The Are Kids For Me Podcast

In the last of the current episodes, I speak with Elizabeth Joy, the creator of the Other Than Motherhood podcast. Elizabeth started this as part of her process of answering the question of whether she wants children or not. We talk about that process and she picks out some key concepts she has found useful from her podcast interviews. These include different ways of relating to regret as well as...

My guest today is Jennifer Flint, a woman's empowerment coach and author of the novel 'Wild Egg'. This book tells the story of Holly and her struggle to break the deadlock of ambivalence to decide whether becoming a mother is her wholehearted choice, or simply what she has been programmed to believe.  We discuss the book, the process of writing it and what it has been like since its...

I am so excited to speak with my guest today, Caitlin Durante. Caitlin is a writer, comedian and co-host of the amazing Bechdel Cast podcast, which discusses the representation of women in film. Caitlin is proudly childfree. We discuss the process she went through to be sterilised and how important it was for her body and mind to be aligned on this decision. We also explore the topic of regret and...

I am delighted to speak with Dawn and Nicole today about Storyhouse Childless. Storyhouse is a beautiful community and creative space in Chester, England. They host a range of events throughout the year, including Storyhouse Childless, a full weekend of events, taking place September 28-29th this year. The aim is to explore living without children for any reason and is open to anyone interested in...

Welcome to a new series of episodes to celebrate International Childfree Day 2024! I am delighted to start off by speaking with Nicole Louie about her book 'Others Like Me: The Stories of Women Without Children'. Nicole is originally from Brazil but is now based in Ireland. This book is a deeply personal exploration of childless and childfree women's lives, including Nicole's o...

To celebrate International Childfree Day this year, I am delighted to highlight some wonderful new books on the topic with an Irish connection. I have spoken to Nicole Louie about her book 'Others Like Me: The Stories of Women Without Children' so please listen to that episode when you have the chance. Here, I speak to Caroline Magennis about her new book 'Harpy: A Manifesto for Chi...

Welcome to mini book club! Today, myself and previous guest, Julie Cobbe, are discussing the novel 'Wild Egg' by Jennifer Flint. We talk about the themes raised in the book and our experiences of reading a book which focuses on the parenthood decision. I spoke to Julie in season 2 about her own experience of deciding to have children or not. I do recommend you listen to that if you haven...

I am joined today by four members of the Sisterhood - Childfree by Choice Meetup group based in Ireland. Founded in 2020, it now has over 1,000 members with a range of online and in person events. I talk to Niamh, Kalyn, Katie and Ailish about how they came to be involved in the group, what the group does and the challenges around finding the right terminology to represent the wide range of experi...

My guest today is Robin Hadley, a childless man, an associate lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and a founder member of campaign group Ageing Without Children. Rob has conducted a wide range of research on childless men so he brings both personal and professional experience to the topic. We discuss some myths around men and reproduction. We also discuss the implication of 'validi...

Welcome to season 3 of the Are Kids For Me podcast. I took a break after season 2 but am delighted to be back with some special episodes. My first guest was actually the inspiration to make new episodes and it was a joy to speak to her. Jenny is in her 70s and is living a very content childfree life with her husband. She talks us through making the decision in the 1970s and revisiting the decision...

My guest today, and the last for season 2, is Louise Vance.  With a background in law, she is a writer, content creator and presenter. Her experience includes working as a fashion writer, stylist, editor and in event management. She is also a regular contributor to BBC radio and TV. For many years, she has been passionate about sharing her experiences of deciding to be childfree. We discuss her ex...

I am speaking to Tanya Williams about her wide range of work as a childfree activist and advocate. This includes her book (A Childfree Happily Ever After), the Childfree Magazine, projects to support childfree people in the workplace and her ideas on how we can expand and progress the Childfree movement.  She shares some great advice on how we can all start to make changes in our daily life to hel...

