In this anonymous and deeply moving episode, a woman shares the story she never imagined would be hers.   She always thought getting pregnant would be a struggle, but when it finally happened naturally (and it was twins!), there were mixed emotions... because she and her husband both carry a serious genetic disorder. And that meant there was a possibility the babies might be affected.   What follows is a harrowing journey of diagnostic testing, endless waiting, and pain. This is a story about maternal love, medical complexity, and emotional devastation. About the babies she chose to protect, even if it meant letting them go. About what life looks like after, and how a single question—“How many kids do you have?”—can carry a thousand invisible layers.   She speaks straight to the hearts of those who’ve faced impossible choices, and to the people who want to support them but don’t know how. It’s not an easy listen, but it’s a necessary one.    Content warning: This episode includes discussions of TFMR (termination for medical reasons), genetic illness, and pregnancy loss.    Mentions: Jscreen Genetic testing  

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

 

In this raw and real conversation, we sit down with a therapist and mom of four who opens up about what it was like to fall apart just when everything looked “fine.” She shares the unexpected crash of antenatal depression during her third pregnancy, the challenge of diagnosing herself when she’s supposed to be the expert, and how she finally got the help she needed. We talk about receiving a BRCA+ diagnosis after her mother’s cancer, deciding to undergo a preventive mastectomy (with a hysterectomy still to come), and grieving the loss of future fertility.  Julia also reflects on how her view of G-d has shifted from religious anxiety and bargaining to a more grounded kind of faith, and why posting honestly on social media became her lifeline. If you’ve ever felt pressure to “hold it together,” questioned your faith, or wondered how anyone survives the chaos of being human—this episode is for you.   Topics include: - What antenatal depression can actually look like (even when you’re a therapist)

- Getting a BRCA+ diagnosis and making hard decisions

- Letting go of the fantasy of more children

- Religious anxiety, fear, and finding balance

- How humor and public storytelling became part of her healing

- Control, or lack thereof—and learning to live with it

Mentions:

Sharsheret and Chai Lifeline

More about Julia Makowsky: 

Grew up in Los Angeles moved to New York for school where I was set up with my husband. I have a masters degree in social work and have been working in the field for over 13 years. I am a mom of 4 children and reside in the five towns. Recently I was diagnosed with BRCA1 where I have been navigating what is the best course of action for myself and my family.

Connect with Julia: 

- Follow her on Instagram

 

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

 

“I finally wanted this baby—and then I lost her.” In this heartbreaking and brave conversation, Hasidic Hipster Girl Sarah Guigue shares the story behind her stillbirth with honesty, vulnerability, and warmth.  It's filled with hope, loss, and survival, told with stunning courage.   Sarah grew up carrying adult responsibilities from a young age. Taking care of her siblings, holding the household together, she longed for freedom. So when she got married, she felt relief. Independence. And for a long time, no desire to have children. It took years of healing and hard work before she finally felt ready.   And then came the pregnancy.   It was complicated, filled with uncertainty—but also faith. Sarah deeply believed things would be okay. She and her husband saw many doctors, and were prepared for every possibility.    Still, nothing could prepare them for the day they lost their baby.   In this episode, Sarah opens up, raw, beautiful, and utterly unfiltered, about the complicated emotions around becoming a mother after childhood parentification, the day she gave birth and said goodbye, and how she copes when the grief feels unbearable. 

More about Sarah Guigue: 

Sarah Encaoua Guigue is a passionate coach, educator, writer, MC, and content creator devoted to living and sharing the light of Chassidus. Through her platform Hassidic Hipster Girl, she brings deep spiritual ideas into relatable, modern conversation—infusing daily life with meaning, joy, and connection to Hashem. Driven by the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s vision of Dira Betachtonim—making a dwelling place for Hashem here in the physical world, Sarah guides women & girls from stuck to soul-aligned through her 1:1 coaching, and various offerings. She can be reached via Instagram DMs @hassidic.hipster.girl

Connect with Sarah Guigue: 

- Follow her on Instagram

- View Sarah's additional content 

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

 

What happens when you do everything "right," but life doesn’t follow the script?   In this deeply honest conversation, Bianca Jade—a 46-year-old Jewish Latina woman—shares the winding, emotional path of her fertility journey. From freezing her eggs in her late 30s after a much-needed push from her therapist, to getting married at 44 and diving headfirst into trying to conceive, Bianca opens up about the pain of two miscarriages, the complexity of waiting, and the quiet grief of time passing.   We talk about what it means to take control - switching clinics, finding coaching - and what it means to surrender. Surrendering to uncertainty. To the reality of not having a baby yet. And even to the possibility that a baby might never come.   Bianca reflects on the deep spiritual work she’s done (with the help of teachers like Jackie Glaser), the questions she's had to sit with, and how she’s found joy and meaning in a life that looks different than she once imagined.   This episode is for anyone navigating fertility with a timeline that doesn’t match everyone else’s—and for anyone who's learning how to live fully, with or without children.   Mentions: The Joy of Later Motherhood: Your Natural Path to Healthy Babies Even in Your 40's by Bettina Gordon-Wayne  "Joy - The Birth of IVF" a Netflix series  Practioner Aimee Raupp  Rejuvenating Fertility Center 

More about Bianca Jade: 

Bianca Jade is a leading beauty, fitness and integrative lifestyle influencer, TV Host and wellness personality. She’s known for her personal blog Mizzfit.com, where wellness meets style. As a Latin-American entrepreneur and TV/internet personality, Bianca shares her life experiences navigating the health & wellness world with audiences across the nation and amongst her half a million follows on social media. Bianca has appeared on outlets such as Today Show, CBS Morning News, Dr. Oz, Banfield, and regional affiliates across the country. Bianca is also a beauty expert and educator, and lifestyle guest host on HSN. She shares her health & beauty tips with publications like New Beauty magazine as a contributor (in both English and Spanish) and travels the world featuring wellness destinations for healthy travelers. In 2018, Bianca had the foresight to do an egg retrieval and shared her experience online. “My Egg Freezing Story” quickly went viral on Youtube, inspiring fertility awareness online and in the media. At 45, Bianca officially started her IVF journey and uses her social platforms to advocate for fertility education, wellness and community. Her latest exciting venture is “Primed for Pregnancy” Retreat which provides women with all the resources, information, and coaching needed to navigate their own fertility journey with confidence. Bianca is currently working on her first book about Fertility Wellness and Mental Health.   "I started IVF when I was 38 years old by freezing my eggs at the suggestion of my therapist, who I'm eternally grateful to. Never knew if I would actually get married or have a family but just didn't want to live with any regrets. At 44 I got married, and a few months before our wedding we visited my IVF doctor to just check-in and tell him that we wanted to fertilize soon. I remember him telling me to "hurry up" and even "to do it before the wedding" but I just felt like I had a lot of time on my hands...which kind of makes me laugh now. Less than 2 months after our wedding, I was pregnant naturally. And less than 2 months later, I had miscarried. Here I was going through the real deal fertility journey and learning that "yes, I was part of a statistic now". For a year I couldn't conceive and then this past Feb, I got pregnant! We surprised my parents at a fancy dinner with the news, only to find out 2 weeks later that we lost the baby again. This is where I stop typing and take a long breadth because all I know is that this journey is not easy for everyone including myself but I refuse to give up until it's time to make a shift. I have 2 embryos left and I'm well aware that I'm at the end of my opportunity of having biological children. I have made peace with that. What I've learned is the most important thing to me is to be a mother. The person I was before I started this journey is not who I am today, 2 losses later. I'm a very strong woman who is here to put it all on the table and help other women not make the same mistakes I did. Thank you for inviting me on your podcast! xo"   

Connect with Bianca Jade: 

- Follow her on Instagram

- Check out the Primed for Pregnancy retreat

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

 

