69: Rocking the life unexpected with Jody Day
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to today's episode of Unclassified Woman. As we conclude Season 3, it seems fitting to share this conversation with Jody Day, who was the first ever interviewee on Unclassified Woman a few years ago. How do you combat society’s ideology about those who are on the “outside”? It’s not an easy task, but one that a few brave people are called upon to challenge. Today’s show is all about how we approach taboo topics, the dominance of pro-natalistic thinking and current trends in the way families are formed. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation! "I found myself in...
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68: Unchained and unbothered with Keturah Kendrick
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to today's episode of Unclassified Woman. Today I'm speaking to Shanghai based Keturah Kendrick, who shares her perspective on being childfree by choice. Whose voice do you listen to most? When it comes to marriage and having children, it seems that everyone has an opinion regarding how YOU should live your life. Today’s show is all about listening to YOUR voice and making the choices that make YOU happy. Keturah Kendrick is an American writer, blogger and podcaster who has lived on three different continents and travelled to more than a dozen countries. For years she has written...
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67: Putting Women Back into Women's Health with Kate Powe
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to another great episode of Unclassified Woman! Today, I'm speaking to the lovely Kate Powe. Many people make assumptions about others without even realising it. We see a woman in her 40’s without children and assume she is selfish or too career-oriented to take time to raise children. Often there are circumstances playing out behind the scenes that we just aren’t aware of. Today’s show focuses on the problems that endometriosis can cause in terms of fertility and family-building and the need for women to have the knowledge about their bodies to make empowered...
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66: The Female Orator with Adebisi Adewusi
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to another episode of Unclassified Woman. Today I'm delighted to share my conversation with Adebisi Adewusi, based in Nigeria. How much courage does it take to REALLY go against what society deems the norm? As far as women’s rights and feminism have come, we sometimes forget that there are places in the world where women don’t have independence and are truly stigmatised for making 'unusual' choices. Today’s show is about someone who walks her own path and shares her own truth with immense courage. What was even more humbling is how modest she is about her choices. I...
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65: How to be Chic with Fiona Ferris
Unclassified Woman
Are you content with the way things have turned out in your life? Some people spend too much time and energy living with regret or wistfulness for what they WISHED would have happened. Today’s show is about embracing what life gives you and running with it to follow your personal path to gratitude, satisfaction, and peace. Fiona Ferris lives in beautiful Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. She writes about living a simple, beautiful, and successful life and believes you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do it. Through her books on Amazon and her popular blog, How to be Chic, Fiona provides...
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64: Mermaid & Swan Magic with Seren Bertrand
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to another fascinating episode of Unclassified Woman. It's a biggie so grab a cuppa and a journal ;-) Today I'm speaking with a treasured mentor of mine, Seren Bertrand. It's always such a pleasure to speak to her as she weaves together so many colourful threads of wisdom in what she shares. What do mermaids, swans, Isis, harps, and Cornwall have in common? You might be surprised---and you’ll never know if you don’t listen to this amazing conversation in today’s show. We’re talking about feminine consciousness, Celtic traditions, the interconnectedness between the human body...
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63: Walking your true path with Azraella Raphael
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to Unclassified Woman and today's episode features the very inspiring Azraella Raphael, a native of New Zealand, who is based in Sydney, Australia. Azraella is an angelic healer and activator of angelic consciousness. She began her journey many years ago when seeking fulfilment in life in understanding why she’s here, what purpose she offers, and with asking herself, “How can I serve others?” Azraella’s journey began when she activated her own angelic consciousness and connected to her higher-knowing self to bring through a different set of life skills, using healing and...
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62: My So-called Selfish Life with Therese Shechter
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to Unclassified Woman and today's episode is with another wonderful lady, Therese Shechter, whom I could have spoken to all day! How many people have children because it seems “the thing to do”? Most of us grow up with the pressure to follow what society deems “normal.” My guest today, Therese Shechter, was 40 years old when she realised she really could make her own decisions and follow her own path, and for her, it was feminism that helped her figure out what she wanted in life. Therese Shechter is a filmmaker, writer, and multimedia storyteller from Brooklyn, New York. Her...
