High achieving women are often told to try harder.

But in infertility, striving can quietly keep the body stuck.

In this episode of the Love and Science Podcast, Dr. Erica introduces Starting To Thrive, a 12 module course created from over a decade of clinical experience in reproductive endocrinology.

She shares why infertility so often overwhelms the nervous system, why information alone is not enough when the body is in survival mode, and how real transformation begins when the mind and body return to safety.

In this conversation, Dr. Erica explores:

• Why chronic striving increases stress and blocks healing
• How calming the nervous system supports fertility
• The role of authentic hope grounded in science
• Making empowered, values based decisions
• Navigating triggers, bad news, and waiting
• Building support and community in an isolating journey

This episode marks the official launch of the Starting To Thrive Course, which includes a structured 12 week program, practical tools for meaningful change, and 18 CME credits for physicians and other health aligned professionals.

If you have been doing everything right but still feel exhausted, anxious, or stuck, this conversation offers a grounded and compassionate path forward.

You do not need to push harder.

There is another way, and it starts with learning how to thrive.

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/starting-to-thrive-course

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As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

In this episode of the Love and Science Fertility Podcast, Dr. Erica Bove explores the power of intentional reflection and goal-setting during the fertility journey. She shares how writing down intentions can help reframe negative narratives around fertility treatments, while honoring both loss and growth along the way.

Erica discusses the importance of managing emotional energy, practicing self-care, and nurturing supportive relationships during this season. This conversation offers grounding guidance for anyone navigating fertility challenges who wants to move forward with clarity, compassion, and hope.

Whether you’re in treatment, taking a pause, or supporting someone you love, this episode invites you to reflect, reset, and reconnect with what truly matters.

Support the show

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

The winter solstice reminds us that even in the darkest season, the light begins to return.

In this episode of the Love and Science Podcast, Dr. Erica reflects on the symbolism of light overcoming darkness and how this truth can offer comfort and perspective during the fertility journey. Drawing from personal experience, seasonal rhythms, and wisdom traditions, she explores how hope and possibility can exist even when the path feels uncertain.

This conversation is an invitation to soften into the season rather than fight it. Erica shares gentle reflections on protecting your energy, nurturing kindness toward yourself and others, and allowing moments of service, rest, and self-care to support you through difficult times.

She also guides listeners through a short meditation to help process emotions, release what no longer serves you, and reconnect with a sense of inner peace and personal agency.

This episode is not about forcing optimism or bypassing pain. It is about honoring where you are, creating space for hope, and remembering that light can emerge in ways we may not yet see.

Wherever you find yourself this season, may this be a gentle reminder that you are allowed to move at your own pace and that possibility still exists.

Support the show

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Have you ever felt like you suffered in silence? Like no one else understood your situation or your struggles?

Dr. Trina Dorrah is a certified physician coach who shares her experience of the fertility journey before she discovered coaching. She shares:

• how coaching tools could have helped her navigate the process with much less shame, blame, self-judgment, and overwhelm
• mindset shifts which could be applied to women physicians undergoing this process
• her eating disorder journey including taking time for recovery, notably after her fertility journey
• the parallels between intuitive eating and trusting one's body along the way

Thank you, Dr. Dorrah, for generously sharing your story with us. 

We are not alone, and we are stronger together. 

Guest Details:

Dr. Trina Dorrah is an internal medicine physician and life coach for women physicians. She’s been a hospitalist for 18 years and understands the exhaustion, overwhelm, and self-doubt that can come with a career in medicine.

Trina started her coaching journey in 2020 after training at The Life Coach School and later earning her ICF certification through Symbiosis. She’s also a Certified Relationship-Centered Communication Coach and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Her varied interests reflect her belief that true well-being comes from caring for both mind and body—with compassion, curiosity, and balance.

Known as The Affordable Life Coach, Trina believes good coaching doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Through her work, she helps women physicians beat burnout, improve communication, and reconnect with the joy that brought them to medicine in the first place.

Learn more at theaffordablelifecoach.com.

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

What is the hardest part about forgiving ourselves? How can we better support physicians navigating trauma and burnout?

Join us as we welcome the insightful and inspiring Dr. Kathy Gibney, a mentor, friend, and PhD psychologist whose career spans decades of dedication to physician wellness. Dr. Kathy shares her wisdom on the emotional landscape of medicine and the powerful simplicity of genuine human connection.

Topics we discuss: 

• Building relational trust in medicine
• Addressing moral injury and stigma
• Forgiving and celebrating ourselves
• Filling our personal well
• Unlearning the doctor identity

This conversation illuminates the essential path toward reclaiming our lives and humanity, reminding us that we are always more than our titles.

Guest Details: 

Kathleen C Gibney, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, Diplomat of the American Board of Professional Psychologists

Kathy is retired now and finding she is busy and happy spending time “doing whatever she likes.” Her last full-time position was as the Director of The Center for Physician Wellbeing at AdventHealth Orlando. The Center focused on providing counseling & coaching, consulting, education, and collegial opportunities to physicians and mid-level practitioners and their families for the nine central region Florida Hospitals. She has been a keynote speaker and workshop presenter at conferences and retreats. Her past experiences have increased her passion and appreciation for the personal and professional journeys of individuals and the stories those adventures write in people’s hearts. She has been a mentor and consulting professional dedicated to walking with others on this challenging journey of living and thriving.

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Dr. Sarah Wittry was just a resident when she realized she and her husband had infertility. In this deeply personal and reflective episode, she shares:

• her initial journey of unsuccessful fertility treatments and deciding to pivot
• the heartache of navigating her fertility journey without emotional support
• being open to many different pathways to parenthood
• how she wished she had discovered self compassion sooner
• her experience with IVF towards the end of her journey
• how she grounds herself daily to show up for herself and her family with love, emotional awareness and authenticity

I am confident that her story will resonate with you, and that you will feel a little bit less alone.

Guest Details: 

Dr. Sarah Wittry is a hospice palliative physician and certified mind-body coach dedicated to empowering women physicians. She balances a rich family life with her passions for yoga, books, travel, and engaging in deep conversations over good coffee. Sarah's holistic approach to well-being inspires those around her to find harmony in both their personal and professional lives. She specializes in stress resilience, emotional regulation and nervous system regulation.

Relevant Episode:

Ep. 83: Overcoming Decision Fatigue: How One Graduate Recentered and Became a Mother

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Is the holiday season, especially while navigating a fertility journey, stealing your joy?
Learn practical, actionable strategies to manage stress, set boundaries, and cultivate moments of joy, even when faced with expectations and triggers.

Discussion Points: 

• How to define joy and cultivate more of it
• Tips for preventing triggers and also dealing with them in real time
• Suggestions on setting boundaries
• Understanding gratitude and how it relates to stress management

My goal is for you to use these tools to help you find more moments of beauty, connection, and joy this holiday season.

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Choosing between a Fresh and a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)?
Join us as we explore the history, current success rates, and the specific clinical and practical reasons why one approach might be better for your unique situation.

Topics Covered:

• The evolution of IVF success rates and the role of freezing technology
• Clinical indications for a Freeze All/FET
• Practical factors like cost savings and streamlined timing/efficiency
• Natural, Modified Natural, and Fully Medicated Cycles

As research continues to push the boundaries of reproductive medicine, I keep watching how these protocols evolve to offer insights on the best possible chance at building families.

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Love & Science Fertility was founded two years ago this November. I’m deeply grateful for everyone who listens to this podcast, trusts me to walk with them on their fertility journey, and for the community of professionals who help bring this mission to life.

Sunny Smith graciously shares her wisdom and experience on today's episode, both in terms of her personal and ongoing journey finding wellness as well as how she empowers other women physicians to do the same. 

We discuss the following:

• her journey into coaching, first with awareness of thoughts, and then embodied awareness
• how to notice emotional activation
• how to calm the nervous system 
• her own story of a diagnosis of infertility
• how awareness of our feelings and needs can lead to meaningful changes
• how embracing our humanity can make all of the difference
• how we can challenge the status quo and charter a better path for ourselves (and potentially others) moving forward

Guest Details:

Sunny Smith MD is the Founder and CEO of Empowering Women Physicians.

Dr Smith brings her background as an awarded Medical Educator, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health, Community Director, Course Director, Medical Director, and long history of being an advocate for medical student and physician wellness into the coaching space.

She advocates for physician wellness through her comprehensive and collaborative coaching program, podcast, retreats and Facebook group that seek to change the culture of medicine through normalizing and humanizing the experience of being a physician.

 Dr. Smith is the recipient of multiple teaching awards including Humanism in Medicine, Excellence in Teaching, and Outstanding Community Leader award. Her work has been published in many peer-reviewed journals including JAMA and she has been featured in Forbes, Inc5000, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

https://empoweringwomenphysicians.com

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove

Have you ever wondered what will happen if your fertility treatments don't end up working? If at some point you decide to stop treatments and live a childfree life? 

I believe deeply that we need to consider these questions much earlier in the process. It does not mean that we are giving up, but rather that there are many meaningful ways to live this life, both with and without children.

Lana generously shares her journey with us, in terms of the following:

• her IVF journey which did not yield children
• her decision to stop treatments and not pursue adoption or third party reproduction
• the lack of closure with her REI and how childfree should be offered as an option moving forward 
• her identity crisis and lack of grounding when the goal of motherhood was no longer present
• her journey towards authenticity
• navigating feelings of failure/shame/blame
• how to have meaningful relationships with family and friends who are not childfree
• how awareness of the stories we are telling ourselves is crucial to reframing our experience and choosing stories which serve us and allow us to live the best, most meaningful lives possible

Guest Details:

Lana Manikowski is a certified life coach, author, and infertility advocate who helps women thrive after infertility. After a seven-year fertility journey that ended without children, she created the support she yearned for but was never offered. She went on to write the bestselling book So Now What?, founded The Other’s Day Brunch, an annual event honoring women without children, and hosts The "So Now What?" Podcast.

Through her coaching and community, Lana guides women to release shame, heal their relationship with their bodies, strengthen their marriages or partnerships, and reconnect in meaningful relationships with friends and family who have children. She helps childless women create purposeful, joyful lives beyond motherhood.

She holds advanced certifications in grief and post-traumatic growth and is a proud member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and an active volunteer with RESOLVE.

Her signature message: Your story isn’t over. It’s just beginning.

https://lanamanikowski.com

As always, please keep in mind that this is my perspective and nothing in this podcast is medical advice.

If you found this conversation valuable, book a consult call with me using this link:

www.loveandsciencefertility.com/contact

Follow us on social media:

IG: www.instagram.com/loveandsciencefertility

FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553692167183

Please don’t let infertility have the final word. We are here to take the burden from you so that you can achieve your goal of building your family with confidence and compassion. I’m rooting for you always.

In Gratitude,

Dr. Erica Bove