Devon Baeza is The Fertility Finance Coach and creator of The Fertile Money Club. She helps those struggling through infertility “make, save, and manifest money” to pay for treatment. Just like many others on this journey, Devon’s own path to parenthood required tough conversations around money and finding ways to finance treatment while still young and in student debt.
She now helps couples and individuals overcome money blocks and fund their future families, making sure that “money doesn’t stop anyone from Motherhood”. We loved getting to know Devon, especially during our Instagram Live which you can watch and read about here. Her positive energy is infectious and she has some amazing tips to share for anyone on this emotionally-charged (and expensive) journey. Check out our interview to learn more about Devon and find out how you too can save money to build your family.
Devon Baeza and her beautiful family
1. From a degree in finance, to certifications in investments and life coaching, your professional resume is surpassed only by your infertility resume. So let’s start with… how did you get here? We’d love to hear your story from family building to building your business as the Fertility Finance Coach.
Being “The Fertility Finance Coach” was definitely not the career I’d planned on! My story is similar to a lot of ladies I’ve met over the years. After college, I’d started my chosen career, got married, and started thinking about kids. I’d known from the time I was a teenager that I had endometriosis. MY OBGYN said that it could cause fertility issues and to “get started sooner than later” if I wanted children. Even though it was always in the back of my mind, I don’t think I ever expected it to be a real problem. To be completely honest (and risk sounding like a pompous ass)…I was used to achieving whatever I set my mind to. I’m a total Type A by nature and had overcome every obstacle thus far in my life!
The first few months of TTC felt exciting. My husband and I would daydream about what life with kids would be like and I started to make plans based on when our “maybe baby” would arrive. After months of ovulation strips and gyno visits for cycle issues…my optimism started to wane. Fast forward through endless months of timed intercourse, clomid aka “The Devil”, and medicated IUIs…it was becoming more than a challenge.
We finally had a positive test after our 4th IUI and we were over the moon. It ended in a miscarriage however and things got really dark for me. I started to feel like there was a genuine possibility that I would never become a mother. I ended up needing 2 surgeries after that and ultimately being told IVF was my best bet. The problem of course, was that we were already broke from years of treatment!
I vividly remember sitting in my RE’s huge office, hearing that IVF was next. She told us IVF was about $20,000…she might as well have said “2 million! It was an impossible amount for us and hearing it said out loud was crushing. I remember staring at her wedding ring (which had the biggest, most beautiful diamonds I had ever seen) and thinking “of course this doesn’t seem like a lot of money to you!!”
She suggested we look into financing…but we were still swimming in student loan debt. She suggested we ask our family for the money and we kind of laughed. We came from small town mining families who didn’t have that kind of money to give us.
The choice became clear on our long ride back home. We would have to figure it out ourselves, or give up. I couldn’t stand the thought of money being what stopped me from motherhood. We decided to pay cash for IVF by whatever means necessary!
We took drastic measures to cut costs and budget. Including taking a loss on our home to move into a tiny apartment! We rarely ate out and never without a coupon. My poor husband drove around the AZ summer in a car with no AC.
We worked overtime, I started my own business, we hustled HARD.
I started changing my money mindset and using Law of Attraction principles without realizing that’s what I was doing! I discovered ways to save on meds and manifested a huge discount off of the price of IVF.
We saved up the cash much faster than I thought was possible. I remember taking a pic (with an actual digital camera…that’s how old I am) of our savings account balance once we reached our goal. I was so proud that we had DONE it!! At the same time, the thought of gambling our life savings on a CHANCE at becoming parents made me sick to my stomach.
IVF did not go as planned. I only had a few mature follicles which was much less than the 20 something we expected. My RE called and said we could either switch to an IUI and recoup some of our cost…or pull the trigger on IVF knowing this was our one and only shot.
My husband, although super understanding, was not helpful at all. “Whatever you think we should do” was his advice.
