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In this episode, Sharon Covington explores the clinical dimensions of fertility counseling and the essential role counseling plays throughout the fertility care journey. She discusses how clinicians can support patients as they navigate complex diagnoses, treatment decisions, uncertainty, and the emotional challenges that often accompany infertility and fertility treatment.

Drawing on her expertise in reproductive health and counseling, Sharon offers practical insights into integrating psychosocial care with medical treatment, communicating effectively with patients, and recognizing the clinical considerations that can shape the counseling process.

Whether you are a fertility specialist, mental health professional, nurse, embryologist, or other member of the reproductive care team, this conversation provides valuable perspective on delivering compassionate, informed, and patient-centered fertility care.

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Sharon Covington helped invent a field that didn't exist when she started. Decades before fertility counseling had a name, a curriculum, or a professional home, she was in the room with patients navigating infertility, donor conception, and the emotional weight of reproductive medicine, building the frameworks, ethics standards, and support models that the field now takes for granted. In this episode, Sharon walks us through the early days of reproductive psychology, the moments that convinced her patients needed more than medical care alone, and how she helped shape fertility counseling into the recognized profession it is today. We talk about the cases that changed her thinking, the resistance she faced along the way, and what she still wants the next generation of counselors to understand about sitting with people at some of the hardest moments of their lives.

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In 1977, a new mother in Santa Barbara named Jane Honikman couldn't find the support she needed after childbirth — so she built it herself, co-founding Postpartum Education for Parents (PEP). A decade later, on June 28, 1987, that grassroots work grew into something bigger: Postpartum Support International, founded at a landmark conference on women's mental health after childbirth that drew advocates from Canada, Australia, and across the U.S.

In this episode, Jane Honikman traces PSI's evolution from a single support group into a worldwide organization spanning dozens of countries. She reflects on the two decades she spent directing PSI, the stigma she fought to dismantle around postpartum depression and anxiety, and why perinatal mental health is still a fight worth having today. Jane also shares what led her to co-found the Postpartum Action Institute in 2016, and what she'd tell a new parent — or a new advocate — starting out now.

A conversation about grief, grit, and the power of one person deciding no family should go through this alone.

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Infertility conversations often center on women, but roughly half the time, male factors play a role. In this episode, Dr. Jeff Deaton joins us to break down what male factor infertility actually looks like, why it's so often overlooked, and what treatment options exist today. We talk through the emotional weight it carries for men and couples alike, and why a diagnosis isn't the end of the story. If you or someone you love is navigating this, this conversation offers both clarity and hope.

Dr. Jeff Deaton is Associate Professor and Division Director of Reproductive Medicine at Wake Forest University, where he directs the Center for Fertility and Reproductive Surgery. With over 40 years in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, he's the author of When Waiting Becomes Life, a collection of stories and compassionate guidance for couples navigating infertility.

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When a pregnancy is anything but typical, the emotional weight can be overwhelming, and yet mental health support is often the last thing families are offered. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kari Millican, PsyD, LPC-S, PMH-C, Division Manager of Mental Health Therapy at Phoenix Children's Hospital, to talk about what it means to care for the whole family when a fetus or infant is medically fragile.

Dr. Millican shares how Phoenix Children's is breaking new ground in perinatal mental health by walking alongside parents through some of the most frightening and uncertain moments of their lives, from a difficult prenatal diagnosis to the NICU and beyond. She speaks to the unique grief, fear, and love that coexist when your baby's life hangs in the balance, and why tending to a parent's mental health is not a luxury — it's a critical part of the child's care.

Whether you're a parent living this reality, a provider supporting families in crisis, or someone who loves someone navigating a medically complex pregnancy or infant journey, this episode will leave you feeling seen, informed, and reminded that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same breath.

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In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Leonard Lopoo to explore the concept of wantedness and its implications for reproductive health, policy, and well-being. What does it mean for individuals to achieve their reproductive goals, and how can systems, programs, and policies better support those aspirations?

Drawing on his research, Dr. Lopoo discusses wantedness as a framework for understanding reproductive intentions and outcomes, highlighting the social, economic, and policy factors that shape people's ability to make and realize decisions about childbearing. Together, we examine how shifting the focus from outcomes alone to individuals' goals and preferences can lead to more person-centered approaches to reproductive health and family well-being.

Join us for a thoughtful conversation on reproductive autonomy, equity, and what it takes to create conditions in which every person can pursue the future they want.

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What does it mean to build a family through openness, transparency, and connection? In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Bayen, an open sperm donor, fertility advocate, and donor-conceived entrepreneur who is helping reshape the future of donor conception.

Having grown up knowing he was donor-conceived and connected with more than 20 half-siblings, Daniel brings a unique perspective to the conversation. His personal experience inspired a mission to create a more ethical, transparent, and supportive approach to family building—one that prioritizes honesty, informed choice, and lifelong connections.

As an open sperm donor, Daniel has helped more than 15 families achieve healthy and intentional pregnancies. Through his work with the Open Donor Association, he has also helped connect over 100 families with open and known donors. Based in Florida and working with families across the United States, Europe, and Asia, Daniel educates recipients and donors on navigating the donor conception journey safely and thoughtfully.

Join us as we discuss the realities of open sperm donation, the donor-conceived experience, the evolving fertility landscape, and why transparency matters for future generations.

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Aaisha Alvi is a writer and leading advocate for postpartum psychosis (PPP) awareness, and the author of A Mom Like That: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis. Her memoir has earned acclaim from reproductive mental health experts and organizations including Postpartum Support International (PSI), Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP), and Library Journal.

Drawing from her own harrowing experience navigating a broken system in search of care, Aaisha has made it her mission to expand public and provider understanding of postpartum psychosis — working to prevent the unnecessary suffering, misdiagnosis, and tragedy that too often accompany this illness. She speaks regularly to clinical, academic, and community audiences on the misdiagnosis of PPP, and serves as an active volunteer with PSI, where her educational materials are incorporated into the organization's professional trainings.

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