Why We Started NadóWay

A personal journey that became a mission to help others

When my partner and I decided to start our family through IVF, we quickly realized that pursuing treatment in the USA wasn't the right choice for us.

The cost was prohibitive. Donor egg IVF in the United States averages $38,000 per cycle and can reach $60,000, with little or no insurance coverage and no credit toward additional tries. Most families need multiple cycles, pushing the total cost well past $70,000.

Legal uncertainty loomed large. The shifting legal landscape around reproductive rights created genuine concerns about the future, the status of our embryos, donor parental rights that could complicate our family, and whether the choices we made today would be protected tomorrow.

Our values didn't align. The commercialization, the lack of comprehensive support, and the ethical frameworks didn't resonate with how we wanted to build our family.

When we discovered Europe's approach, particularly in Spain, everything changed. The EU's progressive laws, ethical practices, and patient-centered care aligned perfectly with our needs and values.

The difference was remarkable. Not only was the treatment more affordable and legally secure, but the entire experience felt humane, supportive, and aligned with our vision of how fertility care should be.

That's why we created NadóWay. We knew there had to be countless other families facing the same challenges, searching for a better path forward. Our mission is to make European IVF accessible, understandable, and attainable—because everyone deserves the opportunity to build their family in a way that feels right.

Elissa and her partner holding their newborn son in a doorway

Dad resting on the couch with the baby asleep on his chest

Elissa holding her toddler on a sunny beach, forehead to forehead

Elissa walking hand in hand with her son along the shoreline

Dad on a wooded trail carrying the baby in a front carrier

About Elissa

Elissa Hansen is the Founder of NadóWay and a catalyst for bold ideas, strategic clarity, and meaningful action. With more than 20 years of experience in business, community, organizational, and economic development, she is known for helping people and organizations unlock their potential and move confidently toward their goals.

Through NadóWay, Elissa is pioneering a more prepared, confident IVF journey. NadóWay is a fertility concierge service that supports individuals and couples pursuing IVF treatment in Spain, offering personalized guidance, curated discovery experiences, and end-to-end support. Her work is centered on ensuring clients feel informed, emotionally ready, and deeply supported, resulting in stronger alignment with clinics and more human-centered care experiences.

NadóWay's model combines personalized guidance, small-group discovery trips to Barcelona to meet leading clinics and care teams, and continued support through the transition into treatment. This approach helps clients navigate complex decisions with clarity and confidence while building trust before care even begins.

Prior to founding NadóWay, Elissa served as President & CEO of Northspan, where she led the organization beginning in 2018 as its second CEO since its founding in 1985. In that role, she partnered with communities and organizations by leaning into tough conversations, asking the questions that move work forward, and guiding teams to solutions they could truly own. Her facilitation style brings out diverse perspectives, builds trust, and ignites momentum for community-centered change.

Earlier in her career, Elissa held roles with the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion (APEX), the Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation, Lake Superior Consulting, and Steam Creative Consulting. She currently serves on the boards of the Duluth Airport Authority and the Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM).

Elissa holds multiple respected professional certifications, including Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator, and Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). She is also a graduate of the intensive Mastering the Technology of Participation (MToP) facilitation leadership program through the Institute of Cultural Affairs.

Originally from central Minnesota, Elissa earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from Northern Arizona University. After living and working across the country, she chose Duluth as the place she wanted to contribute to and call home. She is a graduate of Leadership Duluth and the Blandin Community Leadership Program, was honored as one of the Duluth News Tribune's "20 Under 40," and in 2016 served as a Duluth City Councilor At-Large.

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