S9 E1: Thriving in Solo Motherhood, Surrogacy, & Entrepreneurship with Lisa Proeber
There’s a unique kind of bravery in deciding to build your own family, especially when the path looks nothing like what you once imagined.
In this season 9 opener, I’m joined by Lisa Proeber, fellow solo mom by choice, serial entrepreneur, and children’s book author.
Lisa and I started this episode as strangers but quickly found ourselves deep in conversation about everything from demotions to starting businesses, surrogacy, solo travel, and the honest realities of single motherhood.
Lisa shares her winding journey: early marriage in a conservative family, divorce, years of dating with the singular goal of becoming a mom, and ultimately making the leap into solo motherhood...during a global pandemic. We discuss the heartbreaks, the unexpected joy, and how the challenges of COVID, job loss, advocating for her son’s health, and taking big risks in business all wove together.
Lisa opens up about what it’s really like to juggle it all as a single mom, why she loves the flexibility of entrepreneurship, and how she’s helping to tell new stories for families like ours through her board book, Mama Cow.
In this episode, we talk about:
The courage and chaos of picking a sperm donor (and throwing a hilarious sperm party!)
Navigating solo motherhood through the shock of a pandemic
What it looks like to get fired for being pregnant - and fight back
How Lisa leveraged adversity to launch multiple businesses, and the freedom she’s found in working for herself
The gap in children’s books about nontraditional families, and why telling our stories matters
Helpful tips for finding support, outsourcing, and building a thriving solo mom life
Dating, surrogacy, and talking to kids about different families
This is a warm, funny, and deeply honest conversation for anyone thinking about single motherhood by choice, or just looking for ways to write their own story!
Connect with Lisa:
Looking for other single mothers by choice who share your city, career, identity, or stage of motherhood? Join the SGC Directory
