The Catalyst for Courage Podcast- Igniting Hope in the Midst of Infertility & Pregnancy Loss Lindsay Blair

This week we are sharing part 2 of my interview with Carolyn Robistow, a Licensed Professional Counselor, coach, and certified Brain Spotting Practitioner. 
If you haven’t listened to part 1 of this conversation (Episode #009- you can find it here) I highly encourage you to stop right now and go back and listen to that one first. In part 1, Carolyn shared her personal journey of experiencing infertility to now embracing and thriving in her amazing childfree life, and she so beautifully explains the amazing science of brainspotting, how you can start doing it right now,  and how brainspotting can be used to manage triggers, emotions, and unhealthy thought and behavior patterns specifically for those of us who have experienced infertility or loss. 
In this episode, Carolyn and I pick up right where we left off and dive into discussing the 3 pillars of change and how brainspotting can also be helpful to use in any type of habit change- whether that’s an unhealthy thought pattern or reaction we continue to find ourselves stuck in or a behavioral habit that we recognize isn’t serving us or empowering us to be our best self. I know for a lot of us on this journey, there is so much we wish we could change. While we can’t usually change our circumstances or the outcomes, we can change our thoughts, our behaviors, our routines, our habits, and the way we respond to stressors in our lives. Carolyn explains the science behind habit change and how we can use it to our advantage to get “unstuck” when we feel like what is working for everyone else isn’t working for us. 
I know this is one conversation that I plan to personally listen to again and again as I find myself in a place of wanting to create change in my own life. As always, I hope this episode sparks courage and ignites hope for you in the week ahead. 
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This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Carolyn Robistow, a Licensed Professional Counselor, coach, and certified Brain Spotting Practitioner. 
I heard Carolyn as a guest on another podcast I listen to and she immediately stood out to me as someone I knew I wanted to connect with and learn more from. I later discovered she has her own podcast, Brain Unblocked: The Brainspotting Podcast, and I was just so intrigued with learning more about brainspotting, especially the practice of self-brainspotting (which I had NEVER heard of!) and I couldn’t help but think about all of you, our listeners, and just imagining all the ways this incredible tool of brainspotting could be so incredibly practical and helpful to you in your journey of navigating life in the midst of  infertility and/or loss. 
After connecting with Carolyn on Instagram, I knew she would know better than ANYONE exactly how brainspotting could be beneficial to someone in our community, because not only is she a certified brain spotting practitioner, but she has also walked through her own personal journey of infertility- and it’s a journey of incredible strength and resilience. Carolyn’s story includes receiving an unexpected infertility diagnosis as a newlywed, two unsuccessful rounds of IVF, and an abruptly unexpected ending to her journey to adopt due to a heartbreaking paperwork snafu between two states that refused to work together. 
In this episode, which is part one of a two-part series, Carolyn shares her personal story and experience of infertility to where she is now- thriving and living an amazing childfree life, and she so beautifully explains what brainspotting is, how you can start using it RIGHT NOW, and how it can be helpful to manage triggers, emotions, and unhealthy thought and behavior patterns specifically for those of us who have experienced infertility or loss.
Links and references made in this episode:
Brain Unblocked Podcast:
Episode 1: What is Brainspotting?Episode 2: How to Start a Self Brainspotting Practice All Other Podcast EpisodesCarolyn’s website: https://CarolynRobistow.net 
The Body Keeps the Score book by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk 
Carolyn’s Private Practice Site: https://joyeffectcounseling.com
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Anyone who has been through infertility or pregnancy or infant loss knows that holidays can be hard. When I was in the middle of my 7-year journey with infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, I dreaded the holidays. I remember really investing a lot of emotional energy in preparing for Christmas and Thanksgiving, Mothers Day and Fathers Day, my Birthday and our anniversary, but one holiday that always seemed to catch me off guard was Halloween.
We don’t always think of Halloween as an especially triggering or difficult holiday, but Halloween can be ridiculously hard for anyone who is grieving.
In this episode, we’ll talk about why Halloween can be especially difficult for those of us who are grieving, and I’ll share a few ideas and tips with you to identify some ways you can really care for yourself not only today, but throughout the holiday season. 


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This week I was able to finally meet with Rachel Lewis, grief coach, published author, and founder of Brava Mamas.  I have felt drawn to Rachel ever since I found her book last year, and I am so excited to have finally been able to connect with her after taking a break from the podcast over the summer. Rachel has such a gift with words and connecting with others on a genuine and personal level and I love her candor and passion for sharing her story and the legacy of her babies in heaven in a way that is inspiring, encouraging, honest and authentic. In this episode, Rachel and I talk about the reality of the experience of “unexpecting” and what that shift and process looks like  when you go from “expecting” a baby to “unexpecting”. Rachel shares practical tips to help listeners prepare for and navigate triggers after experiencing a loss, how to move forward “with” your life alongside your grief, and how loss, lament, love, and legacy can all intertwine in a really beautiful and authentic way throughout this lifelong healing process. I hope this episode sparks courage and ignites hope for you in the week ahead. Let’s dive in.
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Hi friends, this week I invite my friend and Licensed Professional Counselor, Molly Dalva back on the show. Molly joined us for episode 3 and talked about all things trauma and the way we may experience trauma through our journey with infertility or pregnancy & infant loss. This week, we are talking about the process of therapy and how we truly believe EVERYONE can benefit from therapy. Molly explains what the therapy process is like from start to finish and identifies different types of therapy and how they each might benefit you, and she also shares some really practical information on  what to look for in a therapist and ways to know if your therapist is the right fit for you. Molly also shares with us a little bit of inside scoop on what your therapist may be thinking, and how your therapist can partner with you when you face barriers in therapy. I hope this episode sparks courage and ignites hope for you in the week ahead. Let’s dive in.



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With Father’s Day weekend coming up this week, I wanted to focus this week’s episode on Dads. Dads who have lost a baby and Dads who are still in waiting. Joining us this week is my husband, David Blair. 
In this episode, David shares what his grieving process was like over our 7 year journey of recurrent pregnancy loss and we discuss the ways that his grief differed from mine, and how that impacted our marriage.  He also shares how we grew to support and provide space for each other over the years, what we wish we could go back and tell ourselves in the very beginning, and how others can support a grieving Dad. David shares candidly and vulnerably and offers an honest perspective and insight on the ways our partner’s often experience and grieve in infertility & loss.
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