Welcome Back And Guest Intro

Speaker 1 0:02

Good afternoon, everyone. Today I have the awesome pleasure one of actually coming back in. I, you know, took some time off during the months of November and December to spend time with my family. And then unfortunately, I took a spell and got sick. And so it took me some time to bounce all the way back and to feel comfortable enough to say, okay, well, you know what? Let me go ahead and get the patient's experience back out because from what I'm being told, people are enjoying the information that they're hearing. And today is no different. Today I have the awesome Kennysha Wrenter Johnson on the patient experience. And you know, she is the founder of the Womb Essence collection. And if I mispronounced that, Kenisha, please let me know. Because it didn't come from the heart, it came from the head. So if I mispronounced that, please let me know. Um, but it's all about womb care. And more importantly, it's all about women and that sisterly love that we all need, that we strive so hard to get, it's all about that. And so without further ado, I'm gonna go ahead and just let Kennysha say just a few words before we go ahead and get into today's conversation. Kennysha, you have anything you want to add? Yes, so hi Sandra. Hi, everyone. I just want to thank you for having me. My name is Kennysha Wrencher Johnson. I am the founder of Hoboom Essence Collective.

Founding Womb Essence And Its Mission

Speaker 1 1:44

So you said it right. Um and it's just the organization that I've started with women of um color to bridge the gap between Western medicine and holistic medicine and helping women learn how to advocate themselves and find other alternatives to help themselves make informed decisions. And with that organization, we also do workshops, book clubs, all things that keep us sister, united, and encircled by hearing as well.

Speaker 2:13

I have a question for you. What made you like, was there any event or anything that happened with you, with something you've seen or something you heard that said, you know what? I have something that I can add to this discussion, this conversation, this walk in life that will allow women to, you know, feel seen, feel understood when it comes down to womb care.

Teen Pain, Dismissal, And Birth Control Side Effects

Speaker 1 2:43

Yeah, so for me personally, it started when I was about 15 years old. I started having really bad menstrual cycles to where I would be menstruating, meaning bleeding for a month. So I would have cycles for not cycles, but the period of menstruation for a month's time. And it was one period of time where I was just kind of concerned because I'm like, this doesn't seem normal. Like I should have been stopped this. Um, so I went to my mother about it, and you know, she's like, well, let's just go to the doctor and see what's going on. So I go to the doctor, and um, they're just like, oh, you know, it's normal. This usually happens at your age. Um, just go home and take some Motrin. So I'm like, okay, you know, 15, taking doctor's orders. I go home. Um, I take some Motrin, I get some rest, and over time it does slow down. Um, but that's something that always stuck out to me. I used to always also stay home from school to rest because I would have such a heavy flow that I could not go to school and I would risk times bleeding out on myself, um, you know, making no messes and things like that. So um fast forward, the older I got, the more aware I've become of my cycle and the stinges I was going through, a lot of the pain that I was experiencing. And I remember um a provider that I had, um, she told me again, you know, if the pain's normal, it's normal, um, and recommended I get on birth control um to help with the cramping and the pain and to um possibly stop my cycle. And again, being young, really wanting this to stop. I went ahead and just listened, did birth control, but I noticed it was making me feel really sick, really bad, lots of fatigue. I used to get like these really weird, sharp sensations in my limbs and my joints used to hurt. So um I told them this, and they're like, oh, well, we'll just change the um, we'll just change the method that you're using. So I changed the method I was using and it started to get worse. So I just stopped taking it. And um it was always something

Mother’s Cancer, Unneeded Surgery, And Advocacy

Speaker 1 4:54

that stuck out to me. A lot of my friends were on birth control just for menstrual cycles, and then once my mother became sick, um, she has stage four colon cancer, but um, they were suggesting a hysterectomy for her. And this is a moment that was like shifting for me because I'm like, what why would you want to remove her uterus when she has colon cancer? And they're just like, well, you know, she's no longer of childbearing age, she's in her um early 50s, she doesn't need it anymore. It's totally fine. And I'm like, it's not just fine. Like, this is a major surgery, this is something that's going to worsen her condition rather than prolong her quality of life. So you're giving her a solution that doesn't help her. If anything, it will make things more detrimental to her, will make things more intense for her. And my mother being hopeful and thinking that this was something that was going to help her, she really wanted to do it. And it was just like she wasn't informed well, she didn't have the um right information. And when I saw that, I'm like, okay, something's wrong. Then into my doula work, I really noticed a shift with women um not being able to answer certain questions based on like what their menstrual cycles are like, what symptoms they experience, what signs they experience, what differences they noticed. They could never really answer certain questions. So that's when I'm like, okay, there's more of a need here of informed decisions because lots of my clients were also experiencing lots of losses as well. They were losing um their babies during pregnancy, and shortly afterwards, they were developing lots of complications they couldn't explain to me. Doctors explained to them, but they didn't understand what the doctors were saying. So I'm like, it's more so a need for the advocacy piece because women are not being listened to, they're not being addressed, and need to be some type of shift and change in the system.

Speaker 6:51

You know, um one thing I do want to say to you is this Kennysha, your mother is her her spirit, her presence, while she's no longer on this earthly, you know, in on this earth, you're shining through. Like we are actually no, you know, we are actually we see you, but we actually hear her. Yeah, right. We hear her saying, you know what, this is what I was feeling,

Gaslighting In Women’s Health And Being Heard

Speaker 7:21

but I just didn't know how to say it. And so often what happens, especially with us is black women, what happens is that we get gaslighted, right? Out of our care. And we just we we really don't know what's going on. We're being gaslit out of our care. We don't know what questions to ask, we don't know who to ask, you know, and so the work that you're doing is is on point, it's excellent. I thank you. And I know the stars above, and I know that angel that she has become is is smiling and saying, Go, girl, go, you know. Yeah, she would say that. Right, go girl, go, you know, don't stop whatever you're doing. You know, I I don't want to get off track, but I have to say this the work that you're doing is so very valuable to all women, but especially black women. Don't you dare let anyone turn you around. The naysayers are gonna always be naysayers, but those people that actually believe in you and the work that you do are going to encourage you and say, keep going, keep going, keep going. And don't sugarcoat it, right? We have to stop this sugar coating. I mean, we you know, we'll try to be sweet and trying to be okay, really don't want to hurt their feelings, but you know what?

Speaker 1 8:48

We have to, yeah, yeah. I've I've had certain situations. Um, yeah, thank you so much for that. I appreciate you because you know, I've been going through this journey and I don't have my mother. So it's like in moments like these, I have to think about what would she be saying to me right now? What would she be texting me, calling me to say? And you said something that she would say, literally. So thank you for that.

Speaker 9:12

No, no, no, not a problem whatsoever. And we have to, you know, you when we when we look at the intergenerational gap, like us older women, you know, we've been there, we've done that, we've been there and doing things that we shouldn't have done because we didn't have a younger you come along telling us, you know what, this is not right. You should be in control of your own body. Your doctors are good, listen to them, but then take your own advice and sit back and say, hmm, well, that like you did what you know, this is really not making sense. Like, why are you trying to take this when this has nothing to do with what's wrong with her? Yes, right? Yeah, so please keep going. Don't you dare stop. Let me go get off my pedestal and go on to my next question.

Why “Common” Isn’t “Normal”

Speaker 10:08

Is where do you see the biggest disconnect between what women are experiencing in their bodies and what they're healthy and what the healthcare system is telling them?

