Some couples take years to talk about kids. Michael and Andrew needed exactly two dates. From the moment they knew they had a future together, becoming parents wasn't a question of if — it was a question of how.

Their path to parenthood began with conversations about surrogacy, but life had other plans. After watching a close friend navigate foster care in Missouri, they found themselves drawn into a story that would change everything. That friend was fostering a child who would eventually become one of two biological siblings that Michael and Andrew are now raising as their own — with adoption papers officially signed in December 2025.

In this episode, we sit down with Michael and Andrew to talk openly about what the foster-to-adopt process actually looks like in the state of Missouri — the paperwork, the uncertainty, the emotional weight, and the overwhelming joy on the other side of it. They also give us a glimpse into what family life looks like today as things continue to unfold beautifully.

Follow Michael and Andrew on Instagram to watch their family grow: @mlavanier and @drewster23

Sometimes the road to building a family is anything but straight — and Melissa Torres knows that better than most. In this deeply moving episode, Melissa opens up about the winding, emotional, and at times heartbreaking journey she and her wife Vanessa have traveled to become the family of three they are today.

When Melissa and Vanessa first met, they both knew they had inner work ahead of them — but that awareness didn't slow down the pull they felt toward each other. What followed was a love story shaped by complexity, courage, and an unwillingness to give up.

In this episode, Melissa speaks candidly about:

• Growing up in a deeply religious community and the impact that had on her sense of self
• Being raised in a home with foster children and how that shaped her understanding of family
• Coming out later in life — and what it means to finally acknowledge your sexual identity to yourself
• The financial and emotional weight of navigating fertility treatments
• The frightening discovery of polyps and pre-cancerous cells, and what that meant for their path forward

This episode is a reminder that family creation is rarely a straight line — and that the potholes along the way don't have to mean the end of the road.

Follow Melissa: 📸 Instagram: @mel.kay.torres 🎵 TikTok: @torresivf

What do you do when your job takes you away from the little person who needs you most? If you're Cory Allen, you write them a book.

Cory has spent 25 years serving the public — in the military, as a police officer, and in the Secret Service, where he worked alongside Michelle Obama on her iconic Becoming book tour. But ask him what he's most proud of, and the answer has nothing to do with any of that. It's being a dad.

Cory and his husband are parents to an almost two-year-old son, with a daughter set to join their family this spring. When Cory's work began taking him away from home, he found himself wrestling with a question so many travelling parents know all too well: How do I make sure my child feels my love even when I'm not there?

The answer came to him mid-flight to Washington, D.C. He settled in and wrote Dada Takes A Trip — a children's book born from pure parental love, somewhere above the clouds.

In this episode, we sit down with Cory to talk about his remarkable career, the tender heart behind the badge, and how one flight changed his family forever.

In this episode, we cover:

• Cory's 25-year journey through the military, law enforcement, and the Secret Service
• What it was like working alongside Michelle Obama on the Becoming tour
• The challenge of travelling for work as a devoted and present dad
• How and why he wrote Dada Takes A Trip — and what he hopes it means to his son
• Growing their family: welcoming a daughter this spring

Resources & links:

• 📖 Get your copy of Dada Takes A Trip at your favourite local or large chain bookstore
• 🌐 Learn more about Cory: www.coryallenbooks.com
• 📱 Follow Cory on Instagram: @authorcoryallen