In today's episode I dive into the learnings of my personal IVF experience. Having gone through all the ups and downs, I summarized some of my main learnings that I truly hope can help others when deciding when and if they should embark on their IVF or egg freezing journey.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

02:14 What is egg/embryo freezing?

03:20 Is IVF or egg freezing affecting your ability to conceive naturally?

08:38 Reasons for IVF or egg freezing

17:50 Considerations when going into IVF or egg freezing

18:32 Consideration #1: physical & time impact 

25:00 Consideration #2: financial impact 

28:30 Consideration #3: emotional & mental health Impact

33:05 Being careful to not become a fertility clinic cash cow

35:00 Closing

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Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

#fertility #podcast #ivf #eggfreezing

Happy Valentine's Day!

No matter if you are a hopeless romantic or find Valentine's Day super tacky- we can always use this day to remind ourselves to practice more self love, self care & self acceptance.

In this episode I share my top tips for practicing self love, especially when it comes to going through fertility struggles when your body feels like your biggest enemy.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

02:53 Be Your Own Valentine

04:00 Self Love & Fertility Struggles

05:35 Self Love vs Self Acceptance

06:43 Top Tips For Self Acceptance

07:09 Mirror Negative Thoughts On Someone You Care About

09:55 Seek Out Spaces That Inspire You

12:07 Protecting Your Mental Health On Social Media

14:27 Taking Time For Yourself

16:56 Speak Kind Words To Attract Growth (Plant Experiment)

21:21 Closing

If you liked this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe, like, comment & leave a review ♥

Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

#valentinesday #selfcare #selflove #fertility #podcast

In this episode I share my top 5 tips for answering the dreaded "So when are you finally going to have kids?" question. While the majority of people does not have bad intentions and is simply being curious it can be so hard to be asked that question especially when dealing with fertility issues, having a non mainstream opinion about it, or when simply not having a clear 'yes' or 'no' answer.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

02:49 Societal Pressure Of Achieving Next Big Thing

05:06 Why You Really Shouldn't Ask People When They Are Having Kids

05:50 Some People Don't Want To Have Kids

09:21 Some People Go Through Fertility Challenges

13:07 Some People Don't Know If They Want To Have Kids

16:26 Are You Doing More Good Than Harm With Your Question

17:10 Top 5 Tips For Dealing With Question

20:12 Tip #1: Be Honest

23:10 Tip #2: Using Humor

24:18 Tip #3: Shut Question Down

26:20 Tip #4: Reminding It's Not Up To You

28:25 Tip #5: Use It As Educational Opportunity

30:10 Closing

Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

In this week's episode I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Samina Haider who is an incredibly talented and passionate fertility acupuncturist and naturopath.

From reducing PMS symptoms to using acupuncture to improve IVF outcomes, this episode is for everyone who is ever wondered about the healing powers of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

01:39 Transforming Power of Acupuncture

06:08 Cycle & Temperature Tracking

13:39 More Than Just Sticking Needles in People

15:43 Being Afraid Of Needles

18:37 Naturopathy Support For Fertility

20:00 Best Diet to Optimize Fertility

22:20 Lifestyle Changes to Optimize Fertility

29:21 Supporting Patients Through Miscarriage & Failed IVF Cycles

32:38 Unexplained Infertility

35:36 Acupuncture Support For IVF

43:20 Closing

And for anyone currently going through their personal fertility journey: I see you, I am you, we got this ♡

If you liked this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe, like & leave a review ♥

#podcast #fertility #ttc #acupuncture #naturopathy #ivf

This episode was recorded with Riverside- use the following link if you'd like to try it out to start your own podcast: ⁠https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=anastasia⁠

From feeling ashamed about my period, being on the pill for over 14 years, to living in tune with my cycle- today's episode is all about how I learned to not only manage the symptoms of my menstrual cycle but also came to appreciate it.

I also share how being in tune with my menstrual cycle helped me on my natural TTC journey, including my honest learnings and reviews of various fertility tools & trackers.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:44 Taboo Topic Period

02:58 Starting Contraceptive Pill To "Normalize Cycle"

04:16 Coming Off Birth Control After 14 Years

07:38 4 Different Seasons Of Your Menstrual Cycle

09:17 Living More In Tune With Your Cycle & Body

12:27 Conceiving Naturally & Experiencing Miscarriage

14:35 TTC Tip 1: Basal Body Temperature Tracking

18:51 TTC Tip 2: Ovulation Tests

22:00 Experience With Mira Fertility Tracker

25:20 Fertility Supplement Experience

28:41 Watch Outs For Mental Health

33:18 Closing & Next Episode

And for anyone currently going through their personal fertility journey: I see you, I am you, we got this ♡

Book Recommendation*: 'It Starts With An Egg' by Rebecca Fett

Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

If you liked this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe, like & leave a review ♥

#podcast #fertility #TTC

This episode was recorded with Riverside- use the following link if you'd like to try it out to start your own podcast: ⁠https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=anastasia⁠

*Disclaimer: all recommendations are based on personal experience and are not sponsored

Welcome back to season 2 of Very Beginning!

This season will be quite different: focusing a lot more on being authentic and vulnerable while talking about all things fertility & women's health!

