Starting a family is one of the most exciting moments in life. But for so many people, the reality comes with unexpected hurdles — whether it's struggling with fertility, figuring out what benefits your job actually offers, or realizing, too late, that your employer doesn’t provide much support at all.`

Fertility issues are more common than ever, and the cost of treatments like IVF is sky-high. That means fertility benefits, paternity leave, parental support, and family-friendly policies are becoming make-or-break factors for many job seekers.

In this episode we speak with Jenna Glover, chief clinical officer at Headspace, who shares some of the challenges she and her wife had on their own fertility journey, and in navigating company benefits, and what a bad maternity policy looks like.

We also speak with Cisco’s chief people officer Kelly Jones on why offering employers tens of thousands of dollars in fertility support is an ROI no-brainer. And we speak with Sean Puddle, managing director for North America at talent search firm Robert Walters, on the real costs businesses face when they have to replace talent, after mothers exit the workforce.