Are you ready to end that toxic relationship in your life — your love-hate relationship with food? No more...
Authentic Intimacy
#440: Why Don’t Christians Like to Talk About the Real, Hard Stuff in Life?
Are Christians a prickly audience when it comes to sharing our brokenness and pain? Let's change that. Join Juli and...
Webinar: How to Use Your Power to Build Intimacy
What do you do if your husband refuses to get a job? When you don't like the way he's parenting the kids? How do you know when you've become a controlling or manipulative wife? God has given you a powerful influence in the life of your husband - but you have to learn...
#439: Pelvic Floor Health 101 (It’s About More Than Just Sex)
Nearly 3 out of 4 women experience pain during or after sex. If that's you, we have good news: a pelvic floor therapist can help....
How Do I Know He’s “The One”?
Q: Is there one person I'm meant to marry, or should I just choose a good man? A: This question isn't simply a contemplative exercise; it impacts how you approach dating and marriage. However, I think it is the wrong question to be asking. The question of "Is there...
#438: How Your Story Becomes Sacred in the Hands of Jesus
Glenn Packiam joins Juli to talk about how the biblical metaphor of ordinary table bread reveals God’s...
#437: How To Help Your Kids Learn Resilience and Build Character
Living with sexual integrity often means saying no to what you want in the moment. If you expect life to always be...
#156: How To Keep Your Heart Open When You Don’t Feel Emotionally Safe
"Open" is the default setting of our hearts. When our hearts are closed, we lack perspective. We're more likely to make poor...
#155: How To Fight With Your Spouse
Are you ready to fight your way to a better marriage? Conflict presents an incredible opportunity for couples. When done well, it...
#436: Friendship Trends Gone Wrong? (How to Keep Your Friendships Healthy)
Boundaries are a tricky part of friendship. Friends help us meet legitimate needs for companionship, spiritual growth,...
#435: What’s the Most Important Thing the Bible Says About Your Identity?
"The journey of the Christian life is that God has increasingly more of me." - Dr. Juli Slattery Juli and Hannah talk about sexual...
#434: Is Sexual Sin More Than Just Your Behavior?
If you are a Christian, you are a new creation—the old has gone and all things have become new. As new creations in Christ, what...
Webinar Series: Sex & the Single Christian, Pt 1
What Kind Of a Gift Is Sexuality if I Can't Have Sex? Part 1 in this webinar series A fan-favorite "Java with Juli" guest, The Boundless Show's Lisa Anderson, steps in as co-host to help Juli unpack why your sexuality doesn't have an on/off switch called "marriage."...
Webinar Series: Sex & the Single Christian, Pt 2
How To Ditch the Counterfeits & Find True Intimacy Part 2 in this webinar series Therapist and life coach Dawn Jones is back to tell us the truth about counterfeit intimacy and how to recover from trauma like porn, abuse, and even your "friends" on social media....
#433: Can You Be Gay and Follow Jesus? with Greg Coles
Greg Coles shares why he doesn't love the controversy surrounding the title of his book Single, Gay, Christian, yet why he's...
#432: Unraveling the Threads of Racism & “Love Addiction” in My Story
Why did I have sex with him again? Why can't I stop this masturbation addiction? Why can't I get this fantasy out of my head? Are...
#430: Marriage Can Be Hard, Here’s Why the Work Is Worth It
What do you do when you want to give up on your marriage? Greg & Erin Smalley share their story—and remind us that we can ask...
Prioritize Sexual Intimacy by Getting Your Bedroom Ready, Part 3
One very practical and creative way to work on sexual intimacy in your marriage is to put thought and intention into the physical space of your bedroom. Whether or not you are aware of it, the environment of your bedroom impacts your sexual intimacy. Here is a quick...
#429: How To Find Love When Dating Has Changed with Jonathan Pokluda
Is the way you approach dating actually sabotaging your chances for a healthy marriage? From “just coffee” to...
#428: Don’t Say That to Your Single Friends (Say This Instead)
It happens. Despite good intentions, perhaps without realizing it, you say something careless to a single friend. You've got time....
Prioritize Sexual Intimacy by Getting Your Body Ready, Part 2
Much of my work in helping people navigate sexual issues revolves around how we think about sex. Your thought life, and your understanding of God and sex, are very important to your sex life. However, the basic truth is this: you can’t have sex without a body. Sex,...
