Don't hold anything too tightly. Just wish for it, want it, let it come from the

intention of real truth for you, and then let it go. For me our soul is like it's

unbound, it's limitless, but we will use words to limit ourselves. When people

stop believing that somebody's got your back or Superman's coming, we turn to

ourselves and that's where you become empowered. Courageous participation attracts

positive things. I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. This is the Goop podcast, bringing together

thought leaders, culture changers, creatives, founders and CEOs, scientists,

doctors, healers and seekers, here to start conversations, because simply asking

questions and listening has the power to change the way we see the world.

Today is no exception. I'll let Elise fill you in on her extraordinary guest.

All right, over to Elise. Kevin Weinfurt is a professor and vice chair for research

in the Department of Population Health Sciences in the Duke University School of Medicine.

In his research he works to understand the way illness, chronic disease and other issues

impact a person's sexual well-being. Today we talk about how the definition of sex

remains confusing and hard to pin down and the ways that this impacts the research around it.

We talk about the role that intimacy, like handholding, eye contact and simple touching,

plays and sexual wellness, and he explains the reason why clinicians who are treating

patients with illnesses that affect sexual function aren't talking them through this discomfort,

which often leads them in the dark or to fend for themselves. He and his colleagues are working

to fix that. It was impressive how many measures were basically designed for

sort of upper economic status, heterosexual married couples.

Yeah.

...