EP129: Navigating the grief of being childless not by choice with Guest Judi Johnson

About this episode

Sharna Southan and guest Judi Johnson discuss the complex grief of being childless not by choice and the emotional journey surrounding it.

The April cohort of the Pregnancy Loss & Trauma-Informed Specialist Certification is open now — and it starts April 6th. Five spots. Application only. DM me HERE   This is one of the most important conversations this podcast has had. Because childlessness not by choice is one of the most complex, layered, and misunderstood forms of grief — and it is almost never talked about. In this episode, Sharna sits down with Judi Johnson, certified grief coach and founder of Embrace Your Future, based in Auckland, New Zealand. Judi specialises in helping people navigate the grief of childlessness not by choice — and she speaks from both professional expertise and lived experience. Together, they explore what it actually means to reach the point of "I cannot do this anymore" — whether that comes after years of pregnancy loss, failed fertility treatment, or life circumstances that made motherhood impossible — and what happens next, when the world around you still doesn't understand why you're not just trying again. In this episode: Why grief on the reproductive journey starts far earlier than most people realise — long before the decision to stop The compounding layers of grief…

People in this episode

Host: Sharna Southan

Guest: Judi Johnson

Topics covered

• grief
• childlessness
• pregnancy loss
• fertility treatment
• mental health
• acceptance

Keywords

• grief
• childlessness
• pregnancy loss
• fertility treatment
• mental health
• acceptance
• Judi Johnson
• Embrace Your Future

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Embrace Your Future

Places: Auckland, New Zealand

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• EP134: Fertility awareness, Cycle literacy & reclaiming trust with Guest Emma Goff · May 25, 2026 · 46 min
• EP133: I wanted to unzip my flesh and float away — Guest Kate Carson on somatic healing after loss · May 10, 2026 · 58 min
• E132: Four losses and Two moments that could have killed her — Guest Jayme Serbell · May 3, 2026 · 1h 4m
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