During his more than twenty-five years as a Master, Master Taíno’s experiences have been numerous and have shaped his approach, philosophy, and teachings. In this class, Master Taíno will address various aspects of Master/slave relationships that he has learned over the years which he considers essential for improving these dynamics. Join us to learn from the wisdom of Master Taíno, our Leather Grandfather.

We examine the most common agreements in BDSM, the way the community adopts new ideas and turns them into absolutes, even if they lack meaning.

Bravo, my love, you’re adorable! Currently, there are many problems with accidents and abuses of power in BDSM practices. This is due to misinformation, misinterpretation, or manipulation of safety protocols.

The Femdom Conversation in Latin America Post-Pandemic seeks to explore the Hispanic territories in the new normal and how Femdom has changed within their societies, how it is experienced, and what challenges it has faced in this new era where sexism still exists, and where we, as women, strive to empower ourselves through our role as Dominatrixes.

In this class, Sophie will tell us how her D/s dynamic evolved into a 24/7 M/s relationship. She will explain the steps involved and what collaring meant for her and her partner. How did she train her submissive to become the slave she envisioned? What was the basis for their contract? How did the collaring ceremony become the happiest day of her life? And all about the path that made her proud that her slave wears his collar every day.

Here, Sophie will discuss the importance of task delegation within a Master/slave dynamic. Services, whether requested for pleasure or to lighten the Master’s workload, raise numerous questions. How can one optimize the skills of their slave? How can a task delegated remotely be managed? What level of precision is expected, and what difficulties might this present for the slave? Sophie will demonstrate how it’s a real balancing act for the Master to maintain the framework without overloading their slave or taking on too much themselves.

Join us for a conversation with Race Bannon. Race will share with us what advocacy and activism looks like in our trying times.

Join us for one of the installments of the ONYX Pearls NY-Northeast Threads of Tradition series as we gather for a discussion of memory, meaning, and movement forward. This theme invites us to reflect on allyship as a lived responsibility within Leather, not a label or performance, but an ongoing practice rooted in accountability, action, and care for community. It centers white Leather community members speaking to other white Leather folx, sharing witnessed history, lessons learned, missteps made, and what accountability requires to move forward with integrity. The intention is reflection that leads to practice, allyship grounded in humility, responsibility, and sustained commitment.

We are joined by Levi, whose rich and longstanding history in Leather brings depth, context, and perspective to this dialogue. He will be joined by slave Gaia, associate member of ONYX Pearls NY-Northeast from the Eternal 8 pledge line, and Domina Kat, associate member from The Hard Way 3 pledge line. Together, they bring lived experience across leadership, community participation, and accountability work.The conversation will explore what allyship has looked like historically in Leather spaces, where it has fallen short despite good intentions, the difference between proximity and responsibility, and how white Leather allies can meaningfully support change moving forward.

Everyone is encouraged to attend. The facilitated portion centers white voices speaking to white peers, the space is intentionally held for this purpose, witnessing, and community reflection. The associate members of ONYX Pearls NY-Northeast will open the evening, frame and hold the container, and facilitate the open community dialogue portion at the end of the program, inviting broader reflection, questions, and shared insights.

In moments of conflict, challenge, or emotional stress, most of us default to familiar survival strategies: fight, flight, or freeze. But what if we could respond differently—by staying fully present? In this class, Tomo brings a principle from martial arts into the world of authority exchange relationships: staying centered during conflict. This is not about suppressing emotion or avoiding struggle. It’s about remaining grounded in your body, your purpose, and your connection—even when things get tense. We’ll explore how to recognize reactive patterns, stay engaged without escalation or retreat, and work toward resolution from a place of presence. Using a simple but powerful hand technique, participants will physically experience what it means to “stay in it”—not just conceptually, but in the body, mind, and heart. Come ready to reflect, participate, and leave with a practice you can carry into even the most challenging moments of your dynamic.

In Master/slave and other relationships that exchange authority, it’s essential to understand exactly what is being surrendered and what is being accepted. This kind of clarity doesn’t come from assumption. It comes from reflection, communication, negotiation and ongoing informed consent. Authority exchange is not static, it is a living, evolving process that can deepen over time. In this class, we’ll explore how relationships move through different levels of exchange, whether by incorporating more areas of life under the dynamic, increasing the intensity of control, or expanding the scope of responsibility and surrender. Tomo will lead this moderated discussion by sharing his own experiences and insights as we examine the progression of power exchange. We’ll talk about how to approach deeper levels of surrender with intention, how to assess readiness for growth, and how to communicate clearly as the shape of the dynamic changes. Whether you’re just beginning to structure your dynamic or navigating a shift into deeper territory, this class invites thoughtful exploration into what it means to grow in authority exchange, together.

 I once had a therapist tell me that living in relationships that exchange authority was a slippery slope for me. And sometimes, it has been. For those of us who carry trauma from childhood, previous relationships, or illness, the path of surrender can be both profoundly healing and deeply complex. The bags we carry are heavy, and choosing to kneel while still holding their weight in some moments can feel daunting. In this heartfelt, grounded discussion, Tomo shares his personal journey of navigating trauma while living as someone who surrenders. Drawing on decades of lived experience, he will speak candidly about the challenges, missteps, and lessons  learned to serve with joy while healing old wounds. Participants are invited to reflect and share their own experiences: the fulfillment we feel in surrender, the roadblocks that rise up, and the tools we’ve discovered to meet both with grace. This class offers a space of compassion, honesty, and hope for anyone walking the path of authority exchange while also doing the work of healing.

