. If it touches you, share it with someone who needs it. And I'd love to hear from you. Leave me a voicemail at 415-494-9559 or an email at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Take good care of yourself and the people you love. Connect with Shaun: Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
The manosphere thinks going down on a woman is gay, submissive, or a low-return waste of time. It's wrong on all three — so I brought in an expert to help me prove it. In this crossover episode — Shameless Love — I sit down with sex educator Amy Baldwin from the Shameless Sex podcast for an honest, explicit, and useful guide to going down on women. We take apart the manosphere nonsense, then get practical: how to get out of your head as a receiver, real anatomy (yes, Amy brought a vulva puppet), hygiene without the shame, communication that actually works, and my field-tested tips for being great at this — plus a rapid-fire hot-or-not round to finish. Ten years ago I wrote a blog called What Women Wish You Knew About Eating Pussy. Consider this the 2.0. Explicit. Headphones recommended. Mentioned in this episode She Comes First — Ian Kerner Emily Nagoski ("same parts, organized differently") Dan Savage Midori — the "pussy hug" Feeld (dating app) · Uberlube Amy's book, Shameless Sex What women wished you knew about eating pussy blog post Links Shameless Sex: podcast + shamelesssex.com (couples retreats, Oct 2026) Connect with Shaun Read the blog The Love Drive Podcast Instagram: @thelovedrive More about Shaun Buy me a coffee
A listener asks whether to move back to somewhere familiar or take a leap somewhere new. Shaun uses the question to explore something bigger: how do you make peace with a life you can't predict? In this episode: finding community after a move, the "third space" concept, why it took two years to find his people in Montreal, what Flagstaff taught him, and why every choice — city, relationship, kids, career — requires you to grieve the road not taken. Books mentioned: The Untethered Soul — Michael Singer Meditations for Mortals — Oliver Burkemam Work with Me I have room for 3 new coaching clients . If this episode resonated — this is exactly the work we can do together. shaungalanos.com/coaching or https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/love-and-relationship-mentorship Leave a Listener Question 📞 415-494-9559 📧 podcast@thelovedrive.com Connect with me Read the blog The Love Drive Podcast Instagram: @thelovedrive More about Shaun Buy me a coffee Follow & Subscribe If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs it. Word of mouth is everything for an independent podcast.
Jess Janz is a writer, community facilitator, and the founder of Dinner With Strangers - a project that has brought over a thousand people together for a meal with one rule: no one talks about what they do for work. Her book, The Table Where We Meet, is out July 14th. We set out to talk about platonic love and ended up somewhere more personal - about what it actually means to bid for connection with a stranger, what gets in the way of letting people in, and what happens when someone turns the big scary light on and decides to stay anyway. In this conversation: why we project entire futures onto people we've known for five minutes, the grief of nine years of building something and not knowing where you end and the project begins, why friend breakups are so hard to mourn, and the small everyday acts that are actually love stories - if only we'd name them. What We Cover 1. Why we are obsessed with romantic love over platonic love - and what that costs us 2. How Dinner With Strangers works, and why removing the agenda is what makes connection possible 3. Projection: narrating entire futures onto strangers in coffee shops before they have introduced themselves 4. Bidding for connection - small honest signals and whether they get returned 5. Jess answers "how are you" honestly - fear about the book, and not knowing who she is outside the work 6. Identity tied to vocation and the danger of losing yourself in what you have built 7. The loneliness of being single while creating - no one to debrief with at the end of the day 8. The big scary light - what it means to be truly seen, and what is actually more terrifying: rejection or acceptance 9. Friend