1 00:00:01,180 --> 00:00:03,820 Hello, welcome back to Something Positive for 2 00:00:03,820 --> 00:00:06,460 Positive People from Courtney Brain. Something 3 00:00:06,460 --> 00:00:09,440 Positive for Positive People is a 501c3 nonprofit 4 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:13,280 organization that provides herpes support resources to 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:18,320 people navigating stigma. I do a lot of things and 6 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:20,900 I'm narrowing it down to the things that are most 7 00:00:20,900 --> 00:00:23,840 impactful. I'm teaching yoga, I'm hosting 8 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,820 this podcast, I'm conducting research, I'm putting events 9 00:00:26,820 --> 00:00:31,580 together, running support groups, trying to host 10 00:00:31,580 --> 00:00:36,320 workshops and educational things as well as training 11 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,420 healthcare providers, y 'all. As 12 00:00:38,420 --> 00:00:42,020 I mentioned before, stepping away from this podcast was 13 00:00:42,020 --> 00:00:45,480 probably the biggest mistake that I could have made 14 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:49,720 because I think that this is in fact what people are 15 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,780 finding to be the most impactful thing to them. So 16 00:00:52,780 --> 00:00:57,100 I plan to remain consistent in producing podcast 17 00:00:57,100 --> 00:00:58,760 episodes. I have a list of podcast 18 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,040 guests. Fortunately, I started to put out an 19 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,220 intake form for people who are interested in being 20 00:01:04,220 --> 00:01:06,560 interviewed. So I have that to follow up 21 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,680 on and I'll be bringing guests back after the May 22 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,540 23rd herpes stigma conference, which is 23 00:01:13,540 --> 00:01:18,260 virtual. You can visit www .spfpp .org 24 00:01:18,260 --> 00:01:21,880 slash conferences in order to register for that today. 25 00:01:22,020 --> 00:01:23,160 Or it's just on the homepage. 26 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:24,760 When you scroll down, you'll see 27 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,840 the conference and I put it everywhere important so 28 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,920 that you'll be able to very easily find it, access 29 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,580 it, purchase tickets and register for the conference. 30 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,380 At this conference, we have 31 00:01:35,380 --> 00:01:38,340 four presenters and also as an added bonus, this is a 32 00:01:38,340 --> 00:01:42,220 new addition will have the no shame in this game film 33 00:01:42,220 --> 00:01:46,600 documentary screening. It's a 22 minute documentary 34 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,380 afterwards. The producer of it, Jolene 35 00:01:49,380 --> 00:01:52,100 Hernandez. I'm in this documentary too. So 36 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:54,600 you get to get see me on camera. You 37 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,640 know, I'm saying my element, but this is back 38 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:58,440 in 22. Yeah, I was looking rough. I 39 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,900 had my bar brows cut my own hair. Woo. 40 00:02:01,140 --> 00:02:03,700 But it was great. It was just an artistic 41 00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:08,100 expression of what people who have herpes are 42 00:02:08,100 --> 00:02:11,720 experiencing. And yeah, it's beautiful. I 43 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:13,640 don't want to give too much of it away, but 44 00:02:13,640 --> 00:02:15,760 that's a bonus for the conference. That 45 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:19,440 part will not be recorded because this is something 46 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,320 that the way that she shows it is through 47 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,860 experiences. So it would be like stealing 48 00:02:25,860 --> 00:02:28,840 her work and making it my own if I were to record 49 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:30,420 that. But Dr. Evelyn 50 00:02:30,420 --> 00:02:32,640 Dacker, who's going to be speaking to health care 51 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:35,260 providers on what's necessary to take a stigma 52 00:02:35,260 --> 00:02:39,980 free sexual history, Nikita Fernandez is the sex 53 00:02:39,980 --> 00:02:42,740 therapist who's going to be speaking to mental health 54 00:02:42,740 --> 00:02:44,720 components of herpes stigma. We've 55 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,380 got Dakota Rampin, who's going to be talking about 56 00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:53,540 stigma free education. And I myself am going to be 57 00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:55,580 delivering the data analysis. So 58 00:02:55,580 --> 00:02:58,200 you've got four great workshops as well as a 59 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,500 documentary as a bonus. I want to shout out Wisp, 60 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,060 the American Sexual Health Association and Affirm in 61 00:03:04,060 --> 00:03:07,020 Arizona, sexually reproductive wellness for 62 00:03:07,020 --> 00:03:10,140 all for being our sponsors of the conference. And 63 00:03:10,140 --> 00:03:13,660 yeah, thank you all for making it possible to make 64 00:03:13,660 --> 00:03:15,520 this thing happen. Y 'all, like my first 65 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,180 conference is happening May 23rd from 10 a .m. to 66 00:03:19,180 --> 00:03:21,260 4 p .m. central time. Get 67 00:03:21,260 --> 00:03:23,780 your tickets today. All right. So 68 00:03:23,780 --> 00:03:27,220 as I mentioned, I'm doing a lot of different things 69 00:03:27,220 --> 00:03:32,200 and narrowing it down to like how I want to run 70 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,340 something positive for positive people has been a 71 00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:37,680 journey. It's been a journey to say the 72 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:39,440 least. And I thank you, everyone who 73 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,680 has been here for as long as you have. I 74 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,060 thank you to anybody who might just be listening to 75 00:03:45,060 --> 00:03:49,380 this. And today, actually, I reviewed 76 00:03:49,380 --> 00:03:54,200 the analytics for the website because the web 77 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,160 traffic has been going crazy. Roughly 78 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,420 200 people are seeing something positive for 79 00:03:58,420 --> 00:04:01,920 positive people's website per day. And 80 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,080 they're all going to the same web page to frequently 81 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,180 asked questions. So people are looking for 82 00:04:06,180 --> 00:04:10,100 answers to herpes related questions because I guess 83 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:11,440 they just aren't getting them. And 84 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:13,540 that's how people are finding something positive 85 00:04:13,540 --> 00:04:21,480 for positive people. And with that, what I'm 86 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,600 starting to learn between that and then looking at 87 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,460 who's purchasing tickets to the conference, I'm seeing 88 00:04:26,460 --> 00:04:29,040 a lot more health care professionals. I'm 89 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,800 learning that it's not through people with herpes 90 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:36,840 that stigma is going to end because it's a like 91 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,960 self perpetuating cycle of stigma keeping people from 92 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,960 doing the things that I'm doing, for instance, like 93 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,600 I'm happy to talk to people about herpes stigma. 