Welcome to Conversations, the podcast with Surrogacy Australia.
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Join Anna McKie in conversation with surrogates and parents who have navigated Australian altruistic surrogacy. Anna is a gestational surrogate, high school Math teacher and surrogacy educator working with Surrogacy Australia and running SASS (Surrogacy Australia’s Support Service).
These podcasts were recorded as part of our free, fortnightly webinar series. If you would like to attend one, check out our dates and registration links. The recordings can also be found on our YouTube channel so you can see the photos that are described in the recordings.
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Recent episodes
Episode 155 – Education – Are your names on the birth certificate?
The current process is the surrogate, and her partner if she has one, goes down on the first birth certificate as birth parent(s). The reason for this is so the parentage can be transferred from her to the IPs, the Intended Parents who are now parents.
Aaron and Jake from Adelaide became parents to baby boy Xavier in December 2019 when their surrogate, and now life long friend, Amber, birthed as a Traditional Surrogate (her egg). Aaron is passionate about sharing their journey as 2 dads, supporting others who are the beginning of their surrogacy journey, and was also a Parent Mentor for SASS.
Episode 152 – Marlena – surrogate
Marlena and her wife, Merrin, live in Newcastle with their 2 young sons and she birthed little boy, Ezra, as a surrogate in August 2025. She met her IPs (Intended Parents) Jamie and Kody through our Surrogacy Australia Monthly Zoom Catch Ups, of which they are all regulars. Marlena was initially dating some IPs prior to the ones she carried for, so it took around 3 years from when she went looking until she birthed. Marlena has spoken at surrogacy conferences, contributed to our Board, and advocates for surrogacy at every chance she gets!
Episode 151 – Education – Ideas for IPs (Intended Parents) in waiting
This series of episodes springs from my work with SASS (Surrogacy Australia’s Support Service). When Intended Parents (IPs) have completed their profile and are in the pool of IPs waiting to connect with a surrogate, I do monthly check-ins to make sure they’re still active and waiting. I like to give some guidance and support along the way because the waiting game can be hard.
This series of episodes are designed as though they are a letter to the waiting IPs.
Kody and his husband Jamie from Melbourne, became dads to their son Ezra in August 2025. Their surrogate, Marlena, lives with her wife and two sons in Newcastle. Their team connected through our Surrogacy Australia Monthly Zoom Catch Ups – so surrogacy with strangers really does happen. Their egg donor, Shannon, was also previously a stranger that they met through Egg Donation Australia. Kody and Jamie advocate for surrogacy by speaking at conferences, hosting our Zoom monthly catch ups, being active in the communities and supporting those at all stages of their journey.
Felicity from Canberra became mum to Jackson in June 2017 and then Harper in April 2020. They were carried by their now life long friend Kristy via gestational surrogacy arrangements in the USA. Felicity suffered from infertility, miscarriage and the loss of her baby daughter Lily, before eventually needing surrogacy.
Episode 148 – Dr Glenn Sterling
❤️ How are the eggs collected from my donor?
🧡 How are the embryos made and genetically tested?
💛 What tests will the surrogate need?
💚 How is a surrogate’s menstrual cycle tracked prior to embryo transfer?
💙 Who is present at embryo transfer?
💜 Can a surrogate have a natural cycle instead of medicated?