IVF Failed You - The "So Now What?" Podcast

If you're childless after infertility and growing older feels unsettling, this episode invites you to move from fear to intention and imagine a future that feels grounded and meaningful. Childlessness after infertility and growing older can bring up fears you never expected to carry. When motherhood didn't happen, aging is often framed as something to brace for rather than something you get to shape. In this episode of The "So Now What?" Podcast, you're invited to move from fear to intention as you explore what it means to grow older without children, reconnect with your body after IVF failed, and begin imagining a future that feels meaningful, grounded, and entirely your own. This episode was inspired by a simple question I overheard while out to dinner: Has getting old been like you expected it would be? For women who are childless after infertility, that question can land deeply. Not because aging itself is the problem, but because the future no longer comes with a default storyline. Together, we talk honestly about the physical fears of aging, the existential questions that surface when IVF fails, and how reaction mode can quietly shrink your sense of possibility. Most importantly, you'll be invited to consider what it might look like to participate in your future, rather than brace for it. This conversation isn't about having all the answers. It's about giving yourself permission to imagine again. In this episode, you'll explore: Why growing older without children is often framed through fear The physical aging fears many women carry after infertility and why they make sense How fertility treatments can leave you feeling disconnected from your body What existential fear really means when motherhood didn't happen The difference between bracing for the future and imagining it Why reaction mode helped you survive infertility but doesn't have to be permanent How childless women often have more agency than they realize when it comes to aging Questions to help you begin envisioning a future that feels intentional and grounded If growing older feels scary right now If thinking about aging without children brings up tightness, fear, or a sense of "I don't even know where to begin," you're not doing anything wrong. You've already had to let go of a future you worked hard for. It makes sense that imagining what comes next feels complicated. That's exactly why I offer Thrive Calls. 🌿 Book a free 45-minute Thrive Call A Thrive Call is a free, 45-minute conversation where we slow everything down and talk honestly about what you want your life to feel like now and as you get older. You don't need a full plan. You don't need clarity before you book. You just need a place to start imagining instead of bracing. 👉 Book your Thrive Call here! 📘 Free resource for navigating difficult conversations If you're also navigating intrusive or exhausting conversations about motherhood, infertility, or "what's next," I created a free guide many women find grounding. The Top 27 Things People Say When You're Childless (and How to Respond) This guide helps you respond without overexplaining, spiraling, or losing your cool. 👉 Get the free guide here: https://lana-manikowski.myflodesk.com/thingspeoplesay Final reflection Aging without kids doesn't automatically mean loneliness or decline. It means you get to be intentional in ways most people never have to consider. You get to decide what matters. You get to decide where your energy goes. You get to decide who you're becoming. Not someday. Now. I hope you have a beautiful week. I love you, and remember that it's never too late to discover your meaning. I'll talk to you next week.

When IVF Failed and Time Didn't Fix It: Healing the Loss of Motherhood 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. In this episode, you'll explore: 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 Ready to stop waiting and start feeling better now? ✨ 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. Glow Up Sessions: Personalized Holiday Support 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! Register NOW! Free Masterclass on December 16 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.) Mentioned in this Episode 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 If you loved this episode 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: How to Deal with Your Family, Create Traditions, and Manage Celebrations Without Kids 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.

How to Feel Like You Belong Again When You Are Childless After Infertility If you have ever walked into a room and instantly wondered where you fit, this episode is going to speak directly to you. When you are childless after infertility or you are still in the middle of your fertility journey, it can feel like everyone around you is living a chapter you hoped would be yours. Conversations about kids, family schedules and milestones can leave you feeling two inches outside the circle and unsure how to take your place in the room. In this episode, you learn why this happens and how to reconnect with yourself so you can walk into any space with confidence and grounding. You will understand why your nervous system reacts before your mind catches up, why belonging feels harder when your story looks different, and how the lack of support after IVF failed can shape the way you show up socially. You will also hear how public conversations about infertility, including the reaction to Jennifer Aniston's story, influence the way you protect yourself in group settings. This episode teaches you how to honor your own experience and how to show up without shrinking or pretending. You will learn four ways to lead with connection so you can feel steady and comfortable in rooms that once felt overwhelming. You will walk away knowing how to stay anchored in who you are becoming and how to trust your own voice so you can feel a sense of belonging again, even when the conversations around you do not reflect your life. If you are ready to feel grounded in social spaces again and to rebuild a future beyond infertility that actually feels meaningful, this episode will support you every step of the way. Resources mentioned in this episode Thrive After Infertility - My 12 week coaching program for women who are childless after infertility and IVF Book a Thrive Call - Ready to spend the best 45 minutes you've spent this year? Book a free Thrive Call woith me.  We will get a plan together for what is next for you now that IVF is over.  Download your free guide The Top 27 Things People Say When You Are Childless (...and How to Respond) Connect with me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lana.manikowski TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lana.manikowski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lana.manikowski I hope this episode helps you feel more grounded and more seen as you walk into the rooms that matter to you.