The Fertility Warriors (Robyn Birkin)

This is the third in a series of five lessons in the Infertility Stress Series, this episode will focus on clearing the chaos between your ears. Tune in to find out more! If you missed #2 go back and listen here: https://robynbirkin.com/infertility-stress-series-2/ Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

On today's episode we're talking about 7 Myths Holding You Back From Falling Pregnant. A lot of this comes back to mindset and the opinions and beliefs we have that are keeping us stuck or stopping us from keeping an open mind to allow ourselves to progress forward. For some of you, this might be a bit confronting, but I hope you listen with an open mind and I really hope for some of you, you experience the a-ha moment you've been searching for. Visit the full show notes here Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Wowsers - I posted about walking away from fertility treatments on my Instagram stories just the other day and IT BLEW UP. I woke up in the morning and switched my phone off airplane mode and it just pinged with all the direct messages I received from fertility warriors who felt heard, who felt like I was reading their inner thoughts and who were so relieved that somebody had FINALLY talked about this. Do you feel like everyone out there is just constantly spruiking that you need to keep going on your journey until you have a baby, Hell or High water? Heck. No. But how do you know when it's time to walk away from fertility treatments? On today's podcast I talk about what the other side might look like for you, and how to determine when it might be time to walk away, and when it might just be time to seek some more help on your journey or try another path. The answer always lies in fear. Walking away from fertility treatments is like the ultimate FOMO. And it can fill you up with regret if you allow it to, or if you are full of a lack of self confidence. But, you can actually choose to feel really empowered by this choice, confident that you gave it a good shot, and confident that you have now (confidently) chosen to walk another path because your priorities have changed. Your life Your decisions Your feelings Your finances Your prerogative Your happiness Your energy Your power And the big point I want to make, is that it's ok to change your mind. It's not giving up. It's just changing and shifting our priorities. And that's ok. You aren't a failure because you decide that you wish to change paths and the only person committing you to a particular path is you. AND... by that same token, you can decide to change your mind AGAIN if you wish too. Tune into today's episode and then if it resonated with you, please reach out to me in the DM's to let me know. Your messages on Instagram give me life and I love hearing your feedback on the show.

Today on the podcast we're talking about how to honor your miscarried baby. If you haven't checked out my episode on loss and recurrent loss yet with Molly, please make sure you do that as it was awesome. But also, please check out my podcast on surviving miscarriage. I've had such positive feedback about it. I remember my miscarriage like it was yesterday. It was truly the moment that broke me (but also the moment that made me - sometimes you need the breakdown to have the breakthrough). And it can be so hard when we're so emotionally invested in this and our baby is SO wanted, and especially serve as a kick in the teeth if we've had fertility struggles. Before we start, the first thing I want to let you know is that you do you, boo. There is no set way to grieve, or feel following a loss. There is no magic 'time along' that you should be in order to feel a particular way. There is no set timeline for grieving. So despite how people tell you to feel. Despite all the comments people may make dismissing your feelings Despite how your friend who experienced a loss felt However you are feeling is valid and ok, but know that many people won't say the right thing. 6 Ways to honor your miscarried baby Name them Sometimes when we name our baby, it gives meaning and significance to their lives. It helps us recognise who they were and honors them as one of our own. Regardless of whether they experienced life Earthside or not, they were yours and they were loved. Plant a tree in their honor There's a funny thing about grief - and that's that it comes in waves. For such a long time you might be ok, but then you might reach a place when your walls come crumbling down, and you might want a moment to get some fresh air, to see something growing (and honor that timeline) and to just be with them. Get a crystal This was a particularly powerful thing that I did when I had my loss. I got a crystal (rose quartz) and I use this technique for lots of situations in my life, but a crystal can sit in my bra or my pocket - it's discrete, but it also sits with me for as long as I need it and when I feel like I want to remember or send love their way, I can clutch onto it. Set an anniversary and do something special each year Whether it's leaving a light on in the porch, lighting a candle for the day, or going out for a nice dinner, there can be something lovely about a yearly ritual. You don't have to make it known either, you can keep it to yourself, but I firmly believe that our love is endless. And this can be a lovely way to honor your baby and show them that you love and care for them. Conduct a full moon ritual So full moon rituals are typically for letting go. You can see my podcast on how to do a full moon ritual, and you can vary this in any way you want (seriously - there is no 100% right or wrong way if you ask me), but you might be thinking right now that you don't want to let go of your baby. I hear you! But your baby would want you to let go of: Holding onto them so tightly that you can't experience happiness ever again Any guilt you have around their loss - it was not your fault. Wondering what you could have done differently And you can during the full moon (or wait until the new moon) to invite in grace, abundant love, their beautiful spirit and strength and happiness. I also want to let you know right now that you can have different parts to you that exist at the same time. You can have different emotions at the same time. So it is possible to exper...

I turned 39 in January! Truth be told I'm actually REALLY excited about entering this chapter in my life. I can honestly say I've learnt SO much more in my 30s than at many other times in my life - my infertility journey triggered this uncomfortable growth in me, that I can now also look back on with gratitude for the lessons it provided to me. Tune into this week's podcast where I share my biggest lessons over the last 39 years although below are the cliff notes. Enjoy! And reach out to me on Instagram to let me know what you think. •How you speak to yourself, is one of the important things you can control •Stop looking at what you want to achieve or do, and start thinking about how you want to feel •Most of the time, in the present moment, things are fine, safe and boring •You only live once •There is never a wrong decision •Stop caring so much about what your parents want and start thinking about what YOU want •Deep down inside, YOU know the answer •Money is a renewable resource, time is not •Never discount the lessons in the journey •The worst-case rarely ever happens. Neither does the best case. It's usually somewhere in the middle •Everyone deserves respect •Often, what triggers you (or what triggers someone else) is more about you and less about them •Perfection is a unicorn •Balance is BS •Do the scary things •Most things are change-your-mindable •Most things are figureoutable if you commit to navigating solutions •>> But you get to choose whether you want to take the shortcut •The 5 minute rule >> ask yourself - what do I need right now •Get a cleaner •You can control more things than you think •Everyone suffers •Expect obstacles •Being hopeful feels better than trying not to get your hopes up •Crying feels good •A hot (or cold) shower or a walk outside fixes most things •Get your mind right FIRST •Women do not exist on a 24-hour cycle •Sometimes the rest is the work •Sometimes it's not giving up, it's changing priorities •Life has seasons •Guilt is a motherf*cker •Sometimes things take time - it's not about quitting or giving up or that it's not working, it's that you're still on the path to getting it there •Sometimes friendships hibernate •Your mood is a mirror •You should always make your bed •You don't need to believe everything your brain tells you •Meaningful human connection is a life force •Your future could look NOTHING like you had ever planned and be a THOUSAND times better than you could have ever imagined

I pondered what I should talk to you about in our first episode back after the break (I have SO much to share) but I landed on sharing with you a behind the scenes Facebook Live I did for the members of my the Reset (my membership program) because I know that the advice in there will be so helpful to everyone. In the audio of this video, I share 8 tips for coping emotionally with the pandemic and what you can do in this time to support yourself. In it, I mention resources that are only available for members - and we'd love to invite you to become a member with us too. You can join the Reset here: robynbirkin.com/mindbodyfertilityreset

Russell and I have only just got to know each other this year when I discovered him and was thrilled when he joined us as part of the expert panel at the Feel Better Weekend and for anyone out there who wants to know more about infertility and a male's perspective and how this journey can (and does) affect our partners, THIS is an episode for you. Russell shared very openly and honestly what it felt like for him before he and his wife were trying to conceive (believing that they may never conceive), to discovering that there was hope, only to then feel crushed once again when they discovered that they had male factor infertility - and what that felt like for him, as well as how he then started healing his mental health and changing his entire outlook/priority from project baby to project Russell. There are powerful lessons in this podcast for anyone who is trying to conceive, regardless of what your journey is looking like right now but particularly if you've found yourself navigating male factor infertility. Enjoy! About Russell: Russell Davis, Fertility Coach and Cognitive Hypnotherapist, author and speaker, believes too many couples go through fertility treatment unnecessarily and that the success rate of treatment is unnecessarily low because the mind and emotions are not factored in. This is born out of his and his wife's personal 10-year fertility journey and which led to his work helping hundreds of couples all over the world create their family. Here's where you can find Russell: Website: https://thefertilemind.net/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/fertilemind Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt440RCZC6P0NeKT7z6VztA Podcast: https://thefertilemind.podbean.com/

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to life after infertility. I will be talking about my kids and my experience with breastfeeding. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome to my Life After Infertility Series. I wanted to drop in with a few episodes over the next few months that talk you through the next steps of life after infertility. Visit the full show notes here Join my first FREE workshop for 2020 Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

If you've listened to The Fertility Warriors Podcast for a while, or even read my book on Amazon, Screw Infertility, you'll know that affirmations and mantras not just for fertility, but for general self confidence and handling life's things, were a big part of my journey and just one of the tools I used in my arsenal to help invite my baby into my life, generally cope with the stress of trying to conceive, and help activate my parasympathetic nervous system to take myself out of fight or flight mode. I didn't just use this when I was trying to conceive with my first baby. I also used this when I was pregnant, and even now in every day life. In short, affirmations and mantras are a BIG part of my life, and a big part of my quest to fall pregnant. In today's Podcast I'm diving in a little deeper into how you can use affirmations, as well as some specific times that I used affirmations.

There was a very brief moment in time when I joined the app TikTok and published some videos (which I thought were hilarious but you might not have haha), mostly around the topic of what people do and don't say that can be harmful for folks like us with infertility. I published a video that talked about some of the things that people say and asked people for some more BS comments they've heard in the comments. To my surprise, one person wrote when people say it is still possible to live a happy and fulfilled life whilst you're trying to conceive and when you have infertility. At first I was taken aback. YOU GUYS - that's literally EVERYTHING I teach. But then.... I remembered what it was like in those early days of trying to conceive unsuccessfully, and if someone had told me happiness was possible, I'd have damn near throat punched them. Infertility felt like the worst thing anyone could possibly ever go through. It felt like month after month my heart was being ripped from my chest and the words failure were printed across my forehead. It felt like everyone around me was falling pregnant that that it was just IMPOSSIBLE to ever feel happiness for them, without also feeling extreme guilt, jealousy and sadness for myself. It felt like month after month I was a terrible specimen of a wife and of a woman. Happiness felt SO far away for me. And to be honest, it also felt like suffering was part and parcel of infertility. So if some life coach or therapist or mind body practitioner told me that I could have a great life whilst I was going through infertility, it would have sounded like BS to me too. But here's the thing. It only got worse for me. Like rock bottom, complete hot mess, unable to concentrate at work, cried all the time at home mess. But it took that for me to realise that in fact, actually, NOBODY deserved to suffer like this and that maybe, just maybe it might be possible to feel otherwise. The months after that were all about learning and connecting and changing my perspective, and looking after my emotional health and resilience. The person who emerged was completely different. If I magically fell pregnant the next month but told you that it WAS possible you'd never believe me (and neither would I!) BUT, the thing is, I had yet another failed IVF cycle! But for the first time, I DID feel both happy AND content (obviously not happy that my cycle had failed, but generally happy with life). Tune into this episode to listen to the full story and the moment I knew everything was different, but if you're struggling right now and just hear all of these people telling you that it is possible to feel different, I want to let you know that I completely understand how you feel... but that I've been on the other side and I know it's possible. You just have to take the first step.

Welcome to today's podcast where I want to talk about a topic that I am sure many of us have wondered at some point: is the universe sending me a sign to quit trying to conceive? Do you often question whether or not you could continue or what you life would look like without children or even consider adopting? I did! And I also see comments regularly that ask how people know when it's time to give up trying to conceive. Here are my thoughts and some stories of times on my journey when I felt like it might be time to give up. Visit the full show notes here Sign up to the My Missing Piece Membership now to take advantage of the foundation member rate Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

This podcast is inspired by the MANY MANY people reach out to me on my Instagram Stories each week who are in this exact position. So every Monday/Tuesday I release a Q+A sticker on my Instagram asking for what you need help with, and I have this question multiple times each week, phrased in many ways. The question is basically: it is looking like I'll need donor [insert thing here - egg, sperm, embryo] and I just need to get my head around the concept that this is my reality to help me move forward. So today on the podcast I'm talking about how to come to terms with needing a donor on your fertility journey - and primarily the mindset shifts that you might need to get you to a place of feeling like you can even just consider whether donor conception is the right next step for your family. Tune in and let me know what you think... and do make sure you're following me on Instagram if you'd like to hear more from others who have questions (and what my answers are) or if you too have a question you'd like to submit. You can find me on Instagram at @robynbirkin

Today on the podcast it's my pleasure to welcome Devon Baeza. Devon has the trifecta here to help us! She's a fellow Fertility Warrior herself, she has a degree in finance AND she is also a master life coach. Devon says now is the best possible time to make positive changes in your life, while you're working on your future family, because the work you do now can serve you forever. Visit the full show notes here Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Have you ever thought that because you've been through infertility, you can handle anything? Ya, me too. And many of my clients and followers. And the honest truth is that I can, and I did. And so did they. But infertility can still hit you like a slap in the face, and infertility doesn't guarantee that you'll coast through motherhood. In fact, motherhood hit me like a slap in the face and was really, truly, hard in many moments. I consistently think thank goodness I worked on strategies and rituals to calm my nervous system and generally help me cope with hard sh*t... instead of trying to muddle and power through TTC waiting and willing myself to get pregnant, because I don't think I'd have coped half as well with some of the pregnancy, birth and motherhood hiccups and hard times I've dealt with. This episode is a MUST listen for anyone who is on the TTC rollercoaster, but also especially for my fertility warriors who have now found themselves expecting or on the other side with a baby that has come earthside. Jump onto my website too if you'd like more episodes on life after infertility - my pregnancy with Chloe, parenting snippets, baby sleep and generally all the things post TTC here: robynbirkin.com/pregnancy Want more? •Check out my 5 day Mini Mindset Program, Warrior Rising (it's just $27!) •Jump on the waitlist for The Fertility Warrior Intensive (My 12 week holistic mind body program) •Follow me on Instagram If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

Today's podcast is inspired by our monthly Q+A in the Fertility Warrior Family (our Facebook Group for members of the Fertility Warrior Intensive - my 12 week mind body fertility program). We were talking about getting a second opinion and advocating for yourself. It came up that some peeps were worried that their specialist would be offended if they said they wanted to seek a second opinion. Y'all, the stakes are high and you're spending a lot of money! If there's even an inkling that you're not super confident with the direction you're taking on your journey to get pregnant, then I highly suggest asking more questions or taking steps to get a second opinion. So, that's inspired our conversation today with 10 things you're allowed to say to your medical team. (spoiler alert: one of them is "I'd like to get a second opinion") Dive into my Instagram profile here, if you'd like to save or share these 10 things as I'll be sharing a post with them listed out. You can find me on Instagram here. You might also want to check out: •5 tips for IVF Newbies •Infertility and IVF: What I would have done differently •IVF Tips: what I wish I knew before starting invitro •How to choose a Fertility Clinic (and Specialist) •Is IUI a Waste of Time? (With Sasha Hakman MD) •What to expect at your first fertility clinic appointment •Is your fertility clinic making these 5 mistakes? •[Printable] 11 Questions to Ask your Fertility Specialist Want more? •Watch my free video workshop, Conquer Stress, Fuel Fertility here. •Check out my 5 day Mini Mindset Program, Warrior Rising (it's just $27!) •Learn more about The Fertility Warrior Intensive (My 12 week holistic mind body program) •Follow me on Instagram If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

Have you ever heard the term, crabs in a bucket? Well, it's not the most pleasant term but... it serves a purpose. You see, when you put crabs in a bucket and one tries to get out - all of the other crabs pull them back in. And I feel that sometimes this can be applied to us on our journey with infertility. We aren't coping. Our partner isn't coping. And together, we become crabs in a bucket. And sometimes, we (or they) martyr ourselves in pursuit of trying to help lift the other one out. But it's a dud strategy - there's a better way to help your partner through infertility, and it starts with you. The philosophy I use in this podcast episode is one that has served me so well over the years and has been a driving force behind big and scary decisions - this philosophy has been empowering, and a huge driver in helping me strive towards living my best and healthiest life. Check it out and let me know what you think. Links and Resources •How infertility might be affecting your husband •When you don't see eye to eye with your husband •How to support your husband through infertility Want more? •Jump on the waitlist for The Fertility Warrior Intensive (My 12 week holistic mind body program) •Follow me on Instagram If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

Let's be honest, it's SO hard when your husband wants to quit trying to have a baby but you still want to keep trying to fall pregnant, or when you and your husband generally don't see eye to eye on particular situations. Today, I'm breaking down how you can both work together to come to (hopefully) a resolution. Spoiler alert: it will always involve some compromise on someone's part but in today's episode, you'll learn how you might be able to uncover what is really going on, how to get your husband on board, and also even whether certain decisions in your life are actually decisions that he might want (or aren't appropriate for him) to be involved in. You may also be interested in these articles and podcast episodes Is the universe telling you to quit trying to conceive: https://robynbirkin.com/is-the-universe-telling-you-to-quit-ttc/ How do you know when to quit trying to conceive: https://robynbirkin.com/give-up-trying-for-baby/ How to support your husband through infertility: https://robynbirkin.com/how-to-support-your-husband-through-infertility/

It occurred to me the other day that I've never really shared this? If I had my time with infertility and IVF again-what would I have done differently? Visit the full show notes here Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

One of the biggest misconceptions that I work through with clients is that as soon as you get pregnant, the anxiety melts away - and I feel really passionate about not promoting that myth…. Because I’ve seen too many times that it keeps us stuck in not seeking help. Instead… what it does… is stop us from developing true emotional coping skills that will support us through pregnancy, birth and beyond.

On today’s podcast I talk about:

• What getting pregnant looks like and what to expect
• How getting help might change once you’re pregnant and what that looks like
• How to take charge of your pregnancy now.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (sometimes known as PCOS) is one of the most common causes of infertility. The internet is literally littered with information out there, but there's still a lot to understand about it and women searching for answers about PCOS are common in our Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Group. I wanted to put together a monster podcast on all things PCOS and what you can do to improve your cycles and fertility if you have PCOS. Visit the full show notes here Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

I haven't had a period in more than four years now. When I was in my 20s that would have been the dream, and in fact, when I was in my 20s I used to use The Pill to skip 6 - 12 months of bleeds at a time, thinking it was great. And then.... Trying to conceive hit. I was the crazy type A person who started tracking my ovulation a few months BEFORE I started TTC and used primarily my Basal Body Temperature thermometer. For anyone out there who is using their BBT for tracking, here's a few things you might want to know: •I have a free chart within my library that you can print and download •You're supposed to do it as soon as you wake up, without moving and getting up at all, and leave it there for about 10 minutes •I almost NEVER got that lovely rise and fall - it never looked beautiful like that, even though once I started at a fertility clinic I had confirmation that I basically have a dead-on 27-day cycle with ovulation at day 13 (as I had suspected) •BBT rise happens AFTER ovulation, so don't use this to check WHEN you should have sex - this can only be of assistance for future cycles and only also if you have a regular cycle •Checking your cervical mucus (provided you drink enough water regularly) can actually be an incredible mechanism (which can tell you when you're ovulating), especially when combined with BBT tracking It's also really important to have an understanding of exactly what you're monitoring and why, and what your hormones are doing throughout the month - I also have a free infertility101 book within my library (along with a bunch of other stuff) so make sure you check that out too. And my thoughts on my period really morphed once I started trying to conceive. Firstly, I realised the power of our cycle (which isn't just our period - it's that whole period of ups and downs, feeling extroverted and introverted - the natural flow of being a woman), but also longing to have that period, because each month it was a chance to create our family. And then.... Plot twist. During childbirth to have our second ICSI miracle bubba, my uterus completely lost the plot. Its a long story but I had a hysterectomy. And while it's great that I can now wear white pants 365 days of the year (wink wink), I no longer get a period. But... I do ovulate because I still have my ovaries (seriously - see my free ebook in the library if you want to understand it all). And so you may think I don't care about when I ovulate. But as I grow more in tune with my body, I have begun to notice distinct 'seasons'. Over the month there are times when I feel so energised and confident. I'm on fire at work and everything is great. And then, there are times when I feel so introverted. I don't want to go out. I feel less confident and slightly more anxious. And I feel this is my cycle. But I don't know. I was also speaking with my friend, Devon (who has also had a hysterectomy) and she said the same thing. When you don't get a period, it can be quite disempowering because you don't have that intimate knowledge of what is happening in your body. And so, I've wanted to track my ovulation again. And since I don't get a period, it hasn't been as easy as just tracking on a calendar. I need something more concrete than that, and in my life these days, I've just become a convenience freak. I am just not available for things that a...

Today on the podcast, I talked to Blair Nelson from Fab Fertility and there were so many valuable pieces of wisdom in this podcast that I struggled with a title, but this week I'm thrilled to welcome Blair Nelson from Fab Fertility, one of the dear friends I've met through the Instagram Infertility community to The Fertility Warriors Podcast. I've had the pleasure of appearing on Blair's podcast and now it's my turn to host her and her truly inspiring story. I encourage anyone on the fertility rollercoaster to tune into Blair's powerful story of: •Not settling for the same old •Getting a second opinion •Knowing your body •What you need to know about AMH test results •PGS Testing and translocations •How to emotionally cope with infertility •The biggest game changers on Blair's journey

Today on the podcast it's my absolute pleasure to welcome fellow Aussie, Lucy Lines of Two Lines Fertility in Melbourne Australia (although ALL of the stuff we chatted about is totally relevant across the globe. Here are a few highlights from our chat together Choosing your clinic and Specialist - your fertility clinic is going to play a really important part in how your family grows over the coming months/years, so choosing where to go is a super important step - different people respond differently to different people - not everyone is for everyone (in fact, very Rarely is any one person for everyone!) - it's important to choose someone you like and someone you TRUST - think about the clinic FIRST and the individual specialist SECOND. The clinic is where the nurses, counsellors and importantly the LAB are. The nurses and counsellors are really important for your cycle management, but the lab has the greatest influence over your outcome. How the lab deal with the eggs and sperm and grow the embryos has the greatest impact on your outcome and small changes within the lab can make a big difference. The fertility specialist, nurses and counsellors are responsible for managing your treatment, interacting with you and ensuring that the raw materials that are delivered to the lab (the eggs and sperm) are the best they can be.. but the lab does the rest. - There are lots of things to think about when choosing a clinic: - location - reputation and results - clinic policies - choosing a specialist - gender - sub-speciality - other specialities - do they offer add-ons? - is this YOUR person? fertility specialists are human - they have good days and bad days, they have particular areas of specialisation, and they have personalities - find one that matches YOU

Today on the podcast it's my absolute pleasure to welcome one of my favourite people on Instagram, Dr Loree Johnson. Loree shares so much wisdom on Instagram as a Psychotherapist whose speciality is in women's mental and reproductive health. I think that having had her own fertility journey too makes her such an asset to the infertility community and she has such a calm and warm energy about her. Seriously she is one of my most favourite people. She is also a person of colour. 2020 has been a huge wake up call to me if I'm honest. One of my best friends is a person of colour, I experienced racism first hand when I lived in Japan, both my Fertility Specialist and OBGYN were people of colour and I have had the pleasure of getting to work with some of the most incredible young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I live in Australia. I don't post about US holidays, or insurance or any of those things because I live halfway across the country, and when George Floyd passed away and the world actually stopped to pay attention to what was happening, I couldn't help but be forced to re-examine myself, as messy and uncomfortable as it is. The truth is that I have not been doing enough, especially with the platform I have. And there have been five major lessons for me •The SAME issues are experienced here in Australia. Indigenous Australians are 7 times more likely to die in custody than Caucasians. •Just because you aren't actively racist, doesn't mean you're helping. I had never even considered how vanilla my podcast was - and not because I had actively tried to make it that way, but just because it is what I know. That needs to change. And I need to visibly ensure that people with different stories to mine are also heard. Because I know that many of my listeners are also people of colour, same sex couples and solo fertility warriors too. •Reproductive medicine has quite an awful history, and together with modern day discrimination and poverty, there is a great disparity in the statistics and care provided to women of colour •Trauma is complex. And so many women of colour experience multiple layers - infertility trauma with racial trauma •This is not over because the riots stop. It requires Some of the facts: •Women of colour have higher rates of infertility, yet some of the lowest treatment rates •Even in mandated states in the United States, they make up significantly lower proportions of IVF cycles •Women of colour have lower live birth rates (even after IVF), higher miscarriage rates, higher rates of preterm birth, maternal death and fetal death Click here to read more about these facts. It is SO hard when you visit a Doctor and don't feel like you are in a safe place, or that you are receiving the care you are so entitled to. It is heartbreaking when financial circumstances dictate whether or not you have the ability to create a family And of course, this touches many fertility warriors, regardless of race, but the fact of the matter is, it affects women of colour in the United States (and likely across the world) more frequently. And we need to talk about it. Loree sees this intersection of infertility trauma and racial trauma regularly and is also a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and serves on its Mental Health Professional's Anti-Racism Task Force. I'm so grateful that I was able to welcome Loree onto my podcast for a really honest discussion (even when I was sup...

Keto, Autoimmune Protocol, Vegan, even the Carnivore diet are all diets that in some capacity have been said to be magical fertility diets... but are they? Today on the podcast, it is my pleasure to welcome Stefanie Valakas from The Dietologist to talk about what happens when we restrict large food groups (especially vegetables) from our diets and what that might mean for our fertility, gut health and also our dietary requirements. We also talk about the role fibre plays in our diets, WHY sometimes we don't feel great on gluten and dairy (and why sometimes it feels crappy when we reintroduce those foods) and why sometimes we get worse before we get better, as well as the top supplement mistakes Stefanie sees in her practice. Join us for this jam packed podcast! About Stefanie Stefanie Valakas is an expert fertility dietitian & nutritionist and founder of The Dietologist. Stefanie and her virtual practice are dedicated to excellence in nutrition for reproductive health concerns, fertility & pregnancy. Her passion for nutrition in this space has truly grown from her experience helping her clients online from around the world and also through her own personal experiences of navigating a diagnosis of endometriosis. You can learn about how you can work with Stefanie and The Dietologist team below: Links: •Website: thedietologist.com.au •Instagram @the_dietologist and @endo.dietitian •Facebook Pages: The Dietologist and The Endometriosis Dietitian •Facebook Group: Fertility Friendly Food •Podcast: Fertility Friendly Food •Find Out More about Stefanie's Programs- The Waiting Game and Get Pregnant with Endo at: courses.thedietologist.com.au Want more? •Follow me @robynbirkin on Instagram for fertility tips, real talk and big time mindset help when it comes to trying to conceive •Get your copy of the Get Pregnant Pronto Pack •Discover the 3 biggest game changers I had on my journey to get pregnant If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

Infertility trauma is absolutely real and something we don't talk about enough. In today's episode, I spoke with the incredible Naomi Woolfson of Embrace Fertility all about this exact topic. Naomi and I have been friends for quite some time but one of the reasons I was so keen to get her onto the podcast was because as a trauma-trained infertility therapist, she is trained in a technique called EDMR - which we chatted about in depth. Some of the things we spoke about were: •What is trauma? •How can we recognise it? •What are the repercussions of trauma? •How can we heal from trauma? •The work we can do ourselves •The work we can do with a trauma-informed therapist. •What are the next steps you can take to investigate this area further? To access the free guided fertility visualisation to uncover and dissolve any emotional blocks to conception mentioned in this episode go to www.embracefertility.co.uk/future. Naomi Woolfson, of Embrace Fertility, is a therapist specialising in supporting women through trying to conceive, fertility treatments and then pregnancy and birth following infertility. She and her partner went through almost 4 years of infertility, IUI's, IVF, anxiety, surgery and a miscarriage before they went on to conceive both of their ginger children naturally! On her podcast, she offers emotional support and shares mind-body techniques to help you feel calm and confident and ultimately find yourself again while waiting for your baby. Search for Embrace Fertility on your favourite podcast player to listen. Visit www.embracefertility.co.uk for more details about Naomi's products and services and email Naomi to set up a free video call to answer any questions you have about working with her naomi@embracefertility.co.uk. Follow Naomi on Instagram @embracefertility (www.instagram.com/embracefertility) and Facebook. (www.facebook.com/embracefertility)

I thought we'd do something a little different today, I wanted to share with you a meditation from my program that you can use for free! Visit the full show notes here Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Bella Hilton from Studio Fertility joined me for today's podcast and shared with us all about her 10 year fertility journey, which is actually so much more than just a fertility journey. Bella has navigated relationship challenges, grieving the possibility of never having children, breast cancer and 4 heartbreaking miscarriages. This episode was SO long and I think you'll get so much from Bella's incredible story and strength of character, and how different her first fertility journey was from her second #relationshipgoals In this episode you'll hear about: The BIG difference in the way Bella navigated her first and second fertility journeys How Bella knew, despite going through such a hard time, that ultimately she would be ok Her 4 part 'worthy' plan (right at the end) Connect with Bella? Visit Bella's website here Follow Bella at @studiofertility on Instagram here Want more? •Watch my free video workshop, Conquer Stress, Fuel Fertility here. •Check out my 5 day Mini Mindset Program, Warrior Rising (it's just $27!) •Learn more about The Fertility Warrior Intensive (My 12 week holistic mind body program) •Follow me on Instagram If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

OMG, this episode of the podcast was SO MUCH FUN. Y'all know that Dr Sasha Hakman (formerly Sasha Mikhael) and I have a mutual love for one another and we wanted to do a super fun quick-fire interview with all of your burning infertility questions answered. Tune in to find out her answers to all of your infertility questions including: Why do specialists prescribe the pill? Are there any circumstances when you'd recommend a woman goes off the pill? Is there ever a circumstance when a woman would take progesterone during her follicular phase? Are fertility specialists anti-anyone who isn't a fellow physician/fertility specialist? Thoughts on having a number of people in your team (acupuncturist etc) and how we can work together as a team? If you have stage 4 or significant endometriosis, should you go straight to IVF? How accurate is an AMH test? Soy: good or bad for fertility? Red meat: Good or bad for fertility? Dairy: good or bad for fertility? Exercise: how much is too much? Uterine lining: what is too thin? what is ideal? what is too thick? How old is too old or what are some signs that we need to look outside the box? Does the research suggest (to you) that there is benefit in women going through IVF treatments also undertaking things like regular meditation or yoga, mind body programs or seeing a psychotherapist? I also want to sign off though and just say that Dr Hakman is a Doctor, but for the vast majority of our listeners, she is not YOUR Doctor. These are quick-fire questions based on research findings that don't take into account your personal circumstances or medical history and that you should consult with your own physician for more thorough and tailored advice before implementing or taking to heart any of the points discussed in today's podcast.

Which is better and which should you focus on first? Diet or stress? On today's podcast, I talk about my own journey and my learnings as I have navigated infertility, loss and trying to conceive, and then go on train as a Life Coach and Mind Body Practitioner. I've worked with hundreds of clients to support them and learn from them as they navigate their own journeys. On this podcast I talk about: What I used to think was the most important thing you could focus on. How my clients changed what I thought. Why focusing on the right area first can give you false results. How to get everything working together in the right way to make it feel like it's all flowing (instead of feeling like you're rolling sh*t uphill). The questions to ask yourself when embarking on making dietary changes (and other physical changes) whilst trying to conceive.

Is it a sign from the universe or something else? I know that when I was on my fertility journey, at the start there, there were MANY times when I questioned whether the universe was sending me a sign that I wasn’t meant to be a mother.

Years later, as my entire emotional wellbeing has changed, I know better.

And just the other day I caught myself saying to a friend that I was receiving all of these signs from the universe… before then ‘resetting’ in my mind and asking myself the truer, deeper questions that I needed to ask.

Tune into today’s episode and see (especially right at the end) how to truly know what to do when you think you’re seeing signs all around and also how our brain influences what we see.

And… if you’ve seen, we’re about to close the doors on The Reset program. If you’d like to know more, click here

On today’s podcast I talk about 7 really compelling reasons why you might decide to shift your focus to, and invest in cultivating a strong mindset, and some of these are things you may not have thought of before.

When I talk about investment, I’m not just talking about money (although obviously sometimes things cost money! ha!) but I’m also talking about…. Shifting your mental load and focus, prioritising your time and investing in being open to change.

Truly… the way you’re feeling and dealing through infertility, loss and trying to conceive, can have a positive ripple effect throughout your entire life… not just for what is going on for you now.. But in terms of the future you and any future setbacks or challenges you experience in the future.

Tune into today’s podcast and let me know what you think. I’m so humbled that so many of you listen to me every Wednesday. A BIG thank you. Here’s 7 reasons to develop a strong mindset through infertility.

Today on the Podcast, I'm reviewing the Mira Fertility Tracker. I've been DESPERATE to know and understand when I'm ovulating, but I've been really picky about who I've partnered with. One of the questions I had on Instagram was "Whaaa? You're ovulating even though you have had a hysterectomy?" and the answer is Yup! I do. If you head to my resource library, I've put together a great eBook that talks about what happens during our cycles - it's SO important for us to understand this and I still can't believe that we aren't taught more of this in school. But essentially there are four hormones - LH and FSH - which come from our brain, and Estrogen and Progesterone which primarily come from our ovaries. I still have my ovaries and fallopian tubes, although I don't have a uterus anymore nor most of my cervix.... And I still have a brain (ha!). So I still have my monthly cycle, even though there is no lining to shed at the end of each cycle. When I was trying to conceive, I used two methods to track my ovulation: Tracking my Basal Body Temperature I tracked my BBT for about 7 months, and it was really time consuming. In order to do it properly, you're supposed to do it while you're lying in bed, as still as you can be, for about 10 minutes when you first wake up (without getting up), and even though I did that, I still never got the temperature spike that showed I was ovulating. If you're trying to conceive, it's also important to note that your basal body temperature spike is only telling you AFTER you've ovulated, so you can't use this as the signal to do the deed, you can only use it as confirmation that ovulation has occurred. The problem for me though was that I never got that lovely graph that you're supposed to have when tracking your BBT, and so aside from the time commitment, I wasn't super keen to try that again. Using Cheap LH Ovulation Strips The other thing I used when we were trying to conceive (before we hit the fertility clinic) was some cheap ovulation strips that I got from EBay. What. A. Waste. Because of the short window of ovulation, I was using multiple strips per day (and probably not correctly) and never once. Not once. Had a positive confirmation of ovulation (even though I ovulated quite regularly). So I'll be completely honest with you - I've been looking into ovulation trackers for some time now and the bottom line was that I just wanted something that was convenient and accurate. Also, I wanted something that gave me a little bit more than a really short window to ovulation so I wanted something that went beyond just a 'yes' or 'no' in terms of whether I've ovulated or not. Enter the Mira Tracker. To date, the only other partnership I've done has been with the Mira tracker to be honest, even though I'm approached multiple times per week from other organizations. Since walking the path of infertility, I feel like I've become much more in tune with my body and the natural rhythms of my mood and energy across the month, so I had an idea of when I might be ovulating, but I truly wanted some confirmation. How to use the Mira So the first thing you need to do when your Mira tracker arrives is to charge it up, and then install the Mira app on your phone so that it can sync all the data. It's pretty cool because it uses bluetooth to sync everything and then you can see and compare your results, and it also has a graph you can see (and download if you want to send to your Naturopath or anything). Once it's charged and you've got the app, you just connect your tracker and then you're good to go. When you want to test, you use your first morning wee...

So if you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that every Monday I do a Q+A sticker on my Instagram Stories (and I've started saving lots of the replies on my Instagram highlights too so you can come and find me, and make sure you tune in because there may be some answers that I share that will help you too) - but a great question came through a few weeks ago from an audience member who was feeling scared about an upcoming HSG. We also asked the audience who shared GREAT feedback about what their experience was like as well as tips for others, but then at the end, I shared 8 things that can help if you're feeling nervous about fertility treatments - whether that's an HSG, a retrieval, injecting yourself - whatever it may be. And many of these are concepts and strategies that have personally helped me too as I've navigated medical procedures since my fertility journey too. Press play on this episode to learn more. And you can follow me on Instagram here.

Since launching the Mind Body Fertility Reset, I've had a real and massive shift in the way I think about what I do. When we launched the platform, it was a very holistic program that incorporated food, sleep, low tox living - and not in a 'this is your to-do list kind of way - more from a 'here are some ideas and inspiration and resources that will help' and all of those resources at this stage still exist in the Reset, and it's also my dream to expand on them BUT... the reason the majority of women TTC have joined the Reset, and the number 1 thing we now offer in the reset... is courses, programs, classes, live coaching, support and community.... For emotional wellness and mental health. And over the past few months, I've become ever so conscious of the messaging both I've been using but increasingly conscious of the messaging that is within the wider community - the advertising, the events and more. And... tell me if I'm wrong but.... There's so so much around - get more fertile, solve your infertility, *this* thing is the missing link, do XYZ, add this thing to your to-do list. Like.... There's always this subline of 'do this thing and it will help you get pregnant' Disclosure: there is nothing wrong with people and products that help you get pregnant. I have one too, and I think that it's important for us to know that some of the same things that can help us with our mental state of being (e.g. letting go of perfection) are the SAME things that can help us get pregnant. But... I also feel that on some level, that messaging may also be contributing to this feeling of always needing to be doing more, and perhaps not doing enough. And the number 1 thing I see women trying to conceive neglect... is themselves. And there are a few types of people who join the Mind Body Fertility Reset (and all of these reasons are valid and worthy - you can literally join for any reason you like): The ones who join because they want to leave no stone unturned and if this is going to help their fertility, they want to at least have given it a crack The ones who are like 'i don't know what I need, but I know that I need something' And the ones who are like 'you know what? I matter. I think nothing of spending $150 on supplements, or an acupuncture appointment, or a fertility specialist appointment so if I can afford to spend that on all of this physical stuff. If I can afford (or scrape together) $20,000 for an IVF cycle - I can ABSOLUTELY afford to spend $150 for three months or $600 for an entire year's worth of support, live coaching, lessons etc..... For me. Just for me. Regardless of whether or not this will improve my fertility. Because I matter. My mental health matters. My joy matters. My life matters and I'm worthy of being my own best friend. So as we begin the year, I want to ask you some questions to journal over to help you set a path, and maybe draw a line in the sand about how you want to move forward on your journey. •Have you put your life and joy on pause in the pursuit of trying to conceive? •Do you ever feel guilty for prioritizing or investing time, energy, money in yourself? •Do you feel like your mental health and wellbeing filter into other areas of your life - such as your relationships, your career, your health goals and even your TTC journey? •What would life look like if.... From today... from right now... you decided that YOU were your most important asset and that feeling better and looking after yourself was now your No 1 priority? And so... over the last few weeks, I have been BUSY. I've been busy chatting with all of the best of the best in the fertility wo...

So you all said you wanted to know more about the BTS of Fertility Warriors HQ and what is going on with me and were also desperate to hear more about my fitness journey with my friend, Dr Sasha Hakman. My question back to you is... what do you want to know specifically? Ask me on Instagram! On today's podcast, I'm bringing you up to speed on what's been going on for me and the season of life I'm in currently. I share my theme for the decade and this year What my 30s were for me Some of the big mindset lessons I've learnt over the last 10 years Why I decided to work with Sasha What my fitness goals are I have NO idea whether this is interesting or not, but would love to hear from you if you'd like to know more!

Look, I try to live my life with no regrets and with the utmost confidence in my decisions. I have the firm belief that we always make the right decision at any given time based on the knowledge that we have in the moment (so therefore there are no wrong decisions ever - it's such an important mindset reframe). BUT.... obviously now, I have new knowledge. My beliefs have shifted and I know different things.... So if I travelled back in time, but armed with what I know now, what are 5 things I'd have done differently on my journey? That's what I'm diving into in this week's podcast. Tune in and let me know what you think, and come and reach out to me on Instagram and let me know your thoughts - if you had your time again or could rewind time, what would YOU change? Links and Resources •The honest truth about miscarriage and loss with Jackie Figueras •39 lessons in 39 years Want more? •Jump on the waitlist for The Fertility Warrior Intensive (My 12 week holistic mind body program) •Follow me on Instagram If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

This is part of a two-part series on age gaps between kids. I was asked on Instagram recently about the age gap between my two children and there was a big response from people who felt that they were grieving having a short age gap between kids (ours is nearly two years), and then wanted to share what I felt were the pro's as they were just unable to see it..... And then after that, I had some people reach out to me asking about the pros of a short age gap between kids (twins, got pregnant naturally after not using protection after the first kid because #infertility and same-sex partners who wished to be pregnant at the same time). In each of these episodes, I share 10 pros to having a short or long age gap between kids - and I separated it just in case anyone didn't want to hear the other side at all (totally get it!). But here's the thing - there's always going to be some grieving when life doesn't go the way we planned - and for many of us, we've been planning our parenthood and what that would look like all of our lives. So if you're feeling like you can't be grateful or hopeful right now in those feelings I want to let you know that you're allowed to grieve the way you thought things would pan out. There's also always going to be people who try to tell you that one way is better than another or want to sway you to their way of thinking - but you need to do you. I saw a saying on Instagram that reminded me somewhat of this scenario and it said 'get the tattoo. Your parents are already disappointed' - you have to live for you! Often we also don't have a lot of choice in these scenarios - one of my old bosses always used to talk about fixed vs flexible mindset - and when something is fixed and we can't change it (which is sometimes the case with age gaps) then it doesn't always make sense to put all of our energy into it. We're better to make a conscious choice to try and shift our attention to things that we do have some control or choice over. And I feel like that also applies often to the age gap we have between children. So, to help you start to process and embrace your direction - I've put together 10 pros to a small age gap/large age gap. Sending you love x Want more? •Follow me @robynbirkin on Instagram for fertility tips, real talk and big-time mindset help when it comes to trying to conceive •Get your copy of the Get Pregnant Pronto Pack •Discover the 3 biggest game changers I had on my journey to get pregnant If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

Ahhhh, for some of us the holidays kind of suck. There were times when they especially sucked for me whilst I was trying to conceive - one year, right as we were about to start IVF (we'd already done lots of IUI's etc), our family from the United States came to visit and it was just family stuff galore. Ross and I married quite late, so everyone was asking us constantly when we were going to have babies and at that stage, nobody knew our struggle. Meanwhile, my cousin had the most adorable 4 week old baby, and it was a constant reminder of the struggle we were in. But... despite that, we still managed to have a (mostly) ok Christmas. If you'd like to know some of the strategies and tips I have for navigating Christmas whilst Trying To Conceive, check out this post. But today, I'll be talking more about how to make Christmas Special. How to have a good time (more thriving, less surviving if you know what I mean), and most of that comes from doing things that are fun, spontaneous and whimsical. This time of year, is not the time to be serious. It's the time when you can break the rules a little.

Today's podcast episode isn't just a better way to get pregnant... it's a better way to live. All the things in life. It follows generally the biggest lesson I learnt on my fertility journey and then subsequently through pregnancy and parenting and it's a complete shift. In today's episode, I talk about how the traditional approach - i.e. constantly looking for the next supplement or modality - might not be serving YOU or your fertility, and how a simple shift in mindset and priority can have you making better decisions and optimize your fertility at the same time as helping improve all other areas of your life (instead of the traditional 'must do more' approach which starts to then seep into the rest of your life). Want more? •39 Lessons in 39 Years •The Life Lessons I learnt Following my stressful year •6 life lessons from my six-year fertility journey •Jump on the waitlist for The Fertility Warrior Intensive (My 12 week holistic mind body program) •Follow me on Instagram If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

Today on the podcast, one of my favourite Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners- Adrienne Wei joins us on the podcast to talk about some of the most common conditions she sees in her practice for Type A women like me and busts a few myths. Damn, I was listening to this like, 'I think she is talking about me!' when she talked to us in depth about liver stagnation and some (she has a bunch more in her program) strategies we can use to improve our fertility based on this. Visit the full show notes here Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Have you ever felt like you don't know whether you can physically, emotionally and spiritually continue trying to get pregnant anymore because you're just so exhausted and burnt out on all levels? That was how I felt on my first IVF cycle. I'd spent the last two years trying to do all the things (cut out all the food groups, run from the Specialist to the Naturopath to the Acupuncturist), try to distract myself with my work.... And then when I had my first IVF cycle.... And later discovering we were pregnant... followed by a medical miscarriage - I was broken and empty. So.... feeling like a shadow of my former self, we took a last-minute trip to Lombok and there I was forced to take stock of my journey and ask myself some really hard questions which led to a big aha moment and complete 180 of everything I was doing and how I approached getting pregnant. Tune in to learn more about that moment and exactly what shifted for me. Want more? This is part of a (currently) free training we're running called 5 Secrets to Thrive through Infertility - you can jump in here Make sure you're following me on Instagram here Join our Free Facebook Support and Chat Group here. Check out my programs and services here.

Years ago, when I was right in the thick of IVF, I wrote about my experience during my second egg retrieval. The post went viral and remains my most popular blog post to date, so I thought this needs to be shared on the podcast as well! I had two egg retrievals and both of them were such different experiences. Visit the full show notes here Join the free Two Week Wait Challenge Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Today on the podcast I'm sharing something that I think is super fun. 7 minor changes or tweaks you can make to your routine that can add up to major improvements in your fertility and overall health... and help you get pregnant faster. Visit the full show notes here Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Yes. My answer is yes. Over the years I've had many conversations with Fertility Warriors who have been completely scared of going through with IVF or taking the next step with fertility treatments, preferring to continue to try naturally. If you haven't fallen pregnant yet and you've been trying for more than one year naturally if you're under 35, more than six months naturally if you're over 35, then it's definitely time to take the next step in your journey. That means get yourself a referral and get yourself to a fertility clinic-pronto! Visit the full show notes here Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Hellooooo and welcome to my Behind the Scenes Series for January. Today's topic is about choosing (or not choosing) a word for the year. These podcasts are taken from inside the private Fertility Warrior Family Facebook Group that accompanies my signature 12 week program. The Fertility Warrior Intensive. These are NOT the training videos or modules from within the course, but within our private Facebook Group, I jump in with regular group coaching and support for warriors - I'm super active in there and drop in every few days with videos, images, thoughts - support, advice, real talk - you name it, and then once a month we do a big group coaching session. There is SO much to this program, and I'd love to share more with you - to learn more, jump on the waitlist here: robynbirkin.com/warrior - we'll be opening the doors to the program in February and we'd love to welcome you as our latest warrior.

