About Us
Personally and professionally connected to embryo donation.
Welcome! We are so glad you are here!
Never Thought We’d Be Here was created to bring honest, thoughtful conversation to a path that so many people find themselves on—but rarely hear about: directed embryo donation. There truly isn’t another space like this.
A little about us…
In early 2019, the three of us came together as moms on a mission. Each of us had walked our own complex, life-changing fertility journey, with a personal connection to embryo donation. What we shared was a deep belief that this path could—and should—be better understood, more inclusive, and more supported.
We also saw a gap. Reproductive medicine does an incredible job helping people get pregnant—but what about everything that comes after? We wanted to help build a bridge between reproductive medicine and long-term family wellbeing, where the emotional, relational, and ethical pieces are just as prioritized as the medical ones.
That vision became EM•POWER with Moxi—an organization grounded in education and ethical, relationship-centered care—and Moxi Matching, our directed embryo donation matching platform and journey management service.
Through Moxi Matching, we help donors and recipients connect in a thoughtful, transparent way—and then we walk alongside them through the entire process, from matching to clinic coordination, legal, and beyond. Since launching in August 2023, we’ve facilitated over 100 matches and welcomed more than 40 Moxi babies into the world.
Because of how hands-on we are, this work becomes deeply personal. Our clients don’t just pass through a process—they become part of a community. And many are open to sharing their stories, so others can feel less alone in considering this path.
That’s why we created this podcast.
Here, we share real stories and real experiences—what it actually looks like to navigate embryo donation, to share genetics in this unique way, and to build families that may not have been part of the original plan.
Most of the people we work with never thought they’d be here. But they’re so glad they are. And so are we.
Because we’re both personally and professionally connected to this work, we understand the emotional weight of these decisions, the logistical complexity of the process, and how essential it is to have clear information, thoughtful support, and a sense of community along the way.
It takes a little moxi to step into embryo donation—whether you’re giving or receiving. We’re here to help make that step feel possible.
If you’d like to learn more, explore additional educational resources and our services through EM•POWER with Moxi and Moxi Matching.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to increasing awareness, empowering choice and fostering understanding for everyone involved in embryo donation.
We are committed to supporting clinics in integrating the rapidly changing field of genetics and new technologies into their embryo donation practices.
We are invested in nurturing healthy relationships and decreasing fears to normalize this unique family building option.
Our Beliefs
We believe that all people - regardless of gender, sexual identity, marital status or religious beliefs - have the right to pursue parenthood.
We believe that love makes a family and families take many forms.
We believe that empowered choices in embryo donation start with education and flourish in an environment of community support, and that different choices are right for different families.
Meet Our Founders & Hosts
Meet Maya
Co-Founder & Outreach Specialist
Maya Grobel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) / psychotherapist in reproductive medicine. Her diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve in her early 30s sent her straight to IVF, which resulted in no embryos to transfer and intense heartbreak. Over the next 4 years, she and her husband tried everything assisted reproductive medicine had to offer and documented the entire journey, which resulted in a feature-length film called One More Shot that debuted on Netflix in 2018 and is now available on Vimeo on Demand and Amazon. The end of their journey was the birth of their daughter who was conceived via embryo donation.
Maya was honored to co-author the chapters on embryo donation for the second edition of two seminal books for reproductive medicine professionals: Fertility Counseling: Clinical Guide and Fertility Counseling: Case Studies.
Maya is a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi and the recipient specialist. She is one of the first people Moxi Matching members will meet on their journey during their onboarding meeting, as she helps clients get oriented, grounded, and educated for the road ahead.
Meet Jen
Co-Founder & Matching Specialist
Jen Vesbit is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) who rode the IVF roller coaster twice. Her first IVF cycle ended in a heartbreaking miscarriage and no remaining embryos. Her second cycle gave her twins and one remaining embryo. Jen and her husband agonized over what to do with that one embryo and ultimately decided to donate to a single mom by choice. That embryo is now a healthy and happy little boy.
Throughout her journey, Jen found a lack of education and support for people considering embryo donation, so she created an online community called Embryo Donation Support and began running support groups for embryo donors. As an NCC, Jen offers support sessions for both donors and recipients who are navigating the different emotions and considerations of being an embryo donor or recipient.
She is a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi and the donor specialist. Jen supports Moxi Matching members through the matching process and hosts the facilitated match meetings, holding space and providing guidance throughout the process of initial connection.
Meet Gina
Co-Founder & Journey Management Specialist
Gina Davis has been a genetic counselor (CGC) in the field of reproductive medicine for 19 years. Her company, Advocate Genetics, provides genetic counseling for fertility patients and those connected to third-party reproduction. She had been working in the field of infertility for 6 years before her own 3-1/2 year fertility journey began.
Her story involved multiple surgeries and a heartbreaking miscarriage but also resulted in the birth of her two amazing children via IVF. After she felt her family was complete, she also had 16 remaining embryos and some big decisions to make. Years later, she has donated her remaining embryos to two families, one of whom now has a beautiful and spunky daughter. Gina is crossing her fingers for her second recipients and is hoping there will be new additions to this donation story over time.
Gina is a multi-state licensed, board-certified genetic counselor, who specializes in the field of reproductive medicine. Her career began as a genetic counselor in an academic REI practice, the University of California, San Francisco's Center for Reproductive Health, from 2004 to 2013. Her experience in the clinic and now working with clinics all around the country give her unique insight into the needs of the clinics, specifically around the logistics of embryo donation.
Gina is a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi and Journey Management Specialist who oversees all aspects of Moxi Journey Management.
