Childless After Infertility? You Still Belong

If you've ever felt like everyone else moved forward after IVF while you were left trying to figure out where you fit… this episode is for you.

In Episode 205 of The "So Now What?" Podcast, Lana Manikowski shares a deeply personal recap of The Other's Day® weekend in Chicago, where women from 13 states gathered for connection, friendship, healing, and belonging after infertility and childlessness.

But this episode is about much more than a weekend event.

It's about what happens when you stop seeing yourself as the outsider.

You'll hear honest conversation about the emotional aftermath of infertility, the loneliness many women experience after fertility treatments end without a baby, and why so many women quietly question who they are now once the future they imagined never happened.

Lana shares: • Why Mother's Day weekend can feel emotionally exhausting when you are childless not by choice. • The hidden identity shifts that happen after IVF failed. • How infertility impacts friendships, marriage, confidence, and connection. • What it was like watching women who once felt disconnected instantly connect during The Other's Day® celebrations. • Why you already belong, even if motherhood didn't happen. • The emotional experience of meeting Thrive After Infertility clients in person after years of coaching together online. • Why healing is not about becoming someone different, but reconnecting to yourself and your life again. • How women are building meaningful, connected, joy-filled lives after infertility.

This episode is for you if: • You feel disconnected from friends after infertility. • Mother's Day still feels hard after IVF failed. • You wonder where you fit now that fertility treatments are over. • You are struggling to picture a meaningful future without children. • You want to feel connected, grounded, and hopeful again.

You are not broken. You are not behind. And you do not have to keep navigating this alone.

✨ Mentioned in this episode:

Join the waitlist for The Other's Day® 2027 in Chicago (May 7–8, 2027): The Other's Day® Waitlist

Participate in the confidential Northwestern University research study for women whose fertility treatment ended without a live birth: Northwestern Fertility Treatment Research Study

Schedule a free Thrive Call with Lana: Book a Thrive Call

Download the free guide: The Top 27 Things People Say When You're Childless and How to Respond Get the Free Guide Here

Learn more about Thrive After Infertility

Connect with Lana on Instagram: Instagram @lana.manikowski