Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts - Don't Push Through the Pain w/Lupita Nyong'o

Episode Date: March 25, 2026

 In this deeply personal and compelling conversation, Sarah Jakes Roberts sits down with Academy Award–winning actress Lupita Nyong'o to shed light on a reality that far too many women endure in silence—living with uterine fibroids. These noncancerous tumors affect up to 80% of women and disproportionately impact Black women, yet they remain largely understudied. After facing this diagnosis herself, Lupita became a catalyst for advocacy, launching the Make Fibroids Count campaign to advance awareness and support research into less invasive treatment options. This episode underscores the critical truth that women deserve access to comprehensive medical resources, informed care, and a future in which our health is addressed with the urgency and seriousness it deserves. This content is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for guidance regarding your health. https://makefibroidscount.org/

Sometimes we have a lot of things inside of us that we want to do because at the end of the day, we want to prove someone wrong about something they said we couldn't do. I want you to ask yourself, what are all of these things that are inside? We literally begin to list them out. I think that is a travesty for us to be losing our whole reproductive organs as a first resort. Because that, to me, is like having a cavity and taking out all your teeth. It's too severe an option for it to be the first one. My name is Sarah Jax Roberts and you are listening and are watching.

What's up? The Woman Evolve podcast. I'm so excited for today's episode. I really feel like it's going to be one that allows you to consider your body and your health and ways that you could not have imagined. If you are just joining us or you haven't been keeping track all this month, we've been talking about the history of women's history. And we're doing something a little bit different. In the previous episodes, I did a devotional talking about different. women who have made history, whether they were women from the Bible or women from modern day

and how they made history. But I want to talk today about something a little bit different. I want us to talk about the history of women's history as it relates to our health and taking care of our bodies, which I feel like is something that we don't often talk about, partly because there's not a whole lot of research about it and it has become somewhat taboo. So if you don't mind, I'm going to take you a little bit deeper, maybe into some uncharted territory for some of you or familiar territory for the others. But before we go there, you know, we've been talking about going rogue and when you talk about your health, there is this element of like needing to advocate for yourself, which means that you have to get used to like hearing your voice and not

necessarily denying what the doctor says, but advocating for your symptoms. There will be like plenty of times where you go to a doctor and you know there's something wrong with your body, but maybe they don't take it seriously and you think to yourself well if they don't take it seriously I guess there's nothing wrong with me I'm going to need you to begin advocating for yourself but in order to

advocate for yourself it may not be something that begins with your medical history it may just mean you advocating for yourself in your personal relationships and friendships and so I want to tell you this story about me having to come to a place where I had to learn to advocate for myself and it happened

in my marriage on the low high key because let me tell you something there is something about being in a healthy relationship after you've, you know, maybe kissed a few frogs in your lifetime where you begin to believe that in order for me to keep this relationship happy and to be with this person who is incredible, if there are any issues that arise or any conflict that I have with this person, I have to like ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist because I don't want to do anything to mess it up. And so I found myself early on in my marriage when things would come up. I'm like, hey, at least it's not this and it's not that I can deal with that, but I wasn't dealing with it.

I was just suppressing it, letting it exist within my body. And honestly, it was making me bitter and resentful. And there came this point. I don't even remember, like, what my husband did at this point, but he did something. And I, like, went crazy. You know, like, I know I'd be like preaching and y'all be like, she probably just prayed about it and the Holy Spirit. No, no, no. I lost it.

I went absolutely crazy. was like that response seems a little imbalanced based off of what happened. And I got to this place where I realized that I had been suppressing and holding things in for so long that he was just now being invited into something that had been building for a long time. And so I made a promise to him, but ultimately it was a promise to myself that I would begin advocating for my feelings whenever something arose in our relationship, even if it seemed small. Because even though it was small, it was something that was existing inside of me. Practicing using my voice, even if it didn't make sense. Like there would be times where I'm like, listen, this could be my

insecurities. This could be me just being my trauma showing up, but there was something about what you said, something about what I experienced that made me uncomfortable. I had to get used to hearing my own voice and honoring what I was feeling in my heart and my mind if I wanted to have a healthy relationship with my husband, we made this promise to ourselves that no matter what, like even if there was something we knew, like, this is purely an insecurity that I have and I hate that I even have to bring it up. But until I get healed, I need you to honor the fact that this is a soft, vulnerable place for me. And when you say X, Y, and Z, or when you do X, Y, and Z, it makes me feel this.