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Michael Neuman, LCSW joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-his own personal fertility journey

-his clinical work

-what it’s like for men to carry invisible grief, societal pressure, and silence—all while being expected to "be strong"

-the emotional toll of fertility journeys and loss on men  

-what it looks like when men are struggling and what actually helps (and what really doesn’t) when you’re trying to support a partner

More about Michael: 

Michael Neuman, LCSW, is a licensed psychotherapist based in Miami and Hollywood, seeing kids and young adults, specializing in anxiety, depression, life adjustments, and paternal mental health. He is the founder of Ji4Life, a nonprofit that helps kids and teens with physical challenges compete in extreme races and trains weekly at the Jewish Leadership Academy. A dedicated athlete, Michael has competed on American Ninja Warrior twice, a winner on CBS’s Million Dollar Mile, and appeared on Amazon Prime’s Beast Games. He lives in Florida with his wife and daughter.

Connect with Michael: 

-Follow him on Instagram

-Check out the Instagram page for Ji4Life

-Join his Father Postpartum Support Group

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

 

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Chaz Naor joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-the raw and remarkable story of how he became a father through surrogacy

-the emotional complexities, logistical challenges, financial hurdles, and moments of deep joy that shaped his path to parenthood

-what led him to pursue fatherhood on his own 

-the decision to use surrogacy and the entire process from choosing an egg donor to the moment his daughter was born

-how Jewish tradition community played a role in his journey

-the hope and strength required along the way

-what he wants other men, queer folks, and Jewish families to know about nontraditional paths to parenthood

More about Chaz:

Chaz Naor is a native New Yorker, an active member of the Jewish LGBTQ+ community, a dedicated higher education professional, a passionate theater producer and avid theatergoer—and, above all, a devoted solo dad to his one-year-old daughter, Lia.  As if he weren’t busy enough, Chaz recently joined Ivy Fertility as a consultant, partnering with intended parents to demystify the surrogacy process and support them in building families of their own. For Chaz, sharing his surrogacy story isn’t just personal—it feels essential. He knows there are so many gay men who dream of becoming fathers but feel unsure, overwhelmed, or even scared to take the leap. By being open about his story, Chaz hopes to break down those barriers, show what’s possible, and give others the confidence to pursue the family they deserve.

Connect with Chaz: 

-Read an article about Chaz

-Follow him on Instagram

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Jordana Brown joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her journey becoming a frum single mother by choice 

-the unexpected path that led her here and how she never imagined this would be her story

-the emotional toll of letting go of “the plan” and the strength it took to move forward anyway

-the moment the decision became real, egg freezing, the heartbreak of multiple pregnancy losses, and the incredible strength she had  to keep trying

-how people judged, supported, misunderstood, and sometimes surprised her—and what she wishes others understood about this path

If you’ve ever felt like your life looks different than you thought it would—or if you’re wondering what it means to choose motherhood on your own terms—this one is for you.

This is a special mother's day episode - for all the mothers out there who fought desperately, year after year, to have a child.

More about Jordana:

Jordana is a single mom living with her yummy daughter Amalia in Israel. She made Aliyah from Queens, NY in 2014, started out in Jerusalem and moved to Tel Aviv seven years ago. After getting her Master’s in speech pathology, Jordana hasn’t practiced in 10 years and now works in marketing. Jordana enjoys wine nights, reads voraciously and lives for European travel and her Friday brunches- none of these activities have happened since Amalia came on the scene. But she’s worth it.

Connect with Jordana:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Check out her blog

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

- Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Sarah Ickovitz, joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her powerful story of navigating remarriage, discovering genetic challenges, and turning to IVF with genetic testing

-the emotional impact of learning you carry a genetic condition

-how she was able to make it through all the hard moments in the process

-what helps her stay focused and stay positive through it all

This is a moving conversation about what it means to rebuild, reimagine family, and keep going with courage.

