THE ENDO CO with Jenne Rishe

03/14/22 • 23 min

Interview with Endo Coalition's Jenneh Rishe
We’re all familiar with March being Women’s History Month, but did you know it is also Endometriosis awareness month? If you didn’t, don’t worry you certainly are not alone. In fact, despite the statistics that say 1 in 10 women in the US are living with endometriosis, many are suffering in silence. There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from lack of awareness, to misdiagnosis, and lack of funding for research toward endometriosis, all of which contribute to a widespread problem that deserves more education and amplification.

So this is our theme for the month, and I am super excited for our interviews in this periodical. It will actually be a two-part episode, and in this first part, I will be speaking with Jenneh Rishe, the founder and executive director of an advocacy organization called The Endometriosis Coalition.

Jenneh has been a Registered Nurse for over a decade, working in internal medicine, trauma, kidney transplant, oncology, and leukemia/bone marrow transplant. It took over 4 years, but Jenneh's medical background gave her the knowledge and skills to navigate how to finally get good care after she was diagnosed with endometriosis. With her love for healthcare, education, and teaching, she felt inspired to use her abilities to help other women understand the disease better. She is also the author of Part of You, Not All of You: Shared Wisdom and Guided Journaling for Life With Chronic Illness. Jenneh is originally from New Jersey, and lives in Los Angeles. When asked why she felt so passionately about starting the The Endometriosis Coalition, she says "endometriosis is criminally under researched and horribly misunderstood, and I want to be a part of changing that, sooner rather than later."

So let’s get into the discussion!

SHOW NOTES:

The Endometriosis Coalition - www.theendo.co | @theendo.co
Jenneh Rishe – jennehrishe.com
- Part of You, Not All of You: Shared Wisdom and Guided Journaling for Life With Chronic Illness
Listen to Part 2 featuring Elaine Gracie, screenwriter of End-O
The rePRO Periodical – sign up at reprofilm.org

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If you haven’t already, subscribe to our monthly newsletter where you will get each episode of the pod straight to your inbox. Learn more at reprofilm.org or at @reprofilm The rePROFilm Podcast is executive produced by mamafilm. Looking forward to bringing you our next conversation!

So let’s get into the discussion!

SHOW NOTES:

The Endometriosis Coalition - www.theendo.co | @theendo.co
Jenneh Rishe – jennehrishe.com
- Part of You, Not All of You: Shared Wisdom and Guided Journaling for Life With Chronic Illness
Listen to Part 2 featuring Elaine Gracie, screenwriter of End-O
The rePRO Periodical – sign up at reprofilm.org

Support the show

Previous Episode

REBYRTH with Cydney Tucker and Imani Byers

Rebyrth's Cydney Tucker and Imani Byers
Welcome to the rePRO Film Podcast series, hosted by Asha Dahya. If you haven’t already, sign up to the rePRO Periodical by heading to reprofilm.org where every month you will receive an email packed with repro goodies including this podcast interview, links to articles to keep you up to speed on the latest repro news, the link to watch the short film we are about to discuss, and of course some organizations you should be supporting right now. So let’s get into today’s interview and this month’s theme, Black Maternal Health. February is Black History Month in the United States, and we can’t talk about both the past and present of this country without looking at the pivotal role Black women have played in maternal healthcare and reproductive rights, and also the way Black women and Black bodies have been impacted. From the history of forced sterilization (which still happens in prisons today), to the very present problem of rising maternal mortality rates disproportionately impacting Black mothers, there is a reason why Reproductive Justice, a movement founded by Black women leaders in the 90’s, should be front and center in the larger effort for bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom today. And we will be discussing this.

The film you get to watch this month is called ‘Rebyrth’, by filmmaker Cydney Tucker. This short documentary features Imani Byers, who is an Atlanta-based doula working to save the lives of Black mothers in their journey from pregnancy to motherhood. Her company is called ‘Rebyrth Wellness’, hence the name of the film.
Cydney Tucker is a journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has written, produced, and directed films for CBS News, NBC News, Al Jazeera International (AJ+), and RYOT. Her latest projects include two films with the New York Times Presents’s Hulu/FX documentary series. Her work has been featured in several festivals including SXSW and New Orleans Film Festival. In addition to her professional background, Cydney has asked me to include some additional details about her. She is a self-described Black female with brown skin, dark brown hair that is twisted and pulled back into two low buns. She is wearing gold hoop earrings and a flowered blouse. Cydney is speaking from Chitimacha/Choctaw land, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Imani Byers is a full spectrum doula providing services in Atlanta & Savannah GA. She has a Masters in Public Health and Social Work and is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in the State of Georgia. Imani is also a Certified Yoga Instructor, and placenta encapsulation specialist. As shared in the film and on her website, Imani answered the call to birth work as a descendant of birth attendants, and to date has assisted over 30 families on their individual journeys, since starting her business during the height of COVID.
Be sure to listen all the way through to take note of some important action items toward the end. Now that we have all that housekeeping out of the way, please meet my guests!

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Next Episode

END-O with Elaine Gracie

rePRO PERIODICAL VOL. 03: Interview with Elaine Gracie, writer of ‘End-O’
Welcome to Part 2 of the rePRO Film Podcast episode for March, where we are celebrating endometriosis awareness month by highlighting this important issue through advocacy, education and of course, a brilliant short film. If you haven’t yet listened to part 1 of this month’s episode, be sure to make that next on your to-do list!

In this interview, I’ll be speaking with Elaine Gracie, the writer of ‘End-O’, a short film out of the UK which was originally released in 2020 and has since gone on to win a bunch of awards and continue to screen at numerous film festivals in the UK and throughout the world.

Since March is Endometriosis awareness month, the story and central topic, based on writer Elaine’s real life experience, is as relevant as ever, especially given the statistics that 1 in 10 women are living with endo. Elaine opens up to me about her debilitating, and at times absurd reality of living with endo, how she channeled her rage toward the medical system into an acclaimed short film, why she welcomes even the trolling comments, and the next exciting iteration of this film. This is hands down one of my favorite interviews of all time and once you’re done listening you will know why!
For the full transcript, please click here.

SHOW NOTES:

END-O (Dir. Alice Seabright | Screenwriter, Elaine Gracie)
- Watch on Vimeo
- Follow on Instagram/Twitter: @endoshortfilm
Elaine Gracie: @wee_egracie
Listen to Part 1 of Episode featuring an interview with Jenne Rishe of The Endo Coalition
Sign up for our free, monthly rePRO Periodical

Support the show

rePROFilm Podcast - THE ENDO CO with Jenne Rishe

Transcript

Asha Dahya 0:00
Welcome friends! Thank you for joining me for another episode of the Repro Film podcast series, part of the brand new Repro Periodical which we deliver straight to your inbox every month. I’m your host, TEDx Speaker, producer and writer Asha Dahya, and if you’re new to the rePRO fam, in 2022 we changed things up a bit. Each month in our newsletter, we include a link to a short film that centers our chosen theme, links to articles you should be reading r