The Lounge Because education doesn’t just live in programs, it lives in conversation. Vol. 2026 January 14, 2026 Hi Reader, This Week's Question: Andrea, it’s been a really long year and I feel like I’ve lost all connection with my sense of pleasure. I’m hopeful that things will be easier for me next year. Where do I start with reconnecting to my sense of pleasure in the new year? TL;DR Losing touch with pleasure during stress is normal—and it can be reclaimed with time, compassion, and...
21 days ago • 5 min read
The Lounge Because education doesn’t just live in programs, it lives in conversation. Vol. 2026 January 07, 2026 Happy New Year Reader, This month's theme is Pleasure in Presence. So often, clients (and friends) will describe a sexual experience in detail—until I gently ask what moved them to do what they did. That’s where they get stuck. A long pause. A blank look. Uncertainty. I'll ask them—what made you get into that position?What inspired you to wear that lingerie?What drove you to yell...
28 days ago • 4 min read
The Lounge Because education doesn’t just live in programs, it lives in conversation. Vol. 2025 December 10th, 2025 Hi Reader, This Week's Question: Every year my wife becomes very high strung around the holidays. She wants everything to be perfect – the gifts, the parties, the connections with family and friends, the decorations, the activities. She wants our experience to be very curated and polished. While I understand that it would be nice for things to be picturesque, it often ends up...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
The Lounge Because education doesn’t just live in programs, it lives in conversation. Vol. 2025 December 03, 2025 Hi Reader, If you’re like a lot of people, the holidays are a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, they’re full of wonder and magic. You deck your halls, creating a cozy cheerfulness that makes you want to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate (every day, honestly). You see awe and sparkle in the kids’ eyes. You feel nostalgia creeping in—memories filled with love and glee. You...
2 months ago • 5 min read
The Lounge Because education doesn’t just live in programs, it lives in conversation. Vol. 2025 November 12, 2025 Hi Reader, Reader's Question We just don’t have time for any of this. What would you suggest for a couple who feels so exhausted that they no longer have time for each other? Andrea's Answer Well, let me first say — I get it. I hear it all the time: “I woke up at 4:30 to a screaming baby who wouldn’t go back to sleep.” “I have to stay up working until midnight every night this...
3 months ago • 4 min read
The Lounge Because education doesn’t just live in programs, it lives in conversation. Vol. 2025 November 05, 2025 Hi Reader A little note written in the steam clouding the mirror.A cinnamon chai muffin brought home from your favorite bakery.An extra-deep kiss on the way out the door.A text from the office saying, “I’m thinking about you when…”A sudden dance in the kitchen over a steaming pot of soup.A flirtatious little whisper at the crowded bar. These are small moments. They take only a few...
3 months ago • 4 min read
The Lounge Because education doesn’t just live in programs, it lives in conversation. Vol. 2025 October 29, 2025 Hi Reader, Throughout October, we’ve been talking all about desire. We explored the difference between helpful and not-so-helpful desire to-do lists. We stepped into the world of a lovely reader who felt their desire was ebbing more than flowing. We examined the wide landscape of thorny barriers that keep us from feeling our most desirous and we wrapped up with opportunities for...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Ask Andrea A recurring column on intimacy, desire, and connection from Peak EDU. Hi Reader, This Week's Question "Andrea, over the last couple of years, I’ve felt my desire ebb more and more, with minimal to no flow. I don’t feel like anything is necessarily wrong with my relationship (we’ve been together for 8 years, married for 5). We fight as much as I think any couple would, but overall we’re loving and caring. We cuddle often, hug, and kiss each other goodbye every day, and we’re...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Imagine this… It’s Sunday night, and you’re buried deep in the couch. The all-too-familiar feeling is starting to kick in: your chest tightens, your core clenches, the mental inventory starts to tally, and that deep-seated thought of, “Ugh, I wish I had more time…” sets in. You know the feeling all too well. It’s the weight that accompanies your life’s responsibilities and the many hats you wear. Somehow, whether it’s work, family, hobbies, your relationship, your friendships, or...
4 months ago • 4 min read