You are listening to Season 1 of the mini Journal series, episode 4. Today we are speaking with Lindsay Summers. Lindsay and her husband spent almost 4 years in the pursuit of creating a family, and after lots of heartbreak finally became pregnant with their baby Madelyn on their final attempt at IVF. Lindsay shares her success story with us, as well as the failures and heartbreak that were par for the course. I want to thank Lindsay again for sharing her story!!

Hello everyone,

You are listening to episode 3 of the Chasing Bravery Journal Series Season 1. Today I am speaking with Kelly, a teacher from Georgia who is expecting a baby girl this summer with her wife.

Kelly walks us through some of obstacles involved in creating a family through IVF as a same sex couple, and sheds light on the importance and value of modern medicine for helping same sex couples achieve the family they want. Without further ado, I want to thank Kelly again for being willing to share her story

Hi everyone, you are listening to episode 2 of the mini journal series. Today we are speaking with Eve, a teacher from Ireland who has been trying to have a baby for awhile now. Eve shares with us her unique story, as well as her gut instinct that told her there was more to her fertility struggles than met the eye initially.

Thank you so much to eve for sharing your story

Hi everyone, you are listening to the first episode of mini journal series. I am speaking with Caitlin an ER nurse from California. Caitlin's husband is a firefighter paramedic, whom she met eleven years ago, and has been married to for 4 years, Caitlin and her husband have been tying to have a baby for just over 3 years now. They love the outdoors, hiking/camping/traveling/the gym/the beach/ and their dog, "Smokey."

They are sharing their IVF journey today with the message that "if you are struggling on this road, you definitely are not alone; also, to be thankful for what you do have-whether it is that you are still in the game (like ourselves), that you have embryos waiting to be transferred, or perhaps that you have accepted the next phase in the process-even if that was not in your initial plan".

All of the women in the journal series season 1, have had their own unique journey with In Vitro Fertilization in the hopes of realizing their dream of having a baby. I believe this is such an important topic for a few reasons. The first is that infertility is on the rise. According to the center for disease control %10 of women trying to conceive between the ages of 16 and 44 are unable to get pregnant. Both men and women can contribute to infertility and many couples struggle- in about 35% of couples with infertility, a male factor is identified along with a female factor. In about 8% of couples with infertility, a male factor is the only identifiable cause.

There is currently a lot of research being conducted right now surrounding theories of why infertility is on the rise, and the truth is that there are probably many factors both environmental and physical to blame.

The second reason why I believe this topic is so important is because the variation surrounding why women and men choose IVF. I will share stories of same sex couples, cancer survivors, and single parents- all of whom have used IVF, all of whom desperately want a baby- but who are different individuals with different narratives.

I believe the bottom line is that there are many women worldwide who are facing the daily complications that IVF brings, and even if the choice to use ivf is not due to infertility, there is still so much that goes into the process, and really these women deserve a forum to share and advocate for themselves and others. I have decided that it would be entirely too much to try and release all 8 episodes at once, and I worry that doing so would cause some of you to miss a journal entry or two. I don’t want to overwhelm people, and I truly believe that each one of these stories has something to offer.

The women in the first 4 stories are Caitlin Bear, Eve Lorigan Kelly Whitfield Bradley, and Lindsay Summers. I will not go into too much detail introducing them because these stories are focused around a very specific topic and I want them to introduce themselves to you.

Episode 12 is in the house!

Today we are speaking with Stephanie Rothstein Bruce.

I feel comfortable saying that Stephanie has been a beacon of hope, and inspiration to so many female runners out there- especially the mama’s. I myself don’t have children yet, but I have often thought about Stephanie’s journey when I think about my own desire to have babies- which conflicts with some of the life stuff I still want to do. Stephanie has been proof to me that many of the conflicts I thought existed when it comes to having babies and pursing your dreams are really all in my head.

