Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Something Positive for Positive People
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| SPFPP 417: What Are You Made Of? | 13 oct. 2026 | 01:24:50 | |
SPFPP Episode 341 is called Nurture Your Nature already so while this episode really dives into the development of what that is exactly, I couldn't bring myself to do a part 2 necessarily, so we got a different title entirely. Are you unconsciously holding on to "emotional sludge" that's blocking your true identity? This week on Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame is back with a deeply reflective solo episode to discuss the energetics of trauma, healing, and personal alignment. Prompted by a frustrating, real-time realization about missing paychecks sent to an old address, Courtney dives deep into the profound lessons he has learned after completing his yoga therapy certification. Through the lens of Ayurveda, Courtney breaks down three crucial concepts: Ama (the toxic sludge of unprocessed trauma, bad relationships, and poor habits), Agni (our inner digestive fire that processes food and information), and Ojas (our vital, radiant life-force energy). He also walks listeners through the "Eight C's" of his identity (Curiosity, Consistency, Challenge, Choice, Conviction, Connection, Creativity, and Completion), explaining the shadow side of each value. Tune in to learn why mindless scrolling and people-pleasing creates energetic blockages, how Courtney transformed his own physical and mental health over the past year, and why neutralizing herpes stigma always begins with nurturing your truest nature. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 416: The Herpes Community? | 30 sept. 2026 | 01:18:39 | |
Are you burning out from carrying the weight of your herpes diagnosis in isolation? This week on Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame explores the mechanics of burnout, energy management, and emotional capacity through a fascinating lens: the four laws of thermodynamics. Courtney breaks down how our environments and un-metabolized trauma dictate our energy levels, using powerful animal metaphors to illustrate how we can reclaim our power. Learn how to master your environment like the spider, transform your trauma into purpose like the dung beetle, maintain your grounded pace like the elephant, and harness explosive, friction-less energy like the lion. Courtney also explains the absolute necessity of leaning into a supportive community before you face rejection—because facing the chaos of entropy alone will always drain your battery. Plus, Courtney shares massive organizational updates, including the incredible growth of the SPFPP platform, a restructured weekly schedule to prevent burnout, details on Lauren Key's upcoming one-woman show "Deal Breaker," and the official announcement of the 2027 Herpes Stigma Conference for medical professionals. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 415: I Don't Know a Life Without Herpes | 24 sept. 2026 | 00:54:51 | |
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of childhood sexual abuse, incest, and suicide attempts. Please take care of yourself while listening. What does it take to survive the darkest of circumstances and still choose to live a life rooted in love and forgiveness? This week, Courtney Brame sits down with Reina, a board member of Herpes Cure Advocacy, for an incredibly raw, unedited, and deeply moving conversation about surviving compounding trauma. Contracting HSV at just five years old due to childhood sexual assault, Reina shares her journey through profound denial, the struggle to articulate her pain to medical professionals, and the eventual breaking point that led to a near-fatal suicide attempt. Reina opens up about how escaping a toxic environment, overcoming alcohol dependency, and finding her faith allowed her to finally stop running from her past. Now 26 years after her exposure, Reina explains why she chooses radical forgiveness, how she navigates dating and disclosure with unapologetic confidence, and why true healing begins with apologizing to your inner child. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 414: Stigma Made Simple - The Metaphysics of Identity with Sheikha Sakina M.MSc | 10 sept. 2026 | 01:28:01 | |
When you receive a herpes diagnosis, it is incredibly common to let that one virus overwrite your entire sense of self—disregarding every other amazing aspect of your being. At SPFPP, we define this phenomenon as a "fragmentation of identity." This week, Courtney Brame sits down with Sheikha Sakina to explore this fragmentation through a completely different lens: the metaphysics of identity. Anchoring their conversation in Erving Goffman's classic definition of stigma, Courtney and Sheikha simplify the mechanics of shame by looking at how all energy and matter comes into existence and maintains itself. Together, they discuss simple, physics-based applications to help you challenge your deeply ingrained beliefs and ultimately change your behaviors. Disclaimer: This episode is highly geared toward our long-time listeners who are ready for deep, introspective work. It leans heavily into the spiritual, self-help, "have-you-tried-yoga" realm of healing. But if you have the willingness to explore your identity at an energetic level, this conversation will offer a profoundly liberating perspective on stigma. Connect with Sheikha: https://alsakina.xyz/ | |||
| SPFPP 413: Saying the Thing Over Saying it Perfectly - with Lena Peak | 03 sept. 2026 | 00:47:14 | |
Are you letting the pressure to say things "perfectly" stop you from experiencing the pleasure you deserve? This week on Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame sits down with Lena Peak of Eros Insight, a queer-owned sexuality education resource. Tying into the core SPFPP theme that "Safe Sex is Communicative Sex," Courtney and Lena explore how perfectionism can paralyze us from both discovering and expressing what we truly want in the bedroom. They unpack the common disconnects found in heterosexual, monogamous relationships, examining how the default "social scripts" we are handed often fail to serve all parties involved. Drawing on valuable lessons from Queerness, Lena explains how we can expand beyond these limiting scripts to embrace authentic connection. They also discuss a powerful resource Lena created that centers self-inquiry and curiosity to help you pinpoint your exact desires and confidently bring them up to your partner(s). Tune in to learn the essential questions you need to ask yourself to dive deeper into your own pleasure, and remember: saying the thing is always better than trying to say it perfectly. Connect with Lena: Instagram - @erosinsight For the workbook we talked about in the episode - https://erosinsight.com/store/holistic-sexual-wellness About Lena: Lena Peak, MSW, CSE (she/they) is an AASECT-certified sexuality educator and founder of Eros Insight, where she explores sexuality, gender, identity, and relationships through a justice-centered lens. Her work empowers people and organizations to question inherited narratives and imagine more authentic, expansive ways of being.Lena designs supportive educational experiences that inspire meaningful community, intellectual risk-taking, and radical dreaming. Their work centers erotic knowledge as a source of personal and collective power, inviting people to recognize and reclaim their capacity for aliveness, connection, and pleasure.Lena holds a Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in Sexual Health & Education from Washington University in St. Louis. | |||
