Meet Kristyn Hodgdon Kristyn Hodgdon is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Rescripted. She is also a professional writer, voracious reader, fierce fertility advocate, and proud IVF mom of twins. She lives in Long Island, NY with her husband Dan and their two kids, Brooke and Charlie. To learn more about Rescripted and to join their free fertility support community, head to Rescripted.com, and follow along on Instagram. How did you decide to do the work that you do? I was 27 years young when I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and referred to a fertility specialist. Looking around the waiting room at the fertility clinic, I found myself surrounded by countless others dealing with fertility issues, and yet I still felt so incredibly alone. I thought, “If infertility is so common, why isn’t anybody talking about it?” So, I set out to create the blog and online community I wished I had to help end the stigma and empower others dealing with infertility. Now, 4 1/2 years later, Rescripted is the #1 global media platform for fertility, infertility, and pregnancy loss, providing technology tools and resources for wherever you are on your family-building journey. We’re rescripting fertility, together. What are you most proud of in your work? Infertility and pregnancy loss can be hard to understand for those who haven’t been through it. That’s why community is so important during this time. At Rescripted, we’re home to a fertility support community of over 10,000 members, and it’s completely free to join. If discussing infertility with friends and family is difficult for you, log-on to our community where you’ll meet thousands of others who get it, no explanations necessary. We also host virtual support groups every-other Thursday evening at 8 pm ET! We’re pretty proud of the community of support we’ve built, and are happy to be able to provide people with a safe-space while navigating one of the most difficult experiences of their lives. What is a challenge you have overcome in your work? Or, what is the biggest challenge you are currently facing in your work? For the past year, my husband and I have been trying to conceive baby #3 via IVF. In experiencing several failed embryo transfers and two heartbreaking miscarriages, I have been able to deeply relate to so many members of the Rescripted community, find solace, and create meaningful content in the process. However, now that I am on an indefinite break from fertility treatments, it has been challenging spending my days living, eating, and breathing the world of infertility and pregnancy loss while grieving my own journey, which so far hasn’t resulted in a baby. It can be a difficult balance sometimes, but my pain also fuels my passion for the work that I do, and I’m constantly reminded (in the best way) why Rescripted’s mission is so important. What do you wish people knew about fertility and reproductive health? There’s so much that I wish people knew about fertility and reproductive health: that age is the number one predictor when it comes to fertility, that infertility is more common than people think, that infertility is not just a women’s issue, that IVF coverage should be a right (not a privilege), and so much more. On Season 3 of the Dear (In)Fertility podcast, me and my co-host, Board-Certified OB/GYN Dr. Staci Tanouye, discuss all of the ways in which Sex Ed in the U.S. is broken and dig into everything we should have learned about our bodies. From the science of ovulation to some of the biggest myths surrounding our reproductive health, it’s everything you need to know to take control of your overall health and fertility, so I hope you’ll give it a listen! Is there anything happening in the reproductive health field that you're especially excited about? My brilliant Co-Founder and Rescripted’s CEO, Abby Mercado, hosts a podcast called “The Future of Fertility,” which is dedicated to shining a light on the entrepreneurs and innovators changing the face of family-building. I highly recommend taking a listen to learn more about the people, the ideas, and the businesses that are changing the fertility industry, and in turn, millions of people’s lives. All I’ll say is that the future of fertility is bright! Who inspires you in this field? So many female founders in the fertility industry have been inspired to create change based on their own personal hardship and struggles, and I admire so many of them. You know who you are! Outside of this field, I am a huge fan of Cheryl Strayed, and I think everyone should read her books Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. What are you working on next? So. many. things. That’s startup life, right? To name two big ones, I’m excited to continue providing people with the tools and resources they need to advocate for their own health and fertility, while working with the best brands and clinics in the fertility industry to create meaningful content to help them do that. Want to meet some more Changemakers? Read on here.
