Talking Away The Taboo
Talking Away the Taboo is the podcast for anyone in the Jewish community struggling to have a child and seeking a place for emotional support and comfort. It is a show that will help you learn while validating your feelings and processing the hardship, and teach everyone else to be more sensitive. Each week, Dr. Aimee Baron and her guests talk away the taboo of infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss, surrogacy, adoption, and more. We laugh, we cry, and we challenge the Jewish community to think differently about a topic that has for so long been shrouded in secrecy and shame. Join us on the wild, unpredictable, and gut-wrenching journey of creating a family.
More than 4 years and 83,603 downloads later, we’re celebrating 200 episodes!
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Topic Quick List
- Adoption 5
- Authors 9
- Body Image 11
- Childless Not By Choice 1
- Donor Conception 3
- Egg Freezing 3
- Genetics 6
- Grief 18
- Holidays 11
- IVF 5
- Infertility 18
- Influencers 21
- LGBTQ 4
- Loss 27
- Medical Health Professionals 16
- Men's Resources 12
- Mental Health Professionals 24
- Organizations 20
- Other 1
- PCOS 2
- Personal Stories 85
- Relationships 12
- Secondary Infertility 3
- Singledom 4
- Surrogacy 10
- Termination for Medical Reasons 1
201. Aimee’s Reflection on 200 Episodes, and special guest, Jonah Platt, on Circumstantial Infertility
In this episode, Aimee sits down with Jonah Platt, actor, musician, and host of The Being Jewish Podcast. Aimee first reflects on the milestone of 200 episodes and impact of IWSTHAB on the Jewish community, before pivoting to Jonah’s personal story. Jonah Platt discusses the complexities of navigating health, faith, and the public eye while trying to grow a family. This conversation is a vulnerable exploration of how chronic health challenges reshape the path to parenthood.
198. Balancing Roles and Expectations: A Father’s Surrogacy Story with Samuel Konig and Aliza Abrams-Konig
In this episode, Aliza Abrams-Konig, surrogacy consultant for I Was Supposed to Have a Baby, sits down with her husband, Samuel Konig, to discuss the unique and often overlooked experiences of fathers during the surrogacy process.
197. Carrying for Family: A Cousin’s Gift of Surrogacy with Andrea Syrtash, Elana Syrtash-Ochs, and Aliza Abrams Konig
In this episode, IWSTHAB’s Surrogacy Support Consultant Aliza Abrams Konig sits down with Andrea Syrtash, a relationship expert and founder of Pregnantish, and her cousin Elana Syrtash-Ochs, an early childhood educator, to discuss their shared journey through gestational surrogacy. The conversation explores the profound emotional shift that occurs when a family member steps in after years of infertility, loss, and the heartbreak of being ghosted by a previous surrogate.
170. Head First, Fearless: How a Single, Gay Jew Became a Dad with Chaz Naor
Chaz Naor joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about the raw and remarkable story of how he became a father through surrogacy, the emotional complexities, logistical challenges, financial hurdles, and moments of deep joy that shaped his path to parenthood.
162. From Heartbreak to Hope: My Surrogacy Journey with Carly Joseph
Carly Joseph joins Aliza Konig, IWSTHAB's surrogacy consultant, to speak with Carly Joseph, to explore the deeply personal and emotional journey of surrogacy. From the initial struggles of building a family to the life-changing decision to pursue surrogacy, Carly is excited to normalize conversations around surrogacy and share her story in a vulnerable way in hopes that it will offer hope and comfort to others.
161. Surrogacy Unfiltered: Everything You Wanted to Know (but were afraid to ask) with Aliza Abrams Konig
Aliza Abrams Konig joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about the complex and deeply personal journey of surrogacy—one that comes with unique challenges, especially within the Jewish community.
119. My Surrogacy Story with Elisheva Levitt
Elisheva Levitt joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about the surrogacy story of her twins, who were born after three heartbreaking pregnancy losses and years of searching for a surrogate and the pregnancy of her first child that left her with a blood incompatibility and her body attacked any subsequent attempts to try to bring another baby into this world.
118. Surrogacy Panel with Aliza Konig, Reena Bloom and Anonymous
Aliza Konig, Reena Bloom, and an Anonymous guest join Aimee Baron, MD to talk about what brought them to surrogacy, how they navigated that journey, how they managed their family and friends during the process. In addition, they talked about how Reena and the Anonymous guest had previous pregnancies, and surrogacy was chosen as a miraculous way they could grow their families.
115. My Journey as a Surrogate with Carrie Bornstein
Carrie Bornstein joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about her experiences as a surrogate , the thoughts and feelings that led to her decision to become a surrogate, the agency she worked with, the legal process, and the matching that takes place.
105. Surrogacy: From Empty Womb to Full Heart with Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler
Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler, joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about her surrogacy story filled with laughs, pain, and everything in between and the guilt that came along with not being able to carry her own child.
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