Episode 10 Tara Lipinski

In this amazing episode of "Weddings-ish with Jove," we’re excited to welcome Olympic gold medalist and broadcaster Tara Lipinski. Tara and Jove met while hosting "Wedding Talk," and their bond grew stronger through their time working together. An amazing part of that show was creating lifelong connections through long days of filming with Jove + Jose! Tara and Jove share a humorous "dirty little secret"—a text thread where they share photos of the messes their partners leave around the house. Both their significant others have a habit of leaving things out, and this shared experience has bonded them further!

Tara opens up about her challenging five-year fertility journey, which began in her mid-30s. She initially thought that getting pregnant would be straightforward due to her health and age. However, after deciding to secure embryos for insurance purposes, she faced a difficult path. Tara underwent eight retrieval processes and six failed transfers, spending a collective 24 hours under anesthesia. She was diagnosed with endometriosis and underwent surgeries to correct it, but doctors still couldn’t explain her infertility. The journey was both a financial and emotional roller coaster.

Despite their extreme dedication and efforts, Tara experienced four miscarriages and was eventually diagnosed with a rare condition where her immune system attacked the embryos. Tara shares that a week before filming “Wedding Talk,” she had another miscarriage, which was completely depleting. This led her and her husband Todd to explore surrogacy, which turned out to be the best decision for them. Tara reflects on how the innocence of pregnancy was lost for her, and surrogacy provided a much-needed sense of hope and relief.

Tara and Todd started a podcast to share their fertility journey, recording on a set Todd built. Initially, they didn’t consider the audience; it was more about the healing process. Their vulnerability resonated with many, creating a supportive community around shared trauma. Discussing such a difficult subject publicly was both challenging and therapeutic for them. She

Tara and Todd met in 2015 when she presented him with an Emmy. Tara shares with Jove the story of how they finally got together. Although she didn’t remember him that night, they reconnected through his aunt and quickly fell in love. Six months later, they were engaged! As Tara prepared to move full time to LA, Todd and Tara spent time in NY for the holidays, Tara’s favorite time in the city. Todd’s proposal took place at the Plaza Hotel in front of one of their iconic windows. He was able to convince the hotel to allow him to use one of their windows during holiday time. In the window he placed a painting of Tara’s home in LA with Todd proposing in front of it. As soon as Tara saw the painting, she turned around to find Todd on one knee in a Hallmark movie moment! Although Tara knew Todd would be her husband, she could never have predicted the proposal at the Plaza.

Jove shares more about his proposal to fiance Kyle and how Kyle was lost for words when he proposed to Jove, and how Jove was completely shocked!

Weddings have always been significant in Tara's career. From hosting wedding cake shows with Johnny Weir to her own wedding in South Carolina, she has a deep connection to the world of weddings. Tara loved planning her wedding so much that she often wishes she could relive it through an anniversary party. They planned over the course of a year and a half, and she would go through it all over again. If she could do it again

Tara's career extends far beyond weddings and broadcasting and began as a figure skater. At age 15 she took the gold medal at the Olympics, at the height of figure skating popularity. Her ice skating career began as a three year old at a New Jersey. at a roller rink where she was determined to win a yellow Care Bear. 80 roller skating lessons later, she won the bear and was hooked. Eventually at age 5 she took her roller skating skills to the ice and the rest was history! Her athletic career is a testament to her dedication and passion.

After winning the gold, her fame skyrocketed! She was immediately asked to audition for acting roles, and even worked with a coach to perfect auditions. Jove notes her increrdibly impressive acting resume, with appearances in "Touched by an Angel," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Family Guy," and more! Her work ethic and dedication extends to all parts of her life, which made her fertility journey particularly difficult.

Jove asks Tara where her positivity stems from? Tara explains she identifies more as a realist that believes in her own resilience. She admits to being more of a pessimist but believes in using her emotions to fuel her determination. She values feeling all emotions, even the difficult ones, and finds strength in overcoming setbacks. She has a fighting spirit and oncc she is knocked down, she is determined to get back up.

“The innocence of pregnancy wasn’t there for me anymore”

Tara on choosing surrogacy again for future pregnancies

When asked a surprising fact, Tara talks about her eye color that started as brown and slowly changed to green, making her especially curious about her daughter’s eyes! Jove asks Tara what lessons she wished she had learned earlier in life, she would tell herself to trust her instincts and be more direct with expressing them. When asked about someone who has changed her life, she talks about her deep love and connection with her surrogate who also is a worrier and helped ease the pressure throughout the process. They consider her family.

On this week’s “Ask Jove” segment with Sloan they chat about merging cultural backgrounds in their wedding. Jove shares his advice on how to go about merging traditions and highlighting whats important to each!

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