Ireland
She/Her
2023 Cohort
Olivia Teahan is an award-winning Communications Specialist, and Public Health professional, based in Cork, Ireland. She holds a Bachelor of Law and French degree (BCL), and a Master in Public Health (MPH) from University College Cork.
Sexual health and sexual satisfaction resource for cancer patients 
Olivia Teahan is a sex educator based in Cork, Ireland. Her work supports adults in Ireland to develop healthier, pleasurable connections to their own bodies and to others’. Olivia founded the Sx Sláinte project to provide informative and engaging workshops and resources for adults of all demographics. She is a trainee psychosexual therapist, and holds a Bachelors in Law and Masters in Public Health from UCC. She is especially interested in stigmatised health topics, with a background in policy and community work on cancer awareness, women's empowerment, harm reduction, migrant rights and LGBT+ health. "Any change in our lives - particularly when it comes to how our bodies and brains are functioning - can impact how we experience pleasure, sex and relationships. We all deserve to enjoy our body, regardless of what age or stage we are at in life."
During the Pleasure Fellowship Olivia recruited and conducted interviews with cancer patients and survivors based in or from Ireland, regarding their concerns, queries, and suggestions for healthy, satisfying sexual experiences with or after cancer. Olivia recruited and coordinated responses from medical experts from or based in Ireland. She built a website from scratch and have been uploading the results of the interviews and expert responses as they come in.
Olivia is training to become a psychosexual therapist (due to qualify in 2026). She contributes to national news publications in Ireland, spreading pleasure and sexual health advocacy. Through her Sx Sláinte project she is running sex education workshops for adults. Olivia also produces a community radio programme called Shagatha Christie with free sex advice. For mid-2025, she is planning a men's creative expression group.
Highlights
Olivia proposes to create a resource to support the sexual health and satisfaction of cancer patients in Ireland.
The Sex - Cancer - Ireland (SCI) online resource aims to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of cancer patients and survivors in Ireland. Ireland has an unhealthy relationship with sexual pleasure and communication. This leaves many people without access to evidence-based resources on sexual wellbeing. Research has shown the importance of sexual satisfaction to overall health and happiness, and it is well-documented that the impact of cancer on sexual relationships can be difficult to navigate. Unfortunately, Irish cancer patients receive little to no support around their sexual health, and their many questions on how to deal with e.g. cancer treatment effects, body image issues, relationship issues and more, are left unanswered. By bringing the most common queries of Ireland-based cancer patients and survivors to a new website, and displaying responses from Ireland-based medical professionals, the SCI project hopes to empower people to be sexually healthier and happier!
As of March 2025, the SCI project is already supporting sex lives, with free expert advice and resources available at sciprojectireland.com. Funds are being sought to facilitate the final design for the website, and additional medical expertise is also en route.
“The support and inspiration gained from the fellowship has shown me how to be the change I want to see. I used to wonder how to show up in the public health world with my sexology expertise, and how to show up in the sexual wellbeing world with my public health background. The fellowship gave me the confidence to recognise the importance of my own professional approach.”
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© 2025 The Pleasure Project. All rights reserved.
The Pleasure Project is an initiative by Taking Action for Sexual Health CIC.
© 2025 The Pleasure Project.
All rights reserved.
The Pleasure Project is an initiative by Taking Action for Sexual Health CIC.
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