Speaker 1 10:20

So really, I believe that um there's a shift in how providers, like you mentioned, are responding to us. So there's this like shift that pain or inconvenience means that um they must rush into things like getting hysterectomies, tubal ligations, birth control. Um they're not women are not being informed in the way that we need to be informed because because they're looking at they're looking at data that isn't applied to us. So I've heard a lot of stories of women being a certain age, and because they're young or they're not in a certain um age bracket and above, like 60, 50 years old, they're not being taken seriously with their concerns. So I find where this connect is women are not being heard, maybe in gaslighted, like you mentioned. We are no longer wanting to speak up because we're constantly going to the providers and we're saying, Oh, I notice this pain, I notice um this change in my body, something is off, and it's dismissed as normal. And what I always say is that what's common doesn't mean that it's a normal thing. Something being common just means it happens often, but it doesn't mean that it's supposed to be happening. And this is the language that they're using saying, oh, it's normal, it's normal, but it's not normal. And we're being dismissed and not be not being heard, we're not getting the tests that we asked for, we have to push for those, and we don't know how to properly, or not really properly, but the language that we should use to get things moving. And really, that's what I've noticed. I'm not sure if I really answered the question, but it's just like that's the sh that's that's the disconnect that I'm noticing and I'm seeing where we're not being heard, we're not being seen. And then um, you know, when you give that pushback, they listen, but they still make you feel like make you feel like what you're going through is normal. And then you're like, okay, well, maybe I'm just in my mind, or maybe something's going on with me. Maybe I'm being a hypochondriac, maybe I'm just being emotional, maybe I'm overlooking, overthinking. Sometimes I even heard them say, Oh, stay off Google, don't Google things, don't go online. And sometimes that's the best thing for you if you're looking up the right things, because there are times where women that I've spoken to were like, I went online and I typed this in, and these are concerns that I've seen that I think I have. And I talk to them, I ask them questions, and I'm like, you might want to check into that. They check into it and it's what's going on. So yeah, that's just like that's like it for me. I thank you for that. I do want to say this.

Speaker 13:09

One of the reasons why um the Vashti Child Learning Lab is actually has been developed is to actually answer those questions that you just brought up. And when you say, you know, I say, you know, they're told not to go to doc, then told not to go to Google. I tell patients

Research Pitfalls And Trusted Sources

Speaker 13:28

this I'd say don't go to Google because Dr. Google and Mr. Firefox and their cousins and their relatives that people use, if you don't know what's right, you'll be going down a rabbit hole. Yeah, you know, and so many times I'll hear a response, they'll say, Sandra, but that's when I go to the doctor, he or she is jumping on the internet, so why can't I? And my response to that is this they know what they're looking for, they know that if they go to Wikipedia, the chances of them getting the right information is not actual, which is one reason why, once again, we've developed, which we'll be released, releasing in February to the public. We re release that because a lot of times our doctors and nurses don't have the time to say to us, go look at dot gov, go look at dot edu. They don't have a time to tell us that, so they'll just won't a lot of times won't say anything, and then we'll go home and we don't know what we're looking at, a lot of us, and so we just going on for anything, and a lot of times that information, if you don't know what the right source is, you you're gonna hurt yourself more so than help yourself, you're gonna hurt yourself, but the system is designed not to teach us what we need to know, which is why Kenisha is on this show today because we're designed, we we it it's common knowledge. We're not supposed to know this information that we are giving out. We're not supposed to, right? We I mean, for some unknown reason, we're not supposed to know how to take care of our bodies, we're not supposed to know what is right, what is wrong. How do we even take control of our bodies? We're not supposed to do that. So, once again, with that intergenerational gap, you know, we have Kinesha and a lot of our younger healthcare professionals that are in it because they care. They're in it because they want to make a difference no matter what the age is. And then you have a lot of older healthcare professionals that have been there, done that. And so we've got to open up and say, okay, yeah, but now let's listen to what our young people are telling us because they're in it every day. They they they in it, they study it, they look it. So what how they do things might be different than how we do things, but the point is we need to know this information. So we all should have an open mind and listen to this information that people are giving us when it's true and when it's when it's real. So with Kennysha, you could actually look up her website, send her a message and say, hey, I'm really not understanding this, especially when it comes to womb care. I'm really not understanding this. Can you explain it to me? And if she can't explain it to you, I best you best to believe she has someone in her network that she can ask, that she trusts, that she's not just gonna go down the street and ask Jody. She's gonna go to one of the recognized people that have the information, have the factual information. And then when she comes back, she can tell you, hey, go look at whatever website you need to look at, and not look at this website because this information is wrong. Even some of our factual information off the internet is really you gotta trust you, you gotta look into it, especially if you're going to AI and getting information.

