Choosing The Life That's Right for Me with Rachel Cargle
Author, activist, and educator Rachel Cargle, talks about choosing to be childfree as a reflection of the kind of life she wants to live. In the episode we discuss:-How Rachel’s early childhood influences helped expand her vision for her life path -How her mother’s disability made her even more determined to go after what she wanted for herself-The tools we develop to survive when we are young – and why we need to update them as we mature-The factors that informed Rachel’s (current!) decision not to become a parent-Ways to build community and chosen family as women without kids-The origin story of Rachel’s childfree platform, Rich Auntie Supreme-The significance of the role of “auntie” in Black and indigenous communities-Claiming the “childfree” identity as being central to who we are-How Rachel’s queer, non-monogamous identity intersects with her childfree statusJoin me and Rachel on our Celebrate Being Childfree retreat, which is taking place Sept 12-15 2024. Get all the details and sign up to attend in person here and via livestream here.You can learn more about Rachel and her various projects here, get her book here, and follow her on IG here. Rachel's childfree platform is @richauntiesupreme.
--------
1:17:08
Women Without Kids Season 2 Trailer
Stay tuned for a new format and more impactful conversations in Women Without Kids: Season 2!
--------
3:35
Non-Motherhood and Mother Hunger with Kelly McDaniel
Therapist and author Kelly McDaniel on the links between non-motherhood and what she calls "mother hunger." In the episode we discuss:-Kelly’s definition of “mother hunger” and how she came up with the term.-Why 50% of the population experience mother hunger and how it manifests in issues around food and love.-What causes mother hunger - and why this is often the result of an epigenetic inheritance.-Why structural issues make it harder for mothers and babies to bond - and the lifelong attachment issues that can result from this.-How mother hunger impacts our procreative choices and how we may feel about becoming mothers ourselves.-The links between mother hunger, anorexia, and being “a-reproductive” (i.e. having no desire to reproduce).-The impact of a lack of paid parental leave on mother hunger.-Why choosing not to have a child can be the most “loving” choice if we are aware that our capacity to mother is being compromised.-Why our materialistic, consumer culture is just another substitute mother - and a way we seek to soothe our mother hunger.Learn more about Kelly's work HERE and find her book, Mother Hunger, HERE.Get your copy of Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood HERE.
--------
56:27
Life Beyond the Biological Clock with Stacy London
Rethinking aging as women without kids, with TV host and menopause activist, Stacy London. In the episode we discuss:-Stacy’s experience of being faced with her biological clock - and being confronted with the finality of menopause. -Her friend group getting younger and younger, as all the women her age got married and had kids.-What longer lifespans in general will do for our procreative potential.-Why the “grandmother” figure is the only valid role for older women in our society - and how women without kids can embody grandma energy.-Why agism is often cloaked sexism. -The different factors - genetic and otherwise - that determine how we experience menopause. -Why Gen X is changing the script about what it means to be an “older woman.”-Why information is power when it comes to navigating menopause – and how to advocate for what you need.-Why Stacy decided her product company, State of Menopause, was not the best way to help people in this transition, and why she is shifting her focus to education going forward.Follow Stacy on Instagram to learn more about her work @stacylondonreal.You can pre-order your copy of Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood HERE—and enter your order details to receive a free book club guide and be entered into a prize draw to win one of 10 limited edition "Sisterhood of the Selfish C*nts" tote bags.
--------
1:07:24
Questioning Our Procreative Ethics with Carter Dillard
It's time to focus on less on what potential parents want and more on what the children of the future need, says human rights lawyer and founder of the Fair Start Movement, Carter Dillard. In the episode we discuss:-The origins and the mission of the Fair Start Movement.-Why all children deserve a “fair start” in life, from both an economic and an ecological perspective. -The concept of “procreative ethics” and the policy and ideological changes that are needed to support this.-Why having kids is not a personal matter - since deciding to create another human being cannot be framed as an autonomous act.-The ethics of China’s lapsed one-child policy, and whether governments have a right to interfere in people’s reproductive lives.-The thinking behind the three pillars of the Fair Start Movement: “parental readiness,” “birth equity,” and “smaller families.”-The human rights issues with “pro-growth” economics - which is what tells us we need “more new people” entering the economy in order to support the aging population. -Why Japan's plummeting birth rate is framed as a crisis – despite the country being ranked number 6 in the world when it comes to quality of life.-Their differing approaches to family formation being an early indicator of the rift between Princes William and Harry (!)-Words of comfort and encouragement for people who would like to have a child, and who are concerned about the future of our planet.Learn more about Carter and his work with the Fair Start Movement HERE. You can also pre-order your copy of Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood HERE—and enter your order number to receive a free reading group guide for the book.
Women Without Kids is a special podcast series created from research interviews for my book of the same title, which will be published in spring 2023. The conversations here are with the authors, philosophers, healers, activists, anthropologists, and social scientists, whose work has helped me make sense of everything it means to be a "woman without kids" today—whatever our reasons for this.
UK