94 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,420 I'm happy to talk about, you 95 00:04:50,420 --> 00:04:53,360 know, the falsehoods and the misinformation, but not 96 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:55,920 everyone is willing to do that because of stigma and 97 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,780 fear of what people will say about them because of 98 00:04:58,780 --> 00:05:02,380 fear of people thinking or finding out that they have 99 00:05:02,380 --> 00:05:06,840 herpes themselves. So my angle adjustment after 100 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:11,020 speaking to my homeboy, who's we work together. 101 00:05:11,020 --> 00:05:12,440 He's one of my closest friends. 102 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,040 We were talking today and he 103 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,180 was like, Hey, you know, I might be thinking 20 steps 104 00:05:17,180 --> 00:05:20,940 ahead, but why aren't you, you know, providing this 105 00:05:20,940 --> 00:05:22,800 information to health care providers? And 106 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,480 I think it's because I had a very negative experience 107 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,480 when I first started the podcast, reaching out to 108 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,940 health care professionals and just hearing no and 109 00:05:30,940 --> 00:05:35,900 like, oh, we only can provide information from 110 00:05:35,900 --> 00:05:38,860 credible resources. And now, you know, look at 111 00:05:38,860 --> 00:05:41,040 something positive for positive people here seven 112 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,380 years later and establish nonprofit organization that's 113 00:05:44,380 --> 00:05:47,860 up to the IRS and Secretary of State standards 114 00:05:47,860 --> 00:05:52,120 and all of the states that we operated in so far. I 115 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,780 think that the credibility might be there. Having 116 00:05:54,780 --> 00:05:58,440 IRB approval for the most recent survey gives us some 117 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:00,520 credibility there as well. So 118 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,760 I'm able to offer, you know, these survey data 119 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,920 statistics to health care organizations for them to 120 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:09,020 share. And in fact, I'm already 121 00:06:09,020 --> 00:06:12,540 hearing from people who work in organizations that 122 00:06:12,540 --> 00:06:14,320 they are sharing these resources. So 123 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,100 what I'm putting together now is and, you know, y 124 00:06:18,100 --> 00:06:19,320 'all can approach me now. If 125 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:21,000 you're a nurse, nurse practitioner, if you're 126 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,780 someone who does STI testing or you do the 127 00:06:24,780 --> 00:06:28,280 treatment diagnosing, please reach out to me because I 128 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:33,180 am actively right now putting together subscription 129 00:06:33,180 --> 00:06:40,060 options for health care organizations to have them 130 00:06:40,060 --> 00:06:42,660 be able to empower people who are living with herpes 131 00:06:42,660 --> 00:06:46,300 with the resources and education and information 132 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:50,540 that they need to go on and make whatever decisions 133 00:06:50,540 --> 00:06:52,940 they want to make. Oftentimes, 134 00:06:53,140 --> 00:06:55,020 I talk to people with herpes for the first time 135 00:06:55,020 --> 00:06:57,000 and they're like, I wish that my health care 136 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,700 provider would have given me these resources. So 137 00:06:59,700 --> 00:07:03,340 they go on to find me after however much searching 138 00:07:03,340 --> 00:07:05,880 they do or however they search for me. And 139 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,080 if they happen to find me now, they can ask these 140 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,460 questions and get the answers that they need. All 141 00:07:11,460 --> 00:07:13,680 of the workshops that I create, all of the events 142 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,560 that I tried to put on and like granted, it's on 143 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,420 social media. So social media and me don't 144 00:07:19,420 --> 00:07:22,600 really get along as of lately because of the sex 145 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:28,340 education, sexual health, the barriers that are there 146 00:07:28,340 --> 00:07:32,200 and the restrictions that social media is appearing 147 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,520 to put on sex related content that isn't 148 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,940 entertaining. So that's been a challenge of 149 00:07:40,940 --> 00:07:44,620 mine. And my target audience being 150 00:07:44,620 --> 00:07:47,540 health care professionals who serve people with 151 00:07:47,540 --> 00:07:50,960 herpes, I think makes a lot more sense than me 152 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,520 trying to run this organization exclusively off 153 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:56,760 of individuals donations, trying to look for funding. 154 00:07:57,220 --> 00:07:58,720 I think that what we have to 155 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:03,980 offer is something that is unique and uniquely useful 156 00:08:03,980 --> 00:08:08,120 to nurses, nurse practitioners, public health 157 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,440 professionals and organizations who wish to 158 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,400 have more accurate sexual health related information 159 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:19,480 in regards to herpes and minimizing the impacts of 160 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:21,780 stigma. These are the people who I 161 00:08:21,780 --> 00:08:25,240 believe care more, who have more credibility as well 162 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,880 and can benefit from a lot of these workshops that I 163 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:33,419 host, that I invite people to where I try and talk 164 00:08:33,419 --> 00:08:37,039 about herpes disclosure, the intersection of sexual 165 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:41,020 health and mental health and how we can go about 166 00:08:41,020 --> 00:08:45,420 minimizing stigma, not just within ourselves, but within 167 00:08:45,420 --> 00:08:48,560 the education system, within SCD prevention, within youth 168 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:53,080 education. These are all things that 169 00:08:53,080 --> 00:09:01,040 alongside training and simulated experiences for 170 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,880 health care providers to practice hands on taking 171 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,060 the sexual history, communication skills with 172 00:09:07,060 --> 00:09:09,780 patients. I believe that these are the 173 00:09:09,780 --> 00:09:14,140 initial touch points where stigma can be minimized, it 174 00:09:14,140 --> 00:09:17,960 can be addressed, it can be alleviated. And 175 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,000 we see that there will be people who come away from 176 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,500 their doctor's appointment a lot more empowered to 177 00:09:24,500 --> 00:09:28,520 navigate stigma than they have been historically when 178 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,040 working with health care providers. So 179 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,560 I'm saying this because if you are someone who works 180 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:35,400 in an education facility, if you are in SCD 181 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:41,000 prevention, please send me the contact information of 182 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,280 the person who I would need to speak with about 183 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,660 creating this subscription to something positive for 184 00:09:47,660 --> 00:09:51,740 positive people so that we can have access to and 185 00:09:51,740 --> 00:09:54,840 have ongoing access to these herpes related 186 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:56,880 resources. Because I'm finding that a lot of 187 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,340 health care providers really need that added support and 188 00:10:00,340 --> 00:10:05,240 individuals really need to hear what it is that I'm 189 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,040 