Show Notes
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is freezing her eggs and sharing every part of the process with her 6 million+ followers; the hormone injections, the bloating, the uncertainty, and it's got Soph and Emma asking what egg freezing actually costs. In this episode, we cover the real price of freezing your eggs (upfront costs plus the ongoing storage fees nobody mentions), why only 6% of women who freeze their eggs ever go on to use them, why 35-37 (not your 20s) is when most women can actually afford to do it, the booming $129 billion surrogacy industry sparked by the backlash to Cameron Diaz's third child, and why so many fertility decisions; whether to freeze eggs, use a surrogate, or have kids at all, come down to money rather than choice.
Content warning: this episode contains strong language and discusses fertility struggles and reproductive health candidly.
Read the full New York Times story on the global surrogacy industry in Ukraine, including how the war affected surrogate mothers: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/03/magazine/surrogates-ukraine.html
Catch our full conversation with Deirdre from Hertility on fertility testing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmi_ba-58nQ
Thanks so much to Generate for making The Curve Weekly possible. Generate has a really impressive 10-year track record, to find out more about their performance click here: generatekiwisaver.co.nz/performance. But remember, a great track record doesn’t guarantee future returns! If you’d like to speak to an advisor, to see if Generate is right for you, you can book time with someone here: https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/curve
Credits:
Hosts: Sophie Hallwright & Vic Harris
Producer: Emily Rigby
Editor: Kate Callaghan
Social & Digital Manager: Lucy Munro
Leave us a message on The Curve Hotline 💌☎️ (https://thecurveplatform.com/pages/the-curve-hotline)
For more from The Curve:
Website (https://thecurveplatform.com/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thecurveplatform/)
YouTube (https://youtube.com/@thecurveplatform?si=nlCWqqqySWOzYlj3)
TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurveplatform)
Newsletter (https://thecurve.co.nz/pages/sign-up-to-the-curve-weekly)
Substack (https://thecurveplatform.substack.com/)
Chapters
00:00:00 Coming up in this episode… 00:01:10 Generate x The Curve 00:01:29 Catching up: Edinburgh Fringe and financial confessions 00:06:57 AOC's public egg-freezing journey sparks a bigger question 00:12:37 The affordability of egg freezing 00:26:39 The real numbers 00:42:40 Generate x The Curve 00:43:18 Inside the booming surrogacy industry 01:00:00 The dating crisis, and why it changes everything 01:11:50 Thank you for listening! 01:12:30 Financial disclaimer
Disclaimer: Raising The Curve has been prepared solely for informational and educational purposes. Any information provided and serviced described in this website are intended to be of general nature and provide general information only. The opinions expressed by The Curve do not constitute investment advice.
Generate’s Product Disclosure Statement and Financial Advice Provider License can be found here: GenerateKiwiSaver.co.nz/disclosures.
*Morningstar KiwiSaver Survey March Quarter End 2026. The Generate Focused Growth Fund returns have ranked in the top three of NZ Multi Sector Aggressive Category Funds for 10 year returns every quarter since becoming eligible in June 2023. Most recently the fund ranked 2nd out of 10 funds for 10 year returns to 31 March 2026.
More from The Curve
Part two of Meet the Founders. After Soph shared her money story, the requests for Vic's kept coming, so our Producer, Emily, and Digital & Social Manager, Lucy, sat her down for the full version. Vic takes us from selling her sister's clothes on Trade Me as a kid to choosing a South America trip over a job offer at Goldman Sachs, then starting out answering phones at Milford Asset Management. She shares the employee share offer she nearly turned down and what it grew into, what she learned as one of the only women in the room, and how her salary went from $45k to over $400k. Then it's on to The Curve. She talks about the friends who wouldn't stop telling her to start it, what raising money from investors was really like, her lowest point with money, and why she launched The Curve Investments. She also answers your community questions and gives her advice for anyone on the edge of a big decision. Watch Soph’s money story if you haven’t already! https://youtu.be/6NrkbtrC_Qg?si=U4dTbKku2I3XUwF0 We're so proud to have created a fund shaped by you, The Curve community. To find out more, visit thecurveinvestments.co.nz. The Curve Investments Limited is the issuer and manager of The Curve Fund. The Product Disclosure Statement is available at thecurveinvestments.co.nz/pages/the-legal-stuff. The Curve Investments Limited is part of The Curve group, and the hosts of this podcast have an interest in it. This is general information only, not financial advice. Investing involves risk and returns aren't guaranteed. Credits: Hosts: Victoria Harris, Emily Rigby, and Lucy Munro Producer: Kate Callaghan Editor: Emily Rigby Social & Digital Manager: Lucy Munro Leave us a message on The Curve Hotline 💌☎️ (https://thecurveplatform.com/pages/the-curve-hotline) For more from The Curve: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurveplatform/?hl=en Substack: https://thecurveplatform.substack.com/ Website: https://thecurveplatform.com/ The Curve Investments: https://thecurveinvestments.co.nz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT_HdjhtoRIwPTmQy2TNLw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurveplatform Chapters
Bumble was once worth US$14 billion. Now it’s being bought for US$1.3 billion and taken private, and the app built on women going first will be run by two men. Soph and Emma get into what went wrong, what happens to your shares when a company leaves the stock market, and why LVMH shares are down around 40% while Uniqlo keeps breaking records. Plus, is a Chanel bag ever really an investment? In case you missed our lab-grown vs natural diamonds episode … https://youtu.be/0qCN7Z1XFKM?si=KLlYJa-2hA5wu4Lt Thanks so much to Generate for making The Curve Weekly possible. Generate has a really impressive 10-year track record, to find out more about their performance click here: generatekiwisaver.co.nz/performance. But remember, a great track record doesn’t guarantee future returns! If you’d like to speak to an advisor, to see if Generate is right for you, you can book time with someone here: https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/curve Credits: Host: Sophie Hallwright & Emma-Louise Boynton Producer: Kate Callaghan Social & Digital Manager: Lucy Munro Leave us a message on The Curve Hotline 💌☎️ (https://thecurveplatform.com/pages/the-curve-hotline) For more from The Curve: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurveplatform/?hl=en Substack: https://thecurveplatform.substack.com/ Website: https://thecurveplatform.com/ The Curve Investments: https://thecurveinvestments.co.nz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT_HdjhtoRIwPTmQy2TNLw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurveplatform Chapters
Vic is officially back in New Zealand with big news: The Curve Fund is now live on Sharesies. She explains why September is so often a rough month for markets, the best analogy you’ll hear all year for how AMD became a trillion-dollar company without making a single chip, and why the company everyone should be watching isn’t Nvidia. Plus, how Warner Bros.’ CEO walked away with US$606 million after losing his job, and why stock options are worth asking about next time you negotiate your pay. Can’t get your head around bonds? https://youtu.be/BVhMzrp9jo0?si=IJF7VYP2PyZjwGGH How to ride the peptide wave … https://youtu.be/cKoNDrtjp_U?si=fIOe6BzImsgkDSO7 We're so proud to have created a fund shaped by you, The Curve community. To find out more, visit thecurveinvestments.co.nz. The Curve Investments Limited is the issuer and manager of The Curve Fund. The Product Disclosure Statement is available at thecurveinvestments.co.nz/pages/the-legal-stuff. The Curve Investments Limited is part of The Curve group, and the hosts of this podcast have an interest in it. This is general information only, not financial advice. Investing involves risk and returns aren't guaranteed. Wondering whether an investment actually lines up with your values? 👉 Submit your money and morals question to The Ethical Hotline: https://form.typeform.com/to/BZHujjGM Credits: Hosts: Sophie Hallwright & Vic Harris Producer: Kate Callaghan Social & Digital Manager: Lucy Munro Leave us a message on The Curve Hotline 💌☎️ For more from The Curve: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurveplatform/?hl=en Substack: https://thecurveplatform.substack.com/ Website: https://thecurveplatform.com/ The Curve Investments: https://thecurveinvestments.co.nz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT_HdjhtoRIwPTmQy2TNLw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurveplatform Chapters
Today we're talking lab grown versus natural diamonds, and by the end of it, neither of us landed exactly where we thought we would. Sophie sits down with Martha (@martha.stewish) to unpack where diamonds actually come from, why the cut matters more than the size, and how a 90-year-old marketing campaign convinced generations of women that a natural diamond equals real love. We get into resale value, the celebrity engagement rings we assumed were natural, and why some of the richest people you know are quietly choosing lab grown. Full community data in this week's Substack! https://thecurveplatform.substack.com/ This episode is proudly supported by Michael Hill. We've teamed up to give one of you a diamond tennis bracelet, details on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thecurveplatform/?hl=en Credits: Hosts: Sophie Hallwright & Victoria Harris Producer: Kate Callaghan Editor: Emilly Rigby Social & Digital Manager: Lucy Munro Leave us a message on The Curve Hotline 💌☎️ (https://thecurveplatform.com/pages/the-curve-hotline) For more from The Curve: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurveplatform/?hl=en Substack: https://thecurveplatform.substack.com/ Website: https://thecurveplatform.com/ The Curve Investments: https://thecurveinvestments.co.nz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT_HdjhtoRIwPTmQy2TNLw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurveplatform Chapters
Emma Louise Boynton is back, filling in for Vic. Sydney Sweeney’s “just sports” ad caused a stir, but the bigger story is that she’s an investor in Novig, the prediction market now reportedly worth $2 billion. Soph breaks down how prediction markets work and whether they’re anything more than sports betting. Then Emma brings the story of Sarah Creal, the Victoria Beckham Beauty co-founder who’s just launched a brand in the UK for women over 40, the generation with the most money to spend and the fewest products made for them. Check out Emma’s book! https://geni.us/pleasureelboynton Thanks so much to Generate for making The Curve Weekly possible. Generate has a really impressive 10-year track record, to find out more about their performance click here: generatekiwisaver.co.nz/performance. But remember, a great track record doesn’t guarantee future returns! If you’d like to speak to an advisor, to see if Generate is right for you, you can book time with someone here: https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/curve Credits: Host: Sophie Hallwright Guest: Emma-Louise Boynton Editor: Kate Callaghan Social & Digital Manager: Lucy Munro Leave us a message on The Curve Hotline 💌☎️ (https://thecurveplatform.com/pages/the-curve-hotline) For more from The Curve: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurveplatform/?hl=en Substack: https://thecurveplatform.substack.com/ Website: https://thecurveplatform.com/ The Curve Investments: https://thecurveinvestments.co.nz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT_HdjhtoRIwPTmQy2TNLw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecurveplatform Chapters