IVF Failed You - The "So Now What?" Podcast

Embracing Value in Childlessness: A Journey of Self-Discovery This week I found myself reflecting on the values that truly matter, particularly as someone who has faced the challenges of infertility. In today's episode, I invite you to explore the profound topic of self-value and the treasures that lie within us, often unnoticed.     Discovering Personal Values: Let's take a moment to reflect on w...

Navigating Thanksgiving with Gratitude: A Guide for Women Childless After Infertility Introduction: Hey there, it's Lana Manikowski, and welcome to another episode of The "So Now What?" Podcast. Whether you're tuning in on your way to Thanksgiving festivities or catching this afterward, I've got some tools that are universally helpful, especially for women navigating Thanksgiving without children...

In today's episode, we dive into the intriguing realm of self-perception and self-worth. Lana Manikowski shares her personal journey and powerful insights into reshaping your opinion of yourself. Join us as we explore how you can start to define what makes you amazing, regardless of your fertility journey. Episode Highlights: Lana opens the episode by acknowledging the universal human tendency to...

Episode 104 Introduction :  I'm thrilled to have you with me for another episode of "The So Now What Podcast." Today, I want to talk about something that's been on my mind – those all-too-familiar feelings of helplessness. We're living in a world filled with challenges, and it's easy to find ourselves wishing we could do more to change things. First and foremost, I want to acknowledge your beautif...

Welcome to another episode of The "So Now What?" Podcast. In today's episode, we continue our exploration of achieving your goals through the power of habits. If you missed our last episode (Episode 102), I highly recommend going back and listening to it before diving into this one, as it lays the foundation for what we're discussing today. Recap from Episode 102 In our previous episode, we discus...

Introduction: Welcome to October, dear listeners! If you're tuning in today, it's the early part of this promising month. As we embrace October, we're also mindful of the fact that we're nearing the end of the year. For those who approach life in quarters, this is your last chance to achieve the goals you've set for the year. For many of us, the journey through infertility has added a unique layer...

Key Points: Introduction to Thrive Week: Lana introduces "Thrive Week," her innovative program designed to empower women on their fertility journeys to discover fulfillment and purpose. The Impact of Infertility: Lana opens up about her own challenging seven-year fertility journey that did not lead to biological parenthood. She delves into the emotional toll of infertility, touching on feelings of...

I can't even tell you how good it feels. To say Episode 100 and how connected I feel to this community and to this mission that I have to help women thrive and feel fulfilled without the children they always dreamed that they would have. So when it came to deciding on a topic for my 100th episode, I've got to tell you, I was a little like. Wanting to make sure it was good enough and would be somet...

I am just so overwhelmed with excitement and pride and joy. That I have showed up here 99 times with a podcast episode. Hard to believe that in just a few days it's going to be the two year anniversary of the start of the podcast. So if you have been listening since two years ago in September, or if this is your first episode,    I thank you for helping me continue to grow with the my message, hel...

I put a post on Instagram talking about some things that I was so not expectant of when my fertility journey ended and I didn't end up becoming a mom. I felt like I was really uninformed because I didn't end up becoming a mom and want to talk about today is what are some of the things that we weren't expecting would come after our fertility journey ended and we didn't become a mom? I feel like tha...

This week I will share with you how I prepare myself, even... After all the years of coaching and being a certified life coach, I still prepare myself when I go somewhere that might be potentially triggering.   So let me tell you a little bit about what's in store for me this afternoon. So a colleague of my husband's is having an outdoor party at their home and they invited us to go. It's been on...

We are nearing 100 episodes of the So Now What Podcast. When I tell you that I never could have imagined that my first podcast, where I bravely told my story for the first time, would end up here. Almost two years later coming to you  almost every week with a new episode and the amount of downloads we've had and the connections that I have made with so many of you that started out listening to the...

About six or so months ago, one of my girlfriends that I met in first grade, and we don't keep in touch. Like regularly, but when we do keep in touch, it's like time hasn't passed and she reached out about six months ago to see if I wanted to do a mud run and being the person who comes on this podcast every week and gives you ways that you can become more involved and meet new people and do new th...

 I am so excited to have you here again for another week of the podcast. I just can't tell you how overjoyed I am to know that my story of becoming childless, not by choice and my journey of navigating my path to childlessness has allowed me an opportunity to connect with you every week. I got the most beautiful direct message on Instagram from a new listener of the podcast this week. There's so m...

If you don't know about my journey through IVF, you probably don't know that I started my treatment locally where I live in Chicago. And after I went through IUIs and IVFs without success getting pregnant. I took some time off. I took a break and one of my very closest girlfriends was going to Colorado in seeking treatment at a clinic out there.  At that point, to be quite honest, I wasn't sure I...

This podcast is gonna be coming out on July 4th and in the United States that is Independence Day. And what I really wanna talk about is feeling independent or free through your fertility journey and maybe the years that have followed since. So, in full disclosure, I recorded a different episode yesterday. I had my hair and makeup done. I looked glorious. And then when I went to go edit the podcas...

I wanted to tell you about a resource that I have available that is free for you. Anyone who is looking to love their life again and feel as though they wake up every day feeling connected to who they are and feeling more connected to this new reality of maybe being childless, not by choice or navigating the feelings that come along with realizing that motherhood just might not be in the cards for...

We moved last week and still getting settled in, but the change has been good. We've gotten busy hanging pictures, trying not to have to have everything perfect in the perfect location before putting something on a wall, getting Coco used to new surroundings and new dwellings. She is doing awesome. So really can't complain, and I wanted to really talk this week about Father's Day and thinking abou...

this will be my last week recording the podcast from this condo. If you have been following along with the podcast or at all on social media, we are moving. This is going to be my second move since selling the house that we thought we would bring our babies home to after our fertility treatments and when my fertility treatments ended and I didn't end up becoming a mom. I clung to a lot of things i...

As a woman who is diagnosed as an unexplained infertility patient, and I know if you are a woman who has experienced infertility or is childless not by choice, you may experience close friends or close family that have become moms or have successfully. Gone through fertility treatments and been able to have a child, and you feel super disconnected to those people, and maybe you might feel defeated...

I hope you're having a beautiful week. Things are just plugging away. There's so much good stuff I wanna tell you about this week,  I think I'll start with how exorbitantly appreciative I feel of everybody who has reached out about The Other's Day about how they resonated with the message. People that maybe didn't hear about it before and were just hearing about it for the first time. People who m...

What a weekend it was - this weekend was The Other's Day Brunch on Saturday. - the  Saturday before Mother's Day is our Other's Day celebration every year. And I don't have the words to describe how overjoyed I am by the people that came to Chicago to celebrate. so many people from out of town.    So many people here in Chicago. People that I didn't ever know or meet, but heard about the event and...

So good to have you here again this week for another episode of the podcast. I feel so energized this week for so many reasons, and we're going to talk about all of that this week and all about what it's like to navigate Mother's Day when you are a woman without children,   I first want to think about why it is we think that not having children or not being a mom affects us.  What do we make it me...