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.

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.

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.