Unspoken Lives Podcast
Unspoken Lives Podcast shares extraordinary stories from everyday people, highlighting resilience, personal growth, and inspiring life lessons. Tune in for real conversations that uncover the moments that often go unseen.
Unspoken Lives Podcast
Ep 017: Shelley Stephan: Don’t Lose Yourself | Infertility and Identity, Part 1
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Gentle Content Note: This episode includes discussion of infertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy loss. If this topic is tender for you, please listen with care.
Shelley never imagined infertility would become one of the defining chapters of her life. What began as hope for a growing family turned into years of trying to conceive, fertility treatments, miscarriage, and emotional heartbreak. In part one of this conversation, she shares the real and often unspoken experience of infertility, including the isolation, the pressure, the perfectionism, and the desire to control what feels uncontrollable.
At one point, she realized infertility had quietly become her identity. It consumed her thoughts and shaped how she saw herself. This episode explores the emotional toll of infertility, grief after miscarriage, identity loss, and the difficult process of letting go of control.
Shelley is now a licensed professional counselor specializing in infertility, pregnancy loss, maternal mental health, anxiety, and depression. What she did not yet know during those painful years was that this chapter would become the foundation of her calling. Through her own experiences with infertility and pregnancy loss, she gained a depth of understanding that now shapes the way she supports other women navigating similar journeys. The storm she walked through would later allow her to sit across from others in theirs.
If you are walking through infertility or feeling like a difficult season is defining you, this conversation will resonate deeply.
Resources mentioned:
• Moms in the Making, a Christian infertility support community
• RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, offering infertility support groups and education
Guest: Shelley Stephan, Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in infertility, pregnancy loss, and maternal mental health
Website: https://stephancounseling.com
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