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The Discomfort Practice

The Discomfort Practice explores the value of discomfort in shaping who we are, how we are in the world and how it can be a catalyst for positive social evolution.

Betsy speaks to leaders, activists, athletes, creatives and others who, like her, are ‘professional discomforters’ about comfort zones, having a conscious ‘discomfort practice,’ and the superpowers that lie on the other side of stepping into the unknown. Come get uncomfortable with Betsy...

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  2. Episode #101: Isidra Mencos on Lust and Pleasure as a Pathway to Self-Discovery

Episode #101: Isidra Mencos on Lust and Pleasure as a Pathway to Self-Discovery

Aug 20, 2023

In this episode of The Discomfort Practice, I speak to Isidra Mencos, who was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, about her journey through life as a young woman who grew up under Franco, a repressive dictator, and came of age as Spain was massively changing after his death.

We talk about what happens when a young woman who grew up in a place where kissing in public was illegal finds herself suddenly free to explore whatever she wants.

Speaking to Isidra was something of a bridge between my US past and my Spanish present. There are definite parallels in our backgrounds. Isidra moved to the US in 1992 to complete a PhD at UC Berkeley in California. Following that, she established herself as a teacher at Berkeley, a writer and editor, and a corporate executive. In 2016 she quit her plush corporate job to finally focus on her lifelong dream of being a creative writer. She has been widely published in literary journals and general interest magazines, but what drew me to Isidra was the recent publication of her memoir, Promenade of Desire, which narrates the journey of the shy María Isidra as she experiments and evolves. 

We talk about the beauty of desire and the freedom that exploration - sexual and otherwise - can give all of us to become who we truly are and to love our full selves. Our conversation took us to some uncomfortable yet juicy and important topics. So come get uncomfortable with us… and find pleasure in the episode if you can!

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Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don’t forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media. And buy Isidra’s book, Promenade of Desire :-)