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Should you take a break, or keep pushing through? Your last IVF cycle didn't work, so you jump into another one. It might feel like you’re making good use of your time, because time is running out. But here’s why pushing through may be doing more damage than you think. In this episode: Short fuse, snapping at everyone and can’t hold it together like you used to? Here's why.Why you don’t need to stop IVF to quit running on emptyHow the stress you push through now can follow you into pregnancy and motherhood (it did for me)What it takes to hear a pregnancy announcement without spiralling, and pick yourself back up after a failed cycleThe one simple thing you can do today that will make the biggest difference to your stress spiral long term Links mentioned in this episode: 👉Join the waitlist for She is... Ready to get $100 off and a personal invite when doors open The book by Emily and Amelia Nagoski is Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, which explains the stress cycle beautifully. Other links and resources: Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

You're a type A with an active mind who is stressed out, and you're told to "just meditate". So you sit there and try to clear your mind, but the volume on your thoughts gets turned up. All of a sudden your nose is itchy, you can't remember if you paid the last invoice from your fertility clinic, and you feel more agitated than when you sat down. It's not that you're bad at meditating. Turns out there's a really good reason for that. In this episode: Why your brain gets louder the second you close your eyes to meditateWhy sitting still could be making your IVF stress worseWhy can’t you even meditate properly, and does it mean anything about your ability to get pregnant?The type of woman meditation was never built for (and how to tell if it’s you)What actually calms you down when sitting still makes you want to crawl out of your skin Links and resources: Email me at [email protected] Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Ever Googled one question and resurfaced 40 minutes later with 12 new things to worry about? Googling feels like you're doing something useful with all that anxious energy. It's also one of the sneakiest mistakes we make trying to reduce our IVF stress. Instead of helping you calm down, it keeps you stuck in the exact cycle you're trying to escape. In this episode: Why you come out of every Google session more anxious than when you went inWhy your body treats every unanswered question like a threat to stay on alert forThe real reason you can't stop searching even when you know it's making things worse, and why there's nothing wrong with you for doing itThe one thing to do before you open that search bar, so the worry can finally switch off Links mentioned in this episode: Episode 12: How to support a loved one navigating IVF or infertility (practical tips + suggestions from an expert) Email me [email protected] Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Ever been told "just be positive" and wanted to throw your phone across the room? "Just be positive" might be the most well-meaning, infuriating advice in IVF. It's also doing more damage to your stress levels than your negative thoughts ever could. And your nervous system can tell you exactly why. In this episode: The 9:47am fertilisation-call moment that shows why "just be positive" makes things worseThe second job you take on every time you fake it, and what it costs your bodyThe grieving dolphin who taught us what someone in pain actually needs insteadThe 80/20 nerve fact that explains why you can't think your way calmWhy the part of your brain doing the "positive thinking" has already clocked off for the day Links mentioned in this episode: Want to work with me? Email me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @msjenniferrobertson. New to the Infertility Stress Series? Start with Episode 14, then come back to this one. Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

The main reaction you experience when it comes to IVF is stress. Because let's face it, IVF is stressful. And as you know, stress affects your fertility. Welcome to part one of a five-part series, The Infertility Stress Series. Over the next four episodes I'm breaking down the biggest mistakes we make when it comes to reducing stress, including the things you're doing right now that don't just fail to help, they might actually be keeping you stuck. Each episode reveals a different one. But first, we need to start here, with what's actually happening in your brain and body when stress takes over.In this episode: Why fear, anxiety, worry and stress aren't actually the same thing, and why knowing the difference mattersThe two-part nervous system that's running the show without you even realising itWhat your amygdala does the second your phone rings and your clinic's name pops upWhy you can't "think" your way calm in that moment, and the science behind whyThe pattern that separates a healthy stress response from the one keeping you stuck in IVF, and why understanding it means you can stop punishing yourself for not feeling calmer Links mentioned in this episode: Email me at [email protected] or send me a message on Instagram @msjenniferrobertson if you'd like to learn more about working together. Other links and resources: ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Do you flinch every time your birthday rolls around because it feels like one more year without a baby in your arms? For seven years, I dreaded my birthday - it didn't feel like a celebration, it felt like a countdown. This week in honor of my 50th Birthday, I'm getting honest about every fear I had about being an "older mum" and why most of it turned out to be noise. In this episode: The age I started trying to conceive, and why the world had already convinced me it was too lateThe 10 things I actually love about becoming a mum later in lifeThe study that suggests older mums might live longer, not shorterWhat I know now that I wish someone had told me back then Other links and resources: Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠⁠ 1:1 coaching⁠

If you find it hard to explain what Infertility and IVF feels like, and struggle to get the support you really need from your friends and family, this episode is for you. Actually, it's for your loved ones. So share it with them, because I explain: Why the grief your loved one is carrying is real grief, not an overreaction, and the one sentence that explains itThe phrase to say instead of "just relax" or "stay positive" (and why those two lines land so badly)What not to say when she tells you this cycle might not workWhy baby showers can feel like a war zone for her right now, and how to support her without pressure or judgementThe one question to ask instead of "any updates?" that she'll actually want to answer Links mentioned in this episode:Follow me on Instagram at msjenniferrobertson. Check out my book, The Injustice of Infertility. Email [email protected] to ask about support for your loved one. Other links and resources: Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Do you have a rocky relationship with hope? Does even hearing the word make you want to roll your eyes? The longer you're trying to conceive, the harder hope gets to hold onto, and everyone telling you to "just have hope" isn't helping. In this episode I'm busting four myths we believe about hope, so you can walk away feeling a little more hopeful for real reasons, not because you chanted an affirmation in the mirror. In this episode: Why hope isn't actually a warm fuzzy feeling (and what the research says it really is)The flawed logic behind blaming a failed cycle on "not having enough hope"The one big difference between hope and optimism that changes everythingWhy doing IVF at all means you already have more hope than you thinkThe real reason it hurts more when a cycle fails, and it's not because you let yourself hope Links mentioned in this episode: Want support putting this into practice? Book a free 30-minute call with me Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

If you've just decided to do IVF and are feeling equal parts terrified, hopeful, overwhelmed, relieved and disappointed all at the same time... this episode is for you. You don't want to do IVF, yet, here you are. It's a choice, but it's not really. And very few people understand how confusing this feels. But I do. So I'm sharing a love letter I wrote for the woman who has just made the decision to do IVF. This is everything I wish I had been told going into it. By the end of this you're going to feel seen. Normal. Understood. Relieved. Links mentioned in this episode: Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Join the waitlist for She is... Ready: an online program to keep you calm and grounded through IVF's hardest moments⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Do you ever lie awake at 3am running through every worst case scenario your brain can invent, then wake up exhausted from a disaster that hasn't even happened? If your brain jumps straight from "what if this monitoring scan shows no follicles" to planning how you'll break the news to everyone you know and get through another cycle, this episode is for you. I'm sharing the single best piece of advice I've ever heard for handling anxiety. In this episode: Why your brain turns into an anxiety machine the second you start IVF, even if you've never struggled with anxiety beforeThe mindset reframe that will forever change the way you look at worst case scenarios for good, so you can finally stop bracing for impactThe one thing you're doing that is making this harder than it needs to be, and how you can stopA mantra you can use the next time you spiral, so you put down the worry Links mentioned in this episode:Doors to She is... Ready are open now and close on 30 August. Become your most emotionally resilience self. www.jenniferrobertson.co/she-is-ready Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠⁠Join the waitlist for She is... Ready: an online program to keep you calm and grounded through IVF's hardest moments⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Are you googling pregnancy symptoms at 3am? The two week wait is its own special kind of torture. Every twinge sends you into a spiral. This episode is your survival guide for getting from transfer to testing without losing your mind. In this episode: Why your body becomes a puzzle you're desperate to solve, and why that never actually worksThe real reason uncertainty feels unbearable, and it's not what you thinkMy non-negotiable boundaries around googling, testing and checking the trash can (yes, really)How to build a plan before the wait starts, so you're not making decisions from panicWhy aiming for neutral, not positive, might be the kindest thing you do for yourself Links mentioned in this episode:➡️➡️ Secure your spot for my free training session to help you become emotionally resilient through IVF's uncertainty. Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠⁠Join the waitlist for She is... Ready: an online program to keep you calm and grounded through IVF's hardest moments⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Have you ever stared at a baby shower invite with a pit of dread sitting in your stomach, said yes when every part of you screamed no, then spent the whole party in the bathroom holding it together? This episode is a spicy one and I'm not sorry. I'm giving you full permission to skip the baby shower, and I'm showing you exactly how to decline without the guilt eating you alive. In this episode: The six beliefs keeping you trapped in "Ihave to go anyway" and why every single one of them is wrongWhy what you've been calling guilt this wholetime isn't actually guilt at all   The exact wording to use so you can decline in away that feels honest, not harshWhat a good friend really looks like when you'rethe one struggling Why pushing through isn't strength, and what todo instead Links mentioned in this episode: ➡️ FREE TRAINING SESSION to stop second guessing every IVF decision: CLICK HERE TO SECURE YOUR SPOT ⬅️ Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠⁠Join the waitlist for She is... Ready: an online program to keep you calm and grounded through IVF's hardest moments⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠

When was the last time you thought about something that wasn't about IVF or your fertility? If you're struggling to remember, this episode is a must listen. Somewhere along the way, without you even realising it, IVF stops being part of your life and becomes your whole life. Your relationship, your friendships, your job, the things you used to love, they all get swallowed up by one goal... to have a baby. So if you've been consumed by IVF, in this episode I break down exactly how it happens and what you can do about it, including: The "fertility consumption life cycle" and why every part of your life eventually ends up being driven by your desire to have a baby.Why chasing a goal you can't control is quietly wearing you down, and the shift that changes everythingHow you can stop feeling resentful of all the changes you're making to have a baby, and feel more motivated to do themThe exact boundaries you can set to create fertility-free zones in your relationship, friendships and nighttime routineHow to stop your IVF admin from bleeding into every part of your day Link's mentioned in this episode: Secure your spot for my free training and STOP IVF from ruling your life Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠Join the waitlist for She is... Ready: an online program to keep you calm and grounded through IVF's hardest moments⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠

There's a hard way through IVF, and there's a path of least resistance. How to do IVF in a way that doesn't break you. If you're pushing through, researching at 3am, and adding more to your plate every time a result doesn't go your way, this one's for you. Here are three things I'd do differently if I was starting IVF again, and I'd put money on the fact you're doing the exact opposite of all of them. In this episode: Why support isn't a luxury add-on, it's part of the treatment (and belongs in the same budget column as your supplements)The coping mechanisms that feel productive but are secretly keeping you stuck in stressThe sneaky pattern I call "doing more" and why it might be working against youThe difference between frantic and intentional IVF prepThe 80/20 principle that matters more than any perfect protocol Links mentioned in this episode: The Consistency Code framework - https://www.jenniferrobertson.co/ready-set-ivf-the-consistency-code Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠⁠Join the waitlist for She is... Ready: an online program to keep you calm and grounded through IVF's hardest moments⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠

Have you ever told someone you're doing IVF, and their response is "that's so exciting!". It's enough to make you want to scream! In this episode I'm breaking down exactly why we feel different from our friends and family (and no, it's not because there is something wrong with you), plus I'm sharing some scripts you can use to respond. In this episode: Why hope and excitement is easy for everyone else to feel, but difficult for you. The bus driver metaphor that will change how you see your friends' "enthusiasm" foreverThe truth about why you feel numb or disconnected going into a cycle. The permission slip you may need to stop matching everyone else's excitement. My favourite comeback lines for when someone gushes about how exciting your IVF journey is Links mentioned in this episode: Join the waitlist for She is... Ready and get $100 off plus priority access when doors open. https://www.jenniferrobertson.co/waitlist-she-is-ready Other links and resources: ⁠Click here to follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Download our free IVF-Prep checklist and get IVF-ready without the overwhelm⁠ ⁠1:1 coaching⁠