Rise and shine, pleasure seekers!
Sarah Douglass here, the editor-in-chief of PSYN Media & founder of Pussynomics©, a women+’s pleasure advocacy company. From all of us at PSYN, may your coffee be strong, your inbox be kind, and this Q&A be the spark that turns up your day. xx.
This morning we’re waking up with Sean Avery & Leslie Cohen. Sean, born in Toronto, played twelve seasons in the NHL before retiring as a New York Ranger. He’s the bestselling author of Ice Capades, appeared in the Academy Award–winning Oppenheimer, and now lives in Laurel Canyon, CA, where Phish is always on the playlist. Leslie is the author of This Love Story Will Self-Destruct and My Ride or Die. A Columbia-trained writer, she lives on the Upper West Side with her husband and two children—and she’ll always root for the New York Rangers. Together, they’ve teamed up to co-author “Summer Skate,” a soapy, sensual sports romance perfect for the end of summer. Let’s dive in…
Right now, what’s turning you on—culturally, creatively, or sexually?
Leslie: I’m very into the idea of slowing down, getting away from my phone/the TV and reading, writing by hand in a notebook, anything that makes me feel like I’m living in another era.
Sean: Currently the Tom Sachs Nike Mars Yard 3 turns me on.
Do you have a ritual, tool, or practice that helps you connect to your own pleasure?
Leslie: I like doing yoga in the dark.
Sean: My personal ritual is getting choked four times a week at Jiu-Jitsu which leads to my spiritual calmness.
What do you wish people talked about more openly when it comes to sex & pleasure?
Leslie: Sex is way better at 40 than 25. Women peak sexually much later in life than our culture would have you believe.
Sean: I wish people talked more about the dangers of dating apps and porn.
If we peeked at your “pleasure playlist,” what’s on it?
Leslie: Spicy chips, cold sparkling water, sour candy, hot showers, soft sheets, clean towels, taking a nap while watching hockey or tennis, walking circles around my apartment while listening to music.
Sean: Any 40 minute Phish jam.
What’s one myth or misconception about pleasure you’d love to debunk?
Leslie: Just because something scares you or makes you a little uncomfortable doesn't mean you shouldn’t do it. Poet and novelist Charles Bukowski once said: “Find what you love and let it kill you.”
Sean: Pleasure can come from anything you can see, touch, smell or hear. Anything at anytime.
What’s one lesson you’ve learned on your pleasure journey that you’d want others to know?
Leslie: Finding the right partner is the most important decision you will make in your life. Chemistry is often unexpected. And you don’t have to ascribe to other people’s ideas about anything. Just figure out what’s right for you. I love this quote from artist and novelist Miranda July: “You can’t have everything you want but you can want everything you want.”
Sean: The pleasure journey doesn’t really start until you can say “fuck it” I want to have some fun.
✨ Sean & Leslie’s Plug
Need a new obsession? Sean Avery and Leslie Cohen’s debut romance, Summer Skate, brings heat, ice, and plenty of scandal to the Hamptons. Think bestselling authors gone rogue, rookie hockey players with dark pasts, and forbidden attraction strong enough to melt the rink. Publishers Weekly calls it “an angsty, sensual tale complete with fast-paced drama both on and off the ice.” Grab your copy and prepare to sweat.
🗞️ Fresh on PSYN