Hannah Sward on Her Memoir "Strip": Uncovering Truths on Trauma, Sex Work & the
Episode :
308

Hannah Sward on Her Memoir "Strip": Uncovering Truths on Trauma, Sex Work & the

July 23, 2025

Fleshlight is the #1 selling male sex toy in the world. Looking for your next pocket pal? For the 218th episode of Private Parts Unknown, host Courtney Kocak welcomes Hannah Sward, author of ?Strip: A Memoir?. Hannah opens up about her unconventional childhood, including being abandoned by her mother, living with her poet father, experiencing sexual abuse as a child, and (of course) a stint on a commune. She also shares her entry into sex work, first as a call girl and then as a stripper, working alongside her sister, why she started using crystal meth, and how she finally got sober after losing a decade to addiction. We discuss Hannah's current perspective on the changing cultural attitudes towards sex work, how her family reacted to the book’s contents, and how writing the memoir was healing in that it coincided with her recovery yet also came with the emotional challenges of revisiting past traumas.