#426: How To Better Understand the Complexity Beneath Gender Dysphoria
What’s the difference between sexual identity and gender identity? Should parents use preferred pronouns? Or allow kids to dress in...
#425: Bonus! How To Build Community & Friendships with Intention and Grace
Feeling stuck in your friendships? You're not alone! As the seasons of life change, our friendships don't always keep up. If you're...
Prioritize Sexual Intimacy by Getting Your Mind Ready, Part 1
“Your most important sex organ is your brain.” I remember when I first heard this statement as a young married woman. Enjoying sex is practically impossible without thinking about it. Both men and women can struggle to know how to think about sex in a way that is...
#424: A 54-Year Friendship That Broke Through Cross-Cultural Barriers
Their friendship defied the odds. In the late 60s, in the South, these men weren’t supposed to become friends. Yet, with Jesus as...
#263: Experiencing Sexual Pleasure, Part 2
In part two of this conversation, you'll hear about the other two legs of the "sexual desire triangle" and go from getting your body...
A Road Map to Sexual Integrity in the Midst of Sexual Brokenness
Do you want to know the question that keeps me up at night? It’s this: How can I honor God with my sexuality in the face of my sexual brokenness and unmet desires? At Authentic Intimacy, we often use words like sexual wholeness or sexual integrity instead of sexual...
#262: Experiencing Sexual Pleasure, Part 1
Unlike most men (who always seem to be in the mood, always climax, and never experience pain), sexual pleasure can be a mystery to...
#423: How to “Rethink” Issues in Our Church Culture Around Sexuality & Abuse
We need to be asking some hard questions. In the wake of the SBC investigation, along with the growing tsunami of fallen pastors,...
#422: How to Care for Both Women and Children in the Wake of the Dobbs Decision
Do you know that God’s heart is for both women and their unborn children, and don’t know where you fit in the pro-life/pro-choice...
Are You a Good Friend? 7 Keys to Building Healthy Friendship
Several months ago, a friend invited me to coffee. After catching up on kids and ministry, I noticed her countenance shift. She obviously was struggling to share something difficult with me. After a few deep breaths, my friend explained how several years ago I had...
#421: “God, Sex, and Your Marriage”-Juli Answers Your Questions
You're starting to see how sexual intimacy is a reflection of covenant love. But what does that actually look like in your sex...
#420: Bonus! What Redemption and Sexual Intimacy Look Like in Real Life
Sex was nothing like what they were told it was going to be. She felt pain. He felt guilt. Together, they're on a journey toward...
#419: Why Sexual Intimacy is About So Much More Than Just Having Sex
Are you working from the wrong understanding of what makes a great sex life? Find out in this...
#418: What Is Sexual Intimacy Supposed To Look Like in Marriage?
Imagine that you and your spouse are building a jigsaw puzzle, but you don’t know what the picture on the front of the box looks...
How To Go From Demand and “Duty Sex” to True Sexual Intimacy
As Roy and Stacy listened to their pastor teach on I Corinthians 7, they began to shift uncomfortably in their seats. “Paul is saying here that a wife is to meet her husband’s sexual needs. If she doesn’t, he may be tempted to seek sex outside of their relationship.”...
#214: Answers To Your Questions About Sex, with Dr. Juli Slattery & Linda Dillow
Is it “dirty” to dress up for your husband in the bedroom? Is it wrong to masturbate if your husband can’t have sex? What if your...
How To Help Little Ones Celebrate How God Made Their Bodies
We're happy to welcome Francie Winslow back to the blog. You can learn more from Francie at her website. I was cuddled up with my youngest son on the couch when the well-known cartoon “Blues Clues” popped up on the screen. Along with flashy colors came a classic tune,...
#416: How God Uses Heartache to Prepare You for Your True Calling
Dr. Dan Allender and Cathy Loerzel join Juli to share about Redeeming Heartache—a new book and tool (think Enneagram or DISC) to...
#415: How To Encourage and Celebrate the Single Mom in Your Life
God's promise of provision for the single mom is also a call to body of Christ. In this episode, Michelle Donnelly...
#414: Good Marriages Often Get Off to a Rocky Start (& Why It’s OK)
Even good marriages can get off to a rocky start. In this episode, Ray and Robyn McKelvy, now married over 30 years, share their...
What To Wear in the Bedroom?