Speaker 1 17:06

That's a big one. Yeah, that's a big one right there.

Speaker 17:12

Chat GPT now has a health. Chat GPT health. You need to look and you need to understand, and you need to talk to professional with the information that you're finding out and saying, Is this real? Is what you need to do. So, off my soapbox again, I'm gonna ask you the next question, and that is this you talk about reclaiming the womb, the wisdom of our wombs.

Reclaiming Womb Wisdom Through Cycle Tracking

Speaker 17:36

Can you explain that?

Speaker 1 17:38

Yeah, so basically, it just means being more knowledgeable, being more aware, and the sense of connection. So, I'll give you an example. I'm from a generation of logging my cycle on a calendar, never had an application to do that. Um, what I only would log at that time would be, you know, the amount of days that I was menstruating, which is um, you know, the shedding of the uterine lining where I'm bleeding. Um as I got older, I've learned that there are other phases of the menstrual cycle that are important to know about. So I only seen that on an application. So, what I've been teaching women how to do as well as part of their utility journeys and their womb healing journeys is to learn how to track their cycles naturally, back to taking it to a calendar or using a journal to do it, to know where where you are in your cycle, what changes your body's going through so you can connect the dots. Um, another example would be people who ask me about getting hormone tests done, blood work, to know their hormone levels. And I always say that's a good thing. But if you are not aware of where you are in your menstrual cycle and you see a higher level in a certain hormone, like estrogen progesterone, and you're not aware where you are, where you were in your cycle, then you're going to be misguided by the information. You're not gonna understand why at this period of time the estrogen was high, and then you're gonna tell me, Oh, I have high estrogen levels. And then I'm gonna ask you, how do you know that? You're gonna say, I took a blood test, is what it said. And I will look at and I'll ask them where they were in their cycles, and they won't be able to tell me. So it's like just really getting the knowledge and maintaining it within self to be able to be aware of what's going on and make an informed decision for yourself. And then when you're able to do that, you can better advocate for yourself, your sisters, your your aunties, your grannies, whoever it is in your life, because that's what we're missing now. Like we don't have that deep connection and sense of our wombs. Like our wombs, they talk to us, they tell us what's going on, but if we're not paying attention, if we're not aware of what it's telling us, it's disregarded, it's going to be, you know, brushed past. And over time, you may risk developing something that could have been prevented if you. Paying a little bit more attention, and really, it's not even to blame anyone or anything like that, it's just the facts. Like the more you know, the better you do for yourself, you know. So that's really what I mean when I talk about reclaiming our wombs, because we have to be able to listen and notice the signs that she's telling us, and you know, her womb essence that's what that's about. It just means like the essence of our being, who we are, where we come from, and knowing that, and standing in that and feeling powerful in that and going into spaces and speaking on what you're going through and being confident. Like, listen, I'm telling you right now, I've been bleeding for eight days. I usually have a four-day menstrual cycle. Can you please check it out? I've been checking it, it's been going on for three cycles now. Something's wrong. I need to be tested for something. I need a scan, I need anything you can do for me to know how we can target this. When you come with that, it's like, okay, let's do something. But when you're just coming in there, you don't have much information, you're just like, oh, uh, it's probably nothing, and you're agreeing with them when they tell you that it's normal because you don't know any better. That's also where the system can get us in the sense of not being aware and we're being cheated

Cervical Health Awareness And Tests

Speaker 1 21:11

out of tests, being cheating out of exams, and you know, this is cervical health awareness month as well. So that's another thing.

