Beyond Pronatalism | Finding fulfillment, with or without kids

Population Balance
Beyond Pronatalism | Finding fulfillment, with or without kids

To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones.

  1. Melissa - on finding fulfillment as an empty nester

    4 DAYS AGO

    Melissa - on finding fulfillment as an empty nester

    Following in the footsteps of her grandparents, Melissa gave birth to four kids in rapid succession. She found raising children - who include Population Balance Board Chair Lukas Eddy - to be incredibly rewarding, yet wishes she had first taken the time to discover herself. As an empty nester, she is finally finding that time.  See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/melissa   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    21 min
  2. Juan Camilo - on leading by example as a childfree educator

    DEC 3

    Juan Camilo - on leading by example as a childfree educator

    Juan Camilo made a decision when he was just a teenager: that he would not bring children into a world where they would suffer. Despite the pressures of living in conservative Colombia, he has managed to stick to his convictions and now teaches graduate students about how they can reduce their environmental impact by having fewer kids. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/juan-camilo   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    25 min
  3. Milly & Mik - on healing and celebrating family through adoption

    NOV 19

    Milly & Mik - on healing and celebrating family through adoption

    Raised in disparate cultures across the world, Milly and Mik had different ideas about what kind of family they wanted. But there was one thing they agreed on: adoption (of three dogs and a child!) was the way to go. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/milly-mik   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    37 min
  4. Laura - on escaping the Trad Wife culture of the U.S. South

    NOV 5

    Laura - on escaping the Trad Wife culture of the U.S. South

    Raised in the conservative Deep South of the United States, Laura always believed having kids was a requirement. When she found out it was optional, suddenly everything changed. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/laura   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    31 min
  5. Ash - on rejecting Mormonism and motherhood

    OCT 22

    Ash - on rejecting Mormonism and motherhood

    A Mormon upbringing, an accidental pregnancy, and lack of access to abortion services drove Ash to bear a child against her wishes. Committed to taking back her stolen autonomy, Ash chooses a surprising path. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/ash   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    42 min
  6. Hans Peter - on his most loving gift: a vasectomy at 25

    OCT 8

    Hans Peter - on his most loving gift: a vasectomy at 25

    Raised in a small Catholic village in Germany, curious 13yo Hans-Peter used his first paycheck to buy a Bible. A deep dive into Chritianity drove him to stand up for reproductive rights and ecological sustainability, and on his 25th birthday, he gifted himself a vasectomy.  See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/hans-peter   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    25 min
  7. Sara - on the relief of IVF failure

    SEP 24

    Sara - on the relief of IVF failure

    Unable to have children naturally, and driven by her fear of regretting childlessness, Sara sought IVF in her late 30s - a journey that was physically, emotionally, and financially harrowing - only to realize that she had just dodged a pronatalist bullet. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/sara   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    25 min
  8. Tania & Brian - on love, life, and 38 animals

    SEP 10

    Tania & Brian - on love, life, and 38 animals

    Deeply in love with each other and their 38 animals, Tania (a Ukrainian asylee) and Brian (a Latino/Native American) share their vastly different upbringing that set them on their childfree paths.  See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/tania-brian   About Beyond Pronatalism To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones. Beyond Pronatalism is brought to you by Population Balance - the only nonprofit organization advancing ecological and reproductive justice by confronting pronatalism.  Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story! Episodes released every two weeks. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms. Copyright 2024 Population Balance

    31 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

To have or not have kids is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives, and yet how many of us know that we even have a choice about how we define and create our families? Beyond Pronatalism host Nandita Bajaj interviews women and men from diverse backgrounds who are courageously and creatively navigating pronatalism - the powerful pressures to have children - whether from family, friends, or the culture at large. Through intimate conversations, they discuss how they are forging unconventional pathways to fulfillment, including redefining what family means to them - whether that means being childfree or childless, having biological children, adopting or fostering children or animals, or creating close-knit communities of friends and loved ones.

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