At some point, every single woman who dreams of motherhood faces a critical question: Do I keep waiting for the right partner, or do I take control of my future? For Valerie Bauman, that moment came at 38, during the pandemic, when dating felt nearly impossible. She realized she couldn’t put her dreams on hold any longer and made the empowering decision to pursue solo motherhood on her own terms.

Valerie, an investigative reporter for Newsweek and author of Inconceivable: Super Sperm Donors, Off-the-Grid Insemination, and Unconventional Family Planning, shares her deeply personal journey of finding a sperm donor as a single woman: from considering traditional sperm banks to ultimately finding a known donor on Facebook. She opens up about the emotional highs and lows of this process, including a miscarriage, before finally welcoming her now 3.5-month-old baby boy.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Valerie’s decision to become a mom during the pandemic and what sparked her SMBC journey;
• Navigating the sperm donor process and choosing between a sperm bank and a known donor;
• The shift from traditional sperm banks to alternative donor options;
• The emotional toll of miscarriage and how she kept moving forward;
• The anxiety of pregnancy without a partner and the fears that come with it;
• The ethics of the sperm donation industry and why regulation matters;
• What it means to create the life you want, regardless of societal norms.

If you’re considering solo motherhood or exploring your options for having a baby on your own, this episode will give you insight, inspiration, and reassurance that you’re not alone.

👩‍👧‍👦The Single Greatest Choice is here to support you in every stage of your SMBC journey through  1:1 coaching, community groups, the SGC Village membership community, and retreats and SMBC family trips. Reach out to Katie over at [email protected]