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Proud Conception Podcast

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by Rachael Gresson

5.0(8 reviews)

20 episodes

Updated Daily

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Podcast Overview

Welcome to Proud Conception, a podcast that explores the diverse parenthood journeys of LGBTQ+ families in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Each episode dives into real stories of parenthood, focusing on the lived experiences of queer parents as they navigate the path to building their families. Keep listening for the expert interviews where we hear from the people supporting these paths to parenthood. This podcast is about giving voice to the many ways LGBTQ+ families come to be and creating a world where our little ones feel seen, safe, and proud. Thanks for being here!

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Publishing Since

7/9/2025

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Recent Episodes

March 18, 2026

Expert Stewart Dalley: The legal landscape of queer family building in Aotearoa

In this expert episode, I sit down with Stewart Dalley, a lawyer at Dalley Sundar who specialises in queer family formation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Stewart has both lived and professional experience in this space: he has three daughters of his own through surrogacy, and his work has shaped the legal landscape for queer families in ways many of us have benefited from without even knowing it. Stewart and his partner were the first same-sex de facto couple in the country to obtain joint adoption orders, and he successfully argued the case that two women can both be named as mothers on their children's birth certificates. We talk about the history of how the law in Aotearoa has treated queer families and the pathways it has opened over time. We get into the detail of donor agreements: why you should absolutely have one if you're using a personal donor, but why you also need to be really intentional about what you include, because some aspects of those agreements can in fact be enforceable by a court. We discuss what's on the horizon with surrogacy law reform, the very real pitfalls of international surrogacy, and a question Stewart is seeing come up more and more in his practice: what happens to your frozen embryos if you and your partner separate? There is a lot in this conversation. And after we hung up, Stewart said something that stayed with me: that yes, there are still hurdles and we do need to keep advocating and agitating, but we are also lucky that a pathway exists at all. That we can be the legally recognised parents of our children and have those children in the first place. When Stewart's first daughter was born, he and his partner only had guardianship orders. He was not the legally recognised parent of his own child. That reality and the distance we've travelled from it is worth holding onto. I hope you come away from this episode feeling like legal advice in this space is more accessible than you might think. It can start with a simple phone call. If you want to get in touch with Stewart to discuss your own situation, you can find him at Dalley Sundar Law: <a href="https://www.dslaw.nz/familyformation/">www.dslaw.nz</a> As always, thanks for listening to Proud Conception. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and join the conversation on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/proudconceptionpod"> @ProudConceptionPod</a>. Please consider sharing this podcast with a friend — it really does help us connect with people who might benefit from the stories we are sharing. And if you have a family building story that you'd like to share, please get in touch! You can reach us via Instagram or by emailing <a href="mailto:proudconception@gmail.com">proudconception@gmail.com</a>.

Episode thumbnail for Amy and Rochelle: Two mums, known donor, IVF, public funding, co-feeding & advocating for the rainbow families coming up behind them

March 4, 2026

Amy and Rochelle: Two mums, known donor, IVF, public funding, co-feeding & advocating for the rainbow families coming up behind them

In this episode of Proud Conception, I'm joined by Amy and Rochelle, a lesbian couple who have been together since 2006 and married since 2008, long before marriage equality. They are mums to Josh, now 12, and Alex, now 8. We start in the present, with what it actually looks like to raise children in a queer whānau as their kids get older. Amy and Rochelle talk openly about how they present their family to the world, at school gates, on sports sidelines, and in the committees and institutions they've pushed to be more inclusive. They share how they've navigated questions from their boys about Pride parades, protesters, and why some people don't agree with families like theirs. And they reflect on what it means to model pride, advocacy and resilience for their children every single day. We then go back to the beginning. Their path to parenthood involved serious fertility challenges, and multiple rounds of IVF, some of them publicly funded. It also involves a special start: Amy and Rochelle were essentially gifted a sperm donor by another lesbian couple who had finished growing their own family. That donor, and that family, have been part of their whānau ever since. We talk about the deeply personal decision around who would carry their children and the grief that can accompany fertility making your hopes to carry impossible, and how both Amy and Rochelle cobreast-fed their boys, something they were navigating largely without a roadmap, twelve years ago. Amy and Rochelle are warm, funny, and quietly formidable. This is a rich conversation for anyone in the thick of building their queer whānau, and just as much for those further along the journey wondering what lies ahead. As always, thanks for listening to Proud Conception. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and join the conversation on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/proudconceptionpod"> @ProudConceptionPod</a>. Please consider sharing this podcast with a friend — it really does help us connect with people who might benefit from the stories we are sharing. And if you have a family building story that you'd like to share, please get in touch! You can reach us via Instagram or by emailing proudconception@gmail.com.

February 17, 2026

Rose: Two mums, known donor, at-home insemination, mental health, coming off medication & raising teens in a queer whānau

In this episode of Proud Conception, I’m joined by Rose, a mum of two who is parenting well beyond the early years, with one child in their mid-teens and another entering adolescence. We go right back to the beginning of Rose and her wife’s journey to parenthood including the enormous and complex decision to come off mental health medication in order to try for a baby. Rose speaks openly about a period of hospitalisation, the destabilising impact that had on their family, and how they navigated that chapter together. We also talk about choosing a known donor and why openness mattered deeply to them from the outset. Rose reflects on how their relationship with their donor has naturally evolved over time, and how identity and whakapapa interweave in their whānau’s story. A significant part of this conversation focuses on parenting older children in a queer family. We discuss school environments, navigating questions from peers, supporting donor-conceived children as they form their identities, and what it actually looks like when the early intensity of conception and birth gives way to the long, steady work of raising young people. What I loved most about this kōrero is Rose’s grounded optimism. She offers reassurance that while every family navigates hardship, being queer or donor-conceived has not been a defining struggle in their story. Instead, she speaks about the gift of growing up in a queer whānau; the gift of learning to think expansively about family, difference, empathy and belonging. Rose and her whānau have chosen to use pseudonyms in this episode to protect their privacy. As always, thanks for listening to Proud Conception. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and join the conversation on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/proudconceptionpod"> @ProudConceptionPod</a>. Please consider sharing this podcast with a friend, it really does help us connect with people who might benefit from the stories we are sharing. And if you have a family building story that you’d like to share, please get in touch! You can reach us via Instagram or by emailing <a href="mailto:proudconception@gmail.com">proudconception@gmail.com</a>.

20 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is Proud Conception Podcast?: Welcome to Proud Conception, a podcast that explores the diverse parenthood journeys of LGBTQ+ families in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Each episode dives into real stories of parenthood, focusing on the lived experiences of queer parents as they navigate the path to building their families. Keep listening for the expert interviews where we hear from the people supporting these paths to parenthood.

This podcast is about giving voice to the many ways LGBTQ+ families come to be and creating a world where our little ones feel seen, safe, and proud. Thanks for being here!
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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