Please note Continuing Educations (CE’s) are provided by the Sexual Health Alliance (SHA) on select sessions. Those that qualify will be noted per session below. SHA will be onsite for further inquiries + next steps.
Nicole Leinbach Hoffman | STIMULATE Founder
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Whether a seasoned attendee of STIMULATE or attending for the first time, join this kick-off session to learn was to optimize the STIMULATE experience presented by show Founder Nicole Hoffman. Attendees can also look forward to a snapshot of the state of sexual wellness, what to look forward to in the days ahead and tips + tricks to truly make the best of your time while at STIMULATE.
Valerie Martin | LCSW, Certified Sex Therapist
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
The sexual wellness industry has done remarkable work creating space for kinky, adventurous, and non-normative expressions of sexuality — and that work matters. But what about the partner who came along for the ride and isn’t sure they belong? This session explores how retailers and brands can intentionally create space for “vanilla” consumers without diluting their identity or alienating their core audience. Attendees will walk away with practical, research-informed strategies for environment, staff training, and marketing that make the whole spectrum feel welcome — because the business case for inclusivity doesn’t stop at kink.
Laurie Marshall, Attorney + Founder of TM The Spot
STIMULATE+Educate Stage
Whether you are an independent seller, single store merchant, mass retailer, growing brand or established business, this session will help you understand trademark and copyright fundamentals – including the scope of protection each provides, the rationale behind these protections, and common pitfalls to avoid. Prepare to come with your questions and leave feeling more confident in your business growth, understanding AND protection. This is a not to miss session from one of the nation’s leading trademark and copyright attorneys.
Emma Smith, PhD, Licensed Psychotherapist and Certified Sex Therapist
ASK THE DOCTORS Stage | Main Exhibitor Floor
This session explores how existential and philosophical questions shape consumer desire and decision-making, moving beyond physical mechanics to help retailers, independent sellers and brands connect more deeply with consumers. As you dive into your time at STIMULATE, lean into this expert leadership to help you make the most informed and understanding decisions that connect products to your unique audience.
Jenn Mason | Sexologist and Store Owner, WinkWink
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Your store should not just say “we sell sex toys”. It should say “people like YOU belong here”.
This training helps shops identify the people they want to bring into their space and make business decisions around those customers. Participants will learn how to create customer profiles, learn from their audience, and use those insights to shape their branding, product selection, store layout, events, social media, education, and overall customer experience.
The goal is not to copy another successful store or market to the overly broad “general public”. The goal is to build a store with a clear point of view — one that feels specific, memorable, and deeply aligned with the people it is meant to serve.
Susan Bratton | “Intimacy Expert to Millions 💋”
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Most of us were never taught that great sex is a learnable skill. We thought it came naturally. Nope! Enter Susan Bratton, who has spent decades showing that the more you learn, the better your pleasure, connection, and satisfaction become. As “Intimacy Expert to Millions,” Bratton will reveal leading products in our marketplace (and all available to discover at STIMULAE) that can support vitality and sex alike.
This keynote opens with the reframe that changes everything. “Sex” does not equal intercourse. When that definition expands, the entire intimate wellness category expands with it. Every product on the STIMULATE floor becomes part of a much larger story. Attendees should hang on tight during this session as as Susan walks them through the human arousal ladder, the benefits of “orgasmic cross-training,” and the physiology of engorgement and sensation – ultimately translating the mechanics of corpuscles, nerve endings, and blood flow into the kind of plain-language expertise that makes you unforgettable. She covers the full spectrum of bodies and pleasure systems, affirming that every human being, regardless of anatomy, has an extraordinary pleasure potential waiting to be developed. As part of the session, there will be giveaways and more, and attendees can expect to leave with a massively expanded understanding of what sex is, a practical framework for the products they can sell, and the kind of confidence that comes from knowing why what you offer truly changes lives.
Dr. Evan Goldstein | Founder & CEO, Bespoke Surgical & Future Method and Author, Butt Seriously
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Dr. Goldstein will present his evidence-based approach to anal wellness, challenging long-held myths about anal sex, and offering a candid look at emerging trends and the future of anal care. Come with questions to get expert insight from one of the World’s most sought after medical leaders supporting anal wellness.
Corey Thomas | Certified Nurse Practitioner
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Women’s sexual and intimate health has long been one of the most under-discussed and underserved areas within aesthetic medicine. While these treatments are not new, they have often lacked open conversation, intentional integration, and the level of empathy and education patients deserve.