| SPFPP 412: What's the Best That Can Happen | 23 août 2026 | 00:51:15 | |
Are you letting the fear of rejection keep you from experiencing genuine connection? Broadcasting from the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance Conference, Courtney Brame takes a moment to celebrate a massive milestone: the 9-year anniversary of the Something Positive for Positive People podcast! In this deeply reflective solo episode, Courtney tackles the intense anxiety surrounding herpes disclosures and dating initiation. We spend so much energy agonizing over the worst-case scenarios, but what if you flipped the script and asked yourself, "What's the best that can happen?" Courtney shares recent personal stories of pushing past his own fears of initiation to find profound connection, unexpected healing, and beautiful new friendships. He explains why our fear of disclosure is often a disguised fear of vulnerability, success, and true intimacy. Plus, Courtney shares major organizational updates, including details on the final Herpes Stigma Expo in NYC, setting firm energetic and financial boundaries for support calls, and why he needs YOU to be the next guest on the podcast. Stop rejecting yourself, let people surprise you, and let the best happen. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 411: Access Points for Exploration - with Kiki Maree | 13 août 2026 | 01:06:55 | |
How does our understanding of "cleanliness" perpetuate STI stigma? This week on Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame is joined by Australian sexologist Kiki Maree for a transparent conversation about neutralizing the shame surrounding sexual health. Kiki opens up about her childhood experience of oral herpes being completely normalized within her family, contrasting it with the intense stigma society places on genital herpes. Together, Courtney and Kiki explore the confusing journey of being diagnosed with Ureaplasma and Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), and how hyper-vigilance around "smell" and "cleanliness" can destroy intimacy. Kiki also explains how physical setbacks—whether it's an STI diagnosis, erectile disappointment, or a boundary violation—can actually serve as powerful access points to a deeper, more authentic connection with your own sexuality. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 410: The Undercurrent of Communication - No Means No | 03 août 2026 | 01:25:09 | |
SPFPP 410: The Undercurrent of Communication - No Means No Are you telling yourself "no" before giving anyone else the chance to say yes? This week on Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame is talking about dating, initiation, and overcoming the fear of success. After being called out by the women's support group for avoiding dating initiation, Courtney realized his lack of confidence wasn't a fear of rejection—it was a fear of getting exactly what he wanted. Drawing powerful parallels from Brazilian Zouk dancing, Courtney breaks down the importance of congruent communication, how to read subtle hints, and why we need to stop attaching our identities to a "no." Tune in to learn how to view dating as an invitation to "play," the importance of aligning your beliefs with your behaviors, and major updates on the upcoming NYC Herpes Stigma Expo. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 409: What We Don't Metabolize Will Metastasize | 13 juil. 2026 | 00:47:52 | |
If you don't metabolize your trauma, it will metastasize into your life. This week on Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame returns for a deeply personal, unapologetic solo episode. Reflecting on his own year-and-a-half journey of suppressed grief following the end of a relationship, Courtney explains how the emotions we refuse to process—whether it's heartbreak or the trauma of an STI diagnosis—operate just like a cancer, spreading into our confidence, our communication, and our identity. In this episode, Courtney explores the "suicide of self-identification" that happens when we let stigma invalidate who we are. Using powerful analogies—from somatic release in deep tissue massages to the conversation of Brazilian Zouk dancing—Courtney breaks down why pure, unfiltered authenticity is the ultimate "chemo" for internalized stigma. Tune in to learn why your environment dictates your healing, why it's time to stop dimming your light, and how to consciously channel your energy to attract the connections you actually deserve. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 408: Safe Sex is Communicative Sex - with Tamar Weir | 10 juin 2026 | 00:50:54 | |
SPFPP 408: Safe Sex is Communicative Sex - with Tamar Weir What happens when you find out you've been exposed to an STI you've never even heard of? This week on Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame sits down with Tamar Weir (founder of Pomegranate Pleasure) to unpack a real-life scenario: Tamar's recent Ureaplasma diagnosis and how she communicated the exposure to Courtney. Courtney and Tamar explore the nuances of Ureaplasma as a commensal bacteria, the intense frustration of navigating confusing and unhelpful medical providers, and how the stigma surrounding "cleanliness" makes these infections harder to talk about. Tamar also shares her tips for building your own personalized sexual health "script," while Courtney breaks down why it's time to shift from a high-pressure "confession" to a co-created "discussion." Tune in to learn why having conversations about sexual health doesn't have to ruin the mood—it can actually make intimacy sexier. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 407: Presence Over Performance | 01 juin 2026 | 01:01:35 | |
I had a support call go sideways and was hung up on for the first time since I started doing this work in 2017 supporting people living with herpes. I had to learn for myself real quick that my authenticity is more important than anybody else's discomfort. I can't coddle folks into healing. | |||
| SPFPP 406: Right Use of Energy - Brahmacharya in Action | 01 mai 2026 | 01:38:17 | |
Are you bleeding energy into things that don't serve your highest self? This week, Courtney is back with a massive life update and a profound shift in the podcast's direction. Transitioning to a once-a-month format, Courtney dives deep into the yogic principle of Brahmacharya—the right use of energy. Listen in as I share how removing social media distractions and enforcing strict personal boundaries led to necessary changes. From transmuting unspent sexual energy into writing the first draft of the SPFPP book, to transforming my physical health through Ayurveda, to processing relationship trauma on the Zouk dance floor, this episode is about vertical growth over horizontal distraction. I also also break down the main differences between the men's and women's support groups, share my upcoming travel itinerary, and explains why true authenticity is the ultimate friction-remover. Links & Resources Mentioned:
