More Than Awareness: What Our First Canadian Event Revealed

There is something quietly powerful about being in a room where no one has to explain themselves.

On March 21st, during Endometriosis Awareness Month, This Won’t End Me partnered with Relationship and Couple Health (ReaCH) Lab from the University of Ottawa to host our first ever event in Canada, in Ottawa.

People arrived carrying a lot.

Some were tired. Some were in pain. Some were curious, hopeful, or just looking for answers. Others came to support someone they love.

And what we learned in a few hours was powerful.

There was no pressure to perform or say the “right” thing. Just a space to listen, to reflect, to connect. Conversations unfolded naturally. Quiet nods of understanding passed between people who didn’t need long explanations. 

We asked a simple question during the session. What do you want to see change when it comes to endometriosis and mental health?

The responses were honest and deeply considered.

People spoke about wanting care that looks at the whole body, not just one part of it. About the need for more joined-up, interdisciplinary approaches. About research that includes lived experience, not just clinical data. About clearer, more accessible information. About support systems that extend beyond the individual into workplaces, relationships, and communities.

But underneath all of that was something even more human.

A desire to be understood.

Not dismissed. Not minimised. Not reduced to a set of symptoms.

One thing became very clear. Mental health cannot sit on the sidelines of endometriosis care.

People shared the emotional weight of delayed diagnoses, the frustration of not being believed, and the exhaustion that comes from constantly having to advocate for yourself. There was also a strong call for more holistic approaches. Care that includes the nervous system. Care that is trauma-informed. Care that goes beyond medication or surgery and recognises the full experience of living in a body that doesn’t always feel safe.

Because endometriosis does not just affect the body. It shapes how you move through the world. Your identity. Your relationships. Your sense of control.

When we asked people what resonated most, the answers were diverse. Some spoke about the research. Others about hearing real stories. Many spoke about the feeling of connection.

And when they left, the words they chose stayed with us.

Motivated. Hopeful. Connected. Reinvigorated.

That shift matters. Even if it is small. Even if it is just the feeling of being a little less alone.

This event reminded us that awareness is only the starting point.

People are looking for more than information. They are looking for spaces where they can feel seen. Where their experiences are taken seriously. Where conversations go deeper. Where they do not have to carry everything on their own.

This was our first event in Canada.

It will not be our last.

Because when people are given the space to connect, reflect, and be heard, something meaningful happens.

And that is something worth continuing. 

Huge acknowledgments and thank you to some of our amazing contributors:

Dr. Serena Corsini-Munt, a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, and Director of the Reach Lab. 

Paola Michelle Garcia Mairena, PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and member of the Reach Lab.

Ryan Pecore, PhD Student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and member of the Reach Lab.

Dr. Teresa Flaxman, Senior Clinical Research Associate at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.