144: Endometriosis & Autism Advocate Kendall Rayburn

Jan 19, 2022

Originally launched as a means of sharing her craft projects, Kendall Rayburn’s namesake blog has since evolved into her passionate full-time occupation: a place to pour her heart into content across the lifestyle spectrum (see: plus-size fashion, family-friendly travel and activities, home decor, recipes, and more). It has also become a powerful vehicle for sharing her struggles with endometriosis — all with the token contagious positivity that’s garnered her a devoted following. Add to that her candid takes on being a Spoonie mom to son Wyatt, who lives with autism, and you’ve got an oasis of advocacy and lifestyle like no other. We dare you not to fall in love with the happy, hectic world of Kendall!

Tune in as Kendall shares:

• how she was gaslighted from an early age to believe her period pain was normal
• that she became aware her son was on the autism spectrum when he was 18 months old
• that she also lives with anxiety, depression, and PTSD following adverse childhood experiences
• that she was diagnosed with endometriosis at 22, and told by her doctors that she was so far advanced in her disease that she needed to consider starting a family immediately if she ever wanted to have one
• that the pain of her diagnosis forced her to finish college online
• that after her second child, she was offered a hysterectomy for her pain — and that by the age of 26, she was undergoing menopause
• that to this day, she has had eight surgeries for her pain — and it is still debilitating
• why she regrets her hysterectomy
• that she was never offered therapy as she navigated both her diagnosis and her son’s — and why it plays such an important role in her life now
• how medical research has failed her as a woman living with stage IV endometriosis
• how she manages her pain now
• what her son has taught her about resilience
• her advice for others living with chronic pain and/or advocating for others