Don’t Call me Ma’am – Motherhood in Many Ways – Episode 13
This week on Don’t Call Me Ma’am, host Jodi Miller welcomes the inspiring Sara-Jean “SJ” Lipmen—a woman whose journey through motherhood redefines what it means to be a parent in today’s world. SJ isn’t just a biological mom of three, she’s also an adoptive mother to a former student and an altruistic surrogate who carried a child for a gay couple. Through humor, vulnerability, and honesty, SJ shares how she built her unconventional family and the values that hold it together.
Together, Jodi and SJ dive into topics that aren’t always talked about but should be—what it’s like to love being pregnant and choose to carry a child for someone else without compensation; how it feels to birth a baby and hand it to another family with nothing but love and pride; and the emotional weight and reward of adopting a teenager who needed a home, guidance, and most importantly, unconditional love. SJ reflects on the psychological screening process for surrogates, the emotional landscape of childbirth, and how she and her husband approached expanding their family in the most intentional and generous ways possible.