More about Sarah: 

-Sarah is a remarried Mom of 4. She has 1 IVF baby and 1 on the way. Inspiring others that true happiness does exist. 

Connect with Sarah:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Send her an email

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

- Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Jessica Zucker, PhD, joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her new book, “Normalize It”

-how she expands her lens to address a multitude of challenges that women face- that so often make them stay silent

-how to speak about the uncomfortable to help make you feel less alone (even though I hate that phrase- listen to hear why!)

More about Dr. Zucker: 

Dr. Zucker specializes in reproductive and maternal mental health, which means she primarily works with women who are contemplating or struggling with pregnancy, pregnancy and infant loss, pregnancy after loss, pregnancy ambivalence, during transitions in motherhood, prenatal and postpartum adjustments, birth trauma, perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, and in the midst of relationship challenges after the birth or loss of a child.

In her critically acclaimed, groundbreaking book I Had a Miscarriage, Jessica Zucker boldly exposed the silence, stigma, and shame that surround pregnancy loss and demonstrated the need to normalize conversations around painful reproductive events that too often go unspoken.

In Normalize It, Zucker expands her lens to address a multitude of challenges women face—from girlhood, body image, motherhood, reproductive choice, sexual trauma, menopause, and more—that so often incite shame and overwhelming cultural pressure to stay silent. Based on patient stories, coupled with cutting-edge psychological research, Zucker fearlessly shares her insights into the shame and stigma that shroud so many women’s experiences and explores the liberation that can follow when we get vulnerable and talk about the hard stuff.

Connect with Dr. Zucker:

-Check out her new book, Normalize It

-Take a look at her website

-Follow her on Instagram

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

- Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Estie Rose, MS, CGC, Heather Hipp, MD, and Gail Heyman, join Aimee Baron, MD for the second episode of our 5-part IWSTHAB x JSCREEN Podcast series is all about Fragile X. When people think of genetic testing before pregnancy, they often think of Tay-Sachs or cystic fibrosis—but Fragile X is just as important and far less understood. In this episode, Estie Rose and Dr. Heather Hipp explain the difference between recessive and X-linked conditions, what it means to be a Fragile X carrier, and how it can affect fertility and family planning.

We also hear from Gail Heyman, who shares her deeply personal journey navigating Fragile X in her own family—and how that led her to advocacy. Whether you're building your family or supporting someone who is, this episode is filled with insight, honesty, and heart.

-Click here to watch Part 1: Introduction to Genetics and Infertility

More about Estie: 

Estie Rose is a certified genetic counselor at jscreen. She has a special interest in community education and serves as a resource for individuals who are facing genetic health issues.

Connect with Estie: 

-Follow her on Instagram

More about Heather:

Dr. Heather Hipp is a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) physician and an Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree at Duke University and then her MD degree at Emory University, where she continued her training in residency and fellowship. She is the Program Director for the REI fellowship at Emory and serves as chair for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Education Committee. Her profession memberships include American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, and American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society. She is also on the National Fragile X Foundation Scientific and Clinical Advisory Committee. Her research focuses on women who are carriers for the fragile X mutation and their risk of premature ovarian insufficiency, as well as trends and outcomes of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in the United States.

More about Gail:  

Gail Heyman is a passionate advocate and leader in the Fragile X community. After her son was diagnosed in 1989, she co-founded the Fragile X Association of Georgia and has served as its director ever since. Her family’s experience—spanning three generations affected by Fragile X conditions—fuels her tireless work to raise awareness, promote research, and support others navigating similar challenges. Gail also serves on JScreen’s advisory board and has received national recognition for her leadership in genetic advocacy and inclusion.

-Click here to learn more about Gail's story

-Check out Carly Heyman's book, My eXtra Special Brother

-Learn more about Fragile X here

Connect with JScreen: 

-Visit their website

-Coupon Code: IWSTHAB18 for $18 off initial testing (no expiration date on this offer)

-Follow JScreen on Instagram

Connect with us: 

-Check out our Website

- Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube