What Happens When You Meet Your Donor and Siblings as an Adult? | Freya Lyon's Donor Conception Story
What is it really like to meet your donor—or your donor siblings—as an adult, after your values and worldview are already in place? In this powerful and deeply honest episode, Freya Lyon shares her journey as a donor-conceived person who felt confident in her identity, only to experience a major shift when she met genetic relatives later in life.
Freya opens up about what surprised her, how these relationships shaped her views on family, and how they influenced her own approach to building a family. If you’ve ever wondered about late-in-life donor connections, identity, or the complexities of modern family-building, this episode offers rare insight and heart.
📌 Subscribe for more real-life stories and expert guidance on donor conception, surrogacy, and modern parenthood.
🔔 New episodes weekly on the Building Your Family podcast.
Follow Freya on Instagram: @thequeermama
Follow Freya on TikTok: @thequeermama
--------
44:33
Surrogacy, Love & LGBTQ+ Parenthood: How Two Dads Built Their Family
Two gay dads share their surrogacy journey and lessons on LGBTQ+ parenting, visibility, and love. Discover how they built their family—and a community—along the way.
In this heartfelt episode of Building Your Family, Mike and George open up about the joys and challenges of becoming parents through surrogacy. From navigating the process to raising two beautiful children, they offer honest insight and hope for others on similar paths.
Now advocates for inclusion and education, they’re helping more LGBTQ+ families feel seen and supported.
📚 Learn more about Families Out Loud: https://www.familiesoutloudevents.com/
Follow Families Out Loud on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/families_out_loud
Follow Mike on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msnaric/
Follow George on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porgiemoore/
🎧 Subscribe for more stories on family and parenthood!
--------
45:11
Dr. Danielle Lane on Equity, Inclusion & Improving Fertility Outcomes
This week’s episode may feel like listening in on a heartwarming chat between two fertility professionals — because it is. But it’s also full of meaningful insight on how to navigate some of the most complex and personal parts of family building.
My guest, Dr. Danielle Lane, is not only a brilliant fertility specialist — she’s also someone setting high standards for inclusion, diversity, access, and patient success. In this conversation, we talk openly about:
Donor conception
Surrogacy
Agency models and success rates
How to make empowered, informed decisions
What true inclusion in fertility care should look like
Whether you’re early in your journey or deep in decision-making, Dr. Lane offers wisdom that can help you move forward with more clarity and confidence.
Tune in, take what you need, and share with someone who could benefit from this powerful conversation.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Building Your Family podcast for more expert-led episodes.
📚 Learn more about Dr. Danielle Lane: https://lanefertilityinstitute.com
Follow Dr. Danielle Lane on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdaniellelane
--------
40:44
Donor-Conceived Half Sisters Reunited by DNA
What happens when two donor-conceived women, raised in different families, discover they're genetic half-sisters?
In this powerful episode, we sit down with two women whose paths crossed thanks to DNA — not childhood. Raised by single parents in separate homes, they reflect on the moment they connected, what it was like growing up with questions, and why they chose to search as adults.
They open up about bonding more with donor siblings than with their donor, and how their own experience of family is influencing how they build their future families. With honest stories and surprising insights, they explore what it means to share DNA — and how genetic connections can reveal both deep similarities and unexpected differences.
📚 Learn more about Kiara Rae Schuh: Website
Follow Kiara on Instagram
📚 Learn more about Johnna Palic: Website
Follow Johnna on Instagram
🎧 Subscribe for more stories on family and parenthood!
--------
51:52
When Medicine Meets Empathy: Patient Autonomy in Fertility Care
This week on the podcast, we sit down with the brilliant Dr. Janelle Luk—fertility expert, Ivy League-trained physician, and co-founder of Generation Next Fertility. Though classically trained, Dr. Luk takes a deeply personalized approach to fertility care. She shares how she helps patients make deeply personal decisions—like using donor conception, freezing eggs or embryos, or even stepping back for a break—by truly listening to their stories. Together, we explore how honoring patient autonomy can sometimes mean going against the expected medical path to create a future that truly fits the individual or couple. This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating fertility or supporting others on that journey.
📚 Learn more about Dr.Luk: Generation next fertility
Follow Dr.Luk on Instagram: @goodluckluk
Welcome to Building Your Family, the only expert-guided community platform designed for parents and parents-to-be using reproductive medicine to build their families. We provide unique strategies to help make your path to parenthood smoother and more informed—empowering you to navigate the critical decisions that shape your family’s future.
At Building Your Family, we’ve already helped thousands of people navigate the complexities of family building and parenting with confidence. Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and strategies to make these life-changing decisions with greater clarity, resulting in better outcomes and fewer regrets.
We understand that many of the decisions you make along this journey can’t be undone, and that’s why our approach is all about offering you practical, actionable steps that you can start applying right now. Our educational components are tailored to help you think differently, make more informed choices, and take control of your experience—from fertility treatments to parenting strategies.
Whether you’re just starting out or already deep into your journey, Building Your Family is here to guide you with expert advice, specialized education, stress-reduction strategies, and the community support you need to make the best choices for you and your family.
For more information, sign up for our newsletter, you will be able to stay up to date with the episodes, get information about our programs and most of all join our warm community.
And follow us on social.//
Monthly email: https://familybuilding.net/newsletter-sign-up/
Watch the podcast on YouTube http://bit.ly/3E49Z1k
Follow along on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforfamilybuilding/
Australia