Chris Axelrad, founder of the Axelrod Clinic and author of 'Awakening the Seed,' shares his 'punk rock' approach to natural medicine for fertility. He emphasizes that nature only needs 'good enough' - not perfection - and teaches fundamental principles like self-compassion, adequate hydration, and trusting your body's wisdom.
Acupuncture, herbal medicine, and therapeutic nutrition for fertility
Key Insights
Actionable Advice
Chris Axelrad opens by distinguishing between judgment and discernment, explaining how taking responsibility for your fertility journey is empowering rather than blaming. He emphasizes that self-love must be the foundation before any other intervention, as being hard on yourself makes it impossible to honestly examine what needs to change.
Axelrad's core teaching challenges the perfectionist mindset that plagues many fertility journeys. He explains that nature is messy everywhere yet abundantly creative, and that obsessive tracking with 'lunar landing precision' actually creates stress hormones that work against conception. His most successful patients consistently do fundamental things rather than perfect protocols.
The conversation reveals how subconscious minds accept all thoughts as facts without filtering. Negative self-talk about fertility literally affects physiology, while practicing loving thoughts toward your body creates positive changes over time. Axelrad teaches specific ways to edit your mental stream and trust your body's wisdom.
Rather than complex supplement regimens, Axelrad focuses on basics: drinking 3 liters of water daily, sufficient sleep, and self-compassion. He explains how overcrowding treatments can make them counteract each other, advocating for doing fewer things with more power and leaving space for healing to occur.
“sufficient hydration is very key, and that means at least for most people, three liters of water a day. That's six half liter bottles of water.”
— Chris Axelrad▶ 28:58
Chris Axelrad recommends at least 3 liters of water daily for optimal fertility support. That's equivalent to six half-liter bottles of water, and the container material doesn't matter as much as actually drinking the water consistently.
“most people track their cycle when they're doing their temps. You can't the point is that the altimeter says a thousand feet, but you're go but you're you're you're taking off. So so, like, in in twenty minutes, it's gonna say thirty thousand feet.”
— Chris Axelrad▶ 38:48
Yes, according to Chris Axelrad, tracking with extreme precision creates anxiety and mistrust that works against fertility. He compares it to 'tracking with the precision of a lunar landing' and explains that constant suspicion forces your body into stress mode rather than the relaxed state needed for conception.
“Nature doesn't need perfect, man. You know? Nature doesn't need perfect. Go outside. Go go out in nature. Go walk around. Look. It's a mess out there. K? Where there's not people, everything is real messy. But look what it got us to.”
— Chris Axelrad▶ 28:16
Chris Axelrad teaches that nature doesn't require perfect conditions to create life - just 'good enough.' He explains that going outside shows nature is messy everywhere, yet still creates abundant life. For fertility, this means you don't need perfect cycles, perfect health, or perfect protocols - just consistent fundamentals.
“you need to love yourself. You need to learn how to be kind to yourself, love yourself, be merciful with yourself. That is a number one thing that has to be addressed.”
— Chris Axelrad▶ 5:29
Chris Axelrad teaches that self-love and kindness must be addressed first before any other fertility intervention. When you're judgmental and hard on yourself, it becomes difficult to look honestly at what needs to change. Self-compassion allows you to learn from setbacks without taking them personally.
“the the thoughts that you think, the language that you are repeating inside of your mind, your body takes that literally. Mhmm. Your body our subconscious minds do not have a filter.”
— Chris Axelrad▶ 44:09
Your subconscious mind believes everything you tell it and has no filter for negative thoughts. Chris Axelrad explains that thoughts like 'my ovaries hate me' are taken literally by your body. Consistently feeding negative thoughts creates stress hormones, while practicing loving thoughts toward your body creates positive physiological changes.
“You're still here, aren't you? Your body's actually done a lot. Your body's actually done everything you've asked it to do, which is why you're still here.”