Do you need to change what you wear in the bedroom? Like me, maybe you choose your sleepwear based on comfort and not to entice. I much prefer Life is Good to Victoria Secret in the bedroom, but we will save that conversation for another day. Even though I sometimes...
#413: The Perfect Parent Is the One Who Knows They Need Jesus
Dave and Ann Wilson get real about the messiness of parenting. They'll share how they learned to bring others around them, to learn...
3 formas en las que amar tu cuerpo construye intimidad en el matrimonio
Mientras estaba de pie frente al espejo, conté la cantidad de cicatrices en mi estómago, esparcidas por todo mi vientre como los rayones de un niño pequeño con un crayón. ¿Cómo podría volver a sentirme...
3 formas de ayudarle a tu esposa a sentirse completamente conocida y amada
Escrito por Zack Skarka. Mi invitado en el blog de hoy es mi ser humano favorito, ¡Zack Skarka! Después de compartir mi lucha con la imagen corporal la semana pasada, invité a Zack a que también contara su versión...
#411: The Unlikely Means God Uses To Bring Beauty From Ashes
What are the unlikely (often unwelcome) means that God uses to heal us? Join us to find out and discover the power of being fully...
What’s the Most Important Thing the Bible Says About Your Sex Life?
What does the Bible say about sex? If you Google this question, you will find a series of articles discussing a dozen or so Bible passages that clearly address sexual issues like adultery, fornication, same-sex activity, and married sex. While those passages are...
#410: Sexual Abuse in Marriage and How To Help a Hurting Wife
Sexual abuse in marriage... wait. What? Doesn't the Bible say a spouse "has authority" over the other's body? Let's talk practically...
How Do I Know If I’m in an Abusive Relationship?
On the surface, they looked like a perfect Christian couple. Always together, with his arm around her waist. Her friends would admit to feeling a bit jealous. Abby never goes anywhere without Jake; he’s so attentive. I can barely get my husband to notice that I’m in...
#409: Divorce & Remarriage (Abuse, Infidelity, Porn & All the Hard Things)
God's word is clear on marriage; but some of us are a little fuzzy on the divorce and remarriage part. What exactly does "sexual...
3 Ways To Help Your Wife Feel Fully Known and Fully Loved
My guest on the blog today is my favorite human, Zack Skarka! After I shared my struggle with body image, I invited Zack to tell his side of the story too. If you need to share this blog with your husband, please know that I'll be praying for you! Ask God for wisdom,...
#408: Science Offers Kids a Powerful Reason To Say No to Porn
If teens understood the significant impact of porn on their brains, on their relationships, and porn's link to human trafficking,...
3 Ways That Loving Your Body Builds Intimacy in Marriage
As I stood in front of the mirror, I counted the number of scars displayed across my stomach, splattered across my belly like a toddler with a crayon. How could I ever feel beautiful again, let alone sexy? My thoughts were interrupted as my husband came up behind me...
#407: Masturbation: The No. 1 Question You’re Asking Us!
There's more to the masturbation conversation than simply "right" or "wrong." Could masturbation be an issue of spiritual maturity...
#406: Every Couple Has a Sexual Dance. What Does Yours Say About You?
Sex therapist Dr. Mike Sytsma says that when a couple tells him how they kiss or how they make love, he can tell them...
Webinar: Making Sense of God & Sex, Live Q&A
How do I bring God my heartache over the fact that my daughter is living in a same-sex relationship? Why does God care if my husband and I are having sex or not? Does God really expect me to give up sex, even if I never marry? When you wrestle with sexual pain or...
“God Doesn’t Care” and 3 Other Lies You Might Believe About Sex
I’ll never be able to kick porn for good! I hate sex. I’ll never be able to enjoy it with my husband. I’m damaged beyond repair. I can’t have a great sex life if I don’t have a beautiful body. Have thoughts like these ever crossed your mind? If so, where do you think...
#405: How To Be Broken and Used by God (At the Same Time)
Cory Morgan joins Juli to share how his brokenness became an opportunity to bring others alongside him on the journey toward sexual integrity.
#404: How To Help Your Kids Think About Sex From a Christian Worldview
Hillary Ferrer, co-author of Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality, joins Juli to talk about how to teach your kids a biblical view of sex.
#403: How Do I Reconcile God’s Goodness with Sexual Pain & Injustice?
How can we reconcile the pain of sexual abuse with faith in a loving God?
#402: If God Made My Body “Good,” Why Does It Cause So Much Pain?
Juli is joined by author and apologist Sam Allberry to share how we can reconcile the goodness of our bodies (which are created by...
6 Thoughts To Help You Discern Truth and Give Grace
Over the past several months, many of you have messaged our team here at Authentic Intimacy asking for my opinion on a recent book or controversy within the Christian community. Most recently, people want my opinion on the new film adaptation of Redeeming Love. You...
#401: Why “Love Is Love” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
Black Lives Matter. Love is love. Hate has no home here. A thread of truth—truth deeply rooted in Christianity—runs through these...
#400: If God Is Good, Why Doesn’t He Take Away My Sexual Addiction?
At the root of every struggle with ongoing, unwanted sexual sin is a lie about God—and it keeps you from the very things that bring...
#399: Why Questions About Sex Cause You to Question God
Juli and Hannah kick off the "Making Sense of God & Sex" series with a conversation about how questions around sex always lead...
Your Questions About Sex Point to Bigger Questions About God
Our sexuality is not an isolated part of who we are, but an integrated aspect of what it means to be created in God’s image and loved by Him. Our sexual questions and pain points connect with our deepest longings and fears. It’s impossible to grapple with our sexuality without also confronting our foundational beliefs about God. Is He good? Is He trustworthy? Does He see me?
#398: How Trauma-Informed Care Helps Your Brain, Body & Relationships
“Trauma-informed care” is more than just a pop psychology buzzword. Join Juli and her guest to learn about the experiences that we...
#397: How To Help Families Navigate Questions About Gender Identity
Juli continues her conversation with Dr. Mark Yarhouse about how parents can stay close to a child who is questioning his or her...
Is There Really Such a Thing as “Comfort Sex”?
Our guest today is Francie Winslow. Francie hosts the weekly Heaven in Your Home podcast where she offers fresh, biblical ways of thinking about married sex and what it reveals to us about God. We just endured a brutally exhausting Christmas break. We had high...
#396: Diverse Gender Identities: How To See the People Behind the Issue
Why are so many teens suddenly coming out as trans or non binary? Juli welcomes Dr. Mark Yarhouse to help you understand the...
#395: How to Be Intentional to Care For Your Mental Health & Wellness
One in 3 Americans report experiencing symptoms of clinical depression. How about you? In this conversation, Dr. Juli Slattery and...
3 Ways To Make Sexual Intimacy a Priority in Your Marriage
It’s often said, “Show me your calendar, and I’ll tell you what is important to you.” There are a lot of things we say are important to us but end up taking a back seat to busyness and the distractions that clamor for our attention. Intimacy in marriage is usually one...
3 Razones por las que puedo correr a Dios con mi quebrantamiento sexual
Mi invitada en el blog esta semana es Julia Mitchell. Julia es la Coordinadora de Participación de Usuarios y Miembros para Authentic Intimacy. Para mí, esta pregunta es donde todo comienza: ¿Puedo realmente confiarle a Dios todo, incluyendo mi sexualidad? Todavía me...
#394: Debt-free in the Bedroom: How To Heal From Sexual Pain
Have you experienced sexual trauma? Were you betrayed in marriage? Are there sexual choices from your past that...
#393: Practical Wisdom for Dating & Friendship
Can we get practical about dating? Juli and author Eric Demeter put aside the Christian dating subculture and get super...
#65: Why Healing Takes Time, with Francine Rivers
Juli sits down with author Francine Rivers to hear how her own story of brokenness and healing after an abortion...
#392: Want To Know Juli and Mike Better? This Is Your Episode!
Juli takes off her "author and psychologist" hat! Hannah Nitz turns the tables on Juli and Mike to hear how they met, how they...
What God Wants For Christmas
True confession: the Christmas season overwhelms me. It’s not the busyness, the music, or the parties, but the gift-giving that stresses me out. Gifts are not my love language, so I never know how to answer my husband when he asks what I’d like for Christmas. What...
#391: Make Your Relationship Better With a Few Intentional Habits
Relationships naturally find ruts. With our natural bent toward self-love, we easily get stuck focusing on our own needs or...
#390: Have You Given Up On Sexual Enjoyment and Pleasure?
Are you resigned to the idea that God must have created sex for your husband, but not for you? Juli and her guest, Dr. Debra Taylor,...