Many and varied are the guides and resources for those who are new to the submissive lifestyle, but those who are new to the Dominant side appear to have limited avenues to explore. Are the expectations for the Dominant in relationships higher? Should they be? What types of skills are essential?  Are they physical skills, like flogging, using the single tail whip, or rope bondage?  Is there something deeper, more complicated than that?  Sir Guy will discuss the physical, spiritual and psychological dimensions of Dominance as well as sharing his personal journey, mistakes and all. Topics include the attributes of leadership, command presence and other poignant aspects using military, religious and business sources and models to explore and develop Dominance for the beginner.

For the service-oriented submissive and their various dominants! This class will discuss the day-to-day practicalities of real, down-to-earth service, designed not for the fetishy turn-on of the submissive but for the actual comfort of the dominant. We’ll explore different types and areas of service – proactive and reactive, protocol-heavy or casual, flashy or subtle – and what different sorts of dominants want. Is your dominant the parental type or the rock star type when it comes to service? How can you serve them better in boring everyday life? We’ll have some answers here. This class is for people who are intimately involved in D/s relationships of the more practical and real-life kind.

It seems like so many written models of M/s feature the angry master continually punishing the disobedient slave, while the flow of information is deliberately choked off. This class is for people who aren’t interested in a power dynamic that’s one long series of takedowns, but becomes a smoothly-running system where both parties work together to achieve goals … and the s-types are encouraged to be honorable adults responsible for keeping their promises. We’ll concentrate on seeing the power dynamic as a Team rather than as adversaries, and discuss methods of useful conflict resolution that reinforce the power dynamic rather than putting it aside.

The practice of polyamory – multiple honest non-monogamous relationships, especially long-term ones – has its own community, proponents, and theories, some of which are incompatible with deliberately inegalitarian relationships. On the other hand, people in power dynamics often try to leap directly into polyamory with no concept of how to make it work … and we’ve all seen their failures littering the Internet forums. How can we combine these relationship styles in ways that are functional and sustainable, and not become just another statistic? What can we learn from the decades of polyamory research, and how do we adapt it in a way that is right for us as masters and slaves? Come with your questions!

When a slave develops clinical depression, what’s their master’s responsibility? If they’re property and you own them, do you own their illness, and if so what’s to be done? While a master can’t fix them, we’ll discuss how they can manage a depressed slave on a day-to-day basis, using the structure of the power dynamic to aid control of the illness. We’ll discuss handling mental health professionals together, creating a positive daily routine, and when to know when it’s beyond you. Raven and Joshua have been dealing with this issue for a decade, and will be telling their stories about how they learned to make their power dynamic work to support Joshua’s depression and save their relationship.

Anticipatory service is often talked about, but what is it really and how does a Master/Mistress/Dom guide a slave/submissive in achieving this?  What can a slave/sub do to improve his or her anticipatory skills?  Join International Master and slave 2011 & 2021, Liza and her slāv, Jody, in a discussion of anticipatory service.  What is it and what is it not?  What foundations are necessary to allow anticipatory service to blossom?   What tools are available to realize this “holy grail?”  Open to all.  Group participation is encouraged but not required.

Many of our leather traditions and certain Master/slave or Dom/sub protocols came from the military and from the Victorian era.  In this class, International Master and slave, Liza and her slave, Jody, will discuss the connections between military protocol, the traditions of so-called “old guard” leather, and etiquette according to Emily Post.  You will learn a little of the history of military protocols and leather traditions, including some of the reasons for certain traditions so you can decide which, if any, you wish to incorporate into your lifestyle and dynamic.  We will discuss the other traditions that influence our leather lifestyles.  We will also discuss the function of rank and hierarchy in the military, and in Victorian (and perhaps even Edwardian) households and how these can translate into M/s, D/s and related relationships.

Using lessons learned from the animal world and elsewhere, International Master and slave 2011, Liza and her slāv, Jody, (and you) will explore ideas for training slaves, submissive, boys, and girls.  What works, what doesn’t work and what works under certain circumstances?  How can Masters, Mistresses and Sirs get more of what they want from their slaves and keep the relationship hot?   What can slaves/subs do to assist their Masters in creating a more satisfying dynamic?  What can we learn from animal training and the animal world that might be useful (and fun and HOT) in the dungeon?  The answers to these questions and more will be developed in this class.

This discussion explores approaches for developing effective communication protocols to help foster healthy and effective communication within a Dynamic. Drawing on decades of experience, this a deep dive into establishing and putting into practice a framework for responding to challenges, differing communication needs, and obstacles to create space for effective conversations within a dynamic’s structure. Healthy communication is essential to deepening trust, aligning wills to a common goal, reinforcing a Dynamic’s structure, and building a sustainable dynamic.

