The Unique Combination of Kinks and Hypnotherapy: English Leather Master's Wild Career

EDGE: Have you ever been trolled by "fans?"

Matthew:
I can't think of anything that happened that's particularly memorable.

EDGE: What's the worst experience you've had?

Matthew:
There's always the odd niggly experience of things going wrong, people making promises they don't keep or negative comments, but most things just wash over me. The biggest issues I've had have been around the terms and conditions of the platforms. They deliberately write very ambiguous statements which means that it's not easy to stay within the rules. Then they threaten with account closure because, for example, they decide that a particular word or action is banned without ever telling you that it was.

EDGE: What's the strangest or most unusual request you've had?

Matthew:
I absolutely love getting unusual requests. Some of the most fun have been wanking with cake, balloon play (and trying to remember whether they're pro or anti popping), giant/tiny/macrophilia play, car gas pedal fantasies and some of the games that people have asked me to create.

EDGE: What's the most positive experience you've had?

Matthew:
I love getting good feedback, obviously. But some people have genuinely said that my content changed their lives. Often, it's because they were into something they found shameful or embarrassing, but I've allowed them to experience it in a way that has been horny and fun. I've also had a lot of people who found me on the porn sites, and then, just as I had planned from the very beginning, turned into coaching or hypnotherapy clients after following my work.

EDGE: What are the negatives for you personally doing adult content creation work?

Matthew:
It's career limiting in some of what I used to do. I used to work in education, and that's obviously a no-no from now on. But I made that decision very consciously and having worked in that industry for over 20 years, I was ready for a change.

EDGE: How did you get into hypnosis? Did you study it originally for potential erotic aspects?

Matthew:
Yes, you've got it. I started just because a sub asked me to hypnotize him and thought that it would be good to learn more. As I did, I realized that it's really powerful and I made a decision to move away from erotic work and into the therapeutic space. Most of my clients now ask for the same sorts of things people go to any hypnotherapist for (losing weight, stopping smoking, improving confidence, decreasing anxiety etc). However, as my clients know what I get up to, they tend to feel more comfortable discussing areas of their lives that they wouldn't with other practitioners. And, of course, I'm not against using kinky contexts in the metaphors. So maybe we'll invite in an 'Inner Master' to stop someone snacking, or put someone in a cage in their mind for a while to have a moment of peace and calm.

EDGE: Do you work with clients in all areas of their lives?

Matthew: Yes. My coaching clients have been really varied in their challenges and their needs. I've coached students (often trying to focus on their work), people in early careers (often about career building), people in all stages of relationships (finding one, opening them up, leaving their lover, the jilted and the odd person having affairs), CEOs (on leadership and on their home lives) and retirees (on dealing with life changes, health and creating meaning). It's very varied!
With hypnotherapy, everything from sexual problems (erectile dysfunction and being able to bottom) to singing high notes, confidence to present and overcoming anxiety.

EDGE: Do you work with people outside the LGBT community?

Matthew: Absolutely!

EDGE: Describe a typical day in the office/workplace for you?

Matthew:
There isn't one. Some days I'll be coaching or doing hypnotherapy from morning to night. I work primarily online so I sometimes start at 8am and end at 9pm, with clients on every continent. Other days, I'll be focused on making content, particularly if I'm doing a bunch of custom videos, so you'll find me running around my apartment or a dungeon changing clothes and trying to remember whether I'm doing a SPH from the Boss or a leather boot worship video next. And in between, I edit my content, update all the various sites and do other projects. For example, I'm in the middle of writing a second book (the first is available on my website for free). I've also brought my education experience with me to this world, so I teach a lot. Sometimes, it's at events (eg CLAW or KinkFest, and then with my partner, I'm the coordinator of the Masterclasses section of Darklands in Belgium), or online. I've released various online videos and courses. My favorite is 'Kink skills in the workplace' – a course that shows how you can take things like consent, boundaries and personas from the kink world and apply them at work. Without getting fired.

EDGE: Do your two careers ever conflict?

Matthew:
Only in as much as now and then someone finds out about my NSFW side of things and I wouldn't be hired by a company that's scared of that sort of thing. But they can fuck off anyway. I like having fingers in different pies because I get bored if I do the same thing day-in-day-out. So if I feel creative, I'll make some horny verbal content. If I'm feeling more thoughtful, I'll do some work on expanding my knowledge for coaching and hypnotherapy. In many ways, they support each other. Firstly, my content helps to promote me as a coach and hypnotherapist, but it also helps people to know who I am. Of course, I do get the odd person who misunderstands and asks me to 'coach' them in something sexual, but that's easily dealt with. Overall, I love showing the world that we can be complete individuals who are sexy and smart, kinky and have careers. My dream is to help more people around the world feel less shame, more joy and more integration in themselves, whatever their identity and whatever they're into.

For more about English Leather Master (AKA Matthew), view his Just for fans, Follow Englishleathererm, and Enlishleathermaster.com