Speaker 21:23

And I'm glad that you brought up this is cervical health awareness month, which means to women, we need to actually take some extra time this month to check in with and see what it is that we need to know about our cervix, is what we need to do. We need to actually take some time to what what what really do I need when it comes to womb care? What do I need? Like what kind of tests can I get? You know, now I have a question for you. Is there like on your website, is there a place where you can actually go to like actually ask questions? Or I and I know that you're getting ready to, I'm so proud of you. I know that you're getting ready to start an internship. But if people had that are listening to this or watching this video, they have additional questions and they're like, hey, I want to know what kind of tests I should take. Is there some way that they can actually reach out to you and say, hey, you know, I heard you on the patient's experience talking about testing? You know, this is cervical awareness month. Is there a test that I should be asking about that I'm not asking and that the doctor is not offering to me? Um, are there is there a place where they can go to get that information from you?

Speaker 1 22:40

Yeah, so

How To Reach Kanisha And Programs

Speaker 1 22:41

actually right now, my website's actually under construction, it's still up. Um, but I have been asking people to just email me at herboomesssence at gmail.com. Um and people have been reaching out that way, which is easier for me because I do have a section of my website that they can do just like a contact. Um, but if I can just know right away exactly what they're asking me, it's easier that way. Um, right now I also have um the Fibroids the Flowers pilot program going on as well. And I'm hoping to be able to offer this program annually or on a um seasonal basis because this program is also a way for women to learn more about what fibroids are, how they occur, what happens in the body, and learn again what to ask for, what type of test to request, ways to eat, um, teas and things like that to be drinking. So I'm like in a little shift right now. So my website really doesn't have, you know, but they can email me for sure, and I'm happy to hear from anybody.

Speaker 23:43

Well, that's because you're growing, and that's it.

Speaker 1 23:45

Yeah, exactly. I'm not you caught me at my pivot. You caught me where I was like literally transitioning. So yeah, but definitely they can reach out on my email.

Speaker 24:01

And this is the thing. We were blessed to actually have come speak and you know discuss what the woman's your woman's essence is we were actually able to have, but that's okay because you're coming back in February because you are in the last 300-year anniversary.

Mentors, Community, And Leadership

Speaker 24:29

Back in February, check us out, buy your ticket, get your ticket so that you could be a part of the Black History Month event as happens at February 21st. Kennysha will be sharing even more information on that date with us, and of course, I'm gonna ask her about that growth because I want to see where she's grown too, because she will have started her internship, she'll have her web up and going, she'll have, you know, like I said, right now she's on Facebook and on Instagram, and there might be come a point in time, which is why it's good to have these conversations now, because time when she can't respond to personally, she can't respond to, you know, Facebook or Instagram or even her even her website. But that's what we want to see with her. We want to actually see where she's grown so much that you know she has a staff that's fully trained that actually can impact our lives just as much as she can because they'll have that relationship with her, and they can actually talk to her and say, okay, well, this is this works, this is a response. What are your thoughts? But her personally, we should all of us, especially on Martin Luther King's birthday, we should all be pushing and rooting for her to keep it going, to do what she needs to do, to you know, so that when we get tired, us old folks, us seasoned people, when we get tired, we can say, here's the baton, taking a run. And we know that when they run, they're gonna be running with passion, they're gonna be running with experience, they're gonna be running with so much love because it came from within. And before I let you go, Kenisha, what I do want to ask you is this has there been maybe one or two people who have been present in your life that actually have, you know, said, hey, let me take you under my wing and show you some of my stuff to actually even start you to accelerate towards the greatness that you have laying in front of you?

Speaker 1 26:47

Oh my gosh, that's a beautiful question. Because, yeah, so the first person, you know, Nneka Hall, I always have to shout out Miss Nneka because I remember when I used to see her all the time posting her courses, and I used to really just watch her from a distance and like admiration. I'm a very cautious person, like, you know, and I try not to be impulsive or like

Resilience, Purpose, And Closing Kindness

Speaker 1 27:10

invasive on people, but I remember reaching out to her, and ever since then, like she's seen my passion, she's witnessed like my growth and where I'm going, and she's just been someone who's been giving me resources, she's been sharing insights with me. I go to her when I need advice, when I have a question, a concern, where I kind of feel like jaded a bit, and I'm just like, oh, I don't know which way I'm going. She's the person I contact and I speak to, and she's always like, Listen, you know, get on the right track. Here's something that I can give you here. You can look into this, try this out. But really, it's just something that you say, like she's a seasoned person in doing this work, and she's pretty much said, you know what, I need people who's gonna come up behind me and do the work the right way with genuine passion, love, and care. And so when you mention that, he's certainly someone that first person that comes to mind. Um, and also Union Capitol Boston. This one of the glitch in a system.

Speaker 28:12

Pardon? Can you say that name again? Because there was actually a glitch when you said the name the first time was a glitch. So can you say that name again?

Speaker 1 28:20

Oh, union capital? Union capital.

Speaker 28:23

No, the other first person you wouldn't have to do. Oh, Nneka, yes. Okay, and then you okay, and then what you were talking about, Union Capital next, correct?

Speaker 1 28:32

Yes, Union Capital Boston. They are organization that works up that that their mission is to enhance social capital within the community. So resources coming together. And I've been a part of your leadership program. I'm now one of their network coordinators as well. And the support that I receive on that end has been life-changing for me because it's helped me build my confidence, they've given me trainings and speaking and engaging and workshops. So, really, I'm just surrounded by lots of beautiful people that have really been believing in me, supporting me, and like it's been like just unbelievable. So, yeah.

Speaker 29:11

And you know, and this is important to know when you think about okay, so there have been people that have helped me to grow, have seen me, have nurtured me, have you know, put all you know what they could put into me, put into me. And you have them naysayers that actually come after you, and I'm saying this for a reason. You have them naysayers that have to come after you, or they have something negative to say, think back on the people that are helping you because that those are the people that you want to have in your circle, those are the people that you want to ensure that you know, if you if you've done something, apologize, or you know, whatever it is that you have to do to let them know I love you, I I'm so thankful for you and so grateful for you. Let that love that they've poured into you and that they continue to pour into you, let that wipe out all that negativity because people that are not doing anything and but they want to, but they're not. Yeah, they're not gonna give you that, they're not gonna give you that respect that you so rightfully deserve because you've earned that. You lost your mother at a young age. You could have stopped and said, you know what, what was life? I'm done. That's not what you did. You was like, I'm finna get on this horse and I'm finna ride this horse because I don't want to see another woman go through what my mom went through. I don't want another woman to lose her life because she's not aware of the importance of her womb. She's not aware of these tests that they could be getting, not even a womb, but their care overall, yeah, right? Because womb is just one part of their body, but their overall care, they're not instructed on how to do it right, they don't know. And education is gonna get us further and further ahead, and so there are those that don't want to educate us. So guess what they're gonna become? Your doubt and susies, your doubt and marks, they're gonna become that. You've got to everybody is not gonna go, Kenisha, where you're going, and I can see it in you, the greatness in you, because you're doing it from your heart, not because you want some money. Money is good, don't get me wrong, but you're doing it from your heart, you're doing it because you have a personal lived experience that you're putting on the line and you're helping other people with to get over. So, with that, I say thank you so much. I say keep going, keep being that awesome person that you are, keep rising, that beautiful smile. You gotta look with those days. Look, you got an inborn, like you got an inborn beauty on those days, right? Where you like getting beat, like the world, the world will constantly beat us down. But when you're feeling beat down, I wouldn't you do me a favor. I want you to go to a mirror, you know, yourself and look at that smile and see, don't you feel better already?

Speaker 1 32:16

Oh my gosh, Sandra. Thank you.

Speaker 32:21

Because you will, you I mean, it it there's no way you can't feel better after looking at that smile.

Speaker 1 32:26

Oh my gosh, thank you so much.

Speaker 32:29

You're welcome. So, with that being said, I'm gonna go ahead and let you have the rest of your afternoon. Please, everyone, remember what I always say. There's one thing that you all do, and it doesn't cost you a penny, and that's to be kind. Be kind always, even though the other person might come at you sideways. We don't want that to bother you. We want you to continue to be kind because you never know what that person is going through. So be kind always, even when it's challenging, be kind. Thank you, Kennysha. Appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you.