Whether in a Master/slave, long term, or new Dynamic, conscious or subconscious resistance to the agreed terms of the Dynamic can periodically appear – in behaviours, attitudes, or the follow through on expectations. On the surface it can appear only the s side of the slash can be resistant; however, resistance can manifest for either side of the slash at different points in a Dynamic. Left unchecked and unrecognized, it has the potential to undermine the strongest of Dynamics.  

This class explores resistance, and how to identify when this is happening in both ourselves and our persons. Sharing from our 30+ years living in a long-term Dynamic, we will delve into strategies to identify the source and navigate the impact internal or external factors have on our Dynamics. Understanding resistance and developing strategies to mitigate the impact can help overcome misunderstandings, provide opportunities for growth, and build a Dynamic for longevity.

Although not seen as a traditional form of play; when paired with elements of either physical and/ or mental domination, a Service Date can be a delightful journey into both protocol and pleasure or pain. Like many forms of play, service dates offer many forms and styles that can be negotiated through thoughtful yet meaningful ways and approaches. 

Join Master PlaineJane as she discusses ways to negotiate a service date. She’ll show you how to negotiate everything from a formal tea service date to a weekend-long con service date engagement.  She’ll share options for preparation, style and approaches for incorporating (kinky) activities to ensure your service date is a hit!”

In a world where Master/slave (M/s) relationships often emphasize shared living arrangements and 24/7 service, “apart” dynamics challenge that norm. Her Slave, His Space: An Apart M/s Relationship explores the structure, intimacy, and discipline involved in a committed M/s dynamic where partners do not share the same home. This presentation examines how distance impacts obedience, ownership, intimacy, and emotional connection, offering strategies for maintaining authority and service across separate living spaces.

Queer sex, in my book, means abandoning traditional gender roles and enjoying the moment with whoever you are with. It means being open to an encounter without the constraints of Top or bottom, active and passive.  Rather it can be a constantly mutable, changing and malleable event.

This workshop will explore what queer sex is and how it can be a liberating experience for kinky folk.

Ready to test your consent savvy? Step into our lively, interactive game show designed to challenge your knowledge of consent scenarios, communication, and boundary-setting. Compete in a Jeopardy-style quiz for ultimate bragging rights and be crowned champion by Mrs. Dee, the Consent Queen! Whether you’re a consent expert or eager to learn, this friendly clash promises fun, education, and empowerment. Join us for an unforgettable experience that blends competition with valuable insights into building a culture of consent!

Content Warnings/Advisories: Adult themes, including discussions of sexual coercion, assault, and boundary violations. Potential emotional triggers related to consent and interpersonal relationships. This workshop will be conducted in a trauma-informed and respectful manner, with support available.

Black women often carry strength like armor, shaped by history, survival, and the expectation to “keep it together.” While that armor protects us, it can also make it hard to be vulnerable, to feel safe being seen, or to build deep, sustaining connections in community.

This workshop creates a trauma-informed, Black feminist, and Leather-affirming space for Black women to explore vulnerability, boundaries, and trust. We examine how past experiences, including trauma, shape how we show up, and we learn tools for fostering emotional safety in ourselves and in the community.

Through shared storytelling, somatic grounding, and practical strategies, participants practice letting their guard down while honoring their boundaries. This workshop helps cultivate deeper, more authentic, and healthier relationships within Leather spaces and beyond.

Financial responsibility is a significant cornerstone of our M/s relationships. Both Master and slave must respect and understand their responsibilities regarding each other’s financial future. During this discussion, I will provide you with as much information as possible to aid you in your decision making.

We will discuss basic investment considerations and tools to develop an individual strategy for building wealth and retirement savings. Whether you are just starting out or looking to refresh your knowledge, this conversation will cover key concepts such as the different types of investment vehicles, risk and return, diversification, and aligning investment choices with personal financial goals.

We will discuss stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investment options. Including those investments made through your employer 401(k) or organizational 403(b) plan.

Important Disclaimer: Nothing said during this presentation should be taken as advice. It is intended for informational purposes only. Consult your financial advisor for additional assistance.

Part Lecture and Discussion that Eckhart hosts for anyone who identifies as a woman and who tops or doms from time to time is welcomed to attend. She would give her own definition of feminism and how female domination can fit into feminist goals. She will also discuss if some images of dominant women actually support patriarchy and undermine feminism. Attendees will be asked to talk about the role feminism plays in their lives, both kinky and mundane. Drawn from Eckhart’s article “BDSM and Feminism: An Insider’s View” published in The SandMUtopian Guardian in 1997 and which has been referenced numerous times over the following decades.

Drawn from her own experiences and discussion with other dominants, submissives, masters, mistresses, and slave, Eckhart will lead this interactive workshop for those of us on the Dominant side who claim we want Service as a focus in our households yet struggle to define what that is, how it works, which often results in our own resistances to be being served. The biggest challenge to a service dynamic is often not the slave but the owner’s own stubbornness and preconceived notions about their own role in the relationship.

Kink communities often become chosen families, intimate, bonded, powerful. And like all families, they can unconsciously replay old patterns: idealisation, projection, scapegoating, guru dynamics, sudden ruptures. These often reflect individuals acting out their own unresolved family of origin personal trauma’s and often, result in more trauma through more unresolved conflict, scapegoating, and breaking. I’ve lived this from the inside.  

This workshop is not a “how-to” and not a call-out. It is a come-contribute-to-healing space. Together we will name what happens when unresolved family-of-origin wounds enter kink containers, and how communities can grow capacity rather than fracture. This is a reflective, relational offering, grounded in humility, shared responsibility, and the quiet courage required to stay present when things get hard.

Alchemy is an ancient process containing knowledge about spiritual transformation. It addresses how to embody mysticism within our body and lived experience. The practice of BDSM invites a portal into the transpersonal through the body. While alchemical knowledge was and is, marginalized, guarded, and coded in symbolism it has deep relevance to understanding the embodied mechanisms of spiritualization through BDSM. 

slave Caroline will combine her knowledge and lived experiences to draw analogies between the embodied mysticism in the alchemical process of transformation to that experienced in the practice of BDSM. In particular, she will focus on the Nigredo phase of alchemical transformation; the start of the process involving the surrender of the ego, the emergence of our shadow, and metaphoric death.

MsC has played a formative role in shaping global MS culture. This salon honours that legacy by offering a meta-level pause — using participant voices as a form of living archive, capturing what 20+ years of education has meant from the inside. If you choose this, I will ask one of two people to help me facilitate it.

Master/slave dynamics don’t disappear just because you’re at work, wrangling kids, or sharing walls with your in-laws, they just get subtle. In this interactive and lighthearted class, Damascus and Demir share real-life strategies for maintaining a 24/7 power exchange dynamic across different environments and risk levels, from government conferences in the Bible Belt to quiet service under the dinner table.

We’ll explore how to adapt your protocol for high-risk spaces, build your own “secret code” for subtle communication, and get creative with toys, signals, and playful punishments even when the walls are thin. We’ll also talk about digital identity, social media safety, and the importance of carving out intentional time to reconnect.

Come ready to laugh, learn, and leave with practical tools for keeping your dynamic strong; even when you can’t be loud about it.

Power exchange relationships thrive on structure, trust, and clarity, but what happens when emotions run high and communication breaks down? Enter “Table,” the emotional safeword that helped Master Damascus and slave Demir navigate conflict without sacrificing connection or protocol.

In this candid and often humorous class, they’ll share how “Table” became a tool for emotional regulation, respectful pauses, and returning to difficult conversations with intention. Blending real-life stories with insights from attachment theory, communication styles, and emotional intelligence, this workshop offers practical tools for any dynamic, especially when one or both partners lean avoidant.

Expect demonstrations, audience prompts, and strategies you can take home and use immediately. Because intimacy takes work and sometimes, it takes a timeout.

What is Gor? How can you apply it to your life and your dynamic? What are the common misconceptions and how can you live in contrast to what’s generally believed about Gorean Free and their slaves. In this class you will learn about Master Brian and saphira’s application of Gor in their dynamic and how it has empowered them to dig deep and begin the journey of becoming their most true and authentic selves. You will also learn what it means to truly treasure your kajira and what it is like being the most precious property, without the -isms commonly associated with literature based applications of Gor.

How do we deepen our submission and integrate it into every part of our lives? In this class, Saphira will guide us through ways to integrate submission into our daily lives, thoughts, and actions, making it a natural expression of our true selves. We’ll explore how to move beyond just following commands and learn to embody submission, communicate it through our presence, emotions, and voice, and find deeper meaning in rituals. It’s about living submission as an ongoing part of our identity, not just a series of actions. This class will help us take submission beyond the surface, allowing it to flow through every aspect of our lives in an authentic, personal way.

Our lifestyle can be extremely sex positive. Many of us enjoy dynamics and partners where sex and sexual activity is celebrated, encouraged, or thriving. But what about those in the community that identify as Asexual, Ace, or just don’t want the expectation or pressure that comes with sexually intimate activity? Join us for this frank discussion on the value of service without sex and the many ways a healthy and positive power exchange can happen when sex is off the table.

Can two 2 left-side of the slash people be married and live a fulfilling journey in kink & Leather without driving each other crazy? Master Lola Smiles and SirJBlack will share their journey as husband and wife in the lifestyle, their experiences and stories of their individual dynamics and their polycule and how they’ve traversed the lifestyle together.

A discussion on why saying NO may be difficult but does that mean your dynamic is over? Hearing NO from your partner can be interpreted as disobedience or rejection and taken personally, yet it’s likely not the case. Being aware of why someone is saying NO and conversely not being afraid or shy to say NO, are both important factors in avoiding hurt feelings, feelings of rejection or anger.

Putting what was once broken back together, how to navigate getting your way through a power dynamic after any type of an abusive relationship. In this class W/we discuss how W/we built O/our dynamic around trust, brutal honesty, and healing after years of past abusive relationships. W/we discuss what has worked for U/us.

Overcoming life’s changes as we age, from menopause, to aging parents. How we’ve had to make adjustments to our dynamic when life is throwing constant curve balls as GenX hits middle age.

