Episode 7: Living with Endometriosis - Danielle Breezy’s Story

In this special episode of The Endo Edit, Katie and Ragan are joined by their first guest — Chief Meteorologist Danielle Breezy.

Danielle opens up about her endometriosis journey, from her initial diagnosis in 2020 to navigating different doctors, advocating for herself, and ultimately undergoing surgery this year (2026). She shares what it’s been like balancing a demanding career as Chief Meteorologist while managing chronic pain — and the importance of trusting your instincts when something doesn’t feel right.

This conversation is honest, empowering, and a reminder that you know your body better than anyone else.

#endometroisis #womendiagnosisstories #endometriosisawareness #womenshealthpodcast #womenshealthstories #womenswellnessstories #endometriosispodcast #endometriosiscommunity #endometriosiswarrior #EndoWarrior #TheEndoEdit #DanielleBreezy 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You're listening to The Endo Edit, where real stories meet women's health and lived experiences meet healing. I'm Katie Turner, an endo warrior over 10 years in the making, believer in clean living, and proof that your diagnosis doesn't define you.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

And I'm Reagan Hubbard, a registered nurse, holistic health coach, and fellow endo warrior.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

If you've ever felt dismissed or unseen, you're not alone.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

This is where we talk about what's been silenced. Welcome to the EndoEdit.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Today on the EndoEdit, we are sitting down with someone many of you know and trust. It is Chief Meteorologist Danielle Barizi. Danielle has built an incredible career in broadcast meteorology, showing up day in and day out, often in high pressure, high-stakes moments, keeping her community informed and safe. But behind the scenes, she's also been navigating something far more personal, her journey with endometriosis.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

Diagnosed in 2020, Dale has experienced the highs of finally having answer, the frustration of not being heard by the wrong provider, and the relief of ultimately finding a care team that truly listened. Most recently, that journey led her to a laparoscopic hysterectomy. While still balancing the demands of her career, including returning to work during Nashville's major ice storm last January, today Danielle is opening up about what it really looks like to live and work with endometriosis, how she advocated for herself when something didn't feel right, and how she's feeling on the other side of surgery.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Danielle, we are so grateful you're here and we are so excited to dig into your endometriosis journey. Thank you so much for having me. Absolutely. So, Danielle, take us back to the beginning. When did you first realize something wasn't right? What symptoms were you experiencing leading up to your diagnosis? Was there a specific moment where you thought this really isn't normal? And looking back, what do you think were the biggest signs that your body was trying to give you that might have gotten ignored or just didn't even know that it was endo-related?

SPEAKER_00 2:03

I think it started actually when I was a lot younger, which I didn't even realize at the time. You know, I had gotten my period at a really early age. And whenever I got it, it was, you know, heavy duty, long periods. And then when I got into high school and I started playing sports year-round, I started losing it for almost a year. Um, and then when I would get it, it would be the same idea, like heavy period, very big cramping, all that. Um, I went to the doctor and they gave me birth control, you know, to help, you know, control and regulate. I've also had a lot of digestive issues. That was my other big thing. And I also thought, like, okay, maybe I have like some sort of like Crohn's or irritable back, I don't know, not to be graphic, but you know. And then I was at a gynecologist here in Nashville, Dr. Woods, and she came in the one day and she said, All these symptoms you keep telling me, plus her history with periods, I wanted to let you know that my diagnosis may be endometriosis, but the only way I can figure that out is if I do an exploratory surgery. So she had an laparoscopic exploratory surgery done to me in June of 2020. And that's when she found stage three endometriosis.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

So, like, what did that diagnosis process look like for you? And what ultimately led to the discovery of the growth on your uterus? Because I believe like years had passed, right? From your initial diagnosis in 2020 to just your most recent larger operation at the beginning of this year in 2026.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Yes. So basically, Dr. Woods is great. Love her, and Dr. Susanna Tribut that works with her as well. They've both been awesome. But she is actually transitioning into more of like aesthetics. So she stopped taking insurance in like 2021 or 2022. So that made me have to go find a new doctor. Um, and I won't name names because I said I would never do that, but I went to another doctor and this gynecologist just basically told me, like, you're fine, you're healthy, you're great, no big deal. Like, just did my yearly exams, no big deal. You know, the one thing they had done before is ultrasound at me too. And this doctor was not doing it. I I felt like whatever I had had before was coming back in a bigger way. I just felt like there was a lot of pain. I was having again, I was having the digestive stuff was starting to flare more, cramping. Now, I was on birth control continuously at this point, right? Just to kind of alleviate myself. So I was Googling one night late at night and going on the internet and doing a deep dive, and I found Dr. Maiakis, who is one of the specialty gynecologists in endometriosis and gyneological cancers. And I thought, you know what? I'm gonna go see her because I don't feel like I'm getting the right answers and I feel like something's wrong. And what's awesome is I just called up and they got me in pretty quickly. And so I went in in December of last year, and she actually not only did like, you know, she can't even talk to me about what was going on. And the first thing she said to me, which scared me first of all, she said, I don't know why you're on birth control continuously in your low 40s. That's a 300% chance of stroke, heart attack, all these other things. And that's dangerous. One of my first things I'm gonna say is get you off this and do something different. She goes, but next, I need to go do an ultrasound on you because I feel like something's wrong. Now she didn't send me away to an ultrasound. She had an ultrasound right there and did it herself in her office. And so she knows what to look for. And so then she said, Okay, can you put yourself on? We're gonna go back in and talk. And then that she said, it was just what I thought. You have a uh four centimeter mass, which she drew a picture and showed me how big it was on my uterus. She says, It's in your uterus and it's growing and we need to get it out. And I really think, you know, exploratory surgery, you know, those kind of things. Yes, we can do it, but we're gonna have to do that again in a couple of years. She goes, at this point, you've had this endometriosis case from back in the day. I think it's time we just go in and take everything out. You know, as long as you're willing to not have children. And she said, I think this is the time you need to go talk to your husband. And then she gave me her first two available dates in January. She said, I will leave the room in the calendar, go talk to him tonight and call me tomorrow. And so that was a very interesting conversation with him, too, because leaving her, I realized, wow, this is it. Like, you know, we weren't necessarily in the realm we're in our 40s now. We weren't in the realm of necessarily having kids anymore, you know. But this was kind of like the final moment. So, you know, for all those women out there, I think even if you don't necessarily think you're gonna have kids, it's not your choice anymore, right? So went home and talked to him, and his response was, I rather have you alive than have a child. So that was his biggest thing. So he was just like, go do it and do it now. So he was a big supporter of that. Joe Breezy, I love him. He said, Call her tomorrow and let's get the first available. So we got it in January.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Wow. Yeah. How how has that recovery been for you? Like that's an emotional roller coaster, I feel like. So how are you doing physically, emotionally? How was it returning to work? Walk us through that process.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

So I think like the the crazy part is I thought something was wrong. You get told you have a mass, a mass that's huge on your uterus that could be, could be the C-word. So you had this moment of like pure, sheer panic, I think in my head, but I almost didn't have enough time to even think about it because you know, she moved me up so fast. So it was almost like we're working, I'm working so much through the holidays. And then I get to this point and we get in there and it's day the day to do it. Now I will say it was tough the first day. I was definitely very out of it the first day. Um, it felt like an elephant had like stepped on me or something. But then she told me the biggest thing for me was to make sure I walked every day, you know, to stay on top of the pain medication in the beginning, you know, and to obviously eat a healthy diet, that kind of a thing. So, you know, I was proteining it up. I was walking first, I was just walking around like my house. Then I started walking around my hallway because we live in a condo building. And then I started venturing outside like the third or fourth day. But man, I could barely walk like a quarter of the block. And I'm a runner. And so it was, it's crazy how the surgery really does take a toll on your body physically in the beginning. But I think through the power of, you know, good, good, healthy skills and also the walking and then family and friends being there for me. And and honestly, the viewers in Nashville being there for me. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do about it, if I was gonna publicly talk about it, but I was gonna be off the air for a bit. And, you know, I thought about it and I told my husband, I was like, you know, I want to talk about this, and I think I want to make a, I want to tell people what I'm going through. And because I'm sure there are many women that are just like me, and I want them to know they're not alone, you know, because I look like I'm the healthiest, happiest person on air, but there are things internally that people go through too. So I did that and the response was astounded. It was so emotional. It was so sweet. I even said, like, I can't even get back to all these comments, but like I read I read through them all, and it was just amazing the amount of women that go through this.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

