On this special episode, hosts Sarah Saturday and Tarri Driver interview three women who are childless/childfree by circumstance, diving into the delicate and complex experience of those who don’t have children – but not because they didn’t want to. They are joined by Lindsey Bathke, LeeAnn Love, and Chris Svitek.

Joyfully seated into her forties, Lindsey Bathke is currently experiencing love affairs with Mexico City, strolls in the woods, bread and candle making, conversations with depth, morning coffee, piles of unread books, the eating of vegetables, the joy of watching feeding groundhogs, deer, and feral cats in the back yard, and recognizing fear for what it is. She hopes to continue working within the Music Industry as long as it makes her happy, teach English for a spell, and continue to engage with the beauty of the Spanish language. Getting lost and found in foreign countries, Lindsey hopes life brings her more cherished time with family, the awareness to fully engage with life’s moments, the willingness to embrace the joy of missing out, and to wildly live into wherever life takes her.

LeeAnn Love, a Tennessee native, has been a visual artist and writer from as young as she could hold a pencil. She has dedicated her life to storytelling and meaning making through the arts. In 2007, LeeAnn earned her master’s degree in Expressive Therapies at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Upon returning to Tennessee in 2010, she created Heal with heART, her art therapy and counseling private practice and founded MyCanvas, a successful mobile youth community art therapy initiative, which served at-risk youth, both through workshops and exhibitions, in the greater Nashville area until 2021. Currently, LeeAnn continues to supervise new art therapists and consult with the Healing Arts Project Incorporated (HAPI) to provide art therapy workshops for adults who are in mental health and addiction recovery. LeeAnn Love’s expressive, mixed media landscapes investigate the complex interplay of layered color, movement, and impermanence. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, including Out of the Blue Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ClearStory Arts in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Gallery27 in Dunbar, Scotland. LeeAnn has spearheaded several community mural projects in the greater Boston and Nashville areas and was selected as the Artist in Residence in Williamson County Schools in 2017. LeeAnn’s work has been published in East Lothian Life and Clover + Bee magazines. LeeAnn recently completed a Mind-Body coaching training and has begun weaving somatic coaching into her individual sessions and workshops. In her childless life, she enjoys exploring the delicate intricacies of nature and balancing her creative life in both Nashville, Tennessee and East Lothian, Scotland.

Chris Svitek is a scientist at heart with a love for words and conversation and helping people see their worth! Raised in western Pa, Chris moved to Nashville several months after graduating college and has worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for almost 39 years. She has worked in medical research for much of her career but in the last 5 years, has settled into a job as a safety officer on the Biosafety Team at VUMC. This has allowed her to use her many years of research experience to help others work safely in their research endeavors. If you’ve known Chris for even a minute, you know her dogs are pretty important to her. They are part of her passion for rescue animals. She also enjoys writing and is active in her church.

Recorded on Jan 16, 2025

Find LeeAnn Love online:

Find more about the Letters project at letterstoourunbornchildren.com

This episode introduces the next of 12 letters from their collaborative visual arts project “Letters to Our Unborn Children: An Exploration of a Woman’s Decision to Remain Child-Free by Choice.” They discuss the “Seeker” archetype behind the Letter, and share their research and insights around the themes in the letter. They also interview Orna Donath, author of “Regretting Motherhood: A Study.”

Orna Donath is an Israeli sociologist, lecturer, writer and feminist activist. She teaches at Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurr-Yawn University, and the Academic College of Tel Aviv Yeah-Fo. Her field of study focuses on the social expectations projected on women, both those who are mothers and those who are not, especially by choice. Her first book, published in Hebrew in 2011, is about Israeli women and men who do not want to be parents. Her second book, Regretting Motherhood, is a first-of-its kind study, published in several languages in 2016, is the result of a series of interviews with Israeli women.

Recorded on Nov 17, 2024

Find more about the Letters project at letterstoourunbornchildren.com

This episode introduces the next of 12 letters from their collaborative visual arts project “Letters to Our Unborn Children: An Exploration of a Woman’s Decision to Remain Child-Free by Choice.” They discuss the “Nurturer” archetype behind the letter, and share their research and insights around the themes in the letter. They are joined by guests Samantha Frances and Andrea Wood, who both participated in the survey and are members of the private video chat group.

Samantha Frances is a relationship and communication life coach, musician, and actor who integrates her personal experiences with recovery, polyamory, spirituality, and an artistic career to empower individuals and couples and groups in building strong, meaningful connections. With a deep understanding of the complexities of modern relationships, Samantha offers transformative workshops and personalized sessions that guide clients in navigating challenges with confidence and clarity. As a talented musician and actor, she infuses her artistic expression into her coaching, creating a unique platform for healing and self-discovery. Through her journey, Samantha inspires others to embrace love, authenticity, resilience, and spiritual growth in their lives.

