Welcome to Connect Care

Andrea Pleune is a board certified physician assistant. She has worked in various fields of medicine including hospital medicine, family medicine, urgent care and woman’s health. Her passion is women's hormone health. She specializes in treating women who are perimenopausal and menopausal. She has had extensive training on hormone health, she helps her patients achieve hormonal balance in the most effective and safe way. In addition, she created a successful medical weight loss program that empowers her patients to take control of their health. Andrea was raised in a bicultural environment and is fluent in Spanish. She has volunteered in Guatemala setting up women's health clinics in small rural communities bringing medical care to underserved Mayan communities. She is committed to helping improve healthcare access and education for all women. As a mother of two daughters, she is committed to continue educating and empowering women about their bodies.

What is an Ayurvedic Consultation? How can it support my health and wellness?

Stressful lifestyles, changes in hormones, diet, and aging all can contribute to imbalances in our body and mind. Ayurveda’s aim is to explain how these imbalances start, and how we can use dietary guidelines, daily am/pm routines, relaxation techniques, rejuvenation or detoxification therapies, to treat a wide range of imbalances through natural medicine. An Ayurvedic consultation is both educational and healing for physical health and mental wellness, and can offer a deeper connection to our conscious awareness. The goal for our consultation is for you to be able to use the wisdom of Ayurveda to keep yourself in balance. 

Meet our specialist who will personally match you with a practitioner:

Kathryn Templeton, MA, RDT/MT/LPC, E-500 RYT, C-IAYT, Ayurvedic practitioner, has devoted her life to the health of others. A psychotherapist for 30 years, Kathryn is a Master Teacher in the field of Drama Therapy and continues to work both clinically and as an educator specializing in the treatment of individuals with complex trauma. As a C-IAYT, NAMA-registered Ayurvedic practitioner and Senior ParaYoga teacher, Kathryn has worked to develop specialized treatments integrating the principles of yoga, Ayurveda, and clinical psychology. Kathryn is a faculty member at the Himalayan Institute and the founder of the Himalayan Institute Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist program (HIAYS), Torchbearer Mentorship program, AYS Grad School, and The Three Wisdom Traditions: Integrating Yoga, Ayurveda and Psychology (3WT).

What does an Ayurvedic Consultation look like?

Once you purchase your consultation session, you will receive an email from us detailing how to schedule your session. Your practitioner will meet with you for 90 minutes for the initial intake. They will ask you questions about your physical health including digestion, sleep, nutrition, and exercise. They will offer you some starting practices to bring your body/mind back to balance and address your reasons for consultation. Then you will receive an email with recommendations and how to implement them for the next two to four weeks. We suggest that you work with your AHC for a minimum of three sessions, generally spaced monthly or bi-weekly, as needed. These individual follow up sessions are 60 minutes with another follow up email. Once you have begun to feel the effect of the treatment recommendations, you will have the tools to keep moving into balance, feeling a greater sense of ease and steadiness in your physical health and mental/emotional wellness.

Esther Blum received a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Simmons College in Boston and is a graduate of New York University, where she received her Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition. Esther is credentialed as a registered dietitian, a certified dietitian-nutritionist, and a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), the certification from the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS). She is also a member of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians in Functional Medicine, Nutritionists in Complementary Care, and the Connecticut Dietetic Association.

Esther currently runs a virtual practice where she helps women balance hormones, lose stubborn body fat, and treat the root cause of health struggles.

She is also the bestselling author of Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat; Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous; Secrets of Gorgeous, and The Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous Project. She was voted Best Nutritionist by Manhattan Magazine. She has appeared on Dr. Oz, TODAY, A Healthy You with Carol Alt, The ISAAC Show, ABC-TV, FOX- 5’s Good Day NY, Fox News Live, and more. She is also an in-demand authority frequently quoted in E!Online, In Touch, Time Magazine, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, In Style, Bazaar, Self, Fitness, Marie Claire, and Cosmo. 

Listen to her on our podcast here.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorgeousesther/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingGorgeous 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/estherblum

HerMD provides women with comprehensive and female-focused health care. From gynecology and menopause to sexual medicine and medical aesthetics, HerMD's female-focused centers provide a safe, trusted space for you to address all of your needs, no matter how personal.  Patients benefit from the accessibility of in-person or virtual care, 24/7 access to their clinical team, and easy Rx refills. With easy online booking, longer appointment times and same or next day appointments, women no longer have to put their healthcare on hold.

Areas of Specialization:
Most of my work is with cis gender women, helping them understand their sexuality, empowering their relationship with self-pleasure, partnered sex and helping with body image issues. I also work with heterosexual couples teaching them the sexual education they never got, how to communicate with their partners on the erotic level and how to spice up or maintain their sex lives, individually and as a couple. Also working with cis gender hetero men to better understand their own sexuality and women’s pleasure, desire and response, and to reframe old “machista” views on sex, emotions and relationships.

• Sex Expert
• Self-Pleasure
• Women’s Empowerment
• Sex Positive Advocate

Primary Audiences Served:
I am 100% inclusive but I see my strengths in heterosexual couples, cis gender women and men.

Biography, Degrees and Certifications:

• Certified Sex Coach from Sex Coach University/ with a Gender, Sexuality, Relationship Diversity Focus
• Certified Sexologist with the American College of Sexologists
• Advanced Sexological Personal eXploration Experience (ASPEX), 2019
• Sexual Attitude Reassessment & Restructuring (SAR) training, 201
• Trauma, Attachment & Trans/Non-Binary Experiences Training with Just Conversations
• Certified Transformation Meditation Instructor
• Creator & Facilitator of LGBTQ Mindfulness and Intimacy Workshops

Professional Philosophy:
My primary focus is to assist others living outside the traditional gender binary and sexuality roles to find a more fulfilling life. I utilize a sex positive approach in order to guide clients to finding their natural sexual selves. I sometimes use mindfulness/meditation time, creative exercises and home assignments, such as journaling and self awareness projects, to assist clients in bringing forth their inner gifts.

Areas of Specialization:

• Coming Out
• Questioning Gender Identity
• Questioning Sexual Identity
• Issues Related to Homophobia/Shame
• Uneven Desire Between Partners
• Sexual Skills Enhancement
• Sexuality and Aging
• Exploring Kink

Primary Audiences Served:
I work primarily within the GSRD (Gender, Sexuality, Relationship Diversity) community. This includes LGBTQIA+, older folx and disabled people.

Dr. Karabo 

• Clinical Sexologist
• Sex Coach
• Sex Educator
• Sex Expert
• Physician
• Sexuality Advocate

Professional Philosophy:
One of our fundamental rights is the right to sexual health. Whether its access, education, sex positive etc. I embrace that we are sexual beings from the cradle to the grave and hence all the services I provide are customized for the client. We are in this together. I am very much invested in the client’s success.

Areas of Specialization:

• Male Sexual concerns e.g. Premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, etc.
• Female Sexual Concern e.g. Desire disorders, orgasmic disorders, painful sex, etc.
• Couple’s disorders e.g. sexless marriages, mismatched desire

Primary Audiences Served:
All welcome, inclusive of those unsure if they are interested in my services

Areas of Specialization:

• Pleasure
• Intimacy
• Sacred sexuality
• Women who have lost their libido and want it back again
• Women who want to discover their authentic sexual self
• Sexless relationships
• Porn literacy and usage in relationships
• Sex with chronic illness
• Sex with disabilities
• Sexual communication
• Sex and spirituality
• Sexuality and religious beliefs

Professional Philosophy:
Your sexuality is beautiful and sacred. You deserve to experience real pleasure, feel uninhibited in your body and unapologetically sexy at any age, and body type. Your body is your own, and you have full autonomy over what you do with it and how you experience it.

I believe in helping you to release any shame you have around your sexuality so you can embrace who you really are. Consider me your pleasure permission slip giver and sexual fairy godmother.

Primary Audiences Served:
Women experiencing low desire and loss of libido, who want to discover pleasure on their own terms.

Sexless couples, where they have tried everything except work with sexuality.

Dr. Sonia’s clients tend to be experiencing low libido and decreased sexual intimacy in their relationships. Working with Dr. Sonia is like working with three experts at once. She will help you understand your sexual difficulties from different perspectives and use her medical knowledge, sexual counseling skills and coaching tools to construct a holistic approach to resolving your difficulties.

She can work with you to:

• Develop your sexual mindset
• Explore your ideas and beliefs about your sexuality
• Give yourself permission to experience sexual pleasure
• Create the sexual intimacy you desire with yourself and in your relationship
• Gain an understanding of your vulva anatomy (including your clitoris) and how it contributes to your pleasure.
• Familiarize yourself with the different types of sex toys and how to incorporate them into sexual play, if you wish
• Improve low desire/libido
• Address any mismatched libido issues
• Explore the concept of Body Image and how it impacts sexuality and intimacy
• Discuss alternative lifestyles and relationship structures, if you are interested

About Dr. Sonia
She is a board-certified radiologist, a sexual counselor and a certified life coach. I’ve received my education from Stanford University, the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, the Mayo Clinic and the University of Michigan. I’ve completed her life coach training from Brooke Castillo’s The Life Coach School and from Learning Journeys.

She is on a mission to help women embrace their sexuality as well as end the emotional pain and isolation associated with sexual difficulties. She believes wholeheartedly that all women deserve to experience pleasurable sexual intimacy.

Her super power is putting people at ease while discussing sensitive issues related to sex. She enjoys combining her natural ability to talk about uncomfortable topics with her medical knowledge, sexual counseling skills and life coaching tools to create a unique brand of sex coaching. She tackles the hard issues by normalizing the situation and sharing helpful information, while coaching from a caring, respectful and humorous perspective.

The Culture Reframed Program for Parents builds young people’s resilience and resistance to hypersexualized media and porn while promoting their healthy development. These free online programs provide culturally competent, research-driven, age-based educational videos, conversation scripts, and resources for parents and other concerned adults. 

Designed by doctors and psychologists for the 43% of women who have sexual problems and questions. Rosy is the first-of-its-kind platform offering women a holistic approach to sexual health and wellness. Find evidence-based interventions proven to improve sexual function as well as the technology to connect you with coaches in real-time.

What the app allows you to accomplish:

• Learn through educational videos
• Grow with guided self-help classes
• Get excited through romantic and erotic short stories
• Find support in community
• Track your progress to sexual health

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