It's one out of every 10. Grateful that you did decide to go public. I know it's like nobody wants to be the face of like the period disease, right? But like those that are, we like applaud and we're so grateful for you to just help spread awareness because I think it is such like this. Not that any disease is glamorous, but I think this one is especially just like not very glamorous and people don't want to talk about it. I had a long time of not wanting to talk about it. I still go through phases with like different types of groups of people where I'm like, I don't I'm just not feeling good. I don't want to talk about it. So we're very grateful that you did decide to come forward and share your personal journey.

SPEAKER_02 9:20

Yeah, yeah. I just want to say it's so beautiful, like what you said about you never know like what's happening behind the scenes. Like you are this beautiful, active, seemingly very healthy person, and then you know, like you no one would ever know unless you came and spoke about it. And that takes a lot of courage and vulnerability. And I think it's so important. Like that's the whole point of all of this is to create community around it and try to help one another. How how has the response that you've gotten to sharing your testimony, how do you feel like that's impacted your recovery?

SPEAKER_00 9:52

Well, that definitely helped. I mean, you know, because I will say what folks don't know about this recovery. Yes, the physical part is kind of tough, but it's really emotional part that people don't prepare you for. Because as you take this, you're taking your lady parts out, you know. I mean, I still have my ovaries, so technically I'm not in menopause yet. She left them in. But, you know, it's more emotional. Like she did tell me, you know, you're gonna be more emotional. There's gonna be things, and sure enough, like I've been crying a lot more. Like, I'll be honest, I'm very emotional in that regard. And talking about that with folks too, that was really nice to hear from them. And they kind of, you know, they kept my strength when maybe I was in a sad part of my life, you know, or sad, darker time, you know, and there was just a lot going on. But and then then my friends coming over every day. Each each day, somebody came over and brought me lunch and sat with me. Um, and I think that was, you know, key. My husband being with me, he was there for like the first week with me, you know, just the amount of response I've got. The viewers just kind of kept me going. And honestly, like I was scared because the first week, I didn't get my results from the lab about if it was cancer or not, the mass for a week. Because it was going to take a week. So I was sit there and wait and wait, think about it. And then, you know, it's one out of 300, so it's not huge odds, but you know, and then she told me it's not. And I'm like, praise Jesus. And I thought, well, it's probably all these people because the power of prayer, too, and all these people around us, like them getting involved and you know, sending me these messages of hope. I think that really helped. You know, it was good. I always say I believe in good juju and positivity in the universe, and they were all spreading it around to me. And I think that kind of helped me. And then, you know, with that, after I found that out a week later, then it was like a week after that. So it was only like week two of recovery, and I was probably gonna be out for a while, that we were gonna have a major ice tour. And then I was like, Well, I'm a meteorologist, I don't sit on sidelines during my Super Bowls. So I told my boss, I'm like, I'm coming back early. They're like, Really? I'm like, yep, really. I mean, it was hard, I'm not gonna lie, during it. I had to take breaks on the couch and like put heating pads on and ice packs on. But I did it and I went through it. And I think people were like, wow, you are a trooper. But I think if I hadn't had all those positive messages pushing me, my friends, my family, my husband, and then all just being physically continuing that walk every day, I would walk, walk, walk. I don't think I would have been able to do it.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Yeah. Yeah. I know that's so crazy. I mean, I live in Nashville, so I saw Miss Danielle Breezy on my TV at all hours for, I mean, at least a week straight. Cause I mean, there were, you know, 300,000 people plus just in Tennessee that had lost power and things were just changing every day. Like, once the ice is over, now you gotta worry about the pipes bursting and rolling, like you still aren't in the clear. And, you know, looking back once I heard on our local news station when you were talking about your journey, I never would have guessed that you were going through anything personally, let alone a major surgery recovery at that time. Like that just shows how us endo women really have to kind of compartmentalize the personal and the professional. I'm always like, I've never taken a sick day because of my endometriosis. Um, and I take great pride in that because I am a very type A person and I like to show up and you know, do things that I'm gonna say that I'm gonna do, but it is not easy.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