saying from a health care provider. And 190 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,400 I can't do it all myself. If 191 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:15,740 like the health care field, I think looks down on me 192 00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:17,880 or has looked down on me historically because I don't 193 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:19,160 have letters behind my name. No, 194 00:10:19,180 --> 00:10:20,440 I didn't go to medical school. I'm 195 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,820 just a person with a passion, a sense of 196 00:10:22,820 --> 00:10:24,640 purpose, and I give a damn. And 197 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,700 because I give a damn, I'm willing to put my 198 00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:29,940 experiences out there and call in people who are 199 00:10:29,940 --> 00:10:32,800 struggling with stigma and give them what I know to 200 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:35,860 give them and offer as means of support, which is 201 00:10:35,860 --> 00:10:39,580 what my yoga practice has been over the last several 202 00:10:39,580 --> 00:10:43,860 years in offering this presence, offering this 203 00:10:43,860 --> 00:10:48,160 healing and extending what's been useful to me to the 204 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:50,240 people who are navigating this themselves. And 205 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,620 I'm understanding that that's not for everybody. 206 00:10:52,820 --> 00:10:54,240 And I get it. I 207 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,500 had someone reach out to me overnight filled out the 208 00:10:57,500 --> 00:11:00,680 one on one donation based support call form, gave me 209 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,620 their email, phone number, name, why they were 210 00:11:03,620 --> 00:11:06,900 reaching out. And I got that information and 211 00:11:06,900 --> 00:11:09,340 I emailed them and the email came back, you know, 212 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:10,600 hey, wrong email address. So 213 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:12,020 I sent them the text. I was like, Hey, I saw you 214 00:11:12,020 --> 00:11:13,400 filled out the form. I got a different email 215 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,040 address just reaching out to let you know. Like 216 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:18,560 if you want to schedule that call, once your 217 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:20,860 donation comes through, we can set up the time and 218 00:11:20,860 --> 00:11:23,620 day to have the call. And they responded. Oh, 219 00:11:23,660 --> 00:11:25,820 I'm sorry, you must have the wrong person. Uh, 220 00:11:25,820 --> 00:11:29,400 I didn't do that. Don't contact me again. And, 221 00:11:29,580 --> 00:11:31,440 you know, I was, I was sitting there and I was 222 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,620 just like, okay. And all day it bothered me 223 00:11:35,620 --> 00:11:38,800 that I said, okay, because initially like I had a 224 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:40,560 response. So I wanted to be like, Hey, 225 00:11:40,660 --> 00:11:42,220 don't insult my intelligence. Like, 226 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:46,980 I, you don't get that far in that thorough of and 227 00:11:46,980 --> 00:11:48,920 through a process of something. And 228 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:52,560 then tell me I got the wrong person. And, 229 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:54,980 you know, I had to sit with that for a while and 230 00:11:54,980 --> 00:11:57,260 like ask myself, like, why was it so important for me 231 00:11:57,260 --> 00:11:59,380 to respond or say that? And 232 00:11:59,380 --> 00:12:01,440 it was actually, you know, my girlfriend's she's like, 233 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,480 no, just say, okay, leave it alone. So 234 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:05,880 I just was like, all right. And 235 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:07,840 then time passed. And of course I felt like I 236 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:09,880 needed to say something, but I was sitting in one 237 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,560 of my yoga therapy. Um, it was a webinar on the 238 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:18,060 chakras of business and the second and third chakra. 239 00:12:18,780 --> 00:12:21,300 They were speaking to really 240 00:12:21,300 --> 00:12:24,640 like brought back up my thoughts about this. And 241 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,440 it was very much out of alignment as me, who I am, 242 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,300 to have just said, okay, or to have not addressed, 243 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:33,840 you know, the elephant in the room at all. So 244 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,440 I responded. I actually responded and I 245 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,260 said, Hey, you know, it really doesn't feel good to 246 00:12:39,260 --> 00:12:42,020 me to have responded in the way that I did because 247 00:12:42,020 --> 00:12:43,460 that's really not who I am. And 248 00:12:43,460 --> 00:12:44,880 I don't know, you know, what you might have 249 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:50,060 expected from me, but I have to respond and here's 250 00:12:50,060 --> 00:12:52,680 what I have to say. Like I've been disconnected from 251 00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:55,660 where you are at this point. I 252 00:12:55,660 --> 00:12:57,740 didn't want to go and trigger them about herpes 253 00:12:57,740 --> 00:13:00,160 or anything like that. So I was just vague enough to 254 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,220 where they knew what I was talking about. I've 255 00:13:02,220 --> 00:13:04,160 been disconnected from where you are, you know, when 256 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:06,900 you're newly diagnosed and, you know, you do a brave 257 00:13:06,900 --> 00:13:09,020 thing. You know, I just apologize for, 258 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,560 or I didn't apologize. I acknowledged that that was 259 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:13,880 a very brave thing of them. And 260 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,020 I thank them for it, for reaching out and being 261 00:13:17,020 --> 00:13:19,820 willing to have a conversation with me, even 262 00:13:19,820 --> 00:13:21,400 if, you know, they might have gotten a little bit 263 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,200 of cold feet at the end. So 264 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,200 I just acknowledged that. And 265 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,720 I was able to say, when you're ready, I'm here. 266 00:13:28,220 --> 00:13:30,100 That felt more in line with who 267 00:13:30,100 --> 00:13:32,440 I am, which is what this workshop that I was 268 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:35,340 attending was speaking to and the importance of 269 00:13:35,340 --> 00:13:37,780 consistency. And I realized like for seven 270 00:13:37,780 --> 00:13:40,040 years now, I've been consistent up until a few 271 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,240 months ago when I decided to put the podcast on 272 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,120 pause while I tried to do everything else. But 273 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:49,920 the thing that really sparked my creativity and I 274 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,000 was excited about, like, I love doing joy yoga. I 275 00:13:53,008 --> 00:13:56,080 enjoy teaching the classes, but I had a look. I 276 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,920 had about 11 people show up and I'm going to be 277 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:00,560 real with y 'all. Y 'all for the letting go 278 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:03,080 classes. I had probably three people 279 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,920 show up. I invited a couple of other 280 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:08,620 people, like privately, and these were the people who 281 00:14:08,620 --> 00:14:10,400 showed up. So I mean, I might have had 282 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,880 attendance at four or five of the classes out of 283 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:16,640 what's up