Shows
Our Families OurselvesSeason One Recap!Send us a textWe're baaaack! It's been a few months ... Maria had a baby, summer is summer'ing, and Ann-Sophie's Tuff Shed now doubles as a sauna.Join us we recap some of our fave moments and surprising turns from Season One. And we're giving you a sneak peek of what's in store for Season Two. THANK YOU to everyone who supported us on our foray into professional podcasting. We're living the dream, y'all.For more surprising and authentic conversations about family-forming, subscribe to Our Families, Ourselves:2024-07-1110 minOur Families OurselvesBoss Mom: Balancing Career & Baby as a Single Mom in the 80s with Shay Wafer (Season Finale!)Send us a textThere’s no better guest to wrap our first season than Shay Wafer, arts & culture powerhouse and grandmother who chose to become a single parent in the 80s. She also managed the theater where Maria and Ann-Sophie met when they were just babies themselves. We couldn’t be happier to have our forever “boss mom” on to share her wisdom!Tune in to hear us chat about:Why Shay choose to be a single and “older” mom at a time when it wasn’t the normPursuing studies (at Yale, no le...2024-04-0341 minOur Families OurselvesTea with Tía: Creating the Modern-Day Village with Jess MatosSend us a textThere’s no one like your auntie, your tía, who slips you sweets, remembers your baby chub days, and keeps all your secrets. And there’s no one like Jess Matos, Mexico City-based creative strategist and comedian, who runs the hilarious and insightful The Tía Chronicles. Join us as we talk all things tía life and beyond!Listen in to hear:How Jess started The Tía Chronicles as a love letter to the tías in her lifeHow the women in our lives, from aunt...2024-03-2740 minOur Families OurselvesA Lifetime Original: How An Adoptee Found His Bio Parents with Mark CaffeeSend us a textIt could be a Lifetime movie or a work of fiction, but it’s one of the most incredible stories we’ve heard. Mark Caffee, communications consultant (and Ann-Sophie’s former boss), shares the remarkable journey of meeting his bio mom and bio dad — 50 years after he was adopted. Grab a mug of warm tea and get out your tissues for this episode!Listen as we chat about:The journey of self-discovery growing up gay and adoptedHow adoption was very different in the 60s compared to todayT...2024-03-2039 minOur Families OurselvesBlonde Ambition: Navigating the Foster Care System with Actress Laura Leigh HughesSend us a textWhat an absolute *treat* this week as we chat with powerhouse Laura Leigh Hughes, LA-based actress and founder of The Unusual Suspects Theater Company, a non-profit serving youth. Laura is candid, funny, and shares her incredible journey of navigating the foster care system to adopt her now 15-year old daughter. And hot off the heels of her concert, Maria & Ann-Sophie share their lifelong love of another blonde performer and mom -- Madonna.Join us as we talk:How the foster care system impacts thousands of children each year T...2024-03-1338 minOur Families OurselvesAn LGBTQ Family’s Surrogacy Journey with Corey Johnson & Meyer (7 months old!)Send us a textIt’s our youngest guest yet! Seven month-old Meyer and his dad, LA-based actor Corey, tell us their family’s experience with surrogacy. Maria and Ann-Sophie also get political this week as we rail against the dismantling of reproductive rights in the US. Tune in for our rant, stay for the delightful guest and adorable baby sounds.Listen to learn about:How surrogacy works from start to finishThe relationship between a surrogate and expectant parents The ups and downs of a fertility journey2024-03-0538 minOur Families OurselvesV is for Vasectomy - Living that Child-Free Life with Edgar LandaSend us a textWe met a man who may just be a walking advocate for vasectomies - yay! But in all seriousness, LA-based fight choreographer, actor, and director Edgar charmed us with his enlightened view on the dreaded “v” word, and how he and his partner have embraced a child-free life. Join us as we chat about:Showing up as an uncle…often with the “un-cool” gifts The decision to have a vasectomy and why men shouldn’t be afraid of itWhat does it even mean to leave a “l...2024-02-2734 minOur Families OurselvesLet’s Talk About Eggs, Baby! Being a Four-Time Egg Donor with KristiSend us a textWe’ve had *a lot* of sperm talk these past few weeks, so we’re more than ready to explore the other side of the equation — eggs! This week we sit down with four-time (yes, you read that right) egg donor Kristi, who opens up about her experience with candor and humor. Listen in to learn about: Why a woman might choose to donate her eggs (hint: it’s not just about the money) The physical demands of being an egg donor Making the choice to not...2024-02-2135 minOur Families OurselvesGOOAAAL! Starting a Family as a Lesbian Couple with Fei Wu & Lee LawlorSend us a textWe talk to our dear friends Fei & Lee about their experience starting a family as an interracial, lesbian couple. It’s a long and winding road that takes them from spa-like fertility clinics to wheeling sperm through Target. Listen to learn about:The challenges of starting a family as a LGBTQ+ coupleHow LGBTQ+ folks can feel less isolated in the processWhy shorter men need not apply to be sperm donorsThe painful truth about fertility treatment costsWhy the Dutch nat...2024-02-1336 minOur Families OurselvesFrom Kroger to the Courthouse: Foster to Adopt with Bill MurpheySend us a textFrom the freezing depths of Ann-Sophie’s Tuff Shed, we bring you the warmth and delight of Atlanta-based actor Bill Murphey. A chance encounter at a neighborhood Kroger led him down the path to single parenthood, and it’s unlike any story we’ve heard!Join us as we talk:Foster-to-adopt in the USSingle parenthood and finding support from your communityWhy not to book expensive vacations with teenagers Supporting a boy’s freedom of expression (whether wearing skirts or dyeing hair!)2024-02-0635 minOur Families OurselvesA Beautiful Mess: Adopting in the US with Melissa & Kenny LindseySend us a textThis week, we chat with the delightful Melissa and Kenny about the experience of adopting their daughter. Adoption in the US has evolved in the past few decades, and the Lindseys challenge common misconceptions about adoptive families, birth families, and adoptees. Also, they’re probably some of the sweetest people you’ll ever hear!Join us as we talk:Private adoption vs. foster careWhy “open” adoption is more common these days Adopting during a global pandemic (spoiler alert: it’s more stressful)The grief of a...2024-01-3038 minOur Families OurselvesSolo Parenting, By Choice or By Consequence with Molly HawkeySend us a textFor our very first ep, we sit down with the woman who inspired us to get on the mic: Molly Hawkey - actress, comedian, and host extraordinaire of Spermcast.Molly shares her journey to “solo parenting,” from interviewing comedian friends on why their sperm fits the bill, traveling cross-country pregnant during a global pandemic, to her own podcast audience helping her through very tough times. We promised a rollercoaster, and here it is … hold on tight!Join us as we chat about:The freedom and challenges of sol...2024-01-2341 minOur Families OurselvesLive from Maria's bed: we're official! [TEASER]Send us a textAllow us to introduce ourselves! Maria and Ann-Sophie share who they are, why they thought the world needed another podcast, and how you can expect zero tech skills but all the quality content about family-forming. 2024-01-1509 min