From Duty to Delight: Denise’s Story of Sexual Healing & Redemption in Marriage
PLAY THE EPISODE
By Francie Winslow
What if the breakthrough you long for in your marriage is still ahead of you?
Denise didn’t expect her story to go public. After all, she’d been married 38 years. She was faithful, prayerful, and deeply committed to her family and her faith. On the outside, things looked good. But inside, she carried decades of quiet confusion, pain, and disconnection around intimacy.
In this week’s Female by Design podcast episode, Denise bravely shared her story—how God met her in the middle of physical pain, emotional numbness, and spiritual questions, and led her on a journey of healing she never saw coming.
“I wasn’t even praying for better sex. I was praying about the anger that was rising in me.”
For years, Denise had understood sex as something a wife gives out of duty—something men want and women give to keep them from wandering. But when menopause made intimacy painful, the cracks in her framework were impossible to ignore. Visits to doctors brought dehumanizing answers like, “You can just learn to feel nothing,” or “Find other ways to please your husband.”
But Denise knew in her spirit: There has to be more than this.
That’s when she stumbled across an interview I gave—one that reframed God’s design for sex not as something shameful or utilitarian, but as a deeply spiritual, embodied gift. For Denise, it was like light breaking into a dark room. She said:
“That was the beginning of my healing journey… I finally heard someone say: this matters. And it started to make sense.”
Through resources, prayer, and eventually joining The Circle—our monthly mentorship community—Denise and her husband began learning about God’s design for female pleasure, the power of arousal, and how intimacy is meant to reflect the very heart of God.
“We now talk before, during, and after intimacy. There’s no more suspicion. There’s trust. There’s joy. And there’s freedom.”
Today, Denise and her husband say their sex life in their 60s is better than it ever was in their 20s. They opened themselves to the truth, allowed their bodies to feel again, and invited Jesus into their story.
This is redemption.
This is integration.
This is what’s possible when we stop hiding, and start healing.
You’re Invited to the Circle
The Circle is a Christ-centered mentorship and discipleship community for women who want more.
More healing.
More understanding.
More truth.
More joy.
It’s a space where conversations like Denise’s are held with gentleness and courage, where biblical teaching meets embodied truth, and where no one has to walk their healing journey alone.
Whether you’re newly married or decades in…
Whether you’re confused, curious, or craving deeper connection…
There’s room for you here.
“The Circle has changed everything. I learned how my body works. I stopped feeling shame. And I found hope I didn’t know I needed.” – Denise
Listen in to the full episode today.