On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Curt Sechrist joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-his fertility journey, with the backdrop of becoming part of the Jewish community

-his childhood and when he realized that he was gay

-his experience of being exposed to more of Jewish culture and religion, and how that became an even bigger part of his life when he met his future husband, Adam

-his decision to convert

-why they chose to adopt instead of pursuing surrogacy

-their adoption process and the incredible journey that brought them to their son

More about Curt:

Curt is a former Broadway and TV actor turned Jewish professional. He was raised in the UK and spent 15 years working in London before moving to NYC in 2013. He met his husband shortly afterwards and they built their life together before relocating to San Francisco in 2020 where they welcomed their son through open adoption. They moved back to NY in 2022 where most of their friends currently live. Curt is a Jew by Choice and now spends his time thinking about ways to make folks feel welcome in Jewish life and community. Curt and his husband are passionate about telling their adoption story and helping be the example of same sex family building they never had growing up.

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-Reach out to him via email

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Rabbi Karen Glazer Perolman joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her upbringing, her passion for her job as a community rabbi, and having a stillbirth

-her baby, Leo, who she lost

-what grief looks like when your job is to hold people in *their* pain

-how she has managed to get through all of it

More about Rabbi Karen Glazer Perolman:

Karen Glazer Perolman is the Senior Associate Rabbi at Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, NJ, the congregation she has served since 2008. She studied at the University of Maryland at College Park (2004) followed by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York (M.A.H.L., 2009; Ordination, 2010). While in rabbinical school Karen had the privilege to serve as a teaching assistant to theology professor Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz, z”l. She sits on the board of Project Kesher and was a member of the CCAR Taskforce on Women in the Rabbinate from 2017-2020. She is a grateful alumnus of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Clergy Leadership Program and CLAL’s Rabbis Without Borders, GLEAN, and LEAP fellowships. Karen is a voracious reader which fuels her passion to understand the relationships between food, spirituality, politics, Judaism, feminism and social justice. She is married to Liz Glazer, a lawyer-turned-standup comedian and are parents to baby Eloise, teenage cat Jack, and Leo, of blessed memory.

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Shira Collings joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her personal experience with recurrent pregnancy loss (4 heartbreaking losses)

-how navigating grief is hard enough after a loss, as most people don’t truly understand what a grieving person needs

-the added layers of being part of the queer community, which brings up other ways that people can feel isolated and alone

-needing to find supports that are LGBTQ+ affirming and grief knowledgeable (almost a unicorn!)

-the guilt and shame they carry (thinking the loss is their fault because of their lifestyle choices)

-the judgement they might face from people about family building

More about Shira:

Shira Collings, MS, NCC, LPC (she/they) is a psychotherapist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She primarily specializes in eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image, and is especially passionate about providing LGBTQ+-affirming, neurodiversity-affirming, and fat-affirming eating disorder care. Shira’s personal experience with pregnancy loss sparked their passion for supporting those who are struggling to build their families as well.

Connect with Shira:

-Send her an email

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Rob Reider joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-the stillbirth of his daughter, Lila, in December 2017

-how he dealt with the grief and overwhelming heartache

-how he and his his wife, Tehila, got through those early weeks (spoiler alert- they were both a mess)

-the power of community and finding other men to talk with, who could validate his feelings and let him know he was not alone

More about Rob:

Rob Reider is a musician, father, husband, and Executive Director/Co-Founder of SAD DADS CLUB. He currently lives in Falmouth, Maine with his wife, Tehilah, and their rainbow baby, now four-year old son, Dallas. Rob and Tehilah’s daughter and forever firstborn, Lila, was delivered stillborn at 38 weeks. Rob co-founded SAD DADS CLUB alongside Jay (Bella’s dad) and Chris (Izzy’s dad) as a way for fathers to connect and support one another through the unique complexities of infant and child loss from the father’s perspective. The ever-growing community has created a space for men to be vulnerable, expressive, and supportive with one another. As a community, SAD DADS CLUB is working to redefine masculinity and showcase the strength, power, and benefits of being emotionally in touch and expressive in a healthy way. SAD DADS CLUB helps fellow bereaved fathers navigate life after loss by nurturing a supportive community and providing access to mental health services.

