Episodes

People without children, those who are single, and diverse families remain excluded from status quo economic and family policies. Further, economic models that drive the social status quo, force policies that are neither inclusive, nor do they meet the realities of the population. The needs of households for individuals and relationships, which include chosen family require the same level of rights and protection granted to traditional family structures and households. What can we do to advocate...

The Dobbs decision in the United States has created ripple effects of grave consequences for access to abortion, and beyond. What was is like before the Roe v. Wade decision, and what are the current realities? How do the expectations and experiences around access to abortion differ from generation to generation? State laws which prohibit access to abortion, impact all people who can get pregnant, and exponentially impact women. What can we truly say of the status of women in the US today? Joini...

In a world driven by pronatalist economic systems, policies and rules that assume we will all have children, how does being childfree or permanently childless impact your financial planning? What considerations are key for our community? Joining us today is Dr. Jay Zigmont, a Certified Financial Planner focused on wealth strategies for people without children. We will discuss financial planning, which includes the needs and desires of individuals and families without children. Dr. Zigmont will a...

In this episode, we will examine the presence of pronatalist influences throughout the mental health profession, from leadership and institutions to research and training. Within these critical roles and educational spaces, the mental health profession largely obscures the lived experiences of people without children. Given these influences, what is the impact on people without children, both as clients and practitioners in mental health? To help us navigate this conversation about what is neede...

How does pronatalism impede the collective power of women? Why does this remain a missing, mainstream conversation, and what does it mean for next generation advocacy? In this episode, we discuss the ways in which women can be biased again other women, and in particular, our complicity at the intersection of womanhood and mothering. What are the intergenerational issues and opportunities that can move us toward our collective power? Join us as we explore these questions and more with Kate Kaufma...

People without children remain a largely invisible, excluded population, socially and economically. Despite the growth in the number of people without children, ranging from 20%-30% globally, statistics and policy consideration to meet the needs and realities of our community remain outside the mainstream. This is particularly true in academic research, social and economic planning, and policy development. Today, we will be in conversation with Dr. Zachary Neal, an associate professor of psychol...

On today’s episode, we are going to discuss access to sterilization for those who choose not to have children, and the obstacles and discrimination they face, around personal agency and choice. Our guest today is Dr. Elizabeth Hintz, who has done extensive research on this topic. We will examine the extreme differences in access to permanent contraception by those who can become pregnant and those seeking vasectomies, and discuss how the post Roe v Wade (Dobbs) ruling continues to impact access ...

We often discuss the personal aspects of pronatalism, both in the community of people without children and on this show. We also look at how we are impacted in our everyday environments, such as the workplace. What comes to mind when you consider the global impact of pronatalism? In this episode, we will explore the greater dimensions of pronatalism, including social stigma, reproductive autonomy and responsibility, and ecological perspectives. We will also speak to population pressures and the ...

How does the overturning of Roe v. Wade demonstrate the control and devaluation of those who are and may be impacted by pregnancy? What is at risk beyond abortion rights and access in the United States, and what is the global impact of this decision, as precedent? Today, we are deeply honored to be in conversation with Karen Mulhauser. She is the first National Executive Director of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), now known as NARAL Pro-Choice America. From 1970-73, she train...

People without children remain an unrecognized diversity group in the workplace and beyond. How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly inclusive organizational cultures and acknowledgement in the environments we work? What does employment equity for people without children look like? Today we will speak with Dr. Erin Conner, Co-founder and Vice President of Inclusion Design Group, recognized as a leading DEI firm. We will have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Conner about the complexiti...

Today’s guest is Stephanie Joy Phillips, the founder of World Childless Week. Stephanie is childless not by choice (CNBC) and will share with us her motivation for launching World Childless Week, and the work that she does year-round in the same space. Today we will discuss the focus of this year’s World Childless Week, which both acknowledges and share the stories of those who are childless, and delves into a variety of topics, which directly affect our lives. We will also touch on the need for...

Today’s guests are LeNora Faye and Cody Hetzel, two of the three co-founders of Childfree Convention. Jared Hansen is the other co-founder. All three are visible advocates for those who are childfree, through their individual public and private platforms, and their collective work as co-founder. They are creators of content, conversation and connection that brings childfree people together, while engaging meaningful conversations for change. Today we will discuss the breadth of the Childfree Con...

Excluded from policy measures and absent in DEI frameworks, even where laws and policies are designed to prevent discrimination based on family status, pronatalism is so deeply engrained in our social, professional and systemic psyches, that its impact remains unacknowledged. As a result, non-parents remain invisible, while navigating daily and life-long experiences of exclusion and inequity. From our own internalized patriarchal, pronatalist influences, to the ways we continue to cope and mitig...

People without children, as a collective community, have yet to be recognized as a marginalized group, within the framework of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). How do we begin to imagine the experience of truly belonging in the environments we work, and beyond? What does it mean when organizations focus on only specific aspects within the spectrum of DEIB frameworks? ‘Diversity’ and ‘Inclusion’ seem to be most often used in naming such initiatives, leaving ‘Equity’ and “Belongi...

Today, we are honored to have Donna Ward as our guest. Donna is the author “She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life”, her memoir, which was published in 2020. From the use of the term “spinster” and its origins, to the lifelong contemplation of crises and the prioritization of lives, we will discuss a range of topics from her touching and impactful essays and life reflections. We will address the support of single people in catastrophic events from climate change, fires and floods,...

Do people keep telling you you'll change your mind about having kids? Have you been told that your choice not to have children is selfish? Award-winning filmmaker Therese Shechter delves into the taboos surrounding childfree women and choice. From social and familial responses to those who choose to remain childfree, to the resistance of the medical community to provide legally and medically approved procedures for those who voluntarily choose sterilization, Therese addresses the gamut of childf...

What does the grief process look like for those who are childless? In what ways does the experience of childless impact people in their everyday lives and in the workplace? Today we will learn more from two therapists, about the childless experience. Judy Graham and Sarah Roberts will share their experiences of childlessness, and their unique approach, as grief therapists, who serve childless women. They have worked collaboratively to identify similar threads, related to the social and cultural ...

In today’s episode we recognize the founding and evolution of The NotMom -- its blog, social networks, and events for women without children by choice or by chance. We are happy to join the celebration of The NotMom’s upcoming 10th anniversary. We have previously discussed on the show the importance of how to come together as a collective community, engaging both childless and childfree community spaces, to influence changes in the workplace and public policy. Today, we will hear from the partne...

In today’s episode we will discuss the research initiatives of Kim Martinez Phillips, who is a PHD Candidate in Sociology. She is studying cultural representations of single women in film, and is currently interviewing single, never-married, childfree women of color, for her dissertation research. We welcome her representational insight and the valued experiences of interviewees. We will also touch on her recent research around the portrayal of single women in film. The vast, collective communit...

The reasons for someone not having a child, by choice, chance or circumstance, are varied and vast. For some females, it is known early in their lives that a given medical diagnosis will determine their fertility, and for others, it may be undefined infertility later in life, or even the unforeseen consequences of cultural practices, which lead to not having children. Some of the topics we have discussed to date on New Legacy Radio are still often deemed to be taboo; from childlessness, to the u...

In today’s episode, we will discuss the history of the IVF industry, and its latest strategies for expanding its market reach and services. This 44-year-old for-profit industry is estimated to reach to $37 billion dollars globally by 2027. It has done a masterful job positioning itself as a ‘cure’ for infertility and, more recently, selling the ‘promise’ of future family through egg freezing and other third-party services. The hope sale is central to its business model. Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos ...

In the majority of countries, fertility statistics are most often measured by the reproductive experiences of women, exclusively. At least 1 in 5 women reach age 45, without having a child in the UK. This statistic is similarly reflected in several other countries, and is either higher or growing in others. What might this number look like, if we were to track people of all gender expressions, who do not have children, whether by choice, chance or circumstance? What do we really know about the e...

With more than two decades of activism, writing and wisdom, focused on the childfree choice, Laura Carroll will share insight around her journey, and the evolution of the childfree movement. She will also discuss her recently published longitudinal research, which followed 25 women over a decade. In this episode, we will discuss the need to find ways to best bring together the childfree and childless communities, to build a shared movement for meaningful change. New Legacy Institute advocates fo...

Jody Day is the British founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship, support & advocacy network she set up by accident after starting a blog sharing honestly the truth of her childlessness in 2011. It got media attention the day after the very first blog was published. Not long after, she was interviewed for The Guardian newspaper (UK) for a piece that went viral & is still being read today. She has often been referred to as 'the voice of the childless generation' Her compassionate, inclusiv...