What happens when the path to motherhood looks nothing like the one you imagined? And how do you find purpose in a journey you never would have chosen for yourself?

In this episode of Her Village, Jacqueline sits down with Stephanie Jones, founder of the Michigan Fertility Alliance, to talk about infertility, pregnancy complications, surrogacy, and the unexpected ways our most difficult experiences can change the direction of our lives.

After experiencing two life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, Stephanie faced the heartbreaking reality that she could no longer safely carry another pregnancy. Determined to grow her family, she turned to gestational surrogacy, only to discover that Michigan's restrictive surrogacy laws created another obstacle on her path to motherhood.

What began as a deeply personal journey eventually became a much larger mission. Stephanie founded the Michigan Fertility Alliance and helped advocate for the Michigan Family Protection Act, which changed the landscape of surrogacy and family building in Michigan.

Together, Jacqueline and Stephanie explore the grief that comes with letting go of the motherhood experience you imagined, the emotional complexities of surrogacy, and what it means to turn an unexpected life experience into something that helps other families.

In this episode, we explore:

• Navigating infertility, pregnancy complications, and the loss of the ability to carry a pregnancy.
• The emotional journey of pursuing gestational surrogacy.
• Finding support and community when your path to motherhood looks different.
• How Stephanie's personal experience inspired her to become an advocate for other families.
• The relationship between motherhood, identity, and finding purpose beyond the roles we originally imagined for ourselves.

Whether you're navigating infertility, exploring alternative paths to parenthood, or simply finding yourself in a season of life you never expected, this conversation is a reminder that your story is still unfolding.

Connect with Stephanie Jones:

Michigan Fertility Alliance: https://www.mifertilityalliance.com

State Strong: https://www.statestrong.org/

Instagram: @stephanie.jones___

Connect with Her Village:

Instagram: @hervillagehq

Website: https://joinhervillage.co

Her Village is an in-person community helping women feel more connected to themselves, each other, and their local community. Our founding chapter is launching in Naperville, Illinois, where we're creating opportunities for women to build meaningful friendships, explore new experiences, and find their people in every season of life.

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If you want to go deeper and stay connected beyond the podcast, you can join us here: https://hervillage.kit.com/products/founding-membership 💛 __________________________________________________________________________________