Many women experiencing sexual dysfunction, hormone-related changes, or age-related concerns are made to feel as though they must simply tolerate their symptoms or pursue invasive procedures delivered in a disconnected, overly clinical way. Even within aesthetic medicine, these services are sometimes approached more as an added revenue stream than as an opportunity to genuinely improve quality of life.
This session is designed to change that perspective.
Attendees will learn how to thoughtfully integrate sexual wellness services into an aesthetic practice in a way that is clinically sound, patient-centered, and financially sustainable. Topics will include non-surgical treatments such as the O-Shot®, vaginal rejuvenation with energy-based devices like diVa by Sciton, and labial rejuvenation using dermal fillers, PRP/PRF, and biofiller techniques. Discussion will focus on addressing common concerns including vaginal dryness, laxity, decreased sensation, urinary incontinence, and diminished sexual function.
Beyond clinical application, this session will emphasize the patient experience: how to initiate these conversations with confidence and sensitivity, create a safe and welcoming environment, and build trust in an area that remains deeply stigmatized.
We will also discuss how incorporating sexual wellness services can differentiate a practice, strengthen patient relationships, and support meaningful long-term growth.
Most importantly, this session is about raising the standard of care. Breaking the stigma surrounding female sexual health requires more than offering treatments; it requires education, thoughtful communication, and a genuine commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care.
Women should not feel embarrassed, dismissed, or resigned to “just living with it.” They deserve to feel confident, informed, connected, and fulfilled in their bodies at every stage of life. Because ultimately, sexual and intimate wellness is about far more than function — it is about confidence, connection, intimacy, and quality of life.
Heather McPherson | M.A., LPC-S, LMFT-S, CST-S + Sexual Health Alliance Founder and CEO
Michelle Melville-Kashon, M.A. | Sexual Health Alliance Community and Content Director
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Want to turn curious shoppers into loyal customers? In this engaging session, you’ll discover how foundational sex education builds trust, boosts sales, and keeps customers coming back. You’ll leave with easy-to-use sex ed tips and conversation starters that create more informed—and empowered—buyers, whether you’re selling products, offering services, or building community. This session will help you build customer trust through education. Learn the sex ed insights your customers crave.
Dr. Amy Pearlman | Urologist + Sexual Health Medicine Expert
ASK THE DOCTORS Stage | Main Exhibitor Floor
Ashley Cobb | Author of “Pleasure Please!” + Sexual Wellness Educator
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
This session gives adult retail professionals a practical framework for making sexual wellness conversations feel easier, more natural, and more customer-centered. Attendees will learn how to use trust-based language on the sales floor, pair pleasure products with protection essentials, and introduce shame-free PrEP and testing resources in a way that feels helpful—not clinical or pushy.
The session also shares retail-ready staff scripts, a simple “Protection Menu” for merchandising and bundling, and an in-store activation model retailers can use to boost engagement, customer confidence, and repeat visits. Attendees can look forward to expert-led insight from one of the nation’s most trusted sexual wellness advocates and educators. Prepare to bring your questions, as well, for Ashley to answer at the end.
Michael A Reed, MD | Cosmetic Gynecologist
ASK THE DOCTORS Stage | Main Exhibitor Floor
Let’s talk about the part of women’s health nobody talks about.
From how things look, to how they feel, to how they perform. Vaginal health shapes confidence, intimacy, and quality of life in ways most women have never had the chance to discuss with their doctor. Until now.
In this candid, judgment-free session, Dr. Michael Reed —Cosmetic Gynecologist, surgeon, and women’s health advocate breaks down what’s actually possible when women get access to the right information and the right care. Whether you’re curious, concerned, or just finally ready to ask the question you’ve been sitting on, this is the session for you.
Because every woman deserves to feel confident — completely.
Wendy Brant |Director, Podfest Expo; Podcaster; Podcast Strategist
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
What does it take to create a podcast or show with a clear identity, loyal audience, and long-term potential if you don’t have the “perfect plan”? This session explores the creative and strategic decisions behind building a show that stands out in a crowded space.
Gain practical insight and knowledge into podcast branding, format, and cultivating to grow a loyal and engaging audience. Learn what “rules” should be followed and where you can bend, break, or push boundaries for you show and community, depending on your brand and goals. Discover what early audience building (even before you start!), community engagement, and an integrated website strategy can do for growth, and the real-world tradeoffs behind breaking from convention.
Whether you’re thinking about starting a podcast or vidcast, or already have a show but feel there may be some gaps in your branding, outreach, or audience connection, you don’t want to miss this session.