3 Reasons I Can Run To God With My Sexual Brokenness
This question is where it all begins for me: Can I really trust God with everything, including my sexuality? (Presione aquí para leer en español) I still picture myself in my room that night, tossing and turning, overwhelmed by the anguish in my soul. Gripping the...
#389: Thinking About Becoming a Blended Family?
Blended family couples have honeymoon phases too!—they just usually come a little later. Even the strongest couples will face...
2 Reasons You’re Hesitant to Talk to Your Kids About Sex (But Shouldn’t Be)
My guest on the blog is Amy Davison, co-author of Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality.* She's going to clear up two obstacles that keep parents from teaching their kids a biblical worldview of sexuality. Discipleship is not a word you hear that often outside of...
#387: Life, Intimacy and Loving Your Body After Breast Cancer & Reconstruction
Kim Harms was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her fortieth birthday. In this episode, Juli grabs...
Church Is Good For You; It’s Time To Go Back
I meet more and more Christians who have simply given up on church. Maybe you are one of them. You’ve been disappointed by a leader, disillusioned by division, or just can’t find a place you belong. Through COVID-19 quarantines, perhaps you settled into a new routine...
#385: How To Wrestle With God Over Questions of Sex & Sexuality
Come deconstruct with us for 40 minutes or so. Yep, that's right. If we can’t ask hard questions about the...
Bonus! #384: Do You Empower Your Husband or Enable Him? (The Difference is BIG)
Nobody said marriage would be easy. It takes great courage, strength and self-control to be the woman God has called you to be in...
#383: What Do I Do With Disappointment in Marriage?
Have you tried to "fix" problems in your marriage, only to end up feeling distant? Disappointment is common...
3 Reasons To Invite Women Into Conversations About Sexual Brokenness
I opened my door and there she stood. She was nervous. I invited her inside my home, offered her a cup of coffee, and we sat down on my couch. I could see the hesitancy on her face as she fidgeted with her phone. I asked her to tell me a bit about her story. My new...
#382: Why We’re Not Afraid to Ask Hard Questions About Sex & Christianity
If you feel the pressure to believe that Christians are close-minded and a growing minority, you’re in for an encouraging surprise....
#381: “Show It Off” or “Cover It Up”: Messages That Shape Our Body Image
What messages have you been told about your body and your sexuality? At the coffee shop with Juli are two...
3 Things I Want You To Know as I Launch a Countercultural Book
A book release. Normally this would be an exciting event. It’s kind of like giving birth to a child that you have nurtured in your womb for nine months. As this one approaches, my excitement is honestly mixed with trepidation. Over twenty years ago, I wrote my first...
#380: How To Have Honest Conversations With Your Kids About Sex
How do you create an environment in your home where your kids feel OK talking about sex? When they struggle, how do you protect...
Honestamente, ¿cuál es el propósito de tu sexualidad?
Si alguien te pregunta, “¿Cuál es tu opinión en cuanto a vivir con tu pareja sin estar casados?” o “¿Crees que Dios está de acuerdo con el matrimonio gay?” ¿Cómo responderías? Para responder estas preguntas, vas a terminar (sin siquiera darte cuenta) yendo a tus...
#379: Is Your Love Life All That You Want It To Be?
Is this really all there is? If you’ve ever felt this way about your sex life, you’re not alone. In this...
#378: How One Church Learned To Embrace the Beauty of Broken
Imagine there is a sign on the door of your church that says, “Please leave your sexual brokenness on the steps...
#377: How to Care For a Friend (Or Yourself) When the Marriage Doesn’t Survive
Marriages don’t always survive the tough stuff. God still moves. Wounds heal. Addicts find sobriety. Forgiveness is extended. Life...
When Cancel Culture Invades the Church
Your social media feed is probably filled with examples of the latest person who has been “cancelled” because of something they said years ago or an unpopular position they recently expressed. Being cancelled is a weapon powerful enough to prompt teens to take their...
#376: What Does God’s Word Actually Say About Divorce and Remarriage?
Friends, please note that we don't go into detail about how to recognize abuse in marriage. We have other conversations about...
#375: Juli & Jackie on How To Pursue Unity While Standing on Truth
The mics stayed on for more with Jackie Hill Perry. In this unique after-the-show episode, Juli and Jackie share how they’ve...