‘ENM’ relationship explained as boxer shares why partner is fine with her sleeping with other people

A woman who is in an 'ENM' relationship has revealed why her partner is fine with her sleeping with other people.

Australian boxer Shannon Philp created an OnlyFans account when she realised that her career wasn't really covering her bills.

The former dance teacher, 26, said she and her partner Lyndon discussed the idea 'at length' and mutually decided that it makes a lot of sense - even if Shannon sleeps with other people.

To be fair, she hasn't looked back, and now makes up to a whopping $45,000 a month, telling the Daily Mail: "The reality is, if we (female boxers) don't have a regular source of income, we can't go to the next level.

"When you factor in training camps, coaching, travel and medicals, it all adds up."

But without ENM, the transition may not have been as smooth.

What is ENM?

Shannon Philp has described her experiences (Instagram/@shannon_rose_aus)

ENM stands for ethical non-monogamy and is similar to polyamory or open relationships, according to Very Well Mind.

Being able to sleep with other people outside of the relationship is a key feature for all of them, but when it comes to ENM, communication and consent are even more important.

The 'ethical' bit implies that all parties have agreed on who they sleep with and how they do it.

"It is new for both of us, we enjoy it," Shannon said.

"My friends and family are supportive of what I do... having subscribers gives me a flexible lifestyle."

The difference between ENM and non-monogamy

ENM relationships are becoming more popular (Getty Stock Images)

Jem, 45, and Daz Jones, 42, have been practicing ENM since 2022 and have explained what the key differences between ENM and non-monogamy are.

"We want that interaction with more than just our partner, but also want a deep monogamous relationship with each other, so we separate the two," Daz - who appeared on popular Channel 4 show Open House: The Great Sex Experiment - told the Daily Mail

"There's social monogamy, which would be your relationship status. We are essentially a married couple with children. We live together, we live a perfectly normal relationship for all intents and purposes.

"Then we separate sexual monogamy, which is that we don't see that we need to be exclusive with each other, provided we follow the boundaries that we put in place."

The benefits of ENM

ENM works for many people (Getty Stock Images)

Nicole McNichols, PhD, a professor of human sexuality at the University of Washington, said the key advantage is that 'when people choose ethical non-monogamy from a place of freedom, they are less anxious and depressed than if they are pressured into it'.

"CNM is very different from cheating or having an affair, where a couple has agreed to remain sexually and emotionally exclusive, and then one or both partners have sexual/emotional/romantic affairs that are hidden from each other," she wrote for Psychology Today.

"Ethical non-monogamy, in contrast, happens in the context of honesty, transparency, and consent."