breakups - no script, no closure, no culturally sanctioned way to grieve 10. How to actually build community - ritualizing friendship and why getting out of your comfort zone is the only answer nobody wants to hear About Jess Janz Jess Janz is a writer, poet, and community facilitator based in Toronto. She is the founder of Dinner With Strangers, a gathering project that has brought over 1,000 people together across North America for meals where no one talks about what they do for work. She has hosted events for lululemon, Pinterest, Wealthsimple, and The W Hotel, among others. Her debut book, The Table Where We Meet: Lessons Learned From Dinner With 1,000 Strangers, is out July 14, 2026. She also writes a Substack called Gentle Company. Connect with Jess Instagram: @jessjanz Website: jessjanz.com Pre-order the book: jessjanz.com/book Substack: Gentle Company Connect with Shaun Read the blog The Love Drive Podcast Instagram: @thelovedrive More about Shaun Buy me a coffee
This week's episode is a tender one. I recorded this on Father's Day — three years after losing my dad — and I'm reading my Substack essay Living with a Broken Heart and riffing on what it means to keep showing up, keep feeling, and keep choosing love even when it costs you. I also make a correction from EP17, share a few quotes that have been sitting with me, and offer some practical tips on how to actually live with a broken heart — not just survive it. In This Episode A raw check-in: Father's Day, grief, and why I showed up to record anyway Correction from EP17 ( What is Love? ) on Ho'oponopono — what it actually is, and why it matters I read my essay: Living with a Broken Heart 6 tips on how to live with a broken heart I have room for 3 new coaching clients Quotes "God breaks the heart again and again and again until it stays open." — Hazrat Inayat Khan "You have to keep breaking your heart until it stays open." — attributed to Rumi "Maturity happens when we learn to hold ambiguity: emotions that contradict each other, that don't quite make sense together. So maybe as we grow up, we get better at smiling when we cry, dancing as we grieve, being kind when we lose our shit." — Max Vallot "I haven't been feeling like myself lately. I must be growing." — Unknown Books Mentioned Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents — Lindsay C. Gibson The Road Less Traveled — M. Scott Peck No Bad Parts — Richard Schwartz A Note on Ho'oponopono In EP17, I referred to Ho'oponopono as a prayer, meditation, or mantra. That was incorrect. Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice with deep cultural roots and strict protocols around who can practice it and how. It's not a phrase or a technique — it's a process for restoring harmony within a family, traditionally facilitated by a trained elder. A listener and Love Camp alumna who works closely with this community took the time to write me a generous and educational correction, and I'm really grateful. The resources below are a good place to start if you'd like to learn more. Start here: Kekoa Kealoha on Ho'oponopono and The Pitt — A Kanaka Maoli content creator and activist responds to a "Ho'oponopono poem" featured in the HBO show The Pitt . Accessible, contemporary, and worth 2 minutes of your time. Moʻo ʻŌlelo: Moʻolelo Hoʻoponopono with Aunty Lynette Paglinawan and Kaʻaiʻai Paglinawan — A grounded, primary-source conversation about what Ho'oponopono actually is. Talk Story with Aunty Lynette: What Is The Hawaiian Way? — Not specifically about Ho'oponopono, but a beautiful introduction to Hawaiian worldview and values. Go deeper: Hoʻopono: Mutual Emergence — Dr. Meyer Nānā I Ke Kumu: Look to the Source — Foundational texts on Hawaiian worldview, culture, history, and practice Work with Me I have room for 3 new coaching clients . If this episode resonated — heartbreak, grief, fear of love and intimacy, learning to set boundaries or make requests for your needs — this is exactly the work we can do together. Book here or email me for more information. https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/love-and-relationship-mentorship Leave a Listener Question 📞 415-494-9559 📧 podcast@thelovedrive.com Follow & Subscribe If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs it. Word of mouth is everything for an independent podcast.
I've been thinking a lot about why so many men end up looking for belonging in all the wrong places. This conversation starts with the manosphere, but it quickly becomes something much bigger. Laura Ramadei and I talk about why so many boys and men are starving for connection, why "fix yourself" advice so often misses the point, and how loneliness can make almost anyone vulnerable to people selling certainty. We get into emotional safety, friendship between men and women, why relational skills matter far beyond dating, and why being seen for who you are will always be more valuable than chasing status, money, or someone else's definition of success. I also share some of my own experience with validation, why I spent years looking for it in sex and relationships, and what I'm still learning about opening my heart instead of protecting it. This one's about choosing connection over performance. Mess and all. Mentioned in this episode Louis Theroux – Inside the Manosphere (Netflix) https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/louis-theroux-inside-the-manosphere-release-date-news "Small Hands, Big Heart" (Girthmaster & Small Hands parody) https://www.facebook.com/61556509147521/videos/small-hands-big-heart-smallhands/1157398549907361/ Girls on Porn Podcast https://www.girlsonporn.com/ About Laura Ramadei Laura Ramadei is a sexologist and intimacy coach. She's the Safety Director at one of Los Angeles' most prominent play parties and the host of the Girls on Porn podcast. Laura works with individuals, couples, and groups, specializing in relationship counseling, desire discrepancy, non-monogamy, queer identity, and kink. Connect with Laura Website https://www.intimacywithlaura.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/intimacywithlaura/ Substack https://intimacywithlaura.substack.com/ Connect with Shaun Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
What is love? It's a question I've never seriously stopped to answer — and one that's surprisingly hard to get at. In this solo episode, I share reflections from Love Camp, a retreat I hosted for 25 people, where only one participant raised their hand when asked if they had positive loving role models growing up. I explore what love actually looks like in practice — not the grand gestures we're sold, but the quiet, boring, mundane acts of showing up. I read a letter I wrote to myself, share an email from my friend Kathy, and read some of my favorite quotes on love from M. Scott Peck and Rainer Maria Rilke — plus a Hawaiian prayer to close. This episode won't give you a clean answer. But it might help you live the question a little better. If you've ever found yourself asking what love actually is, why it hurts, or whether you're doing it right, this one's for you. Maybe the answer isn't something we figure out. Maybe we live our way into it. Listener question from Sarah in British Columbia, Canada. Featured quotes: M. Scott Peck "Love is the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth. Love is as love does. Love is an act of will — namely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love." Rainer Maria Rilke "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer." Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
There is life after betrayal. It might not feel like it right now, but there is. My guest today is Lauren LaRusso, a licensed therapist and the author of Beyond Infidelity, a book she wrote after living through betrayal herself. Then she discovered the infidelity, and everything split into a before and an after. We talk about why infidelity is a trauma, not just a relationship issue, how being gaslit by someone you love can make you stop trusting yourself, and why the reaction you’re having probably isn’t “too much.” It’s grief. It’s shock. It’s your body trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense. We also get into the myths that don’t help — “happy people don’t cheat,” “if it were me, I’d leave immediately,” and “once a cheater, always a cheater.” Lauren brings so much nuance to the messy middle: staying, leaving, repair, shame, self-soothing, emotional maturity, and learning to live with answers you may never get. This one is for anyone who’s been betrayed, anyone who’s betrayed someone else, or anyone trying to understand how love, devastation, anger, and hope can all live in the same body. Find Lauren: Website: https://www.laurenlarusso.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenlarusso Book: Beyond Infidelity https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Infidelity-Turn-Relationship-Beginning/dp/B0F3W9ZKP2 Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
What if the sex is awkward, but the connection is actually really good? This week, I’m answering a listener question about dating someone new after years of being mostly single - someone kind, compatible, emotionally available… and a little nervous in bed. Fun! Humbling! Slightly confusing! I get into whether sexual compatibility has to be there from the start, how to tell the difference between someone who’s shut down and someone who’s simply inexperienced, and why nervousness doesn’t have to mean immaturity or incompatibility. Sometimes it just means: new person, new body, new dynamic, new reps. I also talk about kissing, giving feedback without making someone feel like a project, and why asking for what you want in bed is not as obvious as people pretend it is. And yes, I start with a personal update. I’m in a very real in-between place right now - with love, work, grief, anxiety, medication, and the annoying little fact that I don’t currently have clear answers. Maybe you don’t either. Mentioned in this episode: Clarity & Connection by Yung Pueblo Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
Most adults in the world carry the virus that causes herpes. Most of them don't know it. And the shame around it is doing more damage than the virus. This week I sit down with Debbie Barish, DNP, MS, WHNP-BC — a board-certified women's health nurse practitioner with 32 years in sexual and reproductive health — for a no-shame, no-bullshit conversation about herpes (both HSV-1 and HSV-2). We get into what it actually is, how it's actually transmitted, why your standard STI panel doesn't test for it, what suppression therapy can (and can't) do, how to talk about it with a partner, and why this one virus carries so much more shame than other, often more serious, STIs. I also share my own diagnosis story for the first time on the show. We cover: What HSV actually is — and the difference (or lack of one) between HSV-1 and HSV-2 Why most new genital herpes cases today are HSV-1 How transmission really happens, and why 70% of cases come from people who don't know they have it Why HSV is not part of a standard STI panel — and the one situation where a blood test is actually useful What a first outbreak feels like, and how to take care of yourself through it Suppression therapy: how it works, how effective it is, what the side-effect profile actually looks like Disclosure: when to tell a partner, how to say it, and what to do if they react badly Why herpes carries the stigma it does — and where that stigma comes from HSV in pregnancy Debbie's own diagnosis story (including a 26-year-later reunion with the firefighter who gave it to her) Resources mentioned: World Health Organization — Herpes simplex virus fact sheet — global stats and overview Washington University in St. Louis HSV research — Debbie's go-to source for current, accurate herpes information American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) — US, but the patient-facing info is universal Planned Parenthood — STI information — US-based, info applies globally SF City Clinic — STI-specialized clinic in San Francisco (model for what to look for locally) If you're outside the US: Search for your country's national sexual health service. In the UK, Terrence Higgins Trust and the NHS herpes page . In Australia, Better Health Channel or Family Planning Australia . In Canada, Sex & U . Most public health systems have free or low-cost sexual health clinics — use them. Find Debbie: @thenewdebbieb on Instagram — where she posts zines and art journals about sexual and reproductive health. Citation for the transmission number: The 50% figure I give at the end of the episode is from Corey et al., 2004, New England Journal of Medicine — the landmark study on daily valacyclovir as suppression therapy for HSV-2 transmission. Read the study here. Heads-up: This episode talks openly about shame, self-image after diagnosis, and mental health. If those topics are heavy for you right now, take care of yourself listening. Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
Someone recently told me I wasn't too complicated to love and it inspired me to explore the ways in which we keep ourselves small rather than dare to show up for love. This one's a pep talk about the lie we tell ourselves: that we have to lose the weight, get the job, finalize the divorce, heal more, become our "best self" before we deserve to be loved. The goalpost always moves. The waiting isn’t about the conditions, it’s about the fear of being seen as unfinished and unloveable. I get into the honest exception of when waiting actually is the wise call, why "ready" is usually code for something else, and what to do when you realize the person who only wants the polished version of you was never going to stay anyway. I hope you enjoy it. In this episode: • The fear of being “too complicated” to love • Why “I’ll date when…” is often fear dressed up as self-improvement • The moving goalpost of readiness • Being seen in transition, mess, grief, uncertainty, and change • The difference between acute crisis and ordinary human messiness • Why capacity matters more than perfection • How relationships can help heal the parts of us we keep trying to fix alone • Dating with roommates, anxiety, career uncertainty, body insecurity, and unfinished business • The danger of comparing your insides to someone else’s outsides • Why the right person doesn’t need you smaller, simpler, richer, or more healed