And until I can get to a place where I'm whole, where I'm healed, where I'm healthy, I'm asking, could you be mindful of this wound? And that level of transparency, that level of vulnerability was really me going rogue and advocating for the parts of myself that was still healing, which can be very, very challenging to do as we consider what it means to be women evolving. It doesn't always mean we show up in strength. Sometimes it means that we end up revealing the areas of our lives where there's still weakness where we're hoping to build strength. That's why I'm excited about this week's episode because it's all about those of you who know that you're in a a space where you need to, one, begin advocating for yourself, paying attention to what's happening in you and within your body, but also being aware of the possibilities that exist for yourself. It's all going to make sense in a minute. Just track with me. Now, I let you mind my business a little bit, so now I want to mind yours. This is a part of the podcast where I take a minute and I see what's happening in your world. How are you growing? How are you evolving? What's happening in

your life? And you may be asking yourself, I have always wanted S.J.R. to mind my business. You know, maybe she's up there preaching and I would just like to know her personal thoughts and opinions about something that's happening in my life. If that is you, I want you to write this number down because I want you to call me so that I can put you on game and or, or possibly not put you on game at all, but at least make you feel heard because we got to leave a little room for me to not add any value at all, but at least you would have been heard. But let's call me at 214-790-8871 and let me mind your business. like our girl is about to do.

Let's play the clip. Hi, this is Bridget. I'm in Portland and Florida. I just so happen to me leaving work. I'm a self-therapist. And first I called and then I hung up. I was like, what's I doing? But I was listening to one of your podcasts

and it was speaking about Mary and Martha and one of the things that stuck with me was the word rogue. know, and I know what it means, you know, some may see it as something that's not, you know, it's honest, it's not, you know, doesn't follow principle, kind of like, you know, very mischievous. And I heard you say that you want to go road,

you're going to go road. But when I looked at the definition even more, it says, act independently, deviate from what's expected, something that, you know, that's not safe, it's not normal. And then I thought of me. And, you know, and you said so many different things about, you know, just in so many words, being uniquely different. And I strongly feel like that about myself.

And I know I'm not for everybody. You know, every now and then I question myself because my personality is so bold. And my perspective and how I look at things are so differently, look at things differently than, you know, other individuals. And I just have so much in me that I want to explore out to the world. Like just get it out, you know. You know, I'm a natural nurturer, but I'm also, you know, I struggle in my mental health. I'm a therapist, but I'm struggling my mental, you know, and I have this thing where I always have it together, be well put together, you know. But there are times where I'm depleted, you know, because I don't ask for help.

I feel like that's probably why I don't get the help, you know. But, you know, I check for people. there are times I feel unseen, unheard. I don't even know how I got on this topic, but I guess this is what was on my mind. I'm working on so many different things right now in my life. I'm 45 years old. I'm married.

14 years. I have a 25-year-old, a 12-year-old that's on a spectrum of my 25-year-old struggling her mental with her diagnosis. Five-year-old grandbaby. I'm trying to be in school. I'm a PhD student right now, forensic psychology and there's so many things I want to do. I feel like I haven't been given the right opportunity to just get all those things out and I'm trying to just do what God has great things to do.

You know, I know I'm full of purpose. I know that there's more that I'm supposed to be doing, but there are times I feel like I'm at a plateau. All right. So one of the things that stood out to me about this question is, one, you already have a lot on your plate. The fact that you even found the time to call me, to share with me what was happening in your heart and in your mind, I really appreciate it because I realize that someone who has as much capacity as you do, you're often used to dealing with things on your own. And so I want to thank you for calling. Thank you for trusting me with something so vulnerable.

I feel like a lot of people can relate to you having so much inside of you, but feeling like I don't know how to let it out. I want to go rogue, but I feel stuck. my life sometimes isn't set up for me to take chances and make risk. First of all, you're already in a doctorate program. So, like, the fact that you feel like there's still so much in me and you're in a doctorate program, you're taking care of your child with special needs, you got a grand baby, you made, it sounds like your plate is already very full.

And so if I can offer you a little bit of advice, I would start with this. One, sometimes going rogue for us means take an inventory of our lives and how much of it we have to do or how much of it we are just continuing to do because it's something that everyone has already expected of us. Sometimes we don't have time to go rogue because it would require us to redirect time that we are allowing other people to use to channel it towards our new venture. I am wondering, is there any room at all in your life for you to maybe let a few people down or to change other people's expectations of you so that you have the capacity. to dream, to create, to rest, whatever going rogue looks like for you. You didn't go into specifics

about all of the things that are inside of you, but as you were speaking, I felt like this is something that can be helpful for you as you consider all of these things that are inside of you. So I wrote this down and I hope that you will too. I want you to write down all of the things that are in you. So maybe you feel like I need to be an author. I want to start a business. I want to start a nonprofit. I want to feed the young house. Like I want you to write down all of those. things that are in you. And I want you to ask yourself, why do I want to do them? Sometimes we have a lot of things inside of us that we want to do because at the end of the day, we want to prove someone wrong about something they said we couldn't do. Or there are all of these things that we want to do

because it's something that someone else said that we are good at. I want you to ask yourself, what are all of these things that are inside me? Literally begin to list them out. Keep a running document that has all of those gifts, those talents, those aspirations inside of you. And then I want you to ask yourself, why do I want to do them? And then I want you to go a step further. And I want you to ask, and why does the world need this to happen? Because if we can begin to tie what it is that is inside of us with our why and we're able to qualify our why, and then we are able to see why the world needs it, it's going to do a few things. It's going to allow us to have a sense of urgency where we constantly see the people who are on the other side of our yes. When you realize that

oftentimes I am standing in my own way because I'm afraid of what other people will think, I'm afraid of failure, I'm afraid of not getting it right. It makes it difficult for us to get what's in us out of us. But when you can begin to envision the other people who are on the other side. It will do wonders for you as it relates to overcoming fear and getting the confidence required for you to step into that yes that will allow you to pull out what's inside of you. The next thing that I want you to consider when asking this question is why the world needs it is, are there other people who are already doing it? Because a lot of times there are things that are inside of us that we feel like the world needs, but then there could be someone else who's

already doing it. And maybe instead of you being the one who spearheads it, you're able to support someone else's endeavors. Maybe instead of you being the one who starts the nonprofit, you're able to partner with what someone else is doing. And there is a way for you to scratch the edge of all of those things that are inside of you without you having to launch each and every single initiative in order to make it happen. There's a story in the Bible about Jesus giving all of these different talents, different talents to different people. and some of them had a lot of talents. One only had one talent.

Some had a few talents. And he was judging what they did with those talents that they have been given. I want you to begin to qualify why you want to do them and if the world needs them and if it needs it from you so that you can be a good steward over what God did give you to do. Like I said, you have a lot on your plate. You have a lot of responsibilities, a lot of people counting on you. And you want to make sure that you're using your time wisely. being 45 years old. And even though I'm not yet in my 40s, I know what it's like to feel like you know what. I have a few building years in me, a few years of strength in me, and I want to make

sure that I'm allocating them properly. And so I'm prayerful that you taking those practical tips will allow you to, one, qualify what it is that you want to do, but also to pray with more intentionality. There's no doubt in my mind that there are going to be things on that list that like only you can do, that you're anointed to do them, that you're called to do them. And you still may feel like I don't know where to start. But if you begin to pray into those things, I believe that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and guidance on how to release what's inside of you to make you sensitive to the things that are in your life that can help facilitate what's in you coming out of you.

So that's my advice to you. I hope it's helpful. And I hope that you will call me back and let me know how this exercise goes for you. Maybe you're listening and like I'm minding her business, but you minding her business too. And that answer helped you in some way. Call us, leave us comment, let us know how you took that advice and applied it to your life. And let me know how it works out for you. This conversation with Lupita, I feel like builds so intentionally from us having this conversation about there being so much inside of us.

I bet you, I didn't get to ask her, but I bet you that if you would have asked her, if she would have been in a position where she was sharing, from a medical research perspective about this area where there was gray space because there's not enough research as it relates to women's health and women's bodies, whether or not she would have been the one to fill that gap. She probably would have said, no, I didn't ask her, but I'm betting that she would have. She has been so brave and courageous and allowing her experiences with her body to become something that she leverages to shed a light with her influence on ways that we can all galvanize and support an initiative that we've all been impacted by in some way.

Now, let me tell you, if you've ever heard of the woman with the issue of blood in scripture, we're pretty sure now, based off of the knowledge and the advice that we have from medical professionals now that she probably had some form of reproductive health issue, whether it was endometriosis or fibroids, there was something happening with her body. And we tell this story about this woman touching the hem of his garment. and instantly being healed all the time in church over and over again. The reality is that for some women, they have experienced healing, but then for others, they've had a long journey of trying to figure out what was going on with their body.

They said that woman with the issue of blood. She had that issue for 12 years. She spent a long time trying to find answers, trying to find solutions to what was happening with her body. And it wasn't until she touched the hem of his garment that she got relief. But just because she got relief doesn't mean that she got answers. What Lupita is doing by sharing her story is shedding a light on an issue that many women experience. I want to share some stats with you about fibroids and how prevalent they are because it's really important for us to recognize even if we aren't experiencing it ourselves, what some people in our community may be experiencing.

Did you know that 80% of women are impacted by fibroids and African-American women are more likely to develop fibroids than white women? women. Fibroids have become more common as women age, especially during the 30s and 40s through menopause. After menopause, fibroids usually begin to shrink. So what's interesting about the history of women's history is that there's not a lot of research about women in their reproductive health system outside of childbearing. And as a result, we don't have as many answers as we should have, but answers are available to us. Lupita allows us through her conversation to begin to consider what it looks like for us to help our sisters in need, ourselves in need, with the type of research that can make a difference in their body. You may know her from some

of the blockbuster movies that she has been in. You may know her from her incredible career and how impactful it has been. But she has been so gracious in allowing us to understand some of the stories of her personal life and her personal experience with fibroids and why she's making this decision to make fibroids count. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation. It's going to be enlightening. But we also wanted it to be a bit light. So when things get towards the end,

I can't wait for you guys to hear some of the answers. She's got a random talent, a random talent that I had never heard about, that I can't wait for you to hear. So let's get into this week's episode. So every year at Woman Evolve, we start the year off with a theme. And this year, our theme is Go Rogue, We are encouraging women to break out of patterns and systems that no longer fit who they are.

And I am wondering at this stage of your life, what does it mean for you to go rogue? Wow. Well, I would say that last year I felt I was living a lot in the questions. And this year, I'm in pursuit of answers. That's it. Like, I, there is grace to be had when, to be exercised when you don't know which. path to take when you're uncertain, when there are many paths revealing themselves to you. And then there's a time for action. And I feel like this year has been a lot about, already,

has been about pursuit of answers and taking action. That's so good. I feel like in order to be on the pursuit of answers, that there's also this recognition that you can't be afraid of failure or not getting the answers. Is that true for you? Absolutely. You put one foot from front of the other and you learn as you go. I think for me to have gotten to this point,

it took a lot of sitting still, which is very hard to do. Just to hear your inner navigator to hear your intuition speak because I feel like the intuitive voice is very quiet. And so you need to be still in order to hear it.

And then once you have a gauge of just even a mild sense of what your true north is, it's important to take steps, I think, in order to see whether, in order to figure out how you're going to get to where you're going. And yes, that means embracing that fear will always be a factor and that you have to take action in spite of it. And, yeah, have courage that. that if you err along the way, it's all part of like, part of what of equipping yourself for the journey ahead. That's the attitude that I am approaching 2026 with.

Do you mind unpacking a little bit what you decided to do for your birthday that has led us to even having this conversation today? It was 2026 when I decided for my birthday. day, I was going to reveal an image of how many fibroids I have to date. I've been on a mission to change how we perceive fibroids to give them the attention and the gravitas they deserve. So this month, March, which is my birthday month, we launched a campaign called Make Fibroids Count, which is a fundraising campaign to raise money for research into non-invasive and less invasive ways to deal with fibroids. And so for my birthday, I released a photo of myself holding 77 of fruit with, I mean, a basket of fruit with 77 fruits in it, signifying the 77 fibroids that I know I've had to date.

And along with that, I also released an MRI image of my fibroids because I wanted to offer both an artistic representation of the invisible fruit we carry, but also give it the gravitas of what it actually looks like to bear these things in your body that science still so little understands in order to create the urgency that I feel the subject deserves for us to do something about. an issue that is affecting 80% of women. That's so beautiful. When I think about it being Women's History Month and just the significance of releasing your story and this imagery around your birthday, I'm just reminded of the history of women's health and how we are often centered in conversations that may be relevant and prevalent in many of our communities. And it's taken what I would imagine a lot of courage in order for you to do this.

Can you talk a little bit, I guess, about your journey and how you came to a place where you began to get help and to do research to understand what was taking place in your body? Yeah, so my journey with fibroids started in 2014, which was the year that I won an Academy Award. So it was a very, very big year in my life. A lot of positive change was happening. But at the time when I was experiencing such a career high in my personal life, I had been diagnosed with fibroids. And I was facing a threat to my reproductive system. And at the time, I really didn't know much about fibroids. Yes, I'd heard about it.

Oh, an auntie had it or something like that. But like, it wasn't anything that had been presented to me as something that I should look out for or something that I should know much about. And so when I asked my doctors, you know, what is this and what causes fibroids? They really couldn't give me an answer. They said, we don't have enough research to know what causes fibroids. But we do know that they thrive in a body. that is estrogen dominant. And then I asked, okay, why is my body estrogen dominant? No clear answers. And at the time, just for people who don't know, fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in and

around your uterus and they can cause lots of different symptoms. Some people don't even know they have fibroids. Other people experience heavy bleeding, clotting, pelvic pain, an knee, a lot of pressure in your abdomen area, among other things, back pain, you name it. And it affects 80% of women by the age of 50 in this country. So when I asked what I could do about this, I was given two options. Surgery, invasive surgery, or living with the pain. And at the time, I chose the surgery. and they took out 23 fibroids.

And then as I was recovering, I said to my doctor, okay, so what can I do to make sure that these fibroids don't come back? And I was told really nothing. It's just a matter of time. If your body is prone to fibroids, it's just a matter of time. And now I've come to learn that about 50% of women who get these surgeries end up having a recurrence in 1 to 10 years. So I was shocked about how little the medical world could help me,

could equip me with a way to protect myself from these growths. But I went on with my life. And then 10 years later, mind you, I've been checked every year and I'm told, oh, there's, you know, there's one or two, it's negligible. Ten years later, I get the news that I have over 50 fibroids now. And if I'm going to, if I want relief, I'm given the same options. Surgery or live with the pain. And so while my fibroid burden had changed over the 10 years, the options given to me had not.