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| SPFPP 405: You're Entitled to Compensation | 06 avr. 2026 | 00:57:13 | |
A herpes diagnosis can make you feel taken from, or like God took away your ability to have sex. What exactly was taken from you? Reality is that you are still capable of sex, and nothing was 'taken' necessarily except for the identification we had with ourselves leading up to the diagnosis. If in fact God did take away your ability to have sex, then by God's Law of compensation, you're entitled to something of equal or greater value in return. I speak about the laws of Thermodynamics to hopefully give an idea of the energetics/physics of what to do with a herpes diagnosis. | |||
| SPFPP 404: How to Communicate an STI Exposure | 02 avr. 2026 | 00:32:06 | |
There's a statement phrase that goes, "Can't do, teach" and I don't know the punctuation exactly, but it means those who don't have the bravery to have the experience become people who just teach because they can't do the thing they teach. Here, you'll hear me share my own personal experience which highlights the importance of why those who do NEED to teach. This is why teaching from experience is necessary. | |||
| SPFPP 403: Courtney's 13 Year Herpes Anniversary | 23 mars 2026 | 00:17:36 | |
It was March 23, 2013 I woke up and had my first herpes outbreak. It was a whole 13 years now of living with herpes. The past 9 years of running SPFPP and the podcast, I have hidden behind the experiences of my guests, and now I'm very challenged with what it looks like to maintain this consistency of sharing experiences of people living with herpes and it's become much harder to find guests. I now have accepted that I gotta quit being a lil' baby about not sharing my own lived experiences with herpes. I've been afraid of criticism, the fact that things change over time, the fact that it's the internet and anything I say can be brought up and used against me somehow. Wild to say, but I'm working through that barrier and hopefully that transparency brings in more guests as well. But here's a recap of how I celebrated my 13 year herpes anniversary with the community! | |||
| SPFPP 402: Herpes is the End of the World | 11 mars 2026 | 00:37:21 | |
A few times this past week, people on support calls have shared that when they talked to their therapist, a friend, or even the suicide lifeline, that they were met with, "It's not the end of the world". The reality is, it is. And telling someone whose whole world as they know it is being torn apart is invalidating to their experience. We've been learning since 2017 that the consistent reason for suicidality after a herpes diagnosis is an invalidation of identity. A person's beliefs are not to be invalidated, but interrogated with curiosity. I probably shouldn't say that in writing, because there's a fine line between curiosity and being nosey, and not everyone can navigate that with someone seeking support. My intention this episode is to share and validate that yes, herpes is the end of the world, as is that first heart break, first job loss, first encounter with losing a loved one, only for us to take the remnants of the ending and incorporate it into our identity. To nurture our nature is to integrate the essence of our previously ended worlds to come to create a new one for ourselves from it. | |||
| SPFPP 401: What Herpes Taught Me About Authenticity - Part 2 | 21 févr. 2026 | 01:10:11 | |
What if a herpes diagnosis didn't take away your freedom, but actually freed you from an energetic cage you didn't know you were in? In Part 2 of "What Herpes Taught Me About Authenticity," Courtney Brame drops the standard narrative of "good vs. bad" and dives deep into the quantum physics and spiritual mechanics of an STI diagnosis. We explore how living unconsciously chasing validation, ignoring the gentle whispers of the nervous system, and bleeding energy into casual encounters can leave us fragmented. Through the lens of his own 13-year journey, he explains how a herpes diagnosis acts as a "Heavenly Restriction" (Jujutsu Kaisen Reference) a permanent, physical boundary that chokes off the leakage of unconscious energy, forcing a return to radical authenticity and intentional connection. If you are exhausted by trauma-dumping, people-pleasing, or feeling stuck in the identity of your diagnosis, this episode provides a new atomic blueprint for achieving maximum evolution with minimum waste. Episode Timestamps:
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| SPFPP 400: What Herpes Taught Me About Authenticity - Part 1 | 17 févr. 2026 | 01:04:00 | |
Finally! We celebrated me closing out the 400th podcast episode it took me damn near 3 months to record, only for me to realize I’m not closing it out after all. My options for getting these resources out there are limited given social media has not been kind to anything I have to talk about, however, the website has been booming given the care and attention I’ve given to it. Last month we had almost 80 scheduled support calls, this month halfway through February, we’re at 40, so I’m busy, but I think instead of replacing the podcast with the support groups, it’s time I give much less energy to social media instead. The podcast has served several major purposes including remaining connected to the community by bringing people in to share their experiences, letting people hear from others, and I think most of all, it’s been another outlet of expression as an extension of me. Last year things were chaotic for the first half of the year. I’d say I got some solid footing in August/September 2025 and now I have a firm rhythm of running SPFPP, working part time, wrapping up Yoga Therapy Training, and my romantic life. This is part 1 of what herpes taught me about authenticity, where I just share about some changes that happened in a way that hopefully makes sense to ya’ll listening. Apologies in advance for the audio. My mic was never plugged in and when I noticed it, I lost track of my point so I ended the episode shortly after haha. Anyways, welcome back! | |||
| SPFPP 399: What Herpes Taught Me About God | 08 déc. 2025 | 01:26:02 | |
I had every intention of making my last podcast episode being on this topic but I was called to take a different route based on the direction this episode went. I interviewed a member of the Women's Support support group as well as a Yoga Therapy client at the time of this recording. Herpes and Spirituality is one of the main searches that drive people to SPFPP, and many of the people I talk to have a background of Christianity, growing up Catholic, and our conversations generally head in the direction of speaking to their relationship to God. With all this free time I'll have from no longer running the podcast, I'll be able to read the Bible myself and be able to have more fitting conversations with people coming from that purity culture upbringing. I enjoyed getting to bounce some reflections off someone in this conversation rather than doing it alone and rambling too much, so I'm grateful to Lia for letting me talk her ear off and tie her experiences together with this conversation topic that has become so meaningful to so many people. | |||
