About Me!
Adolescence is a powerful turning point and one trusted educator can be life-changing. This belief has guided my work in adolescent health education and drives my enthusiasm for helping families and communities transform adolescence from a period of turbulence to a period of opportunity.
Bella Brocato, MPH is an adolescence health expert and puberty + sexuality educator living in Hattiesburg, MS. As a certified puberty and adolescence educator with a Master of Public Health from Columbia University, she’s been teaching health education to adolescents, teens, parents, and non-parenting adults for over five years. She has been on the forefront of emerging adolescent and menstrual health research since 2024 and is the co-author of the forthcoming puberty book, Bigger, Faster, Strong, Hairier: A Book for Boys, which was founded on research she supported with adolescent boys across the United States. Most recently, Bella is the Founder of Body Basics with Bella, a puberty education and life skills program for youth and the grown-ups who raise them in Hattiesburg, MS.
Why health education?
Growing up in southern Louisiana, puberty education was not something that existed in my youth. At most, it was my parents silently leaving a book on my dresser and encouraging me to come to them if I had any questions.
And I had a lot of them.
The absence of these critical conversations from my life led to many confusing and harmful experiences throughout my adolescence. I began my career leading sexual assault prevention efforts in southern Mississippi, where I met countless young adults with stories like mine. I began noticing that, while inexcusable, harmful experiences are inevitable when health education is inaccessible.
In response, I became a certified puberty and adolescence educator to invest in youth’s lives, guide them in cultivating healthy relationships with their bodies and their peers, and ultimately to foster a kind of cultural repair. This led me to earning my graduate degree in public health with a focus on sexual and reproductive health, where I supported countless youth and their parents in navigating the trials and tribulations of puberty and adolescence.
And then, once I started teaching, a funny thing happened.
I began watching the lives of countless youth and their families change as a result to their access to health education.
In my classroom, I watched in awe as my middle schoolers:
Began incorporating healthy communication skills, boundary setting, and repair into their friendships.
Started reading the back of their Taki’s nutrition label - and understanding what it meant.
Realized in horror how much of their life they wasted on their phones.
Released shame around having periods and started advocating more openly about their body’s needs in school.
Disclosed instances of abuse and coercion that they’ve already experienced or witnessed.
Practiced taking accountability after serious ruptures.
Utilized healthier coping strategies to support their mental health and practiced vulnerability with a trusted adult.
Grew increasingly brave to say what they were REALLY thinking.
Wrote letters to their future selves, considering for the first time who they want that person to be.
Approached uncomfortable conversations with giggles, bravery, and curiosity.
Became more confident in their bodies, friendships, identities, and ability to do hard things.
And, as an added bonus, the parents I worked with:
Gained tools for having uncomfortable or hard conversations at home.
Practiced strategies to maintain digital safety at home.
Grew more consistent in holding their kiddos accountable and implementing consequences.
Began understanding and better connecting with their changing kiddo.
Felt less alone.
By learning about their changing bodies and selves, I have witnessed how youth can be empowered to advocate for themselves and emerge into the world filled with confidence, empathy, and strength. Yours can, too.
So, let’s get started already!
If your family is in the South, I have opened enrollment for my 5th and 6th grade puberty education programs, which you’re invited to learn more about on my website. I regularly host parent workshops in person and virtually, and will share opportunities through my newsletter via Substack! Subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date with my offerings and contact me directly at bodybasicswithbella@gmail.com so we can get started!