Rising Together Podcast
Visibility platform for local women business owners that cuts through the marketing speak to their raw and vulnerable stories of why they do what they do.
Rising Together exists to shift the narrative from competition to collaboration, from scarcity to stewardship, and from polished perfection to vulnerable truth.
Rising Together is built on 3 core pillars:
- celebration and collaboration over competition,
- resourcing and visibility for women-led businesses, and
- the power of vulnerability to create authentic connection.
If you’ve ever felt alone in your work, questioned your worth, or wished there was more space for women to lead differently, this conversation will feel like a deep breath.
Rising Together Podcast
Rewriting the Rules with Lauren Rzepka, LMFT: The Feminist Lens on Love, Identity, and Intimacy
In this electrifying conversation, a systemic family therapist and certified sex therapist shares how a feminist lens changes everything - how you see yourself, your relationships, your pleasure, and the cultural stories shaping it all.
We go beyond diagnoses and quick fixes and get right into context: power dynamics, gender roles, and the systems you live inside (couple, family, community, culture). She debunks the biggest myths about sex therapy (spoiler: it’s not “tips and tricks”), reframes desire at midlife (yes, perimenopause and menopause can be an awakening), and offers grounded guidance for the foggy seasons - postpartum, little-kid years, and over-scheduled life - starting with a simple return to mind–body connection.
If you’re ready to trade “what’s wrong with me?” for “what’s happening around me - and what do I need?”, this one’s for you.
Key Takeaways
- Context over blame: Your feelings and patterns aren’t personal failures—they’re shaped by identity, power dynamics, and culture. Naming the system unlocks new choices.
- Sex is more than mechanics: Good sex begins in the mind and nervous system. Decenter the male orgasm, get curious about pleasure, and work with emotions first.
- Seasons need structure: In busy or tender phases (postpartum, little kids, career crunch), rebuild mind–body connection in 60 seconds and schedule protected check-ins with your partner for real conversation - not just problem-solving.
Lauren Rzepka, LMFT is a licensed systemic family therapist, sex and couples therapist, and the owner of Rising Oak Therapy. She can be found online at https://risingoaktherapy.com and on social media @risingoaktherapy.
Rising Oak Therapy is located at 1900 E Golf Rd #950 Schaumburg, IL 60173.