Welcome to the SPFPP

Stigma Minimization Podcast

Storytelling, Stigma Healing, and Presence Practice

Since 2017, Something Positive for Positive People has used storytelling to help people feel less alone in the emotional weight of stigma. What began as a herpes support podcast is now a space where anyone navigating identity-based stigma—around mental health, sexuality, race, relationships, or simply being human—can come to feel seen.

If you’ve ever felt disqualified from connection because of how the world responds to who you are, this podcast is for you.

We don’t give quick fixes. We hold space. Every episode is a reminder that your existence is not a problem to solve—but a presence to be witnessed.

What You’ll Hear:

Real Stories: People share what it’s like to live, date, and love while navigating stigma.
Identity and Presence: We explore how presence helps people reclaim their identity beyond what the world expects.
Practical Tools: Guidance for disclosure, emotional regulation, and navigating relationships in ways that honor your truth.
Guest Conversations: We bring in experts and everyday people to talk about healing through herpes, heartbreak, queerness, shame, spirituality, sex, masculinity, and more.
Yoga-Informed Insights: Reflections on how the koshas (layers of being), nervous system regulation, and atomic alignment show up in the healing process.

Why This Podcast Still Supports People with Herpes

Herpes might’ve been what brought you here—but stigma probably isn’t new to you. Whether it’s been around your sexuality, mental health, masculinity, queerness, race, or just feeling like you don’t fit, stigma tends to stack.

This podcast still holds space for people navigating herpes. We’ve got hundreds of episodes about disclosure, dating, and identity. But over time, it became clear—herpes stigma is often the doorway to deeper healing.

If you’re here for herpes support, you’re in the right place. And if you’re starting to realize there’s more beneath the surface, you’re still in the right place.

We’re here to help you live with stigma—but not be defined by it.

Podcast Guest Intake Form

Name

First Name

Last Name

Please add your email address

Pronouns

Please list what pronouns you use

He/Him

She/Her

They/Them

Preferred Name on Podcast

What name do you prefer for the podcast?

Please list your social media handles and website if applicable

If you will be anonymous, disregard.

What's been your experience with stigma?

Share as much or as little as you'd like about your experience with stigma.

Share where you are now in regards to stigma between what you've learned, what you practice, and or any messaging you have to contribute to the SPFPP audience that helps minimize stigma.

If you learned something positive through stigma, what was it? If you haven't, share that too.

Boundaries

If there's anything you DO NOT want to discuss, share here what it is and we'll stay away from it. Keep in mind, conversation naturally will flow in various directions and this keeps me in flow with the direction of where it should go.

Scheduling Details

Please share your availability here and let me know when you can and can't meet.

Use the Search Bar

Looking for something specific? Use keywords like “herpes disclosure,” “dating,” “mental health,” or “nonmonogamy” to pull up relevant episodes.

Want More Support?

Explore our Herpes Support Call and Stigma Support Call offerings, or check out our Yoga Therapy offerings for more presence-based care.

Stay Connected

Join our newsletter below to hear about new podcast episodes, virtual events, support groups, and meetups.

Courtney Brame 8/1/24 Courtney Brame 8/1/24

SPFPP 346: Herpes Support is the Foundation Toward a Cure

In Episode 346 of the SPFPP podcast, Lauren and I delve into the intricacies of herpes advocacy, highlighting both our challenges and triumphs. We discuss the societal tendency to value paid resources over free, volunteer-driven support, and how this affects our work. We also explore the necessary steps toward achieving a cure for herpes, emphasizing the importance of general acceptance and the reduction of stigma. Join us as we navigate these critical topics and learn more about the ongoing research for a herpes cure at www.spfpp.org/herpes-cure-research. Support our mission at www.spfpp.org/donate.

Courtney Brame 11/8/19 Courtney Brame 11/8/19

Episode 106: The Herpes Cure - a $2k Lesson on Healing

In this episode, we explore the vulnerability and desperation following a herpes diagnosis and the predatory scams promising a cure. Our guest, Lindsay, shares her $2,000 lesson on healing and the red flags of false cures. We discuss the importance of empowering oneself with accurate information and the potential future of demanding a cure or vaccine for herpes.

Courtney Brame 7/30/19 Courtney Brame 7/30/19

Episode 30: Rich Mancuso - Author of Asking for a Friend

In Episode 30 of SPFPP, 49-year-old Rich Mancuso, author of "Asking for a Friend," shares his journey with HSV-2, including participating in a clinical trial for a vaccine. Rich discusses his diagnosis, the impact of stress on outbreaks, and the importance of shedding light on herpes to reduce stigma. The episode also touches on the relationship between shame and testing new treatments in the US.