And it all goes back to that behind the scenes of like you said, you're taking breaks, you're on the couch, you've got the heating pad. But when they're cutting back to Danielle Breezy, she is right there standing up and on it. So uh we applaud you, we salute you. And I think all of Tennessee and Southern Kentucky would have been lost if we did not have you during that crazy time. So thank you. I and I I almost wonder if, like, because I noticed I've had two surgeries now, one of which I the first one, I like was so inactive. I was on the couch. My recovery was terrible. My second one was a much larger surgery, but I was walking around that same afternoon and the recovery was so much quicker. So I'm sure it wasn't ideal to go back to work as early as you did. But it might have been a good thing to just be up and around and back with your community of familiar faces after all of that. I'm sure it wasn't ideal, but who knows? Maybe it helped you out a little bit to just be like, you know what? We did it, it's over, we're still recovering, but this is life, and we're back.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Yeah, kind of like that. I agree with you. It definitely, you know, it gets you right back in the mindset. You don't have time. It's like, just go.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

Yeah. Um I want to touch on your career a little bit more because it is like just very high pressure. It is very public. I know you've made appearances on Good Morning America. Um, so like you are all over the place. So, how have you managed endometriosis while maintaining your career? And like, what do those tough days look like for you on and off the camera? Because, like I said, as a viewer, you would never know that you were going through all of this behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Right. I mean, I think the thing is my mindset is like, don't let the disease dictate your life. You have to rise above it and do your own thing. You know, it's not easy always, right? So I think the biggest thing you can do is I've done better with my diet, like with what I eat and put in my body. I've been very, very particular on that sometimes. Um, just because I know I'll have like a flare up. I'm more conscious about what, like, you know, I do these greens in the morning. I do all these things to like keep everything going well, you know? And then I would tell you too, like, exercise for me. I say this all the time to people, like moving your body is so important, even if it's tough, even if you feel like I can't do a run today or I can't go to the workout place today, just even getting outside and getting some fresh air and walking is so good because the biggest thing with this, I feel, is the stress, right? The stress can really kind of flare it up even more. So it's how do you reduce your stress? So the biggest thing for me is just getting a workout in or a walk or something beforehand, you know, to try to like relax myself a little bit more. I do tell people this after I get done my job at the end of the night, I usually come home and sit in literal silence. And it's like my meditation time before I go to bed. But I think it is just, you know, managing it the best you can. I mean, sometimes I had to like pop in a leave to go into work. I think the thing is though, but it's your mindset. If if you have a strong mind, I think you can get over physical things. So I think it's like a my mindset is like, I'm not gonna let something take over my life. I'm gonna, I'm gonna do my best to like overcome it.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Yep. Absolutely. I think endometriosis has made me very mentally strong.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Instead of having a bad day, I'm like, I'm still getting up to my alarm, I'm still doing my workout, I'm doing as much as my normal routine as I possibly can, and I'm just like, nothing's wrong. I'm not sick. Like this is another day.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

Yeah, I I think all of those are such good points too. And like, even what I see when I work with clients, the two first things that we look at are diet and exercise. And I feel like when I see people reach their goals in those areas, the rest of their life, including endo, gets so much better. Like there's healing power and being outside, moving your body, putting good things into your body. So I think, yeah, that those are all spot on.

SPEAKER_00 16:59

Yeah, and I was gonna say too, like it's you know, I before that, I think sometimes I would do stuff that would flare it up. So I'd be like, um, my belly would bloat a lot, you know? And before I had this surgery, it would, and and not to anyone's discredit, because when I moved here in 2016, so I've been here for almost 10 years now, my husband and I were newlyweds. So I think people thought we were gonna have a baby right away. And so people would be like, where's the breezy baby? And it was like that was not very fun for me because it was like kind of they had no idea. And I felt like I wanted people to know that. So in 2020, when that first happened, I even talked about it publicly then that I had a surgery. So people understood, like, please don't talk about the baby thing to me.