Hope Koman + Nico Darling | Co-Founders of Dynamo, a New Orleans Independent Retailer
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
In an industry that still faces stigma and ever-increasing censorship, leading with kindness and community care is good ethics AND good business. In this workshop, the owners of Dynamo, a sex-positive brick and mortar in New Orleans, share how they built unshakeable customer loyalty through acts of service, high product standards, and genuine care. From partnering with reproductive orgs and neighborhood groups to treating even challenging customer interactions with dignity, they’ll share practical strategies Dynamo uses to make their store one of the most beloved businesses in the neighborhood.
Dr. Brian Steixner | Board Certified Urologist + Co-Founder of Popstar | Session Moderator
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
This dynamic panel discussion at STIMULATE will be led by Board-Certified Urologist Dr. Brian Steixner and feature four male panelists representing Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. Together, they will provide an honest, multi-generational look at how men truly think, shop, and make decisions when it comes to aesthetics, wellness, longevity, and sexual health. Guided by Dr. Steixner’s expertise in sexual health medicine, the conversation will explore how confidence, relationships, stigma, aging, and lifestyle influence male consumer behavior across different life stages… and shopping environments. Attendees will gain valuable insight into what motivates male customers to shop, spend and more – ultimately helping attendees understand what barriers prevent them from engaging and spending alike. Additionally, this session will offer a rare opportunity to hear authentic perspectives directly from male consumers while bridging the gap between clinical expertise and real-world customer behavior.
Dr. David Ghozland | Cosmetic Gynecologist + Hormone Specialist, Intimate Health Center
ASK THE DOCTORS Stage | Main Exhibitor Floor
This talk will explore the newest innovations in cosmetic gynecology, including refined surgical techniques, cutting-edge non-surgical technologies, and the rapidly expanding field of intimate wellness interventions. I will also highlight the importance of recovery optimization—an area I’m deeply passionate about—followed by a firsthand patient perspective from Laura, who will share her experience and outcomes.
Colette Courtion | Founder of Joylux
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Half of women will experience symptoms of menopause that directly impact their intimate health, and most will never get a real solution. The intimate health category has been underestimated, undersold, and underserved for too long. Joylux Founder & CEO Colette Courtion brings proprietary consumer data, clinical insights, and the science separating breakthrough technology from shelf noise. In 20 minutes, she’ll show you exactly why this category is poised to explode — and who’s going to lead it.
Dr. Christopher N Smith, PhD
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
This workshop explores how “decolonizing pleasure” can function as a powerful business innovation lens, moving beyond Western‑centric, heteronormative models of sexual wellness to uncover underserved markets and build more culturally grounded products, services, and experiences. Using real-world case studies (including Dame Products and SuciaNYC), participants will examine how centering Black, Indigenous, queer, trans, disabled, and consensually non‑monogamous communities creates both social impact and competitive advantage in a sexual wellness industry projected to exceed 50 billion dollars in the next decade. Participants will leave with practical frameworks for assessing their current business practices, templates for engaging marginalized communities as co‑creators rather than “niche” consumers, and a clearer roadmap for translating justice‑oriented values into sustainable revenue and brand differentiation.
Caitlin V. | President, Coach, Author, Host
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Caitlin V named her book Harder Better Longer Stronger for a reason, because if she’d called it “how to come home to yourself as an erotic being,” men wouldn’t have picked it up. That tension between what men will reach for and what they actually need is the central insight of this session. As a sex and relationship coach, host of Good Sex on Max, and author of the recently published book, Caitlin has spent years coaching men through performance anxiety, erectile concerns, premature ejaculation, and the deeper emotional and relational patterns underneath. In this talk, she introduces her 6 Engines framework and translates it for retailers, educators, brands, and clinicians. You’ll learn what’s really driving men’s sexual health struggles, why they buy the way they buy, and how understanding the whole picture (not just the physical) gives you a competitive edge in serving the most underserved customer in the category.
Dustin Rybka | Certified Meta Consultant
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
You’ve had enough of the shutdowns, haven’t you? Three accounts deep, ads rejected, revenue choked. But this is where you stop playing by their rules and start breaking them—without getting caught. In this session, I’m handing you the tools to turn the algorithm into your submissive. We’ll unleash the seductive content that sells, tweak your accounts until they’re invisible to the Meta police, and tap into a conversion engine that’ll have your sales exploding faster than your last viral post. And just when you think I’m done, I’ll leave you with one last top secret killer move that will make your competition look like they’re standing still. If you’re ready to stop being censored and start getting off—on results—this is the fight of your life. Come get dirty, or get left behind.
