Audacity Diaries: Herpes, Healing, and Hope

Promoting Children's Literacy in the Virgin Islands

For National Reading Month, Karly and Gavina highlight Virgin Islands programs that promote early literacy and access to books, noting concerns about kids being distracted by TV and social media. They feature the Virgin Islands Children’s Museum’s partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends free high-quality (including bilingual) books monthly to children from birth to age five, and encourage families to sign up to demonstrate community need, especially given limited public libraries. They also discuss the Little Free Library network, with about 18 locations across St. Thomas and St. John, and mention using the Little Free Library app to find them. They share reading recommendations, Living in a Lake, Atomic Habits, Die With Zero, Gray After Dark, and  How I Found Life Freedom and Justice: The Sun Does Shine, Gavina mentions her poetry books Familiar: A Strange Sort of Deja Vu and Very Truly Yours. They urge donations and visits to support the nonprofit museum. The Virgin Islands Children's Museum Website: www.vichildrensmuseum.org Donate Here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ZSMA5AC4MTPF8 Links to the books mentioned: Familiar: A Strange Sort of Deja Vu - https://a.co/d/08bDhvDe Very Truly Yours - https://a.co/d/0ctV9Owr Atomic Habits - https://a.co/d/0bOQ3UNF Lady in the Lake - https://a.co/d/06lwQtPg Gray After Dark - https://a.co/d/06rKKw0r Die with Zero - https://a.co/d/03s2BBPc How I Found Life Freedom and Justice: The Sun Does Shine - https://a.co/d/0hr4ZsF6 Keep in touch with The Audacity Diaries Podcast: Follow us on Instagram: @theaudacitydiariespod Follow Karly on IG: @Karlysmiles Follow Gavina on IG: @la_gavi__

Audacity Diaries: Herpes, Healing, and Hope

Gavina and Karly welcome Shana Singleton, a wellness coach for Black women who test positive for herpes (HSV), who helps women stop outbreaks and get laid by building unconditional self-love, confidence, and sexual health literacy. Shana explains how she felt called to this work after seeing suicidal despair in private HSV spaces and noting a lack of Black representation compared with white women speaking from privilege. Diagnosed in 2015 the same day she learned she was pregnant, she describes fear, misinformation, a toxic relationship, and single motherhood. She coaches clients from panic to empowerment by shifting focus from seeking others’ acceptance to self-worth, practicing disclosure as a broader sexual health conversation, and reframing rejection as redirection. She offers resources, community groups, a Patreon hub, masterclasses, dating tools, and her book Outbreak Free, plus both holistic and medical perspectives, and shares strict routines and boundaries to protect her mental health. This episode isn't ONLY for people who are HSV+ instead, it's information that EVERYONE needs whether you've been diagnosed or not. Are you audacious enough to have the hard conversations? Tap in! Amazon link to Shana's book: "Outbreak Free" https://a.co/d/09zpT6PB Where to find Shana: Instagram: @heycousinscommunity and @shanasingleton TikTok: @coahshanasingleton and @heycousinscommunity Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HeyCousins Facebook: Shana Singleton Keep in touch with The Audacity Diaries Podcast: Follow us on Instagram: @theaudacitydiariespod Follow Karly on IG: @Karlysmiles Follow Gavina on IG: @la_gavi__

The Truth About My Mental Breakdown —Why Mental Health and Going To Therapy is Important

Karly and Gavina discuss how the intense snow and ice storm in DC disrupted their routines, including missing daily walks and staying home from work because the sidewalks and driving conditions were unsafe. Gavina shares how she had to dig her car out herself by shoveling and even breaking ice with a hammer, and feeling grateful that she didn’t lose power during the storm. Karly talks about how being stuck inside and dealing with long grocery store lines can start to affect mental health. The two mention the importance of checking in on friends who struggle during the winter months, although Gavina notes that she personally hasn’t experienced seasonal depression. The conversation then shifts to therapy. Gavina shares that she has tried multiple therapists since 2022 and views therapy as a proactive tool for maintaining mental health. Karly talks about the frustrations of working with providers who weren’t a good fit, while also praising a past therapist at Infinite Solutions Counseling who she had to stop seeing due to licensing limitations after moving to DC. Throughout the conversation, Karly and Gavina encourage people to explore therapy, journaling, and prioritizing their mental health, especially within communities of color where mental health conversations have not always been openly supported. Infinite Solutions Counseling - https://www.infinitesolutionscounseling.com/ Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maybe-you-should-talk-to-someone-lori-gottlieb/1129479108 Keep in touch with The Audacity Diaries Podcast: Follow us on Instagram: @theaudacitydiariespod Follow Karly on IG: @Karlysmiles Follow Gavina on IG: @la_gavi__

Monitoring Spirits: Discernment in a Noisy World

In this episode of the Audacity Diaries, Gavina and Karly delve into the topic of 'monitoring spirits,' which are viewed as entities that spy and sabotage individuals. Gavina primarily interprets them as overly nosy people and Karly interprets them as people who monitor one's life out of curiosity without genuine care or support. The discussion covers experiences with such individuals, boundary-setting for protection, and the importance of discernment. They also address the complexities of maintaining privacy on social media and the value of open, honest communication in relationships. The conversation emphasizes the need for genuine relationships while cautioning against allowing intrusive individuals too much access to personal information. Read Karly's Substack article here: https://karlysmiles.substack.com/p/monitoring-spirits-and-green-rings?utm_medium=web Keep in touch with The Audacity Diaries Podcast: Follow us on Instagram: @theaudacitydiariespod Follow Karly on IG: @Karlysmiles Follow Gavina on IG: @la_gavi__

Things We've Had It With

In this podcast episode, hosts Gavina and Karly discuss various things they are frustrated with, inspired by the 'I've Had It Podcast.' They touch upon issues such as the obsession with other people's weight loss journeys, the problem of overexplaining oneself, the fakery surrounding the matcha craze, unhealthy social media behaviors, and the difficulties of maintaining friendships with people who avoid real conversations. They also share personal anecdotes and emphasize the importance of setting healthy boundaries and not shrinking oneself to make others feel comfortable. The episode wraps up on a positive note, celebrating the continued success of their podcast. Keep in touch with The Audacity Diaries Podcast: Follow us on Instagram: @theaudacitydiariespod Follow Karly on IG: @Karlysmiles Follow Gavina on IG: @la_gavi__