SURPRISE! Bonus episode time! Today I am talking with my dear friend + Executive Director of RESOLVE New England, Kate Weldon LeBlanc.  RNE is dedicated to providing education, support and advocacy to those facing challenges in building their families. Kate's personal experience with infertility, as well as her passion for justice + advocacy is why she is able to support and facilitate change in the lives of those impacted by infertility in the New England area. We discuss the important ways that RNE provides support and Kate shares all the details of the upcoming 25th RESOLVE New England Fertility Treatment, Donor Choices and Adoption conference being held on Saturday November 2, 2018. If you are in the New England or Massachusetts area this weekend we would LOVE to see you there!  The Fertile Nest will be on hiatus for a few more weeks, in the meantime be sure to get caught up on previous episodes! Do you have a topic or question you want covered on The Fertile Nest? Send it to [email protected] or at our website www.fertilenest.com

Navigating day-to-day life and infertility is a challenge. Trying to balance your physical and emotional needs with relationships and day to day obligations can be overwhelming. But it is really important to get what you NEED, especially when you are struggling to get the thing you most want. 

This season I am sharing a special series called "Getting What You Need". In the GWYN series, you will learn how to identify exactly what you need in the key areas of your life (physically, emotionally, relationships and the workplace) and learn the skills and strategies that will help you to get the things you need to take care of yourself while going through infertility.

On this week's episode I discuss how to get what you need from your friends and why it is important to be able to identify and communicate these needs (especially when going through infertility).  We discuss the biggest struggles you told me that you are having in your friendships right now, and share the simple techniques that will help you to get clear on what you need and the skills to effectively communicate these needs to your friends. 

In this episode I am talking with Andrea Syrtash. Andrea is a Relationship Expert and the Founder of pregnantish.com, the first media company helping singles, couples & LGBT navigate fertility treatments and infertility. She's the author of popular books including, He's Just Not Your Type (And That's a Good Thing) and Cheat On Your Husband (With Your Husband). Andrea frequently speaks about how to improve relationships, is committed to breaking the taboo of infertility, and elevating the conversation about what it takes to start a family for millions of people today. Andrea and I talk about her experience of being "pregnantish" for 7 years, the ups and downs of her surrogacy story, and her best relationship advice for anyone going through infertility. Andrea is truly a remarkable light in the darkness of infertility and I know you will love her as much as I do.    

Navigating day-to-day life and infertility is a challenge. Trying to balance your physical and emotional needs with relationships and day to day obligations can be overwhelming. But it is really important to get what you NEED, especially when you are struggling to get the thing you most want. 

This season I am sharing a special series called "Getting What You Need". In the GWYN series, you will learn how to identify exactly what you need in the key areas of your life (physically, emotionally, relationships and the workplace) and learn the skills and strategies that will help you to get the things you need to take care of yourself while going through infertility.

On this week's episode I discuss how to get what you need in your relationship with your partner and why it is important to be able to identify and communicate these needs (especially when going through infertility). I share with you the simple techniques that will help you to get clear on what you need and the skills to effectively communicate these needs to your partner. And I discuss what your partner can do to ensure that they are listening in a way that makes the one they love (YOU) feel genuinely heard and understood. 

In this episode I am talking with Jennifer "Jay" Palumbo. Jay is a freelance writer, public speaker, infertility/women's rights advocate, former stand-up comic, author of the blog, The 2 Week Wait, and proud IVF Mom. Jay has spoken at several conferences and interviewed on news outlets such as CNN, NPR and BBC where she has demonstrated her ability to make even reproductive issues fun and educational. 

We discuss Jay's diagnosis of unexplained infertility and the long and winding path she took to parenthood.  Jay also shares her passion as a women's health advocate, the challenges that come with being open publicly in the fertility community, and what it is like to parent a child with Autism after going through infertility.

This week I am sharing your emails. You have been so generous in sharing your experience, thoughts and questions with me and today we are having conversations about the things that matter most to you.  We discuss the inequality between men and women in regards to infertility, the silence around male factor infertility, the importance of continuing the discussion around race and economic privilege when building a family, the complex issues of disclosure and donor conception and how to create a life you love after infertility.