And that's when I grew angry. And I was hurt. I was angry. And I was frustrated and confused. And I said, okay, enough is enough. This is not okay. when I asked about, you know, what's happening? Like, why is there no advancements?

And really, it's because there's not enough money going into researching the female body and issues that specifically concern the female body. And fibroids are such an issue. They only affect the female body. And so, you know, at that point, I started talking more. I started talking to my family. I learned that so many of my family members have fibroids and that indeed there is a correlation. If you have fibroids in your family, this is a genetic issue.

If you have fibroids in your family, chances are you could get fibroids. And then I started talking to my friends. And my friends, I found out so many of them had fibroids. And so that abstract 80% of women will have fibroids by age 50 became real. Because now I could see the name, I knew the names and the faces of people dealing with it. But what surprised me about talking about it was a lot of the time, the attitude was like, oh, please, girl, I have them too. You know, very casually. And it doesn't, it didn't really match the experience that I was having in my body.

And what I've come to understand is that as women, we are conditioned to normalize pain because we are dealing with a medical industry that has not prioritized our relief. And so from a very young age, you're informed that you're going to have a period and your life is going to be miserable once a month and you just have to get on with it. And so I think that was where this attitude was coming along because when you're going to go. going in for checkups and you're being told you have fibrants and the message is that they're normal, you start to take it lightly or you know, you don't take, you don't give it the seriousness that it deserves. And so where I've come to is a place where I'm like, just because fibroids are common does not make them normal. And we need to differentiate between the two. So I was emboldened by my community, you know, speaking to people and commiserating with people who are going through it with me.

And that's the point at which I decided, you know what, I want to be a part of the change I want to see. I want to join forces and lock arms with women and people who are concerned about this, who have been fighting the good fights to get this disease and this condition taken seriously that by the men. industry and I want to be a part of the change. So that's when I decided to go public with my story and I joined forces with the Foundation for Women's Health to set up this grant, which is one step, it's hopefully one or a couple of steps towards having more solutions for women rather than just cutting them open. I love that so much. One, that you are pressing up against something that I believe is necessary for a lot of women is that we just begin to exist and function living with the pain and feeling like there's just nothing we can do about it.

So we might as well accept it. And I love this idea of you challenging us to not just advocate for our health and to advocate for other people to take our health seriously, but for us ourselves to not become comfortable living with conditions and pain that alter our way of life. I have some friends who also have fibroids, and this literally, it alters the way that you show up in your life. It changes a normal day can go from just being regular to you need and to shift your plans in order to accommodate the pain that you may be living in. Can you talk a little bit about just the lived reality of having fibroids and how dangerous it is for us to normalize this type of pain and adjust our lives to fit this condition? Yeah. The first thing I'll say is that I don't even know when my symptoms started because like I said, I was taught that to be a woman is to suffer.

So when my period started growing longer in my early 20s, I didn't think much about it. when I started heavy clotting and I'm talking like a normal, an acceptable size clot during your cycle is, should be no more than a penny size, right? So anything larger than that should cause alarm. But like I would, I had more clotting. I didn't think anything of it. I just took it in stride. And then so it took, it was years probably, years. And they say on average it takes a woman about, it takes three points.

5 years for a woman having symptoms to get diagnosed with fibroids. So there's a lot of delay in diagnosing it. So for me at the point at which I sounded the alarm and said, okay, enough is enough. Something is wrong. I was experiencing extremely long and heavy bleeding. I had been pre-anemic and my GP kept telling me, oh, you're pre-anemic, take this iron supplement. but not again there was no

linkage to checking for fibroids so I had been pre-anemic for a while so that comes with a lot of exhaustion I was experiencing pain like cramps but again I just chalked it up to being a woman and I had this like biting pain sometimes but didn't but you know it wasn't until all these things were unbearable

and happening at once that I said to my OBGYN, something is wrong. And when I said that, at first she dismissed it. And then I came back and I doubled down. I said, something is wrong. And she did a pelvic exam and then sent me for an ultrasound, which is the first way to see if a woman to detect fibroids. And so I did that.

