Building your family

Embryo donor and embryo donation advocate shares her story

Jen Vesbit was a guest on the show previously to discuss Empower with Moxi.  Empower is comprised of a group of three women who have all been embryo donors or have donated embryos themselves. They decided years ago that in addition to their families and current jobs, they wanted to help others build their families with the assistance of embryo donation.  From the time I met them years ago at the annual conference for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, I knew they were going to do great things, and they have.  In addition to their support programs, they have just launched a matching program called, Moxie Matching.  You can find them at https://www.empowerwithmoxi.com/moxi-matching.  These three lovely ladies bring their intellect, passion and value system to this one-of-a-kind program. So, what is embryo donation?  How do people find each other? What does it feel like to watch a child grow in another family who is a full genetic sibling to your child? How do you maintain a good relationship with the person you donate to, or who donates to you?   And what about the kids?  There is so much to consider.  In this episode we dive into some of these questions and more. I'm confident that you'll be amazed by the answers.  Jen shares her story of donating an embryo to a single woman. She tells us why she chose this person, how they created plans for their relationship, and so much more. If you are considering embryo donation, you will want to listen to this episode. It's full of life lessons and new ways to think about donor conception.  Enjoy.
 
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
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Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
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The Importance of Psychological Screening

Another podcast about psychological screening?  Yes. Why? Because I want you to be fully informed.  In a previous episode, we spoke about psychological testing. 
We have also met with reproductive endocronologists, and will soon meet with a genetics counselor, so we have covered a lot of donor screening basics.  But since mental health is so important and we have never reviewed the whole psychological sceening process, I don't feel you have the whole picture, and you deserve the whole picture so you can make informed choices.  
As you may have seen, there have been several cases in the news about children who have mental illness, whose donor had the same mental illness.  There is no perfect system, but if you follow the right steps with a seasoned mental health professional, you can give yourself the best possible chance to reduce the risk of  your child ineriting a mental illness.
Many people are in a rush to get pregnant and want to skip over the screening process, or choose a therapist by their fee rather than their experience.  Choosing a donor is a lifetime decision that you can not unwind later.  Find a seasoned professional who has been appropriately trained, and get all of the screening completed before you move forward with your donor. 
Your donor may feel like “the right one”, or have the right background or looks to fit nicely into your family, but these problems can be life changing for everyone. 
In my upcoming book, Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception, detailed steps are explained in a progressive fashion.  You can pre-order here: https://a.co/d/eAWe35c
I also discuss this process in my Donor Conception Masterclass which can be found on my website, www.familybuilding.net
In this episode I outline the mental health screening process so you will know what to ask for from your bank, clinic or agency.
I hope this episode is helpful. Please feel free to reach out to me any time. 
I am here to make your journey easier.
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
You can also find me and lots of great resources at https://familybuilding.net/
Join our community, We would love to have you. https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
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Hurt and healing with the Donor Conceived Queen

This week, Stef Koza, also known as The Donor Conceived Queen, on Instagram, shares her difficult story.  On our podcast we feature a lot of uplifting stories. This is not one of those stories, but it is a good story to tell because Stef shows us how secrets, untruths and the refusal to support a child can lead to significant pain. 
Stef has had many traumatic experiences, including sexual assault, and yet she has managed to build a life for herself and her family.  She now speaks out about assault, family struggles and donor conception disclosure issues. 
As a child, Stef said she always knew she was donor conceived and yet her parents denied it for years. They were embarrassed and ashamed and were not able to be honest with Stef and were unable to put away their religious beliefs in order to have a relationship with their daughter.
Stef created her Instagram profile to share her truths and help others who were denied theirs. She shares all of this and more on this podcast.
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
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Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
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Ms. England and egg donor

Charlotte Holmes is a yoga instructor, former model, Ms. England, and…. an egg donor!  She donated in the UK, no less, where there is no significant compensation. Donors are compensated for basic expenses only. 
But this lovely person has a beautiful story to share. She donated to help a couple or individual have children because she never wanted children of her own.  And that’s not all. Charlotte wanted to heal her feelings about not giving great grandchildren to her grandmother (who has now passed) and to give back to the world, since she will not be doing so with children of her own.
It’s an incredible story and I think you will find this lovely woman as beautiful in the inside as she is on the outside.
Enjoy
X0
 
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
You can also find me and lots of great resources at https://familybuilding.net/
Join our community, We would love to have you. https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
Follow me here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
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Donor Conceived Person feels great about her family and discovery

Anna is a lawyer, a bioethicist,  and a donor conceived person.  In this episode, she shares how these different roles and her Jewish identity, and current perspectives are all intertwined in how she perceives her origins as well as how she feels about her family, her donor and her donor siblings. Anna discusses the bioethics concept of retrospective moral judgment and what it means to her personally.  She also talks about other donor conceived people and donor recipients she has spoken with, and what she shares with them. Anna is thoughtful, and has a very warm heart, qualities that certainly help her be so good at her profession as well as a mother, partner and daughter. I really enjoyed meeting with Anna and I think you will too. Xo
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
You can also find me and lots of great resources at https://familybuilding.net/
Join our community, We would love to have you. https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
Follow me here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
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Dr. Brauer helps patients by starting with the end in mind.

In this weeks podcast, Dr. Anate Brauer shows us how she helps her patients by having them focus on their end goal, and then working their way backwards.  She understands how difficult the fertility process can be, and how often people become confused or stressed, and may not think through all of their family building goals on their first appointment.  That's why Dr. Brauer helps people by having them begin by visualizing their future family.
This is only one of the insightful ideas you will hear Dr. Brauer share in this episode.  As the IVF Director at Shady Grove Fertility in NYC, she leads her team in a  compassionate and thoughtful manner, and provides state of the art treatment for all of her patients.   
Dr. Brauer has published multiple papers and lectures on all aspects of fertility treatment. She is also involved in many professional organizations and cancer survivor’s programs.   
In this podcast, you will see how Dr. Brauer uses her sharp mind and warm heart to help her patients have the best journey possible on the road to building the family of their dreams.
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
You can also find me and lots of great resources at https://familybuilding.net/
Join our community, We would love to have you. https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
Follow me here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
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Choosing your donor, or are you fighting reality?

Before you move ahead with your donor conception process, I'd like you to consider the things that I discuss in this solo episode.  I rarely create solo episodes, but when I do, you should know that they are particularly important.  You may think, “I have heard it all”, and maybe you have, but maybe you haven’t, so why not just take a few minutes to listen to my latest podcast and consider some of the issues that I discuss.
If you are in love with your donor, or you feel very fragile right now, you may want to ignore this episode, or bookmark it for another time. For some people, my question may feel challenging and upsetting, but I've recorded this solo episode because the issues that I discuss need to be considered.  Since my goal is to make your journey easier, I created this episode to shed some light on a common phenomenon that you may not even know you are struggling with.   In this episode, I will explain: 
-why you may reflexively choose qualities in your donor over which you have little control 
-which qualities you have some control over 
-how to order your priorities in your donor selection process 
I review this in detail in my Donor Conception Masterclass
https://familybuilding.net/donor-conception-masterclass/
and LGBTQIA+ Donor Conception Masterclass
https://familybuilding.net/new/lgbtqia-donor-conception-masterclass/
and in my new book https://a.co/d/eAWe35c
You can get a short synopsis here and gain an understanding why, so often, when choosing a donor, your body will fight reality.  
I hope it helps. And feel free to reach out anytime! Xo
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
You can also find me and lots of great resources at https://familybuilding.net/
Join our community, We would love to have you. https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
Follow me here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
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Looking for My Lifebook? https://a.co/d/deSACrM
 

LGBTQIA+ and international law expert shares legal and personal insights

We may not think about it often, but as more people pursue donor conception and surrogacy, the greater the need for qualified lawyers with experience with these complicated contracts. My guest today, Richard Vaughn, Esq., has been practicing for decades and has seen all of the changes in law that relate to reproductive medicine. Richard has tremendous insight into the social and emotional issues too. That is because he has been there. He and his husband are proud parents of two boys. Having been through surrogacy and donor conception himself, he has learned the value of openness in donor conception, he understands the importance of talking to your children early about their origins, and he knows that the fears that many parents have about their donor or surrogate are never realized. In this episode, Richard takes us through the evolution of his practice and his family. So pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy. It’s a great episode.  
xo
Lisa

Happy Donor Conceived Child Shares Her Story

Today, I am pleased to introduce you to a lovely young Danish woman named Emma Groenbaek.  She's on our show to share her experience of being donor conceived. 
 
I know a lot of you are curious about how children feel growing up being donor conceived, how they go through life’s ups and downs, and if being donor conceived affects their normal developmental milestones.  If you are like most of the people I see in my practice, you may also be curious about the relationship a donor conceived child has with their parents. 
 
In this episode, we discuss these topics and more.  Emma will share so much with us and, spoiler alert, it’s good news!  On top of that, she manages the whole interview in English beautifully!  Thank you, Emma!
 
I hope you enjoy this episode, and I hope that it allays some of your worries
xo Lisa
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
You can also find me and lots of great resources at https://familybuilding.net/
Join our community, We would love to have you. https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
Follow me here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
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Looking for My Lifebook? https://a.co/d/deSACrM
 

The Two Mom Browns work everything out together

This week my guest provided a beautiful example of how to tolerate homophobia and racism, and instead of getting derailed, educate others and keep pursuing your dream.It's remarkable.  Listen to the way they use solidarity as a key to this success.  That make sense. We know that isolation can lead to depression and increase the risks of medical issues like diabetes and heart disease.  We also know that building community and letting your voice be heard is the best way to shore up support for equality and justice. 
We need to believe that kindness and community are the answers to so many troubles.  It's a lesson I need to learn over and over.Listen, or watch this episode, I think it will be inspiring for you too.Thank you @twomom_browns!
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@thecenterforfamilybuilding
You can also find me and lots of great resources at https://familybuilding.net/
Join our community, We would love to have you. https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Author: Building Your Family; The Complete Guide to Donor Conception https://read.macmillan.com/lp/building-your-family/
Follow me here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FamilyBuild
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@familybuildingcenter
Looking for My Lifebook? https://a.co/d/deSACrM