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and questions.

What thoughts, experiences and questions do you have to share? Send them my way by heading HERE.

In this episode, I am talking with Aimee Raupp. Aimee is a renowned women's health & wellness expert and the author of the books Chill Out & Get Healthy, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant, and Body Belief. A licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in private practice in New York, she holds a Master of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and a Bachelor's degree in biology from Rutgers University. Aimee is also the founder of the Aimee Raupp Beauty line of hand-crafted, organic skincare products. She has appeared on The View, and has been featured in Glamour, Allure, Well + Good, GOOP, Shape, and Redbook, and has received endorsement from Deepak Chopra, Arianna Huffington, and Gabby Bernstein for her work in helping thousands of women to improve their vitality, celebrate their beauty, and reconnect to the presence of their optimal health. Aimee is also an active columnist and blogger for Thrive Global, Acupuncture Today, MindBodyGreen, WellRounded NY, and Motherly, and is a frequent speaker at women's health & wellness conferences across the nation.

We discuss Aimee's modern family building story, that included delaying motherhood until later in life, natural ways to support your fertility well into your 40's, how acupuncture, diet, and Chinese medicine can optimize your health and your fertility, what autoimmune disease is, signs you may be suffering from one and what to do if you suspect you are and the importance of having faith and believing in your body.

Aimee is full of soul and love and it was an honor to speak with her.

In this episode, I am talking with Angelique Panagos. Angelique is a writer, total foodie and health crusader with an immense passion for the healing power of food. She is a nutritional therapist, with her own successful  practice in London where she specializes in female health, stress and digestion. Angelique is also the author of The Balance Plan, which is a nutrition and lifestyle approach to balancing hormones.

Angelique shares her personal struggle with her body that included multiple eating disorders, PCOS and Hashimoto's disease. We discuss the challenges Angelique encountered when she wanted to become pregnant including multiple pregnancy losses, and how she was able to heal herself through food, and through the nourishment of her mind and soul.

We talk about our frustration with the stigma of discussing miscarriage openly, how food and self-care play a vital role in feeling well balanced and nourished as women and why Angelique and I have decided to reclaim and de-shame selfishness.

At the start of the episode, I also share a special email from a listener about a topic that needs more attention in the fertility community. What are your thoughts about her concern? What are you struggling with? Let me know HERE.

In this episode, I am talking with Natascha Dea. Natascha is an American photographer, artist, writer, publisher, producer and author of the book Waiting, a monograph she created during her recent IVF treatments.

Her photographic work can be found hanging in private collections in four countries, and has been published internationally. She is a member of the woman-based arts collaborative, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago and established the Neshama Collective, a year-long creative workshop and gathering space for women-identified artists battling infertility and/or going through infertility treatments while trying to maintain creative practice.

She is a vocal advocate for equality, reproductive rights, and justice, and better access to reproductive and infertility healthcare for all and is frequently a guest speaker and media contributor on these important topics.

Natascha is currently preparing for her ninth round of fertility treatments while caring for her cross-generational family in Chicago, that includes her husband Todd and her mother-in-law Lois.

We discuss Natascha's five year long battle with infertility, that has included eight rounds of infertility treatments with five doctors in two different states.  How she and her husband Todd are making their way through infertility while caring for Todd's mother Lois, and how the three of them are learning to live life with the painful disease of Dementia. Natascha shares what infertility and caring for her mother-in-law have taught her about grief, hope, patience, and finding beauty in even the darkest places. And she shares how a conversation with her doctor encouraged her to create the gorgeous, soon to be published book, Waiting.

Natasha is a truly amazing soul and you are not going to want to miss a moment of my conversation with her.

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Today I am chatting with---YOU. I share with you why this past week has kind of sucked, how one text message from a friend helped me help myself out of my funk and why it is so important to get quiet, ask ourselves what we need and then actually give ourselves permission to have it...whatever "it" might be.