Ep. 19: Michelle's story & how to advocate for yourself when nobody is listening.

Michelle Withers is a peer health navigator, a patient advisor with Ontario Health, and dedicated advocate for pelvic health from Mississauga. Michelle spent 28 years bouncing between doctors, being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and left without answers... until she took her health into her own hands and created the solution that was missing. From chronic UTIs, vulvodynia, endometriosis, pelvic floor dysfunction, and a lupus diagnosis discovered years too late, Michelle's journey is one of relentless self-advocacy. She left her career in marketing and graphic design when the pain became unbearable, and instead of giving up, she founded The Happy Pelvis—a peer-led platform combining her lived experience with practical medical guidance and community. In this episode, Michelle talks about what it takes to advocate for yourself when nobody's listening, how to know you're not alone, and why The Happy Pelvis exists for everyone the medical system failed.Key ComponentsFrom a childhood toboggan accident to perimenopause: A medical journey that should have taken years, not decades: What happens when doctors tell you nothing's wrong while your body screams otherwise.The word nobody told her until age 27: What pelvic floor physical therapy is and why it would have changed everything decades earlierHow she asked for a differential diagnosis and changed the conversation: The one question that forces doctors to actually think instead of dismiss.From leaving her career in pain to building a platform for people like her: How rock bottom became the beginning."Community is such a special place because there are so many times that we feel alone on our pelvic health journeys and just knowing that you're not alone in this - it's a great feeling to have that community."Connect with Michelle on Instagram and FacebookVisit The Happy PelvisGet tickets to Spike The Stigma Charity Volleyball TournamentCheck out The Endometriosis Film FestivalFollow Advocate Well on Instagram 👉 Click here to join the movement at downthereaware.org🩲 Subscribe, like, and share to show us you care!🤘 Podcast produced by Binge-Worthy StudioFor informational and entertainment purposes only — not medical advice. We're here to get loud, not to play doctor.