Welcome to our annual year-in-review for Fertility Forward! Today, we are delving into the highs and lows of 2023 and what we are looking forward to for next year. In this episode, you will hear what we love about this podcast, our favorite kinds of discussions, the good and bad of 2023, how things have changed in the world of fertility, and so much more! We discuss our goals for 2024 before talking about our self-care rituals and how we can prioritize them. From adapting to seasons, to reading great books, to what we are grateful for from 2023, to the excitement of 2024, this episode has it all so be sure to tune in now!
Welcome to our annual year-in-review for Fertility Forward! Today, we are delving into the highs and lows of 2023 and what we are looking forward to for next year. In this episode, you will hear what we love about this podcast, our favorite kinds of discussions, the good and bad of 2023, how things have changed in the world of fertility, and so much more! We discuss our goals for 2024 before talking about our self-care rituals and how we can prioritize them. From adapting to seasons, to reading great books, to what we are grateful for from 2023, to the excitement of 2024, this episode has it all so be sure to tune in now!
Hi everyone. We are Rena and Dara , and welcome to Fertility Ford . We are part of the wellness team at RMA of New York, a fertility clinic affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Our Fertility Ford Podcast brings together advice from medical professionals, mental health specialists, wellness experts, and patients because knowledge is power and you are your own best advocate. So, super psyched , Rena and Dara , our joint episode, this is one of our favorite ones to record annually. Now we've been doing this long enough that I can say that this is an annual tradition. Mm-Hmm , <affirmative> . We love to do like a year end wrap up , but this will air at the beginning of January. So we'll talk about the new year fresh start. Both Erin and I, we're not big on New Year's resolutions, but we love goals. So we're just gonna chat, talk about 2023 and then what's to come in 2024. And we wanna thank all of our listeners. Our podcast has really grown the past year. It's been super, super exciting. We've now been featured in the New York Post twice, which is incredible. And I guess the, the first reflection I'll say is , I remember when we first started this, it was always us chasing guests, asking people to come on. And now, you know, sometimes I get overwhelmed by the amount of requests I get from people pitching themselves to come on. So what a switch. And I'm so grateful that RMA has supported the podcast. I love working with Dara , and it's really been a joy. This is one of the favorite parts of my job. So really a lot of gratitude for all of the listeners and how this has grown. So thank you for helping make Fertility forward a success. Everybody.
Speaker 2:Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , everyone. Happy 2024. I second what Rena said. I'm sure most of you guys already know. I love learning. And this is such a beautiful opportunity to meet people in the fertility space who can help not just teach our listeners, you know, things that they probably are, are less aware of, but really teaching Rena and myself and really help deepen my understanding of what people are going through . Also, giving a , you know , deeper understanding of the advancements over the years of, it's amazing. And, you know, I think it's been three years almost. And just to see the development in the last couple of years, every single year, it's so nice to see the growth and the changes and to meet people on the medical side. You know, people who've gone through their own fertility journey, people in the support space . It's really , really such an honor. And then selfishly, I like hanging out with Rena and, you know, we're working with patients and so it's so nice to actually have an opportunity to get, to spend some time with my friend.
Speaker 1:I know I second that and before recording this there , and I were chatting and I was actually reflecting too with somebody last night . It's so hard as, I don't know if it's an age thing or what, but between work and or kid, I feel like I never see anybody. I, I don't out . It's just sort of this hamster wheel of work kid and those responsibilities. And dare and I, we always talk about trying to get together in person, but it is so hard to make it happen because working moms and just the nature of everything. So I am so grateful to, you know, get to see Dara and work with her on this because it keeps us tied together. And I love Dara so much. So it really is, it is such a pleasure.
Speaker 2:The feeling is totally mutual . Mutual . So let's get it kicked off by, perhaps I wanted to ask you some questions and I could definitely answer them on my end, but Reno , like we had a lot of people this past year on our podcast. Were there any discussions in particular that you found extra enlightening that kind of really touched your heart?
