The Kids or Childfree Podcast

In this episode, Keltie speaks with mom-to-be Tess Pereira, about how she went from wanting to stay childfree — to deciding to have kids. 

You'll hear about:
Why Tess never planned on having kids — and her biggest fears about motherhood.

What the conversations looked and sounded like between her and her husband, who wanted to become a father.
Why it was important to Tess that she doubled down on the pragmatic parts of her decision — and why self-trust has been a huge part of the equation.


How Tess's confidence tipped to 51% in favor of having kids — and how she feels about her choice today.


The potential dangers of romanticizing motherhood — and the things that matter way more than your baby's nursery color.


About Tess:

Tess identified strongly with the childfree perspective for most of her life and deeply questioned whether motherhood aligned with the life she wanted. Over time, she became open to the idea of becoming a parent and now finds herself pregnant. She brings a nuanced and honest perspective on the emotional complexity, fears, relationship dynamics, identity shifts, and personal growth that shaped her journey. Tess joins the podcast to share her experience navigating the kids versus childfree question from both sides, including what changed, what didn't, and what it feels like to move through such a major life transition without simple answers. When not preparing for the arrival of her baby, Tess works as a product manager and strives to be a better home cook.

As mentioned in the episode:

Want to be one of my 50 Decision Converations? DM me on Instagram at @kidsorchildfree or email me at hello@keltiemaguire.com.

You can connect with Tess by email at tess711rp@gmail.com or on Instagram at @tess.pereira.


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

We'll be back with new episodes on August 5th! 



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 this episode, Keltie speaks with highschool counselor and content creator, Caroline, about her deeply personal journey deciding to remain childfree.

You'll hear about:
How Caroline went from dreaming of 3 kids, to thinking she'd have only one, to being fulfilled with none. 


What it's like to navigate infertility treatments when you're still on the fence. 


Navigating the societal pressures around this choice, including when all your friends are becoming moms.


How Caroline broke the news to her family and friends that she and her husband had decided to stop trying.
What helped solidify her decision, and why she's decided to start sharing publicly about her childfree choice.
(2:25) Meet Caroline & her Kids or Childfree decision (15:01) Trying for a kid, fertility struggles (25:40) Deciding to stay childfree (38:47) Navigating friendship groups (55:30) Embracing a childfree life (1:04:28) Childfree vs. Childless (1:16:06) Posting childfree content as an influencer

About Caroline:

Caroline is a high school counselor in the New York City public school system with 14 years of experience and a master's degree in counseling. As the creator behind @elsewherewithcare on Instagram, she shares content about life in New York City, travel, personal style, and her journey as a childfree woman. Through her personal experiences and professional insight, Caroline explores the complexities of choosing a childfree life and encourages others to live & find fulfillment on their own terms. By talking about the things many people are thinking but hesitant to say out loud, she helps normalize difficult conversations and fosters a sense of connection for those navigating similar experiences. Her content creates space for honest, nuanced reflection among childfree individuals and the parents and loved ones in their lives. 


As mentioned in the episode:

Find Caroline on Instagram at instagram.com/elsewherewithcare.

Join our August Confidently Childfree Group Intensive that starts on August 4th. 


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 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
Love what you're hearing? 💕 Subscribe | Like | Comment | Share with a friend

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