Yoni Wellness: Tips for Better Vaginal & Sexual Health w/ Janelle King

Explicit content warning

04/06/22 • 49 min

EPISODE OVERVIEW: While missing from most wellness conversations, this episode is centered around vaginal and sexual health. I ask all of the questions you may be embarrassed or afraid to ask, but also things you may not even think to ask as it relates to your vagina and optimizing your sexual health. Whether you have a vagina or are raising someone with one - this episode is for you!

I have the pleasure of sitting down with Janelle King, a Registered Nurse, public health educator, and blogger over at The Nurse Note. Her mission is to simplify information related to vaginas, periods and sex and deliver it in a straightforward way so that we can learn what our normal is and when we need to seek advice. I ask her all the questions you may be too ashamed, embarrassed or didn’t even know you should ask about your vaginal and sexual health.

In this episode we talk about:

Knowing and recognizing the symptoms of, and differences between, bacterial vaginosis, a yeast infection or UTI
How HPV can cause several types of cancer, namely, cervical cancer
Why your partner should “freshen up” before sex too - especially if uncircumcised
Condom negotiation and how to have conversations with a partner to protect your sexual health
What might be causing your vaginal pH balance to be off
Conversations to have with your daughters about vaginal and period health
Unpacking the why behind the upward tick in STI rates
What to expect during a pelvic exam vs. pap smear
The implications of untreated STDs
Self-advocacy with STI screening and more!

How you can connect with Janelle:

On all social media platforms - @thenursenote

Website - www.thenursenote.com

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Vagina Bible by Dr. Jen Gunter - https://amzn.to/3DHmgXL

The Period Doctor - @theperioddoctor

Doctor Heather’s Advisory Cervix IG - @advisorycervixpod

Sex Ed in Color Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sex-ed-in-color/id1439204319

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Facebook: @thesistacirclepodcast
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Buy Me a Coffee (Support the Show): Here

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In this episode we talk about:

Knowing and recognizing the symptoms of, and differences between, bacterial vaginosis, a yeast infection or UTI
How HPV can cause several types of cancer, namely, cervical cancer
Why your partner should “freshen up” before sex too - especially if uncircumcised
Condom negotiation and how to have conversations with a partner to protect your sexual health
What might be causing your vaginal pH balance to be off
Conversations to have with your daughters about vaginal and period health
Unpacking the why behind the upward tick in STI rates
What to expect during a pelvic exam vs. pap smear
The implications of untreated STDs
Self-advocacy with STI screening and more!

How you can connect with Janelle:

On all social media platforms - @thenursenote

Website - www.thenursenote.com

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Vagina Bible by Dr. Jen Gunter - https://amzn.to/3DHmgXL

The Period Doctor - @theperioddoctor

Doctor Heather’s Advisory Cervix IG - @advisorycervixpod

Sex Ed in Color Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sex-ed-in-color/id1439204319

JOIN THE SISTA CIRCLE COMMUNITY

Subscribe to The Sista Circle Podcast:

Follow The Sista Circle Podcast:

IG: @thesistacirclepodcast
Facebook: @thesistacirclepodcast
YouTube: The Sista Circle Podcast

Subscribe to The Sista Circle Podcast Mailing List: Here

Buy Me a Coffee (Support the Show): Here

Support the show

Previous Episode

Consciously Coping: A Personal Story of Bipolar Disorder w/ Lindsay Anderson

EPISODE OVERVIEW: Disclaimer: This interview includes sensitive content that may be triggering, including, but not limited to suicide ideation and mental illness.

This episode is in honor of World Bipolar Day. I have the pleasure of interviewing Lindsay Anderson, who shares her personal experience of living with and managing multiple mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. She delves into the complexities of being misdiagnosed for years, navigating the mental healthcare system, and the importance of self-advocacy, amongst other topics.

In this episode we discuss:

How Lindsay started her blog, Consciously Coping, after searching YouTube for black mental health providers and not finding any
Lindsay’s mental health journey, which began in middle school with extreme bullying
The symptoms of bipolar disorder and how different episodes can feel
How getting the right diagnosis and right meds made a world of difference in managing her symptoms
Her 30 day stay in the psych ward and what the experience was like
Having a stroke and being paralyzed for 3 months
Lindsay’s toolkit for managing her mental health
..and much more!

ABOUT THE GUEST: Lindsay (she/her/hers) is a mental illness advocate, writer, and scientist with 20+ years of lived experience. She is well known for her raspy, yet powerful voice and honesty about the mental health system in America.

How you can connect with Lindsay:

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

JOIN THE SISTA CIRCLE COMMUNITY

Subscribe to The Sista Circle Podcast:

Follow The Sista Circle Podcast:

Subscribe to The Sista Circle Podcast Mailing List Here

Buy Me a Coffee (Support the Show) Here

Support the show

Next Episode

The Body Keeps Score: Acupuncture, Forgiveness and Healing Emotional & Physical Trauma

Trauma – whether emotional, physical or psychological – we’ve all experienced it at some points of our lives – some more traumatic than others. And whether it's left you struggling with upset emotions and memories, or feeling numb and disconnected – we can heal from it.

In this week’s episode, we explore acupuncture as a modality for healing from emotional and physical trauma with Carine Camara – Acupuncturist, Energy Healer and Spiritual Wellness Coach. During our conversation Carine shares her personal experiences of trauma and the ways it manifested in her body, including ovarian cysts, and how the use of acupuncture as an alternative to surgery created a pathway of healing and becoming a healer.

In this episode we discuss:

What acupuncture is and how it works
How emotions and trauma get lodged in the body and can affect our physical health
Forgiveness as a source of overcoming emotional and physical trauma
What it’s like working with an energy healer
Ways to work on emotional trauma that is stored in the pelvic region
Unravelling and undoing stories that no longer serve us in order to learn how to love ourselves
What it feels like to heal and be able to let go of emotional pain
Using the Hawaiian Ho'oponopono prayer to facilitate forgiveness
What’s in Carine’s wellness toolkit
...and more!

Content Warning: This interview includes sensitive content that may be triggering, including, but not limited to suicide ideation, sexual assault and sexual abuse.

How you can connect with Carine Camara:

Website https://carinecamara.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/carinejcamara/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carinehealing
Infinite Love Podcast: https://carinecamara.com/infinite-love-podcast/

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Empath’s Survival Guide by Judith Olaf, MD

Heal Your Body by Louise Hay

Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss

JOIN THE SISTA CIRCLE COMMUNITY

Subscribe to The Sista Circle Podcast:

Follow The Sista Circle Podcast:

IG: @thesistacirclepodcast
Facebook: @thesistacirclepodcast
YouTube: The Sista Circle Podcast

Subscribe to The Sista Circle Podcast Mailing List: Here

Buy Me a Coffee (Support the Show): Here

Support the show

The Sista Circle Podcast - Yoni Wellness: Tips for Better Vaginal & Sexual Health w/ Janelle King

Transcript

Faith: Sista Circle Podcast community, today's guest is a special one, especially as we'll be discussing all things vaginas and sexual health. I'm so grateful to have with me Janelle King, a registered nurse with a master's degree in Public Health. During her nursing career, she spent many years educating young women about reproductive and sexual health is also an accomplished blogger and writer as well as a journey award winner. Janelle, welcome to the Sista Circle, Queen.