Building your family

Broadway Husbands are now Broadway Dads.

On this episode, we talk to Bret Shuford and Stephen Hanna. Together they are dad’s to a beautiful boy, Maverick.  So, although they are famous on social media as the Broadway Husbands, they are now, the Broadway Dads! 
They had a long road to parenthood but feel it turned out the way it was supposed to be.  We hear the story of how they chose their donor, found a surrogacy agency, handle tough questions from others, managed the huge financial bills as two performers and more.  It is a lovely story filled with warmth and joy.  I’m sure you will love listening to them as much as I did.
 
If you are interested in any of the topics discussed in this episode...
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Donor Decision Making with Dr. Fred Licciardi

In this episode, you will meet Dr. Frederick Licciardi. He is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU School of Medicine and practicing reproductive endocrinologist at NYU Langone Fertility Center, where he is the Director of the Fellowship Program in Reproductive Endocrinology.
Dr. Licciardi has published numerous clinical articles and has seen thousands of donors and recipients in his decades of practice. Today, he will share valuable insights from his years in the field.
He will talk about the antral follicle count and why it is important in egg donor screening, how to investigate fertility treatment statistics, why PGT testing is more important if you are using a gestational carrier than if you are carrying the pregnancy yourself, and more.
If you want to learn more about how donors are screened and how to do your own research along the way, this episode is for you.
Enjoy.
 
 
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/
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Are you legally a donor or parent with Alexis Cirel

I met Alexis Cirel, Esq. some years ago when she decided to expand her matrimonial practice to include third-party reproduction.  At one time Alexis was herself a patient and needed many of the services she now helps her clients navigate. This experience gives her a unique perspective on the struggles her clients face and inspires her to help.  
In this podcast, you can easily see how much Alexis cares, and how sound her advice is.  She talks about several issues to think about when using donor conception and zeros in on how important it is to understand the legal differences between a donor and a parent. In this episode, we see how many problems can easily be avoided with a little legal assistance. 
Tune in. I think you will find it very helpful.
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
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Melissa Lindsey Donor Conceived Community Founder

Melissa Lindsey discovered that she was donor-conceived when she was an adult. After putting together the pieces of her identity, she wanted to help others facing similar experiences and founded the Donor Conceived Community (DCC). They provide emotional and social support to donor conceived people (DCP) facing identity discoveries.
 
Through her personal experience and her conversations with donors, other DCP’s and parents of donor conceived children, her view of donor conception and what makes a family has changed.  After listening to her, your views may change as well.  She talks about nature vs. nurture, loss, disclosure, discovery and so much more.
 
If you are interested in hearing about the wide range of experiences that are possible for donor conceived people, and learning some tips that are commonly helpful to donor conceived children, this will be the podcast for you.
Enjoy!
 
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/
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Beginning your donor conception story

Our latest episode is for the mother (or parent), or mother (or parent) to be.
 
Mother’s Day can be difficult for many people on their journey to have a child. For people who have already become parents, it can be a great day.  Either way, this episode is for you.
 
In this episode, I answer the most frequently asked question that we hear at the Center for Family Building every day: “How do I talk to my donor conceived child about their origins?"
 
Before I go any further, it is important to know that in this short video, I could not possibly cover everything, but I do give you a place to start.  If you are listening to this episode, I urge you to watch it too because I provide many visual examples to help you create your narrative.  Discussions with your child about their origin should be like dropping seeds during their childhood, and this episode describes how to begin doing it.  
 
You will learn:
•A simple framework to use to think about starting your narrative•The background and research behind why it’s helpful, if possible, to start early•How to create a story that is right for you and your family•Examples of books you can use to share what is most important to you•Ways to chronicle your family journey
 
I hope you find this useful, and feel free to reach out to us with questions anytime. 
 
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/
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Dr. Rodgers shares donor advice

Wow!  If you want an episode jam-packed with donor conception information, this is it!   Allison Rodgers, MD, is the Director of Education at Fertility Centers of Illinois and board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. 
She has been published in several medical journals, and has won several awards for her amazing work.
On our show, Dr. Rodgers shares valuable donor conception information in a way that is easy to understand. She talks about sperm donation, egg donation and gives us tips (from a medical perspective) on what to look for in a donor.  She will help you understand what is important, and what is not, and why.
Dr. Rodger's experience with both secondary infertility and pregnancy loss have given her unique insight into reproductive medicine because she was once a patient too. It is clear that she understands the roller-coaster rider of infertility and how much she truly cares.
You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube!
 
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/
Follow me here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
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Looking for My Lifebook? https://a.co/d/deSACrM
 

Gail Sexton Anderson The Donor Concierge

After many years of working at egg donor agencies and helping people find matches outside of the agency she was working for, Gail Sexton Anderson decided to formalize the process and become a donor concierge full time.  That is when Donor Concierge was born.
 
After receiving her master’s degree in counseling from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Gail worked in research and developmental testing.   She also has two children of her own and loves parenthood. 
 
In this podcast, you will see how Gail’s personal and professional experiences have helped her bring insight and sensitivity to the needs of people who want to build their families.  She, and her team, clearly go the extra mile to help people find what they are looking for and educate them when they need guidance. 
If you are looking for a donor or a surrogate and need help finding “the right one”, Gail Sexton Anderson and her team at Donor Concierge are a great resource.
Hope you enjoy the episode
 
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/
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Looking for My Lifebook? https://a.co/d/deSACrM
 

NIAW Barb Collura

As we enter National Infertility Awareness week, we are grateful to share the wisdom of two wonderful guests, Elizabeth Grill, PsyD, the incoming Chair of RESOLVE, the National Infertility Organization, and Barbara Collura, RESOLVE’s President and CEO.
In this episode (2 of 2), we meet with Barbara Collura. Barbara is a nationally recognized expert on infertility and the family building journey with a special emphasis on the personal experience of those struggling to build their family. Barbara has worked with the World Health Organization on infertility definitions and clinical guidelines, ACOG on their clinical definitions for infertility, and served a four-year term on the Advisory Council of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at NIH.
We are so fortunate to speak with Barbara today. She is a leader in our field and someone upon whom we all depend to guide us in our fight to maintain reproductive freedom for everyone.
If you want a high-level view of the subjects that are most pressing today and what you can easily do to help, make sure you listen to this episode. It is full of valuable information distilled from hundreds of bills, tons of policy information, medical summaries and legal documents. Barbara is truly a voice of calm and focus at a time when there is so much at stake and so much to do to protect our families and families-to-be.
If you didn’t know much about Barbara before you will certainly see why she is the leader of RESOLVE, and why we all appreciate her so much.
#NIAW #NIAW2023 #IFAwareness #NationalInfertilityAwarenessWeek #FindYourVoice
 
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/
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Elizabeth Grill NIAW RESOLVE Chair

NIAW-Double Episode Week!
 
As we enter National Infertility Awareness week, we are grateful to share the wisdom of two wonderful guests, Elizabeth Grill, PsyD who is incoming Chair of RESOLVE, the national infertility organization, and Barb Collura, RESOLVE’s President and CEO.
 
In this episode (1 of 2), we meet with Elizabeth Grill, PsyD.  She is the Director of Psychological Services at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine, and Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.  She is experienced as a counseling psychologist and medical researcher with a special focus on the emotional aspects of infertility, IVF treatment, third party reproduction, oncofertility, fertility preservation, sexual dysfunction, and stress and infertility. She is the President for the Society for Sex Therapy and Research and Secretary and Chair for RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association. Dr. Grill is also the co-owner of FertiCalm and FertiStrong, the first digital apps developed to treat the daily stressors faced by individuals and couples experiencing infertility, using research proven modalities.
 
In this episode, Dr. Grill and I discuss the transition from infertility to donor conception, the shame faced by so many who use donor conception, the differences between men and women using donor conception, isolation and how to treat it and more. We address many of the issues that are at the heart of what can make using donor conception to build your family so stressful.
 
Take these words of wisdom to heart, replay when you need a reminder you are not alone and join RESOLVE, if you haven’t already.
And…tune in for our second episode in two days.  See you there!
#NIAW #NIAW2023 #IFAwareness #NationalInfertilityAwarenessWeek 
 
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/
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Kiara Rae Schuh, DCP, Author, Modern Thinker.

In this episode, we meet Kiara Schuh.  She is a Donor Conceived Person who was raised by a Single Mom by Choice. She recently published her memoir, Chosen Family, and is trying to redefine society's notion of the traditional family. 
 
She is an accountant by trade but felt that she had to tell her story to the world and enlighten people about the many ways people feel about being donor conceived.  Her story is different, and also and the same as many others, which sheds light on the fact that we can no longer make assumptions about how anyone defines family.
 
Kiara shares amazing insights on the importance of openness in donor conception and why she does not want to call her genetic father “dad”.  She opens our eyes and helps us see biology, and friendships, in a different way.
 
Enjoy!
 
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/
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