| SPFPP 398: Practicing Perfection | 06 déc. 2025 | 00:46:57 | |
I interview _Laurentellsstories (Instagram page) who reached out to me yesterday. She and I recorded today and spoke about what inspired her to tell her story about dating with herpes. She's been a beast in the dating world, so hearing from her would be inspiring to someone looking to get to the other side of their diagnosis and start dating again. She shares a little about not telling people about her herpes status in the past and we talk through the mindset of that space. A rejection in 2021 sent her down the path of finding passion in storytelling and she decided to be open about her status the literal day of this podcast recording and upload. Be sure to be on the lookout for her One Woman Show in Chicago and perhaps the world depending on the year you listen to this. | |||
| SPFPP 397: What Herpes Taught Me About Addiction | 03 déc. 2025 | 00:56:33 | |
I interviewed a man named John who speaks with me about his experience in recovery for sex addiction. We open with me challenging him on how he introduced himself only for him to kick it back to me, which I love! My guy is going to be a public speaker one day and I commend him often throughout the episode for his willingness to share such vulnerable insights as someone who is in recovery. While herpes was what brought us together, that by far is not all there is to his story. He speaks about sharing his status with his parents, spending addiction, what it can be like to date someone who is in recovery, as well as his own challenges in his healing process. Stay tuned for this podcast episode where we get to hear from a man with herpes beyond just his diagnosis as we round out our final few episodes leading to the big 400th episode celebration in Brooklyn. We also need more people to take our survey! This podcast episode on Love Addiction is a good description of that. | |||
| SPFPP 396: What Herpes Taught Me About Sex | 26 nov. 2025 | 00:52:15 | |
Herpes has taught me more about sex than any of my sex education teachers, girlfriends, educators, have. And honestly I can't even say it's sex I've learned, it's intimacy. With four more episodes til retirement of SPFPP's podcast, it felt aligned to talk to ya'll. It's been an interesting day home. I had some aspects of my inner most being reflected back to me and in genuine Courtney fashion, I interrogated it with curiosity. My relationship to sex and the partners I've given the title of girlfriend are interconnected as they've shaped my earliest ideas not just of sex, but also intimacy. Having herpes changed how I do sex, and in interrogating that, I inherently developed a new idea of what intimacy is. We're on the countdown to episode 400 and celebrating in NYC! | |||
| SPFPP 395: Southern Charm | 21 nov. 2025 | 00:43:11 | |
Hailing all the way from Alabama, well, actually Florida, but Alabaman roots, our guest this week. Jade is the founder of Essentially Prepped, integrating essential oils and lifestyle coaching. For those looking for another option for herpes support, listen to this episode and see if she's someone who resonates with you. We talk about stigma in the south and some of how Jade's dating experiences have gone. We speak about the fluidity of sexuality as it relates in the south along with being publicly visible as people living with herpes and the pros and cons of this. You can connect with Jade on Instagram @essentiallyprepped and check out her stie here. | |||
| SPFPP 394: Preaching What I Practice | 16 nov. 2025 | 00:23:45 | |
"I really didn't realize how ashamed I was about how happy I am". In this episode I reflect on just how much I've pushed down my happiness both publicly and even privately just to keep other people comfortable especially in a time where there's not much visibility of joy and happiness. Releasing my resistances to joy, happiness, pleasure, and receiving brought up many emotions, including the last of my rejections for applying for grants! I speak about growth, rejection, the nervous system, and how herpes helps with identifying the need to manage stress. | |||
| SPFPP 393: Herpes Support Groups | 08 nov. 2025 | 00:46:43 | |
In this episode, I talk through what SPFPP support groups are, how they started, and what people can expect when they join. I share how these spaces are less about advice and more about being seen, and why presence matters more than performance. Whether you're new to herpes or just looking for community, this episode breaks down how the groups work and why they matter. Learn more about the herpes support group for men and women. | |||
| Spfpp 392: Navigating Rejection With Herpes - Attach And Release | 31 oct. 2025 | 01:14:19 | |
Jealousy, rejection, and other perceived negatives are broken down not as bad things, but as infinite potential. Take something that makes you jealous for instance, you can either be inspired by it to be better, or you can want to corrupt it and make it worse. The intensity of emotion that comes with the label of jealousy is what it is, but we assign a narrative to the label which can create an identity behind it. There's a practice of attaching and releasing that's the natural flow of rhythm that all beings adhere to, and the same way it applies to jealousy, it applies to fear, and applies to rejection. This'll make all the sense if you can make it through my rambling and sharing of personal experiences of jealousy and how I apply its lessons to self-rejection which is the only rejection that truly exists for us on this episode of Something Positive for Positive People. | |||
| SPFPP 391: Who Helps the Helper? | 24 oct. 2025 | 00:50:36 | |
Our guest is a therapist specializing in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), but when she was diagnosed with HSV-2, she found herself in unfamiliar territory, navigating a rare neurological complication, medical dismissal, and the emotional weight of a life-altering diagnosis. In this episode, she and I discuss what it means to be the helper who needs help. We unpack Ellsberg Syndrome, and how the medical field did NOT exercise trauma-informed communication, and the power of integrity, validation, and DBT as an option for people with herpes in their healing. This episode is a great example of how herpes stigma intersects with the mental health field, and why remembering who you are validates your identity and jump starts the healing process. | |||
| SPFPP 390: Herpes Changed Me | 19 oct. 2025 | 00:58:15 | |
After a herpes diagnosis, dating can feel daunting, but community can change everything. In this episode, I sit down with Rachel to expand on her experience navigating self-stigma, dating, and disclosure after contracting genital HSV-1. We discuss how therapy, community, and self-reflection helped Rachel reconnect to her voice, reclaim her confidence, and find grounding after emotional turbulence. If you’ve ever felt like your diagnosis defined you or held you back from dating, this episode offers comfort for wherever you may be in your own diagnosis. | |||
| SPFPP 389: When the Bold Meets the Brave | 15 oct. 2025 | 00:35:56 | |
