Stork'd

On this episode of Stork'd, Julia talks with Eve Wiley, a proponent and champion of legislation to prevent fertility fraud in the unregulated reproductive medicine industry. Eve's mother was the victim of artificial insemination by her fertility doctor using his sperm without her consent. Eve's story takes her on a roller coaster journey of learning that neither her mother's husband, her dad, nor...

Monique Farook, the host of the award-winning Infertility and Me podcast, joins Julia to discuss her journey through infertility. Monique faced a multi-year battle with infertility in which she grappled with feelings of shame and anger, experienced racial discrimination by her doctors, navigated a tubal blockage, hypothyroidism, surgery, and natural cycle IVF.   We discuss her decision to return t...

Amanda Makulec, a public health data expert, joins Julia to share her heartbreaking story of losing her 3-month-old son.  As a researcher, Amanda had written an article regarding the advocacy of Covid vaccines during pregnancy. When her son passed during Covid, there was an instantaneous response on social media blaming Amanda for his death due to taking the Covid vaccine. This episode will make y...

Ruby Warrington, author, book doula founder of The Numinous, and movement maker joins Julia to discuss her newest book, Women Without Kids . Ruby uniquely has her finger on the pulse of social revolutions and her latest book explores the growing phenomenon of women living childfree by choice or circumstance.    Together Ruby and Julia discuss some of the many reasons more women are choosing to be...

Chrysta Bilton, author of Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings, joins Julia to discuss her book.  Get ready for an exhilarating story. Chrysta shares what life was like for a child born of a lesbian mother and her father, who donated sperm for a living.  Her family was bold, sometimes dysfunctional, and anything but traditional.  Chrysta tells her story in a truthful, enligh...

Host, Julia Karol, launches the fifth season of Stork'd! She walks us through some exciting topics coming up in this fifth season. Episodes include experiencing shame for not wanting to have children, losing a child and being blamed and trolled on social media, navigating IVF as a couple, fertility fraud, consent during your birth experience, fertility astrology, parenting approaches and so much m...

In this week's season 4 finale episode of Stork'd, we are joined by Tracy Weiss. Tracy is a cancer survivor who lost her chance of having biological children and in so doing, she gives up on the vision she has of a future daughter to be named Moxie. Tracy's  journey is full of surprises and tough decisions that she had to make at the young age of 30. One of the biggest surprises is that her insura...

In this week's episode, we are joined by journalist and podcast host, Louise McLoughlin.. Louise tells us the story of finding out she was donor-conceived, how she found her biological father and sister, and the feelings she experienced throughout the process. We also talk about what it was like for her family to accept that she wanted to search for her biological father. Louise discusses her work...

In this week's episode, we are joined by Lauren Isley, a genetic counselor at California Cryobank. Have you ever wondered how a sperm bank selects and evaluates its donors? Lauren walks us through what genetics counseling is and how it supports clients in their fertility needs. She shares with us the process of selecting sperm donors, supporting clients in selecting the right donor or in making ma...

In this week's episode, we are joined by journalist Meg St-Esprit. Meg is a parent of 4 children: 2 different sets of siblings, all through adoption. She shares her journey through adoption and the dynamic and interwoven way in which her family has integrated loved ones through open adoption. We talk about the nuances of weaving a family together through open adoption including holding space for y...

Today's conversation with Emily Green is all about the importance of women taking control of their financial destiny as it relates to family planning. Emily and I chat about balancing the trade-offs between your career and personal goals. We talk about the pressures of corporate culture on moms, gender salary gaps, and maternity leave. Money is never easy to talk about but it's a lot less overwhel...

In this week's episode, we are joined by Michele Katz. Michele is the founder of the Plus One Adoption Foundation and a mother of 4, two adopted, and two biological children. Michele shares her story about the adoption process and how she is blending cultures in their family. She also discusses many aspects of adoption, such as the differences between agencies and orphanages, what to consider when...

