To me, infertility = failure. Failed cycles, failed blood tests, failed pregnancy tests. But what if we switched our mindset from failure to possibility?? What would happen?

On the podcast today, I’m joined by Kristin Dillensynder, a certified mindset coach who helps high achieving women thrive while on the rollercoaster of infertility.

Kristin breaks why your mindset matters, helps you redefine failure into thoughts that can help propel you forward all while navigating the ups and downs and the failures that come with an infertility journey.

You don’t know how long this period of time will last…how long it will take to have a baby. But you can cultivate a mindset of possibility so that you can keep moving forward in the midst of the hard.

⁠Connect with Kristin on Instagram⁠

⁠https://www.coachingwithkd.com/⁠

Did your doctor just tell you that you need to use a donor?

Or, you think donor might be on the horizon but you are not sure yet?

Or, you already know you need to use a donor but you want some more help processing the idea.

Go to ⁠https://metagetman.com/crossroads ⁠to get a free copy of my guide "My Doctor Just Said Donor, Now What?"

Connect with me on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Failed IVF cycle after failed IVF cycle is the absolute worst for so many reasons. For me, it was because I thought IVF with my own eggs was going to work, no questions asked. The reality is that IVF doesn't always work and in fact, only works about 45% of the time for people under the age of 35.

On the podcast today I'm talking about 5 reasons why your IVF cycles with your own gametes (egg and/or sperm) and what these reasons mean to you and your infertility journey.

Did your doctor just tell you that you need to use a donor?

Or, you think donor might be on the horizon but you are not sure yet?

Or, you already know you need to use a donor but you want some more help processing the idea.

Go to ⁠https://metagetman.com/crossroads ⁠to get a free copy of my guide "My Doctor Just Said Donor, Now What?"

Connect with me on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Infertility can be incredibly challenging on your relationships - especially your relationship with your partner. Today I'm sharing six tips for building better connection with your partner during infertility.

Infertility is typically one of the first really hard things couples go through. Up until now, it's probably been really good! And now, not only are you struggling to build a family but both of you are experiencing the challenges at the same time.

You and your partner are going through your own struggles. You are each approaching it from different perspectives and bringing in your different histories to the conversation.

Did your doctor just tell you that you need to use a donor?

Or, you think donor might be on the horizon but you are not sure yet?

Or, you already know you need to use a donor but you want some more help processing the idea.

Go to ⁠https://metagetman.com/crossroads ⁠to get a free copy of my guide "My Doctor Just Said Donor, Now What?"

Connect with me on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Did you know that your brain is wired to fill in the gaps when you don't know things? Did you also know that the fear of the unknown is known as the biggest fear of all?

Infertility is full of unknowns. Things we don't know. Things we can't control. And because our brains want to fill in the gaps we are wired to worry and spiral and try to fill in what is missing.

On today's episode I talk about this and share with you my best advice for navigating the unknowns and what you can do to make it easier.

Did your doctor just tell you that you need to use a donor?

Or, you think donor might be on the horizon but you are not sure yet?

Or, you already know you need to use a donor but you want some more help processing the idea.

Go to ⁠https://metagetman.com/crossroads ⁠to get a free copy of my guide "My Doctor Just Said Donor, Now What?"

Connect with me on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Hayley is an amazing human who is not only donor conceived but is also a mom to donor conceived twins.  In today's episode, Hayley and I talk about her story of learning she was donor conceived, how her own experiences have shaped the way her and her wife approach parenting their children, and our shared thoughts on how, as recipient parents, we have to do our own work in navigating our feelings around using a donor.   

This episode is packed with personal stories, shared experiences, lots of great tips and tricks and a little fun along the way.  

About Hayley Darknell-King

Hayley Darknell-King (she/her) currently lives in the UK with her wife. They've been together for over 12 years and have two beautiful children via donor sperm IVF. Her wife carried and they used her wife's eggs. In a twist of fate, Hayley is also a donor conceived person. Her parents used an anonymous (sperm) donor to have her as part of pioneering IVF treatment in the 1980s, however she didn’t find this out until much later in life. In 2019 she DNA tested herself and has located her biological father and 3 other donor siblings. It’s been something of a journey!

She recently started speaking openly about her story and taking part in some educational and advocacy work around donor conception. Her hope is to raise awareness and help others on their parenting journeys. 

You can find Hayley on Instagram ⁠@dcp_journey_2_rp⁠ where she has been documenting her journey and connecting with others in the donor conception community.

Grab a copy of Hayley's free download, which is a collection of resources for parents of donor conceived people.  ⁠Click here to download it! ⁠ 

Resources Discussed During the Show 

⁠Donor Sibling Registry⁠ 

⁠What Makes A Baby Book (on Amazon) ⁠

⁠Donor Conception Network Books ⁠

⁠Happy Together Children's Book ⁠

⁠Dr. Patricia Hershberger/Tell Tool ⁠

Did your doctor just tell you that you need to use a donor?