Andrea Wood is a proud childfree woman who finds joy in the richness of the life she gets to live as a result of her decision not to have children. As a lifelong learner and dedicated public servant, she built her career organizing to improve the lives of others. Currently serving as a public school administrator, she is passionate about education policy and empowering young minds for our future. Beyond her professional role, Andrea prioritizes investing her time and energy in personal growth, civic engagement, and fostering meaningful connections with others. She’s a devoted dog and chicken mother and a nurturer at heart, and finds raising her furry and feathery babies brings the perfect amount of joy to her life. Andrea has a strong connection to nature and commitment to ethical living, and loves animals enough to not eat them. Driven by a deep passion for social justice and political activism, she actively works to create a more equitable and compassionate world for all. Her life is enriched by her loving partner who doubles as her favorite travel buddy and best friend. In her freetime, she is working on writing a book about her childfree choice and intentionally networking with the childfree community.

Additional Links (for listeners to learn more)

This episode introduces the first of 12 letters from their collaborative visual arts project “Letters to Our Unborn Children: An Exploration of a Woman’s Decision to Remain Child-Free by Choice.” They discuss the “Strategist” archetype behind the letter, and share their research and insights around the themes in the letter. They are joined by guest Meghan Daum, author of “Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids.”

Meghan Daum is the creator and host of The Unspeakable Podcast and the author of six books, most recently The Problem With Everything: My Journey Through The New Culture Wars, a New York Times Notable Book for 2019. Her collection of original essays, The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, won the 2015 Pen Center USA Award for creative nonfiction. A Los Angeles Times opinion columnist from 2005 to 2016, she has written for numerous magazines, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and Vogue. Meghan is the recipient of a 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2016 National Endowment for the Arts grant. She has taught graduate writing students at Columbia University and The University of Iowa and now teaches private workshops in personal essay, memoir and op-ed. In 2022, she founded The Unspeakeasy, an intellectual community for freethinking women (and occasionally men). Her next book, a collection of essays entitled The Catastrophe Hour, will be published in April 2025.

Recorded on Oct 8, 2024.

Additional Links (for listeners to learn more)

This episode introduces the next of 12 letters from their collaborative visual arts project “Letters to Our Unborn Children: An Exploration of a Woman’s Decision to Remain Child-Free by Choice.” They discuss the “Inner Parent” archetype behind the letter, and share their research and insights around the themes in the letter. They are joined by guests Danielle Shields and Erin Watt, who both participated in the survey and are members of the private chat group.

Erin Watt is a holistic relationship coach based in Nashville, TN, dedicated to helping individuals discover their Inner Radiant Authentic Energy. With a strong foundation in neuroscience, psychology, and holistic healing—and drawing from her own personal journey of recovery and growth—she founded Inner RAE Coaching in January 2022. Erin offers personalized coaching, intensives, workshops, and retreats, guiding clients toward authentic connections and meaningful transformation. She also shares her insights through the Inner RAE Podcast and a growing library of courses.

Danielle Shields is a lifestyle photographer based in Fort Collins, CO. With a background in mental health, Danielle strives to create safe spaces for her clients to not only look their best but feel their best in front of the camera. Since launching her photography business in 2015, Danielle has built a reputation for helping people embrace their authenticity and connect with their personal strengths. Danielle is also deeply passionate about political activism, advocating for social justice causes and using her platform to amplify marginalized voices. She believes in the power of community and strives to create work and change that reflects her commitment to human dignity, equity, and representation. Danielle’s child-free lifestyle allows her to channel her passion and energy into her art, activism, and empowering others to feel at home within themselves.

Recorded on Oct 15, 2024.

This episode introduces the next of 12 letters from their collaborative visual arts project “Letters to Our Unborn Children: An Exploration of a Woman’s Decision to Remain Child-Free by Choice.” They discuss the “Realist” archetype behind this Letter, and share their research and insights around the themes in the letter. They are joined by guest Peggy O’Donnell Heffington, author of Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother.

Peggy is a Senior Instructional Professor in the Department of History at the University of Chicago, where she teaches historical research and writing methods and a little about gender and women’s history. Her first book, Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother, was published by Seal Press in 2023. She is a trail runner, a gluten-free baker, and a clothes connoisseur. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband Bob and their two pugs, Ellie and Moose.

Recorded on Sept 12, 2024.

Join hosts Sarah Saturday and Tarri Driver as they discuss the making of their visual arts collaboration, “Letters to Our Unborn Children: An Exploration of a Woman’s Decision to Remain Child-Free by Choice,” sharing their extensive research on the topic of being child-free, and interviewing other child-free women.

Recorded on Sept 10, 2024.

Join hosts Sarah Saturday and Tarri Driver as they discuss the making of their visual arts collaboration, “Letters to Our Unborn Children: An Exploration of a Woman’s Decision to Remain Child-Free by Choice,” sharing their extensive research on the topic of being child-free, and interviewing other child-free women.