right now is 16 or 17. Yeah, 284 00:14:16,660 --> 00:14:18,940 17 classes are up right now. I've 285 00:14:18,940 --> 00:14:22,740 got three more to do before the week. Yeah, 286 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:23,720 before the week is out. Yeah, 287 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:25,880 I got three more. And that's it. And 288 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,120 it was really discouraging for me, right? Like 289 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:29,980 that was one of those things where it felt like 290 00:14:29,980 --> 00:14:32,560 it was a great idea. It's a direct service to the 291 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,420 community. We're offering opportunities for 292 00:14:35,420 --> 00:14:37,540 people to engage with one another. It's 293 00:14:37,540 --> 00:14:41,080 something that's useful. I was able to justify it as 294 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,160 being supportive to sleep as well as emotional 295 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:48,660 health, which have been shown to us in the survey 296 00:14:48,660 --> 00:14:52,280 to be main triggers for people having outbreaks. So 297 00:14:52,288 --> 00:14:54,140 I'm thinking I'm doing this bomb. They 298 00:14:54,140 --> 00:14:57,420 write and it's really hard to get people to show up. 299 00:14:57,460 --> 00:14:59,780 And I have to remind myself, 300 00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:02,520 right? Like to me now, it's about 301 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:05,240 building community because that to me is a cure. 302 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:06,080 We're not going to get a cure 303 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:07,920 for herpes. But what we can do ourselves 304 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,660 is cure stigma. And when we cure stigma, what 305 00:15:11,660 --> 00:15:14,160 happens is we make herpes irrelevant because it's 306 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,220 really only relevant when we have to tell a person 307 00:15:17,220 --> 00:15:20,180 or when we have to deal with the symptoms. And 308 00:15:20,180 --> 00:15:22,240 if we're taking care of ourselves in a way where 309 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,340 we don't have to deal with the symptoms, then when we 310 00:15:24,340 --> 00:15:27,940 tell a person like we're confident and we know what 311 00:15:27,940 --> 00:15:30,160 we want and we know the quality of the person that 312 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:32,280 we're telling, it's not going to really be a 313 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,480 concern of the anxiety that comes with having to 314 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:37,420 disclose our status to a new person. Right? 315 00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:39,700 Because once we're in a relationship, when do we 316 00:15:39,700 --> 00:15:41,700 really have to talk about it at all? Like 317 00:15:41,700 --> 00:15:45,280 if we're in our ideal situation, herpes is not an 318 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,480 issue. And if our body is in its 319 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,400 ideal situation, herpes is not an issue. Right? 320 00:15:53,140 --> 00:15:56,060 So. I just let this person know, 321 00:15:56,140 --> 00:15:58,060 like I'm here, you know, reach out when you're 322 00:15:58,060 --> 00:16:00,040 ready, whenever that may be. And 323 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:02,120 if you're not, if you're not ready, then that's OK, 324 00:16:02,260 --> 00:16:04,300 too. But that felt so much more 325 00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:06,200 like me and I recognize that I've been doing a lot 326 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,840 of shit that's not me, like these, the grant 327 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:13,400 applying applications. I keep saying that, but like 328 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:17,640 that's how much I've been holding in, because it's 329 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:19,260 not. It's burning. It's 330 00:16:19,260 --> 00:16:22,620 burned me out. And when I recognize that I'm 331 00:16:22,620 --> 00:16:24,940 going in five different directions and all of them 332 00:16:24,940 --> 00:16:27,960 are not the direction of, you know, really doing the 333 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:29,820 things that I want to be doing, I want to host my 334 00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:32,860 podcast. I want to do my yoga, you 335 00:16:32,860 --> 00:16:36,360 know, or teach my yoga and the education. I 336 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,620 love talking, right? I enjoy, you know, the 337 00:16:39,620 --> 00:16:41,840 educational component and the person to person 338 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,860 engagement and the training for the health care 339 00:16:44,860 --> 00:16:47,600 professionals. Right. And I'm figuring out a way 340 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,080 to really bring that together and bring that 341 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,600 into the mix so that people don't like, I don't 342 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,240 have to ask people for donations. And 343 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:56,680 if people want to donate, then they can. So 344 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,840 looking at organizations who have funding, who have 345 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:03,480 funding that is to be allocated towards these 346 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:07,880 educational workshops and things like that, that I'm 347 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,119 offering through something positive for positive 348 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:13,020 people. I think that that's the route 349 00:17:13,020 --> 00:17:16,280 that I'm going to go and commit to. The 350 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,780 monies out there, the people at the organizations 351 00:17:18,780 --> 00:17:23,079 who are, who find value in the work that I'm doing 352 00:17:23,079 --> 00:17:25,520 and the information that we have. I 353 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,680 think that this is for y 'all, right? Like 354 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:30,800 when I talk about how to disclose, when I talk about 355 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,660 these statistics and the communication components, 356 00:17:33,860 --> 00:17:35,860 like there are trainings and workshops. There's 357 00:17:35,860 --> 00:17:38,680 like dozens of trainings and workshops that can be 358 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:41,920 hosted off of the survey that we did for people 359 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,840 with herpes alone. And there aren't any herpes 360 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,600 resources out there. There's not herpes organizations 361 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,040 that are out there. There's a lot of social media 362 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,040 influencers. There was an organization, a 363 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,720 nonprofit that was out there. The 364 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,240 project accept was for people with herpes. And 365 00:17:59,248 --> 00:18:03,160 unfortunately, they are no longer running. They're, 366 00:18:03,300 --> 00:18:05,420 I don't know if it's public information or not, 367 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:08,140 but I talked to the executive director founder 368 00:18:08,140 --> 00:18:10,920 about it. And she said that they're not 369 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:13,820 doing that anymore. They, they, they're just not. Let 370 00:18:13,820 --> 00:18:18,100 me just leave it there. So as far as I know, I'm the 371 00:18:18,100 --> 00:18:21,300 only nonprofit organization that exists in relation to 372 00:18:21,300 --> 00:18:25,200 herpes stigma that, you know, there are others out 373 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:28,400 there that are advocating for cures, but herpes 374 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,720 stigma, herpes education, right? Like 375 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:36,740 the more accurate and real information we get, I think 376 00:18:36,740 --> 00:18:41,760 that the less relevant stigma