Why are so many women feeling disconnected—from their partners, their desire, and even themselves?

In this powerful episode of the Wake Her Up Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Mariah Sophocles, gynecologist and author of The Bedroom Gap, to talk about a topic that so many women experience but few openly discuss: the growing disconnect in intimacy during midlife and long-term relationships.

We dive into the real reasons this “bedroom gap” is happening and why it’s not just about libido. Dr. Sophocles shares the physical, emotional, and relational factors that impact desire, connection, and confidence for women—especially in midlife.

In this conversation, we explore:
• Why so many women feel disconnected from intimacy
• The surprising biological and emotional contributors to the “bedroom gap”
• How communication, curiosity, and self-awareness can rebuild connection
• Why this conversation is so important for women in midlife

This episode is honest, eye-opening, and incredibly validating for any woman who has ever wondered, “Is it just me?”

📖 Get Dr. Sophocles’ book The Bedroom Gap:
https://a.co/d/06TlKlQb

💬 Join the Wake Her Up free community of 60,000+ women having real conversations about midlife:
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18L58RHEVk/

🔥For the fun TOYS we talked about, shop at Oboo.love https://oboo.love/discount/WAKEHERUP

If this episode resonates with you, share it with a friend and continue the conversation inside our community. You are not alone in this journey—and together, we’re waking up to what’s possible in midlife.

In this episode, I sit down with Jessica Frew, life coach, author, and bold decision maker, to talk about her remarkable journey through betrayal, healing, and self-rediscovery.

Jessica shares the deeply personal story of her first marriage and the life-altering discovery that her husband was gay and had an affair with a man. Instead of allowing the experience to break her, she chose a path of compassion, growth, and radical acceptance. Today, they are close friends and co-parents, offering a powerful example of what healing and emotional maturity can look like.

Through her journey, Jessica came to a profound realization: other people do not complete us. We become whole by reconnecting with ourselves. She opens up about releasing expectations, trusting her inner voice, and rebuilding her sense of identity and self-worth. Now, she helps other women do the same by guiding them through betrayal, divorce, and major life transitions.

Jessica is also the author of Shove Your Shoulds, a transformative book about letting go of external pressures and making courageous decisions. You can download the book for free on her website.

Connect with Jessica:
Website: https://heyjessicafrew.com/
Instagram & TikTok: @heyjessicafrew

This conversation is honest, empowering, and deeply validating for any woman navigating heartbreak, reinvention, or the journey back to herself.

Leaving Mormonism, Part 2: Marriage, Motherhood, and Reclaiming Our Bodies

In Part 2 of our conversation on leaving Mormonism, I’m joined again by my sister, Sharon Johnson, as we go deeper into what it actually looked like to unravel our beliefs—and rebuild our lives—from the inside out.

We talk honestly about our past and present views on marriage, motherhood, and our roles as wives, and how much of who we thought we were was shaped by obedience, fear, and the constant sense of being watched… and corrected.

We share what surprised us most after leaving:

• Realizing how sacred garments kept us hidden, disconnected from our bodies, and numb to ourselves

• How we lived feeling like children who were always in trouble, never quite trusted to make our own decisions

• The deep conditioning of not trusting our own minds—because we were taught they could be hijacked and deceived

• The disorienting realization that many things we were taught were “bad”… actually aren’t bad at all

• And the strange, sometimes funny, sometimes painful experience of learning how to be normal adults—like not knowing how to act at a bar, or navigating everyday things that were once forbidden

This episode isn’t about bashing a religion. It’s about waking up. About grieving what we lost, questioning what we were taught, and slowly learning how to trust ourselves—our bodies, our instincts, our desires—again.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from yourself, afraid of your own thoughts, or unsure how to live outside the rules you were given… this conversation is for you.

You’re not broken.
You were trained not to trust yourself.
And you can learn how to come home.