Presenters/speakers subject to change.
Workshop List
Keynote Speaker
Reid Mihalko
"America's favorite sex geek," Reid Mihalko of ReidAboutSex.com and Relationship10x.com helps adults and college students create more self-esteem, self-confidence and greater health in their relationships and sex lives using an inspiring mixture of humor, keen insight, and comprehensive sexual health information.
Reid frequently speaks at colleges and universities on sexual assault prevention and healthy relationship skills, and regularly appears in the media sharing his views on consent, dating, and shame-free sexuality.
Reid’s workshops and college lectures have been attended by close to 50,000 men and women. He has appeared in media such as Oprah's Our America With Lisa Ling on OWN, the Emmy award-winning talk show Montel, Dr. Phil's The Doctors on CBS, Bravo's Miss Advised, Fox News, in Newsweek, Seventeen, GQ, The Washington Post, and in thirteen countries and at least seven languages.
Reid is also founder of Sex Geek Summer Camp and Sex Geek School for Gifted Sex Geeks which help sex educators learn valuable business skills that allow them to reach more people, transform move lives, and make a better living as sexperts. Follow Reid on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube. www.reidaboutsex.com
Workshop Presenters
Ben Silver
Ben is a singer, musician and poly and bi activist who has been in an open primary relationship for 26 years. He and his partner started a support group for committed non-monogamous relationships in the ‘80s which met monthly for over 15 years. As a performer, Ben’s music slides through folk, R&B, funk, jazz and back again; he sings about freedom, the environment, LBGT issues, parenting and love. His writing has been published in “Carry it On,” ”Sing Out” magazine and the book “Hearing Everyone’s Voice.”
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Bob Ritchey
Education is my passion; it always has been. There's nothing that equals the charge I get when I learn something new or share something with someone else. I began my journey into alternative sexuality and relationships in 2003 and have spent the intervening years poking at the hard, uncomfortable places inside of myself to understand who I am and why. Those explorations have led to classes that I've been teaching around North America and Europe since I retired from my day job in 2012. If you see me at a gathering, please come up and let's see what we can learn together.
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Billy Holder
Billy Holder is a Polyamory activist, educator, and community organizer who helped found and Atlanta Polyamory, as well as Atlanta Poly Weekend more information can be found at www.atlantapolyweekend.com . Currently he is serving as the Vice President of the Relationship Equality Foundation a 501c3 non Profit. Billy has been Poly identified since 2004, but believes he has always been poly, since dating began. Monogamy never worked out right. His first experience with labeling relationship was asking someone to the prom as a 2nd date. They didn’t react kindly at the notion they were back up in case the plans with the first fell through. But he never got to explain that’s not what he meant. Now, with almost 20 years of marriage under his belt and a brother Husband of 5+ years, Billy finds Poly to be a refreshing love style that allows him to grow as individual. Billy and girlfriend over a year are navigating the waters of New Relationships and learning things about each other and their partners. All part of the growth of any relationship, however, and feel that it will be worth all the bumps in the road once they get it paved. http://jackelxing.wordpress.com
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Cassendre Xavier
Cassendre Xavier has been writing the "Soulmate Attraction for the Rest of Us" series at Wisdom-Magazine.com since 2011, and has presented this workshop at the 10th Annual Poly Living Conference in Philadelphia 2015 and Sisterspace Weekend in Darlington, Maryland 2014, and is working on a book of the same title. Cassendre has been living with bipolar depression her whole life, has been a member of Philadelphia's LGBT and polyamorous communities since 1991, and from 1996-1999 facilitated Sisters Healing Together, a peer support group for women survivors of incest with a special focus on compulsive overeating, which she also founded, at the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia. Cassendre is the creator of the popular Affirmations for Survivors guided meditation audio series (“Self-Love” and “Spirituality” were released in 2007; “Sexuality” and “Life Skills” are soon forthcoming). For more information, please visit cassEndrExavier.com
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Carol Morotti-Meeker, MS, MLSP
Carol Morotti-Meeker, MS, MLSP is a researcher, activist, speaker and therapist. She works in a community mental health clinic in Philadelphia, Pa. and also has a private practice with adults and families who engage in alternative sexuality and consensual non-monogamous lifestyles. Carol also works with The Earth Moved, LLC (www.affirmativeintimacy.com), presenting the Affirmative Intimacy™ approach to relationships. She has provided professional education at the 2007 and 2012 American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) annual conferences. She was an Advisory Board Member 2000-2007 for the Institute for 21st Century Relationships and on the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom Board in 2005-7. She has made presentations at the 2008 and 2010 to 2013 Poly Living Conferences in Philadelphia. Carol led a professional round table discussion for the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities (CARAS) in 2011 in Washington, D.C. and co-presented about communication and sex in non-monogamous relationships at the 2013 CARAS event for students and professionals.