The excitement for this one right here is representative of what SPFPP is all about. I've been getting rejected left and right for grants and I THINK after this most recent one, I'm just not supposed to be doing that. The impact of SPFPP isn't contingent on how much money comes in. I've gotten real good at being resourceful and also somehow things just been working out to where we've been able to sustain, so I'm officially done submitting grant applications!!! My man Aaron from about 50 episodes ago rejoins us with his now GIRLFRIEND Dria who shot her shot with him after finding his bravery being a Black man sharing his story online attractive. Aaron hit me up and let me know how things were going so I thought it would be dope to have them on the podcast just to share how they met, and it was a pleasant Convo with both of them and it speaks volumes to identity outside what stigma tends to have us believe about ourselves. She saw my man beyond his diagnosis, and she tapped into something beyond her own. He was brave and she was bold! | |||
| SPFPP 388: The More We Do A Thing | 10 oct. 2025 | 00:58:15 | |
Our guest this week shares insights about sharing her diagnosis with her therapist, which led her to SPFPP. This is one of those episodes I would call encouraging, but grounded. Perspective is a mofo. You'll hear the amount of effort someone effort someone can put in only for us to STILL potentially self-reject ourselves. Our guest shares an awesome date story that'll give ya hope or give ya the "nope" but the choice of interpretation is up to you! Listen to this episode of SPFPP for some uplifting guidance and perspective on dating with herpes. | |||
| SPFPP 387: Herpes Support and Education Platform | 30 sept. 2025 | 00:44:31 | |
Make sure you’re able to watch the video on this if you can. This isn’t an interview or experience episode, it’s a hard launch of the revised and easier to navigate herpes support and education platform, Something Positive for Positive People (SPFPP). I’ve not been very active with the website exactly and that’s because I just got spoiled with Instagram. Lately the visibility of my posts and education and information has been TRASH so I haven’t been getting visibility, guests, or many people finding the resource at all. This episode, I walk through navigating the site for anyone new to SPFPP in hopes of them getting to the information they need and are seeking a little faster. If you’re diagnosed with herpes and just need support for navigating the stigma, or if you are a health care professional looking to support a client or patient, this platform is for you. It’s a nonprofit organization so we run off donations. If you hire us for a training that helps tremendously too. All of our resources are free or donation-based so any “purchase” made is tax deductible and helps us with our efforts to continue offering support to people living with herpes, and educating the loved ones of them. | |||
| SPFPP 386: Help! | 25 sept. 2025 | 00:32:58 | |
The title may have been a lil dramatic lol. I’m catching myself get repetitive with these podcasts and I notice guests haven’t been appearing lately. People tired, political state of the US is trash, life is lifing, the algorithm has discouraged me from putting effort into posting and getting engagement like I had before the pandemic, and it’s just a lot of shit presenting challenges to continued growth at the caliber we’ve had historically. Recapping the workshop I’ve done, I see an uptick in SPFPP’s reach through these avenues which makes sense because these organizations engage directly with people impacted by stigma directly. So what better way to increase impact than to do more of this? I share a lil’ bit of what Tara of the Youth Sexpert program presented to Project Safe in hopes of giving a lil’ inside look at what SPFPP brings to organizations. A lot of it is bringing recognition to stigmatizing language, phrasing, and messaging. If any of this appeals to you, listen in, and if you’re tired of the filler episodes, lemme know what you wanna hear or share your experience. We’d love to have ya! Check out the revised website www.spfpp.org | |||
| SPFPP 385: In the Thick of it | 18 sept. 2025 | 01:09:03 | |
This one is heavy. We talk about suicide with someone in the Ideation aspect of it. I'm not a mental health professional nor do I have any licenses or anything like that. I will say I am a human who can just ask questions, listen, and be present. Personal takeaways are that really people suffering are often told what to do but not asked what they need. Listen in on our guest's experience and hopefully this helps you feel supported or be able to support someone struggling with suicidal thoughts. Resources Mentioned: Care Menu - @connectwithoumou Somatics & Transformative Justice - @eroticsofliberationSolidarity Economics - @neweconomycoalition Mindfulness practices - Thich Nhat Hanh | |||
| SPFPP 385: Life is But a Dream | 13 sept. 2025 | 00:59:56 | |
My grandpa had this dream my mom told me about that I was a preacher. As somebody whose spiritual values align WAY off from anything remotely related to religion, I think it speaks to how all this is held together. I align with a lot of Yoga philosophy and I’ve integrated bits and pieces of what points me in the direction of what in Demon Slayer (anime) is referred to as the Transparent World. What’s beautiful about this too is that the main character wins his battles after struggle and getting his ASS whipped, but his intention in protecting humanity, he radiates an energy of reawakening, reminding the enemy who they were. Now this doesn’t have a happy ending but it shows that the demons are stuck in their suffering story only to be set “free” from it by being reminded through the light our main character shines. - my bad that went into something not for this platform yet or podcast episode lol so lemme get you your description - I walk a tight rope between reality and the dream world. I imagine myself doing a thing before u do it as a practice for teaching myself that I’ve experienced the thing before. They say sleep is the cousin of death, which if that’s the case, what makes for the cousin of life? Is it reality, is it dreams or nightmares, meditation? Or all of em!? I believe there’s a usefulness to navigating stigma if we can tap into that world and bring it into the one you love in. I’m not saying discard the body, the mind or the limitations. I’m saying to align your dreams with the laws of nature. Don’t jump off a building thinking you can fly. Don’t do any illegal shit. This is an invitation to do what all spiritual, religious, and self help coaches and teachers tell us which is to look within. Look at you aside from identities of the body and with that same angle you see these aspects of self, look at your waking reality. ONE OF THESE has to align to the other and that’ll be whichever you give the highest quality of awareness to. If herpes Keeps you from dating, stigma keeps you from socializing, you fear rejection and being outcast, think of those thoughts as your dreams because that’s where those come from. So what you see in reality is that and you live those rules. If you challenge those thoughts with behaviors