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61: The Childfree with Dr. Kimya N Dennis
Unclassified Woman
Welcome! I'm delighted to share another great episode of Unclassified Woman. Today I'm speaking to the inspiring Dr Kimya N Dennis in Salem, North Carolina, USA. How much actual freedom are you willing to give people in their beliefs? Most people fall into the trap of trying to impose their beliefs on others in some way. Liberals, for example, will speak of freedom in many areas of life, but they still hold onto pro-natal opinions about people having children. My guest today explores with intellect, experience and research the topic of being childfree by choice. Dr. Kimya N Dennis is a...
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60: A Womb With A View with Jennifer Miller
Unclassified Woman
Welcome to another great episode of Unclassified Woman! Can one person really make a difference? So many times, we resign ourselves to the fact that “it is what it is.” We want society’s perceptions or opinions to change, but what can we do to affect the change? In today’s show, you’ll meet a woman who decided to use her talents to create a film to help build awareness---and hopefully, change the narrative around living as a woman without children. "Having a child is one of the most beautiful experiences a woman can have, but it is not the ONLY experience a woman can...
info_outlineWelcome! I'm delighted to share another great episode of Unclassified Woman. Today I'm speaking to the inspiring Dr Kimya N Dennis in Salem, North Carolina, USA.
How much actual freedom are you willing to give people in their beliefs? Most people fall into the trap of trying to impose their beliefs on others in some way. Liberals, for example, will speak of freedom in many areas of life, but they still hold onto pro-natal opinions about people having children. My guest today explores with intellect, experience and research the topic of being childfree by choice.
Dr. Kimya N Dennis is a consultant, speaker, community advocate, educator, and researcher who works with organisations and community members in the areas concerning mental health, suicidal self-harm, reproductive freedom, and being childfree by choice.
Between 2013-2016, she conducted the first known study solely related to immediate African diaspora people who identify permanently as childfree by choice. There were 62 respondents, with 59 women and 3 men across the US, Canada, England, Kenya, Sweden and Switzerland.
Dr. Dennis created and teaches the first known college course of its kind: The Childfree, about reproductive freedom and being childfree by choice. Her research and course are featured on sites such as werenothavingababy.com, lauracarroll.com, and thenotmom.com. Dr. Dennis is an associate professor and the creator and coordinator of the Criminal Studies program in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Studies at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"There are people who believe that women exist only to reproduce, so those who are infertile are seen as failures. Those who are childfree by choice are seen as failing on purpose." - Dr. Kimya N Dennis
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- Kimya’s decision to be permanently childfree, because she never wanted to have a child.
- Why her work addresses cultural variance because being childfree by choice impacts different cultures and communities in different ways.
- Why it is much less common to find black and Hispanic women who are not having children than it is for white women.
- African women are told that if they aren’t reproducing, that they are helping to “ethnically cleanse” their people.
- Why your beliefs are manifested in behaviour when you vote and in the policies you vote for.
- How most liberals are pro-natalists in their views.
- The definition of “childfree by choice”--those who have decided to not have biological or adopted children.
- “Bingos” and what that means.
- The best “bingos”---”Why do you exist?” and “Just have a child anyway, and others will help you take care of it.”
- Why pro-natalism is based on a trap and is used to prove male dominance.
- How to look at being childfree without “pros and cons”.
- How Kimya’s family is accepting and respectful of her decision, even though she is the only daughter in a family of boys.
- Kimya’s work and the way it is reaching across the nations
- Why child-free men are under-represented.
- Some ethnic groups see “childfree” as having a viewpoint that challenges your culture.
- Being childfree shouldn’t feel “lesser than” or like losers, or that their voice doesn’t matter.
- The hurtful comments that are directed at childfree people.
- Why most people have a narrow view and perspective of what love and family look like.
- We say we want freedom and equality, but that must include reproductive freedom for all women.
- How Kimya shows her creative expression and purpose: “I love being able to do what I want and have my own peace every day, doing my community work, working with my students, and living with my life partner.”
- How we can release the taboos connected with not having children and having reproductive choices
To find out more about Kimya and her work:
If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more women access these stories, then please subscribe and leave us a review or rating on Itunes. For more episodes go to michellemariemcgrath.com