Setting goals...with a twist!

Monday January 17th @ 6:30 pm, free to attend from the comfort of your own home. This month we will focus on goal setting with a twist. *RSVP to Kristen@cnyfertility.com.

All those who sign up for this tele-workshop will receive a

complimentary EveryDay Certainty CD as a gift from Dr. Rob.

Making Choices

Our dog is a Tibetan Terrier, I like to think that he shines some Tibetan energy each and every day into our home… the peace and solitude and quiet awareness that Tibetan monks exude somehow across the great earth are shared through this tiny being who brings unconditional joy and love.
Our little monk dog is named Indiana Jones Bingo Magnacca. I know, a lot of names for a little dog.  My son who turned 12 named him after the trilogy of movies, which are our family favorites.
My favorite part of all the movies is the scene with the Grail Knight.  The Grail Knight is weak in body but not in spirit or motivation. After seven hundred years of awaiting for his replacement, he still...read more at CNY Fertility.

Join me 

Monday, December 20th at 6:30pm 

to discuss “Making Choices” about fertility issues, balancing the holiday festivities and life.

Our special guest will be Joanne Verkuilen the founder and co-ceo of Circle + Bloom. 

Joanne will facilitate a short meditation at the end of the hour.
Also, getting into the spirit of the holidays we will be raffling a combination gift of the Love & Infertility CD and a Circle & Bloom CD!
To RSVP and register for the gift set please email Kristen@cnyfertility.com.  Feel free to email any questions or topics that you’d like to discuss prior to the tele-workshop.

Complimentary Coaching Tonight

Please join me this evening for a

Complimentary Tele-Coaching Session

6:30-7:30 pm EST

If you or anyone you know would be encouraged by a loving and understanding conversation about fertility challenges, please email info@kristenmagnacca.com for the number to call and join us today!

Holiday Survival Tips!

Time seems to be flying by more quickly these days, doesn’t it?  And when you’re trying to create your family through fertility treatments, time always seems to be an issue.  I remember the anxiety produced as each month ticked by at lightning speed.  Then add the stressors of the holiday season: shopping, preparations, the family and social gatherings, and it might feel as though time is our keeper.

I remember crying while looking at December’s calendar as we began an IUI cycle and realizing that I would be in the middle of it right around Christmas and New Year's.  In hindsight I wish I had taken the holiday off. But that is looking back on our situation from an 11-year distance. When you’re “in the heat of battle,” that option might not sound, feel or seem correct for you.  But I’d like to offer my armchair opinion about holding off on a cycle during the holiday season…if at all possible.

If you decide moving full speed ahead is what’s best for you, then here are some tried and true strategies that can help you bring balance and joyfulness into the season, regardless if you are in a cycle or taking a break.

Social Gatherings and Parties

Here’s a strategy that changes the event from potential failure to a winner. 

Break down the event into parts.  Decide which parties you are capable of attending.  Perhaps you are in a position where you “must attend” and are feeling the pressure.  Commit to yourself and/or your partner that you will attend the cocktail portion and then make a discrete exit.  Stay longer if you are up to it.  But if you feel you’ve fulfilled your goal, then leave acknowledging “another job was well done!” 

Create an elevator speech.  An elevator speech is a rehearsed and well-delivered speech at the ready to answer those annoying questions such as: “Do you have children?” “When are you going to have children?” and the dreaded, “Isn’t it time for you both to start having children?”

My tried and true elevator speech was “We have a whole team of experts working on that.”

Remember to use the Every Day Certainty combination by committing to the follow each and every day:

Gratitude:  Writing down ten things you are grateful for each day and using this as your mantra if those negative thoughts start to creep in.

Nurturing Item:  Finding one special thing you can do each and every day to uplift your spirit.  Perhaps it’s a hot cup of tea, a long shower or walk, or maybe a secret indulgence of a candy.

Daily Intention:  A daily intention is a mini-goal for the day.  Setting your intention to be open to all possibilities or perhaps finding the joy in communication exchanges.  What can you intend to look for and give out during the day that will help others and yourself?  After all, this season is more about giving than receiving. 

And remember, the holiday season will soon pass. But if you can use these strategies to enjoy it as much as possible, you will find yourself feeling stronger as you start a new year.