SPEAKER_02 17:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Because it, because it, you know, I know, I understand, like everybody wants everyone to have a kid. It's great. But like for some of us, it's more of a challenge. And I also wanted to reiterate that to people that like it's not as easy as it looks for folks, you know. And my doctor had said that to me like right away, that it would be a really tough after 2020, that it would be a really tough challenge. So that's kind of why we kind of put it off in the distance, you know. So I think that's another thing people don't realize, especially that that's a high pressure part of your job too, because people are like, oh, she's newly married, they're gonna have kids. And it's like, no, it's really hard for us because I'm in this disease and this disease I'm battling. Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

Yeah, I feel like even Katie and I, you know, we're not necessarily in the in the spotlight too much, but we run into that all the time too, of like we're both newly-ish married, like I'm a year in, she's almost a year in. Like, I get asked so many times, okay, when's the baby? When's the baby? And it's like, I'm still healing from my surgeries two years ago. Like, I my body's not there yet and not ready, and that, yeah, it can be a really hard thing to navigate, um, especially with people who get you loved like well. It's a hard conversation with endometriosis, it's messy.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Has there been a moment within your kind of like diagnosis jer journey over the last few years? Have you ever kind of looked back? Because it can be really difficult and unsettling getting diagnosed with a chronic health condition that they don't know what causes it and they don't know how to cure it. So you're kind of stuck living with this for the rest of your life. Was there ever a moment where you viewed your diagnosis as this sort of like blessing in disguise?

SPEAKER_00 19:06

You know, I think I would say now I almost view it as it because I was able to, I think, open up a community here, not only in Nashville, but probably across the country in terms of talking about it, you know? And I'll say that because I'll speak on that a little bit more. But I think now I feel like I'm helping other folks by just saying, hey, you know, I'm Danielle Breezy, you know, I've done this, this, this in my career. I've been on Good Morning America, I've done all these crazy things, I've been all around the world. But here is what I've been dealing with. And I am a normal person just like you, and things go wrong. And all the people responding to me. And then I think too, it's like I've built this community across the country through doing some of my appearances as well. So what really happened that's I think a really neat thing, kind of like this podcast, is my girlfriends in my actual television group, two of them that are chiefs, or almost one's almost a chief. She's she's been in Oklahoma City. I've known her for since I worked there. My friend Emily, and then my friend Lisa, who's a chief in Wichita, in my sister station group. They both deal with this disease. And they saw what I did. They've both shared it publicly on their pages. And we got together and did a podcast for our station group to kind of talk about it during Endometriosis Awareness Month. And I think that was cool because now that's going into the Wichita, Kansas Market, Oklahoma City, and we're sharing it across our entire Next Ar TV group, which has over 200 stations. So we, in a way, are creating awareness. So I think this is where it's becoming the blessing. And then getting to know all these other folks in the community. Like, I think I told you this, but like after I read after this happened and I told people about it, I found out about the Endo Sisters Nashville Facebook group, which was awesome. And I got involved with them and I'm on a text thread with them. And then this wonderful woman, Amy Lee Cope, reached out to me from her dad seeing my posts. She suffers from it in the town, and she does the Music City endometriosis walk, and it's her third annual. So I got involved, brought her on television with me, and then we grew the event big time this year in Nashville, and we're gonna continue to grow it every year. So I think that kind of this is where the blessing comes in. Like, okay, we're creating awareness and more people are getting involved and we're talking more about it, so it's not like a taboo talk subject disease. Absolutely. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

