Callie Greenberg made up her mind to work with me in less than 24 minutes. That's the kind of woman she is. She moves on energy, she moves fast, and she does not wait for permission, which is exactly why her story hits the way it does.

For 24 years Callie told doctors she was in pain and got handed birth control and a shrug. By the time someone finally listened, her endometriosis was stage four going on five, and the window to have biological children had already closed. She had a total hysterectomy at 39. Two years after a diagnosis nobody would give her for two decades.

But this episode isn't a sad story, and Callie isn't a victim. She took the rage of being dismissed and built something with it. She's the host of the Endo Warriors podcast, a fierce medical advocate who teaches women how to walk into a doctor's office prepared, recorded, and impossible to ignore (record every appointment, get the "nothing's wrong" in writing, advocate like your life depends on it, because it does). And she's a certified keynote speaker through my Speaker School who, in rehearsal, picked up the microphone, heard her own voice for the first time, and broke down. Because her whole life she'd been told she was too loud. Too much. Bring it down.

She wasn't screaming. She was captivating.

This is what happens when someone who's spent a lifetime being silenced finally gets a stage built for her. Welcome to the premiere of The BFD Show.

Famous is a frequency™. Tune in.

• 🎙️ Callie Greenberg — Endo Warriors podcast, now The Girls Room After Dark | @callie_greenberg
• 📺 Watch the network: www.watchbfdtv.com
• 📩 [email protected]

Learn More:

• CallieGreenberg.com
• Leslie Jespersen Speaker School

Welcome to the bfd show hosted by leslie jefferson.

I'm your host, Leslie Jasperson, and I am joined here today with my guest, Callie Greenberg.

And I am so excited for you guys to get to know her today because I've had the honor of getting to know her.

And first we have to talk about how we started working together, like how we met, because I love your.

You are a fast mover like I am.

And I was like, yes.

Like, we're just doing the thing, like literally within 24, 24 hours.

I would say less, actually.

You were like, I'm in.

We're working together.

Yeah.

I didn't want you to know that.

I was like, no matter what she says, I'm gonna do this.

But still, I'm gonna, like, I make decisions based on emotion.

And so when I came across your post about doing this workshop, I had literally just started my own podcast and kind of launching my business.

And I've wanted to be a public speaker forever.

I was like theater nerd growing up, just like you.

And I was like, this is my moment to shine.

And I go based off of energy.

And there was something that just stood out about you, your energy, even through just crazy, just the screen.

And so when I messaged you and asked you, okay, tell me more about this.

I live in Denver, you live in Atlantic city.

So we're two hours difference and it was like 11pm Your time.

Yay.

Insomnia.

Uh huh.

And instead of just typing me back, you voice note me.

And I sat there and I looked at it for a second and I was like, I really hope I don't like her name or like her voice because this is gonna be expensive.

And the second I played your voice note, I was like, crap, I really like her.

And we just went back and forth and there wasn't necessarily like, you don't really sell, you.

You just tell people what this workshop is.

Yeah.

And it's really up to your client on whether or not that aligns with them.

And it aligned with me.

And I remember I was like, okay, how much is it?

And when you told me, I was like, oh my God.

Okay, let me check my bacon cow.

Let me see how I can make this work.

And you're like, okay, well, let me know.

Because there's only X amount of spots.

And literally, I think 24 minutes later, I was like, just do it, Cali.

Just say yes.

Because my whole thing is, is whatever happens now, if I'm worried about it, that's future Cali's problem.

I love that so you are host of the Endowarriors podcast.

You are an advocate for women who need a voice in health care.

And just getting to know you, I want our audience to know more about the work that you do.

So it took you 24 years to get diagnosed with endometriosis, and by the time you were able to get a diagnosis, tell me what that was like.

Yeah.

So I grew up like most people with endometriosis, pcos or fibroids.

It started right when I got my period, and I had debilitating pain.

And my entire life, teenage years starting when I was 14, I saw multiple doctors and was hospitalized multiple times and switched doctors.

I can't even count how many I actually saw.

And the same thing was told to me, that some women just have painful cramps and they immediately go to, let's put you on birth control.

Yep.

And at that age, I didn't have language to fully express how excruciating and debilitating my pain was.

And so I just believe the doctors when they told you it's normal.

So I went about my life, and when I met somebody, we tried to have kids, we were having problems.

I went off birth control, and the pain went from like a 30 to a 300.

Oh.

Found a fertility endocrinologist who then told me that I had stage four or five endometriosis, that I wasn't crazy, that my pain was real.

And unfortunately, it was so advanced because it went so long being untreated, that I only had a 1 to 3% chance of conceiving.

And we went through multiple rounds of ivf, which all failed because endometriosis affects egg quality.