Today, I am speaking to Ali Wyllie, who runs the 'Childfree By Choice' account on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChildFreeBC . The aim of this account is to take away the stigma of being childfree. It has also evolved to address the division which can occur between parents and non parents by developing mutual empathy. We discuss Ali's experience of making the childfree choice and how...

This is part 5 (and the last!) of the mini-series of 'Who will look after me when I get old' and we are discussing death. My guest is Liam McCarthy, a death doula (also known as an end of life doula). Liam is based in Youghal, Co. Cork and is a civil celebrant for weddings, baby naming ceremonies and funerals. We discuss what a death doula does, how our relationship with death has change...

Part 4 of the 'Who will look after me when I get old' series. My guest is Jennifer Moran Stritch. We have a fascinating and wide ranging discussion on the topic of ageing without children. We explore common stereotypes, the power of assumptions and how to catch ourselves from being drawn into them. We explore some concepts such as the adult orphan and the loss of the assumptive world whi...

Part 3 of  the 'Who will look after me when I get old' series. My guest is Sinead Ryan, a journalist focusing on consumer and personal finance matters. We look at the range of care options for older people in Ireland.  This includes nursing home care, the 'Fair Deal' Scheme and home care options.  This is a link to the HSE information booklet on the Fair Deal Scheme (officially...

Here, we explore the financial side of aging without children. I speak to financial advisor, Paul Merriman about the basic elements of understanding your money, making it work for you and planning for your financial future. Paul also highlights some opportunities that may be available to people who don't have children. Paul wants to take the fear out of money and gives practical advice on how...

This is a brief chat with Simon Forsyth, who I will be co-facilitating the upcoming 'Taking the Road Less Travelled - Embracing Your Childfree Life' Workshop with.   We discuss what therapeutic/reflective writing is generally and how we will use it to help people reflect upon and deepen their understanding of being childfree. The emphasis is on the content and process in whatever form th...

This is the first in a mini series of episodes where I will explore the question of 'who will look after you when you get old' from a childfree perspective. I am starting with the legal side and am talking to solicitor Karen O'Neill about the things childfree people (and actually everyone) needs to know about and have in place for later life. We focus on wills and enduring power of...

I speak to two guests from 'The End of the Line' Podcast, Mark Heywood & Romy Park. Mark is the creator of the podcast which is a series of powerful stories about how women who don't have children for a wide variety of reasons, are treated in society. Romy plays the character 'Mona' in one of the episodes. Both are passionate about amplifying the voices of childfree pe...

In this episode, I have a really insightful and honest conversation with Julie Cobbe about her process of choosing not to have children of her own, as her husband had children from a previous relationship and also had a vasectomy before they met. There are many layers to this including becoming a step parent, the cultural impact of moving back to Ireland and the challenges of following a road less...

My guest today is Selina Bonnie. Selina is an Indian/Irish disabled woman. She is an activist, lecturer and trainer in the international disabled people's movement  for over 25 years. Her research focuses on sexuality, sexual expression and reproductive rights for disabled people. She is also a busy wife and mother. As previously discussed, there is a strong societal attitude that everyone wi...

My guest today is Michelle Mayefske, a birth and postpartum doula who works with families in the mid west of Ireland. She helps expecting parents navigate pregnancy and prepare for their best possible birth. Her passion is helping parents move from a place of fear to one of confidence. This episode may not be of interest to everyone, but I was curious to speak to someone with so much experience of...

I am launching season 2 of the podcast by speaking to international best selling author Sheila O'Flanagan. Sheila is happily childfree by choice at 63 years of age. We discuss the importance of having positive role models who showed her that this was an option and what being childfree has allowed her to do. We also discuss the impact of social pressure and the importance of prioritising what...

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Amy Morgan.  She is a GP based in Drogheda and has a special interest in women's health and sexual health. We talk about the range of both temporary and permanent contraceptive options available, the factors to consider when choosing a form for yourself and how to approach these discussions with your doctor, so as to get the best outcome for your own situation....