is. And 377 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:45,180 at the very minimum, we can get to a place where 378 00:18:48,399 --> 00:18:52,520 there's more accurate testing. And 379 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:55,180 with that accurate testing, more people know, yes, they 380 00:18:55,180 --> 00:18:58,020 have herpes. No, they don't have herpes. And 381 00:18:58,020 --> 00:19:01,280 with that, we have more understanding of, you know, 382 00:19:01,380 --> 00:19:03,380 the, the likelihood of getting it. We 383 00:19:03,380 --> 00:19:05,520 have more people who are willing and able to talk 384 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:07,500 about it, who are more accepting and understanding 385 00:19:07,500 --> 00:19:10,340 of what the potential outcomes are. You 386 00:19:10,340 --> 00:19:12,580 know, if you do have herpes or if you don't 387 00:19:12,580 --> 00:19:14,400 know if you have herpes, right? And 388 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,100 understanding that condoms actually don't protect you 389 00:19:17,100 --> 00:19:20,720 from every single STI that exists. That's 390 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,540 another really key component to this whole thing, y 391 00:19:23,540 --> 00:19:25,140 'all. And a lot of people don't 392 00:19:25,140 --> 00:19:27,340 understand that for whatever reason. I 393 00:19:27,340 --> 00:19:33,780 don't know. But as a one man army, I 394 00:19:33,780 --> 00:19:35,900 think tapping into my network of healthcare 395 00:19:35,900 --> 00:19:39,780 professionals, public health professionals and offering 396 00:19:39,780 --> 00:19:43,840 this subscription format, like becoming a member of 397 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:46,320 something positive for positive people and being 398 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,560 able to offer what incentives that includes. I 399 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:52,960 think that the expansion of that will allow for 400 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,040 something positive for positive people to grow and 401 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:58,300 expand to where there can be more of these community 402 00:19:58,300 --> 00:20:04,020 functions that draw in people to come be part of 403 00:20:04,020 --> 00:20:06,640 a community and not do this thing on their own or 404 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,260 not navigate stigma on their own, but to find 405 00:20:09,260 --> 00:20:13,380 community and make herpes stigma just completely 406 00:20:13,380 --> 00:20:16,260 irrelevant. I believe I can do that. And 407 00:20:16,268 --> 00:20:19,720 I believe that like I feel very strongly about this. I 408 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:22,800 had conversations with two of my board members so far 409 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,720 about this particular idea. And 410 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:28,260 now I'm putting it out there because here we are 411 00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:30,920 podcast episode need to put this out. And 412 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,760 now having this podcast episode out, there's 413 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,720 accountability. All right. Accountability 414 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:43,780 is now in the works as a result of me saying it. So 415 00:20:43,780 --> 00:20:45,720 now this is what I got to be doing. So 416 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:50,200 I have the conference coming up May 23rd. I 417 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,780 also have. Oh, I also released the 418 00:20:52,780 --> 00:20:55,480 September 29th conference is going to or expo that's 419 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:57,780 going to be an NYC. This is just called the safe 420 00:20:57,780 --> 00:21:00,820 sex expo. And it's on September 29th. 421 00:21:00,820 --> 00:21:02,460 More details will follow if you 422 00:21:02,460 --> 00:21:05,120 go to the offerings tab of something positive for 423 00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:08,540 positive people's website as pfpp .org. You'll 424 00:21:08,540 --> 00:21:11,120 see there that the early bird tickets are on sale. 425 00:21:11,340 --> 00:21:13,340 We've got workshop play shops 426 00:21:13,340 --> 00:21:16,420 that are going to be presenting on the spectrum 427 00:21:16,420 --> 00:21:18,060 of safety and pleasure. Like 428 00:21:18,060 --> 00:21:21,280 people think that when you try and incorporate safety 429 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,060 in the pleasure that it takes away from pleasure or 430 00:21:24,060 --> 00:21:27,200 the more enjoyable or pleasurable. Something 431 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,300 is like the less safe it is. So 432 00:21:30,300 --> 00:21:34,060 we're we're combating that we're integrating safety and 433 00:21:34,060 --> 00:21:36,880 pleasure into some interactive engaging and 434 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:39,900 communicative workshops that we have as well as 435 00:21:39,900 --> 00:21:42,280 vendors. So if you're someone who is 436 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:44,280 connected to somebody who'd be a great fit for 437 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:46,300 something like that as a sponsor, please don't 438 00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:48,120 hesitate to reach out to me. I'm 439 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:50,700 doing this in collaboration with Jolene Hernandez, who 440 00:21:50,700 --> 00:21:52,760 is the producer of the no shame in this game 441 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:57,060 documentary film. And we're combining resources, 442 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:01,520 our connections to make just a day of play shops 443 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:06,780 of vendors of community of celebration. And 444 00:22:06,780 --> 00:22:11,720 if we get enough money, food and refreshments. So 445 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:16,440 yeah, y 'all, I I was worried for a while about 446 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,140 something positive for positive people. I'm 447 00:22:19,140 --> 00:22:22,060 losing members, you know, which is sort of expected 448 00:22:22,060 --> 00:22:24,700 to happen. But like, you know, I don't 449 00:22:24,700 --> 00:22:27,820 know that I'm really giving members anything because I 450 00:22:27,820 --> 00:22:31,360 make everything available and accessible to everyone. 451 00:22:32,620 --> 00:22:34,260 And the only thing that people 452 00:22:34,260 --> 00:22:36,460 don't pay for things that they hear me talk about if 453 00:22:36,460 --> 00:22:39,220 they listen to the podcast on a regular basis, right? 454 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:41,160 So I don't have a solid 455 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:45,420 business model as far as getting donations as far as 456 00:22:45,420 --> 00:22:49,980 retaining memberships. So that's just that's just 457 00:22:49,980 --> 00:22:53,680 what it is. I don't know what else to 458 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:57,720 say about that. Like, I am reaching out about 459 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,600 having things organized, but then like, randomly, a 460 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,600 person every few weeks might show up to a support 461 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,600 group and be like, damn, where is everybody? Yeah, 462 00:23:06,608 --> 00:23:08,500 it's just me and you and then be disappointed because 463 00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:12,460 they expect, you know, more people like me or like 464 00:23:12,460 --> 00:23:16,280 them who are part of something positive for 465 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,060 positive people because they want to see more people 466 00:23:18,060 --> 00:23:21,080 that are like them. And at a place where they want 467 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:24,660 to move through stigma, right? Or 468 00:23:24,660 --> 00:23:27,660 just just some sense of community, right? Like 469 00:23:27,660 --> 00:23:30,000 I'm really advocating for this sense of community. 