— Chris Axelrad▶ 40:11
Yes, Chris Axelrad teaches that your body has actually done everything you've asked it to do - the fact you're still alive proves how powerful and resilient it is. Your body doesn't work against you or hold grudges; it continuously serves and supports you even when given less-than-optimal conditions.
“I'm all about autonomy. Patience, autonomy. You know, you make decisions. It's your body. It's your life. It's your destiny. I'm not here to try to influence your decision.”
— Chris Axelrad▶ 23:23
Chris Axelrad's 'punk rock approach' emphasizes patient autonomy, doing fewer things with more power, and focusing on fundamental self-care rather than complex protocols. He acts as a 'rodeo clown' keeping you safe while you 'ride the bull' of your fertility journey, supporting whatever decisions you make.
Chris Axelrad's approach to fertility focuses on fundamental self-care rather than complex protocols
Practice Self-Compassion First
Address self-love and kindness before any other intervention. Stop negative self-talk about your body and fertility.
Focus on Fundamentals
Drink 3 liters of water daily, get sufficient sleep at night, and maintain basic nutrition rather than complex supplement regimens.
Edit Your Thought Stream
Monitor and change negative thoughts about fertility. Replace 'my ovaries hate me' with loving thoughts toward your body.
Trust Your Body's Wisdom
Recognize that your body continuously serves you - being alive proves its power and resilience.
Avoid Perfectionist Tracking
Use tracking for retrospective trends, not moment-to-moment anxiety. Trust rather than constantly questioning.
Create Space for Healing
Do fewer things with more power rather than overwhelming yourself with too many protocols that may counteract each other.
Nature only needs 'good enough' - not perfection - to create life, and perfectionist tracking can actually work against fertility success
Chris Axelrad explains that women tracking cycles with 'precision of a lunar landing' create stress that counteracts fertility, while his patients with best results aren't always the healthiest but do fundamental things consistently
Self-love and kindness to yourself is the foundation that must be addressed before any other fertility intervention
Chris Axelrad teaches that being judgmental and hard on yourself makes it difficult to look in the mirror and make necessary changes, while self-compassion allows you to mine failures for growth without taking them personally
Most people are unwilling to let go of their story about how this will end and look for magic bullets to avoid doing the simple but real work
Chris Axelrad observes that patients with the best fertility outcomes aren't the healthiest but consistently do fundamental things that matter, like drinking 3 liters of water daily and getting sufficient sleep
Your body takes literally every thought you think - it doesn't have a filter for negative self-talk about fertility
Chris Axelrad explains that subconscious minds believe everything we tell them, so thoughts like 'my ovaries hate me' become accepted as fact, while cultivating thoughts of kindness creates physiological changes over time
The real goal isn't getting pregnant - it's becoming a mother and experiencing unconditional love, which you can start practicing now
Chris Axelrad, who has two adopted daughters he couldn't imagine loving more, teaches that the desire for a baby is really seeking unconditional love, and practicing self-love now awakens that creative seed within
Your body has done everything you've asked it to do - the fact that you're alive proves how powerful and resilient it is
Chris Axelrad reframes the common belief that bodies are working against fertility patients, explaining that bodies continuously serve and support even when given processed food or inadequate water, without holding grudges
Taking responsibility for your health is empowering, not blaming - it reveals how much power you actually have
Chris Axelrad explains the difference between judgment (punishment-focused) and discernment (growth-focused), teaching that looking for blind spots allows evolution and progress when approached with self-compassion
What you don't do is just as important as what you do - leaving space allows treatments and supplements to actually work
Chris Axelrad teaches that supplements can counteract each other when overcrowded, comparing it to a room too full of people where you can't operate effectively, advocating for doing fewer things with more power
Trust allows you to relax and rest, while constant tracking creates a mindset of suspicion that forces continual questioning
Chris Axelrad compares obsessive cycle tracking to a pilot panicking at 1000 feet during takeoff instead of recognizing they're ascending, explaining that tracking should show trends retrospectively, not create moment-to-moment anxiety