My friends and family were trying their best to be supportive…but had no freakin idea what I was talking about 99% of the time. All of the acronyms and stats were like speaking another language!
In that moment, I needed someone to help me make the decision. Someone who understood what I was talking about, the intense amount of stress I was feeling, and knew what this money meant to me.
I needed a fertility finance coach! The only problem was that it didn’t exist.
Long story shortish-we ended up with one embryo that “didn’t look good” and wouldn’t survive a freeze. We did a fresh transfer, certain that it had failed. However, on the morning of my birthday 2 pink lines showed up!
Pregnancy was a roller coaster of low HCG, spotting, and intense anxiety. I think I didn’t REALLY believe a happy ending was possible for us until I heard her first cry.
I hoped infertility would be a distant memory for us. That I’d never have to revisit all that “unpleasantness” ever again. That’s not what happened though! The more I shared with others, the more they shared with me. The calling would not go away and I realized this is what I was meant to do.
I wanted women to have someone to call during those critical moments. Someone who got it at every level. I wanted to help others shortcut the struggle by sharing everything I learned the hard way. All of the ways to save on meds and procedures, tax strategies that worked, ways to make more money, how to create sustainable budgets, overcome money blocks, learn HOW to manifest, and stop self sabotage in it’s tracks!
I went back to school for more training and combined all of my experiences and education into becoming The Fertility Finance Coach.
We love the matching dresses!
2. What is your approach to helping people make, save and manifest money for fertility treatments?
I often find that people are excelling in 2 areas, and lacking in one.
Finding ways to make more money NOW is a great starting point. I compiled a list “10 Easy and Effective Ways to Fund Your Fertility” which is totally free at https://www.devonbaeza.com/10ways.
Making a “Baby Making Budget” and finding ways to save money is key. The problem is that people ask the $3 questions instead of $3,000 questions. There are ways to save A LOT of money on meds and services. There are strategies to implement in your treatment timeline that will maximize your tax refund. Giving up your Starbucks run isn’t the only way to make your future family dreams come true!
EVERYONE has money mindset issues. For the general population I’d say they usually originate in childhood. One of the unique challenges for those undergoing fertility treatment is that the trauma of treatment can exacerbate or even cause it’s own money blocks.
I have a unique program of visual tools, practices, mantras, etc that are designed to identify and remove those blocks. Once people start to put the Law of Attraction into action, that’s when all the fun magical stuff starts to happen! I genuinely believe there is an unseen force…call it God/Universe/Spirit/Your Highest Self….that gave you the dream of motherhood and wants to support you on your journey. Teaching women how to tap into that and manifest money is by far the most fun part of my job!
3. On a scale of 1-10, what’s the average stress level people have about money when you first meet with them?
On average, it’s an 8. The surprising part is that their stress levels have no correlation to the actual money in their bank account. I’ve worked with women all over the world. Some have fertility treatment covered by their country’s health care. Some have insurance coverage, some don’t. Some are completely broke, some have more than enough in savings. Their stress levels around finances are the same! Money issues are never about money. The secret is to uncover what the money issues are really about and resolve the root cause.
4. What is the question most frequently asked by new clients?
The first question is “What the hell is a fertility finance coach?!” ha! After I explain, the conversation shifts to their own unique situation and struggles. It doesn’t matter who else I’ve helped, it only matters if I can help them. Figuring out their first steps for some quick “wins” is key.
5. And finally, what advice would you give to intended parents on GoStork – who are just beginning their family building journey?
What I most want people to know is that money doesn’t get to decide what your future family looks like, YOU do. There are so many ways to make, save, and manifest the finances to fund your dreams. Believing it’s possible and being brave enough to hold onto hope is what determines if those dreams come true!
Thank you for these helpful tips and advice Devon, we love how you’re helping many navigate the financial aspect of their fertility journey!
Intended parents, learn more about The Fertility Finance Coach and follow her on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for her top tips and inspirational advice. Again, you can also check out our recent IG Live for a fun conversation and actionable tips on financing your journey.