For many years there was an ongoing debate in our community as to whether it’s necessary—or even appropriate—for love to be a part of a Master/slave relationship.  Even today this debate sometimes continues because, although our lives are spent continually searching for love, our understanding of what love is has been so culturally diminished that today mere romance and sentimentalism pass for love, and that type of “love” undermines a D/s dynamic.  Paradoxically, when the Master’s and slave’s inner journey results in the transmutation of the D/s dynamic, their search for love at long last ends and their relationship is strengthened.  In this exceptionally personal presentation Master Skip and slave Rick will open an intimate window into the dynamics of their own relationship and reveal how, when a Master and slave are willing to venture beyond the illusory boundaries of identity and ego, love is discovered to be not a feeling but the very essence of one’s true nature.

Personal authenticity can only result from the integration of all aspects of our selves—including our sexuality and our spirituality—into one seamless and genuine whole.  If we are to live authentically, including our fetishes, SM practices and M/s-D/s relationships in this integration is as necessary and legitimate as including any other part of our lives.  In this interactive workshop you will be a presenter as Master Skip facilitates a group discussion of how we kinksters merge sex and spirit, why we do so, and the impact such integration makes on our individual and collective lives.  Come and contribute your wisdom to the tribe!

Although every Master/slave relationship has at least a few characteristics in common, there is no one “right way” to be Master and slave.  The models for such relationships are as varied as the individuals who comprise them and include, but are by no means limited to, the militaristic model, the monarchistic model and the monastic model.  

In the monastic model, which is the model that most strongly resonates with the presenter and his Master, there are striking parallels between the Master/slave relationship and that of the disciple and his/her Guru.  For some, these similarities make the path of slavery much more than sexual pleasure or fantasy fulfillment.  When approached from this consciousness, slavery is nothing less than a sacred path to union with the Divine.  

Join slave Rick, lifelong spiritual seeker, licensed psychotherapist within the BDSM community, author of Jolted Awake:  An Unconventional Memoir (available on www.lulu.com) and slave to Master Skip for 26+ years, and discover how the longing of your loins may hold the potential for leading you Home.

If you are thinking about M/s or have just started dipping a toe in the M/s pool, what can you expect? In our 25 years as a M/s couple, we have experienced so many different aspects of the M/s community and a M/s relationship. From raising children, creating and running events, serving as titleholders, dealing with being outed, becoming caregivers and holding our relationship together through it all, we have a lot to share. Bring your questions.

You will often hear that trust is an important part of any relationship and especially in a Master/slave relationship. Although trust in each other is important, there must be trust for the dynamic you have established as well. Practitioners of process thinking focus on the present instead of past events or future outcomes, and believe that all actions one takes in life, regardless of how trivial they may seem, affect the desired outcome. We have incorporated the process in sustaining our M/s dynamic.

Power exchange relationships don’t operate in a single lane. Many dynamics require partners to hold more than one role at a time: authority and care, discipline and reassurance, leadership and emotional presence. When those roles overlap, intention is of the utmost importance. This class examines how dual-role dynamics function in real life. We’ll talk about how roles are negotiated, how power is expressed without erasing tenderness, and how emotional responsibility shows up on both sides of the slash. The focus is on sustainability: what helps these dynamics grow stronger over time, and what causes them to fracture when expectations aren’t aligned. If your dynamic asks you to play more than one role, this class will offer some much-needed guidance.

Looking for Love in All the Wrong D-types is a bold, honest, and much-needed conversation about desire, discernment, and dynamics in Leather, BDSM, and kink spaces. This presentation explores why so many of us are drawn to certain D-types, how power, charisma, reputation, and fantasy can cloud our judgment, and what happens when chemistry gets mistaken for compatibility. From navigating attraction and authority to recognizing red flags before they become hard lessons, this session pulls back the curtain on common patterns that leave folks frustrated, disillusioned, or questioning themselves. Attendees will leave with language to name what they want, tools to assess potential dynamics more thoughtfully, and a deeper understanding of how to pursue love, power exchange, and connection without losing themselves in the process.

Set yourself up for clear and fun communication! Learn 3 new games you can play with your chosen one to make difficult conversations a breeze. As a bonus, leave with some contract basics that help any dynamic thrive. Everyone is a winner with these games!

Harriet Lerner said, “Apologies are very healing, but when apologies are absent, it will compromise a relationship or can lead to the end of a relationship.”

Trust is essential to any relationship; it is built by little things as well as big things. When we screw up, trust is betrayed. It takes courage for someone tell us how our screw up impacted them. When we can sincerely apologize, we can rebuild trust.

Join Ms. Kelly Chance and her slave, boi Di to discuss this critical component to sustaining their Master/slave dynamic. We will cover components of a sincere apology, languages of apology, apology errors, the role of forgiveness, and the importance of amends.

Wonder what it would be like to be of service? How about what it might be like to accept service? Curious about the types of service one might provide? Come join slave boiDi in an interactive discussion of service from both a Master and slave’s perspectives. Share your ideas and experience with others. Ever wondered about the inside of a service slaveboi’s brain? Learn from a formally trained boi who has been playing since 1991.

