Join us in this episode as we explore the inspiring journey of Michele Elizaga, a Filipina American single mom by choice. Michele shares her decision to embrace motherhood on her own terms and defy societal expectations of needing to be partnered to have a baby. It started on her 40th birthday in Costa Rica where she had a pivotal conversation with a good friend that led her to consider having a child without a partner and pursue fertility options.

What started as a wild idea turned into a fast-paced roller coaster as Michele navigated sperm banks, fertility tests and doctors, and then a shocking pregnancy with the odds stacked against her all in less than a year. She shares with us the unexpected joy of becoming a mother to a son with Down Syndrome and autism.

Michele's story is a testament to the power of choice and destiny and highlights the challenges and triumphs of raising a child with special needs. We talk about how being supported by her community was essential to Michele's journey, and we also talk about how Michele has utilized things like therapy and medications in different seasons to support her own mental health and ADHD.

We hope this episode offers hope and inspiration to anyone considering non-traditional paths to parenthood or wanting to learn more about it, as Michele exudes joy and possibility in our conversation that life as a single mom by choice to a child of a special needs is equally wondrous and amazing.

Find more of Michele:
Instagram: instagram.com/micheleelizaga
Story: Love What Matters

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In this episode, Stella Falkner shares her inspiring journey from postpartum mental health struggles to creating and founding Dowa, a platform that bridges community support with clinical care for mothers. We dive into Stella’s personal experiences through postpartum that led her to discovering she had complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) and how she started healing from this. Stella tells us about how C-PTSD is different from PTSD because it arises from not one singular traumatic event but from an accumulation of prolonged, repeated, or chronic traumas that becomes woven into daily heightened feelings of being under duress.

We discuss how Stella was lucky enough to find a partial hospitalization program (PHP) that would take her in even when she was past a year postpartum, which ultimately felt so life-saving in her journey. We talk about the scarcity of dedicated postpartum mental health programs and the difficulties in accessing in-network support, shedding light on the broader mental health challenges beyond perinatal mental health disorders.

When designing her company, Stella was intentional about the way Dowa was set up. Stella introduces Dowa's innovative approach to maternal wellness, featuring a diverse provider network and support tools designed to break the stigma around seeking mental health help. The conversation highlights the critical role of community in maternal mental health and emphasizes the importance of finding safe spaces and culturally specific support, particularly for Asian American and Pacific Islander mothers.

More about Stella:

Stella Falkner is a Korean-American entrepreneur, mother, Certified Mental Health Peer Specialist, Postpartum Doula, Lactation Educator, and maternal health advocate. Her work centers on building technology that is deeply empathetic and grounded in the lived experiences of real families.

After navigating her own mental health challenges in motherhood and finding strength in the support of other moms, Stella founded Dowa — a platform designed to bridge community support with clinical care. She built Dowa to provide integrated support that addresses the full spectrum of motherhood: mental health, physical wellness, and the often overwhelming stress and anxiety that come with raising a child and tracking their development.

Website: dowahealth.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/dowahealth

Resources mentioned:
"What My Bones Know-A Memoir of Healing from Complex-PTSD" by Stephanie Foo

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✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)

On today's episode, we dive into the often-overlooked topic of mental health among AAPI men. Our guest is John Wang, the award-winning author of Big Asian Energy. John with us shares his personal journey of overcoming burnout and redefining his identity, highlighting the cultural challenges faced by AAPI men in seeking mental health support and honoring where they come from without losing who they are becoming.

We explore the impact of societal expectations, the model minority myth, imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, and the importance of creating spaces for emotional expression and healing, particularly in the AAPI community. John shares about the Asian mens' groups that he formed (and facilitates) and about his journey into starting therapy and healing after reaching a breaking point right around the age of 30.

As a hopeful parent one day, John also talks about how he envisions raising his future children after doing a lot of inner healing to be the best and truest version of himself he can be. Join us as we discuss how AAPI folks can embrace their full selves and feel more seen in authentic ways in their lives!

More about John:
John Wang is the Taiwanese-Canadian award-winning author of Big Asian Energy (Amazon Editor’s Top 20 Best Business And Leadership Books 2025), podcaster, and a keynote speaker. John has been interviewed and featured as a leadership coach by NBC, CNBC, WSJ, TEDx, and Audible, and his insights on confidence and breaking limiting patterns have amassed over 25 million views on social media.

Find more of John:

🌍 Website: https://www.bigasianenergy.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwangofficial/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnwangbae
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwangofficial/
📖 Book: https://a.co/d/c0T1c8t
🎙️ Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/5M7T0HbKqNpJNuFRt3DUEH
🎙️ Podcast (Apple): https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/big-asian-energy/id1704004839

Send us your thoughts!

Support the show

✨ If you'd like to subscribe to our podcast for access to more bonus episodes, please click here for Buzzsprout Subscriptions! Once subscribed, you can use an RSS feed to listen from any of your podcast platforms. Thanks in advance for your support, as this really helps us keep the show going! ❤️ (Think of it like buying us a boba...to share! 😉🧋)