In this episode of the AllPaths podcast, hosts Kate and Emily sit down with Maya and Jen, the founders of EM•POWER with Moxi, to explore their experiences with embryo donation. Maya, a psychotherapist and creator of the documentary One More Shot, shares her four-and-a-half-year struggle with infertility that, after multiple unsuccessful rounds of IVF and egg donation, culminated with the birth of her daughter conceived via embryo donation. Jen offers the perspective of a donor, recounting her experience as a former IVF patient with a complete family and single remaining embryo that she chose to donate to a recipient who now has an eight-year-old son. Together, they highlight how their personal histories informed the creation of Moxie Matching, a platform designed to provide the education and logistical support they found lacking during their own journeys.
The discussion delves into the critical distinctions between directed donation and anonymous clinic programs when considering donor conception. Jen and Maya explain that “directed” donation allows for transparency regarding genetic origins, which they believe is essential for a child’s welfare as they grow. They also clarify the importance of terminology throughout the process, from why they prefer the term embryo donation over embryo adoption for important legal reasons, to how donor and recipient parents can normalize conversations about genetic origins and support children as they navigate their own definitions of family and connection. Ultimately, Maya and Jen’s own stories and work in this space, provide guidance into a unique and celebrated expansion of family while prioritizing the long-term well-being of the children involved.
Maya Grobel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) / psychotherapist in reproductive medicine. Her diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve in her early 30s sent her straight to IVF, which resulted in no embryos to transfer and intense heartbreak. Over the next 4 years, she and her husband tried everything assisted reproductive medicine had to offer and documented the entire journey, which resulted in a feature-length film called One More Shot that debuted on Netflix in 2018 and is now available on Vimeo on Demand and Amazon. The end of their journey was the birth of their daughter who was conceived via embryo donation.
Jen Vesbit is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) who rode the IVF roller coaster twice. Her first IVF cycle ended in a heartbreaking miscarriage and no remaining embryos. Her second cycle gave her twins and one remaining embryo. Jen and her husband agonized over what to do with that one embryo and ultimately decided to donate to a single mom by choice. That embryo is now a healthy and happy little boy.
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