Our Team
Gabby Kaplansky
Manager
Somewhere along the way, sex became a dirty word and an even dirtier act. I think it’s time to reclaim “sex” by giving people a place to share their stories and the chance to see that they aren’t alone in their exploration of their desires.
I believe that the search for whatever gives one pleasure is a healthy and natural thing to do and that all the stigma placed on the idea of casual sex is rather limiting.
One of the things I love the most about The Casual Sex Project is that it lets people share their experiences without judgment and it shows others that it’s okay to do a little exploration of their own.
Zhana Vrangalova
Founder
My name is Zhana Vrangalova and I’m a NYC-based sex researcher, writer, and educator.
I have a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University, where I studied how different aspects of sexuality (especially casual sex/promiscuity and mostly heterosexuality) are linked to health and well-being. I am currently an adjunct professor at the NYU Psychology department where I teach the first Human Sexuality course this department has offered in a long, long time.
I continue to do research and publish in academic journals (download my research papers from myAcademia.com profile). My latest research project is Play!, an online survey about sex/play parties and the people who attend them. Have you been to one in the past 12 months? Take the survey! And share with others.
I also blog about the science of casual sex and nonmonogamy on Psychology Today; give evidence-based, educational talks/workshops about casual sex, non-monogamy, and “mostly heterosexuals”; and tweet daily about fun new sex research (a follower once had this to say about my tweeting: “DrZhana‘s tweet stream is like falling into an actual stream. Made of brains. Instead of water.” Follow me: @DrZhana.)
Have a casual sex story to share with the world? I started The Casual Sex Project just for that purpose. Check out the stories or submit your own.
I upload all my Powerpoints from conference presentations, workshops, and courses on Slideshare. Feel free to take a look.
Want to stay up to date with all my sex research- and sex education- related activities? Sign up for my monthly newsletter. Bonus: My three favorite sex studies of the month! (I promise not to spam you with irrelevant stuff or try to sell you things).
Need a sex researcher to talk to for a newspaper article, podcast, radio or TV show? Email me at zhana.vrangalova@gmail.com – I’m always happy to talk to the media about sex science. Check out all my media appearances here.
Kenneth Play
Partner
I used to be fat and awkward with women. I immigrated to the states from Hong Kong when I was ten years old. My insecurities about my body, being shy, and the stereotypes about Asian men
(not well-endowed, nerdy, unsexy) plagued me all the way through my late 20s. That’s when I decided to get fit. I was obsessed with how the body works, and fascinated with techniques we can use to improve ourselves. I experimented with different Hacks, and learned from people who got the results I wanted. I lost fat and gained muscle. I became a physique competitor and one of the top fitness professionals in the Industry.
Still, I felt inadequate — and dissatisfied with my love life. I began studying sex to overcome my insecurities. I wanted to master sex and relationships, applying the same principles of focus, study, and practice that made me successful in the fitness world. I’ve always been a hacker. I just went from being a fitness hacker to a sex hacker. There is a ton of information out there but it was really difficult to find the hands-on guidance that I needed. I realized that most of our sexual education as a society comes from locker room bragging and hardcore porn. Like my mentor Reid Mihaiko said, “Learning about sex from porn is like learning how to drive by watching “The Fast and the Furious.” Sex shouldn’t be something we have to learn about in secret, without suitable instruction.Being an outstanding lover is a skill, not a talent. It can be taught, and it can be learned.
I earned my reputation as an expert in the most demanding arena – the private sex party community. My fitness coaching experience combined with my hacker mindset made me a unique sex educator. The same way I help my fitness clients feel more comfortable at the gym and master complex exercises is the same way I help my current clients towards gaining confidence in the bedroom and mastering g-spot pleasure techniques.
I believe that sexual pleasure is our birthright. I’m devoting my life to empowering people through sexual education and promoting sex positive culture. In 2014 I co-founded a sex-positive intentional community “Hacienda Villa” in Bushwick, Brooklyn. My focus now is on cultivating and celebrating pleasure and it’s way more fun teaching the art of pleasure than telling them to eat less carbs.
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