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The journey to parenthood is different for everyone. This podcast shares the stories of all those involved in modern day family building. Together, we make parenthood possible at Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation. A surrogacy and egg donation podcast for everyone!
In this unfiltered podcast about infertility, Brooklyn-based journalist and mom-of-two Ali Prato, who went through secondary infertility and IVF herself, talks to women—and some men—about the messy, frustrating, painful, heartbreaking, absurd and sometimes hilarious journey to have a baby. Or in some cases, to not have a baby. Each episode tells a different story about family building, getting real about miscarriages, egg freezing, sperm and egg donation, IUIs, endometriosis, male factor inf ...
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The Family Circle
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Episode 13: What a Lawyer Does In a Surrogacy Journey
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Today’s special guest on The Family Circle podcast is Dean Hutchison, Vice President of Legal Services at Circle Surrogacy and the Immediate Past Chairman of the American Bar Association's Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology Law. Dean offers his perspective on why one might need a lawyer for surrogacy and the legal aspects of it that are …
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Infertile AF
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Cancer survivor, surrogacy mama and Circle Surrogacy Marketing Director Kristin Marsoli
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Ali's guest today is Kristin Marsoli, a loyal Target shopper, an aspiring novelist, and a cancer survivor. Knowing she couldn’t carry a baby because of her medical history, when Kristin and her husband were ready to start their family, they turned to surrogacy. After a long journey with many bumps in the road, they finally welcomed their beautiful …
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Infertile AF
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IVF advocate and stillbirth mama JENNA CUCCIONILLI @jcuccionilli
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Jenna Cuccionilli has one of the biggest hearts Ali has encountered in this community, and today, Jenna and Ali are talking about Jenna's 5-plus year infertility journey, including being diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 16, five miscarriages, one stillbirth and how now, they have five embryos left. Jenna gets into the details of her first miscarri…
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Infertile AF
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Jillian Sipkins, Interior Designer, Photog, Surrogacy Mama and Wife of "Magic for Humans" star Justin Willman
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Ali's guest today is the incredible interior designer, photographer, mom of two, and wife of magician and "Magic for Humans" star Justin Willman. Jill shares all the details of her family building journey, from being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 18 to her first miscarriage, to finally getting pregnant with her son -- although it was…
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Infertile AF
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Fitness expert, influencer and infertility advocate Deja Riley Izydorczyk
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Today's guest, Deja Riley Izydorczyk, is a a fitness instructor and an ambassador for Lululemon, she was named one of Forbes' Black Women Changing the Face of Fitness. She is also a huge influencer on social, with almost 100,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 105,000 followers on TikTok, where she and her husband, Jimmy, have been chronicling th…
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Infertile AF
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Erin Bulcao @mybeautifulblunder on IG
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Today, Ali is talking to warrior mom Erin Bulcao about her real and raw fertility journey. Erin talks about how not ovulating led her to see a fertility specialist when she was in her late 20s, and why they recommended she start with IUIs. She talks about getting pregnant with triplets via IUI, and why it was recommended by her medical team, for th…
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Episode 12: Surrogacy Support For Parents and Surrogates
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Today’s episode of The Family Circle is a special one, with guest host Jen Rachman, who’s a Parent Outreach Associate at Circle, a social worker, and a parent through surrogacy. She’s here to host a discussion of the types of support that can be helpful during a surrogacy journey, whether you’re an intended parent or a surrogate. Jen opens the epis…
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Infertile AF
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Monica Bivas, Author of “The IVF Planner”
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Today, Ali is talking to Monica Bivas, IVF warrior and advocate, mindset and holistic fertility coach, and author of "The IVF Planner." Monica talks about her stage-four endometriosis, finding out that IVF was her only option to have healthy pregnancies, the several IVF cycles she went through, and how IVF can be considered taboo in the Latina comm…
