By the time I turned 50, like many women, I had been privy to the cultural stereotypes that heralded a downhill slide into a life that would dry up in all sorts of ways; physically, sexually, mentally. Fortunately, I had many powerful female examples for embarking on myriad adventures in the 5th decade and beyond; an aunt who after being widowed in her 50’s, became a Grandma Moses, whose oil and water color paintings were exquisite and one hangs in my dining room, a cousin with a sharp and witty mind, who traveled around the world with her husband and my mother who in her 60’s and 70’s taught water aerobics and senior stretch class (Stretching with Selma). There weren’t however, wild woman role models whose unbridled passion left them breathless. Oh, to have had that in my family! The good news, is that I have attracted many in social and professional circles who live orgasmically.
One such is Pamela Madsen. I was ‘introduced’ to her work, via the marvels of modern technology and although we have not yet met in person, I sense we are soul sistahs, although she is far more than that.
A pioneer in fertility advocacy, Pamela Madsen is the Founder and first Executive Director of The American Fertility Association. She is a fearless advocate for women’s health and integrated sexuality who leverages her raw honesty and well-informed wit to help strip the stigma from infertility, female desire and body image.
Pamela is a veteran speaker, educator, and renowned blogger for Psychology Today, The Fertility Advocate, and Care2. She is the author of Shameless: How I Ditched The Diet, Got Naked, Found True Pleasure and Still Got Home In Time To Cook Dinner (Rodale, January 2011).
She has appeared on 60 Minutes, Oprah, CNN, AARP Primetime Radio, The Dr. Laura Berman Show, The Jane Pratt Show, and Playboy Radio. Recently Pamela has been featured in the January 2013 Cosmopolitian Magazine.
Pamela is a sexuality, intimacy and self image coach for women at www.beingshameless.com. She works with women from all over the world via one on one coaching. She runs the first of its kind retreat for women called “Back to The Body: A Sensuous Retreat For Women”. www.backtothebody.org. Pamela also works with hands on therapists to support individual women and couples in their healing work.
Through perusing her blog and reading her Facebook posts, I am learning that she is edgy and energetic, compassionate and courageous; daring to speak her mind, letting go of fear of rattling anyone. Her sometimes electric writing style is provocative and frankly, more reader friendly and expansive than E.L. James (of Fifty Shades of Grey fame). She encourages women to fall in love with themselves rather than making a relationship the be all, end all.
Here is a tantalizing sample from her book in progress called The Surrender Games:
Written by Edie Weinstein
Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW (Bliss Mistress) is a colorfully creative journalist and interviewer, internationally known transformational speaker, licensed social worker, interfaith minister, Bliss coach and the author of The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming The Ordinary Into The Extraordinary. Over the past 25 years, she has interviewed such notables as Jack Canfield, Marianne Williamson,Dan Millman, Shirley MacLaine, Ram Dass, Ben & Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She is a regular contributor to Beliefnet, Elephant Journal, Wisdom Magazine, The Whirling Blog, Identity Magazine and Bellesprit.