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Jessica Burde
I’m polyamorous, a mother of three, and write about polyamory on my blog Polyamory on Purpose (http://www.polyamoryonpurpose.com). My next book, The Poly Home, is tentatively scheduled for release this spring. I live in Eastern PA with my long-term partner, Michael, and our children. Topics will include: zoning laws, child custody and child abuse laws, common law marriage, adultery and bigamy laws, and at-will employment. www.polyamoryonpurpose.com
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Jim Fleckenstein
Jim Fleckenstein ([email protected]) is a relationships educator, coach, researcher and activist. His currently heads The Earth Moved, LLC (www.affirmativeintimacy.com), an educational and coaching practice helping individuals and groups. He is the creator of the Affirmative Intimacy™ approach to building healthy and sustainable relationships. A polyamory and open lifestyles activist since 1998, in 2000 he co-founded the Institute for 21st Century Relationships, now the Foundation of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF). He has spoken at many community events like PolyLiving, NYC Poly Pride, CatalystCon East, and the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit. He’s been interviewed by the Chicago Tribune, the Guardian (UK), and on TV and radio. Jim is a member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). In recognition of his expertise, Jim has been chosen to present at multiple AASECT and SSSS conferences and to the Society for Sex Therapy and Research. He is a member of the NCSF Board. He is presently co-investigator on the largest survey of self-identified polyamorous persons ever conducted, with the first publication from that research currently under review by the peer-reviewed journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy. www.affirmativeintimacy.com
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Jesus Viramontes Garcia (Chuy)
Jesus is the Board President of Loving More Nonprofit, polyamory activist and leader in the community. He is a native of the San Francisco Bay area who began exploring alternatives to monogamy in 2004. In 2005 he attended his first Loving More Retreat. In September 2006 he was invited to join Loving More’s Board of Directors. He has worked at raising money for many worthy causes and continues to work tirelessly as Loving More Nonprofit’s volunteer Director of IT. Jesus has been presenting on polyamory at conferences, Universities and special events. He is a key coordinator for Loving More conferences and volunteers. In addition Jesus has worked in the computer information technology field since 1995.
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Julio Cortés
Julio Cortés is a trainer and consultant who specializes in building long-term mutually beneficial relationships using a blend of modalities from eastern and western philosophies and spiritual practices. A graduate in East Asian Studies with a focus on Chinese and Japanese Philosophy from UCLA, Julio has dedicated his life to finding simple yet powerful ways to assist people in becoming more effective and fulfilled, as they find the bigger picture in their lives. Julio teaches workshops and seminars on effective communication, relationship skills building and sacred sexuality. He has studied with such teachers and masters as Dan Millman, Mantak Chia, Wang Fu-lai, Jibiki Hidemine, and Jim Tamm and has been teaching and in practice since 1991 in the United States and Japan. In addition Julio is also a licensed Tai Chi instructor with additional extensive martial arts training in other systems (Jeet Kune Do, Zong Nan/Cheng-Ming Internal Kung Fu, Systema). Finally, Julio has had in-depth intensive training in energy work and is a master healer and teacher in several modalities (Reiki, Johrei, Sekhem, Qigong, Light Body). www.bigpixenterprises.com
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Kevin Patterson
Located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, I am a happily married father of two beautiful daughters. Professionally, I work as a technical writer and instructional designer. My polyamorous adventure began in August of 2002 and I currently practice a structure that most closely resembles relationship anarchy. Starting in May of 2015, I began a blog called Poly Role Models (http://polyrolemodels.tumblr.com). The goal of the blog was to offer a platform to the perfectly flawed, wonderfully unique people and relationships that make up polyamory. Through it, I've been able to display a diverse array of individuals and dynamics and I'm very proud with how well it's been received.
