In this episode of the AllPaths podcast, hosts Emily and Liane sit down with Cynthia, a licensed social worker and seasoned health and wellness coach, who first connected with our organization over twenty years ago as a peer support group attendee. After enduring years of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, Cynthia finally welcomed her daughter through IVF. Following a later, life-threatening pregnancy that necessitated an emergency hysterectomy, she and her husband turned to gestational surrogacy to have their son. Cynthia describes this as an “incredibly powerful experience” that resulted not only in the birth of her child but also in a cherished, lifelong friendship with their carrier. This unique relationship endures and Cynthia shares how the conversations with her children about their origin stories have evolved over the years.
She reflects on the evolution of support networks in the family building space, noting that while she once navigated these challenges in relative isolation, she now advocates for openness and community resources. Cynthia’s professional expertise in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and resilience coaching has also changed her perspective on the emotional toll of infertility. She reflects on the intense anxiety of “giving up complete control” during the surrogacy process and how she wishes she had possessed her current toolkit of meditation and self-care strategies two decades ago. Now a group leader for AllPaths, Cynthia now helps create the community she once found so helpful and teaches the coping strategies that she wishes she had possessed during her own journey in our Mindfulness Group.
Cynthia has been in the field of health and wellness for over 25 years. She has a BA in Psychology from College of the Holy Cross and graduate degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Business (MBA) with a focus in both Leadership and Marketing from Boston College.
Cynthia is the founder of her corporate wellness presentation business Work Well Webinars, a company that designs and delivers wellness presentations virtually and in person to companies, schools, hospitals, libraries and groups across the country. Cynthia’s wellness presentations span body, mind and spirit as she takes a holistic approach to wellness.
For the past five years Cynthia has held a variety of roles at Organizational Wellness and Learning Systems (OWLS) addressing complex workplace issues including burnout, work life balance, team building, corporate culture, leadership, team building and more. Her trainings and presentations support organizations in areas such as resilience, self-care, mindfulness, and healthy leadership.
Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!
