Christmas is meant to be joyful.

But when you’re trying to conceive, it can quietly become one of the hardest times of the year.

In this special Christmas episode, Tasha speaks honestly about losing the joy of the festive season during her own fertility journey, and why Christmas can feel like a painful reminder of what hasn’t happened yet.

You’ll hear from a group of trusted experts and advocates, all with lived or professional experience of infertility, pregnancy loss and IVF. Together, they share compassionate, practical advice to help you protect your heart, navigate family gatherings, and move through this season with more steadiness and self-kindness.

This episode is for anyone dreading the questions, the triggers, or the quiet grief that can surface at Christmas.

You’ll learn how to:

1. Protect your energy during Christmas events

You don’t have to attend everything. Kirsten Mclennan shares why being selective, leaning on the infertility community, and creating new traditions can make this season feel more manageable.

2. Use movement, breath and boundaries to stay grounded

Jen from Element Pilates & Yoga explains how gentle movement, sunlight, breathwork and having prepared responses can help you regulate your nervous system before difficult conversations or gatherings.

3. Remember that you are not alone

Meg from For the Barreness gives you a permission slip to opt out of events and conversations if you need. And reminds you that you’re never alone in this journey.

4. Communicate clearly and allow space for grief

Psychologist Cath Corcoran outlines why explicit communication with partners and family matters, how authentic gratitude differs from toxic positivity, and why grief, sadness and disappointment are allowed to exist during the festive season.

5. Slow down and honour the pause

Jennifer Tupaea from Pink Elephants reframes the holiday shutdown as a chance to rest, reduce overwhelm, and create small rituals that support healing after miscarriage or loss.

6. Find moments of joy without forcing them

This episode reminds you that joy doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s. Small pockets of peace, rest and meaning still count, and they matter more than ever right now.

00:00 Christmas and the quiet grief of infertility

01:26 Why the festive season can magnify what’s missing

02:04 Kirsten Mclennan on selective events and community support

03:26 Jen on movement, breath and setting boundaries

06:15 Kath Corcoran on communication, grief and self-care

10:54 Jennifer Tupaea on loss, rest and creating rituals

13:45 A message of hope and kindness for the new year

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Kirsten Mclennan - Straight Up Infertility https://www.straightupinfertility.com/

Jen - Element Pilates & Yoga https://www.elementpilatesyoga.com/

Meg - For the Barreness https://www.forthebarreness.com/

Cath Corcoran - Conception, Fertility & Perinatal Psychology https://cathcorcoran.com/

Jennifer Tupaea - Pink Elephants Support Network https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/

Tasha’s Your Fertile Pantry Program yourfertilepantry.com

In this episode I speak with fertility and IVF specialist Dr Mark Amols about what IVF can actually do, what it can’t, and why so many women are sent down the IVF path without anyone ever asking the most important question: why.

We explore the myths, the medical realities and the emotional toll of IVF, and Mark shares the practical, compassionate guidance he wishes every couple had before starting treatment. His insights blend clinical experience, personal IVF experience, and a deep respect for women’s autonomy in their fertility journey.

You’ll learn how:

1. IVF is powerful, but it’s not a magic fix.

Most women are led to believe IVF has near-perfect success rates or will guarantee multiple embryos. Mark breaks down what IVF is actually designed to do (help you get one healthy pregnancy) and why failed cycles never mean you’re “infertile” or out of options.

2. The ‘why’ behind infertility matters more than the protocol.

Many couples are pushed into IVF without anyone investigating ovulation issues, sperm quality, endometriosis, PCOS, inflammation, medications or timing. Mark shows how identifying the root cause can completely change outcomes, and why failed cycles often reflect untreated issues, not that you’re “broken”.

3. Preparation transforms outcomes for both men and women.

Even small shifts to lifestyle, inflammation and hormonal balance can improve embryo development. Mark explains why diet, environment and timing matter, why sperm health needs equal attention, and how a few months of targeted preparation can radically improve IVF success.

00:00 Debunking IVF Myths

00:51 Empowering Women Through IVF

02:10 When IVF is Necessary

03:13 The Importance of Preparation

05:45 Understanding the Why

22:30 Personal Experiences with IVF

26:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Tasha’s Your Fertile Pantry Program

Work with Tasha

When Nature Meets Science - Dr Mark Amols Interview with Tasha

In this episode I speak with Nicole Lange, founder of Life Healing Life, about the hidden link between trauma, stress, and the mind-body connection in fertility. 

We explore why so many women experience IVF and infertility as deeply traumatic, and how unhealed stress patterns can disrupt the body’s natural reproductive balance.

Nicole shares a compassionate, science-backed approach that blends Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern psychology, helping women move from burnout to body trust. You’ll learn why it’s not the stress itself that harms fertility, but how you relate to it.

You’ll learn how:

1. Trauma and fertility are deeply linked.
2. Repeated emotional stress (like failed cycles or seeing others fall pregnant) can create complex PTSD patterns that affect hormones and the nervous system.
3. It’s not the stress, it’s how we frame it.
4. Research shows reframing stress and speaking emotions aloud moves the body from fight-or-flight into a state where it can rest, digest, and reproduce.
5. Healing is more than protocols.
6. Fertility thrives when mind, body, and community are aligned. Nicole’s salutogenic approach focuses 75–80% on creating health, through joy, safety, connection, and authentic self-expression.

 Mentioned in this episode

TED TALK (making stress your friend)

The Artist’s Way (available for purchase many places)

Nicole’s Fertility Freebies

Tasha’s Your Fertile Pantry Program

Work with Tasha

In this episode of the Conceive Baby Podcast, I’m diving into a question that comes up so often in my clinic and online consultations—why do my embryos stop growing? It’s one of the most heartbreaking and frustrating experiences for anyone going through IVF. You've gone through an IVF cycle, had eggs retrieved, they’ve fertilised… and then you hear those crushing words: 'I'm sorry, the embryos didn’t make it'.

Today we’re talking about why this happens as well as practical steps you can take to optimise your chances of creating healthy, viable, thriving embryos.

And to help us better understand this complex process and how we can improve our odds, I’m joined by the wonderful Dr. Lisa Lee, Scientific Director at Thrive Fertility. Together we explore what’s happening behind the scenes from fertilisation right through to blastocyst. We delve into that critical day three mark— why it’s a significant milestone for embryos and what it may mean if your embryos stop growing at this point. We talk about the vital role that egg and sperm quality play in embryo viability, and why what you do in the 90 days before conception matters so much.

We also touch on how lab conditions, culture media, and modern IVF technologies can make a real difference to embryo outcomes—and how we can use information from past cycles to improve future ones.

Whether you’re in the thick of treatment, or preparing your body to conceive, this conversation will give you clarity, insight and practical steps to boost your chances of creating that beautiful healthy, thriving embryo to create your healthy pregnancy.

Mentioned in this episode

Fertility Over 40 Guide

Learn the 5 Things you need to do NOW to boost your chances of pregnancy over 40!

If you have been told your eggs are ‘old’. You have low AMH. You’ve struggled with miscarriage. You have been recommended IVF or had failed cycles. It’s been suggested to use donor eggs.

Then this guide is for you!

Download your FREE Fertility Over 40 Supplements Guide

FREE Ultimate Egg Quality Guide

This comprehensive FREE Guide outlines 5 Key Actions to take over the precious 90 days of egg development to boost your chances of creating healthy, viable eggs that WILL have the potential to become your future baby

Download your FREE Ultimate Egg Quality Guide

Dr Lisa Lee Instagram

Tasha Jennings Instagram

Thrive Fertility

Infertility is so often seen as a women’s issue—but in this enlightening episode of the Conceive Baby podcast, we dive into the other half of the fertility equation with my guest, renowned urologist, Dr Justin Houman. We unpack the critical role that male fertility plays in conception accounting for nearly half of all infertility cases—yet it’s something we still don’t talk about enough.

We explore the concerning global decline in sperm health and the rising impact of lifestyle and environmental exposures—things like sedentary behaviour, poor nutrition, toxins, and stress. But more importantly, we look at what men can do about it.

Dr Houman shares actionable steps men can take to improve their fertility, starting with simple but essential testing like a semen analysis. He also explains advanced testing like DNA fragmentation analysis and unpacks the real causes behind male factor infertility—and what can be done to correct them.

Together, we explore how improving sperm health doesn't just support fertility—it's also a window into his overall health and longevity and sperm isn’t just a DNA carrier, it’s role in reproduction goes way beyond fertilization. Sperm health is involved in embryo health, miscarriage, pregnancy health and healthy sperm DNA helps set your future child up for the best start in life.

If you're on this journey with a partner, this is a powerful conversation to listen to together.

You can connect with Justin on Instagram and his website

You can find out more about my popular programs and private online consultations on

Instagram and my website

In this very special episode of the Conceive Baby Podcast, I sit down with the beautiful Sonia Magliocchi to share a journey that is as heart-wrenching as it is inspiring — a story of deep love, devastating loss, and incredible resilience on the road to motherhood.

Sonia generously shares her deeply personal journey through IVF with her partner Paul. After three IVF cycles, Sonia and Paul were left with one beautiful embryo. Tragically, Paul passed away suddenly. But in the midst of her grief, Sonia knew that she wanted to continue the journey they had started together. She made the decision to transfer their one precious embryo—who they had lovingly called Molly.

It’s at that time, Sonia reached out to me to help her prepare for her transfer at 48 years of age.

