The Fertility Framework

Fiona O’Neil and Rachel Johns
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The Fertility Framework is a podcast for people navigating fertility, loss, IVF, and life beyond the tidy narratives. Hosted by sisters Fiona O’Neil, founder of The Fertility Framework and fertility coach with 15 years of lived IVF experience, and Rachel Johns, psychotherapist and IVF mum, the show blends trauma-informed insight with real conversation. Expect honesty, compassion, evidence-based support — and the occasional dark joke when things get heavy.

Episodes

  1. 1D AGO

    A Different Beginning, After Everything

    This episode marks a turning point. After years of loss, exhaustion, and uncertainty, Fiona and Rachel sit with the moment when the story began to change shape — and with everything that followed. This is the most emotionally charged episode of the series so far. Together, they explore what it means to accept a form of hope that looks different to the one you imagined, and to step into a path to parenthood that sits outside familiar narratives. At the centre of this episode is embryo donation — not as a process, but as a deeply human act of generosity, trust, and connection. Rachel brings her perspective as a psychotherapist to help hold the emotional complexity of this moment: the grief that doesn’t disappear just because something new becomes possible, the ambivalence that can exist alongside relief, and the profound responsibility that comes with receiving such an extraordinary gift. This episode also reflects on the ripple effects of that generosity — for donors, recipients, children, and families — and the way one decision can quietly shape many lives in ways we may never fully see. Tender, honest, and deeply personal, this episode holds both the weight of what came before and the hope of what became possible next. Content note: This episode includes discussion of infertility, miscarriage, recurrent pregnancy loss, and embryo donation. We know these topics can be deeply personal and emotionally intense — please take care while listening, and engage in ways that feel supportive for you.

    36 min

  2. FEB 11

    The Chapter We Skipped

    After Episode 1, Fiona realised there was a chapter missing — one that changed everything. Before certain options were even on the table, there was South Africa. In this episode, she returns to that turning point, and to what came after years of IVF had already taken their toll. It’s a chapter shaped by travel, loss, hope that refused to disappear, and moments that quietly shifted the course of what felt possible. Rachel joins the conversation not only as co-host, but as a psychotherapist — gently pausing the story to name what’s happening emotionally beneath the surface. Together, they explore what it’s like to be so deep in the process that perspective becomes hard to find, how grief can layer itself over time, and why people so often stay longer than they ever planned to. They also hold space for the small human moments that can keep you going when nothing else can — unexpected kindness, words that land at exactly the right time, and the subtle ways we learn to stand again. This episode begins to trace the path that would eventually lead to a form of parenthood many would consider unconventional — a path so unique that Fiona still doesn't know anyone else who has done the same thing. If you’re in the middle of your own journey, feeling worn down, conflicted, or unsure how much more you have left to give, this episode is for you. You’re not alone, and there is no single “right” way through. Content note: This episode includes discussion of infertility, miscarriage, and recurrent pregnancy loss. We know these topics can be deeply personal — please take care while listening, and only engage in ways that feel supportive for you.

    27 min
  3. Not Everyone Gets the Disney Ending

    FEB 3

    Not Everyone Gets the Disney Ending

    Not everyone gets the Disney ending — and if you’ve found yourself here, you probably already know that. In this first episode of The Fertility Framework, Fiona shares the story behind the work: the years of IVF, the medical appointments that changed everything, the quiet grief, the rage, the resilience — and the way fertility experiences can reshape your identity, relationships, career, and sense of self. This is not a neat success story. It’s an honest account of what it costs to keep going when the system doesn’t hold you, when timelines fall apart, and when the life you imagined starts to look very different to the one you’re living. Fiona speaks from over 15 years of lived IVF experience, reflecting on the emotional toll of infertility, the moments no one prepares you for, and the invisible weight so many people carry while trying to function at work, in relationships, and in the world. This episode sets the foundation for The Fertility Framework: a space for trauma-informed, compassionate conversations about fertility, loss, work, mental health, and the long aftershocks of reproductive experiences — told without platitudes, toxic positivity, or pressure to “find the silver lining.” There is honesty here. There is anger. There is grief. And there is humour — because sometimes a bad joke is the only way to breathe. This podcast is for the people in the weeds. For anyone who didn’t get the ending they were promised. For anyone still standing anyway. You’re not alone here. Listener discretion advised: this episode discusses infertility, IVF, pregnancy loss, and the emotional impact of fertility treatment. Please listen in a way that feels supportive for you.

    40 min
  • 3 Episodes

About

The Fertility Framework is a podcast for people navigating fertility, loss, IVF, and life beyond the tidy narratives. Hosted by sisters Fiona O’Neil, founder of The Fertility Framework and fertility coach with 15 years of lived IVF experience, and Rachel Johns, psychotherapist and IVF mum, the show blends trauma-informed insight with real conversation. Expect honesty, compassion, evidence-based support — and the occasional dark joke when things get heavy.

Information

  • Creator
    Fiona O’Neil and Rachel Johns
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Fiona O’Neil and Rachel Johns
  • Show Website
    The Fertility Framework