Nurturing Intimate Connections

For more than three decades as a registered nurse, I’ve walked with people through life’s most vulnerable moments. These experiences taught me that real healthcare and healing must honor the whole person, not just a clinical diagnosis.

Along the way, I witnessed a profound gap in our medical model of care. When chronic health challenges, cancer, or natural aging disrupt intimacy, identity, pleasure, and relationships, patients and couples are too often left to navigate that heavy impact entirely alone. Closing that gap became my calling.

As a clinician, researcher, and educator, my mission is to serve both individuals and relationships as they rediscover connection and healing. While a significant part of my work is dedicated to advancing the field of OncoSexuality—ensuring sexual wellness is an essential piece of cancer care and survivorship—my ultimate mission is to create a compassionate space for anyone looking to feel at home in their body again.

“Sexual wellness is about Everybody & Every Body.” — Traci

Marloe Esch (she/her), DNP, RN, APNP, AGCNS-BC, OCN, CSC, is an advanced practice oncology nurse and AASECT-certified Sexuality Counselor with more than 17 years of experience caring for people with cancer in academic medical settings. Informed by her own experience as a young adult cancer survivor, she strives to shape the landscape of oncology survivorship care by fostering person-centered empowerment, resilience, and growth.

As an enthusiastic advocate for sexual wellness, Marloe has made it her mission to bring sex into the survivorship spotlight. She earned certificates in Sexuality Education and Sexuality Counseling through the University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program in 2018 and completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice as an Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee College of Nursing in 2024. She also serves as an instructor with the University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program, co-teaching a course focused on the assessment and treatment of psychosexual disorders related to chronic illness.

Marloe has published professionally on sexual wellness across the continuum of care, from adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivorship through palliative and end-of-life settings. She is also a contributing author for the national nonprofit organization Elephants and Tea, where she writes regularly about sexuality and cancer and facilitates Embody Your Body sexual wellness workshops. She has presented regionally and nationally, addressing psychosocial and sexual health in cancer survivorship for organizations including the Young Survival Coalition, the Oncology Nursing Society, and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, among others.

Marloe lives in Bay View with her partner and their cat, Princess Leia. When she’s not nerding out over the latest sexology research, you’ll likely find her reading, writing, playing guitar, running, or enjoying a caffeinated beverage while contemplating life. She’s also fairly competent at crochet, which comes in handy during the cold, dark Wisconsin winters.