Shows
AllPaths PodcastGrief Shared Is Grief DividedIn this episode of the AllPaths Podcast, we are joined by Rachel Spekman, a therapist and career strategist from Massachusetts. Rachel shares her arduous three-year journey to motherhood, which involved multiple fertility treatments, multiple losses, and navigating the healthcare system as a same-sex, mixed-race couple. Eventually she had two successful frozen embryo transfers, leading to the birth of her seven-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. Rachel’s story highlights the emotional and physical toll of family building, the "naive innocence" often felt at the start of fertility treatments, and the importance of maintaining a sense of humor through the many "ho...
2026-03-1739 minAllPaths PodcastSo Now What?In this episode, we speak with Lana Manikowski, an author and certified life coach who navigated a seven-year infertility journey that ended at age 44 after multiple rounds of IUIs and IVFs left her without a baby. Lana candidly discusses her decision to forgo further routes like adoption to avoid additional heartache, reframing the choice to stop treatment not as a failure, but as a courageous act of choosing oneself and one’s partnership. Lana opens up about the isolation, self-judgment, and "tiered grief" she experienced when her body didn't work as expected, and how she eventually found the strength to...
2026-03-1043 minAllPaths PodcastLaw School, Lymphoma, and a New PathIn this episode, we welcome Rijon Charne, the founding attorney of Sunray Fertility Law. Rijon’s specialization in reproductive health law was a direct result of her personal experience as a cancer survivor and the educational and financial hurdles she faced during her own fertility journey. Just two days after graduating from law school, Rijon was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. During this time, she encountered significant resistance and a lack of information regarding fertility preservation from her medical providers. Her initial oncologists failed to discuss the impact of chemotherapy on her fertility, and one even dismissed the idea of eg...
2026-03-0346 minAllPaths PodcastA Different Ride for EveryoneIn this episode, Kristy Koser, a licensed professional clinical counselor specializing in reproductive mental health, shares her family building journey. After years of struggling with infertility and experiencing multiple miscarriages during IUI and IVF cycles, Kristy and her husband eventually welcomed their daughter via surrogacy in 2017. Because Kristy and their gestational carrier lived close to one another in rural Virginia, she was able to be intimately involved in the process, attending every doctor's appointment and "vicariously living" for nine months. Kristy describes the experience as beautiful, but acknowledges the emotional and financial complexities she had to navigate. She struggled...
2026-02-2452 minAllPaths PodcastBar Bathroom Trigger Shots and a Side of FriesIn this episode of the AllPaths podcast, we welcome Jacqueline Fitzpatrick, who offers the rare perspective of being both a seasoned IVF nurse with over 15 years of experience and a former IVF patient. Jacqueline shares the candid details of her family building journey, which was complicated by a pituitary gland cyst that prevented her from ovulating. She discusses the clinical challenges she faced, including failing the Clomid challenge and struggling as a "terrible patient" whose hormones were nearly impossible to regulate during IVF cycles.Our conversation highlights the importance of self-advocacy and listening to one's body, especially...
2026-02-1748 minAllPaths PodcastSex, (IVF) Drugs, and CommunicationIn this special Valentine’s Day episode of the AllPaths podcast, host Emily is joined by her husband, Andy, for a candid conversation about the impact of fertility and family building challenges on relationships. Now 20 years into their marriage and parents to 13-year-old triplets via IVF, they draw on their own experience to answer a series of questions submitted by the community regarding the strain family building can place on a partnership. They tackle the difficult realities of the process, which they describe as a "0 out of 10" experience that fundamentally redefines one's understanding of being a partner and forces co...
2026-02-1050 minAllPaths PodcastDr. Carmel’s Journey: Get CuriousIn this episode of the AllPaths podcast, we sit down with Dr. Carmel Wiseman, a fertility optimization specialist who acts as a "detective" to uncover the hidden barriers preventing people from growing their families. Dr. Carmel shares her eight-year journey, which began at age 41 and included multiple miscarriages, IUIs, and IVF cycles in both the United States and Israel. She details the unique challenges she faced, including a significant childhood medical error where her thyroid was accidentally removed, and her eventual discovery that mycotoxin illness (mold exposure) was a primary factor in her own fertility struggles. Ultimately, her journey...
2026-02-0337 minAllPaths PodcastKip’s Journey: Validating the "Endo Odyssey"In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Malcolm "Kip" McKenzie, a retired OBGYN with 35 years of experience with 20 years of focus on treatment of endometriosis, particularly complex surgical management. We discuss the complex and often misunderstood reality of living with endometriosis, which can impact many people’s ability to conceive. Reflecting on the misconceptions surrounding the condition, Kip acknowledges his own past errors in understanding and treatment, highlighting the need for better education and advocacy.The conversation touches on the relationship between endometriosis and fertility, discussing how outdated views can hinder proper diagnosis and treatment. Kip em...
2026-01-2758 minAllPaths PodcastNancy’s Journey: From an MRKH Diagnosis to “Two Miracles”In this episode, we talk with Nancy Weatherby, the Intended Parent Outreach Manager at Circle Surrogacy, about her personal and professional experience with family building through surrogacy. Nancy shares her story of being diagnosed at age 17 with MRKH syndrome, a rare birth defect that typically means a person is born with ovaries but without a uterus. She details the medical complexities of this condition, which for her included having only one kidney and facing significant hurdles during IVF. Despite these challenges, Nancy was encouraged by a forward-thinking doctor who "planted the seed" of hope by predicting that future advancements...
2026-01-2038 minAllPaths PodcastEmma’s Journey: Changing Perspectives, Changing PolicyThis episode features Emma Berens, the Federal Government Affairs Manager for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) who brings a unique perspective to her work as an IVF baby herself. Growing up in Massachusetts, Emma and her sister were born through IVF after their mother, Patrice, navigated unexplained infertility with the help of the state’s historic insurance coverage mandate. Emma shares how her family's open and positive framing of her "petri dish" origins instilled a deep appreciation for medical science and innovation from a young age, leading her to a career dedicated to protecting reproductive healthcare....
2026-01-1349 minAllPaths PodcastRep. Bartley’s Journey: Supporting the ‘Family That Is Vermont’In this first episode of 2026, we talk with Vermont State Representative Ashley Bartley, 2025 AllPaths Advocacy Award winner, about her intertwined journey of family building and political service. Ashley, a fourth-generation Vermonter, recounts her personal experience with pregnancy loss and how the desire to grow her family eventually led her to seek public office, in fact making the decision to run for office while she was in labor. Now a champion for legislative reforms aimed at improving the lives of growing Vermont families, Ashley emphasizes how housing, workforce retention, and healthcare are interconnected issues that affect the state’s ability to...
2026-01-0645 minAllPaths PodcastYOUR Advocacy Journey: Demystifying the Process and Finding the Power in Your StoryThis episode serves as a comprehensive guide to demystifying the advocacy process for those who want to support family-building issues, but are nervous or don’t know where to start. Hosts Kate and Emily share their own early anxieties about testifying and understanding policy to reassure listeners that even seasoned advocates started with the same fears. They emphasize that you do not need to be a policy expert or a professional lobbyist to be effective; in fact, your personal story is your "most powerful currency" because it provides a human frame of reference that can change a legislator's mind mo...
2025-12-3037 minAllPaths PodcastMaya & Jen’s Journeys: From ‘One More Shot’ to Empowering OthersIn this episode of the AllPaths podcast, hosts Kate and Emily sit down with Maya and Jen, the founders of EM•POWER with Moxi, to explore their experiences with embryo donation. Maya, a psychotherapist and creator of the documentary One More Shot, shares her four-and-a-half-year struggle with infertility that, after multiple unsuccessful rounds of IVF and egg donation, culminated with the birth of her daughter conceived via embryo donation. Jen offers the perspective of a donor, recounting her experience as a former IVF patient with a complete family and single remaining embryo that she chose to donate to a re...
2025-12-2356 minAllPaths PodcastKaralyn’s Journey: YOU know when your family is complete.This episode features Karalyn Connolly, a longtime New Englander, parent of three, and professional in the fertility space. Over the course of the conversation, Karalyn recounts the unexpected challenge of facing unexplained secondary infertility after her first pregnancy was achieved easily. She describes the process as scary and isolating, leading to feelings of self-blame, immense pressure, and guilt. After initial conversations with her OBGYN and waiting the mandated 12 months of trying (as she was under 35), Karalyn moved through medicated cycles, timed intercourse, and eventually four unsuccessful IUI cycles. The lack of spousal agreement on continuing treatment added an additional...
2025-12-1637 minAllPaths PodcastDr. Crawford’s Journey: "I'm a Physician, But I'm a Person First"In this episode, we welcome Dr. Natalie Crawford, a board-certified OB/GYN and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) specialist who practices in Austin, Texas, and who many will recognize as being one of the most well-known fertility doctors on social media. She has been active on social media for over a decade, hosting the As a Woman podcast and maintaining a YouTube channel, alongside her debut book, The Fertility Formula, scheduled for spring 2026. Her efforts are driven by a passion to provide fundamental knowledge to patients who she felt were seeing her too late and lacked basic understanding of...
2025-12-0950 minAllPaths PodcastCarrie’s Journey: Polypectomy, Peer Support, and Paying for IVFIn this episode we welcome Carrie Van Steen, a parent through IVF and professional in the fertility field. Carrie details her personal family building journey, which began more than two decades ago and was not the straightforward path she had always envisioned. After initial testing failed to find issues, Carrie’s gut instinct prompted her to push for more comprehensive testing, revealing that she and her husband had a less than 5% chance of achieving pregnancy even with IUI, meaning IVF was their only option. Following an unsuccessful first IVF cycle which depleted their savings, she experienced a devastating chemical pr...
2025-12-0244 minAllPaths PodcastDr. Durant’s Journey: "I became my own case study"In this episode, we speak with Dr. Fallon Durant, a Laboratory Supervisor in the embryology lab at Boston IVF. Dr. Durant shares the seven-year journey that she and her husband endured while trying to grow their family, a path marked by recurrent pregnancy losses. As a scientist with a PhD and a subspecialty in Molecular Cell Biology and Development, she found herself becoming her own case study as she searched for answers regarding her unexplained recurrent loss, which she theorized was linked to her rare autoimmune diseases. Through it all, she turned to creative outlets like teaching yoga and...
2025-11-2551 minAllPaths PodcastRachel’s Journey: Knitting Him Into ExistenceThis episode features a conversation with Rachel Wilson, a therapist, yoga and meditation instructor, coach, and most recently, a postpartum doula and intended parent support coach. Rachel shares the difficult journey she and her husband undertook to welcome their son, Remiel, the "archangel of hope." After struggling with disappointment for a year, and facing financial limitations that closed the door on IUI/IVF, the couple chose international surrogacy in the country of Georgia in their early 40s.Rachel recounts the myriad of emotional and logistical roadblocks they faced, difficulties finding an egg donor, navigating bureaucracy and cultural...
2025-11-1843 minAllPaths PodcastKristin’s Journey: Becoming the IVF “Fairy God-Sister”In this episode we welcome Kristin Dillensnyder to discuss her family building journey and her subsequent work in the fertility space. Kristin, a former military spouse now living in South Carolina, navigated the complicated, messy, and lonely process of IVF and infertility while living in a new city (Montgomery, Alabama) where social supports were scarce. She pursued several IUIs without success before moving on to three rounds of IVF, which ultimately resulted in the birth of her daughter, but also included experiencing a miscarriage. A significant challenge during her experience was having to pay 100% out of pocket for care...
2025-11-1151 minAllPaths PodcastKerri’s Journey: The gap between what's offered and what we needThis episode features Kerri Bicskei, an active duty military spouse, psychotherapist, and founder of the nonprofit organization Mindful Warrior Alliance. Kerri shares her ongoing family building journey, taking both holistic and Western medical approaches before being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, later complicated by endometriosis. Kerri and her husband ultimately decided to travel out of state for IVF, since as an active duty military family, lack of insurance coverage for treatment made cost a major barrier, fertility support at their local military installation had a several year waitlist, and they wanted to be closer to family for support during treatment.
2025-11-0440 minAllPaths PodcastElizabeth & Maria’s Journeys: The Art of HealingIn our latest episode, we welcome Maria and Elizabeth, the co-founders and co-directors of The ART of Infertility, to share their personal experiences with infertility and their collaborative advocacy work. Though their individual family building journeys took different paths, both Elizabeth and Maria emphasize the importance of the supportive communities they found as they navigated infertility diagnoses and their subsequent experiences with fertility treatment, loss, adoption, and step-parenting. They both also found that creative outlets like visual art and writing were immensely helpful for processing their journeys. Together Maria and Elizabeth founded The ART of Infertility, a...
2025-10-2856 minAllPaths PodcastBecca's Journey: "Leave all your assumptions at the door."In this episode, we speak with Becca Levin Nayak, an attorney specializing in adoption and assisted reproduction in Pennsylvania. Becca shares her own family building journey, begun with her ex-wife, where the couple navigated donor conception. The process of choosing a sperm donor was overwhelming, which Becca likened to selecting a partner on a dating app. Despite the challenges, Becca's first attempt at IUI resulted in a successful pregnancy, leading to the birth of her son. However, her path was not without heartbreak, as she faced miscarriages and the dissolution of her marriage, which prompted her to consider single...
2025-10-2147 minAllPaths PodcastCourtney’s Journey: Liberating Yourself from Uterine ShameOn this episode, we welcome Courtney, a current PhD student at the Fletcher School of Tufts whose research focuses on the intersections of conflict, reproductive health, and humanitarian programming, to talk about her ongoing reproductive health journey. Her long medical path, which began with life-threatening blood clots (DVT and pulmonary embolism) at age 17, leading to a diagnosis of Factor 2 and Factor 5 clotting disorders and resulting in significant medical trauma. She was later diagnosed with endometriosis at 23, after struggling with symptoms for three or four years. Courtney discusses the difficulties of being gaslit and dismissed by medical providers regarding both...
2025-10-1444 minAllPaths PodcastMarea's Journey: Redefining Family Through Relationships, Commitment, and ConnectionToday’s episode features Marea Goodman, a licensed midwife, parent, co-author of the book Baby Making for Everybody, and founder of PregnantTogether, a virtual community supporting queer and solo parents from preconception through parenting. Marea’s family grew through a non-traditional and "growthful" journey that involved co-parenting, a romantic relationship developing unexpectedly, the use of a known donor, having a child of their own (after a chemical pregnancy and then successful IUI), and eventually navigating a separation. They described the fertility process, alongside their experiences of pregnancy, birth, and separation, as deeply "humbling" and realized that if the process was...
2025-10-0740 minAllPaths PodcastElizabeth’s Journey: From Number One to a Voice for ManyThis week we’re celebrating the 50th episode of the AllPaths Podcast. For this milestone, we welcome special guest, friend, colleague, and AllPaths board member, Elizabeth Carr. Known worldwide as the first IVF baby born in the United States, Elizabeth shares the incredibly pioneering journey of her parents, Judy and Roger. Massachusetts residents who had to travel back and forth to Norfolk, Virginia because IVF was illegal in their home state at the time, they turned to IVF after medical complications from a ruptured appendix and three life-threatening ectopic pregnancies ultimately led to the removal of both fallopian tubes....
2025-09-3059 minAllPaths PodcastColleen’s Journey: “Where are the casseroles?”This episode features longtime member of the AllPaths community Colleen, who shares her journey through the emotional devastation of recurrent pregnancy loss and IVF. After five losses and two unsuccessful IVF cycles, Colleen and her husband decided to take a much-needed break, but in a shocking turn of events, discovered she was pregnant the day after the sudden death of her father. Despite her history of loss and initial expectation that it would end badly, the pregnancy defied the odds, with HCG numbers doubling quickly, leading to the confirmation of a viable pregnancy. Their son, Liam John (named after...
2025-09-231h 01AllPaths PodcastMaggie’s Journey: Hope in French Fries and Leap DaysOn this episode of the AllPaths podcast, we welcome Maggie Stryker, a former AllPaths group attendee and current volunteer to share her journey. Maggie and her partner began trying for a family in 2022, navigating a history of endometriosis while simultaneously undergoing multiple foot surgeries and recoveries. After eight or nine months of unsuccessful attempts, and facing physical and emotional pain, they pursued fertility testing, which ultimately led to the frustrating diagnosis of "unexplained infertility". This "worst diagnosis" meant discovering treatment effectiveness through trial and error, a process Maggie likened to being a "test bunny."Maggie's path included...
2025-09-1640 minAllPaths PodcastKristen’s Journey: “Out of the bedroom, out of my body, out of control”In this episode, we are joined by Kristen Darcy, a long-time professional in the fertility industry, shares her personal family-building journey, which she describes as "months tricked into years" before she transitioned "out of the bedroom into...surgery and procedures." She recounts questionable diagnoses and fertility treatment, experiencing an ectopic pregnancy requiring emergency surgery, a challenging physical and emotional recovery, and eventually the births of her son and daughter. Kristen emphasizes the "invisible" nature of infertility, where individuals may appear "normal" outwardly but struggle immensely internally.Kristen's experiences deeply impacted her professional path, transitioning her from a...
2025-09-0939 minAllPaths PodcastMirna’s Journey: From Struggle to Inspiring HopeIn this episode, we talk with Mirna Nova, founder of Fertility Inspired, about her 12-year-long journey to parenthood. Mirna opens up about her early diagnosis of PCOS, which she knew would make conceiving challenging, the physical toll of undergoing various treatments including Clomid, IUI, and multiple rounds of IVF, and the profound emotional impact of her journey. After over a decade Myrna's story took a hopeful turn when she decided to follow her gut and seek a new fertility specialist, resulting in the birth of her "little miracle," a daughter born at 26 weeks.Despite the unwavering support...
2025-09-0242 minAllPaths PodcastOlivia’s Journey: Finding Answers, Playing It ForwardThis episode of the AllPaths podcast features Olivia King, a Rhode Island-based singer-songwriter who, through sharing her fertility struggles on social media, has found purpose in helping others feel less alone as they navigate their own journeys. Olivia and her husband married with the immediate intention of starting a family. However, after trying unsuccessfully on their own and an unexplained infertility “diagnosis” despite normal or even "better than average" test results, they embarked on a difficult journey through three unsuccessful IUI cycles and multiple IVF attempts. Olivia recounts the devastating setbacks, including a first IVF cycle where only...
2025-08-2658 min
Cycles and SeasonsEpisode 24: Herbal Supplements and your FertilityIn this episode Jennifer talks with Liane Moccia, the author of The Herbal Fertility Handbook: Holistic Strategies to Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant, releasing in September, 2025. Liane is a registered herbalist specializing in fertility and preconception planning. She is the author of The Herbal Fertility Handbook: Holistic Strategies to Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant, releasing in September, 2025. In her clinical practice, Liane helps people prepare for pregnancy and optimize their fertility with herbs, nutrition, lifestyle changes and a clear plan. A former healthcare marketing professional, Liane shifted careers after her own experience with in...
2025-08-2047 minAllPaths PodcastTrystan’s Journey: A trans uterus is NOT an uninhabitable environmentIn this episode of the AllPaths Podcast, we speak with Trystan Reese, a father of three, advocate, educator, and an "all-around nerd" when it comes to transgender fertility and family building. Trystan shares his personal and professional journey, starting with his experience growing up in a conservative town as a transgender man without the language to understand his identity, leading him to initially believe "there was something wrong" with him. He recounts how, after transitioning and taking testosterone, he chose to keep his reproductive organs, allowing him to ultimately build his family through both adoption and biology....
2025-08-1951 minAllPaths PodcastAlexis’ Journey: Reframing the Concept of FamilyThis episode of the AllPaths podcast features a conversation with Alexis Eyler, the Executive Director of On Your Feet Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting birth parents post-placement. On Your Feet Foundation, founded in 2001, addresses the historical lack of post-placement services for birth parents, recognizing that open adoption, considered best practice since the 90s, highlighted a significant unmet need. The organization started with small "gap grants" and peer-led retreats, but now provides a comprehensive suite of services, including support groups, drop-in calls, a mentorship program, holiday assistance for children parented and placed, and enhanced mental health support for...
2025-08-1245 minAllPaths PodcastHeather's Journey: "It's not because you ate the cheese."This episode of the podcast features Heather Smidt, owner of Wander Well Acupuncture in Lexington, MA and longtime AllPaths community member. Heather shares her family building journey, which included a late diagnosis of endometriosis, multiple losses, and the joy of her "rainbow baby" son, conceived during acupuncture school. She candidly shares the struggles of self-advocacy and feeling unheard by medical providers, contrasting her first, lonely journey with her secondary infertility experience, which was supported by the AllPaths community. Heather’s personal journey intertwines with her professional one, when her own experiences with decreased period pain after acupuncture led...
2025-08-0542 min