Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

Today, Ali is talking to Emily Westerfield — a surrogate to nine babies and mom of three — who has carried a total of twelve healthy pregnancies… six boys and six girls. Emily has delivered nine babies through surrogacy, helping other families grow in the most extraordinary way. But as you’ll hear, this journey has not come without high highs, low lows, and everything in between. Ali and Emily talk about the happiest parts — including when she decided that becoming a surrogate was her calling, as well as the hardest parts — including miscarrying a surrogate pregnancy at 19 weeks — and what it actually takes, physically and emotionally, to show up again after loss, for yourself and for someone else. They also get into what surrogacy really looks like behind the scenes, why language matters — and why she never uses the term “surrogate mother.” She also talks about supporting others through her agency, Carrying Dreams Surrogacy.For more, go to https://carryingdreams.com/Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/carrying.dreams/EPISODE SPONSORS: THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIESAli's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology https://www.infertileafgroup.com/booksThe 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.PIPER & MINTPiper & Mint makes pajamas specifically for women dealing with night sweats and temperature swings — which, hi, is basically everyone in this community at some point.Their fabric is sweat-wicking, mint-infused, and designed to help keep you cooler and more comfortable so you can actually get some rest.And honestly? During infertility… we’ll take any win we can get.I'm a fan, and if you want to try them, go to PiperAndMint.com and use code INFERTILEAF for 15% offAgain, that's INFERTILEAF for 15% off at PiperAndMint.com. PHERDALIG: @pherdal_sciencePherDal 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/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cheri Bergeron’s path to motherhood is anything but simple—and that’s exactly why her story is so powerful. Cheri is the author of Mission: Motherhood, and in this episode, she shares with Ali the full, unfiltered journey: from devastating pregnancy loss to IVF, to donor conception, and ultimately becoming a mom to her two children.But Cheri didn’t just navigate the system—she challenged it. Cheri and Ali also talk about the lawsuit that helped reshape what family-building can look like for women everywhere, and why her experience has become a rallying cry for so many trying to build families outside the traditional mold. They also talk about foster parenting, late stage termination, navigating NICU life, how family building and infertility can really test a relationship and her nonprofit, Cheri's Choice. For more, go to https://www.cheribergeron.com/EPISODE SPONSORS: THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIESAli's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology https://www.infertileafgroup.com/booksThe 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.PHERDALIG: @pherdal_sciencePherDal 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.BELIIG: @belibabywww.belibaby.com Are you thinking about growing your family? Whether you're just starting to plan or are actively trying to conceive, preconception health is key. Beli has vitamins to help both women and men optimize their health before pregnancy. With essential nutrients like Folate, Iodine, and Zinc, Beli ensures your body is ready for this exciting next step. Give yourself and your future baby the best foundation for a healthy start.Visit Belibaby.com today and use code IAF15 for 15% off your first order. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s episode is a special one — it’s a replay of Ali's 2023 conversation with Dr. Lucky Sekhon. Lucky is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and OB-GYN at RMA of New York. She’s also one of the most trusted voices on social media and TV when it comes to fertility, IVF, and reproductive health, breaking down complicated topics with clarity, compassion, and actual science.In this conversation, Lucky opens up about her own family-building journey — including how, when it came time to start her family, she chose to create embryos and go through IVF herself. Ali and Lucky talk about what it’s like when the fertility doctor becomes the fertility patient, how that perspective shapes the way she treats her own patients, and why she’s so passionate about helping people understand their reproductive options.Since this interview originally aired, Lucky has also written a fantastic book called The Lucky Egg, which helps people better understand fertility, IVF, and reproductive health. So whether you’re hearing this conversation for the first time or coming back to it, it’s a really thoughtful look at fertility from both sides of the exam table.EPISODE SPONSORS: THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIESAli's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology https://www.infertileafgroup.com/booksThe 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.PHERDALIG: @pherdal_sciencePherDal 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.BELIIG: @belibabywww.belibaby.com Are you thinking about growing your family? Whether you're just starting to plan or are actively trying to conceive, preconception health is key. Beli has vitamins to help both women and men optimize their health before pregnancy. With essential nutrients like Folate, Iodine, and Zinc, Beli ensures your body is ready for this exciting next step. Give yourself and your future baby the best foundation for a healthy start.Visit Belibaby.com today and use code IAF15 for 15% off your first order. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when one of the most disciplined bodies in the world can’t do the one thing everyone assumes it should? On this episode -- one of our most downloaded of all time -- Ali sits down with Mathilde Froustey, principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet and widely considered one of the most extraordinary dancers in the world.Born in Bordeaux, France, Mathilde began dancing at just nine years old, training at the prestigious Marseille National School of Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School before rising to the top of the international ballet world. Onstage, her body is her instrument — powerful, precise, and seemingly unstoppable. But behind the curtain, Mathilde has been fighting battles that almost no one in the dance world talks about. In this candid and emotional conversation, she opens up for the first time about her experience with infertility — a subject she says remains deeply taboo in professional dance. Mathilde shares what it was like to go through IVF while performing at the highest level, navigating intense body scrutiny, and hearing painful comments about her appearance during one of the most vulnerable periods of her life. She also talks about her past struggle with an eating disorder, the pressure dancers face to maintain a certain body type, and the silent toll of trying to build a family inside a culture that rarely makes space for it.“In the dance world, infertility is a taboo subject,” Mathilde says.Not anymore.This is a powerful conversation about perfection, pressure, and what it means to reclaim your body — both onstage and off.EPISODE SPONSORS: THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIESAli's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology https://www.infertileafgroup.com/booksThe 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.PHERDALIG: @pherdal_sciencePherDal 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.BELIIG: @belibabywww.belibaby.com Are you thinking about growing your family? Whether you're just starting to plan or are actively trying to conceive, preconception health is key. Beli has vitamins to help both women and men optimize their health before pregnancy. With essential nutrients like Folate, Iodine, and Zinc, Beli ensures your body is ready for this exciting next step. Give yourself and your future baby the best foundation for a healthy start.Visit Belibaby.com today and use code IAF15 for 15% off your first order. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's Endometriosis Awareness Month. Ali's guest this week, Holly Abel, was eleven years old when her debilitating periods started. For decades, doctors told her it was “normal.” That she was dramatic. Hormonal. Sensitive. It wasn’t normal. In early 2023, Holly was finally diagnosed with severe stage 4 endometriosis — affecting multiple organs throughout her body. Shortly after, she experienced a miscarriage. In December 2023, she underwent major surgery. Then in March 2024, after a routine HSG, everything began to unravel. By early May, she was in septic shock and given a 10% chance to live. In July, a total hysterectomy saved her life… and ended her ability to carry children. Holly talks about all of this and more in an educational, emotional episode about medical trauma, advocacy and survival. EPISODE SPONSORS: THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIESAli's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology https://www.infertileafgroup.com/booksThe 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.PHERDALIG: @pherdal_sciencePherDal 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.BELIIG: @belibabywww.belibaby.com Are you thinking about growing your family? Whether you're just starting to plan or are actively trying to conceive, preconception health is key. Beli has vitamins to help both women and men optimize their health before pregnancy. With essential nutrients like Folate, Iodine, and Zinc, Beli ensures your body is ready for this exciting next step. Give yourself and your future baby the best foundation for a healthy start.Visit Belibaby.com today and use code IAF15 for 15% off your first order. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy