For a generation told to delay marriage in pursuit of independence, career success, and personal growth, what if getting married young—say, in your early 20s—is actually one of the most strategic decisions you can make?

In this episode of The Conservative Woman’s Guide, Karin Lips sits down with Emily Ekins, Vice President for Policy and Society at the Cato Institute, to explore the case for marrying young. Emily, who married her husband at 22, shares five data-backed reasons why walking down the aisle earlier can benefit women in the long run—from building a foundation with your spouse sooner to creating greater flexibility for future goals.

Tune in as Karin and Emily challenge cultural assumptions that marriage should wait for arbitrary milestones and discuss what research reveals about building an intentional life.

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Chapters:
4:34 Growing Together
5:12 Risk-Sharing
7:56 Happiness & Well-Being
9:10 Support in Difficult Moments
9:49 Family Formation & Preserving Options
15:26 Emily’s Message to Young Women
16:21 Technology’s Effects on Gen Z
22:21 American Civic Knowledge Gap
28:45 Advice to your 22-year-old self

Why are fewer Americans choosing to have children—and why are families having fewer overall? Dr. Catherine Pakaluk joins Karin Lips to unpack the cultural and economic forces behind today’s declining birth rate.

Dr. Pakaluk challenges the idea that America’s baby bust is mainly a financial issue, arguing instead that it’s a demand problem. Younger generations just don’t see children as part of “living their best life.” Understanding this shift means looking beyond policy to lifestyle inflation and changing priorities around career, freedom, and identity—dynamics she explores in her book, Hannah’s Children, through interviews with 55 women, each with five or more children.

She weighs in on the nuances and false dichotomies beneath the popular “tradwife vs. girlboss” debate, offering a thoughtful look at modern trade-offs, cultural expectations, and what it means to build a meaningful life in the twenty-first century.

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What does it take to plan a once-in-a-generation celebration for an entire nation?

Karin Lips sits down with Danielle Alvarez, spokeswoman for Freedom 250, to dive into one of the most ambitious celebrations in American history.


Danielle takes listeners inside America’s 250th birthday, from the powerful lighting of the Washington Monument to the Great American State Fair and from traveling “Mobile Museums” to a never-before-seen IndyCar race on the streets of Washington, DC.


Danielle opens up about her work on the national stage as a mother with young children and reflects on what it means to carry forward a revolutionary spirit 250 years after the founding of this great country.

You can find out more about all of the celebrations at https://freedom250.org/.

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Why are fewer Americans choosing to have children—and why are families having fewer overall? Dr. Catherine Pakaluk joins Karin Lips to unpack the cultural and economic forces behind today’s declining birth rate.


Dr. Pakaluk challenges the idea that America’s baby bust is mainly a financial issue, arguing instead that it’s a demand problem. Younger generations just don’t see children as part of “living their best life.” Understanding this shift means looking beyond policy to lifestyle inflation and changing priorities around career, freedom, and identity—dynamics she explores in her book, Hannah’s Children, through interviews with 55 women, each with five or more children.


She weighs in on the nuances and false dichotomies beneath the popular “tradwife vs. girlboss” debate, offering a thoughtful look at modern trade-offs, cultural expectations, and what it means to build a meaningful life in the twenty-first century.

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Oklahoma ranks #1 among states with the lowest cost of doing business. It's one of America's top states for oil production as well as the aerospace and defense industry, attracting innovators from more expensive coastal states.

Karin Lips sits down with Representative Stephanie Bice, who represents Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District and serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Committee on House Administration. Before entering Congress, Rep. Bice spent two decades in the private sector while raising her two now-adult daughters.

Rep. Bice shares her perspective on how Congress can better serve Americans. She discusses how policymakers can better equip Americans—from working mothers to Artemis II astronauts—with the tools to think big, bold, and outside the box.

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What if someone told you that Americans are not increasingly overworked or increasingly sleep-deprived? What if someone told you that you aren’t as “busy” as you think you are? And life isn’t as “crazy” as you think it is?

In this episode, Karin sits down with Laura Vanderkam, author of several time-management books, including her latest, Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance. Laura shares the method behind her annual 168-hour study, tips and tricks to build your schedule more effectively, and a little relief for moms—you are likely spending more time with your family than you think!

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Karin Lips sits down with Sarah Isgur—ABC News legal analyst, co-host of the Advisory Opinions podcast, editor of SCOTUSblog, and author of The Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court.

In this episode, Sarah quickly busts the myth that the Supreme Court is simply divided along partisan lines. She takes listeners in-depth to show the surprising dynamics shaping decisions and the longstanding traditions that set the Court apart from the other federal branches.

She and Karin also discuss growing executive power—and how that shift may leave the Supreme Court as America’s “last branch standing.”

Beyond the bench, Sarah reflects on her unconventional career path and life as a mom of young boys, where Bluey has become (almost) part of the family.

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Representative Elise Stefanik joins host Karin Lips on The Conservative Woman’s Guide to discuss her new book, Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America's Elite Universities.

From her early days in the Bush White House to becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, Rep. Stefanik’s path prepared her for one of the most consequential congressional hearings in modern political history. The exchange of her questioning university presidents on antisemitism following October 7th captured global attention, triggered major resignations, and fueled a national debate over free speech, accountability, and leadership in higher education.

School-by-school, Poisoned Ivies audits supposed leaders in American academia. A Harvard graduate herself, Rep. Stefanik considers ways elite institutions might recover.

Rep. Stefanik shares what’s next for her in Congress and beyond as she exits Congress to focus on raising her son in upstate New York.

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Should Congress be larger—both in number and presence? Should American universities take more responsibility for forming good citizens? Should Americans disagree more than they do today?

In this episode of The Conservative Woman’s Guide, Karin Lips is joined by Yuval Levin, director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and founder and editor of National Affairs. Karin and Yuval explore a revitalization of Congress in the age of social media, the responsibility of American universities to form better citizens, and the role of the Constitution when it comes to disagreement. Yuval shares about AEI’s education initiative for America’s 250th, “We Hold These Truths."

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What does real education reform look like, and which policies are actually helping students succeed? 
This week on The Conservative Woman’s Guide, host Karin Lips sits down with Neetu Arnold, Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute and NeW alumna, to discuss the state of American education and the reforms that are making a difference. 

Neetu’s experience with the Network of enlightened Women at Cornell University helped shape her career in public policy. She explains how students can navigate ideological bias on campus while developing the skills to challenge prevailing narratives. 

The conversation explores misunderstandings surrounding student loans, the emerging role of AI in classrooms, and the dramatic academic turnaround often referred to as the “Mississippi Miracle.” 


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