Here are the talks that have been submitted so far for the upcoming Ignite Phoenix After Hours #6!
Submissions are still open if you have your own idea – submit your talk here!
Yes, Your Vibrator Can Be Your Therapist
Presenter: Emilie E. Cabot
Biography: I have always been fascinated with movement and what interrupts it – which includes the movement of orgasms. This talk is meaningful for me because healing from trauma in a traditional way has not gone well. But once I found the right tool (vibrator) and practice (pleasure seeking), my healing journey began.
Description: I’ll share my journey of how my vibrator, Veronica, helped me unlock decades of body-based trauma patterns which allowed me to find pleasure again – both in and out of the bedroom. As a movement therapist, I took my personal practice to a new level. I worked through grief, mental illness, and sexual assault by understanding the movement of my orgasms. I want people to walk away trusting their healing journeys, even if the path is taboo. (I dedicate this talk to Veronica, may she rest in pieces).
Austin Powers and my 98-year-old Dead Gramma
Presenter: LoriK
Biography: People today try “not to die” rather than figuring out how to actually live. We have to stop giving a crap what other people think, pull up our big girl/boy/person panties, lighten up, and get brave – like Gram. As a retired flight attendant, life coach, and current middle school teacher… behavior that used to fascinate me, now pisses me off.
Description: My talk will be about what my gramma taught me on how to really live life without apology. From cigars with the boys to landing on her ass in the sand in Mexico, she embraced the world we live in with wonder, adventure, and non-judgement. As I approach 60, her voice/actions/memories guide me to each “next thing.” Living your values is the ONLY way to live, but you have to know what they are first.
Life Access Grant-ed
Presenter: Me’Lisa James
Biography: Last year I went full time entrepreneur, a consultant. I had several services yet the only thing I’ve been doing is grant writing and business proposals. Why?: because there is SO MUCH FREE MONEY. And people want to access it. It’s really amazing what I have seen in the grant world. You truly can fund anything your heart desires.
Description: Loans are a lie. Society tells us we need loans to establish credit and live our dream life. Car loans, Mortgages (aka housing loans), Student loans, heck PayPal pay in 4. The reality is if we play our cards right, we could live an excellent life debt free through grant funding. Everyone talks about stocks and bonds and investments no one talks about grants. As a millennial I want to work smarter and not be trapped by loan agreements. I know others feel the same.
Learn Japanese in 5 minutes
Presenter: Michelle MaliZaki
Biography: I LOVE languages. I’ve been teaching Japanese for 15 years. I LOVE teaching! I’ll teach Kanji (chinese characters) so you won’t make fatal mistakes!
Description: My name is Michelle Malizaki and I’m from Japan. I teach Japanese at adult school because I don’t have any skill. And I don’t want to learn any.
No One Goes “Before Their Time”
Presenter: Toronamichele
Biography: People are incorrectly focusing their energy when a loved one departs. They focus on loss & sadness, but they have put too much weight…better yet, they have restricted existence to a physical manifestation. Since we are all energy, and energy cannot be created or destroyed, the release of the physical presence in no way diminishes the passed being
Description: The premise that people die prematurely or before their time is false. This includes and especially refers to illness and suicide. The fact is no one on earth knows what someone else’s death date is, therefore no one can accurately make that statement.
Fuck my body
Presenter: Dana Whissen
Biography: I’m a standup comedian. I’m mentally ill, artistic, sad, obsessive, manic, anxious, highly medicated, highly high, and funny. Trauma has fueled me for years and I’m finally using it for good.
Description: I want people with shitty bodies to feel seen and heard. My body sucks (scoliosis, flat ass, crooked ass crack, I look like the penguin from Batman) and hundreds of people have validated my negative thoughts about my body online through mean yet kinda spon on insults. Join me as I share funny stories (oh yeah, I’m a comedian!) about scoliosis and being shamed publicly for my weird body. I want the audience to relate to something that isn’t talked about much.
The Arizona King Bed
Presenter: Michael Kessler
Biography: I’m poly and have several partners. I went insane during Covid and decided to put my DIY skills to good use. It’s hands down the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on. It’s enormous and everyone I’ve had on it has commented on how great it is. I’d be thrilled to share how I did it.
Description: As part of converting my guest bedroom into a fabulous cuddle space I built a custom 8×8 bed fit for sleeping six comfortable (or engaging eight equally so 😈). I would make my presentation on its construction (materials, costs, time, and process).
How To Know If You’ve Joined a Cult
Presenter: Yael Grauer
Biography: When I was in grad school, I watched Wild Wild Country, a six-part documentary series about the Rajneeshees. At first I thought they were weird, but harmless, and mostly just misunderstood. I’ve also always been into subcultures, and wondered which new strange religious groups were more harmful than the more mainstream strange religious groups.
Description: Psychological manipulation isn’t uncommon in our society, and we’re all susceptible to charismatic leaders. But when does this cross the line into dangerous territory? Unfortunately, cults don’t usually advertise themselves as such, which means we have to figure it out on our own. Is Landmark a cult? What about your neighbor’s strange, obscure religious group? This talk will break down the key differences between cults and weird religious movements so you’ll know the warning signs.
The art of Urban Harvesting
Presenter: lameasarob
Biography: Psychedelics have become an important part of my experience particularly after transitioning out of a super religious upbringing. It’s helped me make sense of, and understand more about the world we live in. It’s also helped me gain more empathy towards the people around me. I want to share that interest and experience with others.
Description: I want to share a stories about the times I’ve harvested (ie. stolen in the middle of the night) San Pedro cactus from around my neighborhood to have psychedelic experiences. I’ll talk about how to identify San Pedro cacti and how to extract the mescaline. I’ll also include stories from the experiences of ingesting it and tripping out on mother natures lesser known psychedelic. I want to teach the audience about this amazing plant and give them the tools to get started.
Not Even Liberace Would Put Up With This Shit!
Presenter: Retired Queer Stand Up Comic
Biography: I quit a career that I loved because of the way I was treated by not only club owners and audiences, but by other comedians as well. I have been slowly trying to get back into stand-up, but this time with with heavy makeup, costuming and under an assumed name….oh, and I no longer tell gay jokes. Is it worth it?
Description: Being a gay stand-up in the 1990’s was no cruise through the park. Especially when you are 300-pounds and performing in West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee? Why is it only acceptable to be gay when you’re thin and hunky? I wanted to be “authentic” and be open on stage…but is being authentic worth it when you are heckled, spit on and chased through the streets?
Laughing into the Barf Bucket of Life (Or, Ayahuasca is a Hell of a Drug)
Presenter: Jason BC
Biography: I was raised mormon and lost my faith in my early 30’s. Since then I’ve been looking for…something. Maybe a way to find meaning in a pointless existence. Maybe just a way to accept myself and do some good in the world. My experience with ayahuasca felt like a huge step in the right direction.
Description: I participated in an ayahuasca ceremony in Peru and it changed the way I look at life. It’s part of the reason I’m submitting an Ignite talk. Life is short, fuck it! In this talk I’ll give the 5 min ayahuasca overview: What’s it like (amazing, exhausting, potentially terrible), what it showed me about life (it’s about love), how it helped me start getting out of my own way, and why I can’t really recommend it to anyone.
I Haven’t Been on a Stage in Almost 3 Years… Until Tonight
Presenter: Mack Duncan
Biography: As I said, the stage used to be my home. I don’t know if it will ever be again. The global trauma of the pandemic shook me to my core. If I have indeed started a new chapter in my life, and that means stepping away from the stage, I want it to be my choice. Out of maturity and not out of fear.
Description: I’ve spent most of my life on a stage; as an improvisor, a puppeteer, an actor, and a presenter. The pandemic changed that. For the first time in my life, being on a public stage terrifies me. I know it’s still in me. I’ve presented at Ignite before, so I know I am able to do it. The question is will this be the head first dive I need to to conquer my fear.
Are you an exhibitionist or kinkster? If not, do it! Life is too short not to be you!
Presenter: Dakra
Biography: See my profile on Fetlife under the username Dakra. Kinky sub switch based in Tempe and Caretaker of Southwest Decadence. I work for a law firm and just passed the junior bar exam in Arizona, going through the character and fitness process right now to become the Arizona equivalent of a Solicitor in the English justice system.
Description: I have been cross dressing in public for years. But it is more gender-bending than full on drag. I wear these outfits shopping, to events, etc. It is part of my kink, and I’m one kinky fucker! I’m here to spread the word to be you and to regale the crowd of some of my exploits and experiences, both good and bad, that have happened over the years. I’ve presented before at Ignite Phoenix.
Magic Mushrooms and Surviving School Violence
Presenter: thefabulousone
Biography: As more talk of mental health prompts people to search for solutions, psilocybin and other psychedelics have been shown to help heal people suffering from trauma. There are many cities and Oregon where it’s been decriminalized, so more people have access.