Mindset elevates medicine - when you stop beating yourself up, you get out of your own way and give treatments room to work
Rosanne Austin explains that walking around in self-hatred dumps stress hormones and creates a physiological horror movie, while self-love amplifies whatever medical interventions you're doing by removing counteracting factors
Nature only needs 'good enough' - not perfection - to create life, and perfectionist tracking can actually work against fertility success
▶ 34:56Self-love and kindness to yourself is the foundation that must be addressed before any other fertility intervention
▶ 5:29Most people are unwilling to let go of their story about how this will end and look for magic bullets to avoid doing the simple but real work
▶ 4:26Your body takes literally every thought you think - it doesn't have a filter for negative self-talk about fertility
▶ 44:09The real goal isn't getting pregnant - it's becoming a mother and experiencing unconditional love, which you can start practicing now
▶ 8:04Your body has done everything you've asked it to do - the fact that you're alive proves how powerful and resilient it is
▶ 40:11Taking responsibility for your health is empowering, not blaming - it reveals how much power you actually have
▶ 4:48What you don't do is just as important as what you do - leaving space allows treatments and supplements to actually work
▶ 11:23Trust allows you to relax and rest, while constant tracking creates a mindset of suspicion that forces continual questioning
▶ 37:16Mindset elevates medicine - when you stop beating yourself up, you get out of your own way and give treatments room to work
▶ 52:03“You need to track your cycles with perfect precision to maximize fertility success”
CONSIDER: Obsessive tracking creates anxiety and mistrust that actually works against fertility
“Your body is working against you if you're not getting pregnant”
CONSIDER: Your body is continuously serving and supporting you - the fact you're alive proves its power
“More supplements and complex protocols lead to better fertility outcomes”
CONSIDER: Overcrowding treatments can make them counteract each other - space allows medicine to work
“Nature only needs good enough. Nature doesn't need perfect, man. Go outside. Go out in nature. Look. It's a mess out there. But look what it got us to.”
“Most people are unwilling to let go of their story about how all of this is gonna end up, and most people are looking for a magic bullet to avoid doing the simple but real work that will make the difference.”
“The thoughts that you think, the language that you are repeating inside of your mind, your body takes that literally. Your body, our subconscious minds do not have a filter.”
“You need to love yourself. You need to learn how to be kind to yourself, love yourself, be merciful with yourself. That is a number one thing that has to be addressed.”
“Mindset elevates medicine. Think about these two things working together. It's not a choice of one or the other, but think about what you could say to yourself at the end of the day if you knew that you brought both to the table.”
“You're still here, aren't you? Your body's actually done a lot. Your body's actually done everything you've asked it to do, which is why you're still here.”
“Look, you're on the bull. Okay? You're the bull rider. I'm the rodeo clown. I'm just here to make sure you don't hurt yourself. But you gotta ride the bull.”
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Conditions
Frameworks & Methods
Common Beliefs
The common denominator in all fertility struggles is you - not as blame, but as empowerment to see what patterns of thoughts and beliefs are causing you to make choices that create your current results
Rosanne realized after sparing no expense on treatment teams and going to Chinatown for black chickens that the one constant was herself, leading to her asking 'Am I the reason I'm not getting pregnant?' - which became the title of her book
When you take 100% responsibility for what happens in your life, it can crush you initially, but it crushes you into little pieces so you can stop trying to carry pain and weight that isn't yours
Chris's experience of patients learning to 'be tiny and just breathe' and focus on 'what can I do right now?' rather than carrying the crushing weight of everything
Statistics are not your destiny - you can choose to be an outlier rather than a statistic
Erika overcame stage 4 endometriosis, multiple failed IVF cycles, and a 0% chance of natural conception to conceive naturally at 31 after 9 years of trying.
Fertility challenges transcend age - you can have the diagnosis of someone in their fifties while in your twenties
Erika was told at 29 that her AMH and egg counts were like those of a 50-year-old, yet she still conceived naturally at 31.
