Cautious Optimism: An Infertility Podcast

Meeting Anna at a random girl's night last month couldn't have been a bigger blessing-there's nothing more special than connecting with a friend who knows the path of infertility and can relate to all the different ups and downs that go with it! And we are so grateful she was willing to share her story with us on the podcast! Anna shares about her experience with endometriosis and how that changed everything for her when she had to envision her path to becoming a mom and let go of expectations she had once had. She tells us of her experiences with IVF and her embryo transfers that ultimately brought her her two beautiful daughters today. Despite the let downs and often heartbreaking outcomes she has experienced, Anna has such an amazing perspective of "clinging to hope" and to those tangible blessings she sees in her life each day when things don't always go the way she hoped/planned. So lucky to get to share her story with all of you!

A long awaited reunion episode is here! The three of us are back together  to share a vulnerable and special conversation going through life's updates over the past year. Although we are each on such different paths of grief, joy, struggle and growth we can all find common ground in that there are good things to hope for ahead. Thanks for listening, we love you and see you wherever you are in you own journey right now. 

So happy to be back and to have a new episode to share with you all with our friend Diondra Terry! Diondra is no stranger to the struggles of infertility and has experienced so many different challenges along the way to creating her family. She shares with us her experiences of being nudged onto the path of adoption which brought her both of her beautiful daughters but also struggling to understand two heartbreaking miscarriages in between. Later, she and her husband chose to go down the fostering route and have been blessed to have the joy of a little boy in their home. Diondra is the ultimate example of embracing a story that is so unexpected but at the same time filled with so much joy "in the meanwhile"! 

We are back in a new year with a new episode and we are so excited to share this one! Mental health is something we have always wanted to talk about more on this podcast and we couldn't be more grateful to have our friend Brighton Capua share her story with us. Brighton shares with us her experiences with OCD and how the last few years the mountains of anguish and pain she has been faced with have felt insurmountable.  She shares how her expectations of motherhood the second time around were not what she had hoped and how she was able to overcome some of the most difficult times in her life . Her mindset of "Function over Feeling" is one that can be adapted to so many hard life situations especially the difficulties of infertility. We are so grateful to Brighton for her vulnerability and courage to share her heart with us!

We are so happy to have Paige on this week to share her experience with infertility with us! Paige's path led her to jump right into IVF which was followed by some devastating unsuccessful transfers. After further testing and learning of a new diagnosis, Paige and her husband were able to move forward with a third FET and bring their beautiful baby girl into the world. Paige shares about the different challenges along the way as well as some of the struggles that have come with becoming a new mom as well. Overall, Paige's story is a reminder that life typically doesn't go according to our own plans but that there is always room for hope and "cautious optimism" in the difficult moments. 

We have been absent way too long and are happy to be back together with an episode for you all after a few months off!
This episode Karly shares about her miracle baby boy Hayes who arrived back in October 2021. Gratitude and happiness are the standout emotions after many years of hoping to become a mother but there have been some tough moments along the way as well. Some of those being adjusting to the new role of motherhood when it felt so distant for so long, feelings of guilt when things are hard, and also struggling to find the balance of feeling all the joy and also making room for the sad/hard emotions as well. Karly shares how she is just learning to live in the present joy and not take one moment for granted because we never know what tomorrow could bring. 

All in all, we are so thankful for this community as it has supported each of us and given us strength through our hardest moments. We hope and pray we can continue to celebrate your wins with you and cry with you and love you through your hard times. We love you!

We are so blessed to hear from Sarah Larson on our episode this week! Sarah has experienced parenthood in ways she never expected but it has turned out to be such an immense blessing that has also been accompanied by unexpected challenges in her life. Sarah shares with us her experiences as a young mother, then facing infertility for many years and then the miraculous path that led her and her husband to adopt 4 of their 5 children. Sarah's faith and perspective shine through as she shares how she has found the joy through hard moments and learned that all things are for our good and to help us grow into who we are meant to be. 

In this episode we hear from our wonderful friend Michelle Larson about her unique experiences with motherhood. She shares with us the miraculous birth and life of her sweet daughter Rose and how she has conquered so much in her short 5 years on this earth. Michelle shares her perspective as she has experienced new, unexpected challenges these past few years while trying to get pregnant and add to her family and how she has gained an empathy that has blessed her life in new ways. Michelle is such an example to us of faith and gratitude no matter life's circumstances! We are so thankful to her for taking time to share her heart with all of us!

On this episode we talked with Anne Rowley a friend of the podcast. She shares her experiences as she has learned to walk  paths she never anticipated and how she has found strength in vulnerability. Loss and grief can be so isolating and Anne opens up about how opening up and sharing with others can be a launchpad for connection. She discusses how she found strength through her faith and how God is with us in the “fire”.  
Anne is a great example of living with Cautious Optimism and we are so grateful for her willingness to come on and have this conversation. 

Today we have a new episode of the Cautious Optimism podcast. We have our friend Ariana as a guest today sharing her amazing story of her path and journey to motherhood. Ariana shares her experience of having to shift expectations early on in with fertility treatments. Ariana talks about how she held on to the moments and the people in her life that brought her joy and gratitude in the moments that felt darkest. She dives into her experience with her latest pregnancy and how some unexpected findings lead to a whole different road to navigate. Ariana also discussed how she was also involved in the local infertility resource group and was able help others navigate their own experiences and find a sense of community through this world.