Each month, industry news media organization XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
Body-safe sex-toy slinging; supporting swingers, solos and curious couples; educating the masses on spanking, sex positions and kinky communication — it's all in a day's work for a sex goddess like Taylor Sparks.
Six years ago, [Organic Loven] started with two products and now we have more than 900 products, representing more than 150 brands.
It's a good thing Sparks left the corporate world to pursue a life of sensual healing and purposeful hedonism. Her resume and talents are impossible to boil down to a stifling single page.
Sparks is most well-known for OrganicLoven.com, an expertly curated collection of lubricants, sex toys and myriad pleasure accessories that follow her company's tight ethical standards. If it isn't good for the mind and healthy for the body, you won't find it on Sparks' website.
But Sparks also has a whole sex-positive business plan up her sleeve that includes a podcast, a progressive approach to sex coaching, and provocative, humorous sex education events.
Even before launching into pleasure retail, Sparks owned a skincare brand aimed at professional athletes. In their downtime, Sparks and her husband began exploring the swingers' events scene. One private label collaboration later, Organic Loven and a venture into modernized sexual health was born.
Sparks' excellence in coaching is both personal and professional, and it's perhaps the former that makes her such a great sensual adviser. Sparks doesn't just preach to the choir of sexual seekers; she sings with them wholeheartedly, discovering new, sexy tips and tricks along the way.
Undeterred by the shocking turns of 2020, Sparks is a testament to the spirit of the sexual wellness entrepreneur. Enterprising, innovative, intuitive and obstacle smashing — that's what makes Sparks our choice for this month's inspiring edition of Women in Adult.
XBIZ: This year has already been a wild and often terrifying ride, but I take it that you're not the type to be easily daunted. How have the events of this year — like the pandemic and civil rights protests — changed the consumer space for your businesses and projects? How have you met the challenges to continue succeeding?
Taylor Sparks: The pandemic has taken both a personal and professional toll on me. Personally, I, as a polyamorous person, was quarantined away from my partner, so that was trying, even though I was home with my husband. The business has seen an increase in sales because of the pandemic. People found themselves looking to spice up or bring more attention to their sex lives now that they have more time. As a company that ships internationally, I have seen an uptick in my international orders as well.
The downside has been due to the cancellations and/or rescheduling of the seminar presentations that I conduct as a sex educator. I present and exhibit at 9 to 11 events a year worldwide, which includes adults-only cruises, conferences and resorts. Approximately 25 percent of my income comes from these events. Although I have had the opportunity to present virtually, the financial returns are nowhere the same. Also, as a person who thoroughly enjoys being at and traveling to these events, I find that I miss the interactions with the clients and friends that I have come to know so well. Those who present in the swinger community are very much “hugaholics” and not having an event to look forward to for that next hug has been a bit sad.
The civil rights protests that are happening right now have had a very personal effect on me and other educators of color that I know. First, some of our white friends, business associates and event producers are “suddenly” aware of the racism and police brutality that has been happening in this country since Africans were first brought here more than 400 years ago. Some of us have had to explain how to support the Black Lives Matter movement and almost hold their hands during their “woke” stage. It has been a little tiring and somewhat disappointing. I am, however, glad that many organizations and companies have stepped up and said [that they] want to be better and do better and are now listening with an open mind and an open heart. So, even though they may be late, they are here and ready to stand on the right side of history. I am hopeful that they will continue to do the right thing and not just do what seems like the popular thing to do. Only time will tell.
XBIZ: What’s the origin story behind Organic Loven?
Sparks: I'm a certified holistic aromatherapist and several years ago, I had developed a line of 16 organic and eco-friendly products (Tri-Body Products) designed for elite endurance athletes for my company, Skin Care for Athletes. My products were featured in Muscle and Fitness Hers, the ESPY Awards gift bags and we sponsored five Olympians in the summer and winter Olympics, as well as marathons and triathlons.
My husband and I had started traveling on adults-only cruises and attending adults-only resorts and eventually began hosting our own events. At one event we met the owners of Luxury Lifestyle Vacations Club, an adults-only travel agency and became affiliates of theirs and began working with them at their produced events.
While working with them I also noticed that the vendors at these cruises and events were selling chemical-based intimate body products and sex toys that were also [toxic]. They had no knowledge of the damage that these chemicals could cause to the vagina, penis or the skin.