Speaker 1:Oh gosh. Well, I don't want to play favorites. So I'll say sort of just umbrella, you know, really anyone that comes on here and is open and authentic and sharing of themselves and their work and their journey. I just really appreciate, and I find every guest that comes on really is that way. And it's interesting, you know, I , I see some guests, they get very anxious before they come on Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . They really wanna spend a lot of time prepping together, talking about questions. And, you know, you and I, I think are both, we've been doing this a long time and you know, we kind of always say, oh, well, the conversation will unfold the best organically . And so we don't wanna over prepare . But it's just, it's funny how some people are in that way. What about you? Any standout ?
Speaker 2:Well, I was gonna say that it's actually a good lesson for me to recognize that everyone works differently and, you know, some people do like that prep. Some people don't wanna over prep . It's just, it's interesting. But yeah, the medical discussions are always interesting for me because as much as, you know, I , I have a background in science, I'm not a doctor, so I , I always find the medical discussions and the research that we do here at RMA and really creative papers for the annual conference, A SRM . It's always interesting to , you know, first when I hear like the title of the topic, I'm like, what the heck does this mean <laugh> ? And then it's so nice to actually see the advancements. So I'm actually surprised because at first I was like, that wasn't what I was going to say. But speaking about spontaneity, I really do find it interesting to, you know, learn something new in an area that's so outta my element.
Speaker 1:Totally. And I think, you know, obviously we're both big fans of RMA, but it gives me such appreciation of the place that we work and what they're creating. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And we're so ahead of it. And, and I feel it helps me just as a practitioner also be ahead of things. Like I, I remember yesterday I was actually reading up on something about PCOS and the article I was reading mentioned Spiron Lackin . Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , which no idea about, except for , we had Dr. Thornton on to talk about her m study about that. And so that popped out at me and I was like, oh wow. I already, you know, kind of knew what I knew from our episode. And so I love that just to feel, you know, also, you know, more educated, you know, similar to you. I love to learn.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna give a shout out to Dr. Lana Butner , who I also was really excited to have on just because of her marriage between the medical side and the more integrative side. And , uh, I was actually just re-listening to her episode today. And one of the quotes I absolutely love that she said, I'm like, I need to remember to use that is saying no to others is saying yes to you. And I think this time of the year, especially when things can get really busy and we feel like we're doing so much for the people around us, which is super nice, it's a great reminder that it's okay to say no if it means it's going to protect your energy and help you refuel the way you need to. That was a really good reminder one, which I'm gonna definitely take in into the new year.
Speaker 1:I love that. I'll say much easier said than done. Yeah , for sure. But totally because you know, when you don't say no, it , it then comes at the expense of yourself and Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> then you can't be good at what , what you need to be good at, you know, whether work or home or whatever. So it is so important to say no so that you can recharge and replenish and rejuvenate and then be the best at what you need to be good at.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And I find a lot of those discussions are really great working with other practitioners in the field, whether, you know, they're nutritionists or therapists or acupuncturists, it's also great to hear , hear also different philosophies that, you know, is not part of our day-to-day and learning from them. Because even though it's not something that, you know, I'm not necessarily familiar with, it's so interesting to see how many different modalities are out there to help people.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Absolutely. So what would you say, kind of looking back on your year, some highs and lows or maybe do lows and then highs end on a pause ? Yeah ,
Speaker 2:I love that. I would say , yeah , starting with lows, I did notice, at least from my work, a still a big sense of stress. Of course. Kay , I'm gonna step back . Anyone who has their own fertility journey, there's stress involved in that. But it's interesting that I'm still seeing an uptick. And I don't know if it's still post covid, I don't know if it's, you know, I'm seeing people, you know, working a whole lot and not taking time for some self-care. So that, I wouldn't say it's not necessarily a low, but it's something that I'm noticing in my patients more specifically now. It's crazy. I'm not sure if it's something that , that you see or work with, but I've seen more patients this year with high cholesterol levels than ever before and I'm like, Hmm , what is that all about? I wanna look into that, whether it's, you know, related to diet, whether it's related to stress and diet and other things. That's something that I have noticed that's, you know, something that I wanna delve deeper into . I can help the people that I work with. What about you?