Coming up Next guest episode — Debbie Barrish, sexual and reproductive health nurse practitioner, on everything we get wrong about herpes. Her journey, my journey, how to protect yourself, how to talk about it. Maybe the most honest STI conversation I've had on the show. Next solo episode — the flip side of this one. A listener question about a guy she's been seeing: great connection, real long-term potential, but the sex feels awkward and he's clearly in his head. He's just out of a 15-year relationship where intimacy never deepened. She's wondering: is this workable? How long do I give it? How do I invite him into more without making him feel bad? And the question I cannot wait to answer — can you actually teach an adult to be a better kisser? Send Shaun your questions at +1 (415) 494-9559 or email him at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Voicemails and voicememos are preferred, but texts/emails are OK too. To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Connect with Shaun: Love Camp: https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/summer-camp-isnt-just-for-kids-love Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
This week, Shaun sits down with comedian, actor, writer, and host of That’s a Gay Ass Podcast , Eric Williams, for a conversation that’s hilarious, horny, and a surprisingly tender masterclass on queerness, straight male loneliness, flirting, consent, emotional intelligence, and what the straights can learn from the gays. Eric and Shaun talk about Dan Savage, Grindr, gay panic, open relationships, non-monogamy, and why deleting the apps might be the universe’s way of sending you back into the real world. They unpack the weirdness of being recognized while dating, the blurry line between flirting and boundary-pushing, and why good flirting usually happens one tiny green light at a time. Eric shares what it’s been like to build his own queer playbook around marriage, family, career, sex, and not having kids, while Shaun asks the very important question: how do you know if your boyfriend is gay? They also get into straight men, gay men, emotional intelligence, the loneliness epidemic, and how boys are still taught that anger is the only acceptable feeling. Shaun opens up about his dad softening near the end of his life, Eric talks about grieving the version of himself that tried to fit into his straight family’s rules, and together they make a case for living more honestly, more expressively, and with better communication around desire. And yes, there is also a surprisingly educational detour into foreskin, mushroom trips, chesticles, Edgy Albert, and whether Shaun is officially gayer than Dan Savage. Eric Williams hosts That’s A Gay Ass Podcast, a top 100 comedy podcast that was named “One of the Best Podcasts To Listen To” by Glamour Magazine. It was nominated for Best Podcast at the 2025 + 2026 Queerty Awards and has been featured in Variety , The Hollywood Reporter , Vulture , and more. As a comedian, Eric has performed in the Netflix Is A Joke festival and is currently touring his solo show Why All The Drama after playing NYC's famed Joe's Pub. You can check out more of Eric's work on Tiktok , Instagram , and you can watch That's A Gay Ass Podcast on Youtube . In this episode: • How Shaun and Eric bonded over Dan Savage • Why deleting the apps might bring dating back to life • The difference between being sexually forward and being creepy • What straight people can learn from gay flirting • Open relationships, non-monogamy, and making your own rules • Why gay men may have better emotional muscles than straight men • Straight male loneliness and the cost of emotional shutdown • How boys are taught that anger is the only acceptable feeling • Family, queerness, boundaries, and living unapologetically • How do you know if your boyfriend is gay? • Mushrooms, grief, dads, softness, and self-soothing • A very educational conversation about intact penises • What love means to Eric Williams Mentions: Hot hairy guy — Edgy Albert Instagram https://www.instagram.com/edgyalbert/ Connect with Shaun: Love Camp: https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/summer-camp-isnt-just-for-kids-love Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
This week, Shaun comes to you solo from Seoul, South Korea, for an episode that’s part travel diary, part dating debrief, and part emotional field note from the road. After a muted-mic false start, a pastry reset, and some solo wandering, Shaun reflects on the strange clarity that can come when you’re alone in a new city. From there, he answers listener questions about sex, desire, independence, receiving love, and the confusing ways intimacy can stir up old survival patterns. In one question, Shaun unpacks why someone might seem interested before sex, only to pull away after intimacy happens. Maybe desire was running the show all along. Or maybe something deeper is at play, like the Madonna-whore split, where someone struggles to hold another person as both sexually desirable and emotionally worthy. He also responds to a listener who has built a deeply independent life — running a business, raising two boys, buying her own car — but struggles to receive love, compliments, or support. Shaun validates the strength it took to become that self-reliant, while gently naming that independence can also be a survival mechanism. Receiving, he says, doesn’t mean giving up your power. It starts with baby steps: letting in a compliment, asking for help, trusting safe people slowly, and noticing what happens inside when you don’t have to do everything alone. If you’ve ever been alone in a beautiful city, wondered why the “chemistry” suddenly disappeared, or struggled to let love in because you’ve had to hold everything together yourself, this one’s for you. In this episode: Why Shaun is solo in Seoul Travel, solitude, and the thoughts that catch up with you Why someone might lose interest after sex When desire is driving the connection The Madonna-whore split, explained simply Why receiving love can feel uncomfortable Independence as a survival mechanism Giving energy vs. receiving energy Asking for help without losing your strength How trust is built slowly, with safe people Links: Paradise Band (Kasima's birthday band) — Spotify and Instagram Needles Tattoo Studio, Hongdae — Jackpot + Red Lip Culinary Backstreets Food Tour Seoul Last week's episode with Laura Griffith https://youtu.be/fXm0bi-rZeE?si=l0TD9ZOiqCMcFoGp Voicemail line: 415-494-9559 Email: podcast@thelovedrive.com To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Connect with Shaun: Love Camp: https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/summer-camp-isnt-just-for-kids-love Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
This week, Shaun sits down with his good friend, somatic therapist and sex & relationship coach Laura Griffiths, for a conversation that's part confessional and part masterclass on masculinity, grief, and the kind of intimacy most men are too scared to reach for. Laura calls Shaun out on the charm he wears like armor, names his "performative" first-date energy that kept them from ever being romantic, and unpacks why women fully rooted in their bodies feel threatening to so many men, including him. They go deep on the Peter Pan archetype and the absence of real initiation into manhood, why the Manosphere is fueled by guys who are "angry their mothers weren't their fathers," and what healthy masculinity actually looks like when you let the mask down. Shaun opens up about the emotional rock bottom he hit this past fall - a short romance that cracked open a lifelong childhood wound, followed by the death of his beloved dog Roger — and why he chose this time not to hide. Laura brings a somatic therapist's precision to grief, the pain body, receiving love, and the erotic charge that lives in the space between vulnerability and strength. If you've ever wondered whether men and women can really be friends, why grief and eros live in the same room, or what it means to "optimize for heartbreak," this one's for you. Laura Griffiths is a somatic therapist and sex & relationship coach working with individuals and couples on rupture, repair, and creative-erotic power. Find her at thelauragriffiths.com , on Instagram @thelauragriffiths , and on Substack at Tongue of Honey. In this episode: How Laura and Shaun met on Hinge — and why there were no flirty vibes The mask of charm and the "little wounded boy" underneath it Why powerful, embodied women feel threatening Peter Pan, Neverland, and the initiation men never got The Manosphere decoded: the father wound in plain sight Grief, eros, and crying in coffee shops What receiving really asks of us Love as "optimizing for heartbreak" Send Shaun your questions at +1 (415) 494-9559 or email him at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Voicemails and voicememos are preferred, but texts/emails are OK too. To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Connect with Shaun: Love Camp: https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/summer-camp-isnt-just-for-kids-love Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
In this solo episode, Shaun shares the story of Roger, his blind dog, and what loving him through loss taught him about trust, grief, and letting go. What begins as a response to a listener’s question about a dog losing its sight turns into a deeper reflection on resilience, adaptation, and how often we project our fear onto the ones we love. He also checks in from Thailand, reflects on nicotine withdrawal and travel, and answers listener questions about dating as a therapist and navigating friendship after a breakup. This episode is about grief without regret, freedom without guilt, and what Roger the blind dog taught Shaun about living in the moment. Timestamps: (00:20) Thailand update, solo travel, and being the 33rd wheel (03:20) Day 24 without nicotine and changing plans from Europe to Korea (07:42) Roger the blind dog, resilience, and what animals teach us about presence (14:40) A sweet listener voicemail and why this podcast matters (18:26) Dating as a therapist or helper without losing your humanity (23:15) Breakups, friends staying connected to an ex, and letting go of control (28:54) Previewing next week with Laura Griffiths (30:09) Love Camp and an invitation into something different Send Shaun your questions at +1 (415) 494-9559 or email him at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Voicemails and voicememos are preferred, but texts/emails are OK too. To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Connect with Shaun: Love Camp: https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/summer-camp-isnt-just-for-kids-love Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
