De-M.I.S.T-ifying Pregnancy with Dr. Kat Sylvester

What if your body could talk back — with data? In this episode of Viva La Vulva, Dr. Cara Quant sits down with Dr. Kat Sylvester, PT, DPT, physical therapist, certified VBAC doula, and founder of MommyMonitor, to unpack how technology is rewriting the rules of pregnancy and postpartum care. From her own home births to building a smart platform that gives women real, real-time data about their bodies, Dr. Sylvester breaks down why being informed is the ultimate form of bodily autonomy — especially for the women most often dismissed by the traditional medical system. This is a conversation about power, protection, and finally being believed.

Resources:

The link to order Dr. Kat's book is below:

Get your copy of Pregnancy Principles

The link to Dr. Kat's free tracking cheat sheet is below:

365Vitals Daily Health Snapshot

Contact information:

Website: 365vitals.com

IG: @operationmist

Facebook: Operation M.I.S.T.

LinkedIn: Katherine Sylvester, PT, DPT

YouTube: @TheMommyMonitor

Email address: [email protected]

Pleasure, Autonomy, and Worthiness

At its core, this conversation comes back to one question: who gets to decide what you're worthy of? In this segment, Ebonie Michelle closes with the message she most wants women living with cancer or chronic illness to hear — that pleasure isn't a privilege reserved for the "fully healed," and their body, however changed, still belongs to them. It's a powerful affirmation of autonomy and self-worth, and a reminder that reclaiming pleasure is its own act of healing.

Resources:

Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on:

Socials: @prowlthelab

Email: [email protected]

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Why Not Quality AND Quantity?

Somewhere along the way, illness can make it feel like you have to choose — survive or feel good, live longer or live fully. In this segment, Ebonie Michelle pushes back on that false choice, making the case that quality of life and length of life were never meant to compete. It's a bold reframe for anyone who's been told, implicitly or explicitly, to put pleasure on hold while they heal — and an invitation to ask for both.

Resources:

Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on:

Socials: @prowlthelab

Email: [email protected]

⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Rediscovering Your Pleasure Map

Your body has changed — so the old rules of pleasure might not apply anymore, and that's okay. In this segment, Ebonie Michelle walks through what the "re-introduction" to pleasure actually looks like after cancer or chronic illness treatment, from practical entry points to addressing physical realities like dryness, pain, or loss of sensation. It's a grounded, hopeful guide to redrawing the map of what feels good, at whatever pace your body needs.

Resources:

Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on:

Socials: @prowlthelab

Email: [email protected]

⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠

Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

How to Claim Your Sexuality

Illness can make you feel like a stranger in your own body — but your sexuality isn't something cancer or chronic illness gets to take from you. In this segment, Ebonie Michelle shares how she coaches women through body shame, shifting body image, and the quiet grief of feeling disconnected from themselves as sexual beings. It's a candid look at what it actually takes to move from surviving to reclaiming — and a reminder that desire, pleasure, and identity are yours to define, on your own terms, at any stage of healing.

Resources:

Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle MPH on:

Socials: @prowlthelab

Email: [email protected]

⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Pleasure After Cancer & Chronic Illness Diagnosis — featuring Ebonie Michelle, MPH

What happens to desire, intimacy, and pleasure when your body has been through cancer or chronic illness? In this episode of Viva La Vulva, Dr. Cara Quant sits down with Ebonie Michelle, founder of Prowl The Lab, for an honest, tender conversation about reclaiming sexual identity after diagnosis and treatment. From navigating body shame and altered body image to the physical realities of vaginal dryness, pain, and loss of sensation, Ebonie brings both expertise and heart to a topic too often left out of the exam room.

Whether you're a patient rebuilding your relationship with your own body, a partner learning how to show up differently, or a clinician wanting to open the door to these conversations without overstepping, this episode offers real tools and radical permission. Because pleasure isn't something you have to earn back — it's something you're always worthy of. Tune in for a conversation that centers healing, connection, and the unshakable truth that illness doesn't disqualify you from desire.

Resources:

Follow our guest Ebonie Michelle on:

Socials: @prowlthelab

Email: [email protected]

⁠Website⁠

Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on socials: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Your Sex Life NEEDS This Conversation

In this segment from our talk with Dr. Joli Hamilton, we get into the conversation most couples avoid but desperately need: talking openly about desire, boundaries, and what you actually want in bed. Dr. Hamilton, a relationship coach and research psychologist, explains why silence around sex quietly erodes intimacy — and how naming your needs out loud changes everything.

This segment offers practical language for starting the conversation, even if it feels awkward at first, and makes the case that a thriving sex life starts with honesty, not mind-reading.

Resources: 

To work with Dr. Joli and more:

⁠⁠Dr. Joli Website⁠⁠

Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on social media: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

In this segment from our conversation with Dr. Joli Hamilton, we flip the script on jealousy — usually treated as the enemy of open relationships, but Dr. Hamilton makes the case that it's actually valuable information. As a relationship coach and research psychologist, she breaks down what jealousy is really signaling underneath the discomfort, and why suppressing it does couples more harm than sitting with it.

This segment is about reframing jealousy from a red flag to a tool for self-discovery — helping listeners understand what it reveals about their needs, boundaries, and attachment patterns, whether they're non-monogamous or not.

Resources: 

To work with Dr. Joli and more:

⁠Dr. Joli Website⁠

Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on social media: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant

Why is Non-Monogamy Still Taboo?

In this segment from our throwback episode with Dr. Joli Hamilton, we dig into why non-monogamy still carries so much stigma — even as more people quietly explore it. Dr. Hamilton, a relationship coach and research psychologist, unpacks the cultural scripts that keep monogamy positioned as the "default" and everything else as a deviation, and why that framing doesn't hold up under scrutiny.

We talk through the double standards, the assumptions about jealousy and commitment, and what actually changes when couples give themselves permission to question the rules they inherited. A short but pointed listen for anyone curious about where the taboo comes from — and why it's worth challenging.

Rules, Boundaries, and Other Partners: A Throwback Worth Revisiting

We're pulling this gem from the Viva La Vulva vault — and trust us, it's just as relevant today as the day it dropped. Dr. Quant is bringing back this classic episode because the conversation around non-monogamy hasn't gotten any less necessary. In this episode, we sit down with the esteemed Dr. Joli Hamilton, a relationship coach and research psychologist, who breaks down the real dynamics of navigating open relationships. Dr. Hamilton unpacks the emotional terrain couples face when they step outside traditional relationship structures — including the jealousy, insecurity, and communication hurdles that come with the territory, and how to move through them with honesty instead of shame.

This episode is a masterclass in challenging the scripts we've been handed about love, commitment, and connection. Whether you're polyamory-curious, already in an open relationship, or just want a deeper understanding of how humans actually connect, Dr. Hamilton's insights offer both validation and practical tools. Consider this your permission slip to rethink what a fulfilling relationship can look like — on your own terms.

Resources: 

To work with Dr. Joli and more:

Dr. Joli Website

Follow Dr. Cara and Viva La Vulva on social media: @vivalavulvala and @drcaraquant