In this deeply intimate episode of Open Deeply, Kate Loree and Sunny Megatron sit down with Nikki Boyer, co-creator and executive producer of the award-winning Dying for Sex podcast, which inspired the acclaimed FX/Hulu series starring Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate.
At the heart of Dying for Sex is the extraordinary story of Nikki’s best friend, Molly Kochan, who, after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, embarked on a sexual journey that became something much bigger: a reclamation of her body, her agency, her desires, and ultimately, herself.
For Kate, a two-time cancer survivor and sex-positive psychotherapist, Molly’s story hit remarkably close to home. While Molly experienced what Kate calls a “sexual cancer journey,” Kate’s own recurrence of cancer in 2023 launched her into a psychedelic cancer journey. As Kate watched Dying for Sex, uncanny synchronicities between their lives began piling up—and eventually compelled her to write Nikki a deeply personal letter.
That letter began the connection that led to this conversation.
Together, Nikki, Kate, and Sunny explore what lies beneath the sexcapades: how confronting mortality can crack us open; how survivors can reclaim the body after sexual trauma; the complicated dance between control, surrender, kink, and vulnerability; and Molly’s growing realization that the epic love she was searching for might ultimately be found within herself.
But Dying for Sex contains another extraordinary love story—the friendship between Molly and Nikki. Nikki shares what it was like to accompany someone she loved through the final chapter of her life, what Molly taught her about love and death, and what it means to carry a friend’s story into the world after they are gone.
This is a conversation about sex, cancer, trauma, psychedelics, kink, friendship, grief, self-love, and the strange beauty that can emerge when mortality strips away the illusion that we have forever.
Molly showed us that it is never too late to reclaim your body, your truth, your agency—and your life.
Guest: Nikki Boyer, co-creator and executive producer of Dying for Sex.
Nikki's Bio:
Nikki Boyer is an Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning executive producer and Peabody Award winner for the acclaimed FX/Hulu series Dying for Sex, based on the deeply personal Wondery podcast she co-created, starred in, and executive produced about her best friend, Molly Kochan. The original podcast won the Ambies Award for Podcast of the Year and was named one of Apple’s Favorite Podcasts of the Year.
A three-time Emmy Award-winning host, Nikki has recorded more than 600 podcast episodes and hosted acclaimed series including Call Me Curious and The Daily Smile. Her television work includes The Drew Barrymore Show, The Talk, The Wendy Williams Show, Gilmore Girls, and The L Word. Across her work, Nikki brings vulnerability, humor, and a deep belief in the healing power of storytelling.
How to find Nikki: https://nikkiboyer.com/
IG: http://instagram.com/nikkiiboyer
Youtube: @nikkiboyerTV
Hosts: Sex-positive psychotherapist and author Kate Loree and sexologist Sunny Megatron
How to find Sunny Megatron:
Website: http://sunnymegatron.com
Facebook http://facebook.com/sunnymegatron
Twitter http://twitter.com/sunnymegatron
Instagram http://instagram.com/sunnymegatron Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@sunnymegatron YouTube https://www.youtube.com/sunnymegatron American Sex Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/2HroMhWJnyZbMSsOBKwBnk
How to find Kate Loree: Website http://kateloree.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/opendeeplywithkateloree Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@opendeeplywithkateloree Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kateloreelmft Twitter http://twitter.com/kateloreelmft YouTube https://youtube.com/channel/UCSTFAqGYKW3sIUa0tKivbqQ
Open Deeply podcast is not therapy or a replacement for therapy.
