Ashley Christman is a born and raised Pennsylvania girl. She is the mother to two beautiful children and a decade deep into marriage with her high school sweetheart. They live on a small “farmette” with all kinds of furry creatures! She loves to garden, sew clothing, cook and bake!

Surrogacy is something that was on her heart for years after a close family member battled infertility. In 2021, she completed a successful journey and delivered a healthy baby to a set of Intended Parents that became an extended part of her family. Ashley says that standing witness to a set of parents seeing their child’s face for the first time was an experience she will never forget. Now being a case manager, she has the opportunity to help so many more couples become parents!

In 2023, feeling the pull to give back in another big way - Ashley applied for a Uterus Transplant clinical trial at Penn Medicine. In December of 2023, she became the 3rd living donor at Penn to donate her uterus to another woman in hopes that she would be able to carry her own baby!

Listen as Ashley shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• A comparison with Jenn as to who has more chickens (Ashley wins!)
• Being an only child, but with a large extended family.
• Marrying her high school sweetheart.
• Always wanting to be a mom and pregnancy coming easy for her.
• Watching her like-a-sister cousin struggle and endure a hysterectomy, and her best friend become a surrogate. Being inspiring to become a surrogate herself.
• Loving the intended parents she was matched with.
• After some health drama, delivering a perfect baby girl.
• Starting work for the surrogacy agency.
• Being inspired by a podcast (this podcast!) to look into uterus donation.
• Applying and being accepted into Penn’s uterus donation clinical trial, subject to a whole battery of tests.
• Undergoing the ten-and-a-half-hour surgery
• Not knowing anything about the recipient, but being permitted to write a letter to the recipient a year after surgery. (Get the tissues ready as we read from the letter!)

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

Learn more about Family Makers: https://familymakers.com/

Learn more about Penn’s uterus transplant program: https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/find-a-program-or-service/penn-fertility-care/uterus-transplant

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/

Brooke Kimbrough is the founder of Roots Surrogacy, a boutique, relationship-driven surrogacy agency grounded in empathy, transparency, and ethical care. A former surrogate herself and a long-time industry professional, Brooke brings over a decade of firsthand experience to the work of guiding intended parents and surrogates through one of the most meaningful journeys of their lives. At the heart of everything she does is a deep belief in connection, women’s empowerment, and the power of doing things the right way—even when it’s hard. Brooke leads her all-female team with compassion, integrity, and a commitment to the values behind the Roots name.

Listen as Brooke shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Both of her parents working in family law and knowing a lot about adoption. Learning about surrogacy and becoming really interested in being a surrogate.
• Her husband initially saying no, but with time giving in knowing she was going to do what she wanted eventually anyway.
• An adoption attorney family friend introducing her to a surrogacy agency. Doing no other research on agencies.
• Being open to carrying for any type of family; being matched with a single intended father.
• Transferring two embryos, both successful at first. But then losing one of the heartbeats around 9 weeks. Feeling disappointed, but Intended Father being very supportive and encouraging.
• Intended Father throwing a baby shower with all his friends and family loving on her.
• Having a planned C-section, with dad in the room until the birth (him finding out baby’s sex at delivery!), then her husband in there for the post-delivery operation part supporting her.
• Intended Father’s tears sweetly falling on her face during the delivery!
• Experiencing complications with retained tissue and loss of blood.
• Planning to go back to work, but not being excited to return to HR. In a lunch with Intended Father, him suggesting she should start a surrogacy agency.
• Sitting down and coming up with a plan to start slowly, no more than 4 cases the first year. The company instead quickly growing and helping with 12 matches the first year.
• Bringing on a business partner. Focusing on the things they would want and need as intended parents and surrogates. Not taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Advocating for best practices in the industry, including stopping double embryo transfers back in 2017
• This year Roots celebrates its 10th year of building families!
• The story of some of her favorite Intended Parents (check out Episode 175!).

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

Learn more about Roots Surrogacy: www.rootssurrogacy.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/

Carly Joseph is a surrogacy concierge helping Intended Parents match with the right surrogates quickly. Having navigated her own two surrogacy journeys, Carly knows firsthand how overwhelming the process can be. Her mission is to combine personal experience with established relationships to help make the path to parenthood smoother. Carly works with intended parents who are ready to explore surrogacy.

Listen as Carly shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Through eight rounds of IVF and four failed transfers being welcomed into a club she never wanted to be a member of – that of infertility.
• Being really open about her story in an effort to normalize different family paths.
• Learning how to support others with their infertility through her own journey.
• Being diagnosed with endometriosis and undergoing surgery. Experiencing another failed transfer.
• Moving across the country from New York to Los Angeles while also dealing with her mother’s cancer diagnosis.
• Her doctor recommending surrogacy. Feeling all the conflicting emotions – happy that there’s a path forward, but hard to give up the dream of carrying her babies herself.
• Working with a concierge provider and being matched with a surrogate quickly.
• Getting confirmation of pregnancy and heartbeat, and all the joy, only to discover no heartbeat at 9 weeks.
• Going through another transfer and then surrogate experiencing a second miscarriage.
• Not feeling optimistic about a third transfer and matching with a second surrogate. Then hearing from the first surrogate that she was up for a third transfer attempt.
• Transferring to their second surrogate when the first was five months along.
• The amazing moment of being in the delivery room for their son.
• Receiving a call from her second surrogate and the doctor that she is leaking amniotic fluid at 29 weeks and will not be leaving the hospital before delivery.
• In the thick of it with babies but also feeling moved to start a surrogacy concierge business to help others.
• The concierge advantage – having a personal advocate, more education at the beginning, and faster matching by working across hundreds of agencies.

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

Learn more about Carly Joseph and her services: carlypjoseph.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/

Julie Eshelman is the Founder, CEO, and President of Building Military Families Network where she took her struggles and lack of support and access to information in family building and created an organization to fill that gap for military and veteran families. Her own family’s experiences with infertility and the frustrations resulting from a lack of insurance coverage and a support network led her to advocate and launch a nonprofit for the change she desperately wants to see for the next generation of military and veteran families. Julie was named the 2022 Armed Forces Insurance Fort Leavenworth Spouse of the Year for her awareness, advocacy, and leadership in infertility and military family building.

Building Military Families Network is a 501c3 organization with a mission to provide an empowering and supportive network to military and veteran families navigating the challenges in the family-building process through support groups, education, and resources. Their Education Center and Resource Library empower military and veteran families with all the information and tools they need on their journey to parenthood. The Support Group Program provides families with peer support and builds community. Their advocacy efforts are focused on increasing insurance coverage and improving access to all family-building options for military and veteran families. Building Military Families Network is a beacon of hope for building military families.

Listen as Julie shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Her journey to becoming an infertility warrior.
• Meeting her husband in college. Knowing nothing about military life but following him into it.
• Trying to conceive for over a year and recognizing they should seek medical care. But the fertility specialist near them had a 12 month wait list and they had orders to move to Arizona.
• Going through all the diagnostic testing while her husband was deployed.
• Experiencing a miscarriage as they were driving across the country.
• Starting from scratch with a new fertility specialist, going through all the diagnostic testing again.
• Enduring the last-minute cancellation of an egg retrieval due to the COVID shutdown. Then, after restarting, suffering from ovarian hyperstimulation.
• Eventually getting to their rainbow baby.
• Finding RESOLVE, signing up last minute for Federal Advocacy Day.
• Finding advocacy to be therapeutic and empowering.
• Starting the Building Military Families Network to do more for military families struggling with building their families.

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

Learn more about Building Military Families Network:

buildingmilitaryfamiliesnetwork.org

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/

As members of the LGBTQ+ community, Kristina and Sol always knew they would need fertility treatments to build their family. However, dual infertility diagnoses made their journey even more complex. This experience fueled their passion for advocacy, inspiring them to champion for expanded access to reproductive technology, fair donor-conceived laws, and protections for LGBTQ+ families. Kristina furthers this mission in her role as Chair of Colorado Fertility Advocates.

After more than a decade of fertility treatments—including IVF, RIVF, and Donor Embryo—their family is now complete. They are proud parents of three wonderful children: two boys and a girl, ages 11, 8, and 3.

Beyond their advocacy, Kristina and Sol are deeply committed to advancing health equity for marginalized communities, increasing the visibility of diverse leaders—including Latino, LGBTQ+, and underserved communities—and championing reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ equality. Kristina serves on the boards of the LGBTQ+ Heritage Project for the United Methodist Church and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Sol, who is Latino and bilingual, is a Board Member for Project Worthmore and a former member of Commerce City’s DEI Commission and Cultural Council.

Professionally, Kristina has built a successful 20-year career in Marketing and Strategic Communications, specializing in the healthcare and fintech industries. Sol is also an accomplished leader, with expertise in operations and project management across community health centers, government and educational organizations, and, most recently, a nationwide private equity-backed dental company.

In their free time, Kristina and Sol love attending and coaching their kids’ countless sports and activities, exploring Colorado through hikes and scenic Sunday drives, enjoying live music, cheering on Sol’s hometown teams (the Padres and Chargers), road-tripping, listening to audiobooks, playing board games, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Listen as Sol and Kristina share with Ellen and Jenn:

• Kristina splitting with her partner of 12 years when she was 6 weeks pregnant. Not the best timing!
• 3 months post-delivery, Kristina thinking about dating again.
• Messaging with Sol and connecting right away on their passion for advocacy. Sol not being scared off by Kristina having a three-month-old.
• With Kristina’s first pregnancy, going through IUIs and it just not working. Then finding her egg count was not where it should be.
• Failed embryo transfer, then success.
• After Kristina’s egg quality issues, opting for reciprocal IVF with Sol’s eggs.
• But Sol also experienced egg issues – 5 eggs retrieved, 1 embryo.
• Navigating the cultural issues with Sol’s family.
• Moving from California to Colorado and knowing they wanted another child.
• Extensively looking into adoption but ultimately choosing embryo donation.
• Being really open and honest with their children about their origin stories.
• Loving the family they have built and the many paths they took to get there.

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

Follow Kristina and Sol on Instagram: @kristina_on_insta + @allo10

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:

Shea Bart Andreone is a writer, speaker, and author. She is also a mother who knows the agony that can come with trying to have a baby. Shea’s journey to becoming a mother to two healthy children was punctuated by pain, hospitalizations, and death. Carry On offers a candid, intrepid look into the real stories of the many people for whom this universal drive to start a family doesn’t come easily. These stories are an exploration of these people’s love, hope, and desperation to keep trying.

Shea’s writing, from her own blog (Twig-Hugger) to numerous articles in mom and parent-oriented platforms (The Next Family, Motherfigure, LA Parent, Your Teen Magazine, and Chicken Soup For The Soul) has given her views and opinions platform to reach interested and like-minded eyes and ears.

Shea has been a featured speaker at Expressing Motherhood, a live storytelling event held in major cities across the United States. She has shared her story about living with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). Shea dealt with HG for all three of my pregnancies, and participated in research studies through HER, the world’s largest network of HG survivors and experts.

She’s been featured on podcasts, including “Single Vs. Married”, where she spoke about natural childbirth, medical interventions traditionally utilized during childbirth, and why she opted to have as few interventions as possible during her own labors and deliveries. Shea discussed the months of trying to conceive, illness, and suffering that finally resulted in giving birth to a healthy baby girl.

Before having children, Shea was a competitive and then professional figure skater. Hailing from New York, Shea acted off-Broadway for nearly a decade. She then moved to the West Coast and continued to act, in TV, films, and theater. While Shea loves NY and travels back often, LA is where her husband, children, dog and her call home.

Listen as Shea shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Teaching senior water aerobics classes and spending time as a professional ice skater, among her many talents and activities.
• Meeting her husband and both knowing right away they wanted to try for kids.
• Heading to the doctor when it wasn’t happening and being quickly scheduled for fibroid removal surgery.
• Finding herself pregnant before surgery and being told she just had to wait to see whether the pregnancy or fibroid won out.
• The pregnancy won out, but then extreme sickness hit. Hyperemesis, not being able to keep food down, losing weight to the point of the doctor threatening hospitalization, and a terrifying adverse reaction to anti-nausea medication.
• Second time around trying a Zofran pump to deal with the nausea but losing the pregnancy.
• Looking for something to help with the healing. Trying sewing but ultimately turning to writing.
• Connecting with a community that had struggled with starting their families. Recognizing the universal need for people to talk about their experiences. Writing her book, Carry On, to bring those stories together and to others.

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

Learn more about Shea Bart Andreone and her book Carry On: https://www.sheabartandreone.com/about-shea-bart-andreone

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

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

Get your IWTPABIY merch here!

Dr. Julie Bindeman graduated from George Washington University and is the co-owner of Integrative Therapy of Greater Washington in Rockville, Maryland. Her specialty is in the field of Reproductive Psychology, where she actively writes, lectures, and presents. She is an approved consultant in EMDR through EMDRIA as well as a facilitator for basic training with The Touchstone Institute. She has served on several committees within the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and was elected in 2021 to its Executive Committee. She previously served as a Board Member of the Maryland Psychological Association for over 10 years. Dr. Bindeman is a member of multiple organizations focused on Maternal and Reproductive Mental Health and was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to serve on its Maternal Mental Health Task Force. She was awarded the Karl Heiser Award through the American Psychological Association for her legislative efforts on behalf of psychology. Dr. Bindeman has published several chapters and articles pertaining to Reproductive Psychology and is the editor of the book “The Mental Health Clinician’s Handbook for Abortion Care” that was released September, 2024.

Listen as Julie shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Coming on the podcast for her third time! Check out Episodes 136 and 166.
• What is a polyamorous family? The mindfulness and intentionality of polycules.
• Best approaches for providers to understand family dynamics. Hint: open-ended questions!
• The struggle with family building not fitting into well-understood pathways.
• Thinking through a plan if current family dynamics change, especially as to parenting and gamete and embryo control.
• The role of the mental health professional, as a source of support rather than a gatekeeper.

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

Learn more about Dr. Bindeman’s practice: http://www.GreaterWashingtonTherapy.com

Read Dr. Bindeman’s book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-61453-8

Follow Dr. Bindeman on social media: https://www.facebook.com/drbindeman; https://bsky.app/profile/drjuliebindeman.bsky.social

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/

Zach French is an attorney with experience in technology startups and business development, and most recently served as an executive at SeedTrust. Zach’s connection to the ART world began when he and his wife, Alexandra, embarked on their own surrogacy journey after Alexandra’s battle with breast cancer. The tremendous mental and financial toll from their journey led them to establish The Surrogacy Foundation (formerly Gift of Surrogacy). Zach left SeedTrust in February to become full-time Executive Director of the nonprofit. Zach and TSF are on a mission to expand access to surrogacy by propelling it into the mainstream using a collaborative approach to build a sustainable grant program and technology-enabled education and support.

Listen as Zach shares with Ellen and Jenn:

• Coming on the podcast for a second time! Check out Episode 177 to hear the first.
• Zach and his wife’s experience with cancer, and then surrogacy to have their child.
• Starting The Gift of Surrogacy to help others. Navigating it on the side but then Zach being encouraged to dedicate himself full-time to leading the cause.
• Raising enough money from the first fundraiser in 2023 to be able to award a $100,000 grant!
• Focusing on their why and their values.
• Creating a non-profit for tomorrow’s donors. Not your grandparents’ non-profit.
• Making their events truly memorable. Including their upcoming event on February 8, 2025. Masquerade theme, with some surprises up their sleeves!

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 Surrogacy Foundation: https://www.giftofsurrogacyfoundation.org/

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/