Weekender #210

🧬 Why is ovarian cancer still so hard to catch? Here’s what researchers are learning.

🤖 Yahoo Japan is making all employees use AI with plans to double productivity by 2028.

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🛋️ Your dream decor is one click away. Check out these 30 online furniture stores for every vibe and budget.

October is National Infertility Awareness Month, and we (Joanna & Thania) wanted to talk about something that’s still whispered about too often: fertility.

We’re at different stages of life but on the same path: pursuing egg and embryo freezing. Not because we’re struggling, but because we want to be proactive about our fertility and the futures we hope to build.

We’re both healthy, wellness-minded women who trust our bodies. But we also trust science. We’ve seen friends face fertility challenges, and we’ve experienced loss directly or through people we love. It’s opened our eyes to how common (and how complicated) fertility can be, even when everything “looks fine.”

A Little Context

Most people think of IVF and egg freezing as tools for women delaying motherhood, but that’s not how it started.

IVF was first developed to help cancer patients preserve fertility before chemotherapy (treatment that often caused infertility). Over time, those same medical advances became available to more people. Today, they give anyone the ability to understand and plan for their reproductive future.

That’s where we are: grateful to have options, and time to act on them.

Joanna’s Story

I got married at 32, and honestly, I thought I’d have at least one baby by now.

But life had other plans. My husband and I wanted time to just be married: to travel, grow our business, and enjoy our life together before kids. Then COVID hit, and those two lockdown years pushed our timeline back.

Now I’m 36, and I’m taking IVF stimulation meds and doing my egg retrieval this week (it was actually yesterday!). My doctor recommended I consider freezing eggs or creating embryos if I want more than one child and we’re still planning to wait a bit. The research supported it: fertility changes faster than most of us realize, especially after 35.

For me, this isn’t about fear. It’s about choice. I don’t love the term “insurance policy,” but that’s essentially what it is — an investment in our future family. I’m grateful that we can afford to do this, that I have access to the information early enough, and that science gives me the ability to plan on my own terms.

My hope is that more women feel empowered to have these conversations with their doctors sooner, not because there’s pressure to rush, but because knowing your options changes everything. I should be finished with my first cycle and get results by mid Nov, so I’ll be sharing more then.

Thania’s Story

I’m turning 37 in November, single, and realistically looking at having kids around 40. I feel confident and at peace with my body’s capabilities. I’m a big believer in the mind-body connection, and I trust that my body will be ready when the time comes. But I want more than one child, and doing IVF is about insurance that it will happen. I don’t want to look back at 42 filled with regret that I didn’t take action when I could. I myself have experienced a type of miscarriage, and while my pregnancy wasn’t planned, the aftermath of what it did to my body and hormones was eye-opening. It gave me deep empathy for those who have experienced all kinds of infertility, pregnancy loss, and the physical and emotional toll these journeys take. The financial reality for me? I’m self-employed without access to an employer-sponsored plan. I’ll need to take out a loan and pay in installments. It’s not cheap, but it’s an investment in my future that feels worth it.

Why We’re Sharing This

Infertility isn’t just about loss, it’s about awareness, education, and proactive care. Yet many of us only learn about these things when it’s already hard to make informed choices.

There’s still a huge gap in how we talk about fertility, especially among women who aren’t actively trying to conceive. No one teaches us about egg quality, hormone testing, or how fertility actually changes over time (at least not until we’re in the thick of it).

We’re sharing our stories because we wish more women did. The women who’ve been open about their own journeys gave us the knowledge and courage to take charge of ours.

We’re hopeful for continued medical advances, for better access and affordability, and for a cultural shift that normalizes these conversations. Fertility isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s a life issue.

To anyone navigating infertility, IVF, or pregnancy loss: we see you. You’re not alone. The more we talk about fertility in all its forms—prevention, planning, preservation—the more power we give each other to make decisions with confidence, compassion, and community.

— Joanna & Thania (TA Team)

The Sunday Scaries are real—your brain’s stuck half in weekend mode, half dreading Monday. But it doesn’t have to feel like a freefall into the workweek.

Start with a few simple mindset shifts:

• ✔️ Plan your Monday on Friday to avoid the Sunday spiral
• ✔️ Make Sunday night about restoration, not just prep
• ✔️ Create a Monday flow that feels doable, not chaotic

And if your workweek still feels like a mess of tabs and to-dos, there’s a better way to manage it.

monday.com helps you walk into Monday with a clear plan and zero guesswork. Customizable boards, real-time updates, and easy automations mean you’ll always know what’s next—without the mental load.

🧠 Start the week with focus, not frenzy. Let monday.com help you step into Monday with a clear head and a clear plan.

📚 Read: Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table by Louie Giglio

A mindset manual for when your thoughts start turning against you. Giglio breaks down how to quiet self-doubt, stop feeding negativity, and reclaim your peace

📺 Watch: Adolescence

Unflinching and unforgettable. This British miniseries pulls you into a murder investigation involving a 13-year-old boy—but what really grips you is the humanity. Every performance, from the child lead to the smallest role, feels terrifyingly real. You’ll sit in silence after the finale.

🎧 Listen: These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding

An all-time classic for a reason. Smooth, aching, and timeless. Otis will break your heart and make you grateful for it.

Your workouts should nourish you, not drain you.

Reverse Health’s Asian Pilates is a refreshing take on movement that honors your body’s rhythm—blending the core-strengthening flow of Pilates with ancient Asian wellness principles focused on balance, breath, and restoration.

Created especially for women 40+, these 15-minute sessions help you reconnect with your body: easing tension, improving flexibility, and rebuilding strength from the inside out.

Because exercise isn’t punishment; it’s a conversation with your body.

✨ Take the 5-minute quiz to get your personalized 28-day plan and start moving in a way that feels as good as it looks.

Jonesy is a cat who thinks he’s a dog. He loves attention, waits at the door to greet his owner, and follows his humans around the house, uttering a range of meows that they still haven’t managed to decode. He’s incredibly hairy and despite his owner’s best efforts to train him to help around the house, he just ends up climbing in boxes or wearing dusters on his head. He has seen his humans through some really tough times, and they wouldn’t be without him and his quirks.

🐾 Got a cute fur baby? Submit them to be our pet of the week in an upcoming issue.

• Matthews™ is hiring for a Digital Marketing Specialist (Scottsdale, AZ).
• Megawatt Construction, Inc. is hiring for a Project Executive (Reno, NV).
• Maimonides Medical Center is hiring for an Administrative Assistant (Brooklyn, NY).
• JLUXLABEL is hiring for a Social Media Manager (Los Angeles, CA).
• Highridge Medical is hiring for an Executive Strategy Senior Manager (Westminster, CO ).

⭐ View more jobs here >

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