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Marina Reiko
Marina was raised in polyamorous family from birth. As a young teen Marina identified as polyamory and bisexual. At age 15 she began assisting in organizing Loving More events from Poly Living Conferences to Pride Fest Booth and Parade in Colorado. In2013 she co-facilitated a presentation on children and raising sex positive kids at Poly Living Philadelphia and at Woodhull in August 2014. Recently Marina started a Teens in Polyamory Facebook page, a place for teens exploring polyamory or those raised in poly families to be able to connect and learn from each other. An aspiring actress Marina performed in the play “Journey to the West” by OpenStage Theatre in Fort Collins in the fall 2014, her first performance with a professional company. Marina is an honors student from GOAL Academy, a statewide online high school currently participating in concurrent enrollment at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, CO and will graduate this spring. She plans to attend college at the University of Northern Colorado and major in theatre, and hopes to expand from stage acting and modeling to film in the near future. www.facebook.com/polyteenagers/
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Max Rivers, Elise Rivers and Jilsarah Moscowitz
Max Rivers is the lead mediator at The Marriage Mediator.net where he is a professional Relationship Mediator. He has pioneered a process of coaching people to find the benefit of their differences, specializing in helping people in nontraditional intimate relationships. Elise Rivers and Jilsarah Moscowitz are mediators and ENVC trainers. Together, besides being a poly triad, they have presented ENVC workshops at conferences in Hawaii, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. themarriagemediator.net
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Richard Gilmore
Richard Gilmore is a long time polyamory activist, researcher and writer. His primary research is on poly family economics, group decision making and non-sexual intimacy. He was a founding board member of Polycamp NW, the 2nd host of Seattle’s Poly Potluck and a former board member of the Sharma Center. He is a member of the Nonesuch poly family, a quad that has been together for over 14 years. Richard has returned to writing a poly science fiction novel he started in 2009 now that the book Creating A Line Family is finished. www.line-family.info
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Robin Renée
Robin Renée is a recording artist, writer, and longtime LGBT and polyamory community advocate. Her written work has appeared in Curve Magazine, Transgender Tapestry, Big Hammer, The Songwriter’s Market, Biff Bam Pop!, Black & Poly, That Takes Ovaries – Bold Females and their Brazen Acts (Random House), Blessed Bi Spirit – Bisexual People of Faith (Continuum Press), and many other publications. Her recordings include In Progress, All Six Senses, Live Devotion, spirit.rocks.sexy, This., and All I Am. She is one of the co-hosts of the Audacious Eleven podcast. www.robinrenee.com
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Robyn Trask
Robyn is the Executive Director of Loving More Non-Profit and a national organizer and leader for polyamory awareness. She is a polyamory counselor, workshop facilitator and writer. Since 2004 Robyn has worked to expand media awareness of polyamory appearing in numerous articles, radio shows and TV as well as helping to connect the media with other polyamory activists and individuals. Robyn and Loving More were instrumental in the formation of Polyamory Leadership Network. A national speaker and advocate for polyamory she has been a speaker at conferences, taught at universities and been a featured keynote speaker. Robyn has been openly polyamorous for 25 years, raising three children in a polyamorous family. Robyn has been running polyamory support groups, teaching and facilitating relationship and sexuality workshop since 1999. In addition she counsels polyamorous individuals and families. Currently Robyn is working on two polyamory related books. robyntrask.com/
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Rose Hagalaz
Rose holds a B.A. (honors) in Sociology and Psychology. Rose has identified as non-monogamous/polyamorous since she was very young. Rose has spoken at various polyamory education panels at local universities, and in 2015 began speaking more at the regional and national level, presenting at Poly Living Philadelphia and Atlanta Poly Weekend, as well as being featured on The Humanist Hour podcast talking about polyamory. Rose is a former board and staff member of PolyColumbus and was a member of staff for Beyond the Love for 2013 and 2014. Rose is currently collaborating to build a startup alternative relationships group in Columbus called Open Hearts. Outside of her polyamorous activity, Rose works for the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. Rose also loves performing music, being outdoors, is an avid reader, and is a craft beer aficionado.
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Tamara Pincus, MSW, LICSW
Tamara Pincus is a psychotherapist and sex therapist in Washington DC who works primarily with poly, kinky and LGBTQ clients. Tamara is an out poly activist who lives with her complex poly family. She has written articles such as "What is polyamory and why do social workers need to know about it?" and "What professionals need to know about BDSM". www.comingoutpoly.com
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Tanya Hixon
Tanya has always been open to exploring new ways of being in relationships with any number of partners. Her love of Science and particularly Biology led her to major in Natural Science at UN-L. Tanya has been part of the swing community for many years and in 2011 began exploring polyamory. She became a volunteer for Loving More in 2012 helping in the office and administrative assistance. In 2014 Tanya become a Loving More Board Member and Board Secretary. Tanya is bisexual, polyamorous and part of the swing community in Colorado, Her experience as a bi woman and support of close transgendered family has opened her eyes to the unique problems of the LGBTQ community. She is thrilled to be co-presenting for the first time at Poly Living.