in reality, notice if the thoughts change and become supported by reality around you. That undercurrent of consciousness, the dream of reality is where the intersection brings up the Neutron of the atom. Think of the proton as stillness, and electrons as the constant motion of reality. You, the neutron right there, are the choice, awareness, presence that navigates the duality of the two, and this episode serves as a nudge for you to look in that direction of the inner world AND bring something out of that to be expressed and experienced in reality with us! Don’t escape us though lol please don’t. Bring it to us. Gimme them dreams! Show em off to us, tell us about that dream of yours that is your lived experience so we can sing along, dance to your rhythm created through your lived experience. That’s the beauty of life. Entering that transparent world of dreams through sleep, visualization, meditation, (sometimes medication, masturbation, or procrastination)! Enjoy this episode of SPFPP and lemme know what ya think. Feels good to me to say this stuff I been holding on to outloud so thanks for listening. | |||
| SPFPP 384: Can You Be Nonmonogamous if You Have Herpes? | 09 sept. 2025 | 01:00:11 | |
Yes. For those who like the short version of things, you absolutely can be Nonmonogamous if you have herpes. I talk from my own personal experience in this podcast episode and shake the dust off from not talking about my experience for so long, being mindful of those around me so I don’t talk about my partners or offer too much detail there just out of respect to them. When navigating a herpes diagnosis and dating/relationships it’s important that we just get comfortable sharing who we are, naming our needs, and understand there will be people who do and don’t want to support us in meeting those needs. Some people align, others don’t. When we can detach from the expectation of getting our needs met from a specific person or group of people, we find that a lot of our resistances to getting what we want evoke detached as well. I share why I find nonmonogamy, particularly polyamory appealing from the perspective of my even platonic relationships with women having been a threat to past partners. Hell even my work through SPFPP has been a challenge to navigate in past relationships due to jealousy of me having found fulfillment in my work and the impact people share that I’ve made on them being a trigger for partners. All that to say, I have herpes and it’s out there to the world and I’m still finding love, fulfillment, relationships, and this wouldn’t be possible if I was hidden in the shame of believing my herpes status defined my relationship structure so I want you to look at that for yourself and move forward in a way that works for you! | |||
| SPFPP 383: My Story | 30 août 2025 | 00:45:18 | |
This episode I wanted to just have something to reference for people who want to know my experience. Usually support calls bring in questions about me and my experience from diagnosis to the point of having created the SPFPP platform. I share my experience with my first symptoms, my diagnosis, the early resources I was provided with, disclosures and dating. This is the story leading n up to the start of the podcast with some sprinkles of hindsight interwoven into it. I speak to some useful stuff to where if you are considering a support call, https://spfpp.org/stigma-support-call this is a better starting point so we can maximize our time together for you to vent, ask questions about your experience, and to just be witnessed in your curiosity navigating whatever aspect of having herpes you need! If you haven’t subscribed to the monthly newsletter, do that here www.spfpp.org/herpes-newsletter so you can be on top of virtual and in person events, workshops, and social opportunities like our celebration in NYC for episode 400 of spfpp on December 19!!! Anyways check this out and I hope this points you in the direction of what you need more efficiently. Stay present. | |||
| SPFPP 382: Closed Mouths Don't Get Fed with Goddess Bats | 21 août 2025 | 01:12:49 | |
Closed mouths don’t get fed! SO LADIES AND FEMMES SHOOT YOUR SHOT! In this conversation with Goddess Bats (@actuallybats), we talk about various intersections of identity when navigating herpes, polyamory, sex work, rejection, and identity. Together, we go over:
We also ask: what can the stigmatized teach us about navigating freedom, authenticity, and connection? If you’ve ever wondered what conversations about herpes, rejection, sex parties, and stigma is all like, check us out here. | |||
| SPFPP 381: Herpes and Bipolar - Stigma on Stigma | 14 août 2025 | 01:07:15 | |
When I tell you all that this was an unexpected conversation, I cannot tell you how . . . surprised I was. You'll hear it in the interview how shocked I was when the topic came up. I knew we'd talk about herpes, but the Bipolar conversation was something that naturally came up. We go into what bipolar episodes for our guest were like, the hypersexuality that ironically didn't lead to her herpes diagnosis, and how people around her were impacted by her mental health experience as well. There is absolutely a stigma on Stigma stigma here and as we often say, sexual health is mental health. Our guest this week is super dope for being willing to go there with us and be patient with me getting back into the swing of interviewing people! This episode is important to me because I have a family history and relationship history with partners who've struggled with their mental health and there's a lot of understanding and compassion I can have now that looking back on was dismissed as "oh she was just crazy". I even remember my family dismissing relatives' not normal behavior as "Oh so and so just talkin' crazy" but I never really had a REAL conversation with someone navigating an actual diagnosis, I've just experienced behavior from them that I just couldn't describe. I'm very fortunate to be in a place in life where my life's work I've been called to supports not only my healing past wounds as it relates to sexuality and stigma, but also mental health stigma. I couldn't be more grateful to be in the position of someone who can witness others with presence and learn from them to be able to help others. We have some events coming up at www.spfpp.org/events virtually if you want to check those out. I advise you to subscribe to the newsletter: www.spfpp.org/herpes-newsletter to stay up to speed on what's happening from support groups, to disclosure workshops, and community events. | |||
| SPFPP 380: Transmuting Stigma into Healing - Lessons from Depression | 06 août 2025 | 01:53:15 | |
