Refamulating

In the final episode of Refamulating, Julia and Claire open up about their own refamulating journeys, share why they're wrapping the show, and reflect on how special it was to make. None of it would have been possible without the people who made it: the team behind every episode, the guests who trusted us with their stories, and above all, every one of you who listened and made this show what it was. The show may be ending, but the connection will always stay with us. Wherever you go from here, we hope you keep refamulating — we know we will, right alongside you ❤️ _ Connect with us:  EMAIL: [email protected].  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM TIK TOK _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  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

Paula always wanted to be a mom, and she always assumed her path to motherhood would look like getting married in her late twenties and having a baby before 30. When that timeline didn't materialize, she realized she didn’t want to wait for a romantic partner to become a mom. So she froze her eggs, found a sperm donor, got pregnant and gave birth on her own. Paula kept an audio diary from the first year of her daughter’s life. In this episode we listen as she navigates the joys and challenges of motherhood, as well as her journey of building a parenting village without a co-parent. Connect with us:  EMAIL: [email protected].  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  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

Brad and Alyssa tried for three years to have a baby. After multiple miscarriages, five failed IVF embryo transfers and a diagnosis of "unexplained infertility", they eventually turned to surrogacy. That turned out to be the path that finally opened the door to parenthood, but it wasn’t the end of their journey. During their surrogate’s pregnancy they got a surprise that changed the course of how they were building a family.  _ Connect with us:  EMAIL: [email protected].  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  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

When Sage bought a small pink house in Boulder, Colorado, she had no idea her next-door neighbor would become something closer to family. Over the last 18 years, Sage and Margaret wove their lives together, sharing meals, childcare, grief, and joy, in ways neither of them could have planned. Their story is a quiet argument for proximity, and for building family with the people closest to you.  _ Connect with us:  EMAIL: [email protected].  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  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

Years ago, Lauren Makler was diagnosed and treated for a rare abdominal disease. Doctors told her her ovaries might not survive the surgeries she needed, so when she conceived her first child without any assistance, she was shocked. She took that feeling of having a baby despite the odds and turned it into her business, Cofertility. She wanted anyone who wanted kids to have access to fertility technology, and not let cost stand in their way. People who freeze their eggs with Cofertility don’t have to pay for the procedure (or storage) if they donate some of their eggs to a family looking for an egg donor. In this episode, Julia and Lauren talk about this new business model, the fertility industry as a whole and the emotional process some face in starting a family. _ Additional Resources:  Some of the resources Lauren mentioned in this episode:  Fertility IQ - a place to find the best fertility doctor in your area SART - learn about IVF and fertility best practices so you go into a doctor’s appointment with knowledge.  _ Subscribe to our newsletter for more refamulating! We share how refamulating looks in our own lives and share what we’re reading and listening to as we make this show.  _ Connect with us:  EMAIL: [email protected].  WEBSITE INSTAGRAM TIK TOK _ Our team  Host: Julia Winston Producer: Claire McInerny  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