AllPaths Podcast

This episode features Emma Berens, the Federal Government Affairs Manager for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) who brings a unique perspective to her work as an IVF baby herself. Growing up in Massachusetts, Emma and her sister were born through IVF after their mother, Patrice, navigated unexplained infertility with the help of the state’s historic insurance coverage mandate....

In this first episode of 2026, we talk with Vermont State Representative Ashley Bartley, 2025 AllPaths Advocacy Award winner , about her intertwined journey of family building and political service. Ashley, a fourth-generation Vermonter, recounts her personal experience with pregnancy loss and how the desire to grow her family eventually led her to seek public office, in fact making the decision t...

This episode serves as a comprehensive guide to demystifying the advocacy process for those who want to support family-building issues, but are nervous or don’t know where to start. Hosts Kate and Emily share their own early anxieties about testifying and understanding policy to reassure listeners that even seasoned advocates started with the same fears. They emphasize that you do not need to be a...

In this episode of the AllPaths podcast, hosts Kate and Emily sit down with Maya and Jen, the founders of EM•POWER with Moxi , to explore their experiences with embryo donation. Maya, a psychotherapist and creator of the documentary One More Shot , shares her four-and-a-half-year struggle with infertility that, after multiple unsuccessful rounds of IVF and egg donation, culminated with the birth o...

This episode features Karalyn Connolly, a longtime New Englander, parent of three, and professional in the fertility space. Over the course of the conversation, Karalyn recounts the unexpected challenge of facing unexplained secondary infertility after her first pregnancy was achieved easily. She describes the process as scary and isolating, leading to feelings of self-blame, immense pressure, and...

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Natalie Crawford, a board-certified OB/GYN and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) specialist who practices in Austin, Texas, and who many will recognize as being one of the most well-known fertility doctors on social media. She has been active on social media for over a decade, hosting the As a Woman podcast and maintaining a YouTube channel, alongside...

In this episode we welcome Carrie Van Steen, a parent through IVF and professional in the fertility field. Carrie details her personal family building journey, which began more than two decades ago and was not the straightforward path she had always envisioned. After initial testing failed to find issues, Carrie’s gut instinct prompted her to push for more comprehensive testing, revealing that she...

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Fallon Durant, a Laboratory Supervisor in the embryology lab at Boston IVF. Dr. Durant shares the seven-year journey that she and her husband endured while trying to grow their family, a path marked by recurrent pregnancy losses. As a scientist with a PhD and a subspecialty in Molecular Cell Biology and Development, she found herself becoming her own case study a...

This episode features a conversation with Rachel Wilson, a therapist, yoga and meditation instructor, coach, and most recently, a postpartum doula and intended parent support coach. Rachel shares the difficult journey she and her husband undertook to welcome their son, Remiel, the "archangel of hope." After struggling with disappointment for a year, and facing financial limitations that closed the...

In this episode we welcome Kristin Dillensnyder to discuss her family building journey and her subsequent work in the fertility space. Kristin, a former military spouse now living in South Carolina, navigated the complicated, messy, and lonely process of IVF and infertility while living in a new city (Montgomery, Alabama) where social supports were scarce. She pursued several IUIs without success...

This episode features Kerri Bicskei, an active duty military spouse, psychotherapist, and founder of the nonprofit organization Mindful Warrior Alliance. Kerri shares her ongoing family building journey, taking both holistic and Western medical approaches before being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, later complicated by endometriosis. Kerri and her husband ultimately decided to travel out...

In our latest episode, we welcome Maria and Elizabeth, the co-founders and co-directors of The ART of Infertility, to share their personal experiences with infertility and their collaborative advocacy work. Though their individual family building journeys took different paths, both Elizabeth and Maria emphasize the importance of the supportive communities they found as they navigated infertility d...

In this episode, we speak with Becca Levin Nayak, an attorney specializing in adoption and assisted reproduction in Pennsylvania. Becca shares her own family building journey, begun with her ex-wife, where the couple navigated donor conception. The process of choosing a sperm donor was overwhelming, which Becca likened to selecting a partner on a dating app. Despite the challenges, Becca's first a...

On this episode, we welcome Courtney, a current PhD student at the Fletcher School of Tufts whose research focuses on the intersections of conflict, reproductive health, and humanitarian programming, to talk about her ongoing reproductive health journey. Her long medical path, which began with life-threatening blood clots (DVT and pulmonary embolism) at age 17, leading to a diagnosis of Factor 2 a...

Today’s episode features Marea Goodman, a licensed midwife, parent, co-author of the book Baby Making for Everybody , and founder of PregnantTogether , a virtual community supporting queer and solo parents from preconception through parenting. Marea’s family grew through a non-traditional and "growthful" journey that involved co-parenting, a romantic relationship developing unexpectedly, the use o...

This week we’re celebrating the 50th episode of the AllPaths Podcast. For this milestone, we welcome special guest, friend, colleague, and AllPaths board member, Elizabeth Carr. Known worldwide as the first IVF baby born in the United States, Elizabeth shares the incredibly pioneering journey of her parents, Judy and Roger. Massachusetts residents who had to travel back and forth to Norfolk, Virgi...

This episode features longtime member of the AllPaths community Colleen, who shares her journey through the emotional devastation of recurrent pregnancy loss and IVF. After five losses and two unsuccessful IVF cycles, Colleen and her husband decided to take a much-needed break, but in a shocking turn of events, discovered she was pregnant the day after the sudden death of her father. Despite her h...

On this episode of the AllPaths podcast, we welcome Maggie Stryker, a former AllPaths group attendee and current volunteer to share her journey. Maggie and her partner began trying for a family in 2022, navigating a history of endometriosis while simultaneously undergoing multiple foot surgeries and recoveries. After eight or nine months of unsuccessful attempts, and facing physical and emotional...

In this episode, we are joined by Kristen Darcy, a long-time professional in the fertility industry, shares her personal family-building journey, which she describes as "months tricked into years" before she transitioned "out of the bedroom into...surgery and procedures." She recounts questionable diagnoses and fertility treatment, experiencing an ectopic pregnancy requiring emergency surgery, a c...

In this episode, we talk with Mirna Nova, founder of Fertility Inspired , about her 12-year-long journey to parenthood. Mirna opens up about her early diagnosis of PCOS, which she knew would make conceiving challenging, the physical toll of undergoing various treatments including Clomid, IUI, and multiple rounds of IVF, and the profound emotional impact of her journey. After over a decade Myrna's...

This episode of the AllPaths podcast features Olivia King, a Rhode Island-based singer-songwriter who, through sharing her fertility struggles on social media, has found purpose in helping others feel less alone as they navigate their own journeys.  Olivia and her husband married with the immediate intention of starting a family. However, after trying unsuccessfully on their own and an unexpl...

In this episode of the AllPaths Podcast, we speak with Trystan Reese, a father of three, advocate, educator, and an "all-around nerd" when it comes to transgender fertility and family building. Trystan shares his personal and professional journey, starting with his experience growing up in a conservative town as a transgender man without the language to understand his identity, leading him to init...

This episode of the AllPaths podcast features a conversation with Alexis Eyler, the Executive Director of On Your Feet Foundation , a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting birth parents post-placement. On Your Feet Foundation, founded in 2001, addresses the historical lack of post-placement services for birth parents, recognizing that open adoption, considered best practice since the 90s,...

This episode of the podcast features Heather Smidt, owner of Wander Well Acupuncture in Lexington, MA and longtime AllPaths community member. Heather shares her family building journey, which included a late diagnosis of endometriosis, multiple losses, and the joy of her "rainbow baby" son, conceived during acupuncture school. She candidly shares the struggles of self-advocacy and feeling unheard...

In this episode, we chat with Valerie Imparato, a lawyer and artist originally from Haiti, currently living in Somerville, Massachusetts. Valerie shares her often complicated journey to parenthood. She recounts her initial easy conception followed by a miscarriage in Italy during Covid, and the subsequent "excruciating" nine months of trying before conceiving her daughter unexpectedly during a vac...