Sonia is now the proud mum of her beautiful daughter, Molly Rose and in this episode she shares with us the emotional complexity of making that decision, how she prepared her body for pregnancy, and what helped her stay grounded through it all.

In this episode of the Conceive Baby Podcast, expert Fertility Naturopath and Nutritionist Tasha Jennings engages in an eye-opening discussion with colleague Wendy Burke, about the relationship between GLP1 agonists like Ozempic and fertility.

Initially developed for diabetes management, these medications have surged in popularity for their weight loss benefits, potentially, indirectly, positively impacting pregnancy outcomes.

The episode delves into how these medications work, their safety, side effects and critical support strategies.

Throughout the episode, Tasha and Wendy examine the evolving landscape of utilizing GLP1 agonists beyond their traditional applications. Addressing key concerns around metabolic health, weight management, and fertility, they provide insights into the use of these medications as potential enhancers of fertility through weight loss and inflammation reduction.

However, they emphasize that these are not standalone solutions but part of an integrative approach that includes nutrition, exercise, and possibly other supportive medications or supplements to help ensure the best outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

• Complex Effects on Fertility: GLP1 agonists like Ozempic, though not initially intended for fertility use, impact fertility by managing weight and metabolic health, aiding in improved reproductive outcomes.
• Gut-Health Connection: The release and function of GLP1 agonists are closely linked with gut health, affecting inflammatory responses and overall metabolic function.
• Integrated Approach is Vital: Successful outcomes with GLP1 agonists require a comprehensive plan, including diet, exercise, and medical monitoring, rather than relying solely on medication.
• Potential Candidates: Women with PCOS or those with insulin resistance might benefit significantly from these medications when used in a holistic treatment plan.
• Precautionary Measures: This episode delves into the importance of planning, preparation, understanding side effects, limitations, the crucial impact of gut health and holistically supporting metabolic health as well as ensuring a monitored withdrawal before conception.

About the Guest:

Wendy Burke is a mum, a wife and a perimenopausal human who also happens to be a naturopath and business owner. She is the owner of the Healthy Hormone Naturopath located in Brisbane, which is a clinic that loves to treat all things female hormones from vaginal infections, menstrual concerns, fertility right through to menopause.

Previously in corporate and once a very unhealthy person. Her own experience of recovering from postnatal depression through diet and lifestyle changes is what prompted her to go back and retrain as a naturopath. And recently, fascinated by the rise in this new class of weight loss medications, and with her background of living in a larger body providing a unique perspective on them, she has spent hundreds of hours pouring through the research so she can support her patients and now kindly sharing her insights with us.

In this episode of the Conceive Baby podcast, I am thrilled to welcome Jon and Laura Summers, the powerhouse couple behind Infertility Man. Jon and Laura’s journey through infertility has been one of resilience, hope, and a shared commitment to helping others. After Jon’s battle with testicular cancer, he was told he could never father a biological child. Together, he and Laura embarked on a challenging fertility journey—27 egg retrievals, two surgeries, thousands of injections—and, against all odds, welcomed their daughter in 2021.

Their story has resonated with thousands, as they openly shared the highs and lows of their experience online, building a supportive community for couples facing similar struggles.

In this personal, proactive and practical discussion we talk through the emotionally tumultuous 'two-week wait'—the period between ovulation or IVF transfer and finding out if you are pregnant! Together we discuss how couples can navigate their way through this challenging phase, maintain their mental health, and nurture relationships amid the anxiety and uncertainty. John and Laura bring their personal journey to the forefront, offering a unique and deeply personal perspective filled with resilience and hope, whilst also offering practical strategies to help you.

John and Laura also open up about the emotional toll of their infertility journey and share their insights to help support you on your journey. We talk about proactive strategies, such as focused distractions, planned communication, and supportive companionship. Jon and Laura bring to light the importance of selecting a supportive network and having open, blame-free communication between partners.

Key Takeaways:

• Proactive Medical Consultation: Seek medical advice early if there are concerns about fertility. Do not wait the recommended six months to a year.
• Strategise and Support: Use planned distractions and supportive measures like "baby making meetups" to deal with emotional stress.
• Stay Hopeful: Holding on to hope is crucial during the two-week wait and beyond, as it won't lessen the pain but can provide strength.
• Blame-Free Relationship: It's important to work as a team and not assign blame to one's partner for fertility issues.
• Curate Your Support Network: Be selective about who you allow into your fertility journey, ensuring they can provide the right support.

Notable Quotes:

• "We're still in the game, we're still in the game." – This mantra helped John and Laura maintain hope and resilience throughout their fertility journey.
• "If you want to be a parent, you will find a way to be a parent." – Laura emphasises hope and determination in achieving parenthood.
• "There’s nothing you can do, it’s done." – John advises surrendering to the process during the two-week wait.
• "Love people, but have some boundaries." – Laura underscores the importance of setting boundaries with those not sensitive to your journey.

Resources:

• Connect with John and Laura Summers and explore more about their advocacy work at Infertility Man on Instagram.
• Learn more about navigating male and female infertility with their book, "The Man's Guide to Infertility," available at various booksellers.

In this episode of the Conceive Baby podcast, I welcome Joanna Sampieri, a courageous advocate and leader in the fertility community known for her honest account of her own fertility journey. Joanna's openness about her multiple IVF attempts, the decision to use donor eggs, and the ultimate joy she has found in motherhood, inspires thousands of women grappling with fertility and IVF uncertainties.

Joanna discusses the complex world of IVF and donor conception as she opens up about about her own journey to motherhood, which began at age 43. Amidst the challenging backdrop of COVID-19, Joanna openly discusses the trials faced, including several failed IVF cycles and the emotional aftermath of a pregnancy loss.

Joanna's decision to use donor eggs overseas marked a pivotal turning point. She shares practical insights into sourcing donor eggs and the process of integrating international IVF treatment. Her experience highlights the significance of epigenetics, the selection process for a donor, and the support from professionals that facilitated their path to parenthood. Joanna's story is one of resilience, courage, and the unwavering love that defines family beyond genetics.

Key Takeaways:

• Navigating Fertility Challenges: Joanna Sampieri's journey involved numerous IVF cycles and the emotional toll of fertility struggles, showcasing the resilience required to persevere.
• Decision for Donor Eggs: Her pivotal moment came with the decision to use donor eggs, a choice met with emotional and logistical challenges but ultimately resulting in two healthy children.
• Overseas IVF during COVID-19: The process of selecting a clinic abroad during the pandemic presented unique obstacles including travel logistics and managing cycles remotely.
• Mindset and Support: Joanna emphasizes the critical role of mental health support, open communication with her partner, and setting aside quality time to maintain a strong relationship amidst fertility treatments.
• Motherhood Beyond Genetics: Joanna reflects on her profound love for her children conceived with donor eggs, asserting that genetics do not define family.

Notable Quotes:

1. "I look at Charles and Chiara, and I wouldn't change a thing. I literally would not want my own eggs to have worked because I wouldn't have this beautiful boy and beautiful girl."
2. "Most women go through 3, 4, 8 collections, 5, 6 transfers before they get their baby. It's not a guarantee, unfortunately."
3. "Family is not defined by genetics; it's created out of love."
4. "If you're on the fence, just do it. Time is ticking, and in your heart of hearts, you know when it's time to move forward."
5. "There's no way in the world that you can look at this baby that you carry and not love it a thousand million percent, if not more, because you know what you sacrificed for them.”

RESOURCES:

• Joanna’s Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/ivf_mumma_tribe/
• Tasha’s Fertility over 40 Guide - https://tashajennings.com.au/fertilityover40/

In this episode of the Conceive Baby podcast, I am joined by fellow fertility naturopath Jacqui Lamplugh to discuss the role of progesterone in fertility, pregnancy and miscarriage.

We hear a lot about the importance of progesterone but is low progesterone a cause of miscarriage, or is it a symptom of an underlying issue? What does progesterone actually do? How can you support low progesterone levels? We unpack all this and more, giving you specific insights into how you can help improve hormone balance and reduce your risk of miscarriage.

Jacqui Lamplugh is a fertility naturopath and reproductive medicine expert. With over a decade of experience, Jacqui specialises in miscarriage prevention and supporting women experiencing pregnancy loss. Her journey into this field was shaped by her own experience with early pregnancy loss, which instilled in her a passion to provide better support and investigation into miscarriage causes.

Key Takeaways:

• Progesterone is essential for maintaining a pregnancy but is not the primary marker for pregnancy success; its levels can fluctuate.
• Low progesterone is often a symptom rather than the root cause of a miscarriage; its levels typically drop when a pregnancy is non-viable.
• Potential signs of low progesterone include a short luteal phase, luteal spotting, and symptoms like PMS, pointing towards further investigation.
• Lifestyle and nutritional supplementation, such as with vitamin B6, vitamin C, and Chaste Tree, can support progesterone levels but should be part of a comprehensive fertility plan.
• Testing for progesterone levels should be conducted seven days post-ovulation for accuracy.

Notable Quotes:

• "Progesterone is that like pro-gestation hormone and it is there to hold that endometrial lining steady waiting for implantation."
• "We can't ignore the importance of thyroid; an underactive thyroid can impact progesterone levels."
• "Even if it is chromosomal issues as to why the miscarriage happened - there are markers we can be testing."
• "Bad luck is not a diagnosis; it's not a treatment plan."
• "With the science and knowledge we have, we can identify the cause of 99% of miscarriages."

Resources:

• More about Jacqui Lamplugh's work: www.jacquilamplugh.com
• Episode mentioned - Fertility and the Immune System with Professor Sarah Robertson