Podcast Interview: Mama, what's next? + Writing Group Invitation
A conversation with Melanie Émie about turning pain into purpose + an opportunity to write with me.
Hello. This week, I invite you to discover an excellent podcast: Mama, what’s next? Host Melanie Émie shares stories of women who dream bigger and live braver. I was invited to be her guest on this week’s podcast. We delved into a diverse range of topics, from rising through infertility, grief, and loss, to the importance of self-advocacy in healthcare, and much more. Listen to it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any web browser here.
“Todays episode of Mama, what’s next? takes you deep into the raw, emotional journey of IVF, surrogacy, loss and grief.
Hear how Lia struggled to balance her high-pressure career as an executive with fertility treatments and how she moved through unimaginable heartbreak into hope—and why the conversation around workplace support, surrogacy, and IVF is more urgent than ever.
Lia shares her deeply personal journey through motherhood, fertility challenges, and the heartbreaking loss of her two children. She discusses the importance of self-advocacy in healthcare, and the importance of intuition when it comes to our own bodies. We talk about the complexities of surrogacy, and the emotional rollercoaster of IVF that many women have to go through. Lia and I discuss the need for support and understanding for those navigating similar paths. She shares her mission to help others through their struggles.
Ultimately, she asks herself the question: can I make something positive, out of my pain? This led her to advocate for IVF and infertility. Now she’s working on a book about her own journey and the history of reproductive rights.”
Calling All Early Birds!
Introducing something new. Drumroll, please...
TGI-Fly! It’s a free writing group that I’ll be hosting (early) on Friday, 10/18, at 6:30 am Eastern. Everyone is welcome!
Here’s what it will look like:
Dial in. Be on time. Late arrivals will disrupt the flow.
Have your camera on—it helps create connection and community. Leave your makeup off—it’s too early.
(5 minutes) We’ll start by reading a few things to get our creative juices flowing. I’ll bring the passages and show them on-screen.
I’ll put a set of prompts on-screen for you to choose from.
(15 minutes)Cameras will go off, and we’ll write (using paper and pen, or pencil) for fifteen minutes uninterrupted. You can choose to answer a prompt or choose to work on something else you’re writing.
At the end of 15 minutes, the cameras will go back on.
If anyone would like to share what they wrote, they can put their name in the chat.
(10 minutes) Time for two shares.
At 7 am sharp, we’ll sign off.
If the first session goes well, we'll do it again the following Friday.
You don’t need to sign up to join; you can simply dial into the Zoom link on Friday.
The Zoom link is here.
Add your name to this list to receive a calendar invitation to join.
Pajamas welcome.
Spread the word!
Words of the Week
“Life is too short to settle for anything less than your passion” —Melanie Émie, Mama, what’s next?
Photo of the Week:
I spotted this flower at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. It is one plant with two blooms up top that have died and two new flowers sprouting. To me, it spoke of resilience, the cycle of life , and beauty in the broken.
Marathon Update
WE DID IT! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!
I am so grateful to everyone who donated, shared, and supported my NYC marathon fundraiser. The race is just a few weeks away and I’m thrilled to share I’ve exceeded my goal of raising $3500 to support Resolve.org, the National Infertility Association. They are working hard to protect access to IVF.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to all who have donated—and extra thanks to those who donated in the past week: Carol, Elise, Anna, Emily, and Joel. You put me over the threshold to success.!
If you haven’t yet donated, and you’d like to support me and Resolve, you can donate here.
Thank you for your invaluable support. Your contributions, whether financial or through spreading the word, are deeply appreciated and every dollar makes a difference.
TGI-Fly sounds like an invigorating creative start to the day. May I please have the calendar invite?