V.&Me: Vaginismus - Let's name it not shame it

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with Rashmi Pithavadian. As a Health Sociologist and Health researcher, Rashmi has a real passion to support others to find the help they need. Wanting to address a gap within the field, she made vaginismus her specialist area and dedicated her MRes and PhD researching vaginismus and help seeking. In this episode we discuss her findings on vaginismus, help seeking and the relationship to the sense of self. So please make yourself comfortable (or take us out on your walk) and join Rashmi and I while we are curious and reflect on all things related to vaginismus and finding support. Follow V.&Me on insta @letscallherv and don't forget to like, share & subscribe where possible. **mentioned in the podcast Links to vaginismus related articles: Pithavadian, R., Dune, T. & Chalmers, J. (2024). Patients’ recommendations to improve help-seeking for vaginismus: a qualitative study. BMC Women's Health, 24(203). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03026-x Pithavadian, R., Chalmers, J., & Dune, T. (2023). The experiences of women seeking help for vaginismus and its impact on their sense of self: An integrative review. Women’s Health, 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057231199383 Link to Rashmi’s website coming soon

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with Kim Vopni. With a real passion for all topics related to our pelvic health, Kim is a women's health educator, author, and fitness professional better known as 'The Vagina Coach.' As the pelvic floor is a set of muscles we shouldn't take for granted, in this episode we make a start to get to know the important part it plays in our health. So please make yourself comfortable (or take us with you while doing your chores) and join Kim and I while we are curious and reflect on all things related to our V's and our pelvic floor. Follow V.&Me on insta @letscallherv and don't forget to like, share & subscribe where possible. **mentioned in the podcast www.vaginacoach.com Social media Kim Vopni - @vaginacoach Book: Your Pelvic Floor (https://www.vaginacoach.com/books)

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with the brave Georgina. Suffering from PTSD after an abusive relationship, vaginismus took on a different meaning but the pandemic allowed Georgina to stand still and learn of how to put herself first again. In this episode Georgina takes the courageous step to share her story after years of living in fear of what might happen when she would open up. So hear her story and join us for another open and honest conversation about vaginismus and more. Don't forget to like or rate where possible or follow @letscallherv on instagram. **mentioned in the podcast CBT - https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral or https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/overview/ V.&Me Group Coaching - https://www.audreycairo.com/vandme

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me for the last conversation of the year where we will hear a story of perseverance. From not being able to normally wear jeans due to vulvodynia or from having a fear of getting it wrong through her religion, the relationship between my guest and her V. had already started on the wrong foot. In this episode we will hear a story of bravery and strength of how she dared to create new boundaries for herself, her faith and her V. So make yourself comfortable and join us in another wonderful chat about vaginismus and more. **mentioned in podcast https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vulvodynia/ https://www.jodivine.com/blogs/sexual-health/how-to-treat-vaginismus https://www.audreycairo.com/vandme https://www.shushlife.com/courses/ https://www.thevaginismusnetwork.com/ Don't forget to share, like where ever possible or follow @letscallherv on instagram

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with the lovely Hannah. After coming a long way having worked through a mild depression there was just this one thing she knew she didn't discuss with her therapist... this thing called Vaginismus. Vaginismus had been put on the bottom of the pile but when getting engaged Hannah decided she was ready to explore. How did she move from feeling disconnected from her V.(agina) to acceptance? This is an episode full of mindset shifts while being on this journey. So find yourself a comfy seat or take us out for a walk and join us in another conversation about vaginismus and more. Please don't forget to share, discuss, rate and follow where possible. **mentioned in the podcast V.&Me Group coaching programme Inspire dilators (Googlegoo to find a variation of prices)

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with Leah Tassios, the creator and founder of the GINA app. After opening up about her own vaginismus journey and when sharing her knowledge with a friend, Leah decided to create an app that is fully dedicated to inform and support others to overcoming vaginismus. In this episode Leah shares her personal vaginismus journey and what has sparked her to shine a light on sexual pain and to create hope through the GINA app. So get ready, take us out for a walk or get your tea to join a new episode of V.&Me ;) Don't forget to share, like and follow V.&Me on insta @letscallherv ** mentioned in podcast https://ginaapp.com/ hello@ginaapp.com