Or, you think donor might be on the horizon but you are not sure yet?

Or, you already know you need to use a donor but you want some more help processing the idea.

Go to ⁠https://metagetman.com/crossroads ⁠to get a free copy of my guide "My Doctor Just Said Donor, Now What?"

Connect with me on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Do you feel like your partner shuts down as soon as you try to talk about your struggles with infertility? Or maybe you are the one feeling like you just can't talk to your partner about your struggles because it's too hard.

Friend, you are not alone.

Infertility can cause a huge wedge between you and your partner. The good news is that it doesn't have to stay that way. In fact, going through the challenges and struggles of having a baby can actually bring you closer together.

In this episode of the podcast I'm sharing with you why I believe we tend to move away from one another and I'm giving you some easy tips to put into action today that will help you and your partner turn toward each other instead of away.

Did your doctor just tell you that you need to use a donor?

Or, you think donor might be on the horizon but you are not sure yet?

Or, you already know you need to use a donor but you want some more help processing the idea.

Go to https://metagetman.com/crossroads to get a free copy of my guide "My Doctor Just Said Donor, Now What?"

Connect with me on ⁠Instagram⁠ 

Holy smokes! We've published 37 episodes and wow am I proud. When I first started this podcast I was worried I wouldn't have enough content to get through 5 episodes and here we are! Summer is here which means I'm taking a break from the podcast for the next few months. Don't worry though! I already have 5 episodes ready to drop in the fall to kick of Season 2 of Infertility Crossroads.

In the meantime, go back and listen to some of your favorites. Or maybe there are episodes on topics that felt too hard to listen to when they first came out but you are in a different place now and ready to hear them.

And, I'll still be available on Instagram or my website for the summer so I'm not going to far.

Lastly...if you have an idea for an episode, email me at [email protected] and let me know! Any feedback you have is greatly appreciated.

Happy Summer!

Did you just learn that donor conception might be your path to parenthood? Or maybe you think it might be but are not sure yet? Or, maybe you already know but need some more help. Get my free PDF download, The Donor Decision Guide https://www.metagetman.com/podcast

This episode is all about the friends and family who are supporting you on your fertility journey. It’s one I created for you to SHARE with others.

Infertility is incredibly hard, isolating, and lonely. Most people who have never been through it don’t understand. So the burden to educate falls on us, those who are struggling.

On the episode today I’m sharing five tips for our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, anyone in your life who is walking along side you on this journey but hasn’t been through it themselves. I’m telling them the things you wish you could say but don’t know how.

Listen to the episode, then share it with anyone you want to so they can be better and more supportive for you. 

Resources from this episode: 

Connect with me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/metagetman/

Did you just learn that donor conception might be your path to parenthood? Or maybe you think it might be but are not sure yet? Or, maybe you already know but need some more help. Get my free PDF download, The Donor Decision Guide https://www.metagetman.com/podcast

In this episode, I’m chatting with Lindsay Blount. Lindsay learned that she was donor conceived as an adult.  Through this information, Lindsay has been learning what it means for her, her children and her family.   Through her experience, Lindsay has become an advocate for the rights of donor conceived people and has worked hard to help educate recipient parents about the donor conceived experience (through her lens). 

Lindsay is one of those people who offers her viewpoints and life stories in a way that makes it easier for you to comprehend her perspective and story. She is approachable, straight forward and is a donor conceived person who I’ve learned a lot from. 

While Lindsay shares her own, personal perspective and does not speak for all DCP, she shares a lot about her own story, sharing with your child that they are DCP, discusses terminology that she uses and uses with her own children, talks about the rights of DCP and how when we are centered and focused on the DCP experience we all win. 

Covered in this episode:

Lindsay shares a mix of personal and donor conceived content on her Instagram page.  In addition, she has two really great posts on her page to check out:

Connect with Meta on Instagram 

Did you just learn that donor conception might be your path to parenthood? Or maybe you think it might be but are not sure yet? Or, maybe you already know but need some more help. Get my free PDF download, The Donor Decision Guide https://www.metagetman.com/podcast

In this episode, we are joined by Elaine Bogard. Elaine is a soul midwife and a fertility shaman who helps women overcome fertility obstacles, heal from pregnancy loss and sexual trauma, and become the mothers they have always been meant to be. She's located in the beautiful state of Hawaii.

We discussed ways to help women recover from pregnancy loss, and overcome challenges to conception, including all of the feelings and pain related to it. It's fascinating to learn how our emotions can impact our physical bodies. It can occasionally be difficult to understand.

This is a bit of a woo woo episode but one that I think you will really enjoy if you listen with an open mind, an open heart, and a spirit of curiosity.  I find everything Elaine mentions fascinating! 

Covered in this episode:

​

Connect with Elaine:

Connect with Meta on Instagram 

Did you just learn that donor conception might be your path to parenthood? Or maybe you think it might be but are not sure yet? Or, maybe you already know but need some more help. Get my free PDF download, The Donor Decision Guide https://www.metagetman.com/podcast