470 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,140 And we have that, you know, as 471 00:23:32,140 --> 00:23:36,400 people one on one listen to the podcast episodes for 472 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:39,440 themselves or as people engage with Courtney one on 473 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:42,460 one, right? But what happens when Courtney 474 00:23:42,460 --> 00:23:44,780 is removed from the equation? Like, 475 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,440 is there just no more community? Is 476 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:49,960 there no more person for you to reach out to and 477 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,680 share and open up to and be able to express, you 478 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,760 know, hey, this messed up things happening. I 479 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,780 had the situation happen. I had this disclosure coming 480 00:23:58,780 --> 00:24:00,180 up. How do I go about moving 481 00:24:00,180 --> 00:24:03,280 forward with that? So I think I need to, you 482 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,880 know, sort of clone myself among healthcare providers 483 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:11,600 by producing workshops, offering a library of 484 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:16,000 resources. Handouts that can be distributed 485 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,560 directly from healthcare professionals providers. And 486 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,120 yeah, that's that's the plan. I'm 487 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:25,440 going to take some time to work on that. I 488 00:24:25,448 --> 00:24:28,020 have a very busy upcoming week and a half. Y 489 00:24:28,028 --> 00:24:29,760 'all are moving to New Jersey. I 490 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,660 saw my place is real. I'm going to be moving to 491 00:24:32,660 --> 00:24:37,000 Pasek, Northern New Jersey. I'll 492 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,620 be more easily accessible to get to New York City. 493 00:24:39,620 --> 00:24:42,400 I saw them told is like $17 494 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:46,040 or something each way. So I will be taking a bus. 495 00:24:46,220 --> 00:24:47,920 I'll be busing back and forth 496 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:51,800 to New York City and commuting that way. I 497 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,480 still don't plan on having a car. But 498 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:56,860 who knows? I mean, yeah, the way that 499 00:24:56,860 --> 00:24:58,580 things are shifting with something positive for 500 00:24:58,580 --> 00:25:01,420 positive people, I might even be able to get a 501 00:25:01,420 --> 00:25:04,640 physical location. Like I'm very much manifesting 502 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:07,800 that. No, I don't necessarily need it 503 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,940 at this point. But I'm in yoga therapy school. 504 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:12,640 I would like to be able to 505 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,560 have a space for people to come into for yoga therapy, 506 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,380 even in yoga classes, right? Ain't 507 00:25:18,380 --> 00:25:20,120 nobody coming to the virtual class and here I 508 00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:23,500 am talking about real, real classes. Ain't 509 00:25:23,500 --> 00:25:28,520 that crazy? No, but people ask me how they 510 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:30,500 can support me and I always say like there is 511 00:25:30,500 --> 00:25:32,960 nothing we can do without money. So 512 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,160 make donations. Yeah. But I think what's more 513 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:38,600 important to me right now is that the healthcare 514 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:41,600 organizations that you're connected to that you like 515 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:45,520 that you think need work or that you think can get 516 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:50,000 behind being someone who can contribute on a monthly 517 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:51,620 basis to mind you y 'all. We're 518 00:25:51,620 --> 00:25:53,980 nonprofit like something positive for positive people 519 00:25:53,980 --> 00:25:56,800 is a nonprofit. This isn't a for profit thing. 520 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,180 So this is tax deductible. All 521 00:25:59,180 --> 00:26:01,080 the money that comes into something positive for 522 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:03,980 positive people is tax deductible. And 523 00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:09,540 so the organizations that I'm advocating to be able 524 00:26:09,540 --> 00:26:13,160 to provide resources, workshops and trainings for 525 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:17,140 who are on the new subscription plan that is 526 00:26:17,140 --> 00:26:20,260 rolling out as we speak. These 527 00:26:20,260 --> 00:26:22,340 are tax deductible. You can write this off on your 528 00:26:22,340 --> 00:26:24,640 business taxes. So if you're an independent, 529 00:26:24,940 --> 00:26:29,580 you know, private office, if you are even a Planned 530 00:26:29,580 --> 00:26:32,160 Parenthood, I've got connections. So 531 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,680 I'm reaching out to my people who I'm connected to 532 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:39,240 already to see about, you know, what what I can what 533 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:41,900 kind of value I can add to these because when I'm 534 00:26:41,900 --> 00:26:43,760 hosting these workshops, I want to be able to pay 535 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:46,960 guest speakers to present on their area of expertise. 536 00:26:47,380 --> 00:26:50,220 I'm connected to very reputable 537 00:26:50,220 --> 00:26:53,780 healthcare professionals who can speak to the science 538 00:26:53,780 --> 00:26:56,920 of herpes transmission rates and things like that. But 539 00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,940 I think what's most important is the experiences 540 00:26:59,940 --> 00:27:02,620 of people living with herpes and being able to 541 00:27:02,620 --> 00:27:06,300 translate that to healthcare providers so that when they 542 00:27:06,300 --> 00:27:09,680 go on to take histories, deliver diagnoses that they 543 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:13,320 do their part in minimizing stigma as well. So 544 00:27:13,328 --> 00:27:19,340 I've been doing a lot of like presentations workshops 545 00:27:19,340 --> 00:27:22,360 for other people. But I think it's time to just 546 00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:25,740 have that being housed. Y 'all and if you want to 547 00:27:25,740 --> 00:27:29,020 help grow something positive for positive people, I 548 00:27:29,020 --> 00:27:31,200 really think that it's important that, you know, 549 00:27:31,220 --> 00:27:33,040 if you don't want to share among the public, like I 550 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:34,860 said, the people who are looking for the information 551 00:27:34,860 --> 00:27:38,520 will find it. I think that the healthcare 552 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:43,240 organizations need to be on the something positive for 553 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,240 positive people membership. These 554 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,920 are going to be different tiers than our normal 555 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,360 everyday members, different offerings. So 556 00:27:52,368 --> 00:27:55,980 if you are already a member, you there's no need 557 00:27:55,980 --> 00:27:58,000 for you to have these resources that I'm talking 558 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,640 about for healthcare professionals. If 559 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,400 you are an organization, please reach out to me. If 560 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,800 you're part of an organization, like ask me 561 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:09,940 because it's coming together as I'm going along. I 562 00:28:09,940 --> 00:28:12,420 have some very important things that I need to iron 563 00:28:12,420 --> 00:28:15,040 out over the course of the next few days. But 564 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,200 believe me, by the time the conference is here, I 565 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,580 will be saying, here's what this membership looks like. 566 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:24,300 Here's what is on there now. 567 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,460 Here's what you can expect moving 568 00:28:26,460 --> 00:28:29,060 forward. These are my goals. Like 569 00:28:29,060 --> 00:28:31,440 I said, I spoke it. This is what I'm choosing and 570 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,780 we hear y 'all we hear it. So 571 00:28:33,780 --> 00:28:36,380 that letting go series. If you are currently a member, 572 00:28:36,580 --> 00:28:40,140 you should be able to log into the the letting go 573 00:28:40,140 --> 00:28:42,720 tab. You'll be able to access all of 574 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:47,220 the yoga classes there and watch them one by one move 575 00:28:47,220 --> 00:28:49,480 through the process of letting go. I'm 576 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,680 in the process of also writing a book. So 577 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,600 the outline for the book is complete. I'm 578 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:56,600 waiting on my publisher to get back with me with 579 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,240 feedback so that I can write it up differently. 580 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,180 And we'll have an ebook out 581 00:29:01,180 --> 00:29:03,700 that's something positive for positive people letting 582 00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:08,360 go of herpes book or it'll just be by Courtney. So 583 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:10,080 we're going to be letting go of herpes. Take 584 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:12,120 me. So if you want a membership, 585 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:14,220 remember events are free. You 586 00:29:14,220 --> 00:29:17,740 get this kind of stuff for free as just a thank you 587 00:29:17,740 --> 00:29:20,860 for being here for rocking with me because I don't 588 00:29:20,860 --> 00:29:23,400 know like what I'm doing. I'm 589 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:25,600 figuring it out as I go. And 590 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,340 y 'all been here. Y 'all know y 'all know I 591 00:29:28,340 --> 00:29:30,660 went from trying to I've been paying for people to 592 00:29:30,660 --> 00:29:32,520 get therapy. I've been hosting these support 593 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,260 groups to teaching yoga to the podcast right and 594 00:29:36,260 --> 00:29:40,400 you're watching this organization refine itself 595 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:42,200 in real time. And I think that's a very 596 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:44,220 beautiful thing. It's very beautiful to see y 597 00:29:44,220 --> 00:29:46,040 'all be part of this. I've been looking at the 598 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:49,120 analytics and we have a little over 10 ,000 599 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:53,780 subscribers. And it's interesting because 600 00:29:53,780 --> 00:29:58,660 with Apple and Google Play, like you see the subscriber 601 00:29:58,660 --> 00:30:02,600 count. People don't actually press the 602 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:06,080 subscribe button. What happens is people come back 603 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,800 and listen to the new episodes and that's what it 604 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,700 sees. So my RSS feed shows me that 605 00:30:12,700 --> 00:30:16,460 10 ,000 people regularly come back and listen to 606 00:30:16,460 --> 00:30:18,640 podcast episodes again and again. But 607 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,700 don't press the subscribe button. Don't 608 00:30:21,700 --> 00:30:24,640 leave reviews. And these are the things that 609 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:31,460 grow nonprofits. So like I said, yeah, y 'all 610 00:30:31,460 --> 00:30:33,940 as you I understand where you're at. I 611 00:30:33,940 --> 00:30:37,540 understand how difficult it is to get involved. How 612 00:30:37,540 --> 00:30:42,180 difficult it is to make it real by taking an action 613 00:30:42,180 --> 00:30:46,320 that puts you out there to the world as being 614 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,960 connected with this nonprofit. Organization, 615 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,280 right? Like, yeah, you might send me a 616 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,160 message and then like delete the thread. You 617 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,660 might accidentally follow me, hurry up and unfollow 618 00:30:56,660 --> 00:30:57,840 me. You might make a new account, 619 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,660 say something to me, follow me and then go away. But 620 00:31:01,660 --> 00:31:05,440 those things, you know, I guess they're like 621 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:10,439 energetically doing something. But 622 00:31:10,439 --> 00:31:13,380 realistically, if you want to get involved, you want 623 00:31:13,380 --> 00:31:15,280 to do something the smallest thing you can do 624 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:18,080 is just tell me who I need to talk to. Tell 625 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:20,540 me who is a decision maker at this healthcare 626 00:31:20,540 --> 00:31:23,520 organization near you or that you know somebody at 627 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:26,600 or that you are aware of so that I can just pitch 628 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,980 them. Let me give me a shot. Just 629 00:31:28,980 --> 00:31:31,420 give me a shot to be able to pitch these organizations 630 00:31:31,420 --> 00:31:34,180 with this money that comes in. I'll 631 00:31:34,180 --> 00:31:35,980 be able to put these workshops on for the 632 00:31:35,980 --> 00:31:38,000 healthcare professionals so that they can treat y 'all 633 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:39,600 better. And when they treat y 'all 634 00:31:39,608 --> 00:31:42,600 better, they also are talking to the people who 635 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,460 don't have herpes and giving them the information 636 00:31:45,460 --> 00:31:47,660 and education that they need to go with. And 637 00:31:47,660 --> 00:31:50,260 when they have someone disclose to them, they know 638 00:31:50,260 --> 00:31:53,260 how to respond. Right? Like these are the kinds 639 00:31:53,260 --> 00:31:56,480 of things that I'm doing that I struggle to get 640 00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:04,200 people to show up to. So podcast, weekly, support 641 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,140 groups. I need to know that people 642 00:32:07,140 --> 00:32:11,760 are invested in coming. So the members of the 643 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:14,540 something positive for positive people membership, 644 00:32:15,340 --> 00:32:17,540 like I can hear from them. But 645 00:32:17,540 --> 00:32:21,659 it's mostly women and a couple of guys. And 646 00:32:21,659 --> 00:32:25,760 if y 'all are wanting a support group that meets, I 647 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:30,220 can do every other week, one for a men's group and 648 00:32:30,220 --> 00:32:32,440 one for a general population group. And 649 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,580 then I can teach the yoga classes as well. But 650 00:32:35,580 --> 00:32:37,460 if there's no interest, I'm not going to do it. And 651 00:32:37,460 --> 00:32:38,920 I'm only doing this for members. I'm 652 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:40,860 not going to do this like pop up every now and then 653 00:32:40,860 --> 00:32:43,440 whatever I do is going to be consistent. I 654 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:47,680 am very much honoring consistency after this 655 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,340 conference because I've been all over the place 656 00:32:50,340 --> 00:32:54,000 sporadically for way too long. And 657 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:55,520 I'm getting my life in order. I'm 658 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,220 getting things together. I have to be more structured 659 00:32:58,220 --> 00:33:01,200 and streamlined, especially coming at these 660 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,400 organizations and expecting them to, you know, 661 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:08,800 essentially fund my purpose and allow for me to be 662 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:11,760 able to continue to do all of these free things for 663 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:14,900 the community. Such as reach out to interview 664 00:33:14,900 --> 00:33:18,220 podcast guests and bring these additional values and 665 00:33:18,220 --> 00:33:21,540 offerings directly to the general population of people 666 00:33:21,540 --> 00:33:24,480 who might find this podcast and be able to offer these 667 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:26,160 support calls and everything else. It 668 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,280 is that y 'all are finding to be useful and valuable. 669 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,620 Yeah, I thought I was going to 670 00:33:33,620 --> 00:33:36,000 come here and talk about something else. But 671 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,880 I guess it was really heavy on my spirit to ask 672 00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:42,060 y 'all for help. Right. Like this is my ask. My 673 00:33:42,060 --> 00:33:44,940 ask is that if you are connected to health care 674 00:33:44,940 --> 00:33:48,080 facilities organizations, like tell them about 675 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:51,000 something positive for positive people, tell me 676 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:55,400 who I can email there or call there and talk to who 677 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,960 might be willing to hear me out and make a case 678 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:03,300 for why they what they would get out of and why 679 00:34:03,300 --> 00:34:05,160 they should be members of something positive for 680 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:08,540 positive people and what kind of resources we have 681 00:34:08,540 --> 00:34:11,719 to make accessible to them to be able to serve their 682 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:24,259 people. And 683 00:34:24,259 --> 00:34:28,108 I think that's what I'm going to do. I'm 684 00:34:28,116 --> 00:34:30,040 going to ask you all to follow through on my ask 685 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,659 for me. Follow through on my ask ASK not 686 00:34:33,659 --> 00:34:35,699 AS ASS. I think that's what it 687 00:34:35,699 --> 00:34:38,780 sounded like I said. September 688 00:34:38,780 --> 00:34:41,040 29th in person New York City. It's 689 00:34:41,040 --> 00:35:12,180 going to be a big day. I 690 00:35:12,180 --> 00:35:12,236 think that's what I'm going to do. I'm 691 00:35:12,244 --> 00:35:13,280 going to be able to get information and condensing 692 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:17,000 the information down to what I believe is going to 693 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:21,080 be the most valuable to the attendees so far. We 694 00:35:21,088 --> 00:35:23,860 got the St. Louis County Department of Health. 695 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:25,600 I've been trying to get in 696 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:30,140 these people's like radar for so long and I don't 697 00:35:30,140 --> 00:35:33,920 know what it has been. I think that it partially has 698 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,520 to do with herpes just not being a priority. I 699 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,040 don't know. But I think things are things 700 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:40,620 about the change after today. Mark 701 00:35:40,620 --> 00:35:44,940 my words. Y 'all is April 24th 2024 and 702 00:35:44,940 --> 00:35:47,440 I had these ideas today. Let's 703 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:49,940 see how soon we can get you know who's to say we 704 00:35:49,940 --> 00:35:53,580 can't get 510 organizations on board with the something 705 00:35:53,580 --> 00:35:56,020 positive for positive people membership and before long 706 00:35:56,020 --> 00:35:59,260 you see that our survey data is being handed out 707 00:35:59,260 --> 00:36:03,640 to people right upon diagnosis our yoga classes 708 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:07,620 and our podcast is being. Handed 709 00:36:07,620 --> 00:36:10,060 to people on a card or something like that. I 710 00:36:10,060 --> 00:36:11,620 don't know. I don't know. So 711 00:36:11,620 --> 00:36:14,400 I'm working on it. Thank you all for supporting me. 712 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:15,780 Here's how you all can continue 713 00:36:15,780 --> 00:36:18,680 to do so even if behind the scenes at a way that 714 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:24,400 I believe is as incognito as possible. I 715 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:26,540 thank y 'all. I love y 'all. Appreciate 716 00:36:26,540 --> 00:36:30,300 y 'all. Stay tuned for more episodes or 717 00:36:30,300 --> 00:36:32,240 something positive for positive people, especially 718 00:36:32,240 --> 00:36:34,120 where I'm not, you know, just talking about my 719 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:37,480 experience and running this business. Also, 720 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:40,300 I have like a column. I guess I'm a columnist on 721 00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:42,720 porn, hub, sexual wellness center now. So 722 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:45,100 I have like seven. No, eight. I'll 723 00:36:45,100 --> 00:36:47,500 have eight articles on May. Early 724 00:36:47,500 --> 00:36:50,140 May is when the most recent one comes out. But 725 00:36:50,140 --> 00:36:53,040 I have various articles about herpes and like 726 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:55,720 aspects of herpes stigma on there. I 727 00:36:55,720 --> 00:36:58,600 looked up and was like, yo, I'm actually a writer. 728 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:00,700 I'm over a herpes stigma 729 00:37:00,700 --> 00:37:02,560 writer. Y 'all. So 730 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:04,520 if you look me up on the poor hub sexual wellness 731 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:06,300 center, except Texas, because I think they banned 732 00:37:06,300 --> 00:37:08,060 poor hub. I'm sorry. I'm 733 00:37:08,060 --> 00:37:09,820 sorry. I can't get there. But 734 00:37:09,820 --> 00:37:12,560 I'm on that thing. I'm on it. So 735 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:17,960 bear with me over the next month, literally month. Oh 736 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:20,220 my God. It's a month from now. Y 737 00:37:20,228 --> 00:37:22,820 'all the conferences a month from now and I'm going to 738 00:37:22,828 --> 00:37:24,760 be in the process of moving across the country. 739 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:26,900 I have some my last few days 740 00:37:26,900 --> 00:37:31,020 of my other job in Portland. These 741 00:37:31,020 --> 00:37:33,160 are going to be really long days or 10 hour days, 742 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:35,940 which for me is more like 15 hours because I got to 743 00:37:35,940 --> 00:37:37,600 get up like three hours earlier. I 744 00:37:37,608 --> 00:37:40,960 got to go to the gym, shower, get to work, get 745 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,920 these genital exams. I get an hour break and then 746 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:46,280 go back to it. And then I got to say, by the 747 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:49,040 people after the work day ends, go to sleep, get up, 748 00:37:49,100 --> 00:37:50,740 do it again. I got a three days in the 749 00:37:50,740 --> 00:37:52,760 road and look like that. And 750 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:55,080 then I'm off to New Jersey. I'm 751 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:57,080 off to New Jersey. I got a training to continue 752 00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,760 to work part time teaching the genital exams. I 753 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:01,900 want to be able to continue to stay connected 754 00:38:01,900 --> 00:38:07,560 to the medical world. So working part time at NYU 755 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:12,460 as a male urological teaching associate still. 756 00:38:13,660 --> 00:38:15,360 And I start yoga therapy 757 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,180 training. So lots going on over here. 758 00:38:18,860 --> 00:38:21,780 But yeah, we this is my 759 00:38:21,780 --> 00:38:24,120 primary focus. I'm doing this. This 760 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:29,820 is the work I'm doing. So good vibes, y 'all. Good 761 00:38:29,820 --> 00:38:31,160 vibes. All right. Till 762 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:31,680 next time.