Description: On my 17th birthday, February 16, 1988, a kid who had been bullied planted a mercury-switch pipe bomb into his bully’s locker. It was 10 feet from me, and went off just after homeroom. Being GenX and growing up in the 70s and 80s, mental health wasn’t considered, even though dozens of kids just experienced some pretty serious trauma. Living with PTSD for decades isn’t easy to heal from, but I found psilocybin and have all but cured my anxiety and PTSD that I had been carrying since 1988.
Meth masked my autism from me
Presenter: Vegas girl
Biography: I am a big believer in our mess is our message. A;pmg with a belief that one person’s story can save another person’s life. So, even though I think this would scare the ISH out of me. I am here to help the person that needs to hear it. I have lost my whole family to their shame I refuse to live there.
Description: How I began using drugs at the age of 15 at 16 I was hooked on meth and used it to mask my autism without even knowing it. I was diagnosed with autism and adhd at the age of 45. I have lived a life similar to Breaking Bad meets Shameless. I would love to talk more about what autistic women look like/ are like. I love to make it funny when it is probably just jaw dropping craziness. You will laugh, cry, and want to know why?
How my sensory sensitivities helped me keep my child.
Presenter: Autistic momma
Biography: I think more people should know how it feels to hear what we are able to hear. How crushing brutal and painful it can be. How it does effect life decisions and our futures.
Description: I kept my baby that I got pregnant with during a relapse when my mother passed. When everyone told me to abort the child. I stated that I couldn’t due to the fact that the last time I had an abortion 12 yrs prior all i can remember of it is the sound. Due to the sound of that vacuum I have a beautiful 4 yr old girl. That is loved more than words can say. Also I am funny so I will lighten the mood on this one. I know its a hot topic now.
Reclaim Your Personal Power, and WE can change the world!
Presenter: Goddess Nadine
Biography: Since a young age, I’ve been fascinated by human potential and the intersection of magic and technology. This led me to practice experimental metaphysics in my own life, and now I teach my clients to do the same. Our entire personal reality can shift on a dime. Even more powerfully, a group focused on the same result can change reality for good!
Description: There are 3 key elements to fully manifest your personal power, and live your best life; complete honesty, total responsibility, and self-mastery of focus. In this talk, I’ll review what they are, and give a demonstration of how you can more easily have a good day, every day, regardless of your current circumstances, and how by doing so, your circumstances will shift automatically.
How Saying No To A Porn Star…Twice, Taught Me How to Love Myself and Others.
Presenter: Sarah Paz
Biography: It is my conviction that if we do not love, care for, and forgive ourselves, we cannot love, care, and forgive others well. Loving yourself is highly misunderstood, when in reality, caring for ourselves, forgiving ourselves, empowering ourselves, and loving others, all are the pillars to loving ourselves in a healthy and whole way!
Description: I was contacted by a famous porn star twice, to perform with him. By turning him down, I learned what it means to love myself, empower myself, care for myself, forgive myself, and love others.
My vasectomy,
Presenter: Marc anthony richi
Biography: Nothing matters. But I crave attention and I’m told I’m hilarious.
Description: My vasectomy and other violent blessings in bad fake mustaches.
Resilience & Other Things I Learned in the Psych Ward
Presenter: Chris Morris
Biography: I spend my time writing and speaking about how to balance faith and difficult times. I have both mental illnesses and chronic illnesses, but I’m learning to thrive anyway. I’ve never been good friends with normal, but I’m well-acquainted with disappointment and pain. It is out of this place of pain and faith that I find hope to move forward.
Description: Many people would be ashamed to even admit that they were in a psychiatric ward, but don’t count Chris among them. He recognizes that he’s learned lessons during his two visits to a mental health facility, and he learned them from his fellow patients, the physicians, and God himself. He learned what it means to be resilient, how to invest in himself, and how to lean into community to find health and wholeness. Be inspired to grow in your walk with God and in your community through this talk.
Ageism- Do not go gently into that good night!
Presenter: Rick Howard
Biography: I am tired of society deeming us old, archaic and without value. We bring a lot to the table by way of experience and wisdom.
Description: I want to discuss ageism and ways to fight back so society does not seem you archaic and outdated. I am 64 years old and work full time and am currently resurrecting my acting career from the 80’s and embracing my age and this time of my life
Strategic Energy
Presenter: Asylum
Biography: I am a Nationally Certified Counselor who owns a corporation to improve corporate culture, and a nonprofit that increases mental health access. As a neurodivergent person, psychology didn’t make sense to me until I started turning the pseudoscience into diagrams and math that really adds up. I want to bring mental wellness into tangible realms.
