This is Infertility is a bi-weekly podcast where we fuse narrative storytelling with experience and science to give you a new perspective on what it’s really like to go through a family building journey. Each episode dives into the emotional, physical, and financial burdens carried by those who experience infertility on their path to parenthood. Be it IVF, IUI, egg freezing, surrogacy, adoption, etc., the path is never the same and it can be long, painful, and lonely. It’s our mission to give those struggling a platform to be heard, a community connection, and an opportunity to raise awareness of the 1 in 6 who, for many reasons, struggle with infertility.

Bonus Episode 18: Managing Emotional Exhaustion on a Family Building Journey

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and in its honor Progyny hosted a webinar focused on managing emotional exhaustion. In a family building journey, sometimes we focus too much on the physical and neglect our emotional and mental wellbeing. This webinar focused on how to recognize emotional exhaustion and the impact it can have on your day-to-day activities and surrounding relationships, with expert guidance on how to alleviate and improve your mental health.

While this episode is definitely worth the listen, we understand that life gets busy and have provided a summary for you here.

Guest: Cassandra Pratt, Progyny and Justin Smith, Progyny
Host: Dr. Georgia Witkin, Progyny

For more information, visit Progyny’s Podcast page and Progyny’s Education page for more resources. 

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @ThisisInfertilityPodcast and use the #ThisisInfertility. 

Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at thisisinfertility@progyny.com. 

About the Speakers

Host: Dr. Georgia Witkin

Head of Member Services Development at Progyny, Assistant Professor of OB-GYN and Reproductive Sciences and Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai

Guest: Cassandra Pratt

SVP of People at Progyny

Guest: Justin Smith

VP of Account Management at Progyny

Host: Dr. Georgia Witkin

Head of Member Services Development at Progyny, Assistant Professor of OB-GYN and Reproductive Sciences and Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai

Georgia Witkin, Ph.D., is Head of Patient Services Development for Progyny, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Sciences at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and Director of Psychological Services for RMA of NY.

Georgia is the author of 12 acclaimed books, including The Female Stress Survival Guide, The Male Stress Survival Guide, and Stress Relief for Disasters Great and Small, and is a prolific writer of research articles about women, stress, and reproductive medicine. She has been honored by the AIA, AFA, Resolve, and City of Hope. She has also served as a  health reporter/host for CNBC, WNBC, and other networks, and has been featured as a guest expert on 20/20, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and CNN.

Guest: Cassandra Pratt

SVP of People at Progyny

Cass brings her expertise in leading human resources, talent acquisition, learning and development and employee experience at growth stage companies to Progyny. Prior to joining Progyny, Cass was Director of Talent at SignPost and TravelClick, a global provider of innovative, cloud-based and data-driven solutions for hotels.

Guest: Justin Smith

VP of Account Management at Progyny

Prior to his current role, Justin served as the Regional Chief Operating Officer at Inception Fertility where he managed the operations of IVF Clinics in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and McAllen, Texas. Before his role as COO, he managed Aspire Fertility Institute in Dallas, Texas and also served as a Business and Data Analyst for Aspire Fertility and Imagine Fertility, as SaaS service company for fertility clinics throughout the U.S. Justin also served in the United States Army for 16 years as a medic and a healthcare administrator where he served in multiple roles during his tour of service.

Justin earned his Masters Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of the Incarnate Word and Bachelor of Applied Science from Wayland Baptist University. He is also a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Justin also comes with experience in the infertility field as he was also a patient and has twins, Ava and Ezra from IVF who are now 4 years old. He also has two other children, Jaylin (19) and Zharia (3). Aside from work, Justin is an avid golfer and college basketball fan.