How does a Master with ADHD provide the consistency required by a slave with Autism? How does a slave with sensory processing needs serve a Master prone to hyperfocus or distraction? In this transparent and practical workshop, Sir North and slave Akasha dissect the “neuro-spicy” reality of their House. Moving beyond general theory, they examine the architecture of power dynamics through the lens of common pitfalls of living with neurodivergence, like executive dysfunction and rigid thinking.

An immersive workshop by Akasha Eden for exploring formalized service, High Protocol, and the meaning we can create behind ritualized acts of devotion in M/s and D/s relationships.

Afrofuturism, besides an incredible literary genre or artistic aesthetic, is a political framework that reimagines Black futures outside of the constraints of colonialism and white supremacy. This class takes Afrofuturism off the page and into the community, creating meaning and possibility as to what it means and looks like to build Leather worlds beyond the white imagination; worlds that are liberated, imaginative, community-minded, joyful and unapologetically Black. Together, we’ll explore how Afrofuturism can shape education, information dissemination, protocols, rituals, conflict resolution and community organizing/building in Leather culture, making space for radical possibility beyond tradition while honoring the ancestral legacies, bloodbound and Leathershod, that brought us here.

Many of the Masters, slaves submissives, Doms etc that crowded the dungeons and leather events of the 80’s and 90’s (including Myself) are coming to an age where swinging a flogger or single tail may not be as easy as it used to be or impossible; perhaps O/our endurance has changed, the ability to kneel and formally present without needing help to rise among other issues of the aging process that may impede our ability to perform as W/we did in O/our younger days. 

W/we will discuss prevention of dungeon play mishaps, creating new accommodations for an enjoyable and safe dynamic, handling urgent medical situations, designating a medical power of attorney, and discussing other difficult topics that affect us as W/we age and transition to another realm. 

Please join Me for an opportunity to discuss these topics (and others) in a safe and non-judgmental space. Let U/us share some experiences or ideas for O/our ability to continue enjoying O/our love of this dynamic as W/we age gracefully and powerfully.

I, like thousands if not millions of other people in an M/s dynamic, have lost the yin to my yang.

Sometimes because we discover things about ourselves that no longer serve the relationship or there has been a death or other type of separation in the dynamic such as military service. The severity of the pain and feeling lost in this world are felt by both sides of the slash. 

Please come prepared to briefly share your experience. How did you manage? Move on? Still grieving?

What has helped? Where did you find support? Did you create mutually safe boundaries or completely cease communications?

I am not a therapist however, I did serve as a peer counselor for the LGBTQIA community in Philadelphia and have A LOT of personal experience with love, loss and therapy.

No blame games. No names of previous partners in M/s will be allowed to be shared. This will be a respectful didactic experience.  Thank you.

“Bodily delight is a sensory experience… it is a great, infinite learning that is given to us, a knowledge of the world, the fullness and the splendor of all knowledge.”

-Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Here and Now: transgender and nonbinary people are under siege. Stories of both political and physical violence appear in the media daily, attempting to limit our ability to exist in the public sphere and to end our lives altogether. But trans joy is resistance. Countless transgender and nonbinary people are engaged in Kink/BDSM, polyamory/nonmonogamy, and sex work, and at rates significantly higher than in cisgender populations. This session examines the intersection between trans identities and these so called ‘alternative sexualities and lifestyles’ as well as how these acts and identities seem ideally suited to help trans people find resilience, resistance, and joy. 

All are practices that cultivate personal and collective erotic power: they allow trans people to embody their physicalities in ways that can mitigate and sometimes heal past body trauma, to explore other and often repressed facets of identity and gender/sexual expression, to intentionally de- and re-construct power dynamics when we are so often disempowered by the larger culture, to learn or improve sexual communication and boundaries, to have more opportunities for intimacy, to have safer and more open experiences with others, and even to explore existential questions of meaning. All are critical, especially now.

Ultimately, BDSM/kink, polyamory/consensual nonmonogamy, and sex work offer access to forms of sexual expression that bypass – and sometimes subvert – the heteronormative expectations of society and the difficulties often faced by trans and gender nonbinary people.

This session will be led by a transgender and genderqueer psychotherapist who is also an unowned lesbian submissive/slave with nearly 20-years of experience in mental health. Laura has long been personally active in several of the marginalized gender- and sexually diverse communities listed above. It will feature a mix of lecture and discussion of theory, education on kink acts and lifestyles, discussion of ethics and ways to encourage clients to engage in these acts safely. It will also include discussion of real-world examples, both from the facilitator as well as some elicited from the attendees. This seminar is intersectional as well as avowedly nonpathologizing, and proceeds from an affirming, body-positive, pleasure centered stance.

“The only ‘unnatural’ sex act is one which you cannot perform.”

– Alfred Kinsey

Afraid you’ll be hospitalized for telling a therapist you are (or have) a slave in a TPE dynamic, or reported to law enforcement as a sex worker? That your provider will urge you toward vanilla, heterosexual monogamy? (How boring!) That you will be shamed because you enjoy being restrained upside-down wearing a pink tutu and riding boots while singing Melissa Etheridge? Or being the restrainer with a traffic-cone sized strap-on? Too many of us living ‘alternate lifestyles’ have been traumatized by ignorant, dogmatic, or otherwise incompetent twits masquerading as medical and mental health professionals. But you should NEVER have to justify your identity to a provider, and there ARE affirming psychotherapists whose goal is to help you find joy.

This workshop is led by Laura A. Jacobs, a trans and genderqueer, nerdy lesbo dyke queerdo unowned submissive/slave and hardcore kinkster with nearly 20 years of experience as providing care to queer, trans, kinky, poly, and sex worker clients, both neurotypical and neurospicy. They will demystify the process and make clear the ways psychotherapy can aid even ‘those like us’. She will also share personal and professional stories (ever encountered your therapist in a dungeon?), update you on the current medical and mental health guidelines for care of kinky folk, and offer tips and resources on how to find an ethical, culturally fluent, nurturing provider. Bring questions, concerns, and stories of your own experiences to share! (And maybe cookies!) This session will be part lecture and part discussion. Curious (or more) about Laura’s personal kink life? She enjoys conversations over hot chocolate, adores femme Dominants, Mistresses, and Female Masters, and is avowedly oreophilic. 

Longevity in an M/s dynamic is both a privilege and a practice—where intensity softens into comfort, and the spark is sustained through conscious evolution. In this class, Mister Blue and Ms. Blue Frost invite you into the lived experience of a partnership built on clarity, care, and continual growth. With over a decade of shared journeying, they’ll explore how to maintain a strong foundation while expanding the possibilities of what your dynamic can become.

Through storytelling, strategy, and soulful reflection, you’ll uncover tools for recalibration, ritual, and renewal. This session offers insight into navigating life’s shifts, deepening trust, and staying aligned with your shared purpose. Whether you’re years into your dynamic or just beginning to imagine a lasting path, come explore how to sustain the spark while reaching toward new horizons—together.

Ownership isn’t just spoken — it’s etched into skin, locked around throats, slipped onto fingers, and carved into memory. This class explores the raw, intimate world of ownership symbols in BDSM and beyond: from leather and steel to ink, scar, and flame. We’ll dive into the meaning and emotional weight behind collars, tattoos, brands, cuttings, rings, and other deeply personal tokens of power, devotion, and identity. These aren’t accessories — they’re declarations. Whether worn in surrender, authority, or quiet defiance, these marks speak of legacy, longing, and the profound desire to belong.

Master and slave relationships tend to follow an expected structure. However, in our practice of M/s, we chose to depart from the norm in favor of a more animalistic and energetic primal hierarchy. This is not M/s that is freely given, it is earned and conquered everyday. Where the slave is free to challenge and the Master must answer in kind.

Life is a series of CNC interactions: Choice and Consequences. In this class we will learn how to better prepare for the inevitably of CNC: Consensual Non Consent. We will discuss the importance of agency with yourself and within your dynamic, learn to negotiate for what we want and reconcile the gray area. 

We will discuss the dark corners of the mind that desire the darkest side of the sand box, such as the fantasies of rape, abduction, interrogation, somnophilia, and the taboo nature of  love by force

The mental, emotional, and physical toll that slavery has caused historically has caused generations worth of trauma. It’s also affected how some may choose to identify and even serve within the Leather community. This is about  breaking the chains of bondage, finding the beauty from the ashes, and seeing that serving and slavehood can have a liberation like nothing you could have ever imagined.

Service is one of the many moving parts incorporated into dynamics. But let’s be honest, it’s still work! Sometimes it gets boring and loses its luster and at times the services are just being done for the sake of doing them. This interactive class is all about finding fun, sexy, creative ways to make and keep service not only a wonderful experience for the D Type for us as s types as well!

Drawing from my podcast interviews with over 20+ real-life Masters and slaves, I have created a framework called STERA–Structure, Trust, Evolve, Resilience, Authenticity–on what you need to make your M/s relationship last. Using this framework, you can conduct a health check on your relationship to debug issues, reignite the connection, as well as use it to design the next phase of your relationship.

What actually happens when you initiate a slave into service? What’s the purpose of ritual, protocol, and positioning – and why do they work?

 In this workshop, I’ll show clips from a real slave initiation I conducted with my slave Axel, walking you through what I did and – more importantly – why I did it. You’ll see how I combine ritual, protocol, and physical positioning to create a psychological shift into the slave mindset.

 But this isn’t about copying what I do. It’s about understanding the principles underneath so you can design initiations, rituals, and protocols that work for your dynamic.

You’ll learn:

  – The psychological purpose behind ritual and why it creates lasting impact

  – How specific positions and protocols reinforce the slave mindset

  – What objectification actually achieves (and how to use it intentionally)

  – A framework for designing your own initiation or deepening ritual

Whether you’re looking to create a formal initiation for a new slave or deepen the headspace in an established dynamic, you’ll leave with practical tools and a deeper understanding of why these practices work.

 Why do some Masters struggle to lead authentically while others seem naturally grounded in their authority? Why do some slaves feel trapped by expectations while others find freedom in their surrender? The answer isn’t experience or technique – it’s mindset.

 Based on adult development research, I’ve adapted a framework that identifies three distinct mindsets that Masters and slaves operate from: Imperial, Socialized, and Self-Authoring. Each has its own strengths, blind spots, and way of approaching power exchange.