Description: We only have so much energy to expend or invest? Are you sending yours in the direction with the highest ROI? Let’s talk how to math our way to optimal experience.
Stoned Ape: A Story of Grief and Psychedelics
Presenter: Stuart Preston
Biography: I am a grieving father, a Stand-up comedian, and an advocate for decriminlizing psychedelics. The goal of this talk is to break the stigmas around mental health, grief, and psychedelics.
Description: The Stoned Ape Show is about my experience with grief and as a Stoned Ape, awakened by the entheogenic powers of medicines known as Psychedelics. Built around a Stand-up comedy show, this straight talk presentation will help you see these ‘drugs’ as medicine and to relate to my story of grief, mental health, and transformation. It’s how I learned to heal WITH my grief, not FROM it.
Non-monogamy: The Perils and Pleasures of an Alternate Lifestyle
Presenter: Brooke
Biography: I have been practicing Ethical Non-Monogamy for nearly 8 years. I run a local Meetup group to build community and provide educational opportunities for our members. My heart has been broken, bruised, shattered, and also I have experienced deeper love and meaning than I ever expected. I am also a secular Buddhist practitioner.
Description: “Non-monogamy is a great concept until people get involved” (-August Perigrine) There are many reasons to practice some form of non-monogamy. You will deepen your relationship with your human self, learn about communication, boundaries, consent, and what love *actually* means. Due to our societal programming, the stories we tell ourselves, and our intense desire to connect to one another, there are also opportunities for heartbreak and misunderstandings that surpass a monogamous life.
It’s time to PUMP it UP: it being your penis!
Presenter: Ryan Daniel
Biography: I have been in the adult industry for 12 years and the things that I know about penis pumps will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s such an important topic – that me and my business partner constantly get sent dick pics to us by men who need help and have questions. It’s a very important topic that always gets swept under the rug.
Description: Ever since Austin Powers tried to convince us that – SERIOUSLY – it’s not his bag baby – people have been penis pumping in secret. What many consumers do not know is that some of the greatest med spas in the world sell packages that often include a premium pump. We are so focused on medication and supplements to cure even mild symptoms of erectile dysfunction; many if combined can easily be fatal. It’s time to pump it up and talk about what’s so great about it and why people do it.
All Lubed Up – And Nowhere To Go!
Presenter: Ryan Daniel
Biography: I have been in the adult industry for 12 years; brought my wife in to the business as well. In my time I have run product development for a lubricant manufacturer – ISO compliant – FDA approved facility – I have a lot of interesting things to share with this audience. Everyone can be kinky – it’s okay; even straight laced married folks!
Description: I represent a brand that is creating and innovating on products specifically made for the kink and lifestyle market; we are talking about an all-in-one dungeon that’s made of steel and completely modular. Are you a dom whose at home and realizes that their next client is 6’4” – you could lower your work bench by removing the expandable legs. Consumers everywhere are talking about making their own dungeon at home – because adult consensual sexual privilege is amaing – and we’re here to help.
I’m Not Your F*@#cking Grandma: The Unfiltered 60-Something
Presenter: The Geezer Proofer
Biography: We live in a youth-centric culture, filled with Insta influencers and wannabe tech bros. Women over 50 (even those of us who were C-level execs and pioneers of technology) are often treated like old Geezers (or simply become invisible and unemployable). I am helping to break the stereotypes and build more intergenerational work and social circles.
Description: We’re not all dry. We don’t all drool. Just because I’m 66, I don’t need a walk-in bathtub and frequent laxatives. I know how to use technology, speak quickly, and hear clearly. We need to start changing perceptions of older women and look at our own biases and how the media is marketing to people >50. This is a rawer version of my Ignite talk at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and will be more personal and lifestyle-oriented.
Sympathy for the Devil
Presenter: The Long Ranger
Biography: I believe The Satanic Temple is a good organization, with some of the most upstanding, open-minded people driving it. I’d like to dispel some of the misconceptions and fear mongering. Hail Satan!
Description: The Satanic Temple has performed good works ranging from community volunteering to buying feminine hygiene products for low income women. They’ve challenged laws restricting freedom of religion and speech. I’ll share why this Satanic group isn’t really the evil group you might get from the name.
If you have your own idea, submit it now!