About Michiko Caringal

If we haven’t been able to meet in person, allow me to introduce myself! I’m Michiko, my pronouns are she / her, and I’m the founder of Happy Down There. We opened a few months ago here in Liberty Village, and I could not be more stoked - about our beautiful space, about the amazing team who made this inclusive, inviting environment possible, and all the wonderful new people we’ve met so far.

I’ve been a registered physiotherapist for over 15 years now (yikes! How has it been that long?!) I graduated from the University of Toronto with a Masters degree in physiotherapy, and went off to work in hospital settings. I ended up working in management, leading clinical teams, but I found myself with an increasing sense of dissatisfaction with where I found myself. I was unhappy with the power differential that existed between patients and their doctors, the discrimination that I witnessed, over and over, in how certain people were treated, and the disregard for things like confidentiality that I saw in some of the hospitals I worked in. It used to make me livid!

I ended up leaving that role, and doing a second Masters, this time in bioethics. At the same time, I was living with a number of chronic conditions, including pelvic pain. I was in so much agony - physical, mental, emotional - that my partner and I were unable to have sex in over two years. When it was at its worst, I couldn’t even bear for him to hug me. I had insensitive health professionals tell me that the “cure” for my suffering was to have a baby, the logic being that childbirth would make my vagina stretch, and the pain I had with intercourse would end. Which was...bullshit.

My journey led me to becoming a pelvic physiotherapy patient, and with commitment, time, and a lot of work, I slowly got myself back into a healthy, whole place. My partner and I are able to be intimate now, and we were able to have our daughter a few years ago. But that experience I had - of being made to feel like I was crazy, or that my problem could just be dismissed - made me vow to myself that, when I had the money, I would pelvic health physiotherapy for myself, and pay it forward, supporting people who have suffered like I have, and giving the care and kindness they deserve.

Fast forward a few years, and I was able to complete my training here in Canada, the US and also the UK. I wanted to understand what was happening in the field on an international basis, and I’m still committed to being on top of all the latest treatments and techniques. The more tools you have in your toolbox, I believe, the better you’re able to find the personalised care that works for that unique person. I love learning so much, in fact, that I’m hoping to apply for a PhD in the future to continue to learn more about pelvic health.