The Kids or Childfree Podcast

In this conversation, Keltie is joined by Caroline Lee, a death doula and somatic therapist who supports women and couples with the Kids or Childfree choice.

You'll hear them discuss:

Caroline's personal journey to motherhood, and the career pivot that took her from photographer, to death doula and therapist. 
How fear, grief, shame, and mortality influence decisions around parenthood.
How to work through grief and shame when confronting the Kids or Childfree choice.
The role of psychedelics like psilocybin and ibogaine in exploring the decision of whether to have kids.
The significance of making conscious, intentional decisions about parenthood.
...and so much more.
(1:48) Meet Caroline & her Kids or Childfree decision; (10:27) The work of a death doula; (16:52) Coping with grief and shame in the Kids or Childfree decision; (30:57) Mortality + the Kids or Childfree decision; (45:51) Using psychedelics for decision-making


About Caroline:

Caroline Lee is a death doula, somatic therapist, writer, and mother of 2. She is the creator of To Babe or Not to Babe, a six-week group for people deciding whether to become parents, remain childfree, or have another child. Her work explores death, desire, grief, the body, and the threshold moments where a life starts asking to be lived more truthfully. Her kids are Moses and Octavia, 2.5 years and 5 months old, and she had them at 37 and 39 years old. She and her partner live in the Bay of San Francisco.

As mentioned in the episode:

Find Caroline and her 6-week group program, To Babe or Not to Babe, online at www.tobabeornottobabe.com.

Find her on social media at @howcarolinecarolines


MORE HELP FOR YOUR KIDS OR CHILDFREE DECISION:
Start Here: sign up for an upcoming WORKSHOP 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/workshop
Join a GROUP PROGRAM
🔗 Kids or Childfree Group Program ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-program
🔗Confidently Childfree Group Intensive ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-group-intensive
Access an ON DEMAND class 
🔗 Peruse the entire On Demand Collection ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/ondemand
Join one of our monthly SUPPORT SERIES sessions 
🔗 Kids or Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-support-series
🔗Confidently Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-support-series
Work with me in 1-on-1 COACHING 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/coaching FREE resources ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/free-resources
CONNECT ONLINE
💻 Website ▸ http://kidsorchildfree.com
📸 Instagram ▸ http://instagram.com/kidsorchildfree
⏰ Tiktok ▸ https://tiktok.com/@kidsorchildfree
📽️ YouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@KidsorChildfree 
👉 Brought to you by Keltie Maguire, Clarity Coach ▸ http://keltiemaguire.com
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Keltie is joined by guest, Tina Martinez, for a conversation about Tina's journey to embracing her childfree choice — and why a simple and peaceful life without kids is more than enough.

The two of them chat about:

How Tina and her husband ultimately landed on the childfree decision, after trying to have kids.


The often-overlooked perks of a romantic partnership without children. 


How Tina navigates her fears about ageing and companionship.


The importance of community and support networks for childfree women – and how Tina is building these for herself, and other childfree women.


The biggest myths and stereotypes about childfree women.
(2:08) Meet Tina and her Kids or Childfree decision (16:40) Being a childfree couple (29:21) An (extra)ordinary life without kids (39:05) Myths about childfree women (47:24) Being childfree in your 50s

About Tina

Tina Martinez is a Food Producer at Good Housekeeping magazine with over 15 years of experience across recipe development, food styling, and culinary content production. Currently working in a test kitchen, she wears many hats—developing, writing, and testing recipes, styling food for photo shoots, and producing video content for social media. She began her career in restaurant kitchens before moving into teaching culinary classes, eventually transitioning into food styling for editorial, digital, and television platforms. Originally from New Jersey, Tina has spent the past 25 years living everywhere from Queens and Brooklyn to California and Washington, DC, before settling in Westchester with her husband. Outside the kitchen, she's passionate about fitness and staying active—you can find her running, weightlifting, hiking local trails, or exploring neighborhood breweries.

As mentioned in the episode

Find Tina on Instagram at instagram.com/the_saltgypsy 
Find her on TikTok at tiktok.com/@the.salt.gypsy

Her website is www.tinadegraff.com


MORE HELP FOR YOUR KIDS OR CHILDFREE DECISION:
Start Here: sign up for an upcoming WORKSHOP 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/workshop
Join a GROUP PROGRAM
🔗 Kids or Childfree Group Program ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-program
🔗Confidently Childfree Group Intensive ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-group-intensive
Access an ON DEMAND class 
🔗 Peruse the entire On Demand Collection ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/ondemand
Join one of our monthly SUPPORT SERIES sessions 
🔗 Kids or Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-support-series
🔗Confidently Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-support-series
Work with me in 1-on-1 COACHING 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/coaching FREE resources ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/free-resources
CONNECT ONLINE
💻 Website ▸ http://kidsorchildfree.com
📸 Instagram ▸ http://instagram.com/kidsorchildfree
⏰ Tiktok ▸ https://tiktok.com/@kidsorchildfree
📽️ YouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@KidsorChildfree 
👉 Brought to you by Keltie Maguire, Clarity Coach ▸ http://keltiemaguire.com
Love what you're hearing? 💕 Subscribe | Like | Comment | Share with a friend

Keltie is joined by therapists and hosts of the ShrinkChicks Podcast, Emmalee Bierly and Jennifer Chaiken, to discuss friendships between moms and women without kids — including their own.

Hear them explore:
How Jennifer supported Emmalee through postpartum depression and fertility struggles — and why it was actually a good thing Jennifer isn't a mom as well.


Your biggest friendship dilemmas with friends who are moms.


Why open communication and honesty are the key to navigating different life choices.


How to bridge the divide that can occur when one of you has kids and the other doesn't.
(2:13) Meet Emmalee and Jennifer, their friendship, & their Kids or Childfree choices (16:01) How Emmalee's motherhood journey impacted their friendship (32:14) Advice on feeling left out in friend groups comprised mostly of moms (39:12) Misconceptions about moms or childfree people

About The ShrinkChicks

Emmalee Bierly & Jennifer Chaiken are both Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, co-owners of the private therapy practice, The Therapy Group, and co-hosts of the ShrinkChicks Podcast! They believe in being down to earth, authentic, and transparent, which are values they bring both to their practice as well as their podcast! Their mission is to make therapy more relatable and accessible, working to break down that clinical wall.

As mentioned in the episode

Tune in to hear Keltie on the ShrinkChicks Podcast

Find Emmalee and Jennifer on Instagram at:
@shrinkchicks
@thetherapygrp

Their website is thetherapygroup.com

Join our upcoming Grow or No Workshhop happening on June 24th.


MORE HELP FOR YOUR KIDS OR CHILDFREE DECISION:
Start Here: sign up for an upcoming WORKSHOP 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/workshop
Join a GROUP PROGRAM
🔗 Kids or Childfree Group Program ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-program
🔗Confidently Childfree Group Intensive ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-group-intensive
Access an ON DEMAND class 
🔗 Peruse the entire On Demand Collection ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/ondemand
Join one of our monthly SUPPORT SERIES sessions 
🔗 Kids or Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-support-series
🔗Confidently Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-support-series
Work with me in 1-on-1 COACHING 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/coaching FREE resources ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/free-resources
CONNECT ONLINE
💻 Website ▸ http://kidsorchildfree.com
📸 Instagram ▸ http://instagram.com/kidsorchildfree
⏰ Tiktok ▸ https://tiktok.com/@kidsorchildfree
📽️ YouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@KidsorChildfree 
👉 Brought to you by Keltie Maguire, Clarity Coach ▸ http://keltiemaguire.com
Love what you're hearing? 💕 Subscribe | Like | Comment | Share with a friend

Join Keltie as she speaks with pyschotherapist and researcher, Dr. Margo Lowy, about the concept of maternal ambivalence and the mixed emotions that accompany the experience of motherhood.

They discuss:
Why saying yes to motherhood means embracing the "both, and"


What maternal ambivalence and being on the fence about kids have in common, and what we can learn from the former


Why letting go and surrender are essential to the motherhood path


The myth of the perfect decision (and perfect mother)

...and lots more.
 
(2:17) Meet Margo and her work on motherhood ambivalence; (11:40) Duality of the Kids or Childfree decision & Margo's motherhood experience; (23:17) Mothering as an experience of continually letting go; (43:07) The freedom of no "right" decision


About Dr. Lowy

Dr. Margo Lowy is a psychotherapist and researcher whose work explores the emotional complexity of motherhood. She's the author of Maternal Ambivalence: The Loving Moments & Bitter Truths of Motherhood and a contributor to Psychology Today.

As mentioned in the episode

Find Dr. Lowy online at drmargolowy.com

Her Instagram is @drmargolowy

She's on Facebook at facebook.com/drmargolowy

Read her book, Maternal Ambivalence: The Loving Moments & Bitter Truths of Motherhood

Read the Pyschology Today piece by Dr. Margo Lowy 

Watch the French film, A Happy Event 

Get our free Kids or Childfree Book Guide

MORE HELP FOR YOUR KIDS OR CHILDFREE DECISION:
Start Here: sign up for an upcoming WORKSHOP 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/workshop
Join a GROUP PROGRAM
🔗 Kids or Childfree Group Program ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-program
🔗Confidently Childfree Group Intensive ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-group-intensive
Access an ON DEMAND class 
🔗 Peruse the entire On Demand Collection ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/ondemand
Join one of our monthly SUPPORT SERIES sessions 
🔗 Kids or Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-support-series
🔗Confidently Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-support-series
Work with me in 1-on-1 COACHING 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/coaching FREE resources ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/free-resources
CONNECT ONLINE
💻 Website ▸ http://kidsorchildfree.com
📸 Instagram ▸ http://instagram.com/kidsorchildfree
⏰ Tiktok ▸ https://tiktok.com/@kidsorchildfree
📽️ YouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@KidsorChildfree 
👉 Brought to you by Keltie Maguire, Clarity Coach ▸ http://keltiemaguire.com
Love what you're hearing? 💕 Subscribe | Like | Comment | Share with a friend

In our first guest conversation of Season 8, Tyece Wilkins-Amadi gives us a unique view into her inner landscape as a mom to toddler twins — plus how her experience intertwines with themes of identity, ambition, and creativity. 
 
Hear us discuss:
How Tyece shifted from absolutely not wanting kids to becoming a mom to twins (1:16)


The early days of caring for two newborns — and how she managed the juggle (16:30)


The lessons she learned from making the wrong childcare decision (27:41)


How Tyece makes space for her writing — and why motherhood and creativity go hand in hand (31:27)


The unique challenges and joys of raising twins (49:10)


About Tyece

Tyece Wilkins-Amadi is a mother of toddler twins, a wife to a Dodgers-loving Californian and a writer exploring motherhood, ambition, and the quiet negotiations of a creative life. Her work sits at the intersection of care and becoming, where questions of identity, meaning, and worth are continually rewritten. Drawing from her background in workplace culture and well-being, she writes essays that linger in the liminal spaces between striving and rest, clarity and confusion, and the life we planned versus the one we're living. Her writing is an ongoing attempt to name what often goes unsaid, and to imagine more spacious, human ways of living, working, and creating.


As mentioned in the episode

Last call for our On Demand Fan sale! Get our full collection of On Demand classes for $269.

Save your seat for an upcoming Kids or Childfree Workshop. 

Find Tyece on Substack, at Ampersand Motherhood: substack.com/@ampersandmotherhood

Her Instagram handle is @tyunscripted

Read the piece that inspired this podcast conversation: Tyece's tending "Toward a Truer Life" essay: ampersandmotherhood.substack.com/p/tending-toward-a-truer-life

Read Cheryl Strayed's The Ghost Ship That Didn't Carry Us


MORE HELP FOR YOUR KIDS OR CHILDFREE DECISION:
Start Here: sign up for an upcoming WORKSHOP 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/workshop
Join a GROUP PROGRAM
🔗 Kids or Childfree Group Program ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-program
🔗Confidently Childfree Group Intensive ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-group-intensive
Access an ON DEMAND class 
🔗 Peruse the entire On Demand Collection ▸ https://www.kidsorchildfree.com/ondemand
Join one of our monthly SUPPORT SERIES sessions 
🔗 Kids or Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/kids-or-childfree-support-series
🔗Confidently Childfree Support Series ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-support-series
Work with me in 1-on-1 COACHING 
🔗 https://kidsorchildfree.com/coaching FREE resources ▸ https://kidsorchildfree.com/free-resources
CONNECT ONLINE
💻 Website ▸ http://kidsorchildfree.com
📸 Instagram ▸ http://instagram.com/kidsorchildfree
⏰ Tiktok ▸ https://tiktok.com/@kidsorchildfree
📽️ YouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@KidsorChildfree 
👉 Brought to you by Keltie Maguire, Clarity Coach ▸ http://keltiemaguire.com
Love what you're hearing? 💕 Subscribe | Like | Comment | Share with a friend