testimonials

What if no one told me that I mattered when I needed it most? What if no one told me my consent mattered?'. These are some of the questions I ask in the rough draft of my graduate thesis on sex education. If you've heard me go on and on about sex ed just know that Yana got me started and taught me everything I knew as a teen about pleasure based affirmative consent. My relationships have doubtlessly been healthier because of her. She lets young people know they matter so you should def check her out

workshop participant feedback in 2017 from workshops she attended in 2010, 2011, & 2012

After your workshop, Pleasure-Based Consent for Better Sex, my friends and I reflected on the general shittiness of our sex-ed experiences to that point, and it really brought back to me an idea I first had while sitting in high school sex-ed. We were asked to perform an exercise in which, under the guise of assessing "risk taking" we were asked to assign levels of blame to all involved in the " imagined situation" surrounding a gang rape at a bar, including the victim. At the time I was probably sixteen, and though I knew this exercise was really problematic, I didn't know what to do for myself or my friends. But I do remember thinking, 'I want to do this better.' You are doing it better. I wanted to write to say thank you for what you do, and as someone who believes deeply in implementing inclusive, sex and pleasure positive education.

Hitting the Spot, CLPP Conference, April 2016

As an undocumented Trans Colombiana, I found Yana’s Hitting the Spot workshop to be exciting , refreshing, comprehensive, and scientifically accurate. She was inclusive of a variety of different sexual experiences and was intentional about creating a safe and positive learning environment for everyone in the room, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity. Her approach to teach sex education with a focus on pleasure was revolutionary and something I am excited to incorporate in my own organization. She presents and shares information from a place that abolishes the fear mongering tactics that are often used in Sexual Education spaces.”

Hitting the Spot, CLPP Conference, April 2016

Yana is a progressively-less-and-less-hidden gem, and deservingly so. We brought her to Bennington College in 2015, and when we hired her again, we had to bring chairs from another building just to seat everyone in the room. She brings a delightful presence, a genuinely inclusive experience, and a wealth of much-needed knowledge on topics of sexual technique and identity. We're all looking forward to seeing her on TEDx Vienna!

Hitting the Spot, Bennington College, March 2016

Yana Tallon-Hicks was engaging and authentic. Her material is incredibly accessible and fun! The activity where we brainstormed how our collective "porn brain" obstructs consent was really eye-opening! I loved the cookie-building activity. My group felt a little awkward talking about consent at first but Yana's humor helped make it feel fun and natural.

A lot of my friends who were guys came up to me after the workshop and said: "I feel a lot more confident talking about consent now."

"It really clicked once I started making cookies for my partner. It was fun!"

"It was really impactful. I just went to just go hang out with some TRONS (the name of our men's ultimate team) but I ended up learning a lot. People always say you have to ask for consent but they never say how.."

Consent & Cookies, Brandies University, February 2016

Thank you! It is so important to create spaces for people to initiate their own learning and exploration of potentially scary topics (and you did so in such an open, endearing & light way!

Polyamory & Open Relationships, Easthampton Co.Lab, February 2016

Your workshop gave [my partner & I] openings and direction for some really great conversations last night and moving forward. Deeply grateful, not only for the info, but your ‘style’. It’s so permissive and invitational. Your modeling always helps me find my own permission to move beyond my limits and assumptions with more freedom and curiosity. You really helped me understand a more helpful framework to navigate my emotions in relationship to exploring poly.

Polyamory & Open Relationships, Easthampton Co.Lab, February 2016

I got the impression that you genuinely care and are excited to pass on knowledge that will help your students discover what makes them feel good and thus, be happier and more fulfilled humans.