We all hear about relationships that start with real desire.
Real heat.
Real connection.
And somewhere along the way — they fade.
Touch becomes transactional. Intimacy becomes infrequent. And the conversation about why never happens.
In this episode I sit down with Karen Bigman — midlife relationship and intimacy expert for men, certified sex educator, and host of the Taboo for Truth podcast — for one of the most practical and honest conversations I've had on this show about what actually keeps desire alive in long term relationships.
Because this isn't just about sex.
It's about connection. Communication. And understanding what's actually happening on both sides.
In this conversation we explore:
- Why younger men today are having less sex than any generation before them
- What a sexless marriage actually looks like — and how couples end up there without realizing it
- The breakdown of physical touch and what it costs both partners
- Why women become protective when every touch feels like it's leading somewhere
- How non-sexual touch rebuilds safety and reopens desire
- What women actually need to feel desire — and why novelty matters more than most men realize
- How desire and libido change over time — and what men can do about it
- Why communication about sex is the most underused tool in relationships
- What consent looks like inside long term committed relationships
- How to have the conversations most couples are too uncomfortable to start
That point about touch deserves its own moment.
When a woman feels like every time he reaches for her it's a lead-up to sex — she stops wanting to be reached for.
She doesn't pull away because she doesn't love him.
She pulls away because she doesn't feel safe enough to just be touched.
And most men have no idea that's what's happening.
This episode gives men a real lens into what their partner may be experiencing — and what small shifts in awareness and behavior can change everything.
If you're in a long term relationship and the intimacy has faded…If you've ever felt rejected and didn't understand why…If you want more connection, more desire, and more honesty in your intimate life…
This conversation is exactly what you need to hear.
🎧 Listen to Episode 81 now.
More From Karen -
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Men Rising is a community for men who are done settling for less than they want in their intimate lives and ready to build something real.
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