Content Note / Trigger Warning:
This episode includes discussion of fertility challenges, medical complications, pregnancy loss, and barriers to family expansion. Please listen in the way that feels safest and most supportive for you.

Today, I had the honour of sitting down with Michelle and Lisa Cast, a couple whose love story spans nearly 25 years and whose family-building journey has been anything but simple.

Michelle and Lisa first met in 2001, when they were just 18 years old and sophomores in college. What followed can only be described as a knowing. After only a few weeks of talking, Michelle shared, “If you were a guy, I’d marry you tomorrow,” to which Lisa replied, “Yeah… we need to talk about that. I think I’m falling in love with you.” They’ve been together ever since.

Over the years, Michelle and Lisa have navigated profound and intersecting challenges: significant weight-loss journeys, living with and managing PCOS, pregnancy and birth following serious medical complications, and the stress of not conceiving their second child in a timely manner. And still — their story is not finished.

What stands out most in this conversation is their honesty, their refusal to romanticize hardship, and their unwavering belief that their family may yet continue to grow. They speak openly about grief, resilience, love, and the complexity of holding hope after loss.

Michelle and Lisa also share their lived experiences on their own podcast, creating space for truth-telling, connection, and solidarity for others walking similar paths. This episode is a reminder that Queer family creation is rarely linear — and that persistence, love, and care can coexist with uncertainty.

🎧 Be sure to check out their podcast: The Cast Compass Podcast and follow them on social media @Castof2Moms to continue learning from their journey.

Website - https://thecastcompass.com/ (has been revised and has a blurb about our podcast here: https://thecastcompass.com/#podcast)

Podcast Links - Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cast-compass-podcast/id1812208043, Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3mqkhiFYmENxbYP94u0ckU, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCastCompass