Mumbai, July 20.2022: Let’s talk about sex – a subject most elude and still talk in hushed undertones. Not anymore at ‘Take a Pause with Varun Duggirala’, a popular podcaster in conversation with India’s favourite sex educator, Leeza Mangaldas. The latest episode packs in all the punches and hits the right spot. Varun Duggirala, India’s loved author and podcast host puts Leeza on the hot seat to delve deeper into the mind of the country’s favourite sex educator.
The podcast is a brave attempt to talk everything about sex, intimacy and the stigma attached to it. The host and the guest engage in insightful banter on a subject that is still considered taboo. Varun with his questions brings in bite-sized doses of learning, insights and ideas that enhance your broad spectrum of knowledge.
Link to the Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1yHxM8iHkY
Link to the podcast episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7uXYqgniLqV58Lc4eVDSNd?si=d5JpzNAqRgCpKT1YsV2vcQ&utm_source=copy-link
‘Take a Pause with Varun Duggirala’ is a widely popular self-development podcast hosted by the multi-hyphenate powerhouse himself. Its latest episode features digital creator Leeza Mangaldas in an engaging conversation with Varun Duggirala delving deeper into her own personal experience as the country’s favourite sex educator.
Leeza is India’s foremost content creator normalising conversations around sexuality, sexual health, gender and body – with a particular focus on women and pleasure. In the episode, Leeza and Varun deep dive into the anxieties and emotions associated with sex and intimacy. When Varun observed how there is generally an awkwardness around the subject,
Leeza remarked insightfully – “I think most of us inherit shame around sex. It’s very hard not to. It’s just such a relentless and omnipresent part of the fabric via which we are fed any information about sex. From a very young age, sex and the body parts associated with sex are made out to be shameful, not just private but shameful. Awkwardness, we can still overcome whereas that deep sense of shame and guilt associated with sex can impact our relationship, our sense of self, our own ability to be forthright about our sexuality or claim our bodily autonomy.” Further, while talking about sexual anatomy, Leeza also mentions that the first step is to be willing to embark on this journey by getting comfortable with your own body and sexuality.
Besides that, the podcast also sees her debunk a range of myths about sex that generally stem from fear, shame or stigma in Indian society. In fact, from consent and contraception to emotions like trust, vulnerability and compassion in a relationship without judgement – Varun and Leeza engage in a conversation that is comprehensive with no holds barred.
Commenting on the latest episode, Varun Duggirala said, “Sex or intimacy is something most of us are always awkward about – where humour is used to sort of deflecting the conversation altogether. And many even think that sex education is a frivolous thing. But the question is, why do we have to whisper or walk on eggshells when talking about sex? This is why this episode with Leeza is a step toward having conversations about sex in the mainstream space.”
Leeza Mangaldas mentioned, “Most people have very limited access to more gender-equal and pleasure-centric information about sex contextualised to the Indian social or cultural landscape – which makes it difficult for them to seek out solutions to the issues they face in this department. I was happy to be a part of ‘Take a Pause’ and talk about normalising sex as much as possible.”
‘Take a Pause with Varun Duggirala’ (previously The Varun Duggi Show) is a thrice-a-week podcast that empowers listeners to learn new tools, open up to fresh ideas and soak in concepts to perform optimally in their daily lives. Occasionally, Varun also taps into the minds of truly interesting personalities from diverse fields – some of them include Pooja Dhingra, Megha Rao, Ankur Warikoo, Varun Mayya, and many more. The podcast is now streaming on Spotify, Jio Saavn and Apple Podcasts and listeners can tune in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for new episodes.
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