DIBS: Welcome to the Family

Katelyn Paquin is a six-time egg donor who now works as a counselor who connects egg donors with recipient parents who are interested in known donations. Katelyn's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herhelpinghabit/Katelyn's Website: https://www.herhelpinghabit.com///If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter or Facebook @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at https://www.twitch.tv/aidanwould//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

If you've seen photos of your mom pregnant or watched your birth video, it would probably come as a shock if you find out you aren't biologically related to her. That's what happened to the guest for this episode, an egg donor conceived person who's still working through the feeling of discovering that she has no genetic connection to the mom who gave birth to her.If you think you or someone you know might be Stephanie's donor sibling, reach out to me at diblingpodcast@gmail.com. //If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter or Facebook @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at https://www.twitch.tv/aidanwould//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

Carole Lieber-Wilkins (counselor, advocate, author, and mom) returns to discuss the language we use to talk about how people and families are created.To learn more about Let's Talk About Egg Donation, check out their website, letstalkabouteggdonation.com.To buy the book, click here to be directed to their Amazon page!Carole's professional website//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter or Facebook @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at https://www.twitch.tv/aidanwould//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

In 1984, a new counselor began practicing marriage and family therapy. That same year, she received an infertility diagnosis. That year was the start of a decades-long journey through parenthood and advocacy. Carole LieberWilkins is recognized as one of the first mental health professionals to actively teach parents about the importance of talking to their children about how their family was created, a task that stems from her own experience as a mom and a professional.To learn more about Let's Talk About Egg Donation, check out their website, letstalkabouteggdonation.com.To buy the book, click here to be directed to their Amazon page!Carole's professional website//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter or Facebook @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at https://www.twitch.tv/aidanwould//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

A eugenicist's sperm bank, a troubled family reunion, the destruction of medical records, and a ray of hope that comes out of it all.Leave a comment on Nick's Citizen's Petition to the FDA here!//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at https://www.twitch.tv/aidanwouldLooking for a podcast editor? Email me at aidanwould@gmail.com//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

In 1983, The Sperm Bank of California pioneered an Identity Release program that would forever shape the sperm donation industry. The bank's Executive Director, Alice Ruby, answered some questions I had about the work TSBC does, the research it has published, and the fertility industry as a whole.Just a warning: As someone who was conceived via The Sperm Bank of California, I struggled (and ultimately failed) to separate my personal emotions related to the sperm bank from what I felt was my duty as a podcaster to be non-biased and critical. In retrospect, I should have owned my feelings and experiences from the start. Regardless of my personal bias, I think the interview was informative and valuable in many ways. Please contact me if you have any concerns.//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter or Facebook @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at https://www.twitch.tv/aidanwould//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

Last January, a 28 year old donor conceived woman named Ally discovered the truth about her genetic origins after taking an Ancestry DNA test. Just a few weeks later, she started a podcast called Half of Me to process her emotions, and in doing so, she began a journey that has changed her life.You can find Half of Me on every major podcasting platform, and at halfofmepodcast.com//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at twitch.tv/aidanwould//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

You may have heard this story: a person finds out they're donor conceived through a DNA test, and they go to confront their parents and demand an explanation. But what if that person went to their parents, and their parents were also surprised to discover their child was donor conceived? How does that even happen? For more information on Dr. Pancoast's experiment and the historical ethical issues with artificial insemination, check out this article from The Atlantic: "The First Artificial Insemination Was an Ethical Nightmare"//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Check out my other podcast, The Conservationist Conversationalist, for casual discussion of environmental issues and current events! Available on all major podcasting apps.I host collaborative solves of the New York Times crossword puzzles three times a week on Twitch. If you like crosswords, come hang out! All experience levels welcome! I also play indie games, talk about politics, and occasionally even edit THIS PODCAST live on stream! You can find me at twitch.tv/aidanwould//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

Danny J is a motivational speaker and fitness guru who, from the outside, looks like she has her life completely put together. But a deeper look into her past reveals a wild and tumultuous story that has shaped who she is today and taught her valuable lessons about choosing happiness even amidst chaos.//23andMe documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjQCmMg8FtkThe Best Life Podcast is available on all major podcasting platforms!//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

Catt, a donor conceived woman and mother of four, shares her story of love, connection, and perseverance in an often uncertain family life.//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

Is it ethical for sperm banks to withhold the identity of donors from families and donor conceived people? Wendy Kramer argues for abolishing the existing system of donor anonymity, and a woman named Lynette shares a story of what can happen when unregulated sperm banks act as a middleman between families and donors.//Links: Donors Not AnonymousWhich Sperm Bank?My Twitch stream - twitch.tv/aidanwould//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

The Donor Sibling Registry (DSR) is a network in which people conceived via sperm or egg donation can enter information about which donor they used, and get matched to their biological half-siblings and their donor. Over the past two decades, the DSR has grown from a small group of people looking to connect, to one of the foremost advocates for donor conceived people worldwide. I talk with co-founder Wendy Kramer about the founding of the organization, the issues the donor conceived community face, and the advocacy work the Registry does on behalf of donor conceived people.If you'd like to donate to the DSR, you can learn how at https://www.donorsiblingregistry.com/donate//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

This show is named after the word "diblings", a portmanteau of the phrase "donor sibling". As a lovemanteau (a lover of portmanteau), I adore this word, and my donor siblings and I use it regularly to describe our relationships. But not everyone likes it, and some people hate it outright.The compilation of opinions on the word "dibling" referenced in the episode can be found on the DSR blog: https://www.donorsiblingregistry.com/blog/dibling-dumpling///If you have opinions on the word "dibling", a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

An intentional community is a planned residential community often guided by shared values. Carolyn and Sandra discuss the creation and impact of their intentional community, and how it's influenced their perception of family. Then I get really reflective and emotional and stuff. You can skip that part, tho.//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

At the first major dibling meetup, my biological half sister Carolyn and her mom Sandra took some time observe the way we interacted and reflect on the impact of nature and nurture. They spoke to me about how it felt seeing us together for the first time, and spoke about their history and journey through donor conception.//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

In March 2016, I met one of my donor siblings for the first time. Sonya. Three years later, I sit down to talk to her and her dad, John, about their relationship and experiences with donor conception.//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast. If you want to leave a voicemail for the show, call (714) 202-6401 and leave a message after the tone. Your voicemail will be featured on the next episode! //Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Today's episode also featured a preview of the song "Wake Up" by Sonya herself! "Wake Up" will be released on March 25th, and you can pre-save it here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sonyaseva/wake-up-2?fbclid=IwAR1XqKXC4AD7_rcTh5u3ume3GTajZk-YvJfMJut7gJQA9lv5FHyf5ROg09U Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

The phrase “donor siblings” describes the relationship between people who were conceived using the same sperm donor. But saying “donor sibling” is kind of a mouthful, so we shorten it to “dibling” or “dib”. My brother George and I talk about how having dibs is a new and evolving cultural experience, and the ways it has influenced our personal ideas about family. Also, I try to set up some dramatic tension, realize I have to backtrack, and learn a little something about podcasting integrity!//If you have a story about donor conception or nontraditional families that you would like to share, or if you have any questions, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter @diblingpodcast.//Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io:"District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)

Lisa is a lesbian who, alongside her partner, conceived a child in 1995 with the help of a sperm bank. She's got some things to say about it.//If you have a story about sperm donation or nontraditional families that you would like to share, contact the show through email at diblingpodcast@gmail.com, or on Twitter @diblingpodcast// Art by Charlie Nagelhout, @MarleyCatts//Music from https://filmmusic.io: "District Four" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/diblingpodcast)