Are you feeling lost and uncertain about your career path? Do you feel like you’re not following the traditional path to success? Then you’ll want to tune in to the latest episode of “Quiet the Clock” podcast, where I interview Lauren, a professional ballet dancer turned yoga instructor, massage therapist, and now a nurse working in the surgical ICU. Lauren shares her non-linear path and how following her passions and interests has led her to find fulfillment in her career and life.
Lauren’s journey has been non-linear, and she celebrates that. She went back to school for pre-med pre-reqs and ended up becoming a nurse working in the surgical ICU. She also developed fertility yoga and works with clients going through the same process. When the pandemic hit, Lauren’s business transitioned online, allowing her to expand her business beyond the confines of New York City. Lauren and I discuss how our non-linear paths have led us to find fulfillment in our careers and lives by following our passions and interests. Lauren emphasizes the importance of listening to oneself and trusting one’s instincts to achieve success and recognition.
Lauren shares her experience with egg freezing and how it led her to develop fertility yoga. Her fertility yoga focuses on restorative postures that are supported with props and held for three to ten minutes. This elicits a parasympathetic response from the nervous system, reducing stress and sending blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the reproductive organs. The practice also includes specialized breath work to slow down brain waves and calm racing thoughts. Lauren emphasizes that fertility is a primal instinct, and the process can be emotionally challenging for many women. While some may get pregnant right away after fertility treatments, it is not everyone’s story. Lauren’s fertility yoga aims to help individuals stay grounded and connected to themselves during the transformative process of fertility treatments.
Lauren and I discuss the challenges of fertility treatments and the pressure, stigma, expectation, and judgment that come with it. Lauren emphasizes the importance of community and group work in this process, as it takes a village to navigate the emotional and physical challenges of fertility treatments. She also highlights the practical tools and resources, such as yoga, acupuncture, and talk therapy, that can help individuals manage their energy and regulate their emotions during this time.
Lauren shares her own emotional journey with egg freezing, including the disappointment of unsuccessful cycles, and how having more resources and knowledge helped her cope with the anxiety and stress of the process. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of self-care and support during the challenging and transformative process of fertility treatments.
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Quotes:
- “you know what’s best for you? trust yourself listen to yourself the answers are within you and there are people outside to facilitate certain experiences to support you on your different journeys but ultimately you know what’s best for you and to trust yourself you got this.”
- “My intention for fertility yoga is to help you stay grounded to help you know that you are whole that you can go through this process and no matter which way you land you know because the fact of the matter is that once you go through fertility treatments you are going to be transformed your life is going to change one way or the other yeah and you can go through this process not lose yourself not feel as though you are disconnected from yourself and you can remain whole that is that is my ultimate intention yeah for this practice.”
- “Stay on course, trust yourself, listen to yourself, you’ve got this.”
- “When I realized that the reason I was achieving success or recognition, it was because I was following my heart, I was listening to my gut, I was pursuing my passions and my interests, and the more that I did that and I was just doing me and being me, the more I was recognized and rewarded.”
Key Points:
- Following Your Heart [00:00:00] Speaker 0 talks about how she achieved success by following her heart and pursuing her passions.
- Introduction to Quiet the Clock [00:00:47] Speaker 1 introduces her podcast, “Quiet the Clock,” which focuses on navigating through the uncertainty of dating, motherhood, and egg freezing.
- Non-Linear Paths [00:03:57] Speaker 1 and Speaker 0 discuss their non-linear paths and how they found fulfillment by pursuing their passions.
- Non-linear path and following your intuition [00:08:05] Lauren and Beth discuss the importance of following your own path and intuition, despite societal pressure and judgment.
- Fertility yoga and filling a gap [00:13:36] Lauren talks about her experience with egg freezing and the lack of resources available, leading her to create fertility yoga to support women going through the process.
- Restorative yoga for stress reduction during egg freezing [00:15:01] Lauren explains the benefits of restorative yoga for women going through the egg freezing process, including reducing stress and promoting blood flow to reproductive organs.
- The Success Rate Question [00:16:39] Lauren discusses the pressure and stigma surrounding the success rate of fertility treatments and how it can add to the emotional burden of the process.
- The Importance of Community [00:18:07] Lauren emphasizes the importance of community and group work in the fertility journey, as it helps individuals feel seen and understood by others who are going through the same experience.
- Emotional Experience of Egg Freezing [00:23:14] Lauren shares her emotional experience of going through the egg freezing process, including the disappointment of not getting any eggs retrieved and the anxiety and stress that comes with the process.
- Letting Go [00:25:53] Lauren and Beth discuss the importance of letting go and surrendering to the universe, sharing personal experiences and advice.
- Non-Linear Paths [00:28:10] Beth and Lauren talk about the pressure to follow a traditional path and the complexities of defining success in your 30s.
- Trusting Yourself [00:29:27] Lauren shares advice to trust yourself and listen to your inner voice, while also finding the right support systems to facilitate your journey.