  In this workshop, you’ll:

  – Learn the three mindsets in plain language (no psychology degree required)

  – Identify which mindset you’re currently operating from – and which one your partner might be in

  – Understand the specific strengths and pitfalls of your mindset in M/s contexts

  – Discover what it takes to grow into a more intentional, self-directed dynamic

Whether you’re a Master wondering why your authority doesn’t feel solid, or a slave questioning whether you’re truly submitting or just performing – this framework will give you clarity and a path forward.

Disabilities can add unexpected complexities to dynamic negotiations, particularly when disabilities are acquired, dynamic, and/or progressive. Disability can impact all parties involved in a scene or dynamic, and we have unique experiences navigating disability within our Owner/property dynamic. These complexities can include physical limitations, considerations for how different types of play can be impacted, ways mental health and headspace are influenced, and ways that medications can influence play. In this class, we’ll explore ways to negotiate through and adapt to the different changes, challenges, and care disability may bring to your dynamics.

Ready to spice up your dynamic with a touch of playful trouble? Join us for a lively and insightful workshop on incorporating shenanigans into your relationships while maintaining respect and consent. We’ll explore strategies for blending fun with ethical practices, ensuring that your playful antics strengthen rather than strain your connections. Perfect for couples, friends, or partners looking to add a little light-heartedness without crossing boundaries. Learn how to keep the fun flowing and the trust growing!

For a M/s relationship to thrive both partners must be healthy in body, mind and spirit. There are many things that you may experience in and outside of your relationship that can and will inevitably contribute to compromising your well-being. And thus, your ability to serve or lead. It all boils down to health and happiness!

While it might be the Master’s job to care for their property, or the slave’s job to serve and take care of their Master, neither party can do so effectively while operating from a deficit of their own health, mental or emotional state. Self care is paramount if you are going to lead or serve.

In my class I will discuss profound concepts and give useful advice intended to help you affirm who you are, bolster your self-worth and help you understand why responsibility for your own self-care is paramount to your M/s dynamic.

This class discusses the benefits for developing a loving temperament in your M/s dynamic. I will give you mindfulness and self-reflective techniques that will allow you to reduce stress reactions on the spot so that you can stay in control of your emotions and address difficult situations with grace and patience. Learn how loving empathy can empower you and also your slave in ways that will benefit you both.

Ask any kinky person where they got their first hint of BDSM desire, and chances are they will name something from mainstream film or television: Catwoman or Emma Peel on 1960s TV, the whipping scenes in gladiator movies, the damsels-in-distress in a thousand melodramas. Generations of fans found these scenes of fetishistic pleasure and assembled them into collections, piecing together a history of sadomasochistic moments. The Celluloid Dungeon uncovers the hidden history of BDSM in the mainstream media, a complex dance of repression and desire. For every step to expand the visibility of kink on screen, there’s an equal and opposite reaction to contain it. Popular successes like Secretary or Fifty Shades of Grey show kink, but only the most conservative form of it.

Atlantic slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries had a profound impact on erotic fantasies in Europe and the Americas. The social relationships of slavery were used as “a mine of sentiment” by Romantic writers, and popular media used slavery as an element in stories of melodrama and Gothic romance, which in turn informed sexual fantasies. These fantasies are most fully realized in the consensual Master-slave relationship (and secret marriage) between gentleman barrister Arthur Munby and maid-of-all-work Hannah Cullwick in the late 19th century.

Ask a member of any Marginalized Community to name an Ally—either an individual or organization—within The Lifestyle, and their likely answer will simply be a blank stare. The sad truth is that most who consider themselves Allies do not understand (nor been taught) the fundamentals of The Journey to Allyship, let alone the path to Advocacy or the steps needed to become a Warrior. Hint: A “We/I Stand with the X Community” letter posted on your website, social media profile, newsletter, or blog impresses no one.

As members of Kink & Leather—a Community already on the fringes of mainstream society—we MUST EACH do better to support and CHAMPION one another, rather than the status quo focus on our own self-identifiers. This class offers a practical roadmap to assess you/your organization’s current efforts to engage, support, as well as empower Marginalized Groups within Leather & Kink and to discover the path forward on the Journey from Ally to Advocate to Warrior. Note: This is not a kumbaya or guilt-inducing session, nor is it meant to unpack or any ~ism or ~phobia.

In addition to striving for work-life balance, where individuals aim to find harmony among career, family, health, and rest, many face challenges in achieving this balance. Common obstacles include poor scheduling, neglecting self-care, and failing to set personal boundaries. Embracing lifestyle living can sometimes lead to burnout, physical exhaustion, and unrealistic expectations of people, places, and activities. This imbalance can create tension and stress, negatively impacting their dynamic. Join CreamDream and MsDDom for an open discussion on how to find balance and prioritize self-care to support a sustainable goal of Lifestyle-Life-Balance. They will share valuable tools and technologies that can be applied to everyday life, as well as insights relevant to the lifestyle community. Participants will have the opportunity to map out a plan to fine-tune their journey and learn how to show up as their whole selves in everything they do.