On today's podcast, I'm sharing one of the questions I was recently asked within my program, the Fertility Warrior Intensive - and that was about feeling scared to get your hopes up, and also struggling with the concept of being positive all the time. Here was what I wrote in our private group for my 12 week Mind Body Fertility course: Question: I'm trying to be positive. I've noticed for me, being positive just feels like I'm getting my hopes up. I can't differentiate between the two. I struggle with being positive and not getting my hopes up at the same time! My Reply: I think that we should absolutely balance our lives by recognising what we are grateful for and all of our blessings in life alongside the struggles we are currently experiencing. And one of our last modules, Highlighters, talks about how to feel more positive without needing to try so hard. But.... Trying to be positive all the time, is HARD WORK, and not always appropriate. Sometimes deep down we really do feel angry, or sad, or hopeless. And it's important that, as unwanted and uncomfortable as they are, we feel, allow and process those emotions. Why? Because if we don't, they literally just grow under the surface - they last longer, they're more intense... and we can only sweep them under the rug for so long until literally, we explode. So, do you need to be positive all the time? Nope. Are sad days ok? Heck yes. How do we get through the sad days? by giving ourselves grace, putting ourselves first (and yes, sometimes that means chucking a sickie, sometimes that means unfollowing pregnant friends online, sometimes that means treating yourself to a massage, sometimes that looks like having honest and frank conversations with people). But mostly, just allowing the emotions and waiting for them to pass. You can sit and explore those emotions through journalling or our worksheets (particularly Module 2), but also, if you allow them, for the most part, they'll pass without doing anything. Within the intensive, you are literally learning about your brain and gaining perspective and self-awareness that you know not to take everything as fact. Trust that everything you need, you already have. So now that just feels like I'm getting my hopes up all the time? Please do. I implore you to always get your hopes up. "But then I'll crash and burn if things don't pan out" Yes, you will. You're 100% right. But you'll crash and burn if things don't pan out anyway. You'll have just started from a lower place. The difference is that you'll have spent the entire month or two weeks convincing yourself it wouldn't work. Sitting in overwhelm, sadness, panic and hopelessness, without having the facts. You've counted your chickens before they hatched. •So when your brain tells you > this won't work •Just gently ask yourself > but what if it does? •When your brain asks you > Who are you to have a baby and defy these odds? •Reply back > but who am I not to? I know you've been burnt before. I know that your heart hurts so badly when things aren't happening. But it will hurt (appropriately) when the time comes. Don't panic until it's time to panic. Don't feel sad until it's time to feel sad. And the difference is that until that time comes, you'll feel great. You'll have more spa...

Struggling? Start Small with these three things to notice every day. Every day I work with women who feel infertility is taking over our lives, and I often reflect upon two things: •There was definitely not enough taught in schools about how we can foster resilience, cope emotionally in healthy ways and how important our mental health is. •Infertility is HARD. It will most likely be one of the hardest things you will experience, and there are going to be really sh*tty days along the way, but there is (even if it doesn't feel like it) some really easy things you can do to start to shift your thoughts and anxiety (although, because #1, I often find there is a LOT to get through, which is why I also have my 12 week course as a more comprehensive next step.) One really simple thing that start shifting your emotions is these three things - it's quick, and it's doable. And then, every day, spend 5 minutes in the shower working through these and come back to me in 1 month and tell me if you have experienced a shift. You can reach out to me @robynbirkin on Instagram. 3 things to notice every day if you're feeling depressed about infertility 🍍 3 THINGS YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR Our brains are not wired towards the positive, but, this simple act can start to have a huge shift in your mental state. In finding 3 different things to be grateful for each day, your brain starts to consistently LOOK for awesome stuff, and research shows wide ranging emotional AND physical health benefits from a gratitude practice. Studies have been conducted in several groups of people (Harvard is most well known for studying the effects of positive psychology) including Vietnam Vets and 911 Survivors and have found that in both groups, those who can appreciate the good alongside the bad have lower rates of PTSD. Gratitude has also been shown to improve sleep, improve immunity, lower rates of depression and increase rates of happiness.... and it's really easy to do. 🍍ENERGY DRAINS AND GAINS We can sit far too long with things that do not serve us (social media, toxic friends - and some of these actually feel quite productive in the moment, but that instant gratification is... well... instant - so it's like you need to continue pouring into a cup that never fills) and when infertility is already draining so much of our energy (we only have a limited amount of physical and emotional energy) we need to be filling our cup with more things that fill our cup: our energy gains. Think about the things that give you a buzz (dinner with awesome friends, hiking, reading books - whatever that may be for you) and make sure you are doing them, not sacrificing them in a time of need (i.e. infertility!) 🍍 HOW YOU SPEAK TO YOURSELF Hands down, one of the most important steps in self love and self confidence is checking ourselves (before we wreck ourselves). And I work with many fertility warriors who just consistently beat themselves up. You would be outraged if anyone told you that you weren't doing enough or that you were ruining everything because you are that toasted cheese sandwich or couldn't fall asleep... Yet so many warriors talk like that to themselves constantly. Stahp! How would your best friend talk to you? I bet she would be understanding and comforting and completely lovely. Speak to yourself like that. You are working SO hard and you are enough and you do deserve to be a mother. It's about catching yourself and calling BS when your brain starts to tell you that you aren't good enough, and then reframing the conversation with compassion and grace. So there you have it, my three really easy and doable things to try every day - I'd love you to spend one month doing these and then come back t...

Today on the podcast we're welcoming Karen from Hilariously Infertile. You may recognise her from her very popular Instagram feed where she basically shares all the best memes around for infertility, but today I wanted to lift the lid on 'behind the scenes Karen'. We're talking all about how humour has helped her cope on her journey, the truth about whether she is positive all the time (and if not, what kind of things she does to lift herself up outside of making us all laugh) and what lifestyle changes she made to conceive. Visit the full show notes here Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Today on the podcast we're talking about the first three things that helped me feel better. It was 10 years ago exactly that Ross and I started trying to conceive, which feels like a long time ago, but also feels like just yesterday - I still remember all of the real and raw emotions of trying to conceive. And two years into our journey, after our first IVF cycle, I had a miscarriage. I thought I knew rock bottom prior but after our loss, it was like I now knew the molten lava in the centre of the earth. I didn't want to share how we were feeling with anyone (I actually didn't feel like I could) and it wasn't so much a feeling of anger (even though I was angry) it was more a feeling of being broken and lost. I don't know if you can relate? So, what changed, what helped after that moment for me... that's what we're talking about on today's podcast. So often I have people ask me how to feel better and the answer is... unfortunately, not as simple as one, 5-minute exercise that people can do each day. In all honesty, there were a number of things that I did (but mostly mindset shifts) that helped me to radically shift the way I was feeling and coping on my journey. But if you had to start somewhere, what would you do? Here are the first 3 things I did that helped me feel better: •Had a circuit breakerWe needed to get out and break our routine. I never quite understand the logistics of 'taking a break' because I was so acutely aware of when I was ovulating etc BUT, we got away on a last-minute trip to Lombok... and not a trip where we went out sightseeing or anything. A trip where there was pretty much nothing I could do but sit with my feelings and rest. I was... although I'd have never acknowledged it at the time... so so needed. And it got us away from work (where let's be honest I couldn't concentrate anyway) and everyone's constant questions. It gave me space to feel what I was feeling, and regain some energy. •GratitudeThis one practice has been the thing that I've done that has had one of the biggest impacts on my life and that of my clients. Each night I began writing in a little journal, 3 things I was grateful for. Not just the big things - but mostly the little things. As I understand more about our brains now that I'm qualified I know the mechanics of how this works in our brains and for a practice that takes literally less than five minutes per day - the rests can be profound. •I made the decision to put myself first I didn't 'do' anything in this regard but it was a massive shift and one that I don't think many women have made - even if they tell themselves that they put themselves first. It was a moment of saying that I was worthy of spending money on myself (especially if it was going to help me FEEL better), I was worthy of my time, and I was worthy of saying no to things that didn't serve me. So so many women will say that they put themselves first, but I'd argue, don't. I used to feel guilty saying no to people. I used to feel guilty spending money on myself (things like buying clothes, yes, but on my mindset and things that were more abstract - massively!) I used to feel guilty taking sick days... when I was actually sick! And so.... Things shifted for me when I decided that I was worthy. I'd spend time and money investing in abstract things like my mindset and programs that would help my emotional health (knowing that my husband would think nothing of a night out with the boys, a carton of beer or even a new surfboard - my goodness - I could absolutely spend $297 on a course about creatin...

Hellooooo and welcome to my Behind the Scenes Series for January. Today's topic is about letting go of the pressure to juggle all the balls. These podcasts are taken from inside the private Fertility Warrior Family Facebook Group that accompanies my signature 12 week program. The Fertility Warrior Intensive. These are NOT the training videos or modules from within the course, but within our private Facebook Group, I jump in with regular group coaching and support for warriors - I'm super active in there and drop in every few days with videos, images, thoughts - support, advice, real talk - you name it, and then once a month we do a big group coaching session. There is SO much to this program, and I'd love to share more with you - to learn more, jump on the waitlist here: robynbirkin.com/warrior - we'll be opening the doors to the program in February and we'd love to welcome you as our latest warrior.

Hellooooo and welcome to my Behind the Scenes Series for January. Today's topic is about what to do if you feel triggered by something. These podcasts are taken from inside the private Fertility Warrior Family Facebook Group that accompanies my signature 12 week program. The Fertility Warrior Intensive. These are NOT the training videos or modules from within the course, but within our private Facebook Group, I jump in with regular group coaching and support for warriors - I'm super active in there and drop in every few days with videos, images, thoughts - support, advice, real talk - you name it, and then once a month we do a big group coaching session. There is SO much to this program, and I'd love to share more with you - to learn more, jump on the waitlist here: robynbirkin.com/warrior - we'll be opening the doors to the program in February and we'd love to welcome you as our latest warrior.

This podcast is jam-packed with practical advice and tips on what to reply when they ask when you’ll get pregnant…. And are actually secretly trying to conceive, but it might be taking longer than you anticipated.

You know… those family functions, milestone birthdays with friends, or even work functions and things shift when they ask you this.

In this podcast I talk about:

• What it felt like for me when I was asked this question
• Some actual phrases you can use  (and the direction to think about in advance)
• What you can say to work to let them know you need some flexibility
• One thing you might not have considered that could be super helpful in letting people know gently

Don’t forget to get your free ticket to my upcoming masterclass here, or put your name down on the waitlist for The Reset so you get first dibs (and best rewards) here.

This is for anyone who has tried meditating, but still feels heavy under the weight of trying to conceive, and why meditations might not be working for you.

Over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of women in my programs, previously The Fertility Warrior Intensive but now my program is called The Reset and… it’s been really interesting because so many of the women I’ve worked with are… just like me.

Type A personalities.

I was the type who really and truly struggled with:

Not being able to hard work myself into getting pregnant

Feeling out of control in my life and not knowing what my future would look like

And so many of the women we’ve worked with are exactly the same.

My programs haven’t supported them with education on getting pregnant because honestly, the majority of women, haven’t needed it - being educated hasn’t been the problem - everyone is already (by and large) taking the supplements, eating a healthy diet, knows when they’re ovulating.

And almost everyone has also already tried meditating to feel better.

For some it helps a little, for some it has made them feel more anxious (which has then often led to them feeling like they’re doing it wrong or they’re broken). So spoiler alert - you’re not broken… but meditating might not be right for you, or might not be enough.

Tune into today’s podcast to learn more about:

The 5 reasons guided meditations might not be working for you

What might be a better strategy for women who’ve experienced trauma

The 3 pillars we focus on in my program, The Reset

And don’t forget, if you haven’t already - make sure you jump in to catch my free masterclass on how to cope with negative pregnancy tests here.

