Sex, Body, and Soul

This show tells the story of actress Jess Jacobs and her journey in “coming out” about her abortion. We discuss her decision making, her experience with medical abortion and then her activism. Jess is an award winning actress, producer, speaker, activist and philanthropist.

This show is about systemic racism in America, addressing personal biases, current affairs and some of the potential solutions for racial equity. We are joined by Ian Solomon, dean of the University of Virginia's Frank Batten School of Leadership where he leads a team dedicated to creating new knowledge, ethical and effective leaders, working on solutions for humanities greatest policy challe...

Roe v. Wade is  t he case that legalized abortion in the United States in 1973. Safe, legal abortion was a federal constitutional right nationwide for nearly 50 years. But today's Supreme Court is dominated by justices who are hostile to abortion rights. With the recent ban on abortion rights in certain states in America and in many countries, it's a confusing time for us to really under...

Wanting privacy and feeling shame when it comes to our bodies, tends to go hand in hand. Often an embarrassing or life changing healthcare issue comes up and we really don't want to face a doctor, or we just want to talk to someone who has been there. On this show we are joined by Beth McNaughton, VP at Inspire to talk about finding a safe community to share our healthcare concerns without the fea...

Claudia Naim-Burt is a mother of 2 young boys and COO of Keep Company and is an expert of self-care and practicing work life balance. We go deep into how to both keep your employees while also being kind to yourself. We will make no more excuses for being a successful executive and a mother and doing your best in all areas. Woman having it all just doesn't exist, it's all about inte...

There is not one person in the world that hasn't been affected in some way by the Coronavirus, global pandemic . We have lost trillions in GDP, it has taken precious lives and we have lived in isolation away from our loved ones. The long-term ramifications are still not clear. I talked with Dr Marc Valitutto, a scientist and conservationist from Eco Health Alliance and Lynn Men...

As we age, we also lose our loved ones, that's sadly life! Often losing our parents and siblings, can lead us down on our own morbidity journey. Our guest Valerie VonSobel, a survivor of the Communist era in Hungary, tragically lost her son, mother and husband all at the same period of time and while grieving used her art and love of fashion as healing mechanisms. This is...

At some point we have probably faked for a variety of reasons; we are really into him; we want to get it over with; he is not good at it and we don't want to hurt his feelings...the list goes on. I could get an Oscar for my performance! On this podcast with our very own Dr Kelly Casperson we talk about having the best sex of your life! No more reason to fake, it really does not help anyo...

Serial Entrepreneur businessman and Saudi Arabian native puts the record straight about what he thinks it's like to live in Saudi as a woman but also what some of those misconceptions are in Islamic culture. We talk about "chop chop square" where in past times you were beheaded for not conforming with the religious police or for adultery. We discuss what rights a woman or members of the LGBTQ...

After a horrific and tragic Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia 2015, eight passengers died and many severely injured. Geralyn was thrown from the train with such force that she sustained catastrophic injuries to her chest, abdomen and her pelvis, she was not expected to survive. The irony was that she worked as a senior leader of a global healthcare pharmaceutical company, who also helpe...

Esther Blum is a very cool best selling author and nutritionist, think Sex and the City meets Martha Stewart! She runs a virtual practice that helps women balance hormones, lose stubborn body fat while treating root causes of health struggles especially at time of menopause. She does this while sipping a martini! You get the picture, Esther is cool. She has authored many books...

Dr Edie Zusman is a world-renowned board-certified top brain and spine surgeon. Among many professional appointments she has served as Chief of the Neurosurgery division at her Mayo Clinic Network affiliated Northern Hospital. Dr Zusman works all over the world in her field but has a particular passion in concussion screening for family violence victims. In that vein she has started...

Dr. Elisseeff is the Professor Director of the Translational Tissue Engineering Center at Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering. Jennifer received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD in Medical Engineering from the Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.  Jennifer’s initial research efforts focused on the development of new b...

Dr Singla is a practicing gastroenterologist with Capital Digestive Care who specializes in colon cancer screening, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. He spent 15 years in the US Navy as flight surgeon and gastroenterologist before settling down in the DC area with his wife and his son. I came across Dr Manish due to my own concerns and symptoms with Colon Cancer and he just...

Dr Montes brings a wealth of experience in minimally invasive surgical procedures. She completed her residency with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center training at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Texas. A Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and a Fellow of the American College of OB/GYN. Dir.. Montes is fluent in both Spanish and English....

Vulvas need love too, especially when we are having painful sex. Vulva health is something that is not usually discussed, another ridiculous taboo subject! We are lucky to have vulva expert Dr Jill Krapf on the show today who is a board-certified Obstetrician Gynecologist specializing in female sexual pain disorders. We discuss everything to know about why you might experience painf...

Always honored to be featured on other podcasts. This one with Dr Kelly Casperson's "You are Not Broken". Kate Roberts has 30 years of experience working in global development, philanthropy and business. She has tackled some of the most challenging women’s issues, including HIV/AIDS, sexual reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, sanitation, maternal health and gender-based violence. She is a foun...

Medicine is finally starting to catch up with the times, but there's a long way to go. On this show we talk with Dr Blair Peters, a board certified surgeon who specializes in gender affirming surgery. Historically, a majority of gender-affirming surgeries had been performed, in a sense, behind closed doors -- barely visible and hidden away from mainstream academic medicine. Dr Peter's is not...

Time to talk everything menopause. Dr Heather Hirsch is an internal medicine physician specializing in women's health and menopause care. She primarily focuses on the education and treatment of symptomatic perimenopause (the first stage of menopause) and menopause. There is so much that potentially can happen to our bodies during this time such as painful sex, bone density reduction...

Dr Shannon Clark is a  double board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist  focusing on the care of women with maternal and/or fetal complications of pregnancy. We talk about our dual journeys of trying to get pregnant at the age of 40, both having IVF and both successfully having children, Shannon with a donor egg, giving birth to twins! It's all...

Dr Louann Brizendine, M.D., is an American brain scientist, a neuropsychiatrist who is both a researcher and a clinician and professor at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the author of three books: The Female Brain, The Male Brain and most recently The Upgrade. We have a fascinating discussion about how the female brain just keeps getting better into midlife and w...

Cycle -Syncing nutritionist Nicole Bendayan is a women's health expert who helps women overcome the havoc caused by hormones and their cycle through nutrition and lifestyle. Hormone cycles impact every aspect of a women's life from physical and mental health to productivity to relationships. We talk about all of this and more, from what to eat, how to thrive and even the benefits of sex durin...

Monika Friedman is a fertility coach with focus on the mind-body connection providing emotional, lifestyle and practical support for women who are ready to take charge of their fertility.  She is also a health & life coach and yoga & meditation instructor, offering her clients a holistic approach to fertility. Her own long journey to becoming a mom included 4 rounds of...

Mark Davis (real name Stephen Scott) is a very famous straight adult entertainer British export with over 3,000 scenes to his name and 30 years in the sex industry. He has spent his adult life starting at just 18 as a porn star, director, Chippendale dancer and model. He is now retired, living a suburban LA life with his wife and adorable pup! In 2003 he was inducted into...

A passionate activist; Alyse Nelson is the Co-founder and CEO of Vital Voices, an organization that works with women leaders to develop training programs and international forums in over 120 counties. It offers a space for women to be heard and invests in women to improve the world. Prior to her work with Vital Voices, Alyse served as deputy director of the...