CEO MONTHLY / JANUARY 2026 18 From Lived Experience to Leading Change: Championing Safe, Ethical Surrogacy Worldwide Setting the global standard for surrogacy and modern family building, My Surrogacy Journey (MSJ) exists to ensure that every familybuilding journey is grounded in compassion, transparency, and expert care. The not-forprofit organisation was founded with the goal of creating a world where ethical surrogacy and modern family building thrive, championing the belief that everyone has the right to build their family, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, or fertility history. With physical offices in Mexico City and operations spanning the UK, Mexico, and the US, MSJ is a truly global organisation. Furthermore, it is the only organisation in its field with fully established legal entities in every country it operates in, The global surrogacy sector has often struggled to keep pace with the evolving needs of surrogates and intended parents—especially as fertility rates shift and family-building journeys become ever more complex. Drawing deeply from their own path to parenthood via surrogacy, Michael and Wes Johnson-Ellis founded My Surrogacy Journey: a purpose-led, values-centered organisation dedicated to bridging critical gaps in support and advocacy. As MSJ moves toward becoming the world’s leading surrogacy agency by 2027, we sat down with Michael and Wes—recently recognised in the Most Influential CEO Awards 2026—to hear how their personal story continues to inspire positive change for families everywhere. S ensuring all offered pathways are not only ethical and safe, but also legally secure and transparent. With this extended global footprint, MSJ supports intended parents and surrogates across borders, navigating complex legal, clinical, and emotional landscapes with the utmost confidence and care. The MSJ team reflects this international perspective, bringing together expertise and lived experience from diverse backgrounds and cultures. More than 90% of the team have personal surrogacy backgrounds, whether having been surrogates themselves or intended parents. This ensures that the organisation’s emotional support is as robust as its clinical care, with support, empathy, and guidance that is anchored in real, lived experience. This is what truly sets MSJ apart in the surrogacy landscape: being built from the ground up by intended parents and surrogates, for intended parents and surrogates. The story of My Surrogacy Journey’s establishment began in a deeply personal place. When Wes and Michael Johnson-Ellis first embarked on their surrogacy journey in 2016, they were discharged from the trusted space of their fertility clinic and soon discovered that their NHS hospital did not understand them, their family, or surrogacy at all. A time that should have been an exciting and affirming experience quickly became one of exclusion, misunderstanding, and – at times – outright discrimination. “One moment that has stayed with us was our first scan,” Michael recalled. “Caroline, our surrogate, had clearly explained to the team that we were the dads waiting outside. Despite this, the sonographer called our names across the waiting room and then said, ‘Only the real dad is allowed in here.’ Our hearts sank. It was humiliating, upsetting, and immediately made it clear that if we wanted to be part of our own pregnancy, we would have to fight to be seen and respected.” This experience deteriorated even further when Michael and Wes met their original consultant. He focused exclusively on what the couple could not do: attend appointments, access the maternity ward, or even be present at the birth of their own child. Caroline was repeatedly referred to as “mum” despite continuous corrections, and they were told that the handover of their baby would need to happen off NHS property due to fears around human trafficking. This devastated the pair, who only wished to be present at the birth of their first child. With the support of a remarkable Lead Midwife, who was astonished to hear of their experience, Michael and Wes requested a new consultant and sought legal advice. The legal assessment concluded that the Trust had breached 12 counts of the Equality Act, though litigation was never the goal. Instead, they made a conscious decision to transform their pain into progress. They offered to drop any legal action if they could work alongside the Lead Midwife and their new consultant to create an inclusive surrogacy pathway – not only for their family, but every family to follow. This policy was introduced in late 2016, shortly after the birth of their daughter, Talulah. The birth was everything Michael and Wes had hoped for; the pair were welcomed in theatre to meet their daughter for the first time, alongside Caroline’s husband. When they returned in 2019 for the birth of their son, Duke, the family were supported by the same clinical team. This
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