“My Work is Very Personal”

Meet Michelle Renee: Therapeutic Intimacy Specialist, Cuddle Therapist, and Relational Touch Practitioner

Michelle Renee (she/her) is an intimacy coach, cuddle therapist, and relational-based touch practitioner dedicated to helping people reconnect with their bodies, understand their boundaries, and experience nourishing, consent-based connection. Her work is deeply personal, rooted in her own journey of healing, discovery, and growth. When Michelle talks about what she does, it often brings tears to her eyes. She's not just teaching skills; she’s embodying generations of healing, especially for the women in her family who never had the voice she has today.

Michelle grew up in West Michigan as the eldest of three daughters. Her childhood was shaped by a household filled with emotional tension: a father with a temper, a mother who avoided intimacy, and a silence that often replaced conflict. From a young age, Michelle learned to navigate the world without guidance on emotional regulation, boundaries, or self-worth. As a teen, she received attention from adult men that she once felt proud of but later recognized as inappropriate and harmful. These early experiences shaped her understanding of consent, autonomy, and the importance of healthy touch.

She married at 20 and spent 18 years in a marriage that mirrored her parents’ relationship, marked by disconnection and a lack of bodily autonomy. She now names those years with clarity and compassion, recognizing patterns of sexual coercion and a painful absence of self. Her journey to reclaim her body, voice, and desires began after her divorce in 2014, when she encountered legendary sex educator Betty Dodson and attended a Bodysex workshop. It was a life-altering experience. There, Michelle learned to embrace her sexuality, love her body, and step into her power.

That same year, she began her professional journey into touch-based healing. In 2015, she drove through the snow to Chicago to train with Madelon Guinazzo, co-founder of Cuddlist.com. Within a year, she became a Certified Cuddlist, joined the company as Operations Manager, and became a Certified Cuddle Party Facilitator. These practices introduced her to the transformative power of consent, boundaries, and platonic touch—tools that would help her heal and that she now uses to help others do the same.

Michelle’s work expanded quickly. In Michigan, she founded two local Sex Geekdom hubs to foster open conversations about sex, kink, consent, and relationship diversity. After moving to San Diego in 2018, she began training in Surrogate Partner Therapy (SPT), joining professional communities like STEM (Sex Therapy Education Medicine) and GSRD (Gender, Sexuality, and Relationship Diversity Affirming Therapists).

In 2019, Michelle relocated to Baltimore and began practicing as a surrogate partner in the Mid-Atlantic. She worked at Ananda Integrative Healing in Philadelphia, mentored with Brian Gibney, and co-founded Embrace, a professional resource group for surrogate partners and collaborating therapists.

Her work continued to evolve. In 2021, she returned to San Diego and began building a national voice. She became co-chair of the AASECT Somatic Sexuality Professionals Special Interest Group and launched Soft Cock Appreciation Week, a playful yet powerful campaign to educate the public about the value of flaccid penises and body-positive intimacy. She also launched two podcasts: The Intimacy Lab and The Soft Cock Week Podcast.

By 2024, Michelle shifted her focus back to platonic, therapeutic touch and stepped away from the surrogate partner title. At the beginning of 2025, she became co-owner of Cuddlist.com, a full-circle moment that solidified her leadership in the field. Now, alongside co-owner Keeley Shoup, Michelle is working to establish cuddle therapy as a recognized modality, much like Somatic Experiencing or other body-based therapies.

Michelle identifies as cis, asexual, and neuroqueer. She brings her lived experience to her work with clients of all genders, many of whom carry trauma or feel disconnected from their bodies. Her sessions are client-led, grounded in consent, and centered on helping people feel safe in their skin and empowered in their choices. Whether through platonic touch, emotional coaching, or creating space for vulnerable conversations, Michelle helps people explore their desires, define their boundaries, and reclaim their wholeness.

Her mother once read books like How to Declutter Your Life in 30 Days. Michelle wishes she’d had a shelf like hers—filled with books on intimacy, consent, and embodiment. Today, Michelle honors her mother's early steps into self-help by continuing the journey more deeply, more bravely, and with a bookshelf that’s bursting with life-changing knowledge.