In this episode, Shaun is joined by Bay Area sex therapist Claire Perelman, aka Sex Clarified, for a candid and useful conversation about sex, desire, shame, and the stuff people are usually too awkward to say out loud. They get into monogamy, sexual compatibility, communication, squirting, pegging, orgasm pressure, porn habits, toys, libido differences, and the shame so many people still carry around pleasure. This episode is really about permission: to communicate clearly, stop performing, get curious about your body, and stop treating sex like a test you can fail. Send Shaun your questions at +1 (415) 494-9559 or email him at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Voicemails and voicememos are preferred, but texts/emails are OK too. To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Books and other mentions: She Comes First by Ian Kerner https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060538260/ Slow Sex: The Path to Fulfilling and Sustainable Sexuality by Diana Richardson https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Sex-Fulfilling-Sustainable-Sexuality/dp/B0853DZL95 Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski https://www.amazon.com/Come-You-Are-Surprising-Transform/dp/1476762090 Squirting workshop https://heyplura.com/events/squirting-may Guest links: Instagram - www.instagram.com/sexclarified TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@sexclarified Website – www.sexclarified.com Substack - https://substack.com/@claireperelman All other relevant links - linktr.ee/sexclarified Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More about Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
In this solo check-in, Shaun begins with a simple question that lands deeper than expected: how is your heart? From there, Shaun moves through a mix of life update, therapy reflection, sex question detour, and a deeper check-in on what it means to feel like you’re doing enough with your life. He talks about quitting nicotine, feeling more touched by life again, and replacing one habit with an alarming amount of gummy bears. He reflects on doomscrolling, discipline, and the small daily choices that can either ground you or pull you further away from yourself. At the center of the episode is a vulnerable therapy reflection on feeling unaccomplished at 43 and realizing that praise, money, and external validation can’t create self-worth for you. There’s also dating advice, some delightfully unhinged sex talk, and a sweet reminder that this podcast is meant to feel like a longer voice memo from a friend. If your sense of success has been tied to achievement and you’ve been feeling a little unmoored lately, this episode is for you. And if it speaks to you, share it with a male friend too. We’d love to have more men in these conversations. Timestamps: (02:54) Nicotine update and feeling more alive (05:23) Doomscrolling and wanting more discipline (07:01) These episodes as a voice note from a friend (07:27) Feeling unaccomplished at 43 (12:27) Can money make you feel successful? (15:14) Deep throating, sore throats, and bruising (18:54) Allergic to semen? (19:41) Reviews, voicemails, and how to send questions (20:55) Sweet listener message and why more men should listen (25:44) Dating question: should you ask for another date? (29:58) Travel update and weekly Thursday releases (31:29) Next week: Claire Perelman on sex and questions Send Shaun your questions at +1 (415) 494-9559 or email him at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Voicemails and voicememos are preferred, but texts/emails are OK too. To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Connect with Shaun: Shaun's love camp Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
Therapy Jeff joins Shaun for a conversation about men, therapy, emotional depth, and why so many relationships struggle when people cannot say what is actually going on inside them. They talk about the myth that men are “simple,” why emotional shutdown creates distance, and why gym, status, and success are not substitutes for real emotional growth. They also get into Jeff’s critique of Scott Galloway’s message to men, and the difference between chasing shortcuts and actually doing the work of becoming more emotionally mature. They talk about modern dating, rejection, approach anxiety, and what respectful flirting can actually look like now. If you’ve ever wondered why some men struggle to open up, why dating can feel so high-stakes, or what emotional maturity actually looks like in practice, this episode is for you. Timestamps: (00:20) Meet Therapy Jeff (02:46) Funeral family tension (08:30) Managing anxiety in real time (11:25) Why men struggle emotionally (20:03) Getting straight men into therapy (28:43) Therapy apps and stigma (29:11) Why we need male therapists (30:20) Small town dating dilemmas (33:44) Rejection and approaching women (42:45) First kiss and consent (46:22) Where to find Therapy Jeff (47:16) What love means today Send Shaun your questions at +1 (415) 494-9559 or email him at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Voicemails and voicememos are preferred, but texts/emails are OK too. To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Resources mentioned in this episode: Jeff’s response to Scott Galloway Shaun’s guest appearance on Jeff’s Problem Solved podcast Jeff’s podcast, Problem Solved Follow Jeff on Instagram and TikTok: @therapyjeff References: Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway Feeld app Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Shaun’s love camp Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
In this solo episode, Shaun shares a personal confession that kicks off a real conversation about coping, cravings, and the oddly human ways we try to take the edge off. He also gets into self-soothing, emotional patterns, and what it means to actually give yourself what you need instead of just grabbing the nearest distraction. There’s also listener Q&A on sex, flirting, and gym crush energy, plus a few side roads that make this episode feel equal parts advice column, voice note, and comedy detour. If you like your relationship advice with heart, humor, and a little chaos, this episode is for you. Timestamps: (00:26) Welcome and teaser (00:59) What’s giving me chi (04:24) My dirty little secret (12:25) Inner child needs (16:46) Term: hobosexual (19:44) Sons Versus New Love (20:40) Engaged update reality check (22:56) Reviews, voicemails, and break (24:27) Sex curiosity and gym flirting (32:04) Taboo hookup and housekeeping Send Shaun your questions at +1 (415) 494-9559 or email him at podcast@thelovedrive.com. Voicemails and voicememos are preferred, but texts/emails are OK too. To submit a guest, please do so here: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ If you’re listening on Spotify or watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. Shaun loves hearing from you. And leave a review wherever you listen. Links: He moved in after 8 days reel The Feels — IRL singles events and mindful dating experiences Yes/No/Maybe worksheet for talking about sex Shaun's love camp Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
Jennie Young, creator of the Burned Haystack dating method, joins Shaun to talk about how to stop wasting time on the wrong people and date with way more intention. They get into dating app red flags, boundary testing, bad first dates, manosphere code words, and why filtering harder might actually lead you to the right person faster. Jennie also reviews Shaun’s dating profile live and shares what it felt like to finally meet her own needle. And then, in a bonus post-recording tangent, Jennie has a message for Dan Savage: too many men are misusing “GGG” and “sex positive” to pressure women, and she is absolutely not having it. Timestamps: (00:00) The hidden red flags in dating profiles (00:24) The dating app problem no one admits (03:50) Why Burned Haystack dating took off (07:40) Dating in a small town without settling (17:55) The first boundary test tells you everything (41:35) The first date money debate (42:01) Jenny reviews Shaun’s dating profile live (43:05) The small profile changes that matter (48:28) Your photos might be hurting you (54:19) The manosphere language women should notice (59:32) Charm, banter, or just sexual pressure? (01:01:03) Jenny’s work and where to follow her (01:02:29) Why healthy chemistry can feel boring (01:05:07) Finding love later than you planned (01:05:49) Jennie has a question for Dan Savage about GGG (01:10:23) Wrap up, links, and final takeaways Links: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/9116647515019601/ Substack: https://burnedhaystack.substack.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/word_case_scenario/ Order the book: https://www.jennieyoung.com/burn-the-haystack-book Referenced: How to Not Die Alone by Logan Ury Love Camp: https://shaungalanos.substack.com/p/summer-camp-isnt-just-for-kids-love Connect with Shaun: Retreats and latest offerings: https://bit.ly/m/thelovedrive Read my blog: https://shaungalanos.substack.com The Love Drive Podcast: https://shaungalanos.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovedrive/ More About Shaun: https://shaungalanos.com/about/ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thelovedrive
#124
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Observed July 30, 2026.
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