Embrace Sexual Wellness is conducting a multipart spotlight series of interviews with sexuality professionals. If you missed the first one with Dr. Shemeka Thorpe, you can find that article here. For the second installment in our interviews, we spoke with Caitlin V. (she/they) of BPP Coaching.

According to the biography on her website, Caitlin studied sexuality and public health at Indiana University and The Center for Sexual Health Advancement. There, they discovered scientific revelations about human sexuality and performed ground-breaking research, but realized she really wanted to be helping people with their sex lives on a personal level. Now she does just that as a sex and relationship coach. They educate millions through her YouTube channel, her online courses, and their upcoming TV show.

Sex coaching is built on the idea that sex is a learnable skill. While generally people instinctively know the basic mechanics of sex because of evolution and biology, that doesn’t necessarily mean people intuitively know how to have good sex. Especially for people who grew up in environments lacking models for healthy romantic and sexual relationships, it’s not uncommon to need external guidance for how to have healthy, enjoyable, and safer sex. Generally speaking, the two kinds of sex coaches are talk coaches and experiential coaches. Talk coaches offer a talk therapy based approach supplemented with external resources like books and videos. Experiential coaches, on the other hand, teach a client through talking as well as hands-on practices. This might include breath, touch, and how to emit sexual energy. Sex coaching can help with a variety of needs such as sexual performance anxiety, communication, and boundaries.

What inspired you to pursue your career path?
Knowing that sex education was disease-focused, I wanted to add a pleasure-centered perspective to those experiencing shame around sex.

How does your field differ from that of other sexuality professionals?
I am not licensed, which means I can play with ALL the colors of the rainbow and use unorthodox tools and techniques (and I don't have to deal with insurance!).

What is the most rewarding part of your career?
Seeing transformation in people's lives.

What's the most misunderstood thing about what you do?
I don't have any physical contact with anyone, and until recently, I didn't watch footage of them having sex.

What's the most common question you receive from others about your career?
“What kind of training did it require for you to get here?” The answer is a very non-linear and impossible to duplicate path. I encourage them to find their own.

What advice would you want to share with aspiring sexuality professionals?
Do your inner work right alongside your clients. Know that you don't have to know everything, just more than your clients.

If you had to describe your work in one sentence, what would you say?
Helping people to have the best sex of their lives.

Thank you to Caitlin for taking the time to share their perspective. We encourage you to find Caitlin on social media and her websites, linked below.