How to Transform Pain into Power: Founder's Journey as a Women’s Health Advocate

The Journey Begins

How many of us have woken up one day and decided to become a women’s health advocate? 🤷🏻

Of course, it is not something that happens overnight, nor is it something people often think about. It happens slowly, often born from personal experience.

It happens because you have suffered the same pain that millions of women endure.

The story of “Pain to Power” is not new. Ivy, the founder of GRIP Connect, shared her journey in 2025. We are narrating Ivy's story once again to raise awareness among the current generation of women. We want to handhold them and say, “You are not alone.”✊🏻

For Ivy, it all began with periods that were brutal. Not the “take a tablet and move on” kind of pain. No, this was the kind that makes you lie still, waiting for your body to cooperate. It drains you before the day even begins. Fatigue that doesn’t vanish after sleep. A body that feels unreliable.

You still try. You go to work. You show up for your family. You promise yourself you’ll exercise tomorrow. But some days, you just can’t get out of bed. Not because you don’t want to, but because your body won’t let you. All you want to do is curl up in a fetal position and pray for the pain to go away.

The Weight of Words

And that’s when people start talking. They say things you genuinely don’t want to hear.

Things like:

• “It’s common.”

• “It happens to everyone.”

• “Just tolerate it.”

• “Don’t think too much.”

  
  

Doctors say it because they see it every day. Elders say it because they were taught to accept pain quietly. But what no one tells you is that “common” does not mean “normal.” And it definitely does not mean “harmless.”

Ivy’s body kept sending signals—loud ones. Yet, it took years. One surgery. Then another. She met tons of OB-GYN doctors, underwent two abdominal laparoscopies, and finally had a hysterectomy, which was accompanied by waves of gentle grieving.

Five surgeries on her abdomen alone. Her body endured a level of physical strain most people can’t imagine. And this doesn’t even include the struggles not related to the abdomen. But the hysterectomy was a necessary procedure; otherwise, she would never regain her life.

Holding Onto Hope

Yet, each time, she held onto hope. She thought this would be the end. Maybe life would feel light again. But recovery takes more than stitches. Anesthesia leaves behind brain fog. Pain alters your thought processes. Healing costs money. Rest costs independence and sacrifice. People see you differently, and you must navigate your boundaries while transforming your mindset.

You hear comments from loved ones that linger longer than the pain.

• “You’re always unwell.”

• “You used to be so active.”

• “You don’t look sick.”

  
  

Invisible illness is isolating. You start missing things—work, social plans, family moments. You feel guilty for cancelling. You feel bad for needing help. You feel worse for wanting your old self back.

Endometriosis doesn’t just hurt your body; it also weighs heavily on your mind. When pain repeats month after month, anxiety follows. It breeds fear. When hormones are unstable, emotions become erratic. When your uterus is removed, it’s not just a surgery; it’s a mix of grief, relief, confusion, and silence.

And no one prepares you for that part.

Raising Awareness

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Ivy has spoken about her journey many times, but this March feels different. It’s a walk back through memory. We are not trying to reopen wounds; we want to express what hasn’t been said enough.

Endometriosis affects millions of women. Diagnosis can take years. Many are told it’s normal and to just live with it. Over time, women start doubting themselves. Many suffer quietly because they’re tired of explaining or receiving unsolicited remarks about pregnancy and their abilities as women.

If you’ve ever planned your life around your cycle, if you’ve ever cancelled plans due to overwhelming pain, if you’ve ever been told it’s “just hormonal,” or if you’ve ever felt weak for needing rest, you’re not imagining it. The pain and suffering are very real.

From Pain to Power

For Ivy, the transition from a patient to a powerhouse didn’t happen overnight. It happened when she decided that her hysterectomy wouldn't be an "end," but a beginning. She realized that while surgery could remove an organ, it didn't automatically heal the mental scars or the hormonal rollercoasters that follow a lifetime of autoimmune struggles.

This is where coaching and advocacy come into play. Ivy recognized that women don’t just need surgeons; they need mentors who have walked through the same pain to walk beside them. She became a voice for those battling Endometriosis, Autoimmune Diseases, and Mental Distress, with a special heart for how these issues ripple down to our children and youth.

She understood that when a woman is in pain, her whole world feels the vibration. By advocating for women’s health, Ivy is fighting for the daughter who won't have to wait ten years for a diagnosis and the mother who won't have to choose between her health and her wants, goals, and life.

🎗️This March, That Power Turns into Action🎗️

A large endometriosis awareness event, Wear Yellow SG EndoMarch 2026, is being held in March 2026. Ivy is supporting this initiative to create as much awareness as possible so women don’t have to suffer the way she did. So younger women can recognize the signs earlier. So pain is questioned, not dismissed.

You don’t need to wait for your body to break to be taken seriously.

You don’t need to suffer to be strong.

And you don’t need permission to care about your health.

This is Ivy’s story. But if it feels familiar, that’s exactly the point.

Join the Movement

Follow Ivy on LinkedIn, and GRIP Connect and E4endoSg on Instagram to stay updated about the event.

You can also read more about the EndoMarch 2026 event and how to get tickets.

Let’s come together to support one another and transform pain into power!