Exactly How Much Did You Get Paid? From Lawyers to Payments to the Question Everyone Wants Answered

This week I sat down with Heather Nelson, a woman whose story left me in absolute awe. She opens up about her journey of becoming a surrogate — carrying a baby for someone else and giving the ultimate gift of life to a woman who had been trying for years to become a mother.   Heather walks us through the highs, the lows, and the deeply human parts of surrogacy. From filling out a 90+ question questionnaire just to be matched, to navigating lawyers, contracts, payments, and the desires of the intended parents — nothing about this journey is simple. And yet, Heather approached it with a sense of clarity and purpose: she knew this baby wasn’t hers, and she carried with the intention of giving it back.   And yes — I asked the question everyone wants to know: “How much did you get paid?” Heather didn’t shy away from answering.   Now in her second surrogacy journey, Heather shares the small but important changes she’s made this time around, what she’s doing differently, and the wisdom she’s carrying forward from her first experience.   We talk about: • How to hold the most personal experience in the world without making it personal • The emotional rollercoaster of carrying for someone else • What the matching and legal process actually looks like behind the scenes • How surrogacy impacts your own family and support system • What she learned the first time — and what she’s doing differently this time • Why she now helps other women navigate their surrogacy journeys   Heather’s story is one of strength, compassion, and perspective. It’s about what it really means to give — and how sometimes the greatest gift you can give isn’t something you keep.