Today on the podcast I'm chatting with Dr Malinda Lee and grilling her on all the questions you need to know about recurrent loss. Dr Malinda Lee works for Spring Fertility and this area is one of her specialties. Spring Fertility has quite a patient-focused approach and one of their specialities by the way is also LGBTQ+ family building. They're across California, but they also have a clinic in Vancouver, Canada. So the reason I was so keen to talk about this with Dr Malinda Lee was because it's something I'm seeing more and more within my program, the Fertility Warrior Intensive. I inevitably get a related question on this once a month, and there are a number of tests and approaches I advocate for, and so we chat about that with Dr Lee, and related to that, I feel like this is an area many clinics also get wrong, or don't do enough testing for from the get go, which in turn, for me, raises questions because it's such a significant cost to clients, that I feel like the extra effort is worth it to avoid the additional time, heartache and general sh8ttiness of now knowing what is happening. So tune into the The Fertility Warriors Podcast today and see what Dr Malinda has to say. You can also check out my podcast with Molly Nicholls, where we talk about the emotions of recurrent loss and how to survive that.

My first egg retrieval was a disaster and probably one of the hardest times of my life because I had moderate OHSS and then a failed pregnancy. I didn't get OHSS the second time around! If anything got me through though the first time, it was scouring the internet to find comfort in those who had been through it too and seeing their pics, stats and tips. Visit the full show notes here Join the free Two Week Wait Challenge Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Hands up if you feel like you've tried everything to fall pregnant... and yet here you are feeling completely burnt out... and not pregnant. If you've tried all the things to fall pregnant and still don't feel like you're getting anywhere, today on the podcast I'm sharing two quite different angles you might want to take in order to continue making progress, In truth - I see this a lot. Many of the clients I work with in my 12 week program come to me with huge checklists and to-do lists. Sometimes they're feeling a mix of anger and frantic energy, and at other times they're feeling completely dejected and jaded and just plain exhausted. And then it's a vicious cycle because they can't maintain the perfection or strict regime that they feel they 'should' be undertaking (or the advice they're receiving contradicts itself) and this results in more stress, poor sleep, poor digestion etc, making things worse. That's a really common and normal reaction to trauma. Yep, trauma. Infertility can take a significant toll on not just our emotions, but also our physiology and that can sometimes result in feelings like this. But I do also chat later in the podcast about some other medical avenues you can take to continue making progress in other areas. Tune in and then come and find me on Instagram and let me know what you thought!

This is the second in a series of five lessons in the Infertility Stress Series, this episode will focus on finding your tribe. Tune in to find out more! If you missed #1 go back and listen here: https://robynbirkin.com/infertility-stress-series-1/ Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Abby and Kristyn from Fertility.Rescripted joined me on the podcast this week. Many of you will know Kristyn (who's been on the podcast before and who is a great friend) but we're joined on the podcast this week by Abby. Together these ladies have formed the company Fertility.Rescripted and they joined me this week for an honest conversation about so many things including Abby's story - a story of medications and miscarriage, what her experience looked like, how that pain led to her purpose and the start of her company - and an interesting take on how Kristyn and I did a similar thing - but that the things that impacted us each were so different. We also talked about privilege and affordability, some stats on medications (including the giant amount of leftover meds), the things that made a big difference when we were each trying to conceive, what this new partnership has meant and how they are now supporting the community (with a sneak peek of what's to come). Hope you like it! Check out my previous episode with Kristyn here.

Today on the podcast we're talking about infertility warning signs and signs and symptoms that you may have trouble conceiving or help you brainstorm what could be going on with your body. I know that sometimes it feels like our bodies are failing us, but as my journey has progressed, I have come to feel that our bodies are like finely tuned machines, and that sometimes our body likes to send us warning signs that something might be wrong. As much as it totally sucks too - our fertility is often one of the first things to suffer when our health is out of balance and that's because our fertility is non-essential for life. So if something goes pear-shaped with your hormones, that's one thing, but if your heart just stopped beating... well, then you'd have a much bigger issue. So when our body is out of balance, there will often be changes that affect our fertility first, and it's up to us to listen to these warning signs that could be indicating that something is not right, and rectify them, not just in order to conceive and fall pregnant, but in trying to be the healthiest version of yourself and prevent further health issues down the line. First and foremost, if you have been trying to conceive for over six months (especially if you are over 35 years of age!) it's a given that something is probably wrong. If you are under 35 , then something is absolutely wrong. You first need to know exactly when you're ovulating. Check out my upcoming post on how to track your ovulation properly, as well as this podcast on ovulation to ensure you're getting it right. Research estimates that as many as 57% of women are incorrectly timing ovulation. But let's say that neither of those things are happening, here's some ways you can diagnose that something might be going on (and then even do some of your own research as to what that might be) So what are the 4 warning signs that something is wrong: •Your cycle length and timing Not many women at all have perfect 28 day cycles, however when we are in optimal health our cycles should be pretty close to that. Some big indicators that something might not be right is in a too short follicular (before ovulation) or luteal phase (after ovulation). Likewise, if either of these are too long, it could also signal a problem. Your cycle should also be regular and consistent - if it is neither of those things it could indicate a problem. And if it is more than 40 days, that may also signal a problem. One tip is that I often find that when there is a short luteal phase, Traditional Chinese Medicine is better at working through this, whereas Western Medicine sometimes dismisses it as nothing. If you are in this category, this may be something to consider. 2 Pain Pain is not normal y'all. Sometimes when we are growing up, it's almost like we are expected to have painful cycles, and sometimes that is the case as our bodies adjust to puberty, but certainly by your early 20s, if you are experiencing really painful periods that require days off work, it could be an indication of endometriosis. 3. If he drinks/smokes/rides bike I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that sperm basically creates itself from scratch and is really easy to change. The bad news is, men are often overlooked when it comes to infertility and that sperm can be a bit fickle. If your husband smokes, drinks a LOT, has a poor diet, is a cyclist - chances are sperm could be below par. If you think about an individual sperm, it has to cram an entire strand of DNA into a teeny tiny head - so it's quiet complex, and hence why it's important to try and get that right...

Today's podcast talks about things to avoid when trying to conceive - it's a mix of physical things that you can quit and some emotional wellbeing tips (simple but profound ones) that can help you on this journey. It's really easy to get caught up in the internet and the to-do lists and the 'shoulds' without fully knowing or buying into the benefits of why you're doing something so that is what we're diving into today on the podcast. 7 things you quit to get pregnant - hopefully there are a few warriors out there who need this permission slip.

We have more than 100 episodes of The Fertility Warriors now (crazy, I know?!) and if you scroll riigggghhhhttt back to episode 1, you'll hear some of my story, and if you listen to my story of having Olivia (my second) you'll know even more, but I thought it was time to revisit my story a little bit and how exactly I came to this place of having this podcast. I wanted to share with you WHY I feel so motivated each and every day to help other warriors and what I discovered that I feel is so important to share. If any of you have ever received a calling, you'll know that it's just something you can't get away from. It keeps calling you back time and time again, and it just doesn't leave you alone. My experience with infertility and the lessons I've learned have been much like that. And I still remain so passionate about filling the gap in care that I believe can make the difference not only emotionally to women suffering with infertility, but can have a dramatic positive impact on pregnancy rates too. And until that becomes a standard part of care... I guess you're all just stuck with me! Tune into today's episode of The Fertility Warriors Podcast to learn my full story as well as how I can help you on your journey, through my program, The Fertility Warrior Intensive. My 12 week program is a comprehensive mind-body program that is designed to help warriors conquer the stress of infertility and in return, tackle their conception journey with improved fertility, self confidence, happiness and calm. Together, we will completely change your journey and help you develop grace, grit and gratitude.

Today I'm sharing with you my secondary infertility success story and both the pros and cons of what trying for baby number two with infertility was like. Trying for baby number two was such a different experience for me. Visit the full show notes here Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Today on the podcast it's my absolute pleasure to welcome Eli Weinstein as we talk all about how infertility might be affecting your husband and infertility from a male perspective. It's so hard on our journey to look at our husbands and their perspective, but so valuable when we can take a minute and get an insider view of what the blokes go through. Eli experienced his own journey with infertility and he dives deep with us on how we can better communicate and navigate this journey with our significant others, how we can support them better, how we can bring up tricky topics and make sure we're a ride or die team, rather than these two separate icebergs out at sea. You are going to LOVE this podcast where we talk all about husbands and infertility. Eli is one of our Resident Experts in our companion course for the guys as part of the Fertility Warrior Intensive. We dive even further into the topic of men and infertility with real life practical tips for your husband as he navigates his journey too. About Eli Hi, my name is Eli Weinstein, LMSW. I am a Social Work therapist who has worked in a psych hospital, intense outpatient clinic and currently work in a community clinic in queens. I used to work in NY and West Coast NCSY (Youth Organization) for over 7 years. I created ELIvation to fill a need to help those in struggling and add extra inspiration and motivation into everyday life. I have gone through my own struggles with anxiety, ADHD, infertility and men's issues (being a new dad, body image issues, relationships, and general self-esteem/confidence) My main goal is to help people on their journey to add support, care, empathy, expertise, and insight. I run events, seminars and individual coaching on topics from mental health awareness, public speaking coaching, relationship coaching and confidence boosting.

Well, I don't know if you got the time to see the Meghan Markle interview (I rarely watch stuff like this on TV) - more of a cooking show kind of girl, but I did take the time to tune into this interview, and wanted to share with you 5 lessons or insights that I had from the Meghan Markle and Oprah Interview, from the perspective of someone who does what I do, in helping women with infertility conquer the stress of infertility so they can thrive through the journey. Notes from this episode: •You often don't know what someone else is going through •You are allowed to struggle, despite your circumstances •What really happens when people are hurting

One day I stopped in my tracks and had this moment of clarity as I realised that I had this frantic energy in - this anxiety-riddled energy flowing through my mindset - when I hit the pause button as I was listening to podcasts at 1.5 speed. It was like I'd been rushing and pushing everywhere and creating this sense of dis-ease within my body and mindset. And this podcast speed was a sort of metaphor for my wider life. S L O W D O W N Was the message that had been coming through loud and clear. Personal development is never once and done. It's an ongoing process of consistently bringing ourselves back on track and practicing daily rituals to help ourselves thrive and every now and again, since that moment, I have needed to bring myself back out of the frantic energy and back into a calmer, and slower frame of being. In this podcast, I talk about my recent experience and some of the mindset shifts I've had, but also the most important step in welcoming calmer energy - which is first having the awareness of when you're letting your mind race and consciously choosing another path. Can't wait to hear what you think x

One of the most common messages I receive from warriors on Instagram, is those who tell me that they listen to my last Pep Talk on repeat when they're having a bad day. So... I wanted to jump in and provide you with another Pep Talk that you can add to your arsenal. Visit the full show notes here Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

So... you've landed in donor conception land. Maybe you've just been slammed with the news from your Fertility Specialist, or you're starting to suspect that you're just not going to get pregnant with your own eggs/sperm/embryos. Maybe you're a hard no. Maybe you're a maybe. Maybe you're a yes but absolutely and completely terrified. Well... if you're EITHER of those things, you need to tune into this episode with Meta Getman, one of my good friends and a Donor Conception Coach who chatted with me today about 5 myths surrounding donor conception (which let's be real... everyone has thought about at some point or another) as well as her own journey of using donor eggs and going from feeling hit by a brick wall to being a hard no to considering using donor eggs to becoming a donor egg mom of twins. About Meta Meta Getman is a donor conception coach who helps family-focused, responsible, and thoughtful women and couples who have found themselves facing a journey to parenthood they had never imagined: using donor eggs, donor sperm or donor embryo. Through her e-course, The Donor Downlow, Meta helps her clients go from isolation, loneliness, and fear of the donor process to hope, confidence and excitement for building their families. Meta and her husband Michael went through their own infertility challenges and after four IUIs and three rounds of fresh IVF, they achieved their dream of a family through using donor eggs. Meta has been featured in multiple podcasts, has spoken multiple times at the RESOLVE Midwest Family Building Summit and co-founded a local community where she lives for families who used a donor to have their children. She is passionate about sharing her story and helping others who are exploring or headed down the path to using a donor. Grab a copy of Meta's free Essential Donor Checklist. This free resource gives you all the essential questions you need to consider when using a donor to build your family. Connect with Meta on Instagram @metagetman or at her website: www.metagetman.com

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to life after infertility. I will be talking about pregnancy and my experience with pregnancy anxiety and fear. Listener discretion is advised. Today on the podcast, we're talking about pregnancy anxiety-I'm once again sharing a little bit about what life after infertility looks like, and about some of the common fears and anxieties that I see play out with our warriors AFTER they fall pregnant, especially if they have experienced a past loss. Visit the full show notes here Join the IVF + Infertility Pregnancy + Mamas Facebook group Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Today on the podcast we're talking about whether you should out yourself as trying to conceive and navigating infertility and some of the big mindset work that can go into making that emotional shift. Because I know that... when we first start trying to conceive, there's often a picture and scene in our heads of nobody knowing and then having that magical secrecy and a surprise announcement. But... part of the acceptance of infertility.... Is accepting that our journey to conceive won't necessarily look like everyone else's, and then peace comes from finding magic and beauty in our unique and special path. In this episode I talk about: Some of the benefits of telling people about your journey The way I feel is the most helpful way (for all parties) to announce that you're going through infertility and possibly fertility treatments What my story of telling people looked like right through to announcing my pregnancy Hope you find this episode incredibly helpful, and as mentioned in the library, if you'd like my free resource - head to robynbirkin.com/library

I'm sneaking this one into the end of September which is PCOS Awareness Month. I'm joined by Nutritionist Solaine Douglas and we break down the PCOS myths and misconceptions. PCOS is an increasingly common condition and one that we see frequently affecting women trying to conceive. On the podcast we talk about: •The two different types of PCOS and what causes them •How our body breaks down insulin •How our body responds to stress •Common roadblocks in the medical profession •Busting common diet myths regarding PCOS It was my absolute pleasure to welcome Solaine to the podcast. Solaine is a nutritionist for women who want to create healthy hormones, guts and metabolisms. Her world revolves around her business baby, fur baby, great food and my home. Solaine is passionate about helping women to feel empowered about their health, to understand how to eat and create a lifestyle that makes them feel good. We all deserve that. She studied a Bachelor of Human Nutrition at Griffith University, Australia and is a member of the Complementary Medicine Association (CMA). Her journey with nutrition began many moons ago, back in 2012 and a passion for spreading the real food message ensued. You can find Solaine on Instagram here, or look further on her website here.

On today's podcast I'm talking about 5 things you need to know about miscarriage. Know that if you have experienced a miscarriage - whatever the terminology or type or gestation, I am, really and truly, so so sorry. We all process miscarriage in different ways and as I always say - please don't let anyone hurry you with their timelines. It's so important for you to process and grieve your miscarriage in a way that works for you. I've covered miscarriage and loss on a number of podcasts here, from ways to honor your miscarried baby, how to recover from a miscarriage, the story of my own miscarriage recovery, how to cope with recurrent miscarriage and loss, to an episode with Dr Malinda Lee where we discussed the medical aspects of recurrent loss. And on today's podcast I touch on some of the things you may not be aware of with miscarriage, or that nobody talks about. Tune into the episode to learn more. I also mentioned my friend, Jackie Figueras - you can find her website here.

Part of the journey to falling apart through infertility for me began with a baby shower.... And it was when we'd only just started trying to conceive. I'll never forget arriving at a baby shower (and sorry if you've heard this story before) and seeing that I was one of only three women who either weren't pregnant or had kids already. One was Veronica, an acquaintance who declared that her life was too full for kids - between their travels and their foodie life and her role as a teacher, she just didn't have the capacity for kids. Then there was my other dear friend who I knew wanted kids but just hadn't met the right person yet. And me... who was trying to conceive but nobody knew about it. And at that time we just didn't know that the journey would be so much longer. But that was the start of feeling like an outsider and the start of feeling like I was no longer having much to contribute or receive from the conversation. Just over a year later, I walked into the supermarket and felt completely ambushed when I saw her.... And then saw her turn around only to discover she was about 8 months pregnant. I felt like the last person standing and that out of everyone at that baby shower, I was the last man standing. I attended many more baby showers and first birthday parties (including organising at least one baby shower) while I was working through infertility, and together with my life coach hat - here are 9 things you can do to support yourself at baby showers through infertility. (And I want to let you know that my advice might be a little different from others in this space!). You'll also learn things that can help you before the baby shower and during the baby shower and I'll also discuss some things you might want to permit yourself for.

Join the next round of the Fertility Warrior Intensive When you're trying to conceive and in the throes of infertility, it can feel like a never ending (and seemingly impossible to achieve) list of to-do's. But, I'm here to tell you today, that by focusing one overarching thing, you can get much clearer on what you need to do, rather than follow a bunch of scattered advice without knowing what to prioritise. Inflammation. Visit the full show notes here Join the next round of the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to infant loss and stillbirth. Themes include stillbirth, miscarriage and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. I felt so called to speak with Monica on the podcast. Monica is a dear friend of mine, and was one of the first people I spoke with when the sh*t hit the fan with Rosco's accident when I was looking at throwing in the towel with everything, and what I received was pure love and beautiful support in return. Visit the full show notes here Join my first FREE workshop for 2020 Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

We’d love to invite you to our free Masterclass

How to cope with negative pregnancy tests (and other setbacks), regardless of whether you’ve been trying to conceive for 6 months or 6 years.

Tickets are free, but limited.

Register and get yours at robynbirkin.com/masterclass

Today's podcast episode is brought to you by my Get Pregnant Pronto Pack - a really cool collection of resources including a workshop on how to Get Pregnant Pronto - how to educate, troubleshoot and optimize your fertility if you are trying to get pregnant - you can learn more at robynbirkin.com/getpregnantpronto I first started trying to conceive in 2012 - since that time I've had nearly 300 fertility warriors in my Intensive program, I have a group on Facebook with 580 fertility practitioners from across the globe and had thousands of women join our Facebook Group the Fertility Warriors Support and Chat Group - and there's a few things that I've seen over and over again, whether people are trying to conceive naturally or at a fertility clinic, and even IVF veterans. On the podcast today I share the top 5 mistakes I see fertility warriors making when they're trying to get pregnant and why those things might not be the best for you in the long run. Let me know what you think! Want more? •Follow me @robynbirkin on Instagram for fertility tips, real talk and big-time mindset help when it comes to trying to conceive •Get your copy of the Get Pregnant Pronto Pack •Discover the 3 biggest game changers I had on my journey to get pregnant If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.

Are you trying to conceive and worried about how Coronavirua (COVID-19) will affect your fertility journey? You have every right to be a little concerned - this is a BIG global event, and the truth is that it could have a significant impact on your fertility clinic. We put out the question last night in the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Group, and the biggest concern was for people who were mid-cycle, who may need to self-isolate mid-treatment, or people whose IVF Clinics would postpone treatment mid-cycle (i.e. after they'd already forked out $$$$ on medications etc). Today I got together with some of my friends in the fertility industry to chat about how Coronavirus might affect your fertility journey.

Happiness during Infertility?! I bet some of the people reading and listening today would question whether it is possible to find happiness during infertility at all. I remember what it was like in the early days of my infertility quite vividly. Months of crying on the bathroom floor, having meltdowns to my husband, wondering whether I would ever become a mother and always feeling like so much was being asked of me. So you might be wondering not only how to find happiness during infertility, but moreso WHETHER it is possible, whilst you're trying to conceive, to find happiness. And here is what I want to tell you: You can be going through something really hard and shitty, at the SAME time as having an incredibly happy life. So in today's podcast, we dive into 5 tips to find happiness during infertility and whilst you're trying to conceive, as well as how you might be sabotaging your happiness subconsciously. To find out more about how to get these tests, hit the play button above to listen to the episode, or subscribe to The Fertility Warriors on iTunes, Spotify or your favourite podcast player.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to life after infertility. I will be talking about my kids and my experience with miscarriage. Listener discretion is advised. --- Today's podcast is by popular demand. It's one of the biggest questions I'm asked. People wonder what my life is like these days and what I think they're really asking (and many do) is, "Am I traumatised?" "Has my experience with infertility forever changed me?" "Am I forever scarred?" I say it often-I can remember my experience very vividly-all of the tears, all of the meltdowns, all of the drastic health and wellbeing changes I made. Visit the full show notes here Join the IVF + Infertility Pregnancy + Mamas Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Today on the podcast I want to share some real strategies for coping when all of your friends are falling pregnant and you feel like you no longer have anything in common with them. It's like you're being left behind in life and you're losing the people you were once close with... and kind of feeling a bit ghosted at the same time. Visit the full show notes here Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Today on the podcast I'm talking about a topic that is a little bit woo woo - for best effect definitely listen to this episode. I want to talk about some tips and tricks to help you manifest your baby in 2021 and bring that little person earthside, and in the process talk more about manifestation in general and also what it takes to generally bring success into the world... in ways that we have not been brought up thinking creates success. So if you're tuning into this episode, I'm guessing that 2020 has been a rather shitty year and you've been through.... A lot. You might be feeling a little jaded, a little hopeless and down and as we're about to come into Christmas... dreading the next few days. If that's how you're feeling, I truly feel you and I want to let you know that you're super normal. So let's see if we can shift some of that energy and get things moving for you in the next 7 steps. •Get clear on exactly what it is that you wantI want to become a mother with my own eggs, naturally. Dive in a little deeper into what it is that you want and the feelings and emotions that you're trying to inspire. You want to be a mother. You want to nurture a little person. You want to feel needed. You want a deep connection. If you're fixated on the top level, you aren't fully able to engage with what it is that you're ACTUALLY looking for, and it's important for us to be super clear to the universe about what it is that we want, at all levels. And plot twist: sometimes the universe gives you what you need, rather than what you want, and sometimes there's a bunch of lessons and necessary growth and discomfort on the way. •Release your grip on controlIt's super shitty at times, but unfortunately, whether or not your baby comes into the world, exactly how it comes into the world, and when it comes into the world is out of your control. And one of the biggest ways in which we screw ourselves over is in placing our self-worth and judging our success or failure on whether these things happen. It's one of the core reasons we feel so crappy on our fertility journey. You need to release your grip on controlling those things because maybe your path is slightly different - but if you're completely fixed on minute details and the HOW, rather than just believing it will happen and things will pan out one way or another, you will stay stuck. The things you can control on your journey •Believe itI can hear a bunch of you now thinking to yourself that it's impossible as you've been so hurt in the past, but taking aligned action means that you have to believe it is possible for you. And the statistics ARE in your favour, if you continue and if you get help, and are prepared for things to possibly look a little different. How can you help yourself believe that it's possible for you? There are a few ways to do this - one is to look at infertility success stories, not as signs that everyone around you is falling pregnant and you're not, but signs that it is possible for you too. If we can work through the initial discomfort of actively going out of our way to be around and see other pregnant women and success stories and double lines - but rather the spreading of baby dust our way, and normalising that it IS possible, it makes it so much easier. •Remind yourself of what you're working towardsWhether that's vision boards (or check out my Instagram Reels to see an easy way to create a digital vision board), or a letter to yourself, or regularly conducting a ritual during the new moon - what can you do to remind yourself that you're m...

UUgghhhhhhhh, baby showers. When you're infertile and invited to a baby shower, all of a sudden it feels like a different ball game. A different, awful, longest couple of hours of your life, ball game. And it can be really tempting to try and avoid it altogether. On today's podcast, I'm sharing my very best baby shower tips, both at a practical level and at an emotional level. If you are infertile and invited to a baby shower, you'll receive some next level baby shower tips. First up, I think you should go. You'll need to assess your emotional capacity but where you can, I recommend you do. In the podcast I talk about what to do if you feel you cannot possibly attend, but also WHY your brain is being a bit sneaky on you and why I think you should attend. And then we dive into my tips. Here they are at a glance, but make sure you hit play on this episode and get the full run down on these baby shower tips: •I think you should go •Arrive late and leave early •Have some responses ready •Have a wingman •Go easy on yourself and your diet •Be gracious •Bring along something that will help you feel strong •Soak up that energy as good juju So, what's your best baby shower tip? DM me on Instagram and let me know x

Sometimes life just feels like one shitstorm to another and it can feel hard to come up for air - I get that! So on today's podcast, I'm chatting through some first steps to help you feel like you can come up for air after it just feels like you're at rock bottom. It's a combination of some practical steps (especially the last bit), some mindset shifts and some education/guidance around what you can be aware of in your mind and body when you're feeling like that. If I can share with you one thing though before you listen: it's that... I get it and I've been there, and there's no shame (at all) in getting help or being where you're at. Sending you so so much love.

Today's podcast is all about being a powerful advocate for yourself at the fertility clinic. And... if things aren't going swimmingly, this is my plea, to please be the squeaky wheel.

This is the final lesson in the Infertility Stress Series, this episode will focus on mastery. Tune in to find out more! If you missed #4 go back and listen here: https://robynbirkin.com/infertility-stress-series-4/ Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

The silent fear of almost all fertility warriors: Are you too old to get pregnant? On today's podcast, I talk about •Whether or not you might be too old to have a baby with your own eggs •How we can be more fertile now than we were in our 20's •Some of the alternatives and options you have out there •How to go about making the decision to take the next steps (and what the next steps might be) •The number 1 thing eggs need (and what is responsible for 80% of its depletion) Tune in and let me know what you think.

In today's podcast, I'm sharing with you my experience of sharing our journey with our loved ones and how to tell your friends and family you have infertility. Is there an easy way to do it? Well... yes and no. There's no foolproof way to ensure that everyone will say and do the right thing - they never will, but in today's episode, I'm talking about my recommended approach to announcing your infertility journey, based on the way one of my wonderful friends once announced that her husband had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. You'll have to tune in to the full episode for details, however, I strongly recommend sending an email to your friends and family. It's a great way to ensure that everything you want to say comes out and comes out right. I have a number of resources in my fertility library that can help you with this (including a PDF you can just straight up send), but it also gives you time to process, gives them time to process and generally allows for an easier journey. I remember telling my friends and family well, but today you're also getting to see the insight (and hindsight) of how that worked and perhaps what I'd have done differently if I had my time again. Tune in for details.

When you don't get the answers you're searching for, and have experienced repeat loss, it's really important to have the strength to get second opinions, change specialists and seek further answers. Seriously, if you've had multiple failed results or multiple losses, I urge you to dive deeper into your immune system and seek further testing to rule out whether anything is going on in your body. This week on the podcast I was joined by Ariel Spiegel of Cofertility, a site that aims to provide fertility warriors with qualified and quick answers to all of their TTC questions, as well as a huge IVF grant database. There is so much to be learnt from Ariel's journey and I truly hope you're inspired by her determination to maximise her chances of success, and her confidence in seeking answers.

Anyone who says that their relationship doesn't change during fertility treatments is lying! Some of our relationships take a battering, others come out stronger, but it can take work, and when you're on fertility treatments, things can be a little bit ccrraaaazzzyyyy to say the least. Visit the full show notes here Join the waitlist for the Fertility Warrior Intensive Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Join my Facebook group for Fertility Businesses, Clinics, Bloggers and Influencers Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

Here are your 6 tips on how to support implantation during the 2 week wait (TWW). •Stay calm •Be gentle with yourself •Focus on nourishing foods •Legs up the wall •No spa's •Keep feet warm Bonus tip: To be honest it's the 90 days leading up to it.

Today I'm sharing the story of Rebekah. I first got to know Rebekah when she reached out to me and told me that she needed to try and make a positive out of a negative and finally try to seek out someone in Perth who was in a similar situation, because she felt she wanted some more support on her journey. Visit the full show notes here For our next round of the Fertility Warrior Intensive (doors opening soon)! Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

In the Fertility Warrior Intensive we talk about our thoughts and our brain A LOT, and we have a monthly Q+A and one of the questions that always comes up with warriors who have just started the program is will thinking negative thoughts make them true? I feel like the movie The Secret kind of popularised the concept of visualisation and manifesting - this is me delving into the slightly woo woo side of things. But many fertility warriors come into the program absolutely terrified because they have thoughts like I'm scared that I'll never become a mother What if I never fall pregnant? What if I have a miscarriage? What if there is something wrong with me that hasn't been discovered yet? And what makes them terrified, is that by having these thoughts and fears they'll manifest it into reality. We literally have an entire module dedicated to healthy ways to manage these fears and the program is centered around understanding why our brains have these thoughts, how to master and overcome them, and essentially how to call BS on our brains sometimes, but what I really want to do right now, is reassure you that, I do not believe you can just 'think' something into reality. Your mind thinks. Just the same way as your heart beats. You literally cannot help your brain stop thinking. Even when you're meditating (which is a big myth about meditating - you are not a monk, and at every single second of the day your brain is processing millions of messages and determining which teeny number of those make it into your conscious mind vs your sub conscious mind. So even if you think you aren't thinking, you are) It's also super natural for your brain to recognise fears and think about possible outcomes of future scenarios. If our brains were totally switched off to that, we'd have a huge problem. If you were in the wild and your brain never told you that Hold up - there could be snakes or bears up ahead Or It may not be the wisest move to climb up a steep rock face without a harness Or Yeah sure, keep going to the rocks with the huge waves If we totally switched off to risks and possible future scenarios - we'd have a huge problem. So we can't begrudge our brains for thinking that. The problem is that sometimes they're life or death situations and the problem is that we can end up with these dominant neural pathways that keep us stuck in fight or flight mode and stuck in either the future or the past (i.e. again, what we work through specifically in the Intensive). But here is what they missed in The Secret, or the part of manifesting that you might have heard. Things come true because of aligned action. Not just thoughts. And taking non-fear-based action. It's the action that you take as a result of the thoughts that you have that determines what is manifested or not. So please rest assured today that it's normal to have fears and negative thoughts around your fertility journey and that nope sister, you are not 'thinking things true'.

If you've ever had multiple failed cycles and reached a point where you need to figure out what to do next.... And one of those options is 'should I just quit' then this podcast is for you. I remember well how I felt following our miscarriage. It was following our very first IVF cycle, but it was about our 5th fertility treatment all up and wondering whether I needed to just quit. At the time, I truly didn't know whether I had the emotional energy to continue and didn't know if I had the capacity to cope with another failed cycle. And so I was stuck in this limbo of writing to work out what the next right step for us was. The next right step turned out to be taking a break (although part of it was because my body needed to heal following our miscarriage too) but in today's podcast, I talk about LOTS of questions you might want to ask yourself as you move forward and how you might unravel some of the emotions and thoughts you may be having about what to do next. •Some of the things I talked about in this podcast are: •Why you can never make future decisions based on sunk costs •Why it's ok to pivot (and why sometimes you should) •The two things you need to ask yourself and break down in order to troubleshoot and work out your next steps •What some of the options are if, like me, the reason why you're feeling stuck on what to do next is because of emotional exhaustion I hope you find this episode helpful and please do reach out and let me know if it (or the podcast generally) has helped you in any way.

On this podcast I talk about what my journey to healing looked like and the secret to feeling better.... But it's not always what we think looking from the outside in.... On this podcast I talk about: •The moment I started healing •Why sometimes adding things to the to do list is not always helpful in feeling better •Why exhaustion is one of the hallmarks of not coping •The easier way to feel better and what the secret to that really is. •3 pillars I teach. Links in this podcast: Join The Reset - my signature program Watch my free masterclass

Have you ever felt paralysed by what your next steps are and terrified that you'll make the wrong choice? And... just wanted to know what someone else (who gets it and who understands) would do in your situation? Well, I have! And one of the things I absolutely love is knowing what others would do. If you've had multiple cycles it can feel derailing... and it can feel like not wanting (at all) to repeat Groundhog day. As someone who has now had nearly 1,000 clients navigating infertility, loss and trying to conceive, this is what I'd do if I'd had multiple cycles. In this podcast episode, I share with you: •The red flags to look out for (both for yourself and your fertility specialist) •What to look for in your test results •What I'd do to take stock and check in with myself on where I'm at (the easy activity) I hope this episode helps. While my superpower is in helping you navigate the complex emotions of infertility, loss and trying to conceive, you may also be interested to know that I do have a bundle of resources to help those who are looking for some practical 'get pregnant' next steps - based on the work I've done with so many clients, and the beautiful relationships I also have with other fertility practitioners. It's called the Get Pregnant Pronto Pack and it's currently only $27. Click here to find out more and whether it might be able to help you.

Today's podcast is a topic I feel very strongly about: does keto help you get pregnant, and this post is borne from the comments and posts we receive in the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group. Literally every week I see a post where someone asks for advice on the best diet to help you try to conceive, and the comments advocating the keto diet roll in. I feel very strongly about diet. Many of you don't know, but when I first started in the online world, I was posting recipes and talking about my health. Back in 2011, I actually saw a Naturopath (who I totally did NOT vibe with) who pushed me onto a keto diet. The results were pretty freaking average. I lost a little bit of weight, but following that, despite exercising my guts out and focussing every day on my macronutrients (fat, protein and carbs), my weight plateaued. Every week, I'd feel so disheartened, and in trying to keep my body in ketosis, I'd be eating all of these Atkin's Bars and drinking all of these protein smoothies. My gut instinct told me that it was completely out of alignment with what I knew deep inside was healthy. Visit the full show notes here Join the My Missing Piece Membership Join the Fertility Warriors Support + Chat Facebook group Receive access to my amazing library of free resources and join the mailing list here. Visit my website Like my Facebook page ​ Follow me on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts If you loved this episode please share it with a friend!

One of the moments etched into my mind from my season of trying to conceive was a friend’s birthday party and it was one of many times that I felt sad.. And just deflated by a friend’s pregnancy.

I was still recovering from hyperstimlation and a medical miscarriage and the last thing on earth that I felt like doing was celebrating… and so while everyone else did, I dragged myself along with a big water bottle…. And while they all dressed up… I just wore a black summer dress.

This was my rock bottom season, and yet there she was, absolutely gorgeous and glowing with her four month pregnant belly.

• In this podcast, I talk more about this story and what it felt like for me
• My take on jealousy
• The reframe that helped me feel better.

For more support, mindset help and community - join the Mind Body Fertility Reset here A few years ago I recorded a podcast called how to cope through Christmas when you're trying to conceive. I'm older and wiser (and more compassionate now! But I do remember it had some funny moments, and although there may be some recurrent themes and I'm now producing today an updated version, I thought you may still like to circle back and listen to it. So click here to read/listen to my episode about how to how to survive Christmas when you're trying to conceive. You may also want to circle back to how to create a special Christmas (despite infertility). Christmas, Christmas Parties and Thanksgiving can feel like an especially trying time for anyone who is trying to conceive, right? Together with drinking, family dynamics and the concept of Santa and presents for children, it can understandably be a really tough time when you're navigating infertility. So first up, if that's you, please give yourself some grace. Understand that it's ok for it to feel hard, and it's ok for it to feel messy and that you're allowed to feel hurt and upset by the people you love and in your family when and if they say the wrong thing. In today's episode, I'll share with you some advice, reflection and guidance on how you can navigate the Holiday Season when you're navigating infertility. Hope you enjoy it.

Today I'm sharing with you my seven favourite books for anyone trying to conceive. This is going to be a bit different, because only three of these books are specifically infertility related. So the rest of these could be books that you don't even know about yet! Head to the show notes to see all the book links: https://robynbirkin.com/my-7-favourite-books-for-anyone-trying-to-conceive