We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cori Cook a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cori, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

For 11 years I suffered from a debilitating health condition which consisted of tremendous daily pain as well as limitations within every aspect of my life. The medical community ignored my pleas for healthcare, minimized the pain and symptoms I experienced, all while telling me that everything was ‘in my head.’

Although this condition had a name, Endometriosis, and a known gold standard treatment of care, I was repeatedly denied proper care by numerous physicians and surgeons that claimed to be experienced with Endometriosis. The condition has been found in every organ of the body and is capable of growing to deep infiltrating levels throughout internal tissue. Time and time again I was told by these ‘experts’ that Endometriosis does not impact women severely and even on the rare occasion that it might, I could not possibly be the person with a severe case.

Researching Endometriosis and visiting specialist after specialist quickly became my top past time activity. For a lay person, my medical jargon is commendable, as well as my ability to comprehend clinical case studies and medical articles.

As if battling for healthcare was not hard enough, those closest to me did not provide compassion nor the emotional support I desperately needed to continue fighting each day. Criticism abounded from questioning the level of pain I stated to my process of vetting out specialists and everything in between. I was expected to carry on normally in day-to-day life, meeting responsibilities and social obligations as if I did not have a disease wreaking havoc on my internal organs.

The confusion, desperation and isolation were overwhelming.

Eventually I found care with top Endometriosis surgeons and received the gold standard treatment, but sadly the disease progression while I searched for healthcare created life-long internal damage, as well as psychological impact.

My case of Endometriosis would seem that I was the exception with this level of severity. However, through advocacy efforts and the power of social media, I have been connected with countless women around the world that also have the same severity of disease and lack of proper medical recognition, treatment and social support.

Living through my experiences, I wanted to give back to other women fighting for Endometriosis diagnosis and treatment. I’m educated, had good insurance and enough financial means to cover the thousands of dollars annually in medical expenses before the insurance maximum out-of-pocket limit was reached. I also lived in a major metropolitan area with numerous health systems. Many times these barriers were challenging, but I was able to overcome them. Not all patients have that ability and this is deeply upsetting. No one should have to endure 10+ years of medical mismanagement to have their condition diagnosed and treated, nor face obstacles in receiving the care they need.

While I cannot give patients healthcare, I can provide compassion and empathy because their condition is real.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Cori Cook, the Founder of The Endo Spirit as well as a nature enthusiast, accomplished professional, mother of two, advocate and professional patient. The Endo Spirit is an online apparel and gift store specializing in Endometriosis themed items. Endometriosis is a painful medical condition in which tissue – similar to the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus – grows elsewhere in the body, capable of becoming deeply infiltrating within various organs. Responding to natural hormone cycles, the implants of Endometriosis bleeds and creates scar tissue and adhesions as well as organ damage. Endometriosis is widely misunderstood and greatly lacks acknowledgement, leaving patients confused, isolated and desperate for diagnosis and care.

Disease awareness tee shirts bring a sense of empowerment to patients. Shirts for cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, and other like conditions abound. Yet, there is a societal stigma that female pelvic conditions are taboo to talk about and Endometriosis has not experienced the same type of awareness, having profound psychological impact on patients. There are not many Endometriosis shirts available for purchase online and of the few choices available, they are generic designs lacking creativity and excitement.

The Endo Spirit has a line of custom-designed tee shirts that follow current apparel trends. These eye-catching designs stand out versus the typical disease awareness style shirts. Customers pick their tee design and then choose from 4 shirt styles: tank top, classic tee, fitted tee or boyfriend tee to accommodate different style preferences and comfort. Whether out on vacation, running errands or going to medical tests, The Endo Spirit shirts make a positive impact recognizing the individual wearing them for their resilience, strength and tenacity fighting an invisible illness.

In addition, the online store features Endometriosis gift items, such as wine tumblers and journals. While friends and family may not be able to understand what it means to live with this chronic health condition, they can show their support in tangible ways to patients through gifts from the store.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Learning to produce tee shirts was interesting and humbling. Launching a business seemed manageable, but learning the craft included a steep learning curve. I started researching different manufacturing and material options through typical means, but soon realized social media had plentiful guidance. I networked and asked questions with everyone I knew that had direct experience. I was fortunate for their insight, but also their willingness to connect me within their network for further direction.

I coached myself that for the short term I needed to choose a starting point and just go for it. The manufacturing process, materials and vendors would most likely evolve over time and I embraced the idea that with more knowledge and experience I could pivot as needed. Selecting the base equipment was confusing and even overwhelming. But with each decision I made, it became easier to piece the process together.

I took my time selecting tees for the company and image materials trying numerous options and also gathering feedback from others. I had designated start up funds specifically for sourcing items which allowed for proper experimentation. When I had my selections narrowed, I created the sample line and put it through several tests between wear and washings to evaluate the long term quality.

I went through a lot of material and supplies during my trial and error period and learned techniques to help with financial efficiency. Instead of placing a single design on a shirt, I placed a couple on the front and back for the tests. Also, I started to put sample designs on inexpensive plain fabric and reserved the tee shirts for the final quality check. This greatly helped reduce expenses.

Choosing vendors was nerve-wracking as a small business that would not carry influence over pricing and stock. It was important that I understood how my vendors operated. Where did they get their inventory? How much inventory do they keep in-stock? How quickly can I receive orders? Are the items I’ve chosen long industry staples that will be available for years to come? Or, are the materials new and trendy and their lasting power unknown? How does their pricing align with where I want my product pricing and revue margins? I selected my main vendors but also sourced back-up vendors. This strategy has been beneficial with the current supply chain issues globally that have impacted how The Endo Spirit operates.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

The Endo Spirit is an Ecommerce entity that operates as a stand-alone website. I researched Etsy and Shopify to consider also joining their platforms. The benefit of those two sites is that they naturally bring you an audience. However, their fees, design and functional limitations combined with the inability to properly source a customer base proved not to be a match with The Endo Spirit.

The Endo Spirit has a niche target demographic. Fortunately through social media outlets, speaking directly with customers and potential customers has not been a challenge.

The Endo Spirit is run through a popular Ecommerce and website builder which was easy to navigate and design the site. While it does have its functional and design limitations, it has allowed for the greatest creativity and flexibility. Having an independent URL was also important as I am making a long term commitment to this endeavor, as well as advocacy and networking efforts within the Endometriosis community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theendospirit.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_endo_spirit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theendospirit/

Image Credits:
Photos of Cori Cook taken by Shelly Poore.