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Your Baseline Beats the Chart: Rethinking Pregnancy MonitoringStandard charts tell you where the "average" pregnant body should be — but what about yours? Dr. Kat Sylvester joins Dr. Cara Quant to make the case for personalized baselines over one-size-fits-all norms, showing how MommyMonitor helps women track what's actually normal for their own bodies. It's a fresh take on pregnancy monitoring that puts the individual back at the center of her own care. Resources: The link to order Dr. Kat's book is below: ⁠⁠⁠Get your copy of Pregnancy Principles⁠⁠⁠ The link to Dr. Kat's free tracking cheat sheet is below: ⁠⁠⁠365Vitals Daily Health Snapshot⁠⁠⁠ Contact information: Website: ⁠⁠⁠365vitals.com⁠⁠⁠ IG: @operationmist Facebook: Operation M.I.S.T. LinkedIn: Katherine Sylvester, PT, DPT YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠@TheMommyMonitor⁠⁠⁠ Email address: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

How Moms Are Using Data to Make Doctors Listen Too many women leave appointments feeling unheard — Dr. Kat Sylvester is changing that with numbers doctors can't ignore. In this segment of Viva La Vulva, she talks with Dr. Cara Quant about how real-time data from MommyMonitor is helping moms walk into the doctor's office armed with proof, not just symptoms. It's a look at how technology is shifting the balance of power in the exam room — and finally getting women believed. Resources: The link to order Dr. Kat's book is below: ⁠⁠Get your copy of Pregnancy Principles⁠⁠ The link to Dr. Kat's free tracking cheat sheet is below: ⁠⁠365Vitals Daily Health Snapshot⁠⁠ Contact information: Website: ⁠⁠365vitals.com⁠⁠ IG: @operationmist Facebook: Operation M.I.S.T. LinkedIn: Katherine Sylvester, PT, DPT YouTube: ⁠⁠@TheMommyMonitor⁠⁠ Email address: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Her Own Pregnancy Nearly Killed Her... So She Built This Dr. Kat Sylvester's own terrifying pregnancy experience left her determined that no woman should be dismissed by the system again. On this segment of Viva La Vulva, she tells Dr. Cara Quant how that moment became the spark for MommyMonitor — a platform giving women real-time data about their own bodies. It's a raw look at how personal crisis turned into a mission for protection, power, and being believed. Resources: The link to order Dr. Kat's book is below: ⁠Get your copy of Pregnancy Principles⁠ The link to Dr. Kat's free tracking cheat sheet is below: ⁠365Vitals Daily Health Snapshot⁠ Contact information: Website: ⁠365vitals.com⁠ IG: @operationmist Facebook: Operation M.I.S.T. LinkedIn: Katherine Sylvester, PT, DPT YouTube: ⁠@TheMommyMonitor⁠ Email address: ⁠[email protected]⁠

De-M.I.S.T-ifying Pregnancy with Dr. Kat Sylvester What if your body could talk back — with data? In this episode of Viva La Vulva, Dr. Cara Quant sits down with Dr. Kat Sylvester, PT, DPT, physical therapist, certified VBAC doula, and founder of MommyMonitor, to unpack how technology is rewriting the rules of pregnancy and postpartum care. From her own home births to building a smart platform that gives women real, real-time data about their bodies, Dr. Sylvester breaks down why being informed is the ultimate form of bodily autonomy — especially for the women most often dismissed by the traditional medical system. This is a conversation about power, protection, and finally being believed. Resources: The link to order Dr. Kat's book is below: Get your copy of Pregnancy Principles The link to Dr. Kat's free tracking cheat sheet is below: 365Vitals Daily Health Snapshot Contact information: Website: 365vitals.com IG: @operationmist Facebook: Operation M.I.S.T. LinkedIn: Katherine Sylvester, PT, DPT YouTube: @TheMommyMonitor Email address: [email protected]

Pleasure, Autonomy, and Worthiness At its core, this conversation comes back to one question: who gets to decide what you're worthy of? In this segment, Ebonie Michelle closes with the message she most wants women living with cancer or chronic illness to hear — that pleasure isn't a privilege reserved for the "fully healed," and their body, however changed, still belongs to them. It's a powerful affirmation of autonomy and self-worth, and a reminder that reclaiming pleasure is its own act of healing. Resources: Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on: Socials: @prowlthelab Email: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Why Not Quality AND Quantity? Somewhere along the way, illness can make it feel like you have to choose — survive or feel good, live longer or live fully. In this segment, Ebonie Michelle pushes back on that false choice, making the case that quality of life and length of life were never meant to compete. It's a bold reframe for anyone who's been told, implicitly or explicitly, to put pleasure on hold while they heal — and an invitation to ask for both. Resources: Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on: Socials: @prowlthelab Email: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Rediscovering Your Pleasure Map Your body has changed — so the old rules of pleasure might not apply anymore, and that's okay. In this segment, Ebonie Michelle walks through what the "re-introduction" to pleasure actually looks like after cancer or chronic illness treatment, from practical entry points to addressing physical realities like dryness, pain, or loss of sensation. It's a grounded, hopeful guide to redrawing the map of what feels good, at whatever pace your body needs. Resources: Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on: Socials: @prowlthelab Email: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

How to Claim Your Sexuality Illness can make you feel like a stranger in your own body — but your sexuality isn't something cancer or chronic illness gets to take from you. In this segment, Ebonie Michelle shares how she coaches women through body shame, shifting body image, and the quiet grief of feeling disconnected from themselves as sexual beings. It's a candid look at what it actually takes to move from surviving to reclaiming — and a reminder that desire, pleasure, and identity are yours to define, on your own terms, at any stage of healing. Resources: Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on: Socials: @prowlthelab Email: [email protected] ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠ Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Pleasure After Cancer & Chronic Illness Diagnosis — featuring Ebonie Michelle, MPH What happens to desire, intimacy, and pleasure when your body has been through cancer or chronic illness? In this episode of Viva La Vulva, Dr. Cara Quant sits down with Ebonie Michelle, founder of Prowl The Lab, for an honest, tender conversation about reclaiming sexual identity after diagnosis and treatment. From navigating body shame and altered body image to the physical realities of vaginal dryness, pain, and loss of sensation, Ebonie brings both expertise and heart to a topic too often left out of the exam room. Whether you're a patient rebuilding your relationship with your own body, a partner learning how to show up differently, or a clinician wanting to open the door to these conversations without overstepping, this episode offers real tools and radical permission. Because pleasure isn't something you have to earn back — it's something you're always worthy of. Tune in for a conversation that centers healing, connection, and the unshakable truth that illness doesn't disqualify you from desire. Resources: Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle on: Socials: @prowlthelab Email: [email protected] ⁠Website⁠ Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Your Sex Life NEEDS This Conversation In this segment from our talk with Dr. Joli Hamilton, we get into the conversation most couples avoid but desperately need: talking openly about desire, boundaries, and what you actually want in bed. Dr. Hamilton, a relationship coach and research psychologist, explains why silence around sex quietly erodes intimacy — and how naming your needs out loud changes everything. This segment offers practical language for starting the conversation, even if it feels awkward at first, and makes the case that a thriving sex life starts with honesty, not mind-reading. Resources:  To work with Dr. Joli and more: ⁠⁠Dr. Joli Website⁠⁠ Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on social media: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

