Choosing Chaos: Solo Motherhood by Choice

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In this personal episode, Laura shares her decision to pause Choosing Chaos: Solo Motherhood by Choice for now. She reflects on what this podcast and its community have meant to her, and offers a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who has listened, shared their stories, and made space for the experiences of others.
 This isn’t necessarily goodbye, but for now, it’s time to pause.
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In this episode of Choosing Chaos, Laura sits down with Asha Sen, a single mother by choice and author of Nothing Between Us, to talk about building a family through donor conception and gestational surrogacy. They explore the realities of becoming a mom, navigating unexpected challenges, and discovering that even when motherhood is something you've worked so hard for, the experience can still be complicated, messy, and full of surprises.
📚 Read Asha's memoir, Nothing Between Us: https://a.co/d/0cg97HBm
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Jennifer Johnston brings a truly unique perspective to Choosing Chaos — she was adopted at birth, and years later, she became an adoptive mom herself.
In this episode, Jennifer shares her experience building her family through adoption and the incredible perspective that comes from experiencing adoption from both sides. She talks openly and positively about the gift of adoption, the emotional highs and lows that can come with the process, and why understanding adoption laws, your rights, and the realities of each state’s process is so important for anyone considering this path to parenthood.
We also talk about what motherhood looks like now that her daughter is school-aged — navigating the emotions, independence, friendships, and changing needs that come with watching your little one grow into her own person.
And underneath it all is Jennifer's experience living with chronic illness. She shares what it means to be a present, engaged mom while managing fibromyalgia, the days when her body doesn't cooperate, and the reality of being the only parent when you're the one who needs care, too.
This is a conversation about adoption, motherhood, resilience without the cliché, and the beautiful complexity of building a family in a way that may not look traditional — but can be every bit as full, loving, and meant to be.
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What happens when the stage of motherhood you thought you’d love… turns out not to be your favorite?
In this episode, Laura sits down with Connie Rutherford, single mom by choice to six-year-old twin girls, for a candid and often hilarious conversation about the realities of raising kids on your own—and why Connie is absolutely loving this stage of motherhood.
Connie is a self-proclaimed calendar person, and keeping life moving with twins means organization is practically a survival skill. We talk about the chaos behind the carefully planned schedule, the parts of motherhood that have been harder than expected, and why the infant stage simply wasn’t her thing. Now that her girls are six, Connie is finding her groove and genuinely enjoying the conversations, personalities, and independence that come with this age.
Connie is also the author of Searching for Tadpoles: The Journey to Motherhood of a Single Mother by Choice.
📖 Amazon | BookBaby
📱 Instagram | TikTok
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In this episode of Choosing Chaos, Laura sits down with Noam Friedlander, a writer, author, genealogist, and solo mom, for an honest conversation about the realities of motherhood in the toddler years.
Noam shares what life looks like balancing motherhood, work, creativity, and the mental load of doing it all without another parent automatically sharing the responsibility. They talk about identity, building a village, accepting help, the parts of pre-motherhood life that can be missed, and what Noam has learned about letting go of perfection and focusing on what matters.
Laura and Noam also talk about her work as an author, including her children's book The Hopeful Bunny, a heartwarming story about a bunny who dreams of becoming a single mother and building a family of her own.
Learn more about The Hopeful Bunny and purchase the book:
The Hopeful Bunny — International Press Group
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