~ ALSO ~

Don't miss my special Holiday Survival Coaching Group on

December 9, 2010

6:30-8:30 pm

Join the sisterhood of understanding and make these holidays a joyful season!

Thankfulness? Really??

Many thanks to CNY Fertility for sharing my tips on how to shift our thinking!

This Monday, Nov 15, CNY will sponsor my complimentary tele-workshop. I will be discussing powerful, practical ways to combine gratitude and chillaxation! This is not to be confused with a "just relax and get pregnant" approach. I would love for you to cozy up in your favorite spot of the house and join our phone workshop - just email me at kristen@cnyfertility.com for the dial-in number!

The Attitude of Gratitude:
I spoke to a client the other day and was preaching the good word about cultivating an attitude of gratitude to shift the energy around her fertility journey and she looked me straight in the eyes and responded with “blah, blah, blah”.

Perhaps you are feeling similar to this wonderful client of mine, the concept of cultivating gratitude has been shared before and sounds all well and good to you but today you might not be feeling it. You might be saying to yourself how can I have gratitude for….

• A treatment cycle that has abruptly been stopped?
• Another cycle that has resulted in a negative outcome?
• Or the emotional tiredness that you are feeling?

In my humble opinion, The Law of Gratitude is the most powerful of the spiritual laws. Holding gratitude even in the most dire situation, finding that one little speck to be grateful for, can shift and change your perspective and in turn change your situation.

Getting back to my “Blah, Blah, Blah” wonderful lady, here’s the tip I shared with her:

We’re all human, experiencing a human experience. We have positive experiences and not so positive experiences. If we cultivate the practice of finding the positive in the negative then the intensity of the negative will diminish.

So here’s the tip:
On those days that gratitude is a faint flicker of light, try to remember your toes and feet; that you have them and that they are holding you up, keeping you balanced and help you travel through your day, mostly unnoticed.

Give gratitude for your toes and feet that can carry the weight of your day’s burdens, taking steps that lead you to your joy, freedom and fun. If you feel adventurous try giving thanks for your body during the month of November, given that it holds Thanksgiving Day within the month.

Remember each and every part of your body that allows you to do all that you are doing to create your family… you could start at your toes and feet and work up! Acknowledge your knees, that bend for you onto your hips, and so on! Acknowledgment and gratitude are all part of cultivating an attitude of gratitude and begins with tiny steps!

Yoga is such an amazing tool to use to cultivate gratitude for your body and brings you into your body. I encourage you to check out the CNY Healing Arts schedule and try a class if you haven’t yet, or if you are a regular, include the concept of gratitude for your body during your practice of yoga.

Happy Thanksgiving Days!

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
~Brian Tracy

He Said, She Said . . .

"That's it. I'm calling the clinic right now!" he said.
"No, don't do that, I just needed to tell you what happened. I feel better now that I've vented," she said.
"What did you say?" he said.
"I said I feel better now. Phew, thanks," she said.
He looked like a deer caught in a headlight and walked away!

How do we reconcile these communication challenges in the midst of fertility difficulties that are already making life stressful? Read my strategy and let me know what you think!

Drugs or No Drugs?

How do you balance the inner chatter of taking fertility medication when you really don’t want to?

Last week during Dr. Rob’s sponsored complimentary tele-workshop our discussion turned to the inner turmoil about taking fertility drugs when in your “other” life you weren’t a “drug taker.”

There was an amazing lady on the call who shared that a grief counselor offered a mantra that “These drugs will help me be a mom,” to quiet that tiny voice debating the “Do I take the drugs or don’t I take the drugs?” question.

“What I know now that I wished I knew then” was to make the association back to the fact that when we’re in fertility treatments it is because we have a medical condition no different from diabetes…that if you were diagnosed with diabetes you would take insulin, correct? Well, during the time of this condition your body needs this injectable medication to create, sustain, and maintain a pregnancy.

One strategy for shifting the negative emotions around taking the fertility medication might be to call in gratitude for the medication, which is bringing you closer to being a mom. I remember being so upset with my “body” for not achieving pregnancy, all the while diminishing all my uterus’ work in creating a super lining and my ovaries for super ovulating. It was trying its best just like your mind and soul!