Yeah, I feel like that plays into like why we started this podcast as well. I remember when I got diagnosed, I knew a single person who also had endo happened to be Katie, which is you know how this came to fruition. But I just I think that's such a beautiful thing to create community. And like, what if this helps the next person who gets diagnosed have five people to call or a whole community to go to, or a support group, or all of the resources that we maybe didn't get to have. So I think that is such a blessing. I I feel like I've seen that in the two years since I've been diagnosed as well. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Yeah. I wanted to say I I feel like since my endo diagnosis, I've really it's helped me to find my voice in. Doctor's offices. Because going into those medical offices, it can feel as someone who has no medical background other than like Google, it can feel very daunting. And if they are telling you things that you don't really agree with or believe in, or you don't feel like they're listening to you, I think it really helped me stand up for myself. And similar to you, Danielle, find a group that listened to me, made me feel seen, supported, was willing to explore, you know, different routes of treatments and things that I was comfortable with. And so I want to ask you, Danielle, because you're very open about like you've had, you know, someone you loved, circumstances changed, you met a group that you, you know, didn't really mesh well with, and now ultimately you're fortunate to find, you know, this new group that really works well with you, did your most recent surgery. So what would you tell a girl who's going into these appointments, probably by herself, maybe with a mom or a partner who hasn't really found her voice yet, but she feels like the doctors are not listening to her. What would be your advice to her? Because you've gone through it yourself.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Right. You know, listen to your body, number one. So if you know something's up, you got to speak up for yourself. And if the doctor isn't listening to you, find a new one. You know, and that's basically what I said. I said, I'm done with this. Like I need to go. And I went and looked and searched. And I mean, these groups now around Nashville. If anyone here in Nashville is listening, these groups are great. They send great recommendations. I highly recommend my doctor, Dr. Maekis. I mean, she's one of the first people to do the Da Vinci robot. So she does it laparoscopy. So, you know, you're not getting cut. You know, she goes in. It's less evasive of a surgery. But she learned it like 10 years ago or whenever it started. So she does everything in-house. So I think that's also good because sometimes you they order an ultrasound, you have to go to an ultrasound. She does everything there, so she knows what she's looking for. I think it's really important to advocate for yourself. I mean, you only know yourself the most. And if you don't, that's where things go wrong. And I think that's what went wrong with me is like for a couple of years there, I kind of let things slip through the ways I like, okay. And then she's saying I'm okay, but then I'm realizing I don't think I'm okay. Like something's up. And, you know, I I I just think I was like, you know what, I need to figure this out. And so I pushed and pushed and got my answers. And I'm glad I did it because that was not a good place to be at what I found. So I'm thankful for what I did. But you know, you really got to advocate for yourself this day and age. And if you don't feel like the doctor's working for you, find someone new. We never say go at the first choice, just keep going, keep looking. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

How did you know, like when you found your care team, how did you know that they were the right fit for you?

SPEAKER_00 24:30

He was very direct. I will say that. You know, it it I liked, I'm from the Northeast, so I don't mind direct. I don't, it doesn't need to be a soft blow for me. It can be a hard blow right at it. But she just knew right away. I mean, she right away when she said, I don't even know why you're taking birth control continuously. This is not good for your health. That it and right away I was like, okay, well, she knows her stuff. She's on it, she's gonna change my health care anyway. And then she's like, I'm gonna do the ultrasound. And it's like, wait, what? The actual gynecologist is seeing me first of all. It's not like the PA is seeing me. She's seeing me to have this meeting. Now she's doing the actual ultrasound. Like I knew she was willing to do everything because it was her care. And so I think that's when I knew I was like, okay, this person knows what's going on. She's one of the top-tier surgeons you'll ever have, too. So it's like she's a great resource in Nashville and direct, tells you exactly what's happening and kind of spits out. She tells you exactly what you're gonna go through. She's like, here's what's gonna happen. This is what you're gonna need to do. This is da da da da. You need to clear your schedule for this. You need to, you know, that kind of a thing.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

Yeah. Yeah, I love that she does everything herself. As a as a nurse, I see I send people to ultrasounds and CTs like at the hospital and stuff, and it's always someone else doing the scans. And so I feel like when it's the doctor who's like in real time looking at what they're trying to see and diagnose, it just is number one, quicker for the patient. And also, it I feel like it's much more personal. Like the doctor has invested interest in what they're looking at, and they have the knowledge to diagnose and help that process along. So I think that's amazing. I wish all doctors said that truly.