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with Holly Spillar. After multiple trips to her GP Holly knew from an early stage in her career that she wanted raise awareness of vaginismus. In this episode Holly shares her vaginismus journey and what has inspired this talented theater maker to create her solo show called HOLE. So make yourself comfortable (or take us for a walk) and join Holly and I for an open and honest conversation about vaginismus and more. Don't forget to share, like & follow V.&Me where possible or find V.&Me on insta @letscallherv to keep updated. **mentioned in the podcast Info V.&Me coaching programme - www.audreycairo.com/vandme Holly Spillar Instagram - @hollyspillar Facebook - Holly Spillar Artist Don't hate Dilate video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXX-RrKM6K0 Next performance will be on 27th September at Camden People's Theatre London. Find tickets on (Part of Big Bang) https://www.cptheatre.co.uk/show-tickets/?showid=BIGBANGAUTUMN202127&id=17771&EventInstanceId=

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with solo theatre maker Lorna Meehan. After years of shying away of intimacy, her memories come flooding back when meeting the boy she lost her virginity to. In this episode Lorna shares her vaginismus journey and what has inspired her to create NO ENTRY! So make yourself a beverage of your liking and join Lorna and I while we reflect on vaginismus and much more. Don't forget to share, like and follow V.&Me on insta @letscallherv. **mentioned in podcast https://twitter.com/lornaemeehan?lang=en https://www.cptheatre.co.uk/production/no-entry/ https://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/event-details/172132ASTVDCJJCHNSNQPVSDTBDQQCKBJ/no-entry/

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with the lovely Lisa Mackenzie of The Vaginismus Network. Knowing the power of connecting she's been building an amazing worldwide community to support those who are being challenged by vaginismus. In this episode we dive deep into Lisa's personal story where she shares the impact that vaginismus has had on her life. From the fear of being found out, to living a parallel life, Lisa shares her journey so far and what has inspired her to now help and connect so many others. So make yourself comfortable and join Lisa and I for another good old natter about vaginismus and more. ** mentioned in podcast https://www.thevaginismusnetwork.com/ Don't forget to subscribe, share & rate where possible as partners or anyone who has or who shows interest in vaginas can benefit of hearing these stories, for themselves and for you. Follow V.&Me on Instagram on @letscallherv

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with the talented Fran Bushe. Fran is an award-winning writer, comedian and performer who has been on a quest to fix her sex life and to understand her V. From a young age Fran came to realise that sex might not be as we see in the movies, believing her sexual experience was wrong and that she was the only one going through this. In this episode Fran shares her journey so far, standing still of what has led her to dedicate her career writing about her "broken" vagina. So please make yourself comfortable (and get some snacks) and join Fran and I while we reflect on all the things about our V's and so much more. Follow V.&Me on insta @letscallverv and don't forget to share, subscribe & rate where possible. **mentioned in podcast https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-diary-of-my-broken-vagina http://franbushe.com/

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with the wonderful Emily Sauer, who is a spreader of joy and the inventor of Ohnut*. After years of experiencing pain with deep penetration, her world changed with one crazy (brilliant) idea: What if you put a pink frosted donut on a penis to make it shorter? This is an episode full of heart, honesty and openness where Emily shares her journey of how years of blame brought her to creating change and awareness for so many others like herself who suffer from painful sex. She started with the creation of Ohnut. So make yourself comfortable and join Emily and I for another amazing chat about our V's and more. *What is Ohnut you ask? Ohnut is a soft compressible buffer made from 4 rings, that can be used together or individually to adjust when penetration feels too deep, without sacrificing sensation. Please find link below for more information. **mentioned in podcast https://ohnut.co/ https://www.painperceptionproject.com/ https://www.pelvicgym.co/ Don't forget to subscribe & rate where possible. Find V.&Me on Instagram on @letcallherv

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with Me, Audrey! In this bonus episode I take a moment to talk to you directly and share a little more about myself. I'm very aware that you might have been wondering who I am....but can I just say it's way more challenging to interview myself than to interview others. So let's go for a short walk (down memory lane) together and have a natter about vaginismus and more. Don't forget to rate, share and subscribe www.audreycairo.com/vandme Follow Instagram @letscallherv

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with Rosie, aka @vaginismuswho on Instagram. From the moment Rosie was introduced to the word vaginismus she secretly hoped to find a practical and simple approach to carry on as normal. But the moment she was sent home with her first dilator she came to find out that things might go a little bit different. In this episode Rosie takes us on her personal journey pre botox and post botox. What has she learned so far about herself, her beliefs and her body? And did she find the solution she was hoping for? Now grab a cuppa (and a few snacks perhaps) and join Rosie and I for a good old natter about vaginismus and more. Don't forget to subscribe & rate where possible. Follow @letscallherv on Instagram

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with the awesome Milly. Shortly after a big build up of losing her virginity Milly found herself feeling cheated. Just when sex was starting to get good things went bad... In this episode Milly shares her vaginismus journey so far from first time sexual experiences, painful UTIs and medical procedures to working on regaining a positive body image and mindset. It's an episode full of curiosity where we get up close and personal with lot's of laughter and reflection. So get comfortable and join Milly and I for another good old chat about vaginismus and more.

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with Jenny. After the ending of a long term relationship Jenny found herself feeling worthless, angry and her confidence being knocked. Her worst fear had come true, vaginismus had been used as the reason for the break up. In our conversation Jenny shares her vaginismus journey so far. What did she learn about herself? And how did she move away from anger to focus on loving the amazing woman she really is? **mentioned in podcast https://adventureinself.blogspot.com/ https://www.thevaginismusnetwork.com/

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation with the wonderful Alona. After years of being disconnected from her V. and after being told that she had to go 'fix herself' Alona and I dive deeper of how she went from not being able to say the word vagina out loud to now being able to scream it from the roof tops. This is an emotional but beautiful episode where she takes us on her journey and shares the underlying reason of her vaginismus of how unconsciously her body has tried to protect her for all these years. There might be some tears and there might be some swearing (from my side) but our conversation is filled with love and laughter. So get yourself a cuppa and join me in another chat about vaginismus and more. **mentioned in podcast https://www.audreycairo.com/vandme

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.&Me in conversation about moving through shame and rebuilding self esteem. After going back and forth to the doctor my guest shares her journey about recently finding out about her vaginismus. For years she had been so hard on herself, where her inner critic told her "It's your fault!" and "What is wrong with you?!" This episode is a journey of discovery of how she moved from confusion to work in progress. So it's time to get comfortable and join me in another chat about vaginismus and more. **mentioned in podcast https://www.therubyglow.com/ https://ohnut.co/ https://www.thevaginismusnetwork.com/ https://www.audreycairo.com/vandme

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) Join V.& Me in conversation with the lovely Rosie. Rosie opens up about her journey reconnecting with her vagina (aka Victoria) and about how she became more confident with herself and others. What silver linings did she find through her challenges with vaginismus? So grab yourself another cuppa and join Rosie and I for a good old chat about vaginismus and more.

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) You might know Kat Wilson as one of the co-founders of https://www.thevaginismusnetwork.com/ but what is her actual vaginismus story? How did she get to open up about something so personal? Who is this wonderful human who went from wanting to connect with just one other woman with vaginismus to connecting to so many? In this very first episode we dive deep with Kat and will hear more about her personal 'V.&Me' journey and how she got to open up in so many ways. So grab yourself a cuppa and join Kat and I for a good old chat about vaginismus and more.

Click here to send a text and to let us know what you think :) V.&Me is all about empowering those who are being challenged by vaginismus and in the coming episodes we'll be sharing personal experiences of women who either have or are on their journey to overcome this condition. This first series Vaginismus -Let's name it not shame it is hosted by professional coach Audrey Cairo and is featuring courageous women who know the importance of you hearing part of their vaginismus story. Subscribe now for updates.