Stephanie had her two boys in a two year time span, and then went on to run an A standard Olympic trials qualifying time in the 10k- only 7 months post-partum. Stephanie kept the ball rolling from there, tackling pronounced diastis recti and other side effects shall we say of carrying and birthing two babies in short succession. She most recently finished 22nd at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships- the highest place for a non-African born runner, 10th at the New York City marathon, and was the winner of the Arizona Rock and Roll half marathon a few weekends ago.

Stephanie was such a pleasure to speak with, and she was totally game for some of my stranger end of podcast questions.

Episode 11 is with Ali Feller- host of one of my favorite podcasts- The Ali on the Run show.

Ali and I dig deep into the topic of really breaking down what our own personal values are, and how we can live lives that most intentionally reflect this. I was really excited to speak with her about this, because as an almost mid twenty something year old, I have found that what I was taught my entire life about what I needed to achieve in order to successful and happy isn’t necessarily the case. I know I am not the only one at this point in life who is feeling this, and I think Ali has some great perspective on the topic!

Ali is by no means old, so let’s just get that clear, she is however over her mid twenties, quarter life crises hump, and she is a refreshing voice on the topic.

Ali and I also discuss much more, including how she views her Crohns disease, and how that as changed and altered over time. Ali is sweet, honest, and funny, and I SO enjoyed chatting with her!

This is episode 10, and I am speaking with Alana Kopelson. Some of you may know her on social media as alanaruns26.2, which is a very accurate handle, as she has run quite a few races of that exact distance. Alana’s story is incredible, not only because she just became a marathoner in 2015, but because she has run huge personal bests in each of 3 marathons this year. Alana most recently finished the CIM marathon early in December of 2017 where she ran her most recent PR of 2 hours and 55 minutes.

I knew I wanted to speak with Alana as soon as learned about her progression, because it is just not common that you hear a story like hers. Alana is up front that her training doesn’t always look perfect, and that she has plenty of ups and downs. She is also not afraid to share her big goals with the world- which just recently include qualifying for the 2020 Olympic marathon trials.

My conversation with Alana is real, and inspirational. It was refreshing for me to hear the narrative of someone so new to the sport because it reminded me of that magic many of us can remember when running first clicked. Alana reminded me to not stop chasing that feeling, and I think she might just do the same for you.

Hi everybody! Welcome to Season 1 episode 9 of the Chasing Bravery Podcast. Today you are listening to part 2 of my conversation with Mary Johnson. If you haven’t listened to part 1, I strongly recommend that you go back and listen to it…because like you wouldn’t watch toy story 2 before toy story right? Common sense people.

If for some reason listening to part 1 isn’t in the cards for you, here’s what you need to know about Mary Johnson. She’s fast, she’s honest, she’s realistic, and she’s brave.

Hello everyone, and Happy New year! Today you are listening to Season 1, Episode 9 of the Chasing Bravery Podcast. I am your host Kait, and I am so happy to have you here with me today. My conversation in this episode is with Mary Johnson, and it is actually broken down into two parts because Mary was such a blast to speak with, and we covered so much good stuff that I didn’t want to edit any of it out. I am also going to use the end of part 2 to talk a little bit about Season 2 of the Chasing Bravery Podcast. I want to give listeners an idea of what to expect, as well as a deeper understanding into why I believe this is such an important topic for women nationwide and worldwide.

So a bit about Mary:

Mary Is the founder of Lift|Run|Perform, and currently lives with her husband in Connecticut. Mary is a natural athlete, and was a rower in college. Mary didn’t find her love for running until a few years after graduation, and quickly realized she had a knack for it. Mary brought her marathon time down to a 3:06 in only a few years, and has run 1:25 for the half marathon- this is a speedy lady.

Before you get the impression that this episode is all about running- it’s not. Mary has spent the last year dealing with a frustrating injury and has ultimately learned to embrace and accept her life without the sport which is really inspiring to listen to. Mary is not done with running, and she is hopeful, but she is also grounded and realistic about her limits and she ultimately is choosing health and well being over chronic pain, which is a tough choice to make for someone as competitive and talented as she.

I personally was impressed by Mary’s ability to see the perspective in her situation, and she is so refreshingly realistic. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Mary as much as I did!