The Girls Room Project After Dark

"I Wish It Was Drugs" | Candice Guardino on Endo, IVF, and the Joke That Got Her Through It

Welcome to the very first episode of The Girls Room Project After Dark — and we're not easing you in.
Candice Guardino is a comedian, actress, singer, and screenwriter best known for her one-woman theatrical comedy special Italian Bred, streaming on Amazon and Apple TV. She's been called the real-life Italian version of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 
Before she was making sold-out audiences laugh about growing up in Staten Island with a loud, unapologetically Italian family, she was sitting in fertility clinics, giving herself injections she called "I wish this was drugs," and learning — at 36 years old, after more than a decade of painful periods, failed IVF rounds, surgeries, and miscarriages — that she had stage 3 endometriosis.
Nobody told her. Nobody connected the dots. And she's done being quiet about it.
In this episode, Callie Greenberg and Candice Guardino go deep on the stuff nobody puts on the highlight reel: what it actually feels like to be dismissed by a dozen doctors, what IVF with endo looks like versus what the industry promises, the moment a dermoid cyst had grown so large it was pressing into her chest cavity (and she was blaming stress), and the natural IVF round with no medication that finally gave her her son, Maverick.
They also talk about the shame spiral — apologizing to your husband for being a "lemon," calling your mom after a hysterectomy diagnosis to say you're sorry, and why the endo + infertility community still isn't showing the stories that don't end with a baby photo.
This one's funny, this one's raw, and this one is long overdue.
Resources and Links 
https://www.candiceguardino.com/
https://www.instagram.com/candiceguardino/
https://www.youtube.com/@CandiceGuardinoComedy
Italian Bred on Apple
girlsroomofficial.com
Girls Room Project After Dark | IG
Girls Room Project | IG

Endometriosis & Fertility: Olympic Sprinter Brittany Brown | EP24

Endometriosis can sideline an elite athlete the same way it sidelines anyone else. In this episode of Endo Warriors, host Callie Greenberg sits down with Olympic sprinter Brittany Brown to talk diagnosis, fertility, excision surgery, and what it took to return to competition in under four months.
Brittany breaks down what fertility testing actually looked like for her, how she weighed egg retrieval against excision, and the real cost of building a medical and performance team around a chronic illness. She and Callie get into the financial side, nutrition and recovery, and why so many women in sport stay quiet about endo until their bodies force the conversation.
This is one of the most direct conversations on the show about competing at the highest level while managing endometriosis. Brittany does not dress it up. She talks about trusting her body, finding excision specialists, and what advocacy looks like when your career depends on the answers.
This episode is for any athlete, runner, or high-performer who has been told to push through pelvic pain and is starting to wonder if there is something more going on.
In this episode:
Diagnosing endometriosis as an elite athlete
Fertility testing and choosing between egg retrieval and excision surgery
Returning to elite competition in under four months post-op
Building a medical and performance team around a chronic illness
The financial and emotional cost of treating endo at the elite level
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room Project on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room Project website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
Brittany Brown on Instagram: @_brittanyshamere
Brittany Brown on Substack: Brittany Brown Substack
 

Decluttering as Medicine: Healing Lyme, Trauma & Chronic Illness | Alison Kero | EP23

What if the clutter in your home is making your chronic illness worse? In this episode of Endo Warriors, professional organizer and healing advocate Alison Kero joins host Callie Greenberg to share her powerful journey with Lyme disease and the surprising role that decluttering, both physical and emotional, played in her recovery.
Alison is the founder of From Clutter to Confidence, and her work sits at the intersection of organization, trauma healing, and chronic illness recovery. She and Callie explore how environmental overload affects the nervous system, why so many women with chronic illness feel surrounded by stuff they can't process, and the small steps that compound into real healing for endo, Lyme, and other chronic conditions.
This episode is for anyone who senses their environment is part of why they don't feel well, and is ready to find out what changes when you let some of it go.
In this episode:
How clutter affects the nervous system in chronic illness
Lyme disease, trauma, and the mind-body connection
Decluttering as a healing practice for endo and chronic illness
Small steps that compound into real recovery
Building an environment that supports your nervous system
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
Brought to you by Emet Surgical
https://emetsurgical.com/

Endometriosis & Fertility: How to Protect Yours | Julia Kelejian | EP22

If you have endometriosis and are thinking about your fertility, this episode is essential listening. Host Callie Greenberg sits down with Julia Kelejian, who shares her decade-long struggle with debilitating period pain, misdiagnoses, and repeated ER visits before finally receiving an endometriosis diagnosis and life-saving excision surgery.
The episode covers the emotional toll of dismissal, fears around fertility and treatment options, the physical recovery after surgery, and Julia's move into patient advocacy to help others get heard. Callie and Julia talk through what every endo patient should know about protecting their fertility, the differences between excision and ablation surgery, and how to push for a real diagnostic workup before infertility becomes the diagnosis that finally gets you taken seriously.
This conversation is for anyone living with endometriosis who is thinking about kids now, later, or just wants to keep the option open.
In this episode:
How endometriosis affects fertility
Why early diagnosis matters for fertility outcomes
Excision surgery and what real recovery looks like
Advocating for yourself in fertility workups
Becoming a patient advocate after diagnosis
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
Julia Kelejian on Instagram: @chronicbeauty.co
 

Menopause & HRT: What Doctors Won't Tell You | Heather Danby | EP21

Menopause and hormone replacement therapy are two of the most misunderstood topics in women's health. In this episode of Endo Warriors, host Callie Greenberg sits down with Heather Danby, host of Sharing Out Loud, to talk about the hidden truths around menopause, HRT, and what so many doctors aren't telling their patients.
Heather and Callie explore the gap between what current science says about hormone replacement therapy and what women still hear in exam rooms, the link between menopause and chronic conditions like endometriosis, and why community and storytelling are critical when the medical system is slow to catch up. They dig into addiction, hormonal health, societal stigmas, and the healing power of being honest about your own experience.
This episode is for anyone navigating perimenopause, menopause, surgical menopause, or trying to figure out whether HRT is right for them.
In this episode:
The truth about menopause and hormone replacement therapy
What current research says vs. what doctors still tell patients
How endometriosis and surgical menopause intersect
Storytelling and community as healing in chronic illness
Real talk on hormonal health, addiction, and societal stigma
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
Heather Danby on Instagram: @heathermdanby
 

Women's Health Is Broken: René Jay on Endo & Advocacy | EP20

Women's health is broken, and a 330,000-follower social media account is helping prove it. In this episode of Endo Warriors, hosts Callie Greenberg and Jamie Silva welcome René Jay, the influential creator behind @bornwithadarktan, to discuss his viral series exploring new topics in women's health and what he's learned along the way.
René has built a massive following thanks to his natural curiosity about women's health and his refusal to look away from what the system gets wrong. He, Callie, and Jamie unpack medical gaslighting, why so many women are dismissed in healthcare, the cultural conspiracy of silence around women's pain, and how visibility on social media is changing what patients are willing to accept.
This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like the medical system was working against them, and for anyone tired of being told the system is fine.
In this episode:
Why women's health gets dismissed at every level of the system
How social media is exposing medical gaslighting in real time
What men can learn (and teach) about women's health
Building advocacy in a culture that prefers silence
Real talk on endo, fertility, and the fight for better care
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
René Jay on Instagram: @bornwithadarktan
 

How Untreated Endometriosis Damages Your Organs | Carleigh Turner | EP19

DONATE TO ENDO EXCISION FOR ALL: endoexcisionforall.org
Untreated endometriosis doesn't just hurt. It damages organs. In this episode of Endo Warriors, hosts Callie Greenberg and Jamie Silva talk with Carleigh Turner, a PhD student and endometriosis advocate, about her decades-long struggle with pelvic pain, repeated misdiagnoses, and the limits of common treatments.
Carleigh shares what happens when endometriosis is allowed to progress unchecked, the toll it takes on bowel, bladder, and reproductive organs, and why so many patients don't learn how serious it is until permanent damage has been done. She and the hosts unpack what truly informed care looks like, why excision matters, and how patients can push for real diagnostic workups instead of "wait and see."
This episode is for anyone who has been told their endo is mild and quietly suspected otherwise.
In this episode:
How untreated endometriosis damages the bowel, bladder, and reproductive organs
Why "wait and see" treatment fails endo patients
The case for excision over ablation
Advocating for a real diagnostic workup
The research and advocacy movement pushing for change
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
Donate to Endo Excision For All: endoexcisionforall.org
 

When Google Knew More Than Her Doctor: Emma Taft's Endo Story | EP18

What happens when Google knows more than your doctor? In this episode of Endo Warriors, host Callie Greenberg sits down with Emma Taft, who endured years of misdiagnoses, dismissive providers, and invasive surgeries before getting an endometriosis diagnosis. The wild part? She was the one who found it first, by questioning the narrative her doctors kept giving her.
Emma's story reveals how endometriosis can silently take over a young woman's life. At just nineteen, she fought to be heard while her body kept telling her something more serious was happening. She and Callie talk about her early symptoms, what made her finally trust her gut over her providers, and how her advocacy became the work she does today.
This conversation is for anyone who has ever been told their pain is normal and refused to believe it.
In this episode:
The misdiagnoses Emma endured before learning she had endometriosis
How Googling her symptoms changed everything
Invasive surgeries and what came after
How to advocate for yourself when doctors won't listen
From patient to advocate: building the work that came next
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
Emma Taft on Instagram: @emmagtaft
 

GLP-1 for Endo: Your Questions Answered | EP17

You sent in the questions, and Callie and Jamie are answering them. In this Q&A episode of Endo Warriors, the hosts share candid experiences using low-dose GLP-1 medications for endometriosis, describing improvements in inflammation, brain fog, digestion, and energy.
The episode covers dosing strategies, injection tips, differences between drugs, insurance and compounding options, interactions with birth control, surgery, and alcohol, and how to actually have a productive conversation with your clinician about GLP-1s. If you've been wondering whether GLP-1 medications could help with your endo, this is the no-spin breakdown of what they can do, what they can't, and what to know before you start.
In this episode:
What low-dose GLP-1 medications actually do for endometriosis symptoms
Tirzepatide vs. semaglutide and other dosing options
Compounding pharmacies and insurance workarounds
Interactions with birth control, surgery, and alcohol
How to talk to your clinician about GLP-1s for endo
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
 

Endometriosis & Trauma: When Therapy Falls Short | Arianna Jacono | EP16

When endometriosis trauma is too big for standard talk therapy, what comes next? In this episode of Endo Warriors, host Callie Greenberg sits with guest Arianna Jacono to discuss the emotional and medical realities of living with endometriosis, including diagnostic delays, medical gaslighting, and the limits of traditional therapy and medication management.
Arianna and Callie explore the healing power of peer-led support, the role of trauma-aware care, the fact that surgery is not a cure, and practical steps for finding more empathetic providers and community. They unpack why so many endo patients feel unseen even by mental health professionals, and what it takes to rebuild after years of being unheard.
This conversation is for anyone who has felt like therapy alone wasn't enough, and who needs to know there are other paths to healing.
In this episode:
Why traditional talk therapy often falls short for chronic illness patients
The trauma of medical gaslighting and diagnostic delays
Why surgery is not the cure for endometriosis
Peer-led support and community as healing
How to find a trauma-informed provider
Resources & Links:
Endo Warriors Podcast on Instagram: @endowarriorspodcast
Callie Greenberg on Instagram: @callie_greenberg
The Girls Room on Instagram: @Tgrofficialhq
The Girls Room website: thegirlsroomofficial.com
Arianna Jacono on Instagram: @endojustice