In this episode, I reflect on what it means to hold my rhythm, even when it’s challenging AF. If you been keeping up, you know I been big on talking about atoms and the microconnection they have to the o macro connectionmacroconnectiof stars lately. I use the metaphor of the sun—a star that doesn’t shift its light or heat just because someone says they’re cold. If it did, the consequences would be catastrophic for everything in the solar system's orbit. I realized that I’ve done the human version of that—altering my rhythm, light, and presence in past relationships to "FIX" the other partners. And not only did I fail, but it nearly broke me. This is my story of stepping away from what I know I was supposed to be doing, doing something else, and slowly making my way back through the emotional friction of grief, guilt, and shame, as well as the insecurities that I've been holding on to. I speak like I used to when I was in rhythm, being REAL. You'll hear me talk about being emotionally manipulated, (as hard as that is to admit as someone who identifies as rather emotionally intelligent) about my pattern and concerns of being used as someone so openly visible about my life in general, and about the weight I’ve carried trying to be "good" and take all the accountability for what 2 people were part of. I been holding that in all year and this past week it was put in my face. But this isn’t just about pain. It’s about transmutation. About how I’ve found my way back to being the regulating presence I am when I’m in alignment—through smudging with First Peoples of the land (Shoutout to Sedalia) in Canada, through pulling doubles in therapy, and through naming what I was most ashamed to admit: that I kept to myself and dumbed myself down not for me to grieve and heal, but out of fear of being made into content, which still happened. I don't bash my ex for anything, I just speak my experience now after very thorough processing with the intention of what the title is, transmitting stigma into healing. I love her and every version of her I saw during our relationship and after even during her outward version of grief. But this ain't about her, it's about this thing that's bigger than me as it hasn't been. I'm not trying to defend myself. I've been told I'm holding on to something despite how well things are going for me, and it's hard to receive because I'm clinging to my truth and repressing a part of myself that screams to be let out every day before I go to bed and first thing when I wake up. I very thoughtfully and mindfully share this podcast episode, with intention of communicating my feelings. The same way herpes has taught me lessons in healing, I truly believe the end of my relationship was a much deeper surfacing of my own insecurities which all stem from trying to "save" or "protect" people and ain't no more room for that AND for me to be present as I have been. This episode is for anyone who’s dimmed their light to be loved, anyone who' feels like they've been used, anyone who's holding on. For anyone still healing and needs a reminder that you don’t need to change who you are. You can make necessary adjustments that support your becoming who you are, but don't let anyone manipulate you into changing who you are. | |||
| SPFPP 379: Dating with Herpes - Should you Only Date People with the Same Type? | 31 juil. 2025 | 00:40:56 | |
In this vulnerable and insightful episode of Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame speaks with Jhivan, who shares their experience navigating life three months post-herpes diagnosis. The conversation explores the emotional and sexual impact of the diagnosis, the fear of transmission, and the internal debate around only dating people who have the same type of herpes. Together, they unpack:
This episode is a powerful listen for anyone who’s felt the pressure to protect others at the expense of their own connection needs, and for those questioning how to safely navigate dating after herpes. | |||
| SPFPP 378: Declaration of Remembrance | 23 juil. 2025 | 00:51:24 | |
2025 took me through it. The woman I thought I was building a future with left. I moved in with my grandma, then into my own spot, and just when I started to settle—boom—tornado. Total loss. In every direction of life, I felt resistance. Everything I did to “fix” things only made the weight heavier. That’s when I got the message from what I can only describe as the echo of my nervous system: do nothing. Not as in give up, but as in pause. Stop grasping. Let go. From that stillness, things started aligning again—without force, without explanation. That phrase became a mantra for me in the dark: do nothing. And I started noticing how much I was still trying to be liked, trying to defend myself in other people’s narratives. But “do nothing” showed me those stories are theirs to hold—not mine. “All my effort and action taken just kept creating unnecessary resistance between what I chose and acquiring it.” “There are stories people carry about me—some that have nothing to do with me, some that do, and some that are about their own avoidance of accountability.” “Do nothing. That was the message. And when I did nothing, blessings and pleasant experiences validated that choice.” “Depression was the teacher herpes could never be. And we see what I’ve done with herpes.” “The same way the sun became the star it is through pressure, heat, and friction—I’m becoming through stagnancy, expectation, and failure.” This episode is a marker for me. A timestamp. A reminder that I don’t have to react to the world around me. I get to orient my internal world—my beliefs, my nervous system, my rhythm—and trust that the external world will shape around that alignment. What came through this period of stillness wasn’t defeat—it was clarity. This is how I remember who I am. And this episode is my declaration of that remembrance. | |||
| SPFPP 377: Shades of Nonmonogamy | 28 juin 2025 | 01:09:15 | |
In this intimate conversation, Melissa LeSane opens up about the messiness of living through transition—stepping away from her role as a therapist, navigating a marriage of over two decades, entering a new relationship, and rediscovering herself as a sensitive, spiritual being. What begins as a discussion on non-monogamy turns into a reflection on how presence—not perfection—is the path back to wholeness. Melissa and Courtney explore the weight of expectations, emotional overstimulation, and the courage to allow identity to shift in real time. | |||
| SPFPP 376: I Don't Miss My Ex - The Stigma of Breakups | 19 juin 2025 | 00:34:52 | |
There's a stigma about breakups that you're only supposed to remember and recall the negative so you stay away, heal, don't go back. Especially for men, we're supposed to get someone younger, hotter, make more money, and get hotter. And to do this, you almost have to over-identify with this smallness of self and lean into that negative state. I choose differently. I don't Miss my Ex. I miss my Motherfucking Homie ya'll. I've tried to just keep this to myself but it won't stay and I feel the pressure build up and as I navigate convos it seeps out unconsciously. So I took my time, wrote this, slept on it, reflected, and feel like this validates my own identity as someone navigating grief. | |||
| SPFPP 375: Queering Masculinity - From Performance to Presence | 12 juin 2025 | 00:58:20 | |
