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

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

Born and raised in densely-populated Hong Kong, Vincie shares her journey of wrestling with traditional Asian family norms and creating her own chosen family.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: 

https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/vincie

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

Born and raised in Haiti, and now living in the US, Lili talks about how she found peace after many years of dreading motherhood within a pronatalist culture that values large families.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: 

https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/lili

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 beginning Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.

Copyright 2024 Population Balance

Raised within the religiously-conservative Colombian culture with a lonely and isolated childhood, Juliana describes her journey of finding liberation by rejecting harmful societal norms and choosing a radical pathway of becoming a childfree environmentalist and animal rights activist.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: 

https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/juliana

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 beginning Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.

Copyright 2024 Population Balance

Raised in a large Irish-Catholic family at the height of the 1960s liberation movements in the United States, Mary Pat unpacks her many life transformations, from rejecting her pro-life roots and choosing a small biological and adoptive family to becoming a staunch advocate for the rights of people, animals, and the planet.

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: 

https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/mary-pat

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 beginning Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.

Copyright 2024 Population Balance

Raised in an extremist religious community within the United States, Brittany, the youngest of 11 children, recounts her story of navigating her aspirations for freedom against the backdrop of an intensely oppressive and neglectful upbringing and how she mustered the courage to break free. 

See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: 

https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast/brittany

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 beginning Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.

Copyright 2024 Population Balance

Official Trailer

Podcast Launches on July 30, 2024!

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.

Visit https://www.populationbalance.org/beyond-pronatalism-podcast to subscribe, learn more, and submit your story!

Episodes released every two weeks beginning Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.

Copyright 2024 Population Balance