This is the story of a beautiful family assembled out of order: dog, daughter, dad. It's the story of planning years ahead to become a mom, and wishing she’d started years earlier. It's the story of the unexpected that arrives in every form from love (like a husband) to terror (like medical issues), and the life-changing decisions that accompany any rocky road through fertility.

It was after their second date that Shira told her now husband she was probably pregnant. She conceived her daughter as a single mom by choice using donor sperm, most of her savings, and so much time, energy and effort. Just as she finally succeeded in getting pregnant, she met him. It turns out families don't have to be assembled in order.

Shira is a product, commercial and operations leader with deep experience launching and scaling tech-enabled healthcare. She has worked across various clinical specialties, partnering closely with health plans, employers, health systems and government.

Shira is currently at Lin Health, which specializes in treating chronic pain. Shira loves leading people, helping patients, and designing technology to solve problems. Shira was previously the General Manager of Behavioral Health and Musculoskeletal care at Eden Health. Before that at Omada Health, she led creation of product lines for diabetes, hypertension and behavioral health, as well as spearheading Omada’s work with national insurance carriers, the American Medical Association, and the federal government’s healthcare innovation team.

Shira is passionate about writing and speaking on the future of integrating technology into healthcare, as well as insights about culture and life choices from her time working and living around the world. Her greatest passion at work is supporting her team members in growth and development, and fostering the culture and organizational structures that lead to high productivity and work-life balance. Shira’s greatest joy is this family she built out of order: her young daughter, her loving husband, and her ever-hopeful dog. She is a community builder, outdoor enthusiast and world traveler. Shira has lived across the US, Europe and Africa and now loves hiking, biking and paddling near her home near Boulder, Colorado.

Listen as Shira shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Calling her second date romantic interest to tell him she’s pregnant.
• Rewinding, getting good advice at 35 to get her fertility checked. 
• Finding out she had a very low egg count, choosing to go through the expensive process of egg freezing. 
• Talking to a financial planner about her hopes to be a parent, and ultimately making some major shifts in her life (including a major move).
• Still wanting a partner, but meeting people became hard with the onset of the COVID pandemic. 
• Grieving the loss of an idea she had for her life, but then being ready to move forward. 
• Researching who decides to become a single mother by choice; finding that these women are bad asses.
• After telling her second date the news, him still being in. And then being all in. 
• Finding out about a serious medical complication, moving to Florida together for specialized care. 
• Experiencing her happy ending/beginning.

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ 

Learn more about our surrogacy agency: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch 

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ 

Yifat Shaltiel, Esq. is Author of “Save Money on Surrogacy” and has 16+ years of experience practicing surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology law and providing surrogacy coaching. She is CEO and Founder of Surrogate Steps, a surrogacy agency, helping families grow for over ten years. As one of the chairs of the Reproductive Health Law Committee for the Women’s Bar Association of the state of New York, Yifat testified on surrogacy matters in the New York State Legislature and participated as speaker at various venues, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She has been featured as a surrogacy law specialist at numerous venues including Cornell Law School and news media outlets such as MSNBC. In addition to her book, she published many articles on reproductive law and surrogacy, and taught CLE classes regarding surrogacy to other attorneys and judges.

Yifat Shaltiel, Esq. was introduced to the world of surrogacy and infertility through her own infertility journey. She has made it her mission to help others grow their families through surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology and hopes that the information in this book, about how to save money in a surrogacy journey, will help more individuals afford surrogacy and successfully become parents.

Listen as Yifat shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Experiencing infertility as a young prosecutor.
• Feeling very alone, but eventually finding a support group. 
• Experiencing failed treatments until a successful, but very difficult, pregnancy.
• Wanting to help others in this situation. Digging into the law.
• Quiting her job to follow her passion and starting a law practice focused on helping others with infertility. 
• Numbers. Just how expensive is surrogacy? 
• Best paths to saving money. 
• Areas where you don’t want to cut corners.

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Buy Yifat’s new book: https://surrogatesteps.com/save-money-on-surrogacy-book/

Learn more about Yifat’s surrogacy agency: https://surrogatesteps.com

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ 

Learn more about our surrogacy agency: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch 

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ 

Ariel is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and Psychotherapist who has been involved in the surrogacy and fertility community since 2015 and has guided countless couples and individuals on their journey to parenthood. 

After her own complicated miscarriage as a surrogate in 2016, Ariel discovered that there was very little specialized counselling for her painful situation and realized a much larger need for mental health professionals that deeply understand the fertility world. 

Ariel returned to school in 2018 and graduated from Western University in 2021. She opened Carried with Love (CWL) to provide 100% virtual support for those struggling with infertility, loss, pregnancy challenges or postpartum mood disorders. Since opening, CWL has continued to grow and now provides a wide range of therapeutic services and most recently has launched Canada’s first Independent Surrogacy Program. 

Ariel has carried 5 babies as a gestational surrogate which resulted in 4 live births – the most recent in the summer of 2023. Although Ariel is now retired as a surrogate, she continues to be an active presence in the fertility community and leverages her strong social media following to normalize all roads to parenthood for women and couples around the world. 

Listen as Ariel shares with Ellen and Jenn:

Being a lot of things: a fertility therapist, surrogacy educator, social worker, psychotherapist… and social media influencer!

Growing up with a family committed to volunteer work, especially with children.

Focusing her education on child development.

Loving pregnancy, but knowing their family was complete.

Impulsively Googling surrogacy and jumping in headfirst.

Canadian surrogacy laws v. US law (Ariel is in Canada!).

Her first surrogacy ending with a devastating miscarriage.

Feeling immense sadness over the loss and not finding the support she needed.

Seeing the need to a fill a gap, offering virtual fertility therapy for those experiencing loss with surrogacy and donor conception.

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Check out Carried with Love’s fertility and surrogacy support services: https://carriedwithlove.com/

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/

Learn more about our surrogacy agency: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/

Ellen Weir Casey is the mother of one of the world's first IVF babies. Her daughter is known as "Colorado’s First Test Tube Baby." Her award-winning memoir, Unstoppable: Forging The Path To Motherhood in The Early Days Of IVF, is the first person account of a patient in the earliest days of Assisted Reproductive Technology. Ellen is a passionate advocate for unrestricted access to women’s health care. She speaks nationally and internationally bringing attention to the importance of establishing permanent access to IVF.

Listen as Ellen C. shares with Ellen T. and Jenn:

• Being one of the first women in the world to have a baby by IVF!
• Going through seven major surgeries in two countries and three U.S. States before meeting her miracle baby. 
• Wanting just to hold her baby after all she’d been through, but believing it important to share her story and give others hope. 
• Facing the claims of ethical, religious, moral backlash head on. Going on national television repeatedly, talking to anyone who would listen so they could understand. 
• 40 years later, still fighting for people to understand IVF and its importance. 

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Check out Ellen Casey’s book Unstoppable: Forging The Path To Motherhood in The Early Days Of IVF: https://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Forging-Path-Motherhood-Early/dp/1632994976

Follow Ellen Casey on Instagram at: @ellen2956 

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ 

Learn more about our surrogacy agency: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch 

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ 

Angela worked in the fertility domain for over 30 years. She has extensive experience working with fertility centers all over the world. She also has clinical experience, having worked directly with more than a dozen Reproductive Endocrinologists at five different fertility centers. Her mix of personal and professional experience has given Angela the skills to be a special advocate for those in the fertility realm. She is known for maintaining exceptional standards when assisting those in need. More importantly, Angela is equipped by experience with the tools to help others complete their families via third party fertility treatments. She smoothly coordinates with a variety of stakeholders, including patients, families, caregivers, and global partner networks. If you are in any of these roles, you’ll find Angela to be a professional, intelligent, and extremely capable partner and advocate.

Listen as Angela shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Doing it all in the family-building space. She’s been a surrogate and an egg donor, worked for multiple fertility clinics, and runs a surrogacy agency, among other roles!
• Being many kinds of a parent: birth parent, adoptive parent, step-parent, and .., hatchling parent?
• While working as a medical assistant at a fertility clinic early in her career, a patient asked if she would be her egg donor.
• Losing touch, only to reconnect shortly before recipient mom’s early death. 
• Many years later, one of the hatchlings visited Angela’s area to check out a college. 
• Spending extended time together when his car broke down. 
• Hatchling thinking Angela was a friend of his mother, not knowing more. 
• Reaching a point where it felt important to tell him the truth. 
• Angela hearing from his siblings. Letting them know that she was there for whatever they needed. 
• Relishing her large, blended family 

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Learn more about Angela’s agency, It’s Time Surrogacy: www.itstimesurrogacy.com

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ 

Learn more about our surrogacy agency: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch 

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ 

Tierney Chrusciel is a 9th grader who lives in Western Massachusetts. They are on the swim team and love to write in their free time.

Listen as Tierney shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Being a 14-year-old freshman and knowing more about conception than most of their peers.
• Always knowing they were donor-conceived.
• Knowing and regularly visiting their parents’ egg donor, mom’s second cousin. 
• Donor Marie feeling like an aunt, her kids like cousins. 
• Joking with other IVF kids at school that a petri dish was their first home.
• Their thoughts on embryo politics.
• Jenn and Ellen predict big things for Tierney’s future! 

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Listen to Tierney’s mom’s episode: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/blog/2020/2/26/episode-75-a-10-year-journey-to-grow-our-family-erin-chrusciel

Check out Tierney’s mom’s TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Reg_xQL4Oc0

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ 

Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/

Jason Angel is a licensed Clinical Psychologist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He works with many individuals and families seeking assisted reproductive care and has been through the journey himself with his own family. Jason is committed to equal healthcare access and minimizing discrimination in the insurance marketplace.

Tim Blood is a co-founding partner and firm’s managing partner of Blood Hurst & O’Reardon. For almost thirty years, his practice has focused on complex litigation, including class action litigation. Mr. Blood has tried class action cases and is highly regarded in the field of consumer protection law, including California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act.

Before starting Blood Hurst & O’Reardon, Mr. Blood was a partner in Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, LLP and a founding partner in the firm now known as Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, LLP.

Mr. Blood has represented millions of purchasers of food, food supplements and over-the-counter drugs arising out of various advertising claims made by manufacturers and retailers. He has also represented owners of motor vehicles in product liability cases and consumer credit and mortgage borrowers against a number of major lending institutions, including Bank of America, Washington Mutual, Countrywide, GMAC and Wells Fargo.

Mr. Blood has extensive experience litigating against life, auto and other insurance carriers on behalf of consumers. His experience litigating against life insurance companies includes representing owners, holders and beneficiaries of industrial life insurance in race discrimination cases (with class periods dating back to the late 1800’s).

Mr. Blood has testified before the California State Assembly and State Senate Judiciary Committees, as well as the Assembly and Senate Committees on Banking, Finance & Insurance. He has worked at both the state and federal level with lawmakers and government agencies to shape legislation to protect consumer rights, including lobbying on the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and working to defeat a California state ballot initiative designed to weaken the class action device.

Kim Surratt began her legal career in 2002, founding her own practice in 2007, with a license in Nevada and California. Her journey in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) law began in 2004 with her first surrogacy case. Kim is a distinguished ART Fellow at the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, where she is serving her second term on the Board of Trustees. Since 2017, she has chaired the State of Nevada Child Support Commission and has been the chair of the State Bar of Nevada Family Law Section and president of the Nevada Justice Association.

Her pro bono efforts commenced in 2003 with the Nevada Justice Association, through which she has significantly impacted reproductive parentage law and LGBTQ+ family law. Her advocacy has facilitated numerous legislative achievements, including the Nevada Domestic Partnership law, numerous modifications to adoption law, comprehensive revisions to pro-LGBTQ+ family law statutes, establishment of the first voluntary acknowledgment of parentage (instead of just paternity) statute, and gender-neutral revisions across all Nevada statutes.

However, her shining moments at the Nevada legislature are the changes she made in the adoption of comprehensive pro-family statutes for surrogacy and egg/embryo/sperm donation that are marriage and gender neutral, and a surrogacy insurance mandate in Nevada. The surrogacy insurance law was the first of its kind in the United States and is the model for future advocacy.

Kimberly’s dedication to justice has been recognized with several awards, including the Nevada Legal Services Champion of Justice Award, the Washoe Legal Services Children’s Attorney Pro Bono Award, the Nevada Supreme Court Access to Justice Pro Bono Services Award, the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys prestigious President’s Award and the Unsung Hero Award. In addition, her law firm is her firm is a six-time recipient of the Nevada Legal Services Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year award,

Listen as Jason, Tim, and Kim share with Ellen and Jenn:

• Jason’s personal surrogacy journey, including the highs of matching with an amazing surrogate and finding out they were having twins!
• Jason’s less exciting surrogacy journey parts, including purchasing a health insurance policy for the surrogate, paying premiums and all uncovered expenses, and then still being subject to a five figure “lien”.
• The discriminatory nature of liens. Being double punished for not being able to carry a pregnancy on their own. 
• Tim explains the contractual and statutory legal bases insurance companies use to support liens, and why they are problematic.
• Kim’s experience in Nevada fighting for better laws, including surrogacy inclusion for all Nevada-governed health insurance policies, and no liens!
• Starting the Insurance Access and Equity Alliance to fight insurance discrimination in California and beyond. 

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Learn more about the Insurance Access and Equity Alliance: www.IAEAlliance.org

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ 

Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch 

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ 

Surrogacy Colombia has been a pioneer in international surrogacy in Colombia since 2018. They have clients from over 60 countries, and growing, and a team of highly qualified professionals to provide the best possible experience.

Camila Tobón is Program Lead at Surrogacy Colombia. Her personal experience led her to professionally providing the highest level of care to hopeful parents and those helping hopeful parents achieve their dreams. 

Listen as Camila shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Her journey from working in a fertility clinic, to becoming a donor, to continuing to help growing families as Program Lead at Surrogacy Colombia.
• Egg donation differences in Colombia, including legally required anonymity and the prohibition of compensation.
• How home DNA testing is not really a thing in Colombia at this time.
• Colombia’s draw for international parents -- legal recognition of the intended parents. 
• Colombia’s unique position of non-discrimination, supporting LGBTQ+ families. 99% of Camila clients are male-male couples!
• All Surrogacy Colombia surrogates are supported through a foundation providing economic and additional support. 
• Costs overall in Colombia are – surprise, surprise –way less than in the US.
• Other benefits of Colombia (the coffee, of course). 

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Learn more about Surrogacy Colombia: https://surrogacycolombia.com/

Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch 

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ 

AllPaths Family Building has a mission to create a caring community for all people struggling with fertility and family building. AllPaths provides the psychosocial support, resources, and advocacy that are critical to those trying to grow their families.

Kate Weldon LeBlanc (she/her/hers) is the Executive Director of AllPaths Family Building. Kate became Executive Director in January 2015, leading the strategic vision of the organization and working collectively with the staff, Board of Directors and professional members to grow the services of AllPaths Family Building. Kate has a strong personal and professional commitment to AllPaths’ mission. Prior to her arrival at AllPaths, she worked for the Center for Early Relationship Support of JF&CS, the Child Advocacy and Government Relations departments at Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Massachusetts Legislature. Kate holds a BSW from Skidmore College and an MPA from UMass Boston. 

Emily Lindblad (she/her/hers) is the Operations Manager of AllPaths Family Building where she is responsible for the planning and implementation of programs and services, including AllPaths’ hallmark peer support groups. Prior to her current role, Emily worked with a variety of perinatal populations as a NICU Family Support Specialist, birth, postpartum, and bereavement doula, and parenting educator. Emily’s introduction to AllPaths came in the midst of her own family building struggles and she is honored to be able to continue the organization’s legacy of support for people who are experiencing challenging periods in their family’s evolution.  

Listen as Kate and Emily share with Ellen and Jenn:

• Kate’s return to the podcast -- check out episode 58!
• Emily finding AllPaths while sitting in a fertility clinic waiting room during her own complicated fertility journey and discovering a whole community of people who understood what she was going through. 
• AllPaths has over 20 peer-lead support groups, including ones focused on secondary infertility, cancer, military families, and adoption.
• AllPaths celebrating its 50th anniversary! Including parties in each New England state!
• Changing its name (formerly Resolve New England) to better reflect the organization.
• Big annual Footsteps for Families walk coming up October 6, 2024! 
• You join in person or walk virtually from anywhere across the country or the world.  

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Learn more about AllPaths Family Building: https://allpathsfb.org/

Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch 

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ 

With over 30 years of dedication to pilates and dance, Leslie Lopez teaches privately to clients as well as to toddlers with creative holiday themed movement classes. She is an advocate for the arts and has served as a Board member for The Wallis Performing Arts Center and the California State Summer School for the Arts.

In addition she worked for 20 years in hospitality and customer relations, working front of house for 3 star Michelin Chefs such as Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller.

She is launching her podcast Mother's in Arms this Summer 2024 which focuses on her experience as an intended parent who went through a surrogacy journey independently.

Her podcast description: An independent parent by choice, Leslie went through an isolated surrogate journey in 2020. This episode is a conversation between surrogate mother Melissa and Leslie as to the ups and downs the journey of bringing Elyse to the world.

Listen as Leslie and Melissa share with Ellen and Jenn:

• Leslie growing up being taught never to even look at a boy, trying to avoid pregnancy; then struggling with fertility in her 30s
• Getting pregnant, but then being diagnosed with a “dysfunctional” cervix and losing and burying their daughter. The first of their losses.
• Leslie’s doctor recommending the surrogacy route
• Finding infertility being especially hard in light of her family and culture, her mom was one of 11 and herself on of 5
• Struggling with grief and the unhelpful words of well-intentioned friends
• At least shopping for sperm was fun!
• Melissa having two kids of her own and feeling her family was complete, was inspired by a story she heard at a party. 
• Looking for more information and diving in. She carried healthy twins for her first surrogacy, and then deciding to keep going!
•  Leslie being married and matched with Melissa, but then facing a divorce 
• Together facing obstacle after obstacle – ridiculous insurance issues and… COVID!
• Finding that happy ending, plus a bonus happy ending shared in the outro!

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Learn more about Leslie and Melissa’s Podcast on IG and TikTok: @MothersinArms.pod

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ 

Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ 

Get your IWTPABIY merch here! https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/merch

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/