In this final episode of the Shift Your Mindset About Herpes series, Cat Dupree brings everything together and talks about what it really means to take your power back after a herpes diagnosis. Not by pretending it didn’t happen or waiting for fear to disappear, but by choosing who you become and the life you build moving forward.

This episode explores why herpes isn’t what holds people back long term, but the story they start telling themselves after diagnosis. Cat walks through how fear, shame, embarrassment, and the need for outside validation quietly influence decisions, relationships, and self-worth, and how awareness and choice are what actually change the direction of your life.

You’ll also learn how to recognize fear when it’s disguised as being “realistic,” how to stop outsourcing your worth to other people’s reactions, and how to start choosing from self-trust instead of fear. This episode ends with practical takeaways to help you practice choosing what you want and rewriting your story in real, everyday moments.

You’ll learn:

-Why herpes does not get to decide who you are or what your life looks like

-How fear and shame influence choices after a herpes diagnosis

-Why waiting for confidence or approval keeps you stuck

-How to start choosing differently without forcing or pretending

-How to practice choosing faith over fear in daily life

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Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

After a herpes diagnosis, many people try to handle everything on their own. They keep it private, do the inner work, and push forward. But even when you’re doing all the right things, something can still feel missing.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree talks about why trying to heal in isolation often makes the process harder, not easier. She shares her own experience of keeping her diagnosis a secret for years, why that felt safer at first, and how the lack of connection quietly affected her emotional wellbeing.

This episode explores why healing after a herpes diagnosis is not just about mindset or forgiveness, but also about community, belonging, and having people who understand what you’re going through. Cat discusses how stigma can keep people isolated, why many struggle to open up even to those closest to them, and how finding the right kind of support can change the healing process.

You’ll also hear Cat reflect on the concept of belonging, inspired by Brené Brown’s work in Braving the Wilderness, and how learning the difference between fitting in and truly belonging reshaped the way she viewed connection after herpes.

You’ll learn:

-Why healing in isolation after a herpes diagnosis can feel exhausting

-How keeping your diagnosis to yourself impacts emotional healing

-Why community and belonging matter when living with herpes

-The difference between fitting in and truly belonging

-Why support looks different for everyone, no matter where you are in your journey

👉🏻 ONLINE COMMUNITY

Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

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📖 BRAVING THE WILDERNESS BY BRENÉ BROWN

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After a herpes diagnosis, a lot of people do the inner work. They learn, they grow, and they try to move forward. But something can still feel unfinished.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree talks about forgiveness and why it is one of the most overlooked but essential parts of healing. Not forgiveness for someone else, but forgiveness as the step that allows you to stop carrying anger, resentment, and emotional pain long after the diagnosis.

You’ll learn why anger shows up in different ways depending on how you got herpes, how it often turns inward, and why no amount of anger changes what happened. Cat also shares how forgiveness is not about excusing the past or letting anyone off the hook, but about releasing what you are still carrying so it stops shaping your life.

This episode also introduces a practical forgiveness tool using Ho’oponopono and explains how consistent practice can help your mind and body respond differently over time.

You’ll learn:

-How anger after herpes diagnosis shows up and why it lingers

-Why inner work alone does not always bring emotional relief

-What forgiveness actually means and what it does not

-How forgiveness helps you move forward without denying your experience

-A simple daily practice to help release what you have been holding onto

🧘🏻‍♀️ Ho'oponopono Meditation https://youtu.be/1KFpFQFdM9E

👉🏻 ONLINE COMMUNITY Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY APP

App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herpes-wellness/id6746517614

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herpeswellness.community&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

After a herpes diagnosis, telling someone can feel like you’re handing your power over and waiting to see what happens next. Not because you want approval, but because you’re bracing for judgment, rejection, or things to change.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree breaks down why telling someone you have herpes is one of the clearest truth tellers you’ll ever experience. This conversation explores how people’s reactions reveal their emotional capacity in real time, why this moment has nothing to do with your worth, and how herpes can actually act as a filter that saves you time, energy, and emotional investment.

You’ll learn:

-Why telling someone feels so vulnerable after a herpes diagnosis

-What people’s reactions really reveal about them, not you

-Why friends and family can sometimes be more judgmental than partners

-How to stop seeing herpes as something that takes from you

-What clarity gives you when someone pulls away or disappears

If you’re living with herpes and struggling with fear around telling someone, dating, or worrying how people will see you afterward, this episode will help you reframe that moment, trust what it shows you, and recognize that clarity isn’t rejection. It’s information working in your favor.

👉🏻 FREE ONLINE COMMUNITY

Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY APP

App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herpes-wellness/id6746517614

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herpeswellness.community&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

After a herpes diagnosis, it’s easy to start believing your options are smaller. Not because you want to settle, but because you think you have to.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree breaks down what she calls The Scarcity Trap and how it quietly shapes dating choices, relationship standards, and self-trust after diagnosis. This conversation explores why acceptance alone isn’t enough, how scarcity thinking causes people to lower their standards without realizing it, and what it really costs you when you stop choosing from what you want and start choosing from what feels available.

You’ll learn:

-How scarcity thinking forms after a herpes diagnosis

-Why acceptance can slowly become the only thing you prioritize

-How choosing from scarcity affects your self-trust and instincts

-The difference between compromise and self-abandonment

-What changes when you stop settling and start choosing yourself

👉🏻 FREE ONLINE COMMUNITY

Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY APP

App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herpes-wellness/id6746517614

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herpeswellness.community&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

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After a herpes diagnosis, fear often becomes the thing making your decisions. Not because you’re weak, but because your nervous system learned that playing it safe feels protective.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree breaks down why courage has to come before confidence and how waiting to feel ready keeps people stuck in hesitation, avoidance, and self-doubt. This conversation explores how fear disguises itself as caution, why hiding feels easier than facing uncertainty, and how small acts of courage are what actually rebuild confidence and freedom after diagnosis.

You’ll learn:

• Why confidence doesn’t come first and never has

• How fear shows up as hesitation and “waiting for the right time”

• Why avoiding uncomfortable moments increases anxiety over time

• How courage changes your emotional state, not just your actions

• Practical ways to start practicing courage in real life

If you’re living with herpes and feel like fear is quietly limiting your choices, holding you back from love, or keeping you from fully showing up in your life, this episode will help you understand what’s happening and how to start moving forward.

👉🏻 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY APP

App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herpes-wellness/id6746517614

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herpeswellness.community&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

After a herpes diagnosis, it’s not just your body that has to adjust. It’s your emotions, your thoughts, and the stories you start telling yourself about who you are and what’s possible for you.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree breaks down what letting go actually looks like and why it’s essential for healing and moving forward with herpes.

This episode explores why emotional reactions linger, how worrying about what people think affects self-worth, and how ego turns reactions into judgments about your worth. Letting go isn’t about pretending you don’t care. It’s about stopping emotions, opinions, and ego from running your decisions.

You’ll learn:

- Why emotions keep resurfacing after a herpes diagnosis

- How other people’s opinions quietly take control

- Why external validation never feels like enough

- Practical ways to let go and take your power back

👉🏻 FREE ONLINE COMMUNITY

Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY APP

App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herpes-wellness/id6746517614

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herpeswellness.community&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

After a herpes diagnosis, it is not just your confidence that changes. It is what you start believing about love itself that changes too.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree breaks down how those beliefs form, why they feel so real, and how they quietly shape the experiences you have in dating and relationships. You'll learn how repeated thoughts turn into expectations, how emotional states influence connection, and why love can start to feel unavailable even when it is not.

This episode is not about ignoring rejection or forcing positivity. It is about recognizing the beliefs that have been running in the background and learning how to change what you believe is possible for you in love.

You’ll learn:

-How limiting beliefs about love form after herpes diagnosis

-Why the brain treats repeated thoughts as truth

-How beliefs and emotional states shape connection

-Why visualization works on a neurological level

-Practical ways to create a new reality in love

👉🏻 FREE ONLINE COMMUNITY Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY APP

App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herpes-wellness/id6746517614

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herpeswellness.community&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

Living with herpes isn’t just about the diagnosis. It’s about the thoughts that quietly take over afterward and shape how you see yourself, your worth, and your future.

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree breaks down how repeated thoughts influence confidence, self-worth, and emotional healing after a herpes diagnosis. You’ll learn why the brain treats familiar thoughts as truth, how negative self-talk can turn into identity, and what it really takes to change those patterns in a grounded, practical way.

In this episode you’ll hear:

✔️ How your thoughts influence confidence and emotional healing after a herpes diagnosis

✔️ Why the brain repeats familiar beliefs, even when they don’t serve you

✔️ How negative thinking patterns turn into identity over time

✔️ The role of awareness and choice in changing long-standing beliefs

✔️ Practical ways to reprogram your mindset and support real healing

👉🏻 FREE ONLINE COMMUNITY

Connect with others and get support from people who get it https://www.herpeswellness.com/

👉🏻 DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY APP

App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herpes-wellness/id6746517614

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herpeswellness.community&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

In this episode of the Herpes Wellness Podcast, Cat Dupree unpacks the real reason your reaction to herpes is not about herpes it’s about the beliefs, emotional patterns and past experiences that get triggered the moment you hear the words “you have herpes.”

You’ll hear about the nervous system response, why the diagnosis is felt on a personal level and how shadow work, childhood programming and neuroplasticity all factor into the way you think and feel after being diagnosed.

Cat walks you through the exact inner work she did to separate her diagnosis from painful beliefs she held long before herpes entered her life. You’ll learn actionable tools you can use starting today to recognize your triggers, shift your mindset and take your power back one belief at a time.

In this episode you’ll hear:

✔️ Why your nervous system reacts so strongly to a herpes diagnosis

✔️ How old wounds and childhood experiences shape the way you feel today

✔️ What Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow self has to do with herpes

✔️ How memory reconsolidation and neuroplasticity help you change long-standing beliefs

✔️ The exact steps Cat used to shift her mindset and reclaim her confidence