Speaker 1:Oh, you didn't say your highs. Should we
Speaker 2:Do that? Oh, my highs. Let's do that after. I'm trying . Yeah. I'm like, I don't even know. There's definitely lots of highs, but <laugh> Okay .
Speaker 1:I would say lows. I mean, it's hard to say, right? I feel people usually, people don't come to me when they're happy. You know, people come to me when they have a problem. So sometimes I feel like my view of the world, the lens can kind of be a little bit skewed that everyone is feeling low. But I think this year it was sort of on trend. I'll say. The stuff with Israel that permeated that to me was very parallel to covid, to how people responded to it. It really formulated a lot of discussions. I would say at least 98% of my patients brought that up. And then, wow , similar feelings to Covid when people felt, felt very out of control. They felt inundated by the news, they felt help . So I saw a lot of similarities to that and the pandemic. And I think that really, I mean, people were just so heavy about that, understandably, of course. But that was a low because that was really heavy. And you know, I guess on a personal level of my sweet little dog passed away very unexpectedly this year. That was really hard. And then just dealing with a bunch of injuries from running and some health stuff has been kind of difficult. So
Speaker 2:Yeah. You've been through a lot this year, Rena , who has ,
Speaker 1:You know , right . Well we're all in it .
Speaker 2:Yeah. Less about positive or negative, but just making a note of, I have been seeing a lot more talk and discussion on Ozempic. Yes. That has been like the talk du jour and now with Oprah who just recently mentioned , right. She came , played , which, you know, I'm proud of her for also like being open and honest and saying that she is working on a variety of ways to get to whatever her goals are for health and wellness. You know, there's not always one answer and you know , I think people do look to her in a lot of ways. And so it's good that she was, you know , ended up opening up about that.
Speaker 1:I love that. I think as long as someone's open and authentic, whether it be about using a weight loss aid to help them maintain a figure or, or as so commonly comes up in our field is, you know, older women. So I'm saying women, you know, that are maybe over 45, you know, giving birth, you know, whether to a , a single pregnancy or twins and then not talking about using assisted reproductive technology. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, which, you know, I think really confuses people and really they have a platform to maybe share about it, which I admire when people are open and honest about things like that. Obviously it's a very private thing, family building. But I really appreciate when people are honest about that, just because I think it really helps other people that are struggling. Yeah,
Speaker 2:Exactly. When you're on the other side, it really can help the people in your wake, you know, give them some support and guidance and advice to, to help them on their journey. Lots to be grateful for in terms of work. I don't know , I had a great group of people that I met with and worked with this year. I always love working with, you know, partners if people are together working with both of them together and separate. So I thought that was definitely a highlight this year. I got to work with a lot more couples than I have in the past, which is really exciting because especially, you know, anyone living together, having any meals together, you know, it's nice to get both people's perspective and also to help guide them to not only work for their own health, but also to be there to support their partner.
Speaker 1:Oh , that's such a great point.
Speaker 2:Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>
Speaker 1:That makes so much, so much sense. You know, like what if one partner decides to suddenly go from being a meat eater to a vegan? I would imagine that that mm-hmm . <affirmative> , you know, could cause a lot of, you know, tension or confusion in a relationship.
Speaker 2:And I think natural naturally as humans, like we think about our own needs and you know, I think it could be nice to, you know, of course focus on yourself, but also realize that there's other people in your life that can influence you. Like having open dialogues, open communication of what you need for yourself, and also to ask that person how you can best help support their needs.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Absolutely. Oh, I love that. That's so interesting. That must be very rewarding for you.
Speaker 2:It's, and it's just nice, you know, it's, I think I've been at RA almost, oh my gosh, I think almost 14 years now. And this is , I think the year where I saw the most partners. So that was a plus for sure . What even
Speaker 1:Led to that? Do you think people are just communicating differently or they just didn't know that option was there before?
Speaker 2:I dunno , I gotta think more for the reason. I'm not quite sure. I have no idea. I would love to say that people maybe, you know, partners are more open to realizing that even the person who may be carrying the potential baby, I think there's a , a better understanding now that it's, it's not just one, you know, if there's a couple as part of it, they need each other's support. And it's not just in support for the fertility process, but it bleeds into other areas, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:So, but I don't know why, but I'm not complaining. I think it's great. <laugh>,
Speaker 1:I think that's fabulous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's really nice. What about you, Rena ? Is there any area where you feel like you've seen changes in your day to day or ,
Speaker 1:I about changes, but I would say something that I found gratifying this year. You know, I've been at RMA now for six years coming up. And so this year I found a lot of people returning for maybe number two. And we had worked together in the past and they wanted to come back as patients, which I found, you know, they were so kind. They said how much I had helped them before. And so meeting them again and , and I found that was very heartwarming. That was nice. That was a nice trend that I saw this year.
Speaker 2:That's really nice to be able to see their growth, how they've changed and kind of are they approaching things differently this time around ?
Speaker 1:Exactly. Exactly.
Speaker 2:That's nice. Continuity of care is always a great thing to see. Yeah .
Speaker 1:<inaudible> back to the same clinic because they had such a good experience
Speaker 2:And reaching out to you because they got something out of it, which is great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was , that was nice. Very nice . Yeah,
Speaker 2:For sure. So coming into the new year, I know we don't like to set New Year's resolutions per se, but in terms of reflection of perhaps, are there things that you're more open to wanting to try in the coming year? Or any type of goals , like maybe goal setting that you're open to?
Speaker 1:Sure. Well, my goal definitely ties into that phrase that you said Dr. Lana said, and it , it is about self care because I really , you know, burnout is so high in my field. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And I really need to do a better job at taking care of myself so that I can take care of others. So that is certainly a goal and a goal of really being able to disconnect. You know, my daughter is seven now, and now she is always yelling at me at dinner and says, mommy, no phones at dinner, because I'm always working. And so I really, that is a goal to really have present quality time at home and not be distracted.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's a ongoing one for me too , <laugh> . It's fun , it's amazing . Yeah . And it's amazing . I , I appreciate little kids of , you know, with their honesty and we can learn so much from little ones and their honesty and it's true that, you know, we, what we do, they see so, you know, being a good influence and it's the same thing with like your friends and your colleagues and your peers and your partners. You know, putting out what you would want back and also being a good reflection of the person you wanna be. And sometimes it takes having people, like kids or adults to remind you when they feel like you're not being your true self.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. What about you for the new year coming ?
Speaker 2:I like your self-discovery and like self-care. I think especially for what we do, we're here, you know, our jobs day-to-day are helping other people. And it's nice to also remember that in order for us to be able to be our best to help others, we need to be there for ourself . I would love to, and this is something that's ongoing, but it's something I'm really trying to look at, is being a better listener. And that means not just being a better listener to others, which I could definitely be, but also listening to myself, listening to my gut, listening to my body, listening to what my body is telling me it means .
Speaker 1:Ooh , I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's a hard one. And then the , it's interesting. The other thing which I talk to my patients quite a bit is, and I've , I've spoken about it already on the podcast, but the notion of non-judgment. How we, when, you know, for example, we eat something that we're not super happy with and then we have that self-talk in our head of, oh , I can't believe I did that. That was horrible. That's disgusting, un disgusting. Like that judgment and the shame and the guilt and that doesn't make you feel good. And that's not really who you are. And it's so liberating when you can, not to say that that voice isn't gonna be there, but you can dial down that voice and or replace it with words of encouragement.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Words of self-love, you know, and reframing and mindset.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. And so it's, and it kind of like bleeds into like my meditation practice of some days I'm waking up and I'm having a hard time meditating. My mind is going a mile of it . I'm like, I don't think I've been still. And, you know, but being aware of those thoughts without the judgment and the upset that my mind is wandering as opposed to saying, oh wow , wow. My mind is super busy. And getting curious with that and kind of looking deeper of maybe my mind is super busy 'cause I have a lot going on. Do I need to take a step back? Do I need to take a deep breath? Do I need to cut back on all the doing and be more still? So it's, that's part of, I guess the self-discovery is kind of listening, observing with much less judgment.
Speaker 1:Yes. And just kind of being, letting it wash over you and not not having to solve it or dissect it or make sense of it.
Speaker 2:Yes. Just letting it be Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 1:<affirmative> . Exactly.
Speaker 2:And that's, that's a , it's a hard one because I think as humans we do like to make sense of things and sometimes things just don't make sense or we can't make sense of it .
Speaker 1:Absolutely . Yeah .
Speaker 2:I, I think also part of, you know, what I hope to really be more consistent with is my yoga practice. And it's similar, it's another form of meditation. Like, you know, just finding time for myself to do it at the end of the day to help me stretch and unwind and be more present.
Speaker 1:Oh , I love that. So tell me about your favorite self-care rituals.
Speaker 2:That's definitely up there as one of my favorite rituals is taking that time and it's like middle of the week, it's an hour and a half long. I go to this very old school, simple Indian style practice that has a lot of shavasana and that's probably one of the best self and I, there there's still a part of me like, wow, it's an hour and a half long, it's a , you know, a long time to commit. But it's amazing how that time really goes by quickly. And I would say another other thing I do is once a month I make an effort to get out of the city and be in nature. And I think that's what my body needs. My body needs to be in the fresh air in silence without all the noise at the city appreciating, you know, the nature of the birds, the trees. Yeah. So those are two things that I really wanna continue to prioritize. Um, in 2024. What about you?
Speaker 1:Well, I try and do prayer, meditation, daily, and journaling . When I'm doing those practices consistently, I instantly , I'm definitely a better person for those around me.
Speaker 2:<laugh> , when I ,
Speaker 1:I start to feel very anxious or angsty and not settled, I can, I can definitely tell. So I really try and do those daily. I try and wake up very early. I go to sleep very early too, so that I can do those first thing in the morning. Um, or I like to bookend my day with those if possible. You know, I love to run. I'm trying to kind of have a better balance between all this, like cortisol elevating mm-Hmm . <affirmative> exercise in the , in the grounding down. And I definitely agree about nature. I also can always tell in my body when I've been in the city for too long, I just, I start to feel really not good. So it's certainly easier in the summer. Yeah .
Speaker 2:I
Speaker 1:Find to leave the city, but really agree concerted efforts to leave at least once a month to be in nature, be in silence, be out of this kind of, you know, grind.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I think it takes a lot more effort and work to find stillness in the city. But I do think, like, I , it's interesting because you both said things that involve work and practice and dedication and I've been noticing that. And it's good that you're recognizing on the days that you don't have your journaling or your word meditation or, or your mantras that you're saying that you feel off, which is good. Sometimes we need those days as reminders of , oh wow, I feel off, I'm recognizing that this is a practice, this is something that is not a sometimes thing and that is a great way in , in many ways to live life, is recognizing that a lot of those things that we can potentially see benefit take time and patience and practice.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I think that's a great point. And I think too to remember, you have to be consistent and it's so easy to let those things slide when you're feeling good, but you're feeling good because you're doing those things. So
Speaker 2:It's a good reminder.
Speaker 1:Catch 22 , you gotta keep practicing them to feel good . And, you know, I don't have a lot of extra time. It's not like I spend hours, you know, doing these things. I spend, you know, I try and go to a meditation or prayer sort of meeting if you will, you know, 30 minutes, an hour a day. But, you know, again, I get up very early. I do it before anyone's awake and then it's done and it sets the tone for a great day. And then, you know, I try and journal for a few minutes at the end of the day and , and that's it.
Speaker 2:One of my favorite podcasters that I've been listening to quite consistently, it might not be for everyone on this podcast, but his name is Galia Fester and I listen to him on Spotify and it's more somewhat religious in that he brings in some like biblical stories mixed in with one of my favorite books. You probably heard of it before , uh, David Hawkins Letting Go. Yeah . And so he marries like the spiritual religious aspect of it with the psychological component to it and marries it together. But the reason why I brought him up is because one of the first things he says is you can't get anything done if you sleep in. So he's all for which I agree. I've been waking up earlier these days, like
Speaker 1:<crosstalk> , well you and I were DMing at like six 20 <laugh> . I appreciated that <laugh> .
Speaker 2:Yeah. I mean, really I think you can get a lot of the good nuggets in the morning, especially when there's silence before the rush of work, before the rush of the day. It's nice to have that, you know, that time in silence to really kind of, you know, just be, and it's harder when you're sleeping in and you're waiting till the last possible second before you know your first meeting , your first appointment. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think you're talking about good habits, you know, circadian rhythms and sleep cycles. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and, you know, especially to maximize vitamin D, you know, in the winter it is more natural for our bodies to go to bed earlier and get up earlier because it helps maximize sunlight. So, you know, that is also , that's a
Speaker 2:Good point.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Normal to shift in the winter to going to sleep earlier, but getting up earlier because we wanna see Mm-Hmm . <crosstalk> as possible.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I definitely, I mean, it's hard for me these days now when the sun sets at like four 30 and it's like seven o'clock . I'm like , it feels like it's midnight at de Oh my
Speaker 1:Gosh . Some eight o'clock. Like I will literally get in bed, which is,
Speaker 2:But it also feels like midnight at seven o'clock in the morning until the sun rises. So it's, you know, I think the month of December and January actually when , you know, when things change, you know, probably January, the days get a little bit longer. But it's interesting. It's , and it's good to like take note of that, of like, oh wow, it might be a little bit harder when the days are are shorter.
Speaker 1:Well, I think it's important to note too, that just how the seasons change our habits should change too. You know, I certainly don't go to bed as early in the summer because I wanna be out. I wanna be enjoying the weather. Yeah . You know, but you know, just how we, you know, in the winter we eat warming foods or we do different activities. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , you know, our , our body clocks really can change over the seasons. And so to kind of honor that too and, and know , you know, I'm not a winter person at all. I grew up in the south, I hate the cold, but, you know, I left the south to go to college, so in the northeast. So I've, I've been dealing with this climate now for quite a long time and I've had to adapt. And so to figure out, you know, the best ways to maximize that too, and, and it is seasonal and , and really take advantage. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> is very good.
Speaker 2:I think that's great. Is to adapt based on, even if it's not your favorite finding ways to appreciate it, you know, whatever it may be. Have you read any good books the last year that you wanna share with people? Anything that's kind of influenced you or Kimberly ? I just put you on the spot, Rena , I can go if you don't <laugh>
Speaker 1:Questions. I love that we always talk about this. Let's see why I loved Atomic Habits by James. Be about that .
Speaker 2:Mm-Hmm .
Speaker 1:<affirmative> , it was a great one that I read this year. I , I implemented that a lot in practice . I know I read a lot of the new Don Miguel Ruiz, ones that came out. You were so kind . You sent me grief and renewal after my dog passed away. That was a great one. And I recommend that a lot to patients now, you know, because, you know, so many are dealing with grief. That was a really good one. I'm also, I actually just finished the Seven Principles of a Successful Marriage by John Gottman, which I found really great. You know, just working with a lot of couples. He is, you know, kind of the expert on couples. That was a really great read that I'm implementing a lot in practice now as well. And then I'm very excited to read How to Be The Love You Seek by Dr . Who is the holistic psychologist on Instagram. She's a huge Instagram following. That is her new book. So that is the next one I am picking up and um ,
Speaker 2:I'm writing that one down. That one sounds good. Great
Speaker 1:One . And then I love to read, I read a lot of like trash thriller fiction books, but for the purposes of this podcast, I won't tell you about both
Speaker 2:<laugh> . You need both. You need both. I go back and forth
Speaker 1:Both . So what about you
Speaker 2:In terms of the, my non-fiction books that I read? I, I'm in the middle of one that I'm really trying to savor. It's from the place. So I go to this place called Shivananda Yoga. And this guy who founded this yoga, his name is Swami Shivananda , has this amazing book. It's like, I think in very short supply, but it's only like a hundred pages. It's called Thought Power. And it's really such simple, you know, the idea of how our thoughts have energy and so just being mindful of , but also have so much power. So we, we, you know, if we want to heal ourselves, people around us, how just even the power of what you're thinking about, but how it could also be used for, you know, if we're not being kind to ourselves or not saying kind things to others, how that also, you know, you give out things and it also reverberates back. So like that's the notion of karma, which I find very fascinating. And then my husband recommended this book and it's phenomenal also a small one. It's called The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shin. And it's another one of those like really small books, but with so many deep nuggets about love and karma and forgiveness and you know, the power of the word. It's like another play. It reminds me similar of like the four agreements. Sometimes I need to keep on reading those types of books just to remind me, you know, hearing things in different ways that can really help resonate, especially with what I'm working on in terms of, you know, non-judgment. Yes .
