You were told time would heal this.

That if you just waited long enough, the pain of leaving IVF without a baby would soften. That eventually the anger, loneliness, and grief around the dream of motherhood would fade on their own.

But if you're childless after infertility, you already know the truth.
The calendar didn't fix it.

In this episode of The "So Now What?" Podcast, you explore why time alone doesn't heal the loss of motherhood when IVF failed and why that doesn't mean something is wrong with you. You'll hear why these feelings resurface again and again during emotionally charged moments like Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, and year-end milestones and why waiting quietly can start to cost you more than you realize.

This episode is for you if you're childless not by choice, navigating life after IVF failed, and wondering why time hasn't brought the peace everyone promised.

Why time doesn't heal the loss of motherhood after IVF failed

Why infertility grief is cyclical, not seasonal

How holidays, birthdays, and Mother's Day can reopen the wound

Why "just moving on" can disconnect you from yourself

What actually helps you heal and move forward after infertility

✨ Glow Up Sessions
If you want focused, one-on-one support around one specific issue like navigating the holidays, preparing for family gatherings, handling intrusive comments, or getting grounded before the new year, a Glow Up session is a powerful place to start.
👉 Book a Glow Up session NOW!

ow is the perfect time to think about how you want to enter the new year and how you want to feel in your life moving forward.

✨ Book a Thrive Call HERE!
A one-on-one conversation to map out what healing and meaning can look like for you after IVF failed.

✨ Free Resource: What to Say When People Don't Get It
Download Top 27 Things People Say When You're Childless and How to Respond HERE, so you're not caught off guard by intrusive or unhelpful comments.

When you are childless after infertility, the holiday season can feel like a spotlight you never asked for. Everyone has an opinion about your fertility decisions. Everyone has a suggestion about what you should have done. And somehow every gathering becomes an open invitation for people to ask about baby news, adoption, donor eggs, or why you stopped trying.

In this week's episode, you learn how to stay grounded, confident, and steady when holiday opinions collide with the decisions you made after IVF Failed. You discover how to trust your intuition again and how to walk into December without feeling like you owe anyone an explanation.

This episode is for you if
• you are childless after infertility
• you ended fertility treatments and people still question why
• you feel pressure during family gatherings
• you struggle with unsolicited advice about adoption, donor eggs, donor sperm, surrogacy, or "trying again"
• you want to feel connected to the holidays without feeling triggered
• you want to walk into gatherings feeling prepared instead of anxious

Inside the episode, you will learn
• why holiday comments land so hard for women who are childless not by choice
• how lifelong conditioning leads you to second guess your decisions
• why your inner knowing is wiser than outside opinions
• what to tell yourself when someone questions your fertility choices
• how to feel empowered about the decisions you made when your fertility journey ended without a baby
• how to walk into December feeling solid and sure of yourself

If you are already bracing for the questions and opinions, I have two things that will support you through this season.

These private sessions help you
• practice what you want to say
• stay grounded during conversations
• feel confident about your decisions
• handle family dynamics with clarity and calm

These are one on one coaching sessions at a discounted rate for December.

Book your Glow Up Session here!

Handling the Holidays: Managing Your Family, Traditions, and Celebrations Without Kids
Tuesday, December 16
11:30 AM Central

In this class you learn how to
• handle family gatherings when you are childless after infertility
• navigate traditions that feel painful because you do not have kids to pass them onto
• stay centered when everything around you feels kid focused
• make space for your own joy this holiday season

Register for the free class:
https://meet.google.com/occ-gnzy-sdt
(If you want a registration page link instead of a direct meet link, tell me and I will swap it.)

Download the Top 27 Things People Say When You Are Childless and How to Respond
https://lana-manikowski.com/thingspeoplesay

Connect With Me

Website
https://www.lanamanikowski.com

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/lana.manikowski

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@lana.manikowski

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@lana.manikowski

Please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast. It helps other women who are childless after infertility discover this space and find the support they never received from their clinic once treatment ended.

Episode 192: How Childless Women Can Navigate the Holidays Ahead

The holiday season can feel emotionally heavy when you're childless after infertility. In this episode, Lana explains why Thanksgiving and Christmas can stir up overwhelm, anxiety, numbness, and confusion when you always imagined this season with a child of your own. You'll learn how your brain and nervous system respond during this time of year, why nothing about your reaction means you're doing anything wrong, and how to feel more grounded and supported as the holidays approach.

The holidays can feel complicated when you're childless after infertility. That knot in your stomach during Thanksgiving or Christmas is not your imagination. Whether you are done with fertility treatments, still navigating IVF or IUI, or childless by circumstance, this season can shine a spotlight on the life you thought you would be living by now.

In this episode, you learn why the holidays often stir up so much emotion and why nothing about your experience means you're doing anything wrong. You'll understand how your brain and nervous system interpret this season, why old neural pathways get activated, and why your reactions are very normal for women who are childless after infertility or childless not by choice.

Inside the episode, you'll learn:
• How neural pathways built during your fertility journey impact your holidays
• Why unpredictability around the holidays activates your nervous system
• Why numbness is normal when the season feels emotionally loaded
• Why family gatherings can trigger isolation even when you're loved
• How to stop blaming yourself for how you feel this time of year
• How to stay grounded when traditions center around children
• Why you don't have to sit out of Christmas just because you don't have kids

If you want real tools and support to help you feel more prepared and confident this year, join my free live class on Tuesday, December 16 at 11:30 AM Central:

Register here!

You deserve to feel grounded, steady, and in control of the rooms you walk into this season.

And if you want help responding to the comments people make when they don't understand your experience, download my free guide HERE!
The Top 27 Things People Say When You're Childless and How to Respond.