Choosing a donor is a deeply personal process—you carefully sift through profiles, searching for the one that feels like the perfect fit for your family. But what happens when that donor backs out at the last minute?

If you’re Tanner and his husband, you pivot. You find another incredible person, then connect with the surrogate who will help bring your child into the world—and in the process, you gain a lifelong friend.

Today on the podcast, Tanner shares the journey he and his husband took to build their family through surrogacy. You can follow their story on Instagram @our.missing.piece and also check out Tanner’s amazing baking business @bakewithtanner

When you know deep in your heart that you’re meant to be a parent and carry a child, all you truly need are the ingredients to make it happen — unless, of course, challenges with ovulation arise.

Today, I’m excited to introduce you to Amy and Alyson, who set out on their family-building journey, full of hope and curiosity about how their story would unfold.

You can learn more about this beautiful family by following them on Instagram @aecud

Through their family creation journey, Morgan and her wife learned just how important it is to understand who might be the best fit to carry a pregnancy. They worked with a wide range of practitioners along the way—but it wasn’t until much later in the process that someone finally slowed things down and shared the types of testing that could actually support their decision-making.

Today, Morgan is a Queer TTC (trying to conceive) support coach and Doula, using her experience to guide others through similar paths.

You can learn more about Morgan and the incredible work she’s doing by following her on Instagram @iam_mamomhk