Speaker 1:Helping . It's
Speaker 2:Funny , as you said ,
Speaker 1:These practices, we have to keep reading , keep learning to really keep reminding ourselves, you know, so that they remain at the forefront of our minds and our conscious thoughts .
Speaker 2:Totally. And the other one I'm reading, I'm reading a couple, the Hero within, you may have heard of this, it's the Six Archetypes We Live by by Carol S. Pearson . Someone told me about this, I think I heard on another podcast and I was like, Ooh , this sounds interesting. Am I the orphan, the innocent, the magician, the wanderer, the warrior, the altruist, or a little bit of all of them. <laugh>
Speaker 1:Best reps writing all of these down.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's so good. I have a couple of books now from you with to Cap and the other one was how to ,
Speaker 1:How to be the Love . The love
Speaker 2:You Seek , how to Be the Love You Seek. Ooh , thank you Rina .
Speaker 1:Thank you Dara . This is why I love sharing ideas and getting them from you.
Speaker 2:Likewise. It's so nice. It's so nice to spend time with people who share similar passions, who can help , help , help in your path to self-discovery and help you grow as a person. So you definitely do that for me , Rena , thank you.
Speaker 1:Oh , right . Back at you Dara .
Speaker 2:So I think to round out our 2024, it's gonna be a phenomenal year. What are the things that you're most grateful for this past year? We kind of touched upon them , it may be a little summary.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know, I'm always first and foremost grateful for my daughter. She is the light of my wife . I am grateful for the time I had with my beloved dog. I'm looking at her photo now. It's just the best. And you know, my work, grateful for my work and my profession and family, friends, health, you know, safety, all the things. What about
Speaker 2:You? Yes, to all of those things. I'm grateful for all the people that have been in my life thus far , no matter who they are . Whether they're, I mean, of course my family and my friends , but even the people who have been challenging in my life, I wanna be open to even recognizing that the people who are challenging in my life are there for a reason to help teach me to grow and be the person that I'm meant to be. And so, yeah, I'm very grateful for my past and for everything, you know, past generations and everything that I've experienced thus far.
Speaker 1:I love that. What a great spin on turning difficult people, places, things into not, you know, kind of like why is this happening to me, but what is this teaching me? What can I learn from this? Yeah .
Speaker 2:Yeah . How it's working for me for my benefit. Yeah. Uh , Rena , I am very excited for the year ahead. I feel good things on the horizon and I feel like there'll be good things on the horizon for all of you listeners. Yes. Wishing everyone a very meaningful year ahead.
Speaker 1:Yes. Lots of abundance and health and we're so grateful to you. As always, feel free to message us, suggestions, comments, anything. And very excited for 2024. We have an amazing calendar. Mm-Hmm . Already lined up. And so we're super excited to launch new episodes for you this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, lots on the horizon. And definitely let us know if there's any specific topics that you kind of want us to delve deeper in. We're always open to suggestions. So thanks guys. And thank you Rena . I'm so happy to get a chance to see you .
Speaker 1:Likewise. Bye
Speaker 2:Bye .
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for listening today. And always remember practice gratitude, give a little love to someone else and yourself. And remember you are not alone. Find us on Instagram at Fertility Forward . And if you're looking for more support, visit us@www.rmany.com and tune in next week for more fertility.