HSV in the Lifestyle: Breaking the Herpes Stigma with Courtney Brame

Today we are going there. Full send. Adam and Pris sit down with Courtney Brame — founder of Something Positive for Positive People (SPFPP), host of a podcast with over 350 episodes, 500-hour certified yoga teacher, co-author of a sex education book, and one of the few men of color leading the national conversation on HSV stigma. Courtney was diagnosed with genital HSV-2 in 2013. Instead of shrinking from it, he turned that experience into a full-on movement — one that has helped thousands of people reclaim their identity, their sexuality, and their sanity after a herpes diagnosis. This episode is not just for people who are HSV positive. It is for anyone who has ever had sex, is having sex, or is planning to have more of it. Which, if you're in the lifestyle, is all of you. In This Episode: Courtney's origin story — how a Saturday morning at his grandmother's house led to founding a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has saved lives Why 36% of people report suicidal ideation after a herpes diagnosis — and why Courtney decided that was unacceptable The truth about HSV-1 vs. HSV-2 — and why your middle school health class completely failed you Cold sores. Yeah. Those. We're going there. The lifestyle's unspoken assumption that "nobody here has anything" — and why that assumption is the actual problem How to have the disclosure conversation — Courtney literally walks us through his real-life script, word for word Why communicative sex is the safest sex — and what that actually looks like before clothes come off The 360-degree analogy that reframes everything you think you know about what a diagnosis means for your identity How yoga therapy became a cornerstone of Courtney's healing framework — and why nervous system regulation matters more than you think Plus: Pris gets completely honest about her own ignorance around HSV, Adam gets real about the "turn off the anxiety brain mid-play" problem, and both of them leave the conversation humbled, educated, and genuinely better equipped to have these conversations in the community. Find everything Courtney is building at spfpp.org — support groups (Mondays, separate men's and women's), one-on-one peer support, yoga therapy, ongoing surveys, resources, and more. Go find your people. They are there. And as always, everything from Beyond Monogamy — every episode, video clip, blog post, events tab, and our 100% anonymous confessional — lives at www.beyond-monogamy.com. If this episode hit different, you already know what to do. Like it. Share it. Leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Word of mouth is how we grow this community.