On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Shirel Korobkin and Shani Weinmann Kay join Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-the realities of the fertility community in Israel, one year after October 7th

-what the last 365 days has been for them personally and as individuals who have taken active roles in trying to hold space for others

-advice to those of us who live in the diaspora, as to how we can best support our friends and family there, and be a light to them and they manage this difficult time

-Shirel speaks about her grief work @IWSTHAB

-Shani speaks about sharing her miscarriage publicly with @timesofisrael

More about Shirel:

Shirel Korobkin moved from Toronto to Israel in 2020 and now lives in Harish. She works as a Grief Educator and Group Support Lead for English speakers at "I Was Supposed To Have A Baby," a Jewish fertility and pregnancy loss organization. Shirel is also actively involved in building the English-speaking community in Harish through events and shiurim.

Connect with Shirel:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Join one of Shirel's support groups

More about Shani:

Shani Weinmann Kay was born in Atlanta, Georgia and grew up in the Jewish community of Toco Hills. She attended Torah Day School of Atlanta and Yeshiva Atlanta before coming to Midreshet Harova and then joining the IDF, serving as a Combat Medic in the Artillery Brigade. She has a degree in Dance, is studying Psychology, and is a reservist in Search and Rescue.

Connect with Shani:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Learn more about her family's nonprofit The Eli Kay Project

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Aliza Tropper, LMHC, joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-the emotions that come up during the quest to build a family

-the guilt, shame, sadness, anxiety, inadequacy, etc., and how they manifest

-suggestions on how to make these deep feelings more manageable, like self-soothing, mini-breaks, reaching out for support and even medication if things become too overwhelming

This line really stuck with me- “if you don’t grieve, you spend the rest of your life grieving.” We all need to take the time and space to feel all the feelings, but make sure you are taking care of yourself in the process too!

More about Aliza:

Aliza Tropper, LMHC, is a Licensed Psychotherapist with over 12 years of experience. Based in Cedarhurst, NY, her practice specializes in helping adolescents and adults navigate anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, life transitions, and trauma. Aliza takes a holistic approach, incorporating techniques like EMDR, Sensorimotor (somatic) psychotherapy, CBT, and DBT to facilitate long-lasting transformation in alignment with personal values. Aliza’s practice also runs DBT groups for both adolescents and adults and offers online therapy in NY, NJ and Florida.

Connect with Aliza:

-Take a look at her website

-Check out her women's DBT groups

-Follow her on Instagram

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

-her diabetes diagnosis which she received when she was 12, which made it natural for her to share when she had trouble getting pregnant

-her 6 years of primary infertility

-heartbreaking disappointments, life-threatening complications and all kinds of insensitive comments

-how she saw herself in the Chana/Penina story from the Book of Shmuel (book of Samuel), as she longed to be a mother, while watching everyone else around her get pregnant

-her consideration of adoption at one point

Spoiler alert: Tee does have two children, but her story teaches so many powerful lessons- 1- share your pain so that you can get the support you need 2-Call people out when they are making you uncomfortable

More about Tee:

Tee Simpser is a Jewish, modern Orthodox woman living the happily hectic life of an educator, wife, and mom to 2 miracle babies. One of Tee’s biggest goals in life is to destroy stigmas by talking about taboo topics like physical/mental health and infertility awareness.

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-Check out our Website

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

-all aspects of reproductive psychiatry

-the reasons why someone would reach out

-how meds are used as an adjunct to therapy

-the many safe and effective treatments that can be used before, during and after pregnancy

-many of the myths about meds

More about Esther Rollhaus, MD:

Dr. Esther Rollhaus is an adult, child, and reproductive psychiatrist in private practice in Riverdale, NY and via telepsychiatry to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Florida. A graduate of Stern College for Women, Icahn School of Medicine, and Montefiore Medical Center, she has a particular interest in reproductive and perinatal psychiatry. She has presented at national and international conferences on women’s mental health, infertility, and family therapy.

Connect with Dr. Rollhaus:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Check out her website

-Give her a call at (347) 380-5714

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On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Rachel Daar Cohen joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-a powerful, raw, and deeply emotional story of resilience after a tremendous amount of struggle

-her struggle with infertility, trauma, grief, addiction, and endometriosis

-how kindness is so important as we never know what people are really going through

More about Rachel:

Rachel Cohen is a firm believer that sharing some of her life experiences and struggles will help other women feel less alone. Preschool special ed teacher by day and writer by night, Rachel is dedicated to shining a light on difficult topics and shattering stigmas through her written and spoken word. Since struggling with endometriosis, infertility and medical trauma for many years, Rachel has become a proud advocate for others with endo and she now works hard to arm women with the accurate information necessary to take control of their own disease and get the proper medical care they deserve. Rachel lives with her husband, two children and dog in Houston, TX.

Connect with Rachel:

-Check out her blog

-Send her an email

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

-pain and the way it changes over time

-her and her husband's permanent infertility

-adopting 5 children at different ages (some as newborns and some later in life)

-her grieving the loss of a biological child

-how grief morphs and changes with the passage of time, but how it doesn’t really go away (and that’s okay!)

-how sitting and immersing yourself in the sadness can actually make it a easier to hold

-forgiving yourself when there is communal pain on top of personal pain

-and how it’s pretty impossible to be able to hold both

Connect with Chavie:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Check out her website

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

-her two amazing daughters

-one of whom has special needs and the other of a free spirit, loving life

-her experience getting asked if she’s a grandmother yet and the questions that make her crazy

-how it feels to be asked insensitive questions

-what are the kinds of things that should always be off limits

-the best my way is to approach these kinds of situations

More about Peri:

Peri Lyman is the founder of Loaleinu.com, Mom of adult children, friend of the friendless, weirdo sympathizer, offbeat chick living in a mainstream Jewish community with NO grandchildren.

Connect with Peri:

-Check out her website

-Follow her on instagram

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

-her primary infertility journey this far

-why she decide to start talking openly about her struggles on social media

-how she feels when people tell her they’re praying for her (with a whole sidebar on her relationship with G-d right now)

-how she deals with insensitive comments

-what tools she uses to keep herself afloat

More about Ricki:

Ricki Steiner lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and dog Crimson. She currently works in marketing for a fragrance company. Her goal on social media has always been (and will alway be) to make people feel seen and heard, not matter the struggle.

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-Check out our Website

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