“Thank you thank you for this little nook of revolution. A common theme I heard echoed in small groups was how necessary and yet anomalous this gathering space felt.””

“God what a relief. I just cried and cried after class, and realized how much I’ve stuffed about my own history that’s prevented me from even realizing that it can be different for my kids. I’m so thankful to have the space to untangle some of this. History need not repeat itself. Thank you so much for this.”

“The experience for me was pretty profound ~ I expected to receive a lot of educational info, which was certainly the case, but I felt guided and witnessed in receiving a lot of relevant personal/interior info as well ~ for me it was a bit like ‘sexual reparenting 101.’”

“You delivered on your promise for us to come further into our sovereignty. From the welcoming space, the asking of pronouns, the introductions, the history lessons, the welcoming of all body types, the open nature of sharing or not sharing as we choose, the lessons on consent thereby experienced.

It was a really fantastic and invigorating event. Thank you for teaching us so fearlessly. ”

“You offered information in the space of three hours that helped me make sense of my own body in a way that I never got in my years of medical training. It is unbelievable that this education, which should be taught in such a uniformly unashamed, straightforward way to everyone, is so rare. ”

“Last night I had the immense pleasure of getting to learn how to do a self exam. I also learned a lot about my own fears and traumas on a deeply visceral level.
I have always had a fear of vaginal pain & it got worse after my very first pap smear at the age of 17. I had never been penetrated by anything much less something like a speculum. The doctor also used the wrong size for me. She was so rough and mean and I left feeling like I couldn’t walk properly. I cried on the table and on the way home.
Little did I know that even though it grossly common for people to feel this way after exams, IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE. You can have good experiences around your sexual and reproductive health.
Last night, I had a lot of emotional stuff come up for me around sexual violence, experiences of oppression around being queer and trans so I wasn’t able to get as far as my little brain was telling me I *should* be able to go, but I know eventually it will come. At its own sweet pace. I want to share my deepest love and gratitude to Pamela of Embodywork & everyone who held loving and tender space for me as I went through this process in a safe and trans affirming way. ”

“As I said in class, there is no education around any of this where I grew up, and my family would rather die than acknowledge that bodies exist. I feel so relieved to have seen other bodies, looked at pictures together, learned what my body is made of, and found out that I am normal and have nothing to be ashamed of. I feel so much lighter today, it’s really indescribable.”

“I can’t tell you how many times I felt shame about my vulva because I never really saw what other vulvas looked like. I only saw vulvas in pornography, or in anatomy books. I never really saw female genitalia up close or in person.
However it all changed when I attended (and participated) in my first vulva show and tell.
At the Take Back the Speculum event I attended this past weekend in Los Angeles, we were given the opportunity to sit on the couch, bare-bottomed, spread our legs and share our vulvas with each other.
In groups of three, all the women of the event sat up on the coach and we told the stories of our pussies.
As I sat up there on the couch, I showed a room full of 20+ women my most shameful shame: the mole that’s on my right outer labia.
I looked into the eyes of the women looking at me, and I was met with the most kind, compassionate, loving eyes.
In that moment, every single fiber of shame I had ever felt about my vulva evaporated in an instant.
The feelings that washed over my body for the next 24 hours was akin to the greatest healing sessions I’ve ever experienced.
Our society and culture tell us that our bodies are wrong or ugly the way they are, and attempt to coerce us (often successfully) into changing our bodies to fit the stereotypical ‘norms’.
On the bodies of those 20+ women I saw body hair, evidence of childbirth, piercings, vulvas of different shapes and colors, and to see the eyes and hear the voices of the women whose bodies were being shown to me made us all seem... normal.
I’m forever changed by the experience, and dream of the day when teenagers are able to bear witness to a show-and-tell experience so that they never have to endure the decades of self-loathing that so many of us go through.”

“I could do this workshop with you at least 4-5 more times to really, fully get the download, considering the volume, density & relevance of this offering, and I would. You are presenting so much value: social critique & commentary, embodied global-justice action, sound & approachable existential philosophy, opportunity to make leaps toward expanded self-awareness & more integrated self-actualization, spiritual development, deep healing & transformation, solid conceptual & experiential anatomy training, presenting a very visible and clear role-model (you!), building community, presenting opportunities for skill-sharing & a think-tank, and beyond. Fuck yea. Amazing.””

“This experience has really shown me what a hands-on learning experience SHOULD be like. You did a great job of making absolutely clear that boundaries and communication are paramount to the success of the exchange, and that is something I will be considering and taking forward with me into my daily life and work. It was so safe and open. I felt like I could give feedback in a more honest and direct way than I have ever been able to give.”

“I’m just home from the first birth I attended following our weekend together. I was able to integrate both jaw and pelvic work into my labor support. It was a beautiful and powerful birth, and the mom wrote to me this morning that I seemed to know exactly what she needed. The work came more easily than I thought, as this client was not peacefully lying on a massage table. I left the workshop worried I would have a hard time transferring what we learned to a moving, laboring woman. I worked on her jaw when we was between contractions in the birth tub, and later in labor I worked on the muscles externally in her pelvis when she was on hands and knees in bed. When I had access to different areas of the body, I found creative ways to support her. It’s exciting to be using this new work immediately.”