In this segment from our conversation with Dr. Joli Hamilton, we flip the script on jealousy — usually treated as the enemy of open relationships, but Dr. Hamilton makes the case that it's actually valuable information. As a relationship coach and research psychologist, she breaks down what jealousy is really signaling underneath the discomfort, and why suppressing it does couples more harm than sitting with it. This segment is about reframing jealousy from a red flag to a tool for self-discovery — helping listeners understand what it reveals about their needs, boundaries, and attachment patterns, whether they're non-monogamous or not. Resources:  To work with Dr. Joli and more: ⁠Dr. Joli Website⁠ Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on social media: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Why is Non-Monogamy Still Taboo? In this segment from our throwback episode with Dr. Joli Hamilton, we dig into why non-monogamy still carries so much stigma — even as more people quietly explore it. Dr. Hamilton, a relationship coach and research psychologist, unpacks the cultural scripts that keep monogamy positioned as the "default" and everything else as a deviation, and why that framing doesn't hold up under scrutiny. We talk through the double standards, the assumptions about jealousy and commitment, and what actually changes when couples give themselves permission to question the rules they inherited. A short but pointed listen for anyone curious about where the taboo comes from — and why it's worth challenging.

Rules, Boundaries, and Other Partners: A Throwback Worth Revisiting We're pulling this gem from the Viva La Vulva vault — and trust us, it's just as relevant today as the day it dropped. Dr. Quant is bringing back this classic episode because the conversation around non-monogamy hasn't gotten any less necessary. In this episode, we sit down with the esteemed Dr. Joli Hamilton, a relationship coach and research psychologist, who breaks down the real dynamics of navigating open relationships. Dr. Hamilton unpacks the emotional terrain couples face when they step outside traditional relationship structures — including the jealousy, insecurity, and communication hurdles that come with the territory, and how to move through them with honesty instead of shame. This episode is a masterclass in challenging the scripts we've been handed about love, commitment, and connection. Whether you're polyamory-curious, already in an open relationship, or just want a deeper understanding of how humans actually connect, Dr. Hamilton's insights offer both validation and practical tools. Consider this your permission slip to rethink what a fulfilling relationship can look like — on your own terms. Resources:  To work with Dr. Joli and more: Dr. Joli Website Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on social media: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

What if a world without HIV wasn't just a dream — but a decision we could make right now? In this compelling episode of Viva La Vulva, Dr. Cara Quant picks up where the conversation left off, diving deep into PrEP — the once-a-day pill (or injectable option) that can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by up to 99%. Yet despite its proven effectiveness, PrEP remains one of the most underutilized prevention tools among the very communities that need it most. For Black women — who are 10 times more likely to receive an HIV diagnosis than their White counterparts — the gap between what's possible and what's accessible is not a medical failure. It's a systemic one. This episode asks the bold question: if the science is there, why aren't the people? The path to a world without HIV runs directly through the communities that have been most left behind — and that means centering Black women's voices, experiences, and bodily autonomy in every part of the conversation. From dismantling the stigma that keeps women from asking their doctors about PrEP, to exposing the structural barriers that make access feel impossible, this episode is equal parts education and empowerment. Because PrEP isn't just a pill — it's a portal to sexual freedom, self-determination, and a future where HIV no longer writes the story of Black women's health. The science exists. The solution exists. Now it's time to make sure every woman who needs it knows she deserves it.

Black women represent nearly 50% of new HIV diagnoses among women in the U.S. — while making up just 13% of the population. That's not a statistic to scroll past. In this powerful episode of Viva La Vulva, Dr. Cara Quant sits down with three extraordinary guests to confront the HIV epidemic that continues to disproportionately devastate Black women: public health practitioner Nikole Trainor, sex educator Lashae Alexander, and Coloni Brown, a Black woman sharing her personal journey on PrEP. Together, they dismantle the shame, silence, and systemic failures that stand between Black women and the prevention tools they deserve — from the real barriers blocking PrEP access to the honest, shame-free conversations about safer sex that too many women have never been allowed to have. This episode isn't a history lesson — it's a rallying cry. Originally aired in 2023 and more urgent than ever, this podcast segment on Black Women and HIV: An Epidemic Within The Epidemic explores what bodily autonomy truly looks like when the medical system hasn't always shown up for you. Whether you're here to learn, to advocate, or to finally hear your own experience reflected back to you, this conversation is for you. Because community-rooted education and culturally relevant care aren't just helpful — research shows they save lives. Tune in, share widely, and remember: knowing is the first act of resistance.