Cassidy Bybee | Intimacy Wellness Entrepreneur, Content Creator & The Voice Behind The Law of Cassidy
Haileigh Mason | APRN + MedSpa Owner
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Wellness clinics are full of patients with unresolved intimacy struggles — and their providers don’t have the tools to take them further. You do. Cassidy Bybee and APRN Haileigh Mason pull back the curtain on their real-world clinic-to-creator partnership and show you exactly how it works — from patient referral to product education to repeat revenue. Walk away with a replicable framework, ready-to-use language, and a clear picture of why you’re the missing piece in your local healthcare ecosystem.
Dr. Brian Steixner | Urologist + Co Founder of Popstar
ASK THE DOCTORS Stage | Main Exhibitor Floor
Dr. Brian Steixner dives into one of the most misunderstood topics in sexual wellness: why women can experience multiple orgasms while most men hit the dreaded refractory period after one round. Blending sexual health science, performance optimization, and consumer behavior, this presentation explores the biology behind male recovery time, what actually influences stamina and performance, and the emerging products helping men get back in the game faster.
Attendees will leave with actionable insights they can use both personally and professionally — including how to educate customers, identify growing trends in male performance wellness, and confidently recommend products that improve intimacy, confidence, and bedroom satisfaction.
Because sometimes the difference between “goodnight” and “round two” is just better science.
Jennifer Walsh | Wellness Expert, Creative Director
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
For nearly 30 years, Jennifer has been at the forefront of transformative movements in beauty, retail, & design. As a consummate innovator, she has been dedicated to reimagining the human experience, whether through pioneering retail concepts, creating immersive experiences, or driving biophilic design solutions across industries. Today Jennifer guides others through what she refers to as Natural Intelligence. In this session, attendees can look forward to Walsh offering important and practical insight on how to overlap the store experience with the human (customer) connection. Expect to step outside the expected to get to know yourself and your customers better and gain actionable insight to bring back to your businesses.
Wendy Brant | Director, Podfest Expo; Podcaster; Podcast Strategist
Josh Fink | CEO & Founder of LSPlayground
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
In a diverse society of individuals, it’s important to truly understand and support your audience as best you can. This session will explore how to consumers within the lifestyle and poly communities can be better served. Hear from two of the nation’s leading voices within this space, and expect to walk away feeling more supported in not just understanding this community, but how to support them through product sales.
Dan Jablons | President, Retail Smart Guys
STIMULATE+Educate Main Stage
Not every retailer is suffering in this economy. There are many that are actually very profitable and have great cash flow. In this economy, now is the time to get a competitive edge and increase market share. Discover the industry secrets that successful retailers know, and learn how to implement these changes into your business to find better cash flow, better profitability, and more fun at your stores.
Dr. Jordan Leisure | Functional Medicine Physician, Founding Physician of North Shore Pro-Active Health
ASK THE DOCTORS Stage | Main Exhibitor Floor
Your customers are coming to you for products that support intimacy, pleasure, and connection. But for millions of women — particularly those in perimenopause and beyond — no product alone will solve the problem they’re actually experiencing. Because the problem isn’t in the bedroom. It’s in their biology.
In this clinical session, Dr. Jordan Leasure — a functional medicine physician with 20 years of integrative practice — will pull back the curtain on the most common and most overlooked drivers of low libido, sexual discomfort, and intimacy disconnect in women 35+. From the hormone cascade that begins years before menopause, to the environmental toxins quietly disrupting estrogen and testosterone, to the gut-brain-hormone axis that governs desire, arousal, and emotional connection — Dr. Jordan will give attendees the functional medicine framework that bridges clinical care with the sexual wellness retail experience.
Whether you run a medical spa, a sexual wellness boutique, or a clinical practice — this session will equip you to better understand, better serve, and better support the women walking through your doors every day.
As awareness and visibility of transgender and gender-diverse individuals continue to grow, sexual wellness professionals (including retail store operators and independent sellers) have an important opportunity to better understand and support the unique needs of this community. In this informative and inclusive session, Matt Stubbe, MSP in Sexual Health, will explore key concepts related to gender identity, transgender experiences, and sexual wellness through an affirming, evidence-informed lens.
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the barriers transgender and gender-diverse individuals may face when seeking sexual wellness products, education, and services, as well as practical strategies for creating more welcoming and inclusive customer experiences. From inclusive language and communication practices to product considerations and customer engagement, Matt will provide actionable insights that can help professionals confidently serve a broader range of consumers. Whether you are new to these topics or looking to expand your knowledge, this session will equip you with the tools to foster trust, inclusivity, and meaningful connections with gender-diverse customers while strengthening your role as a knowledgeable sexual wellness resource.
Stay informed with industry insight, professional networking opportunities, brand, retail + medtail connectivity experiences + more!
