When author and podcast host Nora McInerny found herself forming a blended family with a new partner not long after the death of her first husband, she had to leave behind any plans she thought she had.

As a young actor in Hollywood, Jenifer Lewis never planned on starting a family. But since then she’s played some of the most influential mother roles on TV and in movies. Along the way she’s found many different ways to mother.

In many ways, Drag Superstar Sasha Velour’s Drag Mothers were her grandmas, who encouraged her exploration of drag at a young age. The lessons she learned from them inform her approach to mentoring other drag queens today.

ESPN host Elle Duncan planned her two pregnancies meticulously, just like she planned her career as a sports anchor. But, health complications with her second child forced her to confront the inescapable uncertainty of parenting.

When the desire to have kids never kicked in, sociologist Dr. Amy Blackstone thought there was something wrong with her. When she turned to her profession for answers, she learned that “maternal instinct” is largely a myth.

Comedian Negin Farsad’s parents never pressured her to have kids. But when her dad told a story about her own birth that she’d never heard before, she felt a surprising sense of duty to continue her family’s line in America.

For most of his life, Hank Green, the Internet’s science teacher, didn’t know how to hold a baby, let alone raise one. Now that he’s a dad himself, it’s the small moments that make him feel like a pro.

Content creator Jessica Rose built a brand around talking about motherhood online – specifically the parts she doesn’t like about it. And she’s come to realize that regretting parenthood doesn’t necessarily make you a bad parent.

Author Elizabeth Gilbert thought motherhood was inevitable. But one night at a friend's dinner party, she realized it didn’t have to be that way… and that she’d have to make some big changes if she wanted to rewrite her future.

Sexologist Shan Boodram did not want a second child. So when she found out she was pregnant again and her feelings about it were not entirely positive, she had to reckon with the imperfect parts of herself.

Chasten Buttigieg always wanted to be a father, but wasn’t sure it was possible for him as a gay man. After his husband Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign ended, they embarked on another challenging journey: adoption.