Right.

And that's why I really speak upon how early education matters.

And I ended up having to have a total hysterectomy at 39.

And I was diagnosed when I was 37.

Wow.

So it happened so fast.

So fast.

And.

And had you had people believe you decades before.

I say all the time.

Yeah.

If a doctor would have not.

We want validation.

Right.

As human beings, when you are expressing how you feel, you want somebody sitting across from you.

They may not understand it, but at least to say, okay, that's how you feel.

I hear you.

Yeah.

And if a doctor would have at least said, I believe you, I may not know what's wrong, but I am going to help you figure it out.

Yes.

My life could have looked very differently in terms of having biological children.

Yeah.

Because I would have been able to have the surgery that I ended up having, and I would have froze My eggs.

Right.

So I know that you, you're a certified keynote speaker through the Leslie Jesperson Speaker School.

And I teach you guys not to talk about something really, until you're on the, and the other side of it.

So you can provide like a takeaway, but that's almost not possible for you because this is something that you live with.

But what I admire about you is how you channel your anger about this in a way that at least can have a ripple effect so that other people don't have to experience what you experience.

But my question here is what advice do you have for people who, who feel like they can't, like, they're paralyzed by that anger?

And like, what if we did this?

Or what if I did that?

Or if only someone had.

Because that is consuming and it's not a way to live.

My biggest advice is to find somebody who you feel you can truly be vulnerable to and open up to and know that that person is going to receive it.

And again, like I said, may not understand, but can sit with you in the pain.

I think it is so important because it is trauma.

Anyone who has experienced any type of gaslighting from the health care system, it is medical trauma.

And when you can talk to somebody who has walked in those shoes, there is a immediate connection.

Right?

Yeah.

Like if I said to you when you had endo, I'm an endo warrior, and you were too immediately.

I don't have to tell you what.

It's been like, right?

Because you already know you've walked it.

Right.

But I love that you've, you've like, yes, endowarriors, you focus on endometriosis.

But as someone who has also worked in the healthcare field and has been to other doctors to.

You told me just the other night that it's all medical advocacy and finding and you reminded me of like, I recently went to a doctor, I scheduled an appointment and I was almost in tears because she said to me, oh, I'm not the right person in this practice, I can't help you.

But she saw in my face and she was like, hold on, we're not leaving.

She went through.

She was like, you need to see this person in the practice.

And she literally like took over the receptionist computer because I was like, I'm hosting a retreat.

Like, I'm hosting, like, I need help.

I'm in perimenopause.

And the, the, the PMDD that no one told me about was a thing.

But like, I have an out of body experience for a two week out of the month where I'm not myself.

I can't function.

I, like, people don't understand.

And even though she was like, I can't.

I'm not specialized in this, she went and scheduled me an appointment with someone else.

That wasn't three months from now.

That was.

That will literally be on Monday.

You're really lucky that you found somebody.

Right?

And that's why I was like, this has never happened to me before.

Yeah.

I'm so used to being like, well, there was another copay down the drain.

And that's the story of it.

Like, we forget that the healthcare system is a business and we are not always aware until it actually happens to us, that they are looking at us as a client.

Everything is money.

So my biggest advice to anyone is, you know, your body the best, right?

And if you don't feel like something is normal and a doctor that you go to is telling you it is, you use your voice and you advocate fiercely for yourself, like your life depends on it.

And if they're sitting there saying, I can't do it, then you follow up and say, okay, well, I've read about this.

Unfortunately, we have to do our own research.

Right.

And that I preach a lot and talk about that.

I think it is ridiculous that as a patient, I am walking in and telling my doctor, who's went to school for this, hey, I think I have endometriosis.

Right?

You guys should have been the one that was.

And they get annoyed that you, oh, you're on Dr. Google.

You're like, well, what else was I supposed to do?

So I also help women who have endo, pcos or chronic illness, and I help prepare them for these doctor's appointments because a lot of them, it's their first time.

And I say, here is a list of questions that you have to ask.

You absolutely want to tell your doctor, especially if they are telling you that they didn't see anything in an ultrasound or their labs look normal.

You demand and make sure that you have that in your health records, that they write that in your health records, that they are saying, oh, wow, nothing is wrong.

Because here's the thing.

If you went to see a doctor for a knee problem and they told you, no, nothing's wrong, and then you went and saw five other doctors that should all be in your health chart.

So a doctor, let's say your fifth one that you're seeing, looks at your chart and sees that you've gone to four other doctors prior to coming to him.

Okay, that's not normal.

Yeah, like, why aren't we treating the individual before we even go to.

Okay, well, that's fine.

Your laps look normal.

Okay, well, we know endometriosis can't always be seen on an ultrasound.

So how do you know if I'm fine?

Yeah, I even went through this with my gallbladder because it took like a radio, A radiologist telling me, oh, the reason why they.

If your gallbladder is so bad, it won't show up on ultrasounds because it's all red.

I'm like, then what's the point?

Okay, I'm in an ER in Florida because I had to call in an ambulance from my airport gate because it got so bad.

But had someone seen it and, like, it is what it is.

But the advocacy.

So you I want to go back to.

You said you help people prepare for these doctor's appointments.

And I know, I was looking on your web website, you have something called the endo bestie.

So tell me about how if someone is, like, going through this and they're just in the beginning phases, like, how can you help them?

I can help them in a lot of ways because I spent 18 years as a med device sales rep. And I know that doesn't sound like what you're in healthcare, but you'd be shocked.

You're literally in the work in the operating room.

My dog, my dad is a physician as well.

And so I have little tips and tricks about how to work the system.

Because when you live in a system that is built literally to work against you, you have to find those loopholes.

So if somebody comes to me and they are just starting their journey, I have an intro call to see where they're at and where I can be most helpful in that journey.

And I sit with them and go over.

Here are the questions that you want to ask your doctor.

When you go in for that first appointment, I want you to also make sure that you are recording.

Oh, that appointment.

A lot of women can't have somebody come with them.

And we know whenever we go to a doctor's office, we are being thrown a lot of language that we don't understand.

And it's a lot of information and you're not fully processing it.

So what happens is you go home, somebody might ask, how did your doctor's appointment go?

And then you're sitting there and you go blank because what did they say?

What say?

Yeah, so it is so important.

And even if you do have somebody come with you, still record it so that you can go back and listen to it to make sure that all your questions were answered.

And if they're not, you pick up the phone and you call.

Wow.

Don't just wait until the next appointment.

Right.

And for some reason, we're not, like, we're paying you.

You are in control.

This is their job.

So that's the first thing, is to really make sure that my clients are prepared for every doctor's appointment.

Because you're not just seeing an ob.

You might be going to a gastroenterologist, because they love to throw.

It's ibs.

Right.

And you're going to maybe a surgical consult.

Yeah.

So I work with them on that.

But then you also have the mental.

An emotional toll that this disease takes, and it's not just physical.

So I work with them as a certified life and wellness coach, and I help them get through.

Get through those emotions.

Yeah.

And it's different than talking to a traditional therapist, because with traditional therapy, you've got that legality barrier.

Right, right, right.

So again, it brings back to what I was saying.

Like, when I have somebody who reaches out to me, oh, I have endo, and they want to work with me one on one.

There's.

I'm allowed to put up the boundaries so I can tell as much as I want or as.

As little as I want.

But I typically go full in.

Well, and this is what we teach in the speaker school, and I want to kind of segue into you learning to use your voice in a way that you have been helping other people do and had, but it's like a whole different level.

So I would love for you to share, like, your experience in learning to rewrite all of the stories that told you.

You're too loud.

You're too much.

You can't.

For me, it's like you're taking up too much space.

You're outshining me, and you're like, I'm just being myself.

So we get dimmed, and you really found your voice again, and you found the safety to.

To share it.

And it's.

It's beautiful because it all goes back to the work that you do, too.

Like, the own thing that you experienced is also what you help other people do.

Well, let me tell you, first of all, to all the listeners and watchers, when you sign up for this workshop, you are getting a full transformation.

Not just learning how to speak, but really finding out who you are.

It's an identity upgrade, is a complete.

Transformation of the entire body.

And when we were doing rehearsals, you're right, I had a moment.

You did.

I held the microphone up and I spoke into it and I heard my voice, but in such a different way.

Yeah.

I thought I was screaming, and everybody looked at me and was like, you weren't screaming.

You were captivating.

And I broke down because like you said, my entire life, school, my ex husband.

You're too loud.

Don't be you.

Oof.

Yeah.

Bring it down.

This is for everybody who's ever gotten this.

Don't do that.

Let me tell you, to hear your voice when on the other side of it, you aren't being told, God, why are you so loud?

And just to be accepted, I took back my power and I took back my voice and I truly heard myself for the first time.

And there are so many things in life we can't control.

And when it comes to chronic illness and Endo, there were so many things that were completely out of my control, but this I can control.

Yeah.

And it's an incredible feeling.

Yeah.

Kelly Greenberg, you are currently on an Endo tour.

So you've got some tour dates coming up.

I'm really excited to see you.

Just spoke at the Denver capital.

I'm excited to see the.

The ripple effect that happens as you continue to advocate and spread awareness on bigger stages, bigger platforms.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me.

It was so fun.

Thank you for watching bfd and we'll see you next time.