GET READY FOR TWO DAYS OF UNIQUE DEEP DIVES INTO THE REALITIES AND CHALLENGES OF BDSM AS PRACTICED BY PEOPLE TODAY. WE WILL EXPLORE THE EXISTING TOOLS, LANGUAGE, IDENTITY FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGIES COMMONLY USED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

Explore the Complexities of Kink, Culture, and Communication with Midori

Join Midori for an engaging and practical training that examines the hidden narratives shaping our understanding of kink and BDSM. Together, we’ll explore how personal beliefs, cultural norms, and community-driven myths can shape — and sometimes distort — the experiences of both clients and clinicians. These internalized messages can influence everything from relationship dynamics to communication patterns and sexual satisfaction.

This session offers a much-needed deep dive into areas of kink and BDSM often overlooked in traditional therapeutic training. You’ll learn a user-friendly framework for discussing desire and navigating play, along with a collaborative negotiation model that emphasizes mutual respect and clear boundaries.

Midori’s teaching style is immersive and direct. Come ready to engage through breakout groups, interactive role-plays, rich discussion, and open Q&A. Participants are encouraged to bring their full selves and speak from lived experience as we work toward more inclusive, informed, and affirming therapeutic practices.

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ABOUT OUR GUEST EDUCATORS

AMANDA JEPSON, MA, LPC, CST

Current Realities of Kink & AI – Clinician’s Responsibility

Sunny Megatron (she/her)  is an award-winning BDSM & Certified Sexuality Educator, Certified Relationship Coach, and media personality. She’s the host and executive producer of the Showtime original television series, Sex with Sunny Megatron, plus co-hosts AASECT Award-winning American Sex Podcast and Open Deeply Podcast. Sunny was also named XBIZ Sexpert of the Year 2021 and is Editor-in-Chief of kink-focused Zipper Magazine.   

Known for her one-of-a-kind build-your-own-adventure approach to sex, kink & relationships, Sunny coined the BDSM community catch-phrase, Kink is Customizable™. In her sell-out workshops, her unique brand of “edutainment” seamlessly combines her humorous lecturing style, interactive exercises, and the latest sexuality research. Sunny’s passion is helping others overcome shame and find power through play and pleasure. Currently, she’s working on her first book, “Customizable Kink: A Strategic Guide to Adult Play.”

Sunny Megatron is an award-winning BDSM & Certified Sexuality Educator, Certified Relationship Coach, and media personality. She’s the host and executive producer of the Showtime original television series, Sex with Sunny Megatron, plus co-hosts AASECT Award-winning American Sex Podcast and Open Deeply Podcast. Sunny was also named XBIZ Sexpert of the Year 2021 and is Editor-in-Chief of kink-focused Zipper Magazine.   

Known for her one-of-a-kind build-your-own-adventure approach to sex, kink & relationships, Sunny coined the BDSM community catch-phrase, Kink is Customizable™. In her sell-out workshops, her unique brand of “edutainment” seamlessly combines her humorous lecturing style, interactive exercises, and the latest sexuality research. Sunny’s passion is helping others overcome shame and find power through play and pleasure. Currently, she’s working on her first book, “Customizable Kink: A Strategic Guide to Adult Play.”

LEY CRAY, PHD

a. Power, Consent, and Meta-Negotiation
b. Queering Kink

Ley David Elliette Cray, PhD (she/they) iLey David Elliette Cray, PhD (she/they) is an interdisciplinary educator, coach, consultant, and advocate specializing in gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity within a neuroinclusive framework. Integrating academic and clinical perspectives with her lived experience as a kinky autistic trans woman, Ley’s work synthesizes theory and practice with the aim of eroding oppressive ideologies and replacing them with cultures of affirmation and self-determination. Outside of her university teaching and academic scholarship, she has collaborated with a wide range of organizations including the Sexual Health Alliance, Plume, MŌN, Plura, the International Institute for Sexual Empowerment, Pragmatically Kinking, Charlie Health, and more. She currently lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with her cat.

JO ZARATE-SANDERLIN, MA, LMFT

How Kink Has Made Me A Better Helping Professional

Joe Zarate-Sanderlin, MA, LMFT (they/them) lives and works in San Francisco, CA, where they specialize in working with gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity in private practice and as an EAP counselor. They have been involved in alternative sexuality communities in New York, Boston, and San Francisco for over 20 years. They teach both Human Sexuality and Therapeutic Communication & Counseling Skills in Golden Gate University’s Counseling Psychology program. Their other trainings include Talking to Clients about Sex, Non-monogamous Relationships, BDSM Relationships, and they consult on these and other topics. In their spare time they brew kombucha, parent twins, try to ski, and coach soccer in non-COVID times.  

LIAM WIGNALL, PHD

The Attraction of Kink for Neurodiverse People

Liam Wignall, PhD (he/him) is a senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Brighton. His research explores the overlap between sexuality, kink, and technology, focusing on how people construct and navigate kink identities. He has published on this in his book, Kinky in the Digital Age. He has also helped further this research strand in his co-edited book, The Power of BDSM, with Brandy Simula and Robin Bauer.

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