Four years ago, Lindsay and Jeff were just starting their family. The 32-year-old couple had recently bought a house. They were talking about getting married and they knew they wanted kids…one day. Then, Lindsay’s step-sister collapsed, and overnight everything changed. Lindsay’s sister had 10-year-old twins, and as their mom lay unconscious in a hospital, Lindsay wondered if she and her boyfriend could take care of and parent these kids. The episode transcript can be found here.  _ Connect with us:  EMAIL: hello@refamulating.com.  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM TIK TOK _ Subscribe to our Substack if you want a monthly newsletter about all things refamulating. We share resources for people refamulating, upcoming events and links to other podcasts/articles/books that discuss refamulating topics.  _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  Manager of Engagement: Grace Barry Audio Engineer: Josh Gilbert Theme Music: Luke Top – We are a member of the Feelings and Co network.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

03 I Accidental Parents: Creating a family after tragedy

Refamulating is a podcast that celebrates different ways to make a family.

A generation ago, most Americans were guided by the idea of the nuclear family: a mom, a dad, two kids, and a derpy dog. Many still have a family like this, and that’s great!

But the numbers show it doesn't represent the majority of American households. In fact, there is no one-size-fits-all for what a family should look like. We’re collectively reformulating our understanding of what makes a family in today’s world. We call this refamulating, and this show invites us to understand it one story at a time. 

On each episode of Refamulating, host Julia Winston delivers emotionally honest stories of real people with nuanced experiences that census data could never tell us. Think queer parents, egg and sperm donors, surrogates, blended families, child-free folks, tales of communal living, and much more.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Kids & Family

Relationships

Parenting

A few years ago, Alexis Hourselt took a commercial DNA test. She was hoping the results would help her with some ancestral research about the Mexican side of her family. But the day she got her results became the day everything she knew about her family changed forever.  Alexis Hourselt is the host of the podcast DNA Surprises, a show that talks to other people who learned their biological truth through DNA tests. _ The episode transcript can be found here.  _ Connect with us:  	EMAIL: hello@refamulating.com.  	WEBSITE 	INSTAGRAM 	TIK TOK _ Subscribe to our Substack if you want a monthly newsletter about all things refamulating. We share resources for people refamulating, upcoming events and links to other podcasts/articles/books that discuss refamulating topics.  _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  Manager of Engagement: Grace Barry Audio Engineer: Josh Gilbert Theme Music: Luke Top – We are a member of the Feelings and Co network.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

07 I Family Secrets Revealed: How a DNA test brought one woman home to herself

When Cat and Emily, two women, wanted to have a baby, they knew they would need outside help. They asked their friend David to donate his sperm. They didn’t just want his DNA though, they wanted to invite him into the family they were creating. The episode transcript can be found here.  _ Connect with us:  	EMAIL: hello@refamulating.com.  	WEBSITE 	INSTAGRAM 	TIK TOK _ Subscribe to our Substack if you want a monthly newsletter about all things refamulating. We share resources for people refamulating, upcoming events and links to other podcasts/articles/books that discuss refamulating topics. Paid subscribers get access to special bonus content.  _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  Manager of Engagement: Grace Barry Audio Engineer: Josh Gilbert Theme Music: Luke Top – We are a member of the Feelings and Co network.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

06 I Thicker Than Water: Creating family with a known sperm donor

We are taking a break this month to produce the rest of Season 1. We got some amazing submissions from you all, and we are excited to come back with stories about your families :) 
We'll be back with a new episode June 4.

While we're away, consider signing up for our newsletter. Each month we share all of the articles, books, movies and podcasts we're listening to as we make these episodes. 
Send your family's submission to us at hello@refamulating.com or connect with us on Instagram.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'll Be Back In June!

Lauren always knew she wanted a family. The way she imagined it, she’d meet a great guy, get married, and have babies. But when she finally met Dan in her late 30s, that’s not how it happened. Dan was a divorced dad with two small kids, so their family became a blended one. Lauren’s transition from Lauren to Mama (aka Llama), led her on a journey to grieve her single life, learn her new role as a bonus parent and grapple with her least favorite word: step-mother. Along the way she gained more love than she ever imagined was possible.  
 The episode transcript can be found here.  _ Connect with us:  EMAIL: hello@refamulating.com.  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM TIK TOK _ Subscribe to our Substack if you want a monthly newsletter about all things refamulating. We share resources for people refamulating, upcoming events and links to other podcasts/articles/books that discuss refamulating topics.  _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  Manager of Engagement: Grace Barry Audio Engineer: Josh Gilbert Theme Music: Luke Top – We are a member of the Feelings and Co network.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

05 I Are You My Llama: Creating a blended family after divorce

When Jen was pregnant with her daughter, she had one of those unicorn pregnancies you never hear about in real life: she wasn’t tired or sick, and she felt energized by it all. But she and her husband didn’t want more biological kids, so Jen started thinking about how she could experience the magic of pregnancy again. That’s when she became a surrogate and found her life’s purpose.  The episode transcript can be found here.  _ Resources mentioned in this episode:  What do surrogacy laws look like in your state? Maternal mortality statistics- CDC _ Connect with us:  EMAIL: hello@refamulating.com.  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM TIK TOK _ Subscribe to our Substack if you want a monthly newsletter about all things refamulating. We share resources for people refamulating, upcoming events and links to other podcasts/articles/books that discuss refamulating topics.  _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  Manager of Engagement: Grace Barry Audio Engineer: Josh Gilbert Theme Music: Luke Top – We are a member of the Feelings and Co network.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

03 I Accidental Parents: Creating a family after tragedy

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