SPEAKER_00 26:03

Yeah, and I I have to say, shout out to her and also shout out to Dr. Wils, too, because you know, she is the first person that said, I think this is endometriosis. She like got it in her head and decided to do the exploratory surgery. So it's like the without those two, I don't think I would be where I am today. I wouldn't even know I had, you know, I could be going around life not even knowing what's going on, thinking I have digestive issues the whole time. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

So you are now six years into your into having a diagnosis and about three months post-op from your laparoscopic hysterectomy. So how are you, how is Danielle feeling now compared to Danielle before even having a diagnosis and before having your laparoscopic hysterectomy? How are you doing now? How are your symptoms? Um Do you remember that you have endometriosis? Is it still there?

SPEAKER_00 26:50

I 100% recommend it. I mean, I know it's not beautiful on the way out in there, but I feel like a new person. I feel like a clean bill of health, and I've got a clean slate now in 2026. And it just feels like a weight has been lifted off me, literally and figuratively. I just feel so much better. I don't feel as sluggish. I don't feel as sick. I feel really, really good. And I just feel like I have more energy now, too, even though I know I got an organ taken out, but like it does feel like I just feel different. I feel like the weight has been lifted off me. So I feel 100% better. And she said to me, like, I won't have to see you now until you're yearly, you know, and then I may have to talk about hormonal. That'll be the next thing because I'm in my 40s, hormonal replacement therapy at some point. Um, but right now I'm just feel like, ah, I'm like, I'm I can do anything I want now. The sky's the limit. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

That is amazing. Your story is truly inspiring. And I feel like I can see that in you too. Like you're just so full of life and it's so wonderful. What message do you hope listeners take away from hearing your story from today?

SPEAKER_00 27:53

I think I hope they they understand that don't let ever let a disease dictate your life. That's number one. Mindset over everything. Keep your mindset, keep your mind sharp, keep your mind positive. Positivity in the universe continues to bring positivity. I promise you that. And advocate for yourself. And don't be afraid to ask for help. I've asked friends, family, my husband. So important. You know, it's okay to tell people. It's okay to share what you're feeling. Tell them because people will talk about it. And the more we have these conversations, the better care we're gonna get, the more maybe hopefully we haven't found a cure or anything like that yet, but maybe we'll find more answers. You know, the more people that talk about this, the more we push doctors to do more research on this, the better it is. I mean, one out of ten women are impacted. I mean, that's a lot. You know, you think of your group of friends, you probably have at least 10 friends. One of you has it. If you have 20 friends or even in your buildings where you work, you know, that kind of a thing.

unknown 28:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

Yeah. Well, Danielle, I know we've said it many times on this podcast, but again, we are just so grateful as someone who does have quite a large platform. We're very grateful that you have used a portion of your platform to share your voice, share your story, help us to share the message of endometriosis because it is this very complex disease. I resonated with so many parts of your story, but I know Reagan's story is so different. Hers was not the GI symptoms that we both experienced. And so, you know, it can take years for women to get a final diagnosis because it does present itself in so many different ways. So, just the more people we have like yourself who have a platform and a very strong voice to help spread awareness is just amazing. And we're so grateful for it. And if you aren't already, be sure to follow Danielle Breezy on Instagram, not only for weather updates, but also for Nashville-related endometriosis hangs and get togethers and walks. And she's just a light to have pop up on your screen every morning and afternoon and night.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

And I was gonna say TikTok now. I'm exploring TikTok. Believe it or not, I'm not that good at it, but I'm trying. I'm on Facebook, I'm on Twitter, I'll keep you safe and informed during severe weather ice storms, but also I'll talk personally about endometriosis. And I just want to say thank you to you both for allowing me to come on here to talk about it with you all and share my story and to thank everybody out there that has ever reached out to me to say their story because I think this is all about a sharing community thing. Whenever I share, it's not just for me, it's for you too. And I want everyone to know I appreciate everybody who reached out to me. It seriously meant the world to me. And I think during a tough time in the beginning of this year, you brought a light to my life, and I hope I can bring a light to yours.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Well, thank you, Danielle. Thank you for joining us. Thank you to everybody that is tuning in to this episode.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

Thanks for joining us for another conversation on the endoedit.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend, a sister, or anyone who needs to hear they're not alone.

SPEAKER_02 30:45

You can find more resources, stories, and community at theendoedit.com or on Instagram at theendoed.

SPEAKER_01 30:52

We'll see you next time. And until then, take care of yourself.