The woman and the reason behind the name. Hi, I’m Monique, and I’m a Sex, Intimacy, and Relationship Coach.
The Woman Behind the Name
I’m a romantic and curious creature. I always have been. Since I was a child, my favorite word happened to be “Why?” To this day, I still ask that A LOT. Which is what I think fueled my career as a biologist, an educator, and now the owner of Explore Amore.
It also was the word that prompted me to get out of my previous marriage and start a relationship with my, now, fiancé (but we’ll get to that another time).
I was a Veterinary Technician as a young adult until I became a Wildlife Biologist in my mid-20s. So, I’ve had a long career of studying animal behavior in various ways. Now, in my 30s, I have finally gathered the courage to pursue a passion coaching people on sex, intimacy, and relationships!
Here I am with a handheld bat detector in the woods identifying bat calls coming in overhead.
People giggled or gasped with wide eyes when I was in those early stages of my research career, and I would explain to them that I wanted to study sexual behaviors of animals. Over time, I learned that not only is it still very taboo to talk about sex in public, but it’s also rarely funded (and getting rarer with this administration), especially in regards to wildlife. So, I studied sex, mating behaviors, and reproduction alongside many other projects in my spare time.
That knowledge really flourished when I started teaching Anatomy & Physiology at the University of William & Mary in Virginia, and Biology at Olympic Community College in Washington. Sharing animal penis facts and all the ways that different animals have competitive reproductive strategies really stoked my fire to talk about sex. However, it wasn’t until I started working as an Environmental Consultant that I realized how badly I wanted to keep having those conversations.
But nobody else seemed to prioritize having them…
So, I decided to do the scariest thing I never thought I would do - build a business.
And that’s how I got here!
The Reason for the Name
I wanted something that embodied the way that I choose to see relationships - as adventures.
Especially in the beginning, both relationships and hikes (for example) are Type I fun, also known as enjoyable in the moment. Type I moments should and can be present throughout the duration of your adventure too, but this trail is in Alaska, it’s incredibly overgrown with Devil’s club, you’re in Grizzly bear territory, and now there’s a wide glacial river that you have to take off your boots to cross.
This. Is Devils Club against my fiancé’s 6-foot tall body.
You’ve then encountered Type II territory. Type II fun is miserable while it’s happening, but fun in retrospect. Are you going to freeze to death alone? No. Is anything else dangerous going to happen? No. Are you just going to have a deep conversation that might be quite uncomfortable or hurtful in the moment, but you’ll come out on the other side refreshed, alive, understanding more about yourself and your partner, and only a little cold and wet 😉? Likely.
This is me crossing that EXACT river in Alaska.
Within the ups and downs of any adventure or relationship, there’s exploration. And I fucking LOVE that!
The Amore part is because, although I’m Mexican (and ‘Love’ in Spanish is ‘Amor’), my current partner is Italian, and in just a few weeks we will be moving to Italy! This move will heavily influence my business, my relationship, and the way that I live my life. Specifically, when I see my clients.
The Reason I’m Creating Blogs
If you peruse my social media, you’ll notice that I’m not great with words, which is why I like nature. Nature doesn’t speak, it feels. However, as humans, speaking is our primary form of communication, and as an online business, it’s hard to provide my good vibes through a screen. I have provided a set of blogs to provide as a resource for anyone who may be interested in some of the research I’ve done, or even just to get a bit more of a sense of who I am as your coach.
I hope this has helped to give you a bit of insight on the business, who I am, and what may come. I hope you say hi, follow me on my instagram, TikTok, or substack, or schedule a Free Introductory session to work with me!
