Dr. ZhanaReviews of drzhana.com

When I say "sex ed" I mean every topic surrounding sex and relationships, like attachment styles, jealousy, kink, consent, psychology of personality, consensual nonmonogamy, and all from a sex positive lens and backed by science. Dr. Z is an expert through and through, but she's approachable, funny, and vulnerable in sharing not only her research but also her personal experiences. The Open Smarter course has been essential in confirming my desire for CNM, but now thanks to this class I know why I actually want CNM, what styles may work for me, what challenges I'll face, how to manage them, and I've gained an entire community of sex positive, open-minded classmates. I love that the class includes a Slack channel where we discuss and debate topics related to each week's class. Zhana has a TA who is so on top of everything, you're given notes all gathered into a neat document, you're sent reminders about class and the weekly homework, and you find yourself looking forward to every Sunday. Open Smarter is NOT just a lax discussion about open relationships. Bring your notebook ready to learn because you'll be blown away by how much your mind is opened up to new possibilities and others' real life experiences. This class will make you think about relationships, sex, and personality in ways you never have, and you will walk away feeling more confident in yourself and your purpose in love and relationships, whichever relationship route you do choose.

My girlfriend and I took this class to help us figure out if and how a CNM relationship would work. Dr Z and this class has helped us discover what type of relationship fits us and our personalities. The conversations have allowed us to discuss topics and areas of feelings we would not have discussed otherwise. Dr Z has helped us strengthen our relationship. I highly recommend this class for anyone considering building an open relationship!

Been an avid follower of all things Zhana for years.. the Open Smarter online class is the pinnacle of all of the incredible resources I have found from and through her. Even as a nerd and heavy solo "researcher" and reader of all things non-monogamy, this class has introduced me to topics and ideas that I never even considered in that realm. Super interesting.. I would even recommend this to my straight and monogamous friends. Seriously.. I can't recommend it enough. If you're on the fence, you should definitely go for it. Cassandra (32) Los Angeles, CA

Trusted expert, ally and guide on the entire CNM landscape, Dr Zhana's Open Smarter class has been invaluable in allowing me to embrace all aspects of my sexuality. And more importantly, it's clearer to me now I see the emotional blocks - areas where I still have shards of shame and resistance. Thank you, Zhana.. may you continue this offering for folx!

Dr. Zhana’s Open Smarter course was truly eye-opening and educational. It is billed as a course on consensual non-monogamy (CNM) but it is really much more! It gave me a science based framework to more authentically understand who I am sexually and romantically and helped me clarify what I want out of my relationships with others; all this with a whopping dose of modern sex ed for grown ups in very supportive and safe community environment! The course is very well organized into three sections: an honest introduction to the diversity of non-monogamous relationships, a survey of human sexuality science and how it works, and an in depth exploration of nearly a dozen personality traits and how they relate to different relationship styles. There are useful assessments to see where on the spectrum of each personality trait you lie and a workbook of exercises and resources for working on the traits you would like to modify. The live online meet-ups were a wonderful opportunity to listen to other people’s stories and share my own experiences. This is where much of the course’s magic happened! It really helped me feel more normal and less alone. It is a testament to Dr. Zhana’s skills as a teacher and moderator that the community always felt honest, safe, and supportive. Many people shared intimate stories from their lives that sparked compassion and empathy from the group. Many people also just listened and all were welcomed. I was hesitant to take the course because I wasn’t sure an online class would be very informative or worth the price tag. But it was and I sincerely wish I had had this experience earlier in life! If you’re not sure I highly suggest attending one of the Uncensored conversations to get a feel for Dr. Zhana’s teaching/moderating style and listening to the archives of her podcast The Science of Sex or one of the many interviews she has given on podcasts such as Sex and Psychology.

This was beyond anything I could have expected. While opening up a relationship might seem like a simple thing to some this course offers you insight on just how complex it is and just how to navaigte it best. It offers you insight on what might work best for you and also advice and guidance on how to over come the challagens. I think it could be best summed up as the sex ed course for adults you always whish you had. If you're into learning this is a great way to garner a lot of lisight in a easy to digest and fun format.

i love that she's bringing this talk while many people shy away from the topic and think it's something wrong and immoral. it's difficult to "think outside box" bcz most people "don't discuss sex, it's too personal", but Zhana brings bunch of studies and shows the variety of how other people think and feel, also it's very fun to be on real-time events and hear other people's stories without even knowing them and exchange some tips from personal experience. it helps to normalize this conversation and accept sex as a valid part of your life. we have dating and business networking events - why not have sex-related events? it's one of normal parts of our life (for most people) and Zhana is hosting those events

Talking about sex related topics is hard and tricky, but Dr. Zhana handled it so well. Hearing other people talking freely and intimately about their personal opinions, experiences and interests made me feel that I'm not alone! And I appreciate that. Also, there there was some new points that really made me thinking about the topic. Overall, a good community with an excellent educator made this event one of the best experiences in my life.