bell hooks defined "queer" as a way of describing oneself without being confined by fixed definitions or labels. It's about acknowledging one's authenticity and living a life that aligns with that self, even if it doesn't fit neatly into conventional categories like "gay" or "straight." For hooks, being queer also meant being at odds with societal norms and finding ways to thrive on one's own terms. In this solo episode, I explore how queer community, education, and presence have deeply influenced my understanding of masculinity—not by changing who I am, but by giving me the freedom to express it with more honesty, softness, and presence. As a cisgender heterosexual Black man, I’ve found more validation of my identity in queer spaces than in the spaces I was told I “belonged” in. This episode is a reflection on that truth, especially at the intersection of Pride and Men’s Mental Health Month. I also share how stigma—specifically herpes stigma—has been a gateway into deeper self-inquiry around identity, performance, and liberation. Using Bell Hooks’ definition of queerness as a guide, I talk about how embracing the challenge of unbecoming has brought me closer to who I actually am. This is for anyone rethinking what masculinity looks like when it’s not measured in dominance or stats—but in connection, curiosity, and care. | |||
| SPFPP 374: Storytelling for Stigma Minimization - Live from STI Engage 2025 | 05 juin 2025 | 00:31:36 | |
Last time I was at STI Engage it was in 2019 where I submitted an abstract on how people living with herpes could find psycho-social support for their mental health through podcasts. Fast forward 6 years later after hundreds of thousands of podcast listens, tens of thousands of conversations, thousands of survey responses, and hundreds of podcasts, we're back with a lot more clarity and consistency to present on the power of what was born through podcasting, the creation of community. Listen in on my session live from Phoenix AZ where I lead the room through a meditation on what stigma feels like at a somatic level, use a real time example of the support cycle from someone seeking it, to it being met by identity validation and community. If you have a conference or opportunity for SPFPP to share our story, reach out through www.spfpp.org. I'm also always looking for guests to share their experiences with stigma so if you're interested, let me know! | |||
| SPFPP 373: Something Smooth About an Orbit | 01 juin 2025 | 00:31:57 | |
MAN! I forgot what I said the episode title would be but it rhymed and it was cold ya'll! You'll hear it in the episode. In this solo episode, I reflect on what the tornado that hit St. Louis took from me—and, more importantly, what it gave me. I talk about the gift of presence, the importance of environment, and how stigma fragments our sense of self. It’s through presence—being still, aligned, and honest—that we pull ourselves back together from that fragmentation. I also announce that Mondays at 7:30pm Central are now dedicated to SPFPP events, creating a space for us to connect, reflect, and hold presence together. This episode is a reminder that my purpose has always been to empower people navigating stigma with a sense of choice—how they move, how they heal, how they align. I share my gratitude for my support system during this time of displacement and how this season has clarified that it’s time for me to follow through on what I was meant to do: move to New York. This isn’t about running back to comfort—this is about orbiting my purpose. I’m ready to take SPFPP and my life to the next evolution by aligning my beliefs, behaviors, and environment with who I really am: someone who values challenge and liberation above all else. | |||
| SPFPP 372: Shaking the Dust Off | 23 mai 2025 | 00:56:06 | |
This was quite a conversational car ride with my friend/board member, Dr. Amber Sophus. We were talking about how people with different income levels process their herpes diagnosis differently and access and willingness to seek out resources for support looks different for these groups as well. The conversation led into some discussions about how people (mainly women) talk to themselves, how I need to stop calling myself homeless, and a few other identity components that open up the runway for future discussions on stigma. Dr. Sophus works in public health so naturally we spoke more about STIs, sexual health, and behaviors around people knowing that HIV is more manageable, and we have pre-exposure meds that treat Chlamydia chlamydia and gonorrhea, and their risk tolerances. I've been a little ungrounded lately just due to life events. I'm getting back into my rhythm of consistently recording podcast episodes so thank you for your patience with me as I shake off the cobwebs from these past two weeks. I mention our webinar tonight on disclosure which can currently be found at www.spfpp.org/events (you have to register) but it'll be over after 7pm central time and you'll have to reach out to me for the recording access, but there's time if you're reading/listening to this on May 23rd before then. Enjoy this conversation. | |||
| SPFPP 371: Presence Over Performance | 17 mai 2025 | 01:06:43 | |
What does it mean to live in alignment—with your identity, your energy, and your story? In this soulful episode of Something Positive for Positive People, Courtney Brame is joined by astrologer Tasha Beg (aka Agent of Pluto) for a powerful conversation about identity, ego death, and the journey from shame to self-trust. Together, they explore the intersections of presence, stigma, astrology, and atomic awareness—unpacking what happens when we stop performing and start just being. Connect with Tasha at www.agentofpluto.com IG: @agent.of.pluto IG: @thepopastrologist | |||
| SPFPP 370: The Spiritual Significance of Stigma Through an Atomic Lens | 07 mai 2025 | 01:48:32 | |
In this defining solo episode, Courtney Brame shares the atomic model that’s become the foundation of his purpose, presence, and practice. Drawing from physics, yoga philosophy, and personal experience with stigma, he reveals a spiritual framework where the atom becomes a mirror for conscious living. As the neutron, Courtney stabilizes his proton—his purpose to inspire conscious choice through stigma—and orbits aligned actions across shells that reflect rhythm, emotional truth, and freedom. This is more than a metaphor. It's a spiritual technology. A path. A way back home. If you've ever felt lost in your identity, your diagnosis, or your desires… this episode offers a structure for re-entry. Topics covered include:
This episode is a transmission, not a performance. Listen to remember what you already know. | |||
| SPFPP Episode 369 Season 1 Finale: Letting Go of the Herpes and Other Things | 20 avr. 2025 | 00:47:25 | |
This episode marks the end of an era. Since 2017, the SPFPP podcast has held space for people navigating herpes stigma—but now, it’s time for a shift. I’m closing out Season 1 with some real talk about why I’m expanding the mission. It’s bigger than herpes. Season 2 will center more broadly around positivity—mental health, emotional healing, identity, and minimizing stigma across the board. I share where I’ve been emotionally, what’s brought me here, and what I’ve learned about myself, relationships, and the weight of stigma—beyond just a herpes diagnosis. There’s grief, there’s liberation, and there’s clarity. If you’ve been here since the early days, thank you. If you’re just finding this—welcome. Season 1 will live on as a resource. Season 2 is something that maintains the integrity of season 1 minus the herpes exclusivity, Something Positive for Positive People. | |||