Journalist Spotlight | Interview with Georgia Grace, Sex and Relationships Columnist

Georgia Grace is a columnist, speaker and certified Sex and Relationships Coach. Medianet sat down with Georgia to discuss her career and how she got here.

You have worked as a Producer, Account Manager, Ambassador, and Sex Coach. What is it has been like working in such many different roles?

Yeah - they’re all pretty different but surprisingly, they have supported me in the way I love to work today. I work in sessions with clients and support them with many sexual issues and concerns. But I also love working on campaigns and writing, and my background in journalism and PR has supported me to have a lot of creativity in my job and to hold on to the really fun aspects of campaigns and working with brands, developing and designing courses, and products.

What has working in these different roles taught you the most about yourself? 

Woah! 

I know, a bit of a big question!

That’s a huge question! One thing that I am acutely aware of is how I play with newness and novelty and I really do steer away from routine. When I am working on something new it supports me and makes me so alive and inspired, but I also require routine and timeframes in order to be able to be creative. Having set days where I am in sessions supports my mindset in being a practitioner, and then having set days where I am working on content and writing allows me to get in that flow. It’s finding the balance between the two that helps me find my creativity.

Did you always want to have a career in media?

Actually, I had no idea what I wanted to do at uni. The only reason I studied journalism was that my teachers told me I was good at writing and I asked a lot of questions. I’ve always been interested in news, pop culture and consuming media. So while I didn’t necessarily seek out a career in journalism it has always been a big part of my life. The only reason I studied journalism was that I really had no idea what I should do next. 

I knew that when I moved into the field of somatic sexology, media was absolutely essential for the way that we shape sex positive, shame free conversations and change how we speak about sex. I knew that media was an incredible access point for people to be introduced to some of the ideas that I was learning and also because not everyone has the access to a practitioner and sometimes media is the only touch point that people have with these ideas. Media has always been a big part of how I work. 

Sexuality and desire, especially female desire and female agency in sex, is a topic that is historically been very taboo and has only in recent years begun to be discussed more freely. How would you describe this shift in culture?

I think this shift in culture is about time!  We have been waiting for this to happen and have been craving it, and it’s undeniable the impact media has had on being able to reshape and shift these ideas and being able to give platforms and voices to people who have previously never been heard. 

It’s so important that we are able to have access to information, we’re at this point because of the incredible pioneers and activists who’ve been working for decades to get us where we are today. The activists, researchers, educators and practitioners who’ve paved the way for informed, scientific, acurate and safe information about sex and pleasure that has led to this exciting time of sexual revolution and sex positivity. People are getting more comfortable with their bodies and their pleasure, but then you also have people scrutinizing and comparing themselves to everyone else because we are in this exciting new world but then we expect everyone to suddenly drop their shame and be sexually empowered at the drop of a hat when it actually may not be that quick for people. 

There are a lot of unsung heroes that have really paved the way for other social movements to flourish. 

Absolutely, and these are people who may not be on social media, they’ve passed away or they’re in their 70’s, 80’s or 90’s - they’ve been working in the field for decades!  The work and the research they have done have led to where we are today.

What first inspired you to work as a Sex Coach?

I have always been really curious about sex and have always had a lot of questions and I, like many people, did not get the best sex education while at school. I was more fascinated by the conversations I was having with my friends and peers, as well as sadly hearing infinite stories about non-consensual experiences and rape. Too many people have had negative, boring or traumatic experiences, and I wanted to be part of this new revolution reform sex ed. 

So, I quit my job and started studying again. I went down the path of somatic sexology as I was fascinated by the approach, and I wanted to make sure that what I was learning from a range of practitioners and experts and modalities so that I could support a wide range of people with the most effective approach. 

If you could give your younger self some advice in working in the media industry and beyond, what would it be?

Literally so much, but also nothing at all because she’ll figure it out eventually. In terms of career, it may not feel like you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing right now, but actually, you’ll need all of this to help you run a business in a few years. When I finished uni I was ready to work and I felt so exhausting and like it was taking so long to get where I wanted. But looking back I am just so grateful that I had to work such diverse roles in allowing me to learn all of these new skills. 

In terms of sex, I just want every young person to know that it is your body, your sexuality - and only can decide what a fulfilling sex life looks like. Learn about your body, advocate for your needs and importantly, and vitally, create a safe environment for everyone you have sex with. It will just take some time for you to understand who you are as a sexual person - but it can also be fun figuring it all out. Oh and remember your genitals aren’t gross or weird, we’re all different. You are normal!

I think if I could have listened to that as a young person it would have saved me a lot of trouble.

Me too!

What has been the most interesting piece you’ve written about in the last few months? 

The other day I did an interview about vanilla sex and a lot of what we talk about at the moment is sexual exploration and excitement, but there’s a lot of shame with ‘vanilla sex’. But I think that it is important to celebrate vanilla sex too! Also, another thing I have loved is creating content around different attachment styles and how it applies to your relationships. They can explain why we behave the way we do, why we may pull away from relationships, or why we may feel anxious in relationships. 

What has been your most memorable experience during your career, so far? 

You’re really testing my memory today! I think that the thing that I am most proud, I’ve been working with Normal, a sexual wellness company, and over a year ago now we developed a free online an online free video course that covers 15 topics and we made it as inclusive, useful and accessible as possible. We covered every single thing we could, and it has been an incredible resource to have and send to people so that every person has access to it. It’s now accessed in over 41 countries

What are your pitching preferences? 

Email is great and I know when it is relevant to me within the first few sentences. My preference is that I only receive pitches or media that is related to sex and relationships because otherwise I just won’t write about it.