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Infertile AF
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April Christina, Endometriosis and Fertility Advocate, @iamaprilchristina
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April Christina is one of the biggest endometriosis advocates in this community and today, Ali hears April's entire fertility journey, from when she first got her period at the age of 9 to where she is today -- still in the midst of it all. April talks about her very early menstruation; her endometriosis diagnosis in her early 20s (and how when she…
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Infertile AF
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Blair Nelson Part Two: Ali's Fertility Rally Co-Founder and @fabivfmama
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Today, Ali is talking to her incredible PIBAC (Partner in Biz and Claw), Fertility Rally co-founder Blair Nelson, aka @fabivfmama. Blair was on Ali's 8th episode three and a half years ago, and sooooo much has happened since then: Blair did many more rounds of IVF, Blair had her baby girl, Hadley, Blair and Ali launched Fertility Rally in 2020, Bla…
On this episode, Ali talks to Sarah, a U.S. citizen who's been living --and going through secondary infertility -- in Shanghai, China. Sarah emailed Ali, "I have always had good access to mental health support and friends in the US, but the past two years I have been living in Shanghai, China. The border remains closed due to covid so we have not b…
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Episode 11: Kate - Mother Through Egg Donation
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This month’s episode of The Family Circle is hosted by Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation Marketing Director, Kristin Marsoli! Kristin hosts Kate, a mother through egg donation, and they discuss everything from IVF, deciding to use an egg donor, building a relationship with a donor, and advice for anyone going through infertility struggles. Interested…
Today Ali is talking to a very dear friend of hers, Payal @payalponders, who she met when Payal joined the Fertility Rally family. Payal is mama to Zion Edward, who was with us earthside from 7/4-7/6/22 --and she's going to tell us all about her sweet son, as well as her entire fertility journey. Payal talks about meeting her husband Ron, why she h…
Today Ali is talking to a dear friend of hers who she met through Instagram. Her name is Jess Veit,and she is an IVF Warrior and advocate, a bright light in the IG community, and mama to her rainbow baby, whose nickname is Sunny. You probably know her from IG @onesunnystory. On this episode, Jess tells Ali how she got to where she is today, includi…
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Infertile AF
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WeNatal Founders Ronit Menashe and Vida Delrahim
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Ali is talking to best friends this week! Today, her guests are Ronit and Vida, who met while working together at Nike in Los Angeles, who both come from health and fitness backgrounds, and who both found themselves going through infertility at the same time. Today, they both share their infertility journeys, including how they each had a miscarria…
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Lauren Massarella, Lifestyle Blogger and Co-host of "Cozy Conversations" Podcast
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Get ready for a very entertaining conversation! Today Ali is talking to Lauren Massarella, a wellness and lifestyle blogger from Chicago, who co-hosts "Cozy Conversations," a bi-weekly podcast about everyday life experiences, pop culture, current events, and everything in between, with her sister, Michelle. Ali and Lauren dive deep into Lauren's in…
This month Kristin hosts Ali Prato! Ali is a journalist and mom of two, living in North Jersey. She's an infertility warrior and advocate, the founder and host of the Infertile AF podcast, and the co-founder of Fertility Rally, a community that offers 24/7 support, curated content and events for anyone going through infertility and family building …
Today, Ali is talking to Keegan Prue, whose book, "The IVF Dad," chronicles he and his wife's struggle with infertility, going through two rounds of IVF, two miscarriages, and three embryo transfers before the birth of their first daughter--and then even more before having their next baby girl, who was just born less than a month ago. Keegan talks …
Lisa White is an author, an IVF mentor and an occupational therapist, and today, she's going to talk about riding the emotional rollercoaster of the infertility and IVF journey, and how it can feel incredibly overwhelming, lonely and painful. Lisa asks, "How do you stay hopeful and not lose yourself or your dreams for your family in this process?" …
Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lora Shahine is on the show today! You guys probably know her from TikTok, IG, and also her passion for educating and supporting the fertility community. Today, she's talking about all the things, including her own infertility journey--and why so many doctors (one in four actually!) face infertility. Lora talks abou…
This month Kristin and Lauren go back to the basics and hosted a Surrogacy 101 episode. This episode outlines the basics of surrogacy that you've always wanted to know. They discuss third party reproduction acronyms, why women pursue surrogacy and egg donation, what it means to be an intended parent, and so much more. If you're new to surrogacy, th…
