Advertise on podcast: Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

What happens when two guys meet, talk for eight hours straight on their first night together, fall in love, and decide to build the family they've always dreamed of? Well, it's quite the story. And this week, Ali is getting all of it. Ali is joined by George and Mike, husbands, dads, and the founders of Families Out Loud, a nonprofit family-building community and traveling conference dedicated to making the path to parenthood through assisted reproduction safer, more understood, and a whole lot less lonely. And not just for LGBTQ+ families, but for every family, and every route to parenthood. George and Mike take us all the way back to the beginning: their instant connection, their shared dreams of becoming dads, and the twists, turns, decisions, and emotions that came with making those dreams a reality. We get into ALL of it, including: How they knew they wanted to become parentsNavigating the world of egg donation and choosing their donorFinding the right surrogate to help grow their familyTheir decision to do a double embryo transferThe emotional roller coaster of pregnancy and parenthood through surrogacyTheir experience inside the NICUHow their personal journey inspired them to create Families Out LoudWhy education, advocacy, and community are so critical for ALL intended parents This convo is equal parts funny, emotional, eye-opening, and inspiring. George and Mike are incredibly candid about what it took to become dads, what they learned along the way, and why they're now so passionate about helping other families navigate their own journeys. Because there is no one-size-fits-all way to make a family. And every single one of those stories deserves to be told, celebrated, and supported. Learn more about Families Out Loud: familiesoutloud.org IG: @families_out_loud EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “Petri Dish Princess," tells the incredibly cool origin story of Elizabeth Carr, the first IVF baby in the United States. GENERATIONS CRYOVAULT Your Tissues. Your Choice. Whether you're storing embryos, eggs, or sperm, choosing where to keep your precious reproductive materials is a BIG decision. Generations CryoVault understands just how much hope, love, and possibility is behind every single one, and they're committed to providing secure, reliable storage with the care and compassion families deserve. Because your embryos aren't just another number. They're a piece of your story, your future, and potentially your family. https://gencryo.com IG: @generationscryovault PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when becoming an egg donor changes the entire trajectory of your life? This week on Infertile AF, Ali is joined by Katy Encalade, President and CEO of Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions, who has spent nearly 20 years helping more than 2,000 intended parents grow their families through egg donation and surrogacy. But Katy's connection to this work is deeply personal. Before she ever had children of her own, she became an egg donor, an experience that would ultimately shape her career and her entire life. She later became a mom of three and a surrogate. Katy shares why she would have been a surrogate five more times if she could have, how her personal experiences have influenced her professional mission, and why she's so passionate about raising ethical standards in the fertility industry. She also talks about FAQs when it comes to egg donation and surrogacy, and why asking the hard questions matters now more than ever. For more, go to https://createahappyfamily.com/ IG: @createahappyfamily EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “Petri Dish Princess," tells the incredibly cool origin story of Elizabeth Carr, the first IVF baby in the United States. EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on Infertile AF, Ali sits down with Jarret Zafran, Founder and Executive Director of Brownstone Surrogacy, whose path into the surrogacy world started not as an agency owner, but as an intended parent himself. Jarret shares his personal journey to fatherhood through surrogacy and how experiencing the process firsthand ultimately inspired him to create Brownstone Surrogacy. He talks about meeting his husband, what it feels like to be an intended parent, the highs, the uncertainty and the enormous amount of trust involved, and how those experiences shaped the kind of agency he wanted to build. Ali and Jarret get into what intended parents should know before pursuing surrogacy, how the donor and surrogacy process really works, the importance of the relationship between intended parents and surrogates, and why having been on the other side of the process influences the way Jarret approaches his work today. For more, go to www.brownstonesurrogacy.com EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this special Listen Again episode of Infertile AF, Ali revisits her conversation with Savannah Bisby, the voice behind @infertilityfriends, whose journey to motherhood has included endometriosis, five IUIs, pregnancy loss, and years of navigating infertility. When Savannah first joined Ali, she was still very much in the middle of her story, sharing openly about the physical and emotional toll of infertility, loss, treatment, and the uncertainty of not knowing how—or when—her family-building journey would end. Now, there’s an incredible update: Savannah is pregnant. With that joyful news finally out in the world, Ali is bringing back their original conversation as a reminder of everything Savannah endured to get here—and of just how much can happen between one chapter of an infertility story and the next. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt stuck in the middle, wondered how much longer they could keep going, or needed a reminder that while no one can predict how an infertility journey will unfold, there can still be hope ahead. EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s episode is a really special one because we’re taking you behind the scenes of Petri Dish Princess—the newest book in Ali's Work of ART children’s book series—and Ali is joined by the actual Petri Dish Princess herself, Elizabeth Carr. Elizabeth was the first baby born through IVF in the United States, and for more than four decades, her story has been told in headlines, history books and news clips. But we wanted to tell it in a completely different way: for kids. In this episode, Elizabeth and Ali talk about how this book came to be, what it was like turning her very real—and very historic—story into a children’s book, some of the behind-the-scenes moments that made them laugh, and why they both believe so strongly that IVF kids deserve to see stories like theirs celebrated on the page. They also talk about what we hope Petri Dish Princess can do beyond the bookshelf—start conversations, educate families, celebrate science, and remind kids everywhere that there are so many incredible ways to make a family. And before we get into it, we want to thank the amazing sponsors who believed in this project and helped us bring Petri Dish Princess into the world: Brownstone Surrogacy, Donor Solution, 3 Sisters Surrogacy, IVF Babble, Generations CryoVault, Paladien, Egg Donor and Surrogate Solutions, Fertile Feet, Rooted Fertility Co., and A Perfect Match. We are so grateful to every one of you for believing in this book and in our mission. To get your personalized, signed (by Ali and Elizabeth) and numbered copy of Petri Dish Princess, go to www.infertileafgroup.com EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s episode features the women behind SHOW ME THE LINE, a new documentary following the lives of four women in the aftermath of the 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision granting personhood status to embryos. When the Alabama ruling disrupts access to IVF, acclaimed journalist and visual artist Abbey Crain has already been in fertility treatment for over 5 years. Overnight, her dreams of motherhood
— and her embryos— are out of reach. But Crain refuses to surrender her creative power. With a pen and paintbrush, she embarks on a journey to honor fellow patients. Driven to celebrate portraits of everyday people and amplify their unheard stories of joy, anguish, beauty, and determination - Crain connects with a group of remarkable women. Together, they cultivate hope from the unsettled landscape that overlooked them. On today’s episode, Crain is joined by Director Kelsey Ianuzzi and Producer Stacey Davis. Show Me The Line will screen as part of the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday, August 29 at 5pm and 7pm. Show Me The Line will also screen at the 37th Annual New Orleans Film Festival in October. More information on all screenings can be found at showmetheline.com If you are interested in bringing a screening to your community, please contact Stacey Davis ([email protected]) Follow: www.showmetheline.com IG: @showmethelinefilm EPISODE SPONSORS: EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s guest is Yesenia Lemus, a three-time surrogate and the Director of Surrogate Services at Brownstone Surrogacy. Yesenia’s surrogacy story actually started on the sidelines of her kid’s swim team, when she met another mom who was pregnant as a surrogate and thought, Wait—I could do that. Her first journey happened during COVID, when she carried twins for intended parents in California. She talks about the bond she formed with them, how she explained surrogacy to her own kids, and why she sees it as such a powerful act of generosity. She and Ali also get into the highs and lows of her journeys—including an embryo that didn’t survive the thaw—and why the entire experience has been so empowering for her. Yesenia also shares why she found the entire process so empowering—and how she went from surrogate to making this work her career. For more, go to www.brownstonesurrogacy.com IG: @brownstonesurrogacy EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today's episode is a Listen Again favorite, and we couldn't think of a better one to bring back because Keri Croft is an absolute badass. Keri is an infertility, pregnancy loss, and surrogacy advocate whose path to parenthood spanned an incredible 16 years. Her story includes multiple miscarriages, IVF, a balanced translocation diagnosis, the heartbreaking decision to undergo a termination for medical reasons after learning her daughter Angel was missing part of her cerebellum, and the devastating losses of two more daughters, Hope and Jade. Keri shares how infertility tested every part of her life and marriage, what ultimately led her and her husband to pursue surrogacy, and why she chose to navigate the process independently. That experience inspired her to create Find Your Dream Surrogate, a workshop