The World's Tightest Community - A Podcast About Vulvodynia, Vaginismus & Women's Pelvic Pain

Can Botox really help treat vaginismus and vulvodynia - and if so, how does it actually work? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Corey Babb, a board-certified gynecologist, ISSWSH fellow, and one of only four providers worldwide trained in the Pacik Multimodal Botox Protocol for vaginismus. Dr. Babb is the founder of Haven Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and co-authored the landmark research that est...

Social media platforms are systematically censoring medically accurate women's health content. Words like vulva, vagina, and vulvodynia are being flagged, shadow banned, and suppressed - not because they're explicit, but because the systems designed to moderate content were never built to tell the difference. This is about accurate, life-saving health information being treated as obscene. The prob...

What if the answer to painful sex wasn't another dilator - but something genuinely novel? In this episode, Mathilde sits down with Kelley, co-founder of Pelva and a fellow woman with lived-experience  who went from primary vaginismus and provoked vestibulodynia to building one of the most innovative femtech products in the vulvovaginal pain space. Kelley breaks down exactly how Pelva's hydrogel va...

In this episode, I'm joined by Heather Coppard - nurse, hypnotherapist, and author.  Heather spent years navigating the healthcare system as a patient with persistent vulval pain, experiencing firsthand the dismissal, gaslighting, and harmful messaging that so many of us know all too well. One particularly devastating appointment with a specialist became the turning point that drove her to write h...

I just got back from the ISSWSH (International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health) annual meeting in Long Beach, California - and I couldn't wait to bring everything I heard straight to you. This solo episode is part conference recap, part deep dive into the research I think matters most for anyone living with vulvovaginal pain, pelvic pain, or sexual pain of any kind. In this episode...

For decades, vulvodynia was considered a mystery condition with few answers and limited treatment options. That's no longer the case. In this episode, Dr. Andrew Goldstein - Clinical Professor at George Washington University and one of the world's leading experts on vulvar and pelvic pain - explains how 25 years of dedicated research has transformed our understanding of vulvodynia from a "black bo...

If you're dealing with vaginismus or vulvodynia, you know how limited treatment options can feel - and how rarely we see real innovation in this space. That's why I was so intrigued when I discovered light therapy as a potential tool for pelvic pain relief. In this episode, I sit down with Liz Frey, a pelvic health physiotherapist and Women's Health Medical Director at Fringe, to explore how light...

After experiencing vaginismus for over 15 years, Lauren found a treatment approach that finally worked - and it looked very different from the clinical, physical therapy-style dilation she'd tried before. In this conversation, Lauren opens up about her journey from her first painful gynecologist visit at age 12 through years of inadequate medical advice ("just relax" and "have a glass of wine"), t...

This episode isn't just about dating and relationships - though we definitely talk about that. It's about how vaginismus can impact every corner of your life: your confidence at work, whether you feel like an imposter in your career, how you express yourself creatively through movement or dance, your ability to assert yourself in everyday situations, and the mental space it occupies in your mind....

As the year closes, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you - to everyone who's listened, shared, and reached out. In this episode, I reflect on the journey so far, share a personal update on my own journey, and talk about about why fact-checking and accountability matter so much when it comes to information about women's bodies. Your feedback shapes this podcast. If you ever want to talk, sugg...

What happens in sex therapy for vaginismus and vulvodynia? In this conversation with certified holistic sexuality educator and embodied intimacy coach Lauren Elise Rogers, we explore how sex and relationship coaching addresses the root causes of sexual pain - beyond just the physical symptoms. Lauren shares her journey from purity culture to becoming a specialist in treating vaginismus, vulvodynia...

Vulvodynia can feel mysterious, isolating, and overwhelming - especially when treatments seem to focus on symptoms instead of causes. In this conversation, acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner Jennifer Dubowsky shares how she approaches vulvar pain through a whole-body lens built on 24 years of clinical experience. Jennifer walks us through the most common TCM patterns...

Thrush (aka yeast/candida infections) is common - 75% of women will experience it at some point - but for some women, it can trigger long-term vulvar pain (vulvodynia). In this powerful episode, Mathilde speaks with Philly Baines, a UK-based women’s health advocate, about her journey from repeated thrush infections to developing vulvodynia, and how years of medical dismissal led her to campaign fo...

In this conversation, pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Julie Sarton shares the small, surprising ways our daily routines - like how we sit, breathe, carry stress, or even pee - can quietly create or maintain pelvic floor tension. We unpack why “just doing Kegels” often backfires, how breath-holding and sucking in your stomach keep your pelvic floor on high alert, and what it really means to rel...

For so many living with vaginismus or vulvodynia, pain feels like a puzzle with missing pieces. What if one of those pieces is fascia - the thin, stringy web that connects every part of your body, where tightness in your jaw could whisper tension into your pelvis? In this episode, we unpack what fascia actually is, how it connects areas like the jaw and pelvis, and why this matters for anyone expe...

What really shapes how we live with vulvodynia, vaginismus and other pelvic pain conditions - biology alone, or also our emotions, thoughts, partner interactions and place in society? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Claudia Chisari, one of the most cited scientists in vulvodynia research and founder of Bloume Health. Claudia shares her own journey through years of pain and medical dismissal,...

Fear is one of our most powerful instincts - and it often plays a central role in vaginismus. In this episode, psychologist Dr. Seth Senecal explains how fear overrides logic, shapes our nervous system, and keeps our pelvic floor muscles from relaxing. Whether it’s a tiger chasing us or worrying that someone we love might leave, the body responds as if survival is on the line - and that signal can...

In this episode, Dr. Jill Krapf joins Mathilde to unpack the four main drivers of vulvar pain - hormonal, muscular, inflammatory, and nerve-related - and why these factors often overlap. She shares why she believes the catch-all term “vulvodynia” will eventually disappear as research continues to uncover specific root causes. We discuss how Dr. Krapf investigates these causes in her practice, from...

Join us with Sam Evans, intimate health expert and co-owner of Jo Divine, a UK pleasure shop specializing in skin-safe products. Sam shares her personal experience with vaginismus and how intimate products directly contributed to her condition. In this episode, we discuss: * How common ingredients in lubricants, condoms and other intimate health products can trigger vaginal pain * Why "doctor reco...

In part two of our two-part series, we explore the fascinating neuroscience behind pelvic pain with pelvic health physiotherapist Jo Gipson. We cover why pain isn't just physical but a complex response to perceived threat, and how our beliefs and past experiences shape our body's reactions. Jo breaks down how pain cycles can emerge, explains why anticipating pain can make it worse, and reveals why...

In part one of our two-part series, pelvic health physiotherapist Jo Gipson explains the basics of pelvic floor anatomy and the relevance for vulvodynia and vaginismus. She challenges common myths about Kegel exercises, explains why both muscle relaxation and strength matter, and shares practical treatment approaches from breath work to dilator use. Connect with Jo Gipson: Instagram: @jogipsonphys...

In this first episode, we dive deep into the often misunderstood world of vulvodynia and vaginismus with Dr. Tania Adib, a leading London-based gynecologist specializing in vulvar health. Through host Mathilde's personal journey and Dr. Adib's clinical expertise, we explore why these conditions are frequently dismissed by healthcare providers despite affecting up to 1 in 5 women. Dr. Adib breaks d...