Conceive Resilience is on a mission to  support and enhance

 the quality of life 

of people using Assisted Reproductive Technologies to build their families.

Our signature program called The ART of Coping with Reproductive Stress is coming soon!

Hello!

I'm Leah, a Resigisted Social Worker in Ontario, Canada.  

And I'm also the Founder of Conceive Resilience and The Fertility Resilience Project.  I battled with my fertility for ten years before our family was complete, with A LOT of help from science.  And I learned a thing or two about coping along the way.  Now I companion people to ARTfully maintain their resiliency and quality of life despite the stress caused by using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) for family building.

Sometimes people just need to talk.  I am here to listen.  

"They need to be heard. They need the validation of my time, my silence, my unspoken compassion. They don't need advice, sympathy or counselling. They need to hear the sound of their own voices speaking their own truths, articulating their own feelings, as those may be at a particular moment. Then, when they are finished, they simply need a nod of the head, a pat on the shoulder or a hug. I'm learning that sometimes silence really is golden, and that sometimes "Fuck, eh?" is as spiritual a thing that needs to be said."

Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations
by Richard Wagamese

Notes on language and inclusivity

Once someone has the need to dip their toes into the world of assisted reproductive technology (ART) they will typically find that research and support services refer predominately to cis gender women (and men to a lesser extent) who are in heterosexual couple relationships. (To be cis gender means that the gender identity of the person matches the biological sex that was identified as at birth).

In reality, people of diverse gender identities, sexual orientations and relationship statuses are building families using ART and research and support services need to catch up, be inclusive and reflect these realities.

Through Conceive Resilience, I work with all people trying to conceive using ART. I acknowledge that basing services on research evidence conducted with cis gender women will not necessarily apply to all people who are trying to conceive using ART. Furthermore, I acknowledge that middle class, white supremacist, heterosexual, cis-normative, able body dominance is a painful source of harm and a major stressor for many people trying to access, and actively undergoing, fertility treatments. I incorporate anti-oppressive analysis into my work with people and I don't try to speak about experiences I cannot fully understand as a cis-gender, white, able body woman with economic privilege.

I actively seek out the perspectives of people with different experiences than my own and I support the work of service providers who locate their identities within the wide range of human diversity. I am open to hearing about how your fertility experiences are different, how they are the same, and how I can safely show up to support you in your unique journey. Raising any concerns you may have with me is emotional work. If you do raise issues with me about harm I have caused, I am grateful. I will listen and address my harmful words or actions.

If you do not resonate with this way of being in the world, working with me will not be a good match and I strongly encourage you to find support elsewhere.