For Hannah Rood, becoming a surrogate wasn't an unexpected decision. It was a dream she had carried in her heart for decades. 

In this episode of How Life Shapes Us, Tesla Mitchell sits down with longtime friend Hannah Rood, who turned a dream she'd carried since she was 16 into something extraordinary: becoming a gestational surrogate.

After watching her brother and his wife go through fertility struggles, Hannah knew she wanted to help impact someone’s life by giving the gift of parenthood. But getting there was anything but simple. She navigated an intensive approval process, unexpected medical hurdles, legal contracts, weeks of hormone injections, and patience while waiting for the right match.

Eventually, Hannah was matched with Jorge, an intended father from Spain, and became pregnant with his baby through embryo transfer. She opens up about the mindset required to carry a baby that wasn't hers, the importance of trusting her body, and how she learned to stay determined without letting unexpected challenges derail her.

Then came the moment that made it all worth it: giving birth and watching Jorge meet his son.

Hannah shares what surrogacy taught her about determination, trust, letting go, and staying calm when life doesn't go according to plan.

At its heart, this is a story about generosity, resilience, and the extraordinary impact one person can have on another person's life.

Hannah chose to give something deeply personal to help make someone else's dream possible. If more people approached life with that kind of generosity, there’s no telling what the world could be like.

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Note: Descriptions are written with the help of AI so Tesla can spend more time finding amazing guests and having meaningful interviews with them. Tesla edits these descriptions to make sure they are authentic to the guest’s story and aren’t using clickbait techniques to draw listeners in. Thanks for listening and supporting this one-person-run podcast!