In a Gratitude List ~ which contains ten things you are grateful for each day ~ you might want to start off with expressing your thankfulness for your body, how it is working away, and also for the makers of the medication that is at work too.

FYI~ if you purchase your medication from a fertility pharmacy such as Village Fertility Pharmacy, not only do you get a knowledgeable resource, you also get 24/7 support from their team of nurses too!

“You have the ability to talk yourself in and out of anything!” Dr. Robert Kiltz

Special Event on Thursday!

Do you need time with a group of individuals who completely understand what you're going through? Join us for an encouraging and understanding time of discussion...this will be a very special Fall Fertility Coaching Group taking place in Sandwich, MA.

This Thursday, Sept 30, 2010

7:00pm EST

68 Tupper Road, Suite 5A, Sandwich, MA

Fee: $10

RSVP: info@kristenmagnacca.com

Check out the recording on Itunes!

The Surrogacy Lawyer, author and radio host Theresa Erickson invites you to join her for a lively discussion with Dr. Robert Kiltz of CNY Fertility and Kristen Magnacca, author of Love and Infertility, about retaining and nurturing patients. Attorney Erickson will discuss with our guests how in trying to help their patients have a baby, sometimes physicians and other providers focus so much on the clinical or procedural aspects of treatment that they neglect the emotional side of infertility and how they should be communicating with patients.

They forget that positive, caring words and actions count in addition to expert clinical care. As a result, some patients fail to continue with treatment and never achieve their cherished dream of building a family – at least not with that particular clinic or agency.

On Thursday, September 23 at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST, Surrogacy Lawyer, author and radio host Theresa Erickson will be interviewing them on The Surrogacy Lawyer: Your Guide to IVF and Third Party Family Building. “We are excited to bring in delighted to bring Dr. Robert Kiltz and Kristen Magnacca to our listeners to discuss their vision and experience with building a patient-centric fertility practice.” says Attorney Erickson.

Now Listen On ITunes!

Listen to the uplifting discussion here!

A Few Announcements!

First, I want to thank Rachel Gurevich for a great review of my book, Love & Infertility, on About.com. Check it out here!

We have several great articles and events coming your way this month:

I have a new article I'd like to encourage you with over at CNY Fertility, I hope you take a minute to read it. Also, be sure to set aside Mon, Sept. 20 6:30-7:30pm EST for a complimentary tele-workshop hosted by CNY, and presented by yours truly! We will focus on some valuable relaxation techniques, and you can call in from anywhere to join us. Hope to "see" you there!

The second Tuesday of every month is Tele-Tuesday. Plan to join us Sept. 14, 6:30-8:00pm EST, from within the comfort of your own home. Find out call-in details on my calendar page.

And of course, we have a special Fall Fertility Coaching Group this month on Sept. 22! I hope you'll be there!

Valentine's Day Events

During the month of February, please join me for the following events focusing on "keeping your loving feelings alive". Blessings, Kristen

February 9th Love & Infertility ~ Tele-Workshop 6:30 to 8:00pm Sponsored by Village Fertility Pharmacy

Keeping that loving feeling during fertility treatments

Listen in from the comfort of your home as Kristen Magnacca shares some proven strategies to keep lines of communication open between you and your partner, discusses tips to go from reactionary to proactive through this time. Kristen will share with you “what she know now that she wished she knew then” about keeping the loving energy flowing. RSVP to kristen@Kristenmagnacca.com for call in information.

Listen in on February 10th Legal Broadcast NetworkRadio Show Theresa Erickson http://www.blogtalkradio.com/surrogacylawyer

February 23rd Melissa Brisman

Join Melissa Brisman and me as we discuss balancing strategies and fertility game plan including the options of creating your family through adoption and surrogacy. www.reproductivelawyer.com

This free teleworkshop RSVP to Kristen@kristenmagnacca.com

Are you open to possibilities?

The last few months have been a bit of a whirlwind filled with all new and exciting opportunities.

During these last four weeks I have been in three states... New York, South Dakota and Georgia and went to each state with an open heart for adventure and that is what I found.

