On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Rachel Shanken joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her journey to becoming an adoptive parent, something she never envisioned herself doing

-the heartbreaking conversation as a single woman in her 30s when her doctors said that she may never have biological children

-getting married, but then struggled through the ups and downs of umpteen failed cycles to try to get pregnant, first with her eggs and then with donor eggs (and a devastating miscarriage)

-her three adopted children and her journey to bring them into her life

This is a story of persistence, hope and resilience that you are not going to want to miss.

More about Rachel:

Rachel Shanken, a devoted mother, embraced adoption after a challenging journey through IVF with her husband. Their unwavering desire for a family led them to choose adoption as their path to parenthood. With 15+ years of experience as a NYC-based somatic therapist (www.MindBodyWise.com), Rachel blends her deep understanding of infertility and assisted reproduction with her therapeutic knowledge to assist people with the complex emotional terrain of fertility, offering compassionate and non-judgmental support along their unique paths to parenthood.

Connect with Rachel:

-Follow her on Instagram

-Check out her website

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Ellie Levi, joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her story of becoming a SIM: Single Intentional Mom to her 3 year old daughter, Ayelet HaShachar

-her thought process and emotions about each stage of the process

-the experience of being one of the first to her freeze eggs in her community

-how she tried to stay true to halacha (jewish law) throughout

-the many ups (some very funny moments!) and downs (lack of support from some people in her life, insensitive comments, etc.)

The thing about Ellie is that she's so articulate, meticulous and intelligent - it's clear that she has investigated every area of this journey, and just like Rachel said to Yaakov/Jacob, "I am dead without children," Ellie felt that being a mother was her calling. This is her remarkable journey.

More about Ellie:

Elisheva [Ellie] Levi is a licensed architect in the state of New York and has designed schools, hospitals , high rise residential, transportation and infrastructure facilities. She is a self-described life-long student of Tanach and to that end she has given Torah lectures in Jewish communities across the US and in several countries around the world. You can listen to recordings of her shiurim on yutorah.org and OU Women’s Initiative. She has been published in the YU Torah to Go, the Times of Israel blog, the New York Times Metropolitan Diary and Architectural Record Magazine. Ellie also serves as the past President of the American Friends of Bat Melech, a domestic violence shelter serving the religious community in Israel, an organization for which she continues to volunteer. She is also the lucky SMBC (Single Mom by Choice) of her daughter Ayelet HaShachar and they reside in Northern New Jersey.

Connect with Ellie:

-Follow her on Instagram

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn

On this episode of Talking Away The Taboo, Elissa Felder joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about...

-her years of primary infertility, coupled with the devastating loss of her infant son

-her book, “From One Life to the Next Life: The Sacred Passage After Death,” which has become a lifeline for those navigating the churning waters of grief

-her raw, soul-baring journey from paralyzing grief to living a life infused with purpose and passion

-words of wisdom gathered from Elissa's personal life and expertise on living a fuller, more intentional life

More about Elissa:

Elissa started and actively manages the only international community of practice for women engaged with traditional Chevra Kadisha (Burial Society). The community mission is to share experiences, give encouragement, network, learn together and help to develop and support each other. She is responsible for building the community and providing on-going professional development. The knowledge she has acquired motivated her to write a personal memoir of loss and grief weaving in Jewish teachings about life, death and afterlife. Her book, “From One Life to the Next Life: The Sacred Passage After Death,” was published by Mosaica Press. She is also the head of the women’s division of the Rhode Island Chevra Kadisha and is a sought after speaker on topics of life, death, the work of the Chevra Kadisha and grief. In addition, Elissa is the Coordinator for all of Core’s Communities of Practice. These communities offer training, resources and support for those who want to strengthen their communities on an intentional and ongoing basis. In her role, Elissa helps each of these many international communities grow and thrive. Locally, Elissa Founder and Director of Core Connects RI, a non-profit organization that aims to deepen women’s connections to one another, to Jewish wisdom and Jewish values, to empower each other to find greater meaning, purpose and possibility in life and to cultivate unity without uniformity. As director she is passionate about providing others with opportunities to grow and become. She runs programming both online and in person. Elissa works tirelessly to bring Jews together and celebrates the commonalities rather than the differences. Through all of these experiences Elissa mentors and encourages others on their journeys and even finds time to teach a weekly Parsha class.

Connect with Elissa:

-Contact her via email

-Check out her website

-Purchase her book

Connect with us:

-Check out our Website

-Follow us on Instagram and send us a message

-Watch our TikToks

-Follow us on Facebook

-Watch us on YouTube

-Connect with us on LinkedIn