Ms Russell started as a solicitor in a large firm before trying to start a family and becoming familiar with IVF treatment and surrogacy.

“The first few weeks of every month involves almost daily blood tests and ultrasound scans and injections, and often those injections would have to happen at a particular time. So, that might mean having to do those injections in your office or in the bathrooms at your office. It’s all very, very all-consuming,” she said.

“Probably after doing IVF for around a year or so, it became very difficult for me to juggle working full-time and doing IVF full-time because IVF in and of itself is really like a full-time job. And so, I was really lucky to negotiate a period of unpaid leave so that I could continue with the process without having to juggle my work at the same time, which was just super helpful.”

After years of IVF treatment and dropping down to a part-time role, Ms Russell ultimately decided to leave her firm – but still needed something to keep her “brain active”.

“I set up Russell Walker Lawyers at that point, really just to continue to do some form of work that would be flexible around me trying to create a family. And so, at that point, I had decided that I would continue working in commercial law, not litigation,” she added.

“After having done IVF for about four years, it became abundantly clear that it just wasn’t going to work for us, and so our doctor had suggested to us that we explore surrogacy, and we were really lucky that my best friend had actually offered to carry a baby for us if that’s what needed to happen. She took over, and we went down the surrogacy route, and as part of that, both the surrogate and the intending parents need to have their own lawyers, and so we had to go off and get independent legal advice, and obviously, that was something that was interesting to me, and it really sparked the passion with which I work today.”

Ms Russell now has a four-year-old daughter and said the process had been not only personally life-changing but also professionally, sparking an interest and passion in surrogacy law.

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“As a result of that process, I transitioned out of commercial law and I now practise exclusively in surrogacy law,” she said.

“What that involves is helping other couples that are in the same position that I was in and also same-sex couples as well to be able to create their families, and so now I’m able to provide the mandatory legal advice which is wonderful, but I also feel like I can give that personal guidance as well because I’ve been through the process myself.”

One of the hardest things about her journey was the “identity shift” from lawyer to prospective mother, Ms Russell added.

“I felt that I was in no man’s land that I wasn’t yet a mother, and yet I couldn’t give my all to being a lawyer, and so I think part of the difficulties that I faced was that, yes, I did feel like I was in the trenches and that I didn’t sort of identify with either really fully,” she said.

“There was a real sort of pull between home life and professional life and how that looked for me, and ultimately I made the decision that I had to follow the mother calling more than I had to follow the professional calling.”

Now, as Ms Russell has her own firm, she said that whilst she finds it rewarding to be able to practice in this area of law and frequently share her story, it can also be incredibly triggering, too.

“One of the aspects of my personality is that I do take on other people’s stress and other people’s anxieties and sadness,” she said.

“And so, I have to work on trying to not take that on so much so that I can give my all to my clients as I am now and not putting myself back into the place where I was. So, yes, it can be triggering, but it’s important for me.”

However, being open about her story has also allowed Ms Russell to create a solid support network.

“Being open about where you’re at can have a twofold outcome, but having a support network around you can only be created if you allow it to be created,” she added.

“[Being] open with your journey can include with your employers and your colleagues, but also being open can also help others to have the courage to go down this path as well.”

The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Nicole Russell, click below: