Welcome to Building Your Family! I am so glad you are here! This is a podcast about fertility treatment, donor conception, surrogacy, and all of the ways the modern family is built. Through this podcast, parents, parents-to-be and experts in the world of fertility treatment will share their stories, educate you and help you have an easier family building journey and a better parenting experience. I am an award winning researcher, therapist, author and the only therapist asked to testify before the State Senate Judiciary Committee to legalize compensated surrogacy in NY, and I am here to assist you in realizing your dreams.
For more information and support, connect with our Building Your Family Community here, familybuilding.net/building-your-family-community/… I look forward to seeing you there.
Warmest regards, Lisa
Building Your Family
Looking to build a better bond with your surrogate?
Join our free 60‑minute workshop on surrogacy decisions and relationships.
📅 Wednesday, April 8 | 🕔 5PM EST
✨ Hosted by Lisa Schuman, LCSW
www.eventbrite.com/e/building-a-healthly-relations…
4 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 2
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Building Your Family
Jenna Wolfe on Building a Two‑Mom Family, Donor Conception & Coming Out on TV | Building your family
Journalist and TV anchor Jenna Wolfe joins therapist Lisa Schuman to share how she built a two‑mom family through fertility treatment and donor conception, came out on the Today Show, navigated a double mastectomy after a BRCA diagnosis, divorced, and is now co‑parenting two daughters. This episode is for anyone using reproductive medicine, or donor conception and worries, “Will my family really be OK?”
5 days ago | [YT] | 1
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Building Your Family
‘Screw It’ Moments in Fertility: How Stress Quietly Shapes Your Family-Building Choices
When you’re going through fertility treatment, donor conception, or surrogacy, it’s completely normal to hit a point where you think, “Ugh… screw it.”
In this solo episode, Lisa Schuman names and explains the “Screw It Principle”: the quiet ways stress, exhaustion, jealousy, and resentment slip into big decisions about clinics, donors, and agencies. She breaks down the two versions of “screw it” moments, why they feel so good in the moment, and how they can slowly pull you away from your deepest values for yourself and your future child.
1 week ago | [YT] | 1
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Building Your Family
🗣️ Talking to Your Donor Conceived Child Free Workshop with Lisa Schuman, LCSW
Join reproductive therapist and author Lisa Schuman for a FREE 60-minute live workshop on Wednesday, March 25th at 5PM EST. Learn how to start the conversation with your donor-conceived child, including Lisa’s 4 proven steps to disclosure.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 6
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Building Your Family
Inside the IVF Lab: How Clinics Keep Your Embryos Safe with AI | Building your family
Most patients never see what actually happens to their eggs and embryos once they disappear “into the lab.” In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Dr. Eduardo Hariton to unpack what safety really looks like in modern IVF: barcodes, double-checks, lab standards, and how AI is starting to support better decisions.
Dr. Hariton earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and MBA from Harvard Business School, has published over 70 papers and presentations, and leads innovation across a large fertility network. He brings a rare perspective that combines hands-on patient care with systems-level insight into how labs actually run day to day.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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Building Your Family
Trans Family Building with Trystan Reese: Same Love, Harder Path to Parenthood
Trans people don’t want “special” families. They want what every parent wants: to tuck their kids in at night and know they’re safe.
In this episode of Building Your Family, Lisa Schuman, LCSW, sits down with educator and advocate Trystan Reese to talk about trans family building: what’s the same, what’s different, and what trans parents need from clinics, communities, and allies right now.
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1
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Building Your Family
Empowering Your Fertility Journey: From Egg Freezing to Future Choices with Dr. Jaime Knopman
How do you make smart, grounded choices about egg freezing today that support whatever comes next – IVF, donor conception, or deciding not to pursue treatment at all? In this episode, reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Jaime Knopman joins Lisa to unpack the real numbers, timing, and trade‑offs so you can feel more empowered and less sold to.
We talk honestly about when egg freezing makes sense, what “ideal before 35” actually means in real life, and why success rates are never higher than about 75% – no matter what the brochure says. Dr. Knopman explains how to think about lab quality, age, and medical factors, while Lisa brings in the emotional side of planning for the possibility of future IVF or donor conception.
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
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Building Your Family
Join us for a free workshop on building healthier relationships with your surrogate 💜✨ Happening March 4th at 5PM EST
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
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Building Your Family
Get your free ticket here: www.eventbrite.com/e/talking-to-your-donor-conceiv…
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 3
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Building Your Family
Peeing, Pooping, Sex & Your Pelvic Floor: Pregnancy, Postpartum & Beyond with Dr. Sara Reardon
Leaking when you laugh, rushing to the bathroom “just in case,” constipation, or painful sex after birth… common, yes. Normal, no.
In this episode, pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Sara Reardon (aka The Vagina Whisperer), joins me to break the silence on peeing, pooping, pregnancy, postpartum, and sex. We talk about what your pelvic floor actually is, why it matters during fertility treatment, pregnancy, birth and menopause, and how small changes can make a huge difference in daily life.
Dr. Sara shares practical guidance from her app and new book Floored, including how to breathe, move, poop, and have sex in ways that support your pelvic floor instead of fighting it. We also cover C‑section recovery, scar tissue, back pain, and why “adult diapers are not your destiny.”
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
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