Words that Heal with Julianne Boutaleb

Welcome to The Fertility Podcast. This episode is something a little different and a little special. I’ve always used the podcast as a way to process, reflect, and hopefully offer support to you wherever you are on your fertility journey. But in this episode, we’re exploring how poetry can become a powerful emotional outlet especially when words are hard to find.

I’m joined by the brilliant perinatal psychologist Julianne Boutaleb (you might know her as @parenthoodinmind on Instagram), who offers her clinical and deeply human insights into fertility trauma, identity loss, and psychological support. You’ll also be hearing the beginnings of a heartfelt mini-series inspired by a listener named Stacy, who sent me a set of poems that absolutely floored me.

This episode is part one of a three-part poetry series and I would love to know what you think.

Here’s what we covered in this episode:

• What the “reproductive story” is and how infertility shatters it
• The emotional symptoms of fertility trauma, including avoidance and identity loss
• The value of early psychological support and how to tailor it to where you are in your journey
• How poetry can provide safety, validation, and emotional release
• Why Julianne and Stacey both use poetry to process their experiences
• A beautiful live reading of Julianne’s original poems: Unrequited and Waiting and Trying
• How putting pen to paper might just help you feel seen—and less alone

Thank you to Julianne and Stacy and you'll hear more from Stacy and her poems in the next two episodes so make sure you've subscribed.

Julianne’s voice always grounds me, and her words in this episode are powerful. Stacy’s poems will be featured in our next episodes, and I can’t wait for you to hear them. Whether you’re a poet or not, I hope this gives you permission to feel, to reflect, and to find your own release.

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Thanks for listening 💜