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Monday call Insights
Addressing Common Concerns When You're Newly Diagnosed with Herpes
As many of you know, our Monday calls and community support are a constant reminder that you’re never alone on this journey. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by your diagnosis or uncertain about what the future holds—relationships, outbreaks, or even the risk of other STIs—I’ve been there too. Today, I want to share insights on some common concerns, debunk prevalent myths, and offer practical advice to help you navigate this new chapter in your life.
The Emotional Impact and Stigma of a…
From Hookup Culture to Real Connection: How Herpes Changes Dating for the Better
Our support group call this week was incredibly meaningful. It allowed us to dive deeper into our beliefs and boundaries when it comes to dating and relationships. Before I get into today’s discussion and my thoughts on it, I want to take a moment to celebrate our community. I absolutely love our space, and I love welcoming new members (hi, new members!). I love seeing familiar faces from those who have been joining our Monday calls for years. I love hearing life updates, whether they are herp…
It Is What It Is
Wow, what a week! Our support group had the absolute pleasure of welcoming a surprise guest speaker—one of our members’ moms, who happens to be a retired OBGYN. Her presence brought a fresh perspective to the medical side of living with herpes, and the opportunity to ask her questions was invaluable. But before we dive into all the incredible insights she shared, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the beautiful energy in our community this week.
I was thrilled to see new faces joining our c…
Breaking Down the Scapegoat: How Herpes (or Any Challenge) Can Help You Face Your Truth
Life has a funny way of forcing us to face the truths we’d rather avoid, doesn’t it? Sometimes, those truths come wrapped in challenges we didn’t ask for—like a herpes diagnosis. It’s easy to let that challenge become the scapegoat for everything else that isn’t going right in our lives. Trust me, I get it. We all lean on something to avoid digging deeper. Whether it’s substances like drugs or alcohol, or behaviors like binge eating, compulsive shopping, gambling, gaming, smoking, or eve…
Embracing Every Part of Your Life: Including Herpes
Wow, friends, it’s the first week of 2025, and it feels so good to be back with you all! Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays, but I’m definitely ready to know what day it is and maybe cut back on the pumpkin pies and cookies. (Although, if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen I just baked another batch of chocolate chip cookies—oops!)
As many of you know, I had a baby in early November, and life’s been a bit of a blur. But now that Conrad is two months old, I think we’ve ma…
Timeless Dating Advice: Wisdom from Every Season of Life
We're back—or more like I’m back—writing weekly blog posts! If you’ve been following along, you know I had my second baby in November, so it’s taken me a little time to find my rhythm again. Last night, I managed to snag a solid three-hour sleep chunk and hit a total of seven hours—so, I’m feeling surprisingly chipper today! Let’s dive into this week’s topic, which was inspired by one of our incredible support group calls.
If you’ve been here a while, you know how much I love our Monday cal…
Wondering If You’re Experiencing a Herpes Outbreak? Here’s What You Need to Know
As you all know, I love our weekly support group calls. It warms my heart to meet with people from all over the world, with different upbringings, cultures, and demographics, and to see us unite on one topic. We are all going to get through our diagnosis, and we're going to be able to live our lives with herpes.
When I was diagnosed in 2011, I felt so alone, scared, and lost. I would cry daily, sitting in my sorrow and misery. It was isolating and terrifying. As you all know, there are so m…
Exploring the Connection Between Women’s Health and Genital Herpes: A Personal Journey and Community Insights
This week’s support group calls were deeply impactful, with both familiar faces and new members joining from all over the world. Witnessing everyone’s transformation over time has been heartwarming. We covered some crucial topics, particularly female health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like herpes, and I’d love to share some insights from those discussions, along with personal reflections on my own health journey.
My Personal Health Journey: From Infections to Herpes
Looking …
Navigating Life With Herpes: Understanding Transmission and Embracing Parenthood
As always, I enjoy our weekly Monday support groups. We had some new members this week, and that always warms my heart. I love seeing how our community embraces new faces, offering kindness, empathy, and solidarity. One new member shared a beautiful reflection that moved me deeply: she expressed how grateful she was for finding the support group, as without it, she believed she would have been in a much darker place. She described still being in what she called the "Eeyore phase," feeling de…
Managing Herpes: What to Expect After a Diagnosis and How to Cope with Outbreaks
As you all know, I love our Monday support group calls. We had some new faces this week, and it was, of course, wonderful to welcome new people. I also love seeing the members who have been coming for years. We are all united by one thing—a microscopic virus. We are all here to learn, understand, and heal from our diagnosis. So, with that being said, let's talk a bit about being newly diagnosed since we had some new members this week.
I received some questions about what types of symptoms to …