What Now?
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What Now? episodes

  • Navigating Uncertainty

     

    Navigating Uncertainty 

    What happens when there are no clear answers, no fixed timeline, and no certainty about what comes next?

    In this episode of What Now?, Meg explores the emotional reality of living with uncertainty during fertility and family-building. Building on the themes of control explored in Episode 1, this conversation looks at what it means to keep moving forward when the waiting continues, the questions remain unanswered, and life refuses to offer the certainty we long for. Through personal experience and reflective coaching insight, Meg explores how uncertainty can affect our emotions, relationships, identity, and sense of agency, while offering gentle ways to create steadiness in the midst of not knowing. 

    Rather than encouraging listeners to rush towards solutions, this episode offers permission to pause, acknowledge what is hard, and consider how to care for yourself while the bigger questions remain unresolved. 

    In This Episode

    You'll hear about:

    • Why uncertainty can feel so emotionally exhausting when something deeply important is sitting inside "not knowing". 
    • The complex mix of emotions that can accompany fertility and family-building, including hope, fear, grief, longing, relief, gratitude, and guilt. 
    • How prolonged uncertainty can begin to affect confidence, identity, joy, and your sense of self.
    • A simple shift in language that can help create space between you and difficult emotions. 
    • How to recognise and reclaim small moments of agency when circumstances feel outside your control.
    • Gentle ways to resource yourself and find steadiness while answers are still out of reach. 
    • Reflection Question

      If it feels supportive, you might take a moment after listening to reflect on:

      "What is the question I'm living with right now?"

      You may also want to consider:

      "What does it cost me when I try to resolve it too quickly?"
      "What helps me feel even slightly more supported, resourced, or steady today?" 

      There are no right answers. This is simply an invitation to notice your experience with curiosity, compassion, and honesty.

      About Meg

      What Now? is hosted by Meg Robins, a wellbeing and family-building coach, Emotions Coaching Practitioner, and someone with lived experience of infertility and surrogacy.

      If you'd like to learn more about me  and the work I do to support people navigating fertility and family-building challenges, visit:

      Meg Robins Coaching

      Find me on Instagram

      Continue the Conversation

      If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to follow What Now? and join me for future episodes.

      This podcast was created to offer a space for honest conversations about the emotional side of fertility and family-building, including the uncertainty, hope, grief, resilience, and self-trust that can be difficult to talk about openly.

      To receive updates about new episodes, reflections, and future resources, sign up through the podcast hub:

      What Now? Podcast Hub

      By joining the mailing list, you'll be the first to hear about new episodes and resources designed to support you on your journey.

      And if today's conversation made you think of someone who may need to hear it, please consider sharing this episode with them.

      Disclaimer

      This podcast is offered as a space for reflection, learning, and emotional support. It draws on my lived experience, professional coaching practice, and wellbeing training.

      The content is not therapy, counselling, mental health treatment, medical advice, legal advice, or a substitute for other professional services.

      Please use your own judgement about what feels right for you, and seek support from appropriately qualified professionals where needed.

      If anything discussed in this episode feels overwhelming, please pause and prioritise the support that best meets your needs.

      17 min
    • When Life Feels Out of Control
       When Life Feels Out of Control – Finding Calm in the Chaos

      When life feels uncertain, it's natural to reach for control. In this opening episode of What Now?, Meg explores why so many of us find ourselves planning, researching, overthinking, or trying to manage every possible outcome when family-building doesn't unfold as expected. Through personal experience and gentle coaching insight, she looks at what may sit beneath the urge to control and how understanding our emotional needs can help us find greater steadiness in the midst of uncertainty. 

      Rather than focusing on fixing difficult feelings or forcing certainty, this episode offers a compassionate invitation to pause, listen to what your emotions may be communicating, and begin building trust in your ability to navigate whatever comes next. 

      In This Episode

      You'll hear about:

      • Why fertility and family-building can leave us feeling out of control. 
      • How control can show up through planning, tracking, researching, and trying to manage outcomes. 
      • Why overthinking is often a form of self-protection rather than a personal flaw. 
      • How chronic uncertainty can affect the nervous system and emotional wellbeing. 
      • The unmet needs that can sit underneath the urge to stay in control.
      • A gentle reflection to help you understand what your emotions may be asking for right now. 
      • Reflection Question

        If it feels supportive, you might take a moment after listening to reflect on:

        "What emotions are present for me right now, and what might they be asking for?" 

        You may also want to consider:

        "What do I need to feel more supported in this, and do I need help to access it?" 

        There are no right answers. This is simply an invitation to notice what is present with curiosity, compassion, and care.

         About Meg

        What Now? is hosted by Meg Robins, a wellbeing and family-building coach, Emotions Coaching Practitioner, and someone with lived experience of infertility and surrogacy.

        If you'd like to learn more about me, my story, and the work I do to support people navigating fertility and family-building challenges, visit:

        Meg Robins Coaching

        Find me on Instagram

        Continue the Conversation

        If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to follow What Now? and join me for future episodes.

        This podcast was created to offer a space for honest conversations about the emotional side of fertility and family-building, including the uncertainty, hope, grief, resilience, and self-trust that can be difficult to talk about openly.

        To receive updates about new episodes, reflections, and future resources, sign up through the podcast hub:

        What Now? Podcast Hub

        By joining the mailing list, you'll be the first to hear about new episodes and resources designed to support you on your journey.

        And if today's conversation made you think of someone who may need to hear it, please consider sharing this episode with them.

        Disclaimer

        This podcast is offered as a space for reflection, learning, and emotional support. It draws on my lived experience, professional coaching practice, and wellbeing training.

        The content is not therapy, counselling, mental health treatment, medical advice, legal advice, or a substitute for other professional services.

        Please use your own judgement about what feels right for you, and seek support from appropriately qualified professionals where needed.

        If anything discussed in this episode feels overwhelming, please pause and prioritise the support that best meets your needs.

        16 min

      About What Now?

      From the publisher's feed

      What Now? is a reflective podcast for people navigating fertility, surrogacy, donor conception, solo parenthood, LGBTQ+ family-building, and the quiet uncertainty of becoming a parent. Hosted by Meg…