Infertile AF: Infertility and Modern Family Building through ART

Today's guest is Danielle Melfi, the CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. Danielle brings such a unique perspective because she's not only leading the nation's largest infertility advocacy organization—she's also been a fertility patient herself. In this episode, she opens up about her own egg-freezing journey and how that experience continues to shape the way she advocates for millions of people navigating family building today.
Ali and Danielle talk about what RESOLVE is working on right now, why fertility treatment is still financially out of reach for so many people, and the real work being done to expand insurance coverage and improve access across the country. They also get into what's happening in workplaces, why fertility benefits matter more than ever, and how employers can better support people going through treatment. Danielle shares practical ways every single one of us can become advocates—whether you're in treatment now, you're building your family another way, or you simply want to help make fertility care more accessible for the next generation. Danielle also reminds us throughout this episode is that you are never alone—and together, our voices really can create change.
For more, go to www.resolve.org
EPISODE SPONSORS: 
THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES
Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology 
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books
The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)!
The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them.
PHERDAL
IG: @pherdal_science
PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com.
Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off.
CARAWAY
Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful.
Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s episode is a really special one because Ali is sitting down with three of her favorite people in the world: Helen, Aaron, and Blake—the real-life family behind her “Work of ART” children's book, Beautiful Bird.
If you’ve read the book, then you already know a little bit about Jack Bird, the incredible boy at the center of the story. And today, you’re going to hear the real origin story. This is a conversation about love, friendship, family building, and creating a family that looks different than what many of us grew up seeing—but is every bit as beautiful. Helen always knew she wanted to be a mom, and as a solo mom by choice, she embarked on a journey to build her family with the help of her dear friend Aaron. At the time, Aaron was building a life with his partner, Blake, and together, the three of them created a beautiful, intentional village around Jack from the very beginning.
Ali, Helen, Blake and Aaron talk about fertility treatments, donor conception, LGBTQ+ family building, and what it means to redefine family in a way that puts love, honesty, and a child's well-being first. They also talk about one of the most difficult chapters of their journey: Jack's unexpected 33-day stay in the NICU after he was born, and how that experience shaped all of them as parents and as a family. Most of all, this is a story about showing up for one another. It's about friendship becoming family, about creating your own blueprint, and about the many different ways people can build a loving home.
Snag a copy of Beautiful Bird for just $15 here:
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books
EPISODE SPONSORS: 
THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES
Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology 
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books
The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)!
The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them.
PHERDAL
IG: @pherdal_science
PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com.
Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off.
CARAWAY
Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful.
Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode, we're talking about something that affects millions of fertility patients—but that almost nobody talks about until the bill shows up: reproductive tissue storage.If you have embryos, eggs, or sperm in storage, you know the drill. Every year, another invoice arrives. Maybe it's $600. Maybe it's $800. Maybe it's over $1,000. Most people just pay it because they assume that's the cost. But what if it isn't? Ali’s guest today is Charlie Boyer, CEO and Co-Founder of Generations CryoVault, and he's on a mission to shake up an industry that he believes has gotten way too comfortable charging fertility patients more and more for storage. Charlie's background is actually in financial services and cord blood storage, but after taking a closer look at reproductive tissue storage, he started asking some uncomfortable questions: Why are prices so high? Why don't patients know they have options? And why are so many clinics owned by private equity firms without patients even realizing it? In this conversation, Ali and Charlie talk about transparency, private equity, patient choice, and Generation CryoVault’s new Pricing Promise, which aims to dramatically lower the cost of long-term embryo, egg, and sperm storage. They also discuss whoownsyourcare.org, how to find out who actually stores your tissue, and what questions every fertility patient should be asking their clinic. Whether you have embryos in storage right now, you're considering fertility treatment, or you're just curious about where all those fertility dollars are going, this is a fascinating conversation about an often-overlooked part of the family-building journey.
For more info, go to https://gencryo.com/
IG: @generationscryovault
EPISODE SPONSORS: 
THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES
Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology 
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books
The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)!
The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them.
PHERDAL
IG: @pherdal_science
PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com.
Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off.
CARAWAY
Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful.
Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s guest is Cory Allen—a former police officer, longtime U.S. Secret Service Agent who spent years protecting Michelle Obama, author, dad, and advocate for LGBTQ+ family building.
You may know Cory from his memoir, Breaking Free, where he shared his journey as a gay Secret Service Agent. Now he’s written a children’s book called Dada Takes a Trip, inspired by the very real emotions that come with leaving your child behind for a work trip—and helping kids understand that love doesn't disappear just because a parent is away.
In this episode, Cory opens up about his path to parenthood through surrogacy, the losses and challenges he and his husband faced along the way, and what it's been like building their family. Cory and Ali also talk about fatherhood, vulnerability, the highs and lows of surrogacy, and why he believes more men should feel comfortable talking about their emotions.
For more, go to https://www.coryallenbooks.com/
IG: @authorcoryallen
EPISODE SPONSORS: 
THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES
Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology 
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books
The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)!
The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them.
PHERDAL
IG: @pherdal_science
PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com.
Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off.
CARAWAY
Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful.
Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Model, entrepreneur, and new mom Analicia Chaves (aka Ana Montana on socials) joins Ali to share the fertility journey that led her to motherhood—and the mission that grew from it.
Ana opens up about her experience with infertility and IVF, revealing how little she knew about fertility challenges before facing them herself. "I didn't even know infertility was a thing until it happened to me," she says. While her friends seemed to be getting pregnant naturally, Ana found herself navigating a world of uncertainty, fear, and overwhelm.
She shares her struggles with endometriosis, heavy bleeding, and painful periods—symptoms she once assumed were simply a normal part of being a woman—as well as the many lifestyle changes she made while trying to conceive, from giving up alcohol and changing her diet to acupuncture, lymphatic massages, and finding support and education through TikTok's TTC community.
Ana also discusses launching I AM FERTILITY, a foundation dedicated to supporting others on their family-building journeys. She shares details about the foundation's first initiative, the HOPE Grant Program, which will award two hopeful mothers $5,000 each toward IVF treatment.
For more info, go to https://iamfertility.co/
IG: @iamfertilitynonprofit

EPISODE SPONSORS: 
THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIES
Ali's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology 
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books
The 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)!
The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them.
PHERDAL
IG: @pherdal_science
PherDal is the world’s first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who’ve been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com.
Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off.
CARAWAY
Caraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful.
Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy