In this conversation, we hear from writer and researcher, Laura Carroll, about how societal and cultural narratives — including pronatalist beliefs — influence and shape our Kids or Childfree desires and the choices we ultimately make. Keltie and Laura...

• Delve into the complexities of choosing a childfree life, and the idea of "shifting sureness".
• Discuss Laura's extensive research on childfree individuals and her works, "25 over 10" and "The Baby Matrix".
• Explore the importance of questioning societal norms and the impact of personal experiences on life decisions.
• Unpack some of the deep-rooted beliefs that influence individuals' decisions to have children.
• Explore the notion that childfree individuals are responsible for societal issues resulting from population decline.

As mentioned in the show Find Laura online at https://lauracarroll.com Read Laura's books: The Baby Matrix: lauracarroll.com/book-review/the-baby-matrix/ 25 Over 10: A Childfree Longitudinal Study: lauracarroll.com/book-review/25-over-10/ Families of Two: lauracarroll.com/book-review/ebook-families-of-two-interviews-with-happily-married-couples-without-children-by-choice/ Find Laura on social media: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lauracarroll88.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrollcommunicationsconsulting/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauralcarroll88/ FB The Baby Matrix Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheBabyMatrix/ FB Families of Two: Childfree & Beyond Page: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeandBeyond/ X: https://x.com/LauraCarroll88 Check out Dr. Jay Zigmont's new business, Childfree Trust: childfreetrust.com You can also find him in Episode 24 of the podcast

About Laura Laura Carroll is an internationally recognized expert on the childfree choice and pronatalism. She has studied the childfree choice and those who make it for over 25 years, and pronatalism for 15 years. Laura has authored six books and contributed to textbooks. Since 2000, she has been featured on network television, been a guest on many podcasts and radio talk shows, as well as US and Canadian public radio. She and her work have appeared in many print and digital media publications, including Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, New York Magazine, Women's Health South Africa and UK. __ Join us for an upcoming Kids or Childfree workshop: kidsorchildfree.com/workshop Check out our free resources here, or at kidsorchildfree.com/free-resources And don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review The Kids or Childfree Podcast if you love what you're hearing! You can leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, or a rating on Spotify. Find us online at www.kidsorchildfree.com. Instagram: www.instagram.com/kidsorchildfree