You love your friends. You’ve grown up together, lived through milestones, and shared so many memories. But now they’re raising kids, and you’re navigating life after infertility. You’re the only one in the group chat without a child, and suddenly, the conversations feel distant.

Do you go and feel left out?

Or do you stay home and feel even more alone?

In this episode of The "So Now What?" Podcast, Lana shares the story of reuniting with three of her closest college friends (all moms) and what it now feels like to show up to these friendships as a proud, childless woman.

Years ago, she would have dodged the invitation. But now? She’s looking forward to it—and she shares exactly how that shift became possible.

If you’ve ever:

• Avoided girls’ weekends or coffee dates because you're childless after infertility
  
  

• Sat through motherhood conversations feeling invisible or irrelevant
  
  

• Wondered if your friendships could survive your childlessness
  
  

...this episode will help you imagine what’s possible when you no longer feel like the outsider.

💭 Imagine going to a girls’ weekend and not faking a single smile.
💭 Imagine feeling proud of your story and connected to your friends, even if their lives look different from yours.
💭 Imagine leaving your reunion feeling recharged and in love with the life you’re building.

This is what thriving after infertility can look like.

Lana also shares how this kind of transformation is possible through the work she does in the Thrive After Infertility Mastermind—and how you can begin by joining her free masterclass.

🎓 FREE CLASS: How to Respond to the Things People Say When You’re Childless
On Tuesday, August 26th at 6pm CT, Lana is teaching a free class to help you respond to unsolicited comments about your motherhood status—without spiraling, shutting down, or plotting someone’s demise in the grocery store.

🔗 Register here: https://lana-manikowski.myflodesk.com/masterclass

🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode:

✨ Register HERE for the Free Masterclass (August 26)

📞 Book Your Free 45-Minute Thrive Call HERE:

📘 Click HERE to Buy My #1 Bestselling Book, So Now What?:

📱 Follow Me on Instagram:

📺 Watch on YouTube:

🎵 Follow Me on TikTok:

If you are a woman who is childless not by choice, you know the heartbreak of infertility does not end when treatments stop. You might still feel like shame and guilt are following you around every day.

In this episode, you will hear why infertility shame and secrecy can stay with you for years after IVF or other fertility treatments. Lana shares insights from a 1998 doctoral thesis that described shame as the central emotion of infertility and explains why so little has changed in how women feel about themselves today.

You will discover how guilt convinces you that infertility was your fault, how secrecy keeps you isolated, and why infertility does not define your worth or your future.

If you are tired of feeling like you failed or like you are living life on the sidelines, this conversation will help you imagine how thriving after infertility is possible for you.

• Why shame is often the hidden part of infertility no one talks about

• How guilt after IVF or failed fertility treatments can feel like punishment

• What happens when secrecy becomes your coping mechanism

• A client story showing how she went from feeling invisible to creating a life she is proud of

• How infertility coaching can help you rebuild your identity and confidence without children

You do not have to keep guessing how to feel like yourself again after infertility. That is exactly what the Thrive Method is for.

Inside Thrive After Infertility, you will learn how to:

• Rebuild confidence in who you are without motherhood as your identity

• Reconnect with your partner and friendships you have been avoiding

• Create milestones that bring purpose and joy to your next decades

If you are ready to stop living in guilt and shame and start creating a life you love, book your free 45-minute Thrive Call.

📘 Download your free guide:
The Top 27 Things People Say When You Are Childless (and How to Respond Authentically)
Get your copy

🌟 Explore Thrive After Infertility:
Learn more about the 12-week coaching program for women who are ready to thrive without the children they dreamed of.
Explore the program

💬 Book Your Thrive Call:
Create a plan to rebuild your identity and find clarity about what is next.
Schedule your call

✨ Follow Lana for more inspiration:
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

If you know a woman who is childless after infertility and still carrying shame or guilt, please share this episode. She deserves to know she is not alone and there is a way to create a life she is proud of.

If you have spent years going through fertility treatments like IVF, pouring everything into your dream of motherhood, and still found yourself without a child, you know how heavy it feels to imagine a future that could ever feel as meaningful.

In this week’s episode, Lana shares a deeply personal story about standing on a piece of vacant land in Michigan, a place she and her husband dreamed of building their future home, and realizing that the path to something beautiful isn't coming without obstacles.

If you’re childless after infertility, it’s so easy to believe your life will always feel smaller or less significant than those who got to have a child or raise children. You probably haven’t seen many examples ofchildless women living fulfilling, connected lives without kids, so your brain fills in the blanks, telling you that it must be impossible for you.

But just because you don’t see the path doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

✨ Why your brain convinces you that a meaningful life after infertility doesn’t exist—and how that belief is just a story, not a fact.
✨ What to do when you feel like you’re staring at a mound of sand that’s blocking everything you wanted.
✨ How learning to trust yourself, even without a roadmap, is the first step to feeling proud of your life again.
✨ The truth about why feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re broken, it just means you haven’t been shown another way yet.

If you’re ready to stop assuming nothing will ever compare to motherhood and start creating a life that feels purposeful and satisfying, this episode will remind you: more is possible, even if you can’t see it yet.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

🌿 Book Your Free 45-Minute Thrive Call
If you want help mapping out where you are now and how to get to a life you feel proud of—even without the children you dreamed of—book your free Thrive Call with Lana here:
👉 Schedule Your Call HERE

🌿 Download Your Free Guide: The Top 27 Things People Say When You’re Childless (and How to Respond)
This resource will help you feel confident navigating the questions and comments that can make you feel misunderstood or judged:
👉 Download the Free Guide

🌿 Follow Lana on Social Media for Daily Encouragement and Tools:
✨ Instagram
✨ TikTok
✨ YouTube

Whether you’re feeling stuck, disconnected, or unsure how to begin, remember: your dreams didn’t end when motherhood didn’t happen. They are still waiting for you to claim them.