The Heart of Fertility
Welcome to The Heart of Fertility.... a gentle, honest and emotionally supportive space for women carrying the invisible weight of fertility struggles, overwhelm and trying to hold everything together. Hosted by fertility doula, former midwife and founder of The Fertility Sanctuary, Sam Reynolds, this podcast explores the emotional reality behind fertility journeys and the deep connection between mind, body and emotional wellbeing. Each week you’ll find two short, heartfelt episodes designed to help you feel less alone, more grounded and emotionally supported through the highs, lows and uncertainty of trying to conceive and beyond. Together, we’ll explore: the emotional impact of fertility struggles nervous system support and emotional wellbeing mindset, mindfulness and meditation coping with overwhelm, anxiety and grief relationships, identity and resilience holistic and compassionate approaches to support honest conversations around healing, hope and being human Whether you’re trying to conceive naturally, exploring IVF or fertility treatment, coping with loss, or simply feeling emotionally exhausted by the pressure of it all, this is a space where you don’t have to pretend you’re okay. Because fertility affects so much more than just the body. Subscribe now and visit The Fertility Sanctuary for additional support, sanctuary experiences, resources and inspiration.
Episodes
Episode 12
Safe Enough To Finally Exhale
Over the past 12 episodes, we've explored the emotional side of fertility struggles that often goes unspoken.
The loneliness.
The survival mode.
The grief that has no name.
The questions that change everything.
And the quiet ways we can begin to find ourselves again.
In this final episode of Series 1, I'm talking about something I've been building towards thr...
Walking Through The Fire
"Healing is walking through the fire and then coming back carrying water for the women still trapped inside."
When I first heard that quote, it stopped me in my tracks.
In this episode, I'm exploring what it means to be changed by experiences we would never have chosen.
Not because infertility, loss or heartbreak are gifts.
Not because everything happens for a reason.
But because s...
Staying Silent: The Year I Lost My Voice
For years, I believed I just needed to find the right answer.
The right treatment.
The right appointment.
The right piece of information.
I was so focused on fixing what felt broken that I never stopped to ask how I was really doing.
Then a virus changed everything.
After years of struggling with infertility, I suddenly lost my voice. A virus partially paraly...
Throughout my fertility journey, I spent years searching for answers.
Answers about treatments.
Answers about symptoms.
Answers about what would happen next.
I thought finding the right answer would help me feel better.
But what ultimately changed my life wasn't an answer at all.
It was a question.
In this episode, I share one of the most difficult moments from my fertility journey, the questions th...
Episode
When Your Body Feels Like The Enemy
Fertility struggles have a way of changing the relationship we have with our bodies.
Appointments.
Tests.
Scans.
Results.
Over time, it's easy to move from:
"This is something I'm experiencing."
to
"Something is wrong with me."
In this episode, we're exploring what happens when your body starts to feel more like a problem to solve than a place to ...
Episode
Why This Work Matters To Me
Before I was a fertility coach and doula, I was a midwife.
I spent years supporting women through pregnancy, birth, loss and some of the most significant moments of their lives.
I understood the clinical side of fertility and reproductive health.
But what I didn't yet understand was what it felt like to live it.
In this episode, I'm sharing more of my own story ...
Episode
Why We Need Sanctuary More Than Solutions
Fertility struggles can quietly become a full-time job.
The research.
The appointments.
The symptom spotting.
The supplements.
The endless search for the thing that might finally make a difference.
And whilst information, treatment and support all have an important place, what happens when we become so focused on solving the problem t...
You're Not Falling Apart.
You're Carrying Too Much For Anyone to Bare.
There is a kind of grief that often goes unspoken during fertility struggles.
Not the grief of a single loss.
But the grief of loss that accumulates over time.
The waiting.
The uncertainty.
The hopes that rise and fall daily, weekly, monthly.
The version of life you thought you'd b...
Why We Hide
So many of us become experts at hiding during fertility struggles.
Hiding our disappointment.
Hiding our grief.
Hiding our fear.
Sometimes even hiding our hope.
In this episode, we're talking about why we hide, how hiding can become a form of self-protection, and the loneliness that can come from carrying something so important in silence.
If you've ever smiled and said "I'm fine" wh...
This Is The Podcast I Needed During My Fertility Journey
Welcome to The Heart of Fertility.
This isn't just a podcast about fertility.
It's a space for the emotional side of the journey that often goes unspoken.
In this first episode, I share why I created this podcast, what you can expect from future episodes, and the message I wish someone had shared with me during my own fertility struggles.
If you've ...
One of the hardest parts of fertility struggles isn't always the appointments, treatments or waiting.
Sometimes it's the loneliness.
In this episode, we're talking about the invisible side of fertility struggles and why so many of us can feel alone, even when we're surrounded by people who care about us.
If you've ever felt misunderstood, isolated, or like nobody quite understands what you're carrying, ...
What Survival Mode Really Feels Like During Fertility Struggles
Have you ever felt like you're constantly waiting, analysing, hoping, worrying, and bracing yourself for what might happen next?
You may be spending more time in survival mode than you realise.
In this episode, we're exploring the emotional toll fertility struggles can have on our minds, bodies and nervous systems, and why feeling exhausted...
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