And then after that, I was sent for an MRI. which gives you even more information. Yes, and it confirmed that I had fibroids, but it was, I cannot say to you how long I had been suffering. It had just gotten to a point where I couldn't ignore it anymore. And I finally spoke up for myself. I'm curious, in your process of going on this journey and then even beginning to do the research and locking arms with people who are already doing the work, is there anything

that you have learned about having fibroids that you did? know beforehand that you think would be instrumental or critical for other women to know or take note of? Oh my goodness. How much time do we have? Well, the first thing was that, like, there is the fact that fibers thrive in an estrogen dominant body. And now there's different ways in which you can be estrogen dominant. You can either be producing more estrogen than you need, or your body could be having trouble flushing out the estrogen that you that you produce i am the latter my body is not adept at flushing out the estrogen there's ways in which you can mitigate that with your um diet inflammation fibroids love inflammation so if you have an inflammatory diet that causes that can

exacerbate your your your symptoms and can affect the growth of your fibroids so you can you can look into anti-inflammatory diets and that's quite helpful. But on a more direct level, I learned that there have been some studies, some very reputable and reliable studies that have proven that green tea extract is a helpful supplement. And I say all this with a disclaimer that I am not a doctor. And I would encourage everyone to seek the health advice from from actual practitioners of this, but green tea extract is a great supplement that can help to slow down the growth because it starves the fibroids.

This is my layman's way of saying it. And vitamin D is also a very big contributor to the balance that allows for the body to fight fibroids. Now, a lot of, so I've also learned how black, women are disproportionately more affected by fibroids. This means that we get them earlier, we get more of them, we experience more severe symptoms, and we're two to three times more likely to need surgical intervention, and I believe seven times more likely to be recommended a hysterectomy. So we are disadvantaged. They do not know why, but that is a state of affairs. it's also known that a lot of black women have vitamin D disufficiency.

I think vitamin D disufficiency is an issue all around, but for black women, it is definitely more rampant. So to me, it makes sense. Like, you know, the fiber burden would match sort of the vitamin D deprivation. So getting on a protocol of vitamin D supplements. and getting as much sunshine as possible has been something that I've done that I try to do and iron iron iron your liver needs iron in order to be able to properly balance your hormones so if you have iron issues it's it's another contributor to unfortunate an environment that that promotes or is is rife for fibers to grow in so it's

figuring out what your iron levels is also going to be helpful and if you are deficient in iron you know finding the help you need to get the supplementation the prescription to to help with that is also meaningful so that's what i have i have done and um so these are all these are not cures right by any stretch of the imagination but they're the things that i have learned the true two practical things that have made me feel less helpless. Now, LaPeda, I know you said you aren't a doctor, but you have said something to me today. Now, girl, all my life they didn't tell me I was low on iron, but the iron helping the liver to balance the hormones, you have said something to me today. I think so many women have heard like, you're anemic, you're anemic.

And like, okay, we'll take some iron, I'm going to eat some steak, but like, why do I need the iron? Peter, you might not be a doctor, but you could play one on TV the way you're out here giving the information. That's what I want to do. That is the kind of doctor I want to be, the one on TV. I do want to ask you, because when I think about our audience, we're talking about women who are predominantly black women who probably, if themselves, have not been impacted by fibroids, know enough women who have been impacted by fibroids or just other symptoms that we've just come to live with. And they're maybe not going to experience the sense of urgency that they need to because they

have been living with it for so long. Their grandmothers lived with, the aunties lived with it. I want you to talk a little bit about the way that your life changed as a result of just addressing the fibroids, maybe the first time or the second time. Like how did your quality of life change after you had an opportunity to have relief for those windows? Because I'm hoping that we can begin to. really create a hunger for women to understand that they could live healthier lives,

that they could live lives that maybe aren't as complicated as a result of really joining arms to help us get the research we need to change the lives of ourselves and the generations that are to come from us as well. Boy, oh boy. So first I'll say that I am very much still, I still have fibroids and I am at a point where I am actively needing to decide whether to go the route of another surgery or to just live with the pain. I haven't been willing to do it because the first surgery was hard. And it is, it is, I, I just, it's not something I would do casually.

It's very invasive. They cut through your muscle tissue. Now listen, it's very effective. and after my surgery I felt lighter, like literally lighter because I wasn't carrying. I think at the time they took the 23 fibroids were quite weighty. I can't remember how much they weighed, but it was significant to get that burden out of my body. and the recovery was It was tough

but it did happen and I don't regret doing it but I do have I do I am very cautious about doing it again because every time you have a surgery it actually jeopardizes your reproductive potential

And so, and I was actually having a conversation with my surgeon recently about, okay, should I or should I not do the surgery with the idea that, you know, I want to preserve my reproductive potential. And, you know, his point was that we don't know enough in order to be able to guarantee you that the surgery will do the trick for you to be able to one day. have a baby. For some people, it does work and it's almost 50-50. Some people, the outcomes are such that they cannot after the surgery and for another 50% it actually is the thing they needed to do in order to gain back their reproductive health. So, you know, it's a toss-up. It's a risk you take. And so this is why I am so passionate about finding solutions that don't necessarily involve, you know, that invasive surgery. Another thing that I've learned of since I went public with this and started to do this advocacy work is how prevalent hysterectomies are. There have been

women in my comments on Instagram and Facebook. One woman I remember, she told me that she had a hysterectomy in her early 20s because that was the only option given to her and I've heard that from countless women they go in with fibroids and their doctor recommends a hysterectomy and they don't know that there's any other options and so they lose all the they lose their reproductive organs and I think that is a travesty for us to be losing our whole reproductive organs as a first resort yeah you know there's definitely a time when that might be necessary, but surely it shouldn't be our first resort, because that to me is like having a cavity and taking out all your teeth. That's just, it's too severe an option for it to be the first one. So, I don't even remember your question.

But yeah, I would say that I'm still very much, I encourage, what I'm encouraging is, is really that we know our bodies and that we understand our family history, you know, and that we equip ourselves with this. We know the symptoms to look for in order to be able to go and advocate for ourselves in a medical system that is not ready to give us the tools. And the reason is because that medical system itself also has to be educated about fibroids, about there needs to be better sensitization of doctors in medical school about, you know, the protocols for dealing with fibroids. So there's a lot of education that needs to happen on a lot of levels. But right now for the women who might be facing this, I say pay attention to your body,

speak to your family, make sure you understand your family history, and then go in there and advocate for yourself to get the options. There are options out there beyond a hysterectomy. So definitely don't allow that to be the only option given to you. And yeah, that would be my advice. I think, you know, another thing that you mentioned that I hope that people will take away from this conversation is just the willingness to have conversations about things that concern our body. like you, many women have been conditioned to believe that beauty is pain, being a woman, has pain connected to it, and we have accepted existences of pain that don't necessarily have to be our destiny,

even if they were the history of the women who came before us. And I am encouraged by us just having normal conversations about our periods and our cycles and not treating it as if it is something that is taboo, because it is possible that someone does have a condition, but because we have made it so abnormal to have these types of conversations that they're dealing and suffering in pain. When even just knowing from another woman, it doesn't have to be that way or there are tools can be helpful. I believe that that's the power of community

is that we're able to determine what's normal, what's not, and then what tools and resources have you had access to that could help me as well. And so if you're listening to this, please just be mindful of the types of conversations we can be having as women to help bring awareness, even amongst ourselves, as we also seek to break down systems that have often marginalized or left us ignored in our issues. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

That is so key. Our silence only breeds pain. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's something that I would like to ask you. I know we're about to wrap up, but I'm wondering, as you consider what perseverance looks like in this field, where we know that medical research can take time.

and that in your pursuit of answers, that there are some answers that we have to journey in order to get the answer for. What does it look like for you to have perseverance at this season of your life? Ooh, what does it look like for me to have perseverance at this season of my life? Ah.

I think perseverance means, for me, it has become, it is accepted. that I am not always strong that sometimes all the time I'm human and that comes with some porousness it comes with some tender spots

and embracing myself in those moments when I feel tender and allowing myself to retreat and curl up and have a good cry is part of perseverance you can't be in fight mode all the time you can't be in action mode all the time and so it's important

to to recognize the vulnerability of being human and embrace it this work for me has been so vulnerable to talk about it openly it's not easy

but it's also been so empowering you know it definitely beats being quiet about it and dealing with it on my own own because I have gotten the bolstering of people I don't even know, you know. And when I hear the stories, stories heal you. When you share your story, you heal. When you hear a story, you heal. So being able to hear women stories that are where I am, have been where I am, there's something that makes it feel less less, less,

less insurmountable, you know, because I know I am not alone. And so though I may be leading with my single story, I know that it is reverberating and that I am being mirrored over and over again by so many women who are experiencing versions of this way more severe than my experience. So, yeah, I feel empowered by my vulnerability. It is my fuel. It is my engine. You know, I think the paradox of perseverance and vulnerability living in the same place is one of the things that's going to stick with me as we, as I marinate on this conversation because I think I, like so many women, have begun to believe that perseverance means being strong all of the time. But what if the refueling is in the vulnerability, maybe the perseverance runs out in isolation.

but through connection, through honesty, we are refueled for the mission. And I'm just so grateful for you answering the call to this. In a different way, I've had to share my story, a story that no one would have to know unless I had to tell it. And I can imagine, because of the platform and the influence in the audience, that you have been fortunate enough to amass that you could have kept yourself guarded and walled up, but to say I'm going to be seen full. and to allow what's happening in my life to be impactful for other people. I think it's just an incredible, courageous act that I know for sure is pushing the ball forward and helping us to get some of the answers that we need. So thank you.

Thank you for your yes. Oh, thank you so much. And it means a lot to me to be able to share, and especially in this kind of way, this feels very intimate and patient. You know, it's like a nice slow burn, conversation. So it feels, it feels, it feels, it feels very comforting to share it in this way. And yeah. So someone's listening right now and, okay, they're engaged. They're a little bit more interested and not just living with the pain. They want to do something about it. They're

borrowing from your courage. How can the women who are listening learn more about fibroids, but most importantly what they can do to help fund some of the research that is needed so that we can live healthier, better lives. Yes, the Make Fibirds Count campaign fundraising campaign is going on right now on GoFundMe and you can go to makefibirds count.org and make your donation there. And that donation goes straight to research, funding scientific research into non-invasive and less invasive ways to treat fibroids. So that is one way you can definitely participate. I wanted to make this a public campaign because I have felt very empowered by being able to be up to contribute to the solution I want to see. And I thought other women might feel the same and the people who love them might

feel the same. So if you want to feel like a part of the solution and actually be a part of it, please donate to makefiberscount.org. And once you donate, you automatically become, you get on the list for all the updates on where the research is. The Foundation for Women's Health aims to do this research and make it available for people to actually gain from. So this is not just going to disappear into some scientific journal somewhere. We're really looking for practical ways to find better solutions for women.

That's great. Okay, before we go, because you was tearing up on me a little bit, we got to leave on a high note, okay? So I got to ask you if you were going to do a little rapid-fire question if that's okay. Great. Okay, so what's something ordinary that you find beautiful? Ooh. That I find, ooh, something ordinary that I find beautiful. Grass. ordinary. What does it, it's the green, the touch, the feel. The, the, yes, the coverage, you know, when you see a beautiful grass pasture and it's just fully covered and it just looks like you, perfect to take a siesta on. Yes. Okay. What is something you are surprisingly good at that has nothing to do with your career? I can gleeke. Do you know what that is? No, may I.

that is spitting from under your tongue. Lou Peter. And this is what came to mind. I have so many questions I need another episode because who is calling it Gleek and how did you learn to do it? I have no idea. But that is a hidden skill of mine that now the world knows about.

Okay, so, okay, stage acting or film acting. Ooh, I can't choose. Both. Both. Both, okay. Both, both. City life or farm life? Farm.

Really? Well, yeah, you like the grass, okay? Early bird or night owl? Both. Both. Unfortunately, I hate that about myself, but I am both. Like you, why? Because I just can't wait to get on with, get back to my day.

So I struggle to go to bed. I spring out of bed. It's just, yeah, it's a constant battle. I love that. Okay, and who's your person, like the person who you can count on for whatever, whenever they're down? Oh, my friend, well, they're down. My friend Sahim Ali. Yes. Yeah. He's down for whatever. I love that. I love that. Thank you. Whatever I'm down for. And we need those people in our, lives. I want to thank you so much for taking time to share with us about making fireboards count. We're going to make sure that our girls have all of the information to get plugged in. We're going to make a donation on behalf of Wom and Evolve. I'm so grateful for the

work that you're doing and that we can get behind helping as many women as possible to live better, bolder lives. So thank you so much for your time and your work. Thank you so much for having me. This has been a wonderful conversation. My pleasure. If you take anything from this conversation at all, I hope it is this. Just because something is common doesn't mean it's normal. So many of us just learn to live with pain. And when womanhood and pain becomes synonymous, we don't know when there's an opportunity for us to have a different quality of life.

It is my prayer that you take a moment from this conversation and consider what have I accepted in my life as normal. That is something that I can actually have healing from, whether it's something by a lot physically, mentally, emotionally. Maybe you're like the woman who called in earlier and you're frustrated because there's so much in you that you don't know where to start. I want you to become uncomfortable staying in discomfort and pain and begin to consider what would it look like for me to have a life that reflects healing wholeness so that my soul can prosper. Many of you may want to join the cause as you should with Lupita as it relates to making fibroids count.

That campaign is aimed at funding research for non-invasive treatments for fibroids. I want you to visit the GoFundMe in the show notes or in the copy of this week's episode so that you can learn how you can make fibroids count and ultimately help make a generational impact so that the history of women's history can be that we came together and we sought solutions for one another and got answers that made a difference in the lives of ourselves and of the women connected to us. Before we go, I want to pray with you. God, thank you so much for the opportunity to have honest conversations about what's happening in our bodies, what's happening in our heart, and what's happening in our minds. I pray right now that this conversation served as an invitation

for us to experience oneness within ourselves and ultimately oneness with you. Lord, I pray that you would make clear the path that you have for us, whether it's our destiny, our purpose, our gifts, our talents, or how we should show up in this season of medical uncertainty. God, I pray that you would continue to give us strength to persevere through rest and then to take on the fights that are connected to our calling and anointing. Thank you, God, for the opportunity to serve what you're doing in the lives of women. Continue to make us a good steward that we would platform causes that change their lives and ultimately change them for the better. In Jesus' name, amen. I'll see you next week.

Evolve.