In a speech at the event, Lakshmi shared her own endometriosis story — including that she was once told she'd never have children. "I really wasn't thinking about having a baby yet, but when someone tells you you can't, at least if you're me, of course you want to, right away," Lakshmi said. "And I was very saddened by that. Because of the immense pain and sadness I felt, [endometriosis specialist and EndoFound co-founder] Dr. Seckin counseled me to talk about that. Beyond restoring my motherhood — I have a nine-year-old daughter named Krishna — he taught me to open my mouth, he taught me to use my voice, he encouraged me to speak out about an issue that is incredibly personal and not easy to talk about."