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 8 who, for many reasons, struggle with infertility.

Episode 39: Supporting Family Building Needs for Working Women

What happens when you have the career of your dreams, but you also want to fulfill your lifetime dream of having a child? Can you manage to do both? Will your career even allow it? And what happens if your plan to grow your family turns out to be more difficult then you expected, will your employer support you along the way?  

Many women, especially those with high pressure or inflexible jobs, find themselves having to choose between their careers and their dream families. Whether it’s trying to get pregnant, undergoing fertility treatments, or taking care of your children, expanding your family can take a lot out of you, and often shifts your focus away from your job. All of these factors may drive women out of the workforce, especially if their workplace is not supportive of their family building needs.  

In today’s episode, we hear from Jenny Galluzzo, who left her career in television journalism behind in order to grow her family. Jenny shares her family building journey with us, including what it was like enduring rounds of IVF, getting pregnant and taking care of her two young boys, and eventually feeling ‘a hunger’ for working again. But after being out of the workforce for almost 3 years, she found herself asking: What is my value? Who’s going to hire me? And what am I really qualified to do?   

Jenny co-founded The Second Shift, an online platform that connects highly-skilled women seeking flexible work options to businesses that need employees for short-term, high-profile projects. She shares with us the importance of putting women in leadership positions, but also changing the status quo for all working women who wish to prioritize both their jobs and their families.

Guest: Jenny Galluzzo, Co-Founder of The Second Shift 

Host: Janelle Branch, Patient Care Advocate at Progyny 

For more information, visit Progyny’s Podcast page and The Second Shift. 

To ask your HR/benefits team for a fertility benefit, visit Talk to HR to start the conversation. 

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. 

Host

Janelle Branch, Patient Care Advocate at Progyny

Janelle has had a passion for healthcare since she was a young girl. It’s with this passion for medicine that drives her to be the best in her field. Prior to Progyny, she worked in several fertility clinics over the last seven years where she specialized in fertility research and treatment coordination. She plans to obtain her master’s degree in Nursing to continue her love and fascination with healthcare and be part of medical advancements that will help everyone.

Guests

Jenny Galluzzo, Co-founder, The Second Shift

Jenny lives her life committed to the empowerment of women through work. She is fiercely dedicated to shifting the path forward for women, encouraging them to forge their own career paths with confidence, intention and optimism. Jenny is responsible for the member community and all things brand, overseeing messaging, communications, and content channels. She curates events across the country to bring members and business partners together, and with her team, is in close contact with members during the multi-step application process. Beyond connecting women with jobs, Jenny is also in regular contact with members, advising about career transitions, gender equity in the workforce, and becoming an agent for change.

Prior to starting The Second Shift, Jenny spent many years in journalism, researching, writing, hosting and producing for Good Morning America, News 12 and Plum TV. Jenny holds a BA from Duke University and an MS from the Columbia University School of Journalism. She lives in New York City with her sons Gavin and Reid.