Listen on Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-much-do-you-know-about-surrogacy/id1375053073?i=1000791607752

How much do you really know about surrogacy, and would you know how to support a friend, colleague or team member building their family this way?

In this episode of Wisdom For Working Mums, I’m joined by Michael Johnson-Ellis, co-founder of My Surrogacy Journey and TwoDadsUK, for a conversation about surrogacy, LGBTQ+ family building and what it means to create genuinely inclusive support for different paths to parenthood.

Michael shares his own journey to fatherhood with his husband Wes, while helping us understand the realities that often sit behind the headlines and assumptions about surrogacy.

I came to this conversation with curiosity rather than personal experience, and left with not just a deeper understanding of surrogacy and LGBTQ+ family building, but a greater awareness of how we can all show up as better friends, colleagues and leaders.

What You’ll Learn

In this conversation, we explore:

* Some of the biggest myths and misconceptions surrounding surrogacy

* What ethical, relationship-led surrogacy looks like in practice

* The emotional realities of family building that often remain unseen

* How language and assumptions can affect LGBTQ+ parents and families

* How to support someone going through surrogacy without being intrusive

* What a supportive conversation between an employee and their manager can look like

* Why flexibility can matter so much during an unpredictable family-building journey

* Where traditional parental leave and family policies can unintentionally exclude families

* Practical ways organisations can create more inclusive support for different routes to parenthood

Why This Episode Matters

We don’t need to have lived someone else’s experience to care about understanding it.

Our workplaces, friendship groups and communities include families created in many different ways. Yet so much of our language, workplace support and even our assumptions about parenthood can still be based on one traditional route to becoming a family.

This conversation is an invitation to stay curious, challenge those assumptions and understand how small changes in the way we communicate, lead and support others can make a meaningful difference.

Because inclusion isn’t simply about having the right policy. It’s also about helping people feel seen, understood and supported.

Links

My Surrogacy Journey

TwoDadsUK – https://twodadsuk.com/

Connect with Michael Johnson-Ellis – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-johnson-ellis/

Resources
Supporting parenthood in the workplace

Whether you’re a working parent navigating the realities of career and family life, or a line manager or organisation wanting to better support working parents, explore our Parenthood Matters and Parenthood Management Matters® resources.

Contact us for more information.

Free Surrogacy Resource

We’ve also created a free companion resource for this episode with My Surrogacy Journey, designed to help you better support people building their families this way.

Download the free resource – https://welcome.luminate-group.co.uk/surrogacy

Read the transcript here