From Survival to Surrogacy: Aimee McGuire’s Second Act in Life & Hollywood

03/13/25 • 71 min

Aimee is an actress/writer living in Los Angeles. As a kid, she would tell stories to anyone that would listen- most of them not true. Instead of accepting that she was a pesky, lying little child, she did some soul searching at the ripe age of 10 and realized it was her future to be a storyteller!

Fast forwarding to today, she has momentum with her acting career, and has developed her voice as a writer. She's ready to tell her tall tales to executives who pay her for them! Aimee writes features that are led by interesting, dynamic and funny female characters, and loves to find levity even in dark moments of life... like cancer! Her current WIP, Breasties, is about her personal experience making friends while undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Favorite things: breakfast burritos, dogs, Taylor Swift, low maintenance plants, and therapy.

You can catch Aimee as an actress in the upcoming A24 film, Opus (in theaters March 14th), and in Season 3 (Episode 4) of AMC’s Dark Winds.

..........

Interview with actress Aimee McGuire about her cancer journey, surrogacy experience, and return to acting.

Key Takeaways

Aimee was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 in 2022, underwent treatment, and is now cancer-free

She and her husband are pursuing surrogacy to have children, facing both emotional and financial challenges

Aimee's experience has given her a renewed appreciation for acting and a fresh perspective on her career

She emphasizes the importance of community support and maintaining hope throughout difficult journeys

Topics

Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022 at age 33

No family history or genetic markers for breast cancer

Treatment included chemotherapy, double mastectomy, lymph node removal, and radiation

Underwent fertility preservation before treatment, resulting in two viable embryos

Currently cancer-free but in medically-induced menopause to prevent hormone-related recurrence

Surrogacy Journey

Pursuing surrogacy due to inability to carry children post-cancer treatment

Working with a family member as surrogate to reduce costs and maintain a personal connection

Facing financial challenges, redirecting funds from other areas of life to support the process

Managing the surrogacy process independently without an agency, which is time-consuming but cost-effective

Experienced one unsuccessful embryo transfer, preparing for the next attempt

Return to Acting

Excited to return to auditioning after cancer treatment

Faced challenges with changing appearance due to hair regrowth, requiring multiple headshot sessions

Found a renewed appreciation for acting and the audition process

Believes life experiences, including cancer, have informed and deepened her acting abilities

More organized in managing the business side of acting

Emotional and Mental Impact

Uses humor as a coping mechanism throughout her journey

Emphasizes the importance of community support, both in-person and online

Struggles with unsolicited opinions and judgments about surrogacy and fertility choices

Maintains hope as a primary source of strength during difficult times

Financial Considerations

Cancer treatment was expensive even with good insurance

Some necessary treatments and therapies not covered by insurance

Surrogacy process is costly, requiring careful financial planning and sacrifices

Pursuing independent surrogacy journey to reduce agency fees and overall costs

Favorite things: breakfast burritos, dogs, Taylor Swift, low maintenance plants, and therapy.

You can catch Aimee as an actress in the upcoming A24 film, Opus (in theaters March 14th), and in Season 3 (Episode 4) of AMC’s Dark Winds.

..........

Interview with actress Aimee McGuire about her cancer journey, surrogacy experience, and return to acting.

Key Takeaways

Aimee was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 in 2022, underwent treatment, and is now cancer-free

She and her husband are pursuing surrogacy to have children, facing both emotional and financial challenges

Aimee's experience has given her a renewed appreciation for acting and a fresh perspective on her career

She emphasizes the importance of community support and maintaining hope throughout difficult journeys

Topics

Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022 at age 33

No family history or genetic markers for breast cancer

Treatment included chemotherapy, double mastectomy, lymph node removal, and radiation

Underwent fertility preservation before treatment, resulting in two viable embryos

Currently cancer-free but in medically-induced menopause to prevent hormone-related recurrence

Surrogacy Journey

Pursuing surrogacy due to inability to carry children post-cancer treatment

Working with a family member as surrogate to reduce costs and maintain a personal connection

Facing financial challenges, redirecting funds from other areas of life to support the process

Managing the surrogacy process independently without an agency, which is time-consuming but cost-effective

Experienced one unsuccessful embryo transfer, preparing for the next attempt

Return to Acting

Excited to return to auditioning after cancer treatment

Faced challenges with changing appearance due to hair regrowth, requiring multiple headshot sessions

Found a renewed appreciation for acting and the audition process

Believes life experiences, including cancer, have informed and deepened her acting abilities

More organized in managing the business side of acting

Emotional and Mental Impact

Uses humor as a coping mechanism throughout her journey

Emphasizes the importance of community support, both in-person and online

Struggles with unsolicited opinions and judgments about surrogacy and fertility choices

Maintains hope as a primary source of strength during difficult times

Financial Considerations

Cancer treatment was expensive even with good insurance

Some necessary treatments and therapies not covered by insurance

Surrogacy process is costly, requiring careful financial planning and sacrifices

Pursuing independent surrogacy journey to reduce agency fees and overall costs

Previous Episode

Politics, Parenthood, and the Entertainment Industry: A Candid Talk with David Hull

Hull was born and raised in Ohio just outside of Cincinnati. When he was younger he was interested in politics and was a member of the Junior Statesmen of America. At the age of sixteen, he discovered his love of music when he performed pop and country revues at local theme park Kings Island. He later attended the University of Michigan.

Hull had a number of Broadway credits before being cast in recurring role as White Josh on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2015. In April 2017, it was announced that Hull had been promoted to series regular. He also had a recurring role as Travis Moore in the HBO comedy series Insecure. He played Logan on The Middle.

Hull appeared in the 2017 film The Dark Tapes.[4] He also appeared in the 2018 film Benjamin directed by Bob Saget.

In 2022, Hull was announced as part of the cast of a film adaptation of several Chekhov plays to be directed by Martin McDonagh. The film will take elements of several of Chekhov's famous works, including The Cherry Orchard.

Discussing the wildfires and air quality @ 0:02

Emily and David discuss the wildfires in their area and the poor air quality, with Emily noting that her young daughter has never had to wear a mask before. They commiserate about the challenges of parenting during difficult environmental conditions.

Sharing personal backgrounds @ 8:19

dh shares details about his background, including being a political science major in college who became disillusioned with politics, his experience taking the LSAT, and his shift in political views over time from being a staunch Republican to supporting Obama.

Challenges of parenthood and work-life balance @ 40:30

dh discusses the significant challenges of balancing his acting career with being a parent, including the high costs of childcare, the difficulty of taking on projects that require travel or long hours, and the need to constantly make sacrifices. He expresses frustration with the lack of support and understanding for working parents, especially fathers.

Coping mechanisms and self-care @ 1:11:42

dh shares that his main coping mechanism is "turning his brain off" and avoiding social media and news, as he finds it helps him manage his anxiety and vertigo issues. He emphasizes the importance of prioritizing his own mental health and being present for his children.

Recap and farewell @ 1:19:30

Emily and dh wrap up the conversation, expressing gratitude for the discussion and exchanging well-wishes.

Next Episode

Founder of PRETTY PINK PICTURES, a female-focused production company - Susie Mendoza

SUSIE MENDOZA

Susie is a screenwriter, producer, founder, and mom with a puppet brain. She is a graduate of The Second City and was a finalist for the CBS Writing Fellowship in 2020. Her digital series, DICK BUNNY, produced alongside EP/director Katie Locke O' Brienn and EP/Star Kim Griffin, premiered at The Austin Film Festival, going on to win at SeriesFest and HollyShorts in 2024. (Best Digital Series)

Susie’s essays are published on McSweeneys, Scary Mommy, Mom.com, and The Pregnant Chicken. An adaptation of her McSweeney's essay, "The Biggest Challenge of Parenting is becoming a Human Meat Suit", is being developed for adult animation. Her recent article, "Simple, Not Contradictory Rules to Motherhood," echoes the impossible societal expectations seen in DICK BUNNY.

Susie’s picture book NATTY AND MO, an odd-couple tale with a mental health twist, marks her debut as a children's book author/illustrator. She also created all of the illustrations seen in the series, DICK BUNNY.

Susie is the founder of PRETTY PINK PICTURES is a female-focused independent film/tv production company. The company intends to take female writers and produce their work from script-to-screen. In today's uncertain landscape, they intend to cultivate hope, community, and opportunity by producing an entire season of indie TV. The indie film model, but for television.

For more info about PRETTY PINK PICTURES: www.prettypinkpictures.com, @susiermendoza

To watch DICK BUNNY: www.dickbunny.com

To see a read-aloud video of "Natty and Mo", voiced by actress Rachel Bloom where she gets pee'd on by a live hedgehog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpqN-8ZDM3U&t=16s