Connect with Rob:

-Check out the SAD DADS CLUB Website

-Follow them on Instagram

-Read their stories

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, David Melamed joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-his 14-year struggle to have a child

-his candid and heartfelt discussion of the most painful and challenging moments

-the sources of strength and upliftment on this journey

-his courage and emotional depth

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the male psyche and the profound pain of infertility

More about David:

David Melamed is originally from Denver and moved back to his hometown about 10 years ago. He runs a search marketing agency with his beautiful wife, Chani. He got married at 28, and now, 14 years later, he still wonders if he was supposed to rub the esrog jelly counter-clockwise, and that’s why the gods are punishing him with this infertility rollercoaster.

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Jen Blumenfeld joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-the story of her 3 beautiful children, some of whom came into this world through donor eggs (you'll have to listen to find out which ones!)

-longing for a child and having multiple failed cycles

-how Jen and her husband came to considering donor eggs

-Jen's relationship with her donor, unlike an anonymous donor, Jen knew her donor, which made the decision so much easier for her

-building her family with the help of science and a modern-day miracle

-the idea of epigenetics - what comes from your biology, what comes from your environment

-parenting *all* her children and ensuring they get the love and attention they need

More about Jen:

Jen Blumenfeld lives in Oakland, California, with her husband, three daughters, and their energetic 12-year-old doodle puppy. A Bay Area native, Jen has always been deeply engaged in the Jewish community, consistently contributing as a lay leader. From helping establish the Mission Minyan nineteen years ago to serving on membership and outreach committees at her synagogue, and leading parent committees at her children's schools, Jen dedicates her free time to building and nurturing Jewish community. Jen has a background in fashion, retail, and e-commerce. For the past three years, she has been a stay-at-home mom to her three girls. Jen has served on the Hasidah board for the past seven years, where she is passionately committed to normalizing infertility in all its forms and assisting couples in their journey to parenthood. Having experienced the pain of infertility herself, Jen understands the significant financial burdens and socio-emotional challenges it presents. Being a recipient of donor eggs, she deeply believes that helping someone become a parent is the greatest gift one can offer.

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Elana Frank, CEO of Jewish Fertility Foundation, joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her own fertility journey - the tale of a woman who will go to any length to build her family

-doing IUIs in a doctor's home in Israel to turning to IVF back in the States and then choosing a donor embryo for her last child

-her experience with secondary infertility - the yearning for another child while feeling guilty for not being happy with the two children she already had

-how she started and grew her organization, Jewish Fertility Foundation, in the midst of her journey

More about Elana:

Elana Frank has 20+ years of experience working with nonprofits (Jewish Community Relations Council of NY, Kfar Hassidim Youth Village in Israel, Jewish Fertility Foundation) through fundraising, marketing, community outreach, volunteer recruitment, board development, and program development. After personally experiencing the pain and loneliness of infertility, yet noticing how lucky she was to have had her journey begin in Israel, where it's free, Elana was inspired to help others. Cost, education, and access were tremendous obstacles for this “unspoken” issue in the Jewish community, so she rallied countless like-minded people and created the Jewish Fertility Foundation. She has since received national attention through awards and public speaking engagements for the work that the Jewish Fertility Foundation has accomplished. Elana lives in Atlanta, GA, with her husband, three boys, and their fish “Devil.”

Connect with Elana:

-Visit JFF's Website

-Check out JFF's Instagram

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Emily Getz joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-how she and her husband had their first child naturally and never expected that it would be difficult trying to build their family

-her stillbirth and multiple miscarriages, 1 ectopic, 4 rounds of IVF and still no baby

-the grief, shock, loss and heartbreak that were almost pushed to the side as they pursued every possible step in order to try to have another child

-the decision of whether to walk away and be done with this part of their lives, try adoption, do IVF one more time or use donor eggs

-how they came to the realization that using an egg donor was the best chance for a good outcome

-how Emily wanted to connect with her donor, even beyond her looks an decided using a Jewish donor was the thing that helped her transmit some piece of her to a future baby, even if it wasn’t her genetics

Connect with Emily:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Check out her Website

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