From War Zone to Rom Com: Divorce, Midlife Love, Menopause & Life-Affirming Friendship with Deborah Copaken
Wed Feb 04 2026
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For the 245th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and screenwriter Deborah Copaken.
A former war correspondent turned chronicler of intimacy, Deborah has spent her career examining what it means to choose love over conflict and what it's like to be a woman in a world hostile to women. In this interview, Deborah reflects on finding the greatest love of her life at 56, navigating a relationship shaped by Alzheimer’s caregiving, and what motherhood has given her. She also talks candidly about midlife women's health and her life-affirming friendship with Nora Ephron.
For more from today's guest, Deborah Copaken:
Buy Deborah's book Ladyparts
Subscribe to Deborah's Substack, Lady Parts deborahcopaken.substack.com/welcome
Check out Deborah's website www.deborahcopaken.com
Get your copy of Girl Gone Wild from Bookshop.org or Amazon.
Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow
Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by:
Beducated brings pleasure-based sex education right to your bedroom. Kick off your best sex life with Beducated's awesome quiz that takes only five minutes and will recommend a personalized roadmap to sexual happiness just for you. Go to https://beducate.me/pd2606-private to kick off your personal pleasure journey.
VB Health offers doctor-formulated sexual health supplements designed to elevate your sex life. Their lineup includes Soaking Wet, a blend of vitamins and probiotics that support vaginal health; Load Boost, which promotes male fertility and enhances semen volume and taste; and Drive Boost, formulated to increase libido and sexual desire for all genders. Visit vb.health and use code PRIVATE for 10% off.
Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE10 at fleshlight.com.
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https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds
If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review!
Psst... sign up for the Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com
Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with promo code 10PRIVATE at fleshlight.com. For the 245th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and screenwriter Deborah Copaken. A former war correspondent turned chronicler of intimacy, Deborah has spent her career examining what it means to choose love over conflict and what it's like to be a woman in a world hostile to women. In this interview, Deborah reflects on finding the greatest love of her life at 56, navigating a relationship shaped by Alzheimer’s caregiving, and what motherhood has given her. She also talks candidly about midlife women's health and her life-affirming friendship with Nora Ephron. For more from today's guest, Deborah Copaken: Buy Deborah's book Ladyparts Subscribe to Deborah's Substack, Lady Parts deborahcopaken.substack.com/welcome Check out Deborah's website www.deborahcopaken.com Get your copy of Girl Gone Wild from Bookshop.org or Amazon. Psst, Courtney has an 0nIyFan$, which is a horny way to support the show: https://linktr.ee/cocopeepshow Private Parts Unknown is a proud member of the Pleasure Podcast network. This episode is brought to you by: Beducated brings pleasure-based sex education right to your bedroom. Kick off your best sex life with Beducated's awesome quiz that takes only five minutes and will recommend a personalized roadmap to sexual happiness just for you. Go to https://beducate.me/pd2606-private to kick off your personal pleasure journey. VB Health offers doctor-formulated sexual health supplements designed to elevate your sex life. Their lineup includes Soaking Wet, a blend of vitamins and probiotics that support vaginal health; Load Boost, which promotes male fertility and enhances semen volume and taste; and Drive Boost, formulated to increase libido and sexual desire for all genders. Visit vb.health and use code PRIVATE for 10% off. Our Sponsor, FLESHLIGHT, can help you reach new heights with your self-pleasure. Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? Save 10% on your next Fleshlight with Promo Code: PRIVATE10 at fleshlight.com. STDCheck.com is the leader in reliable and affordable lab-based STD testing. Just go to ppupod.com, click STDCheck, and use code Private to get $10 off your next STI test. Explore yourself and say yes to self-pleasure with Lovehoney. Save 15% off your next favorite toy from Lovehoney when you go to lovehoney.com and enter code AFF-PRIVATE at checkout. https://linktr.ee/PrivatePartsUnknownAds If you love this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and sexy review! Psst... sign up for the Private Parts Unknown newsletter for bonus content related to our episodes! privatepartsunknown.substack.com Let’s be friends on social media! Follow the show on Instagram @privatepartsunknown and Twitter @privatepartsun. Connect with host Courtney Kocak @courtneykocak on Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices