Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Darren Campbell
Darren Campbell (they/them) is a sexuality and relationship educator and coach based out of Toronto, Ontario. They are a proudly queer, non-monogamous, pleasure-affirming community member who loves to facilitate discussions and experiences that strengthen relationships and encourage a sense of curiosity and exploration. Their education and coaching areas of focus include self-love & acceptance, consent, communication, non-monogamy, & power exchange. An intersectional lens informs Darren's coaching and workshop facilitation, recognizing that we live in a complex world with many identities, needs, and desires, and are often subject to systems that actively cause us harm. Darren is invested in growing their anti-oppressive practices and welcomes any feedback on how to make their teachings more accessible and inclusive.
In their classes and coaching, Darren provides participants tools and examples that help them communicate more clearly and authentically with themselves and their partners. Darren believes that a collaborative approach, focused on creating a sense of safety and shared vulnerability, is the key to great sex, connection, and a love-filled life. They can be reached at their website https://www.learngrowrepeat.ca/.
Workshops
Exploring Dominant Vulnerability
The "Bitch Goddess". The icy, demanding sadist. The "perfect" dominant who can do no wrong. These might be appealing as erotic fantasies, but also may provide concerns around safety, intimacy, connection, and growth in our relationships and play. Intimacy and connection require vulnerability and openness.
In this workshop, Darren will discuss dominance as a form of relational and erotic expression and the pressure dominants sometimes feel to be "perfect". Particular attention will be paid to the pressure we place on ourselves and each other to not make mistakes or express the "wrong" feelings. Time will also be spent talking about the ways that perfectionism, gender expectations, and ego can get in the way of intimacy and authentic connection. Tips and ideas for avoiding some of the pitfalls of these challenges and encouraging more vulnerability in our connections will also be provided, with time allocated for questions and contributions from fellow attendees.
Hacking Masculine Sexuality
Whatever our gender identity may be now, many of us have encountered expectations around what it means to "be a man". This especially extends to our romantic and sexual relationships. This workshop looks at what society, our partners, our families, and other folks tell us about how to be a man and how that often can harm our relationship with our bodies, our minds, and our ability to connect with our partners for love, romance, sex, or play.
During this discussion-based workshop, Darren will talk about how addressing these narratives and exploring self-pleasure, communication skills, and honest sharing can enable us to connect more deeply with ourselves and our partners.
Knowing Ourselves as Submissives
Who am I as a submissive? What do I need to be the best, most authentic version of myself possible in my scenes and life? During this class, Darren will lead exercises and discussions that help answer that question. Knowing this about ourselves helps us be better partners to our Dominants (current or future), communicate our needs for scenes and relationships and be at peace with who we are and what we want.
Collaborative Consent
Good sex and play result from connection and communication. But how do we share our desires and create consent with our partners while keeping it sexy? How do we push past the awkward and have fun while negotiating? In this class, Darren will guide students through a collaborative approach to consent that emphasizes mutual connection and responsibility for consent in a scene. Particular emphasis is given to the possibilities inherent in unencumbered and risk-aware consent, the roles bottoms/submissives can play in creating spaces of mutual consent, and reducing and understanding risk. The class also includes an in-depth discussion of non-transactional models of consent and negotiation, discussing the benefits on both an individual level and for a wider community interested in reducing harm.