If years of over-functioning have left you feeling checked out, numb, or disconnected from your own life, this episode is for you. Sex therapist and intimacy coach Dr. Tabitha Taylor joins Leslie to talk about what it really means to reclaim intimacy from the inside out — and why it starts with you, not your partner.
🌿 Ready to feel like yourself again after divorce or a breakup?
→ THROUGH — Leslie's 8-week divorce coaching program: https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogram
🌿 Grab Tabitha's free Gentle Reconnection Guide:
→ https://drtabithataylor.com
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Over-functioning women often don't realize how far they've drifted from themselves until exhaustion, numbness, low libido, or a quiet sense of "I'm not really here" forces the question. In this conversation, Leslie and Dr. Tabitha Taylor unpack the quiet cost of self-abandonment — and how reconnection can be a gentle, micro-moment process rather than another performance to perfect.
Together they explore why intimacy is so much more than physical, what "reclaiming intimacy from the inside out" actually means, and how trust and safety within yourself are the real foundation for trust and safety with a partner. Leslie shares her own embodiment story — including the EMDR moment at 47 when she realized she was feeling sensation in her body for the first time — and the post-divorce period of self-discovery that changed everything about how she experiences intimacy now.
Whether you're in a relationship that's drifted into autopilot, walking through a divorce or breakup, or in the in-between period of rediscovering who you are, this episode is an invitation to come home to yourself.
IN THIS EPISODE
What "living checked out" looks like — and the early signs of disconnection
Why self-abandonment is invisible to the person doing it
How over-functioning trains your nervous system into numbness
What reclaiming intimacy from the inside out really means
Why trust and safety within yourself comes before trust with a partner
The difference between performing intimacy and being present in it
How to start with micro-moments instead of another self-improvement checklist
Self-pleasure, anatomy education, and reclaiming pleasure post-divorce
Why becoming connected can change — or end — relationships, and why that's okay
WORK WITH LESLIE
🌿 THROUGH — 8-week divorce coaching program: https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogram
🌿 1:1 coaching & discovery calls: https://theloomlife.com
🌿 Therapy services: https://loomlifetherapy.com
🌿 Leslie's website: https://leslieellenmathews.com
CONNECT WITH LESLIE
🌿 Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.loom.life
🌿 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@leslieellenmathews
ABOUT TABITHA TAYLOR
Dr. Tabitha Taylor is a Licensed Professional Counselor, certified sex therapist, and intimacy coach. She helps over-functioning women heal from disconnection, self-abandonment, and living checked out — reclaiming intimacy from the inside out through nervous system healing, reconnection, and self-led intimacy. She also hosts the podcast Checked In: Reclaiming Intimacy from the Inside Out.
CONNECT WITH TABITHA
🌿 Website: https://drtabithataylor.com
🌿 Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtabtaylor
🌿 Facebook: Tab Taylor Coaching
🌿 Coaching group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/drtabcoaching
🌿 Email: drtab@drtabcoaching.com
🌿 Free Gentle Reconnection Guide: available at https://drtabithataylor.com
🌿 Tabitha's podcast: Checked In: Reclaiming Intimacy from the Inside Out
RESOURCES MENTIONED
🌿 OMGYes.com — anatomy and pleasure education referenced in the conversation
🌿 Sex With Emily — podcast referenced by Leslie
🌿 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — Leslie's mindfulness training
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TIMESTAMP
00:00 Introduction
01:34 Intimacy Is More Than Sex
04:52 What Intimacy Really Means
06:13 Signs of Self-Disconnection
09:20 Self-Abandonment
12:10 Reconnecting with Yourself
15:08 Choosing Yourself Without Guilt
17:10 Reclaiming Intimacy
20:18 The Divorce Glow Up
22:12 Staying Connected Daily
24:02 Why We Disconnect
26:41 When You Change, Relationships Change
30:31 Body Awareness & Intimacy
35:35 Mindfulness & Embodiment
40:46 Simple Reconnection Practices
42:10 Knowing Your Body
44:15 Trust & Vulnerability
47:27 Presence Over Performance
50:12 Why Pleasure Feels Difficult
53:00 Rebuilding Confidence After Divorce
56:28 Rediscovering Yourself
59:00 Tabitha's Work
01:03:34 Final Thoughts and Closing
KEYWORDS
reclaiming intimacy, self-abandonment, over-functioning women, disconnection, living checked out, self-connection, intimacy after divorce, women's pleasure, nervous system healing, somatic healing, divorce recovery, self-pleasure, embodiment, women's mental health
#ReclaimingIntimacy #SelfAbandonment #OverFunctioningWomen #DivorceRecovery #PullingThreadsPodcast