Do you set your intention to have an open heart? Do you open yourself to all possibilities?

This quote from Leo Buscaglia is a reminder to me of how you can "hold yourself open to life"

"I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind."

So, when was the last time you played in the leaves? Or perhaps you have been complaining about raking them instead? Or when was the last time you skipped? My daughter, Grace and I just skipped into the grocery store on Sunday, we did get some looks but I really didn't care.

Holding your heart open is a matter of making a decision to do so? The practice of being open can be a challenge when life is thrown at you. How about this? For today why don't you begin with checking in on the state of your heart and decide for today that you will remain open to all possibilities that come your way.

Maybe a different seat at lunch to connect with someone you normally don't, or perhaps it is extending yourself to a grieving family member, or perhaps it is just taking a walk and seeing what you notice?

Try something out of the ordinary and possibilities open up!

Blessings, Kristen

Holiday Survival Coaching Group!

NEW! Holiday Survival Coaching Group — The holiday season can be stressful and when you tack on TTC, it can be hard to see this time as the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"!

I will share with you some simple strategies to shift the energy around this time and help bring joy to the season. The group meetings will focus on strategies for the mind, and a relaxation or meditation for the body and soul. The January group will focus on goal setting and staying clear on the year’s intentions. Come and share, connect with others, have a yummy dessert, and be introduced to some amazing mind, body, and soul balancing techniques.

Thursdays, November 12 and December 3, 2009 and January 7, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Merchant's Square, 68 Tupper Road 5A, East Sandwich, MA
Fee: $10 per session plus a materials charge
RSVP via email kristen@kristenmagnacca.com

Singleness of Eye & Purity of Intention

A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh...
“I believe that what woman resents is not so much giving herself in pieces as giving herself purposelessly.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Anne Marrow Lindbergh was a pioneering American aviator, author, and the spouse of fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh. I knew little of her when I began reading her book this summer and was drawn into her writing immediately as she shared her desire “to be at peace with myself and wanting singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can”.

I have been cultivating a practice of focus and intention and found her insight profound even though they were written 50 years ago. Enjoy!

What is your Summer Intention?

Have you felt it? The feeling of summer is here! The sun, the fun and more relaxed atmosphere has enveloped us!

My family has set our intention on having fun! We took a "staycation" and did tourist things here on Cape Cod Massachusetts and also have planned activities to look forward to such as a Red Sox Game, Concerts and boating.

What is your summer intention? Whatever it is I hope for you a shift in your energy to that of a great sense of renewal!

I hope that you are able to join me for the following Summer Fun Offerings!

Thursday, July 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m Village Fertility Pharmacy will host a Ladies’ Night Out with RESOLVE’s “Best Book” Hope Award winner and author Kristen Magnacca on Thursday, July 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the pharmacy’s new facility at 335 Bear Hill Road in Waltham, Mass. The event is free and open to all women; wine and cheese will be served. Those who would like to attend may RSVP to Maya Nair at mnair@villagepharmacy.com. The first 10 women to RSVP will receive a free copy of Love and Infertility: Strategies for Survival – Balancing Infertility, Marriage, and Life!

Wednesday , August 5th @ 2:00 pm to 3:00 Pm Listen in if you can to my conversation with Kim Hahn of Conceive On Air
http://www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vshow.aspx?sid=696

Tuesday, August 11th @ noon. I'll be hosting a Brown Bag Tele-workshop
Join me for a half hour of tidbits, insights and strategies to keep yourself cool during life's rough spots. Listen in on your lunch time at your desk or from pool side. Please RSVP to me at kristen@kristenmagnacca.com to receive dial in information. This is a free event.

The Hope Award for Best Book, Coping

I am honored to share with you the following news from RESOLVE National:

The Hope Award for Best Book, Coping
Inaugural Award! Given to an individual/organization whose printed book enhances the lives of people with infertility with a message of how to cope and live with the disease.

Kristen Magnacca, Love and Infertility: Survival Strategies for Balancing, Infertility, Marriage, and Life

I am truly touched by the nomination and receiving this award. A special thank you to Dr. Robert Kiltz, founder of Cny Fertility and Healing Arts Center for his support.
Thank you!
Blessings, Kristen