AllPaths Podcast

LaMone Downey Leonard, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Founder and CEO of Rising Hope Counseling and Wellness joins us to discuss her family building journey. Her mission is to create safe and supportive healing spaces for those experiencing difficulties with depression, anxiety, life transitions, perinatal mental health, and reproductive trauma including fertility and pregnancy an...

A Connecticut native who now calls Massachusetts home, Alison is a second-grade teacher and solo parent of one. Alison walks us along her path to becoming a single mother by choice, recurrent pregnancy losses, the grief of not being able to give her son a sibling, and coping with the range of emotions associated with knowing this was not how she had ever envisioned growing her family. Alison also...

Join us as we explore Janene Oleaga’s work as a family formation attorney and reproductive rights advocate. Janene's deeply held belief that everyone deserves a family is reflected in her commitment to guiding families through various family building pathways such as adoption, surrogacy, and more. Throughout the episode, Janene's passion for advocacy shines as she discusses her role in shaping pos...

Kate Weldon LeBlanc, Executive Director of AllPaths Family Building, shares her journey of an unexplained infertility diagnosis, loss, and her path to parenthood. With fertility treatment, Kate and her husband Joe successfully became pregnant with their now high school senior, Sophie. Kate discusses the emotional, mental, and social tolls of infertility and the impact that her own family building...

Danielle shares her story of trying to conceive over 40, navigating fertility treatment, donor egg IVF, and the anxiety of becoming pregnant after years of failed cycles. Over the course of the conversation, we chat about navigating boundaries while family building, the difference your mindset can make, self-empowerment and her inspiration to become an AllPaths Peer Support Group leader. Danielle...

Propa City Community Outreach founder Stephanie Crawford shares her family story, from the heartbreaking loss of her first son at 39 weeks to finding purpose in her pain by supporting others impacted by pregnancy and infant loss. Through her work as an educator, doula, and advocate, Stephanie’s work with “loss families” helps them advocate for positive healing for themselves and their communities....

A born and raised New Yorker, social worker Jen Rachman shares her family’s story from an ovarian cancer diagnosis that sadly left her infertile in her 20s, to the decision that surrogacy was the best route for her and her husband to grow their family. With the help of their agency, their surrogate, and their egg donor, they had their son 12 years ago. Jen’s experience was so positive that it laun...

Liane Moccia’s story encompasses an infertility diagnosis, becoming a parent via IVF, as well as how her personal journey sparked a passion for holistic fertility support and a new career. Now a Registered Clinical Herbalist specializing in fertility and preconception planning, Liane highlights some of her favorite herbs to support optimal fertility and a healthy pregnancy. She shares some favorit...

Founder of Building Military Families Network, Julie Eshelman shares about her ongoing family building journey, one that spans many years and states, highlighting the unique challenges that military families often face. We also hear about Julie’s rise as a leader in the community through her non-profit and advocacy work, and learn how anyone can get involved in the fight for access to fertility ca...

Andy Lamb shares his story of male infertility, mental health struggles, and the reinvention of who he was and what really mattered in life and family on his journey to become a father. Now a parent to three girls adopted through foster care, Andy supports other men struggling to grow their families as an AllPaths Peer Support Group leader and works to cultivate racial and cultural competency in c...

CEO and Founder of Family Source Consultants (FSC), Staci Swiderski shares her personal journey as an intended parent, welcoming a son via gestational surrogacy in 2005 and her experience as a known egg donor. Her own fertility challenges led her to found FSC in 2007 with a mission to build families through third-party reproduction with an approach that is “compassionate, empathetic, individualize...

Kelly Soule shares about her ongoing journey and the difficulty of not knowing what’s next for her family. From processing IVF not working and a changing relationship with her own body, to attempting to adjust to having no sense of control and situations when expectations do not meet reality. Our conversation with Kelly touches on the emotions and decisions that so many people face when struggling...

A Boston-based healthcare product strategist with a passion for social impact and community building, Haya shares her story, from unexplained infertility and loss, to pursuing fertility treatment (IUI & IVF) as a path to parenthood, culminating in a complicated twin pregnancy and postpartum experience. Over the course of the conversation we chat about navigating relationships and boundaries wh...

Director of Family Advocacy at GLAD and recipient of the 2024 AllPaths Advocacy Award, Polly Crozier shares her own challenging family building story, as well as her advocacy for parentage equality inclusive fertility insurance bills throughout New England. A tireless, knowledgeable and effective advocate, Polly’s work focuses on youth and family issues, including parentage protections, adoption,...

Jennifer Redmond shares her story of infertility, loss, and embracing life as a family of two, how her own fertility journey has influenced her personal and professional life, and reflects on the evolution she’s seen in the fertility and family building space over her career. Jennifer empowers women to take a 360-degree view of their wellness and helps them implement customized dietary and lifesty...

Welcome to the AllPaths Podcast, where we support and celebrate all of the different ways there are to grow your family. Each week we'll talk with different members of the AllPaths Family Building community, sharing stories, hearing from experts in this space about fertility treatments and family building options, learning about current family building advocacy and how to get involved, and explori...