During that first year of working with LLV, they commissioned me to produce a private label line of organic sensual massage oils and body washes; and with their support, I launched Organic Loven, a company specializing in organic and eco-friendly intimate body products, body-safe sex toys, sex-positive books and erotic educational seminars. Six years ago, we started with two products and now we have more than 900 products, representing more than 150 brands.
I'm also the founder of Sisters of Sexuality.com, a site with the mission to educate, entertain and inform adults in all areas of sexuality, sexual health, kink, relationships and the business of sex. We are in the process of developing and launching the largest directory of women of color who work in the business of sex as educators, coaches, therapists, sex toy company owners and entertainers. This directory will serve as a place where media and event producers can locate experienced and up-and-coming talents with their own specialties all in one location.
XBIZ: How did you eventually work your way into also doing sex-ed presentations and adults-only workshops?
Sparks: While I was traveling with LLV on cruises and at the events, I saw the opportunity and asked if I could secure a small amount of retail space in the boutique or set up a few tables during a cruise, and also submitted a proposal to present a seminar. Through my corporate training experience, I knew that adults learned best with humor. I am also certified in human behavior with 15-plus years’ experience as a corporate trainer and used those skills to wrap the information and introduction of these products around a fun and interactive seminar.
On swinger cruises, adult expos, conferences and hotel takeovers, there are many seminars to choose from. So I named my seminar one that would stand out: How To Make Good Pussy, Better! Participants learn the benefits of using organic and eco-friendly intimate body products and body-safe sex toys. We also demonstrate Liberator Sex Pillows by doing live (simulated) sex positions with the clients, which makes it more fun and interactive.
Our other seminars introduce clients to erotic spanking, women’s sexual health and wellness, as well as a variety of other topics.
XBIZ: Tell us more about the events you produce that supplement your online shop and sexuality mission. What's the current landscape of the adult lifestyle and swingers' events space?
Sparks: We currently co-produce and/or sell into (as affiliates) several adults-only events at resorts (conferences, expos, hotel takeovers) and cruises a year. They are in the U.S., the Caribbean and around the world, but most were canceled and/or rescheduled during the first part of this year due to COVID-19. These events give me — as an erotic educator and sex goddess — the opportunity to be with the clients for two to 10 days, answering and asking questions about their sexual health and wellness. Educating them in the areas of holistic sex and helping them to discover new products that can enhance or improve their sex lives.
These adults-only events offer unique travel experiences, such as the cruise from Athens, Greece to Istanbul, Turkey; Rio de Janeiro to Argentina or Rome, Italy to Barcelona, Spain. Organic Loven also sponsors playrooms and sets up/enhances playrooms by including Liberator sex pillows, organic lubricants and vegan condoms. These events allow me to spend more than a passing moment with the clients and gives me time to discover their overall needs around sexual health and wellness. The best thing is that these become “work-ations,” also known as working vacations. We have had the opportunity to present on 15 cruises throughout the world in the past six years.
XBIZ: As you mentioned earlier, you also host a podcast alongside other sex educators and female sexual health influencers, the Sisters of Sexuality. What unique perspectives on sex do you and your co-host, and guests bring to the podcasting space?
Sparks: I am the host and Sex Goddess of the Sisters of Sexuality: Five Shades of Play podcast, which was launched October 2018 on the Voice America radio platform. In December of 2019 we crossed the 100,000-download mark and are being heard in over 600 cities worldwide. In January, we moved over to the Anchor.fm platform for hosting and are now heard on 11 platforms, including iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Google Play. We interview sex educators, sex toy company owners, therapists, counselors and coaches specializing in various areas of sexuality, as well as male escorts and other bloggers.
XBIZ: In your opinion, where are some of the most important changes taking place in the sex toy and sexual health space? What aspects have evolved the most over the last handful of years?
Sparks: Because of sextech, some products are purposely designed to give more than a happy ending. In addition, more women are entering the sextech world and developing products for both men and women, and it has been exciting to see these women rise to the top of the technology field.
In the sexual health and wellness space, CBD oil and CBD lubricants have infiltrated the sexual health market, which has been amazing and benefiting for both men and women. CBD oil and lubricants can aid women and men by relieving pain and inflammation while lubricating the vagina and penis to make penetrative sex more enjoyable. Plus the CBD oil acts as a vasodilator bringing more blood to the genitals increasing orgasm intensity. The sublingual CBD oils can be used to help to alleviate anxiety and stress, and can be especially useful during this time.