Over the next weeks I am going to talk openly and candidly about all my fertility learnings- from coming of birth control, going through a long phase of TTC, experiencing loss, and going through IVF.

Leave me a comment if there is a specific topic you'd like me to cover!

In this episode:

00:53 New 2023 Focus

04:07 Reason for Starting Podcast

07:25 Fertility Topic Disclaimers

09:41 2023 Fertility Learnings

10:20 Learning 1: Importance Of Mental Health

13:48 Learning 2: The Only Way Through Is Through

16:48 Learning 3: You Are Not Alone & Sharing Helps

17:53 Important Fertility Statistics

21:20 Closing

Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

If you liked this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe & leave a review ♥

This episode was recorded with Riverside- use the following link if you'd like to try it out to start your own podcast: ⁠https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=anastasia⁠

Learning to not be afraid of failures has truly transformed my life. Going from someone who was so scared to make a mistake to now (almost) be glad about each bump in the road, I have come to realize that life is way too short to only share and be proud of the highlight reel. So in an effort to show up authentically & vulnerably on my podcast, I am sharing 3 of my biggest failures in life including the very important learnings each of these brought to me.

My very first solo episode is the most personal episode to date and marks the start of my fertility series. In the episode I open up about my personal experience with IVF and share my 5 main tips that helped me go through it.

I also included one bonus tip for anyone who knows someone going through this process and is not sure for how they can best support.

Opening up about this to my friends and now sharing it now more broadly has truly been incredibly helpful for me so feel free to ask any questions in the comments if you would like to see more content on this topic.

And for anyone currently going through their personal fertility journey: I see you, I am you, we got this ♡

00:00 Trailer & Intro

00:56 Reason for Opening Up Publicly About IVF

02:34 Disclaimer

03:12 Important Considerations For Family Planning

04:18 Fertility Check Process

06:53 Reason for Doing IVF

11:43 Thoughts About Sharing IVF Outcome

13:21 Brief Overview Of IVF Process

16:47 My Experience With IVF Stim Phase

17:58 Tip 1: Find Joy in The Process

21:16 Tip 2: Free Yourself From Expectations

23:55 Tip 3: Take Care of Yourself, Your Mind & Body

29:32 Tip 4: Do Your Own Research & Don't Settle

33:40 Tip 5: Learn To Let Go

36:12 Bonus Tip For Support Person

39:11 Closing

Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

If you liked this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe & leave a review ♥

Try out Riverside if you want to start your own podcast: ⁠https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=anastasia⁠

Starting your own business at age 21- what seems incredibly scary, was exactly what Beth Lavin did following her dream to become a photographer. Over 6 years later, Beth has established herself as a successful brand and wedding photographer and recently even expanded her services into videography. This episode is truly a must watch for anyone wondering about the ins and outs of self-employment and all the ups and downs that come with it.

00:00 Trailer & Intro

02:04 Path to Becoming Self-Employed

03:13 Proudest Achievement To Date

07:41 Tips to Succeed As Young Business Owner

10:24 Challenges of Wedding Photography

12:13 Dealing With Questionable Photoshop Requests

15:19 Making Clients Feel Comfortable

17:27 Expanding Into Videography

23:32 Growth Vs Perfectionism

26:42 Dealing with Loneliness & Seeking Connections

31:47 Succeeding in Saturated Industries & Finding USP

33:29 Being Authentic & Vulnerable on Social Media

38:31 Dealing with Plagiarism and Tricky Clients

40:38 Staying Motivated In Difficult Times

42:23 Final Three

44:31 Closing

Follow Beth on Instagram & TikTok: @bethlavinphoto @bethlavinweddings

Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

If you liked this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe & leave a review ♥⁠

Starting over at age 40- episode 8 is all about the inspiring story of Elizabeth O'Neill who was incredibly courageous to start her own business after experiencing burn out in her corporate career. Becoming an executive coach, people & culture consultant, Elizabeth shares incredible insights about finding purpose in your work and shares her take on building a strong corporate culture in an in-person vs remote set up.

00:00 Trailer & Intro

02:11 Making Decision to Leave Corporate

04:29 Overcoming Anxiety Of Not Knowing What's Next

06:16 Figuring Out What Excites Us & Trusting Intuition

09:36 3 Types of Intelligence

12:18 Burnout: Understanding Root Cause

16:02 Burnout: Breaking the Cycle

19:07 Power of Visualization

20:41 Taking Small Steps In New Direction23:10 Creating Support Network

25:32 In and Outs of Exec Coaching

27:21 Mindset To Achieve Start-Up Success

30:05 In-Person vs Remote Corporate Culture

32:16 Corporate Culture Red Flags

33:58 Benefits of Annual Corporate Retreats

36:32 Risks of "Fun Family" Corporate Cultures

39:09 Learning the Lesson of Being Replaceable

42:11 Final Three

44:48 Closing

Follow Elizabeth O'Neill on LinkedIn and check out her website: https://elizabethoneill.com/

Follow Very Beginning on Instagram & TikTok: @verybeginningofficial

If you liked this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe & leave a review ♥

Try out Riverside if you want to start your own podcast: ⁠https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=anastasia⁠ #burnout #remote #purpose