designed to give intended parents the roadmap she wishes she'd had. Follow: www.kericroft.com IG: @thekericroftshow EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ali's guest today is Jess Mayhugh, a writer and editor who spent nearly a decade trying to have a baby before the arrival of her son, Cole. Jess's journey includes multiple miscarriages, rounds of IVF, several reproductive surgeries, and the unimaginable heartbreak of losing her newborn daughter, Lucy. On this episode, Jess opens up about navigating it all. It's a story of profound loss, incredible resilience, and massive love. Jess co-founded a newsletter called Folly, which includes personal essays, expert interviews, and service journalism around family building. IG: @jessmayhugh @followfolly EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

You might know today’s guest, Alease the Embryologist, from social media, where she somehow manages to educate, empower and entertain while breaking down what’s actually happening behind those mysterious IVF lab doors. Alease is incredibly smart and refreshingly real, and today, Ali and Alease get into ALL of it—including her own decision to freeze her eggs while happily married, because she’s still on the fence about building a family, and why she chose to freeze eggs instead of embryos with her husband. Alease also takes us behind the scenes of the embryology lab, sharing a day in the life, and also what it was like to perform egg retrievals on patients and then become the last retrieval of the day herself. She also answers some of her patients—and your—most burning questions: What exactly is a mosaic embryo? What happens in the lab that we never get to see? And should you actually be genetically testing your embryos? IG: alease_the_embryologist EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for Petri Dish Princess, book #4, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. CARAWAY Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful. Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, Ali sits down with Kate Ryan, founder of Story of Us, for a heartfelt conversation about infertility, resilience, and redefining what family can look like. Kate shares her deeply personal path to parenthood, beginning with IUI, moving through IVF, and ultimately building her family through donor conception. She opens up about the emotional highs and lows of treatment, the unexpected twists along the way, and what it took to embrace a future that looked different than the one she originally imagined. Kate also talks about why she founded The Story of Us, a platform dedicated to helping families navigate conversations around donor conception with honesty, openness, and love. Together, she and Ali discuss the power of storytelling, the importance of representation, and why sharing our experiences can make others feel less alone. For more, go to www.storyofus.love IG: @thestoryofkateryan EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)! The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. Stay tuned for book #4, Petri Dish Princess, coming this fall! EXTEND FERTILITY Extend Fertility is a leading fertility clinic helping people take control of their reproductive futures through egg freezing, embryo freezing, IVF, and more. With a focus on making fertility care more accessible, empowering, and personalized, Extend combines cutting-edge science with compassionate care to help patients understand their options and make informed decisions about if, when, and how they want to build a family. For more, go to extendfertility.com PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. CARAWAY Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful. Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

With soccer on everyone’s mind right now, this felt like the perfect time to bring back one of our most unforgettable episodes. This week on Infertile AF, we’re re-sharing Ali’s powerful conversation with soccer legend Carli Lloyd. Carli is a former pro soccer star, two-time World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the fiercest competitors to ever play the game. And in this episode — which originally aired two years ago — she opens up about something far more personal: her long and difficult infertility journey. Carli shares what happened when she and her husband, Brian — her high school sweetheart — started trying to grow their family after her retirement and quickly realized it wasn’t going to be simple. She talks about spending years focused on her career, why she didn’t want to have kids while she was still playing professionally, and what it was like to learn, at 39, that getting pregnant was going to be much harder than she expected. Ali and Carli get into the IVF process, from being told IVF was their best option to going through egg retrievals, a failed first transfer, the emotional toll of it all, and the mental break they needed before trying again. Carli also shares what it felt like to finally get the news she was pregnant — and why this experience challenged her in ways even elite sports never had. If you missed this one the first time around — or if you’re ready for a listen again — it’s a good one. EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)! The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. CARAWAY Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful. Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today's guest is Danielle Melfi, the CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. Danielle brings such a unique perspective because she's not only leading the nation's largest infertility advocacy organization—she's also been a fertility patient herself. In this episode, she opens up about her own egg-freezing journey and how that experience continues to shape the way she advocates for millions of people navigating family building today. Ali and Danielle talk about what RESOLVE is working on right now, why fertility treatment is still financially out of reach for so many people, and the real work being done to expand insurance coverage and improve access across the country. They also get into what's happening in workplaces, why fertility benefits matter more than ever, and how employers can better support people going through treatment. Danielle shares practical ways every single one of us can become advocates—whether you're in treatment now, you're building your family another way, or you simply want to help make fertility care more accessible for the next generation. Danielle also reminds us throughout this episode is that you are never alone—and together, our voices really can create change. For more, go to www.resolve.org EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)! The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. CARAWAY Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful. Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s episode is a really special one because Ali is sitting down with three of her favorite people in the world: Helen, Aaron, and Blake—the real-life family behind her “Work of ART” children's book, Beautiful Bird. If you’ve read the book, then you already know a little bit about Jack Bird, the incredible boy at the center of the story. And today, you’re going to hear the real origin story. This is a conversation about love, friendship, family building, and creating a family that looks different than what many of us grew up seeing—but is every bit as beautiful. Helen always knew she wanted to be a mom, and as a solo mom by choice, she embarked on a journey to build her family with the help of her dear friend Aaron. At the time, Aaron was building a life with his partner, Blake, and together, the three of them created a beautiful, intentional village around Jack from the very beginning. Ali, Helen, Blake and Aaron talk about fertility treatments, donor conception, LGBTQ+ family building, and what it means to redefine family in a way that puts love, honesty, and a child's well-being first. They also talk about one of the most difficult chapters of their journey: Jack's unexpected 33-day stay in the NICU after he was born, and how that experience shaped all of them as parents and as a family. Most of all, this is a story about showing up for one another. It's about friendship becoming family, about creating your own blueprint, and about the many different ways people can build a loving home. Snag a copy of Beautiful Bird for just $15 here: https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)! The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. CARAWAY Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful. Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode, we're talking about something that affects millions of fertility patients—but that almost nobody talks about until the bill shows up: reproductive tissue storage.If you have embryos, eggs, or sperm in storage, you know the drill. Every year, another invoice arrives. Maybe it's $600. Maybe it's $800. Maybe it's over $1,000. Most people just pay it because they assume that's the cost. But what if it isn't? Ali’s guest today is Charlie Boyer, CEO and Co-Founder of Generations CryoVault, and he's on a mission to shake up an industry that he believes has gotten way too comfortable charging fertility patients more and more for storage. Charlie's background is actually in financial services and cord blood storage, but after taking a closer look at reproductive tissue storage, he started asking some uncomfortable questions: Why are prices so high? Why don't patients know they have options? And why are so many clinics owned by private equity firms without patients even realizing it? In this conversation, Ali and Charlie talk about transparency, private equity, patient choice, and Generation CryoVault’s new Pricing Promise, which aims to dramatically lower the cost of long-term embryo, egg, and sperm storage. They also discuss whoownsyourcare.org, how to find out who actually stores your tissue, and what questions every fertility patient should be asking their clinic. Whether you have embryos in storage right now, you're considering fertility treatment, or you're just curious about where all those fertility dollars are going, this is a fascinating conversation about an often-overlooked part of the family-building journey. For more info, go to https://gencryo.com/ IG: @generationscryovault EPISODE SPONSORS:  THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology  https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)! The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them. PHERDAL IG: @pherdal_science PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com. Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off. CARAWAY Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful. Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy