AUTHOR CHAT: Amy Gallo Ryan on Her Memoir "You May Feel a Bit of Pressure"

A crowded waiting room where no one speaks.

That image frames my conversation with author Amy Gallo Ryan, whose memoir You May Feel a Bit of Pressure captures the invisible weight of infertility. Its medical routines, social silences, and the way hope can both carry and cut. We dig into why she wrote the book she couldn’t find, how ten years of drafting and revising turned chaos into story, and what it means to share the truth when the truth isn’t tidy.

Amy walks us through the physical and emotional toll of treatment (which includes Clomid, IUI, and IVF) and the quieter ruptures few people see: friendships painfully pushed away, a life controlled by injection routines and months of hope lost to blood work results, and a body that starts to feel separate from the self. We talk about identity, shame, and the primal pull to parent that defies tidy logic. We also pull back the curtain on publishing: querying too early, near‑misses, parting with an agent, and ultimately finding the right indie press.

If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs to feel seen, and leave a review telling us what moment stayed with you. It helps others find the stories that help them feel less alone.

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Transcripts are available through apple’s podcast app—they may not be perfect, but relying on them allows me to dedicate more time to the show! If you’re interested in being a transcript angel, let me know.

This episode is produced, recorded, and edited by me.

Theme song by Devin Kennedy

Special thanks to my new friend, Amy. Your book is beautiful and so are you!

Xx, Alex

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