about me

I’ve put together some information that I hope will give you a good sense of who and what I am. You can also watch the short video of me in action. And please do feel free to get in touch!

My name is Anna Sansom

I’m a woman

I know what it’s like to inhabit a female body whilst living in the culture and society we live in. I know what it’s like to look at my own body and see more differences than similarities to the women’s bodies that appear in the media (advertising, music videos etc). I know what it’s like to be constantly bombarded with features on how to be slimmer, younger, sexier etc. I’ve tried the dieting route, the control underwear route, and the burying-my-head-in-the-sand route. But none of those helped me to feel good in my body and to feel great about being a woman. After a lot of blind alleys and missed turns, I’ve finally navigated my own path through all of this to reach a place where I can celebrate being a juicy, sexy, confident woman.

I’m a lesbian

I know women’s bodies and I love women’s bodies. This means that my starting point is one of looking for the beauty and the desirability rather than looking for the ‘flaws’. It also means that I can see a woman as a dynamic, beautiful sexual being. “Aha!” you say, “but I’m not looking to date a lesbian.” Do you think men see women differently? How do you want a man in your life to see you? As a dynamic, beautiful sexual being? Uh-huh. Then we’re on the same wavelength. And if you are a lesbian or bisexual who sees beauty and desirability in other women but not in yourself, it’s time to acknowledge your own fabulousness!

I’ve lived in a body of different shapes and sizes (from a UK size 14 to size 20)

I’m currently size 18-20. My body has changed from a size 20 to size 14 and back again, several times. My body has rolls and ripples, it wobbles and jiggles, I have stretch marks and cellulite. My body has been lived in and worn. None of these things prevent my body – or anyone else’s – from being sexy and beautiful.

I’m confident about my sexual-ness

I am passionate, I get horny, I enjoy sex. This means I’ve had to learn for myself what I do and don’t like, how to ask for what I need and want, and what it feels like to acknowledge this as an important part of my life. I feel very comfortable talking about sex and I am at ease with allowing my lovers to see both my body and my desires. I’ve been sexually intimate with men and with women: genuine emotional and physical intimacy. I know how amazing it feels to be authentically ‘me’ during even those most exposed times of being physically and emotionally naked. I can say “this is me” with pride and comfort.

I’m very comfortable with my naked body

In the bedroom or on the beach (designated nudist, of course!), I feel confident being naked because I know my body is uniquely mine. I don’t compare it to anyone else’s body and so it can never fall short of the mark. To quote Gloria Gaynor: “I am what I am”. I love and accept my body and I expect other people to as well. For those people I choose to be physically intimate with: if you want to look at and touch my body, you must respect and honour the body I offer to you. For those people I do not choose to be intimate with: any views they may have about me or my body are their own business. I know my truth.

I’ve got lots of qualifications

I am Anna Sansom, PhD. I have a degree and PhD in occupational therapy and a postgraduate diploma in physical activity and wellbeing.  I have trained with the UK’s leading sexual healing centre ‘The Centre for Icasa’, going on to work with them in their surrogate partner therapy programme, and contributing to materials for their women’s sexual healing programme.  I also trained with the national intuitive eating group, ‘Beyond Chocolate’, and ran workshops based on their approach of ditching dieting and finding a more compassionate approach to food and body relationships. I’m always learning something new through my own self-directed study, and I supplement this with courses, for example, I’ve recently completed a course where I learned some excellent NLP techniques. I love gaining new knowledge and skills, and I have a very questioning mind. I’ve put this to good use in developing Sexy at Any Size and in my role as a Research Fellow with universities in the UK and in New Zealand, where I am a qualitative researcher who specialises in patients’ experiences of health care.

I’m experienced

I have worked with women on body and sexuality-related issues for many years, both on a one-to-one basis and in groups, in the UK and in New Zealand. This includes working with the Centre for Icasa sexual healing centre with people who sought help for issues related to fear of intimacy. I have worked with men and women who were adult virgins; women who found it difficult to orgasm; men with erectile dysfunction; and women and men who avoided sexual relationships because of negative thoughts and beliefs about their bodies. I have a first-hand understanding of a variety of issues that people may face related to their sexuality and their sex lives.  And I am experienced in supporting them to resolve these issues. I have developed and delivered workshops for women that focused on understanding and expressing our unique, sexual selves. I have also supported women with their body relationships through my work delivering intuitive eating workshops. These workshops explored practical ways of improving how women relate to food and to their bodies.

I care

I really, truly, passionately care that women enjoy their bodies and their sex lives! This is why I set up Sexy at Any Size – to offer women an opportunity to gain sexy body confidence, to feel deserving of great sex, and to feel free to express who they truly are.

I want to make a difference

I have spent too many years seeing too many women feel ashamed and guilty about their bodies and their sexuality. Our bodies are a gift! We only get one body and we only get one life. We deserve to experience pleasure, to celebrate being a woman, and to feel good in our body: just as it is, in this very moment.

Some other things you might like to know about me:

• I love being playful and having fun. On any given day you could find me: making fabric vulva cushions, running in to the sea, belly dancing in my living room, or decorating cupcakes.

• I have a blog called “The Ladygarden Project” where I write about celebrating women and their sexuality.

• I love writing erotic stories as a way of finding out about and expressing different aspects of my sexual self. Several of these have been published by Xcite Books.

• I am in a civil partnership.

• I believe strongly that women work best in collaboration rather than competition and my dream is to be part of a network of strong, sexy women. Together we can be the change we want to see in the world.