Practice Makes Pleasure

A one-day workshop in pleasure, presence & the art of asking for what you actually want, while we create the safety to do so

 

What this is

Most of us were never taught how to ask for what we want.

Not for small things. Not for big things. Not for touch.

We were taught to guess. To manage. To give what we thought someone wanted, and receive what we hoped they’d offer.

This day is different.

Over six hours, in good company, with our embodied awareness and our honest voices, we’ll move through a sequence of practices drawn from the Wheel of Consent®, the groundbreaking framework developed by Dr. Betty Martin that’s been revolutionizing how people relate, touch, and communicate.

You’ll have the opportunity to choose — if, how and when you want to participate in each practice. The entire day is about choosing moment to moment, what would serve you best and feeling safe enough to do so.

You’ll find out where you hold back when you want to lean in. Where you say yes when you mean something closer to maybe not. And what it actually feels like — in your body, not just your head — to ask for what you want, even if it feels scary.

This isn’t about getting it right. It’s about getting real.

For couples. For singles. For anyone ready to bring more pleasure, connection, and aliveness into their relationships — and their everyday life.

Why this matters

Most of us were never taught to orient to what feels good for us. We were taught to perform. To anticipate. To give what we thought was wanted and receive whatever was given, even if it wasn’t what we truly desired.

But, here's what nobody tells us: the more honest we are, the more pleasure we feel.

And pleasure isn't a luxury. It's a resource.

The more comfort, ease, and genuine pleasure you experience — in your body, in your relationships, in the small moments of your day, the more capacity you have.

For everything. For hard conversations, creative work, showing up fully, loving well.

Pleasure doesn't take from your life. It funds it.

The moment you can feel what you actually want — and say it out loud — everything changes.

Your body wakes up. The chronic low-grade numbness that comes from years of half-wanting and half-receiving starts to lift. You remember what it feels like to be in your skin.

Your yes becomes real. And so does your no. Which means every yes you give from here carries actual charge — in touch, in conversation, in life.

You stop performing and start feeling. There’s a difference between going through the motions and being genuinely, fully present. You know it when you feel it.

Your relationships shift. Not just in touch. In every room you walk into. Every conversation you have. Every relationship you’re in.

Nobody arrives here already knowing how. Even I am still finding my edges. And that’s the whole point. Shared practice illuminates.

Couples who practice this together often say it’s more revealing than years of talking about it.

Singles discover the conversation they need to have with themselves first.

And the pleasure? It expands. More embodied. More ecstatic. Because you’re learning to do three things: discover what you want, ask for it — and receive the gift fully.

this matters to me

How the day unfolds

We begin by slowing down.

Not because anything is wrong, but simply to set down the speed of our lives. So before anything else, we land and take a breath. We feel our way back into our bodies and into the room we’re actually in.

From there we make agreements together — not rules, but to create a living container. A shared yes to honesty, to care, to showing up for ourselves and each other. This is what makes the rest of the day possible. Safety isn’t assumed here. It’s built, together, in the first hour.

Then we play.

Through a series of guided practices — some in pairs, some in circle — you’ll move through experiences designed to wake up your felt sense, your honest voice, and your capacity to find, ask, and receive what you actually want. To give only if it feels like a full YES.

The exercises are simple. What they reveal is anything but.

Every practice is an invitation. You can participate fully, witness from the sidelines, or simply stay with yourself. Choice isn’t just what we’re learning here — it’s how we run the room.

Expect laughter. Expect moments of surprising tenderness. Expect to feel things you didn’t know you were carrying — and to put some of them down.

The field we create together is warm, alive, and a little bit magic. That’s not an accident. It’s what happens when a group of humans decide, for one day, to be genuinely honest with themselves and each other.

Come curious. Leave changed.

Questions you might be sitting with

  • Not at all. This workshop is for couples and singles alike. Some of the most powerful breakthroughs happen when you show up just for yourself.

  • No. Every practice is optional and consent-based — that’s not just a policy, it’s the whole point of the work. You will never be asked to do anything you haven’t actively chosen. Witnessing is always a full and valid way to participate.

  • No. This is a fully clothed, consent-based awareness and communication workshop. The practices are intimate in the sense that honesty is intimate, and not in any explicit sense. What you discover about your own pleasure and desire is yours to take home and do with as you wish.

  • Emotion is information, and this is a safe place to feel it. You won’t be managed or rushed through anything. There’s space for whatever comes up.

  • Especially if you’ve never done anything like this before. No experience required. No particular level of openness, awareness, or body confidence needed. Just curiosity and a willingness to show up.

  • That feeling — the slight nervousness, the wondering if this is for you — that’s actually a really good sign. It usually means something in you already knows this matters. You don’t have to be ready, just willing. Please reach out with questions.

  • This workshop is influenced and inspired by the Wheel of Consent® as developed by Dr. Betty Martin. The Wheel of Consent® was taught as foundational piece of the my training in Somatic Sex Education, (and always a part of the work I do with clients), but I have not studied with Betty or the School of Consent. For more information visit www.schoolofconsent.org.

The details

Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026

Time: 10 am — 4 pm

  • Snacks and tea will be provided throughout the day. Bring your own lunch for the 1 - 2 pm break. Gorgeous outdoor and indoor areas, and room to roam along the waters for an after lunch walk.

Location: A private lake-front home in Hamlin, NY (address shared upon registration)

Group size: 10 people maximum

Tuition: $177

  • One Assistant Exchange spot for full tuition available for someone who’d like to contribute their time and presence on the day, helping to hold the container, assisting with setup and clean up. Reach out directly if this is you.

Questions? Just reach out here and I’d be happy to chat!

Can’t make May 23? Message me and I’ll make sure you receive the invite to the next workshop, summer 2026.

Prefer something more personal? This same work is available as a private 1:1 or couples immersion. Just reach out and we'll talk.

Want to keep going after the workshop?

  • Completing Practice Makes Pleasure opens the door to an ongoing bi-monthly group for those who want to keep practicing together. Details coming soon — but it starts here.

Ready to join us?

reserve your place

A note from Amanda

As a human who cares deeply about other humans, people tell me that they want to feel more ease and pleasure in their relationships and their lives.

I’ve been doing this work since 2016. I’ve sat with hundreds of people in some of the most honest, tender, surprising conversations of their lives — and mine.

This workshop is the distillation of everything I know about what happens when people slow down, get honest, and give themselves permission to actually feel.

I can’t wait to be in the room with you.