Today we talk with Samantha Diamond, founder of Bird & Be about PCOS, infertility, miscarriage and loss. Samantha shares her journey with secondary infertility, trying to have her third baby and how she would advise her younger self to grieve and heal differently than she did at the time. We discuss supplements and hormone testing as tools to support fertility and the many ways that Bird & Be is i...

In this week's episode, we are joined by Yvette Anderson, co-founder of Anderson's Meet The Need, a nonprofit she and her husband felt called to create after the loss of their newborn son. In today's episode, we will learn more about the son that inspired her work. We hear the heartbreaking story of Yvette's difficulties getting pregnant, her journey with preeclampsia, and the loss of her son RJ....

One would think that being on the birth certificate of your newly born child would be enough to deem you their parent, it is…..if you're a straight couple.   For gay couples, one parent often has to legally adopt their child even if it's that child shares their DNA. This is a process called second parent adoption and is a common but frequently misunderstood process that many gay couples experience...

Dr. Bendikson is an OB/GYN and a nationally recognized leader in the fertility field. She has gone through fertility testing herself and now counsels clients about family planning decisions like egg freezing and other fertility treatment options. This conversation demystifies the scary and overwhelming aspects of egg freezing and fertility testing. We talk about all the things - fertility age rang...

Today's wonderful guest is Cameron Rogers! Cam has built her career advising high net-worth clients on professional investing and wealth management, and recently made the decision to invest in her future through egg freezing. First off, she shares her thought process behind her choice and the social components that she has faced as a single, career-minded woman. She explains the emotional, physica...

Chelsea London Lloyd, a comedian, actress and self proclaimed "grief gal" and I chat about her unique relationship with humor and grief. As a child, she grew up with two sick parents and after a long 15 year journey with ALS, her father passed away. His passing has informed her life's purpose, her art and her podcast, Dying of Laughter.  Now as an adult, she has a beautiful, dynamic relationship w...

Nearly 50% of infertility is a male factor, meaning it's related to men not women. Even with this shocking percentage, it's not openly discussed. In this week's episode, we are speaking with TJ Peyten who has become an advocate for male factor infertility after she and her husband experienced it first hand. TJ shares about her deep longing for motherhood and the differences in how men and women pr...

In this episode, I speak with Chicago blogger and social media influencer, Jen Worman about divorce, dating and solo parenting! We cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time – like owning your actions in any relationship, showing up for yourself, and unapologetically reaching for your dreams. Jen opens up about her divorce, her experience dating with kids, and how she has learned the importan...

In today's episode, I'm speaking with Lauren Wynn about her 8 miscarriages, emergency surgery and ultimately building her family through IVF. What's more, Lauren's husband EJ sold much of his prized and valuable sneaker collection to cover the cost of their fertility treatments.  After experiencing her 8 miscarriages, Lauren has become a women's and fertility health advocate and their story shows...

In this week's episode, I am joined by Sydney Sharon, who discusses the topic of donor-conception. Sydney is one of the rare people who has experienced donor conception from all angles: she has used donor sperm, is raising donor conceived children, has a father who was a donor and is building relationships with her newly expanded "BioFam" of siblings.  In this episode, Sydney discusses her upbring...

Welcome to Season 4 of Stork'd! This introduction episode kicks off with the concept of "Choose Your Hard",  assuming that you have access to those choices. Throughout this episode, you will hear snippets of Julia and several of her guests from this upcoming season discussing their family building stories. This episode focuses on a compilation of choices, tradeoffs and experiences guests encounter...

In this week's episode, we get to hear from Jordana Kier, the founder of LOLA, which is a feminine and reproductive health products company. Jordana talks about how becoming a dog mom for the first time primed her for motherhood in a variety of ways. She speaks to the process of embracing new roles like CEO and Mom and how she balances the two. Jordana shares her own maternity leave experience and...

*Trigger warning for anyone who has experienced miscarriage or loss.* In this week's episode, we have the pleasure of talking with Ashley Sondergaard. Ashley is the host of the "Yoga Magic" podcast where she explores the depths of self care, something that touches every component of our lives – spiritual, physical, and emotional. Ashley shares her own story of how her self care toolkit has evolved...