Today, Ali is talking to Samantha Bloom, who, in March 2020, learned she had the BRCA gene variant after taking a 23andMe test. Samantha, a mother of twins, was trying to have a third child. And it was mid-Covid, so once she was finally able to see her OBGYN a few months later and confirm she was BRCA positive, her gynecologist advised that she sto…
Priscilla Brown is an incredible mama of four kiddos named Liam, Bear, Ziggy and Olive. But it took Priscilla a long time to become a mom of four, and included a lot of heartbreak, and many twists and turns along the way. Today, Priscilla tells Ali all the things, including being diagnosed with unexplained infertility; doing five back-to-back IUIs;…
Today, Ali is talking to "Tales of the Walking Dead" actress and "Egg Party" director Kersti Bryan about her new short film, "Egg Party." Egg Party (click link below to watch it!) tackles the incredibly tough topic of pregnancy and infertility—and so much more. The movie is about six women in their late-thirties gathering together for a not-so-sobe…
This month's episode of The Family Circle is a special panel episode featuring three experienced egg donors through Circle Egg Donation. Marketing Director, Kristin Marsoli, hosts Jordan, Tia, and Liv as they discuss why they became egg donors, why they choose the type of donation they did, why they wanted to work with an agency, and they each prov…
Today, Ali is talking to Cristy Murray, an Infertility warrior who has a passion for helping women who struggle with infertility. As a veteran and women's health provider, Cristy has made it her mission to give back and empower women to be their own advocates for their health. Cristy talks about ways to boost fertility, toxin-Free living, and of co…
Today, Ali is talking to Stephanie Levich, founder of Family Match, a fertility consulting firm for A-List celebrities, CEOs, and prominent sports and political figures who require extra support and privacy as they navigate their family-building journeys. Stephanie talks about growing up as one of three adopted children, how and when her parents to…
Today, Ali is talking to Cory Silverberg, sex educator and the author of You Know, Sex, a graphic style book that The NY Times recently called one of "The Books about Sex that Every Family Should Read." and Ali could not agree more. The New York Times Book review says, "Silverberg's writing is fearless . . . Here is that rare voice that can talk ab…
Today, Ali is talking to Catie and Ryan, who she met when Catie joined the Fertility Rally family. Catie and Ryan talk about everything that lead up to having their baby, who is actually going to be here any day now — from unexplained infertility to five IUIs to Ryan's "super sperm" to miscarriage to the anxieties of pregnancy after loss. Ryan also…
Today, Ali is talking to Ajima, who is calling from Belgium to share her very complicated family building story. It starts when Ajima's doctor went in to remove some fibroids, and mistakenly amputated her cervix, rendering her infertile. It also includes another traumatic medical experience, when Ajima's sister-in-law, who had agreed to be Ajima's …
In our seventh episode, Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation Director of Marketing, Kristin Marsoli, sits down with Lissa Kline, SVP, Provider and Member Services at Progyny! They discuss the services that Progyny provides, the importance of fertility benefits, why folks choose surrogacy & egg donation, and how to address infertility with your employer.…
Today, Ali is talking to Allison, whose story begins with a diagnosis of leukemia at the age of three years old. Allison talks about her diagnosis, going through chemo and radiation, and getting a life-saving bone marrow transplant from her sister, who was just one year old at the time. Now a childhood cancer survivor, she talks about how her treat…
Cheyna Roth is a Senior producer at Slate, where she produces podcasts for a living. Ali first heard about her and her story when she talked about her own infertility struggles on a podcast that she frequently co-hosts, called "The Waves." Today, she shares that story with us, talking about endometriosis, the random places she's injected meds in he…
Michelle V. is the proud mom of her angel baby Sweet Pea, who she lost due to miscarriage, her angel daughter Colette Louise who she lost at nine days old, and her only living child, her rainbow baby, Elliott Miguel. Today she tells Ali all about her journey, including infertility, miscarriage, giving birth to her daughter at just 24 weeks, their n…
Today, Ali is talking to Miscarriage Awareness advocate Chauncey Ellis about her two very different losses. Chauncey talks about growing up as part of the LDS church, how she was one of eight children in her family, and having her first daughter at a young age. She also talks about trying again seven years later, the two miscarriages she experience…
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Infertile AF
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Peta Murgatroyd of Dancing with the Stars
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Today, Ali is talking to Dancing With the Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd about the secondary infertility journey she is currently experiencing, after she and her husband, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, another DWTS pro, had their son, Shai, who is now five years old. Peta talks about her three miscarriages, dealing with loss in the middle of her Dancing with the …
Content Warning: This episode features a conversation about a miscarriage and how to share the news of pregnancy loss with intended parents. This may be triggering for some listeners, so if this is something you'd like to avoid hearing about, please be advised to skip over 24:30-32:09 We're halfway through season one of The Family Circle and this e…
On this episode, Ali talks to Ashley Gildin Spitzer about her four-year-long infertility journey, which ended with she calls her "twiblings," two babies born four months apart. Ashley starts with her diagnosis of hypothalamic amenorrhea (loss of her period), then talks about her IUI which ended in a blighted ovum. She then talks about her IVF journ…
HOW WILL OVERTURNING ROE V. WADE IMPACT IVF PATIENTS AND THE INFERTILITY COMMUNITY AT LARGE? On today's special bonus episode, Ali is joined by Dr. Sahar Wertheimer, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist practicing in Los Angeles, and InCircle Fertility founder, fertility coach and infertility warrior Abbe Feder to discuss the i…
Today, Ali's friend Monica tells us all about her infertility journey, including how she discovered she has uterus didelphys, a rare congenital condition where you're born with two uteruses and pelvic kidney--both of which make it difficult and unsafe for her to carry her own pregnancy. Monica talks about meeting her husband, when they started to t…
On today's show, Jaime shares her infertility journey, including how she lost her baby girl, Emily, at 23 weeks gestation in December 2020 due to getting Covid while pregnant. Both Emily and Jaime's placenta tested positive for Covid. "It was an absolutely devastating loss," Jaime says. "Prior to losing her we had five early miscarriages. We finall…
In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs Wade on June 24th, Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation saw the importance in providing information on how this decision will impact surrogacy at Circle Surrogacy and the industry. Lauren Mello, Social Media & Culture Manager at Circle, hosts three members of the Circle Leadership Team as th…
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Infertile AF
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E! News Host and Style Expert Lilliana Vazquez
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Today, Ali is talking to Lilliana Vazquez, host of E! News, style expert and founder of The LV Guide, about the six years she spent battling infertility. Lilliana gets super candid about all the things: how she met her husband, how her first retrieval got messed up, how it's difficult to talk about infertility in her Latin community, how IVF is "a …
On today's show, Meg, aka @creating.crawfords, tells us all about her infertility journey, her heart condition, and the spinal injury she endured—all of which have made it so that she is unable to carry a baby. Meg talks about her miscarriage, trying for another year and half, the car accident that left her with chronic pain and in a neck brace, an…
This month's episode is the first of it's kind for The Family Circle as we do not have a guest! Our fourth episode features the Marketing team Dynamic Duo - Kristin and Lauren. Kristin is the Director of Marketing here at Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation and Lauren is the Social Media and & Culture Manager. These two jump right in to answering all o…
Today Ali is talking to Jade, an amazing friend she met through Fertility Rally, and who works as a school counselor. Jade explains her entire infertility journey, including her hysteroscopy, "huffing" essentials oils, what happened when her doctor found uterine polyps, multiple failed IUIs, her laparoscopy and the discovery of endometriosis, and h…
Today Ali is talking to her very dear friend Taylor, who you might know from IG as @infertileandimpatient, and who Ali met when she joined Fertility Rally (@fertilityrally). Taylor has been through a ton, and today she tells Ali everything that happened leading up to the miracle birth of her twin girls, Quinn and Charlie. She talks about being blin…
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Infertile AF
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ICYMI: Mathilde Froustey, Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet
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Mathilde Froustey is a principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet and one of the best dancers in the world. Born in Bordeaux, France, Mathilde started dancing at the age of 9 and trained at the Marselle National School of Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School. Today, even though she says, "In the dance world, infertility is a taboo subject," s…
Today, Ali is talking to Jaycee Gossett, a founding teacher and VP of training at The Class. The Class is a workout that strengthens your physical, mental, and emotional well-being through an innovative combination of fitness and mindfulness. Jaycee is a rockstar in the wellness world and today she’s going to tell Ali all about her infertility jour…
In our third episode, Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation President, Sam Hyde, hosts our amazing guest, Brian Rosenberg! Brian is the founder of Gays With Kids which is a continuously growing community of dads, families and industry experts. They provide education, anecdotes and advice for wherever you might be in your journey to fatherhood. They chat …
