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Adversity can be one of the most creativity-enhancing experiences for many musicians, but when you’re faced with chronic illness that may dictate your energy and ability to work, it’s a whole different story.

Inside this episode Isobel chats to musician and producer April Rose Gabrielli about her experience developing epilepsy, totally out of nowhere, and how it informed her debut album, I Woke Up Alive. April also shares her journey into recording and production and the BTS scoop on her professional team and promotion strategy too.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{03:51} How April got started in music production
{16:44} Getting signed with BMG and becoming a full time musician and producer
{23:51} The difference between engineering and producing
{27:20} The difference between a publishing deal and record deal
{34:40} The process of recording her debut album, I Woke Up Alive, after getting diagnosed with Epilepsy
{46:50} How living with Epilepsy impacted how April wrote, produced and promoted her album 
{55:17} April’s advice for musicians who aren’t in full health
{01:00:37} Episode Summary

Listen to I Woke Up Alive on Spotify >>

Check out April’s website >>

Follow April on Instagram >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Like a lot of artists, portrait photographer Laura Zalenga is a dreamer. She imagines a future when generations live together, so the older people she met during her "Beauty of Age" project feel useful, and younger folks can benefit from their experience and wisdom. In this utopia, childfree people and parents support each other, and everyone has access to the education and choices that allow them to live the life that's right for them. What a wonderful world that would be! This was a super inspiring conversation with a fellow photographer who reminded me of the power of art to change how people think, how they live.

Find Laura at laurazalenga.com and follow her on Instagram at @laurazalenga. Her incredible "Beauty of Age" Adobe Creative Residency project can be found at beautyofage.myportfolio.com

And the podcast episode she mentioned is Sterilised at 23, with Daniela Echeverry from season 1 of We are Childfree.

Join the movement at wearechildfree.com ✊

We're doing something new by providing listeners with an audio preview of the Fall issue of CannaCurious magazine. A handful of contributors discuss their part of this gorgeous issue. 

YH listeners can get 10% using code YHPOD on Mitragaia.com

Time Stamps:

Fave Pot / Fave Not Pot - 1:50

Diana - 10:10

Diana and Tekisha - 20:43

Maggie - 32:58

Danielle - 47:54

Allessandra - 1:09:37

This episode is produced and edited by Your Highness Media.

It can be hard trying to decide if you want children or not, and it can be doubly difficult when there are two people involved in the decision. That’s why I wanted to speak to today’s guest, Melanie Hunter, who went with her husband to couple’s therapy, specifically to unpack the question: should they have kids? It was fascinating to hear about how they made an intentional choice to be childfree, and heeded their therapists’ advice that, if you’re not going to make a baby, you should create something else together: a purpose, a life.

Follow Melanie on Instagram @melaniehunter888.

Check out the great work of Best Buddies International.

And the book Melanie referred to is Cunt: A Declaration of Independence, by Inga Muscio.

I invited Emma Hollen onto the pod because of a super-entertaining Twitter thread about her struggle to get a tubal ligation, and her eventual success, at age 30. As a pansexual, non-binary person, Emma doesn't feel that she fits the narrow definition of "woman" that society would force her into. And, as a science journalist, she taught me a lot about the diversity of the natural world, our place in the universe, and our chemical urge to procreate - which is distinct and different from some people's desire to have and raise a child. 

Read the Twitter thread that tells the story of Emma's sterilisation... with GIFs!

Listen to the podcast episode Emma referred to, No doubts, with journalist Sarah Chebaro.

Anna Brooke was born with a health issue which means that pregnancy and childbirth could be very dangerous for both herself and the child. Over time, she came to accept that she wouldn’t be able to have biological kids of her own. So instead of becoming a mother to the teen daughter she used to write to in her diary, Anna now works as a high school teacher. She’s showing her students that there are other ways to live. I’m so happy to be able to complicate the narrative around people without children, and super grateful to Anna for being so open, honest and vulnerable about her childfree journey.

Check out Anna’s artwork here.

The books we discussed in this episode: Regretting Motherhood by Orna Donath, Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers On The Decision Not To Have Kids, edited by Meghan Daum, and The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas (who’s been on the We are Childfree podcast!)

This podcast is made possible by the generous support of the We are Childfree membership community. Join us at wearechildfree.com

For Jenny Castano, being childfree is so much more than a lifestyle choice - it’s meant having the freedom to create the life she’d always dreamed about. When she moved from Colombia to Queens, New York, as a teenager, Jenny already knew that she wanted to learn English, go to college, find a profession and travel the world. Check, check, check - she’s done all that! Even though she’s too modest to admit it, Jenny is a real trailblazer helping to make the world a better place.

Follow Jenny on Instagram (and her adorable bunny Mochi!) at @jencastano

We recorded this episode before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. To find out how you can support abortion access, check out the resources at https://wearechildfree.com/links

Read more childfree stories, and find out when the We are Childfree online community launches at wearechildfree.com

After dropping out of studying drama and visual art, Mel Uye-Parker started picking up multi-track recorders, recording vocals in studios, writing songs for other artists and eventually studying recording and composition. Now, she’s an artist with over two decades under her belt and programme leader of ICMP’s Creative Music Production MA.

Inside this episode Isobel gets to hear about all of this as well as how Mel’s identity as a black, gay woman has shaped her experience of the wider white-hetero dominant culture of music production. Mel also shared about the music she’s making today, including a new release under her artist project, OMOTE.

___________

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:42} Musical identity
{16:00} How Mel got into music production
{32:08} Experiencing imposter syndrome as a producer
{37:54} Has Mel’s identity affected her experience as an artist and an educator?
{55:08} Mel’s new project ‘OMOTE’
{01:05:58} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Find out more about Mel’s work >>
Follow the OMOTE project on Instagram >>  

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

When Rookes started making music, she didn’t have a clear plan but over the course of the last few years she’s not only forged an impressive career as a music producer, but co-founded a thriving community of other women in music tech too.

Inside this episode she talks to Isobel about how she started learning to self-produce as an artist and the allies that helped her cut her music production teeth. She also shares how her awareness of gender inequalities in the field led her and friend, Kate Tavini, to founding 2% Rising: an online community for women in production and studio engineering.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:30} Jenny’s pathway into music
{17:22} How Jenny learned to self-produce her music
{25:23} Tackling the gender imbalance in the music industry
{36:35} How 2% Rising came to formation and is transforming the careers of women in music
{57:59} Building a safe community to learn and connect
{01:08:25} What’s coming up next for Jenny?
{01:13:23} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Find out more about Rookes and her music >>

Check out 2% Rising >>

Find out more about the ‘We Move’ Music Hackspace events series >>

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

How might imposter syndrome affect your ability to record and release your music? Well, that’s probably pretty self explanatory. But inside this week’s episode actually looks at how recording and production skills may offer women a way of overcoming this tricky phenomenon.

Isobel also unpacks what Imposter syndrome is, how it might affect people in the creative Industries and, more specifically, women in music too. FInally, Isobel tackles the biggest Imposter syndrome trap you still might fall into, even after getting some much needed recording and production know-how.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:56} What is Imposter Syndrome?
{07:02} How does it manifest for women in music?
{09:23} Examples of female musicians who experience Imposter Syndrome
{12:24} How learning to record and produce yourself can dispell Imposter Syndrome
{15:37} But don't lots of female musicians feel  imposter syndrome around recording and
producing their music, isobel?
{18:46} The biggest trap to avoid, even so
{19:35} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: A Study by Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes >>

Imposter syndrome affects 87% of people in the creative industries >>

Sherelle’s interview with Mixmag >>

Ashnikko’s interview with Forbe’s >>

Lady Gaga: 'I still feel like a kid in high school' >>

Home Recording Academy: Student Stories of Transformation >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Usually when we think about recording our music, we think about all the outgoings: the new recording gear we’ll need to invest in, or even the studio time we might have to book. But what if having recording and production skills actually opened up new revenue streams in your music and gave you more freedom and independence as a musician?

Well, that’s exactly what happened for this episode's three guests Sam, Sandy and Annie. None of these musicians have been recording music for a long time, but after learning to record and produce from home, they’ve all seen new earning opportunities in their music that have changed their options for good.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{03:37} How home-recording skills can create new revenue streams for your music
{07:04} Applying for Funding w/ Sam Crane
{25:43} How does Sam feel about the future of her music?
{30:25} Advice and top tips for a successful funding application
{40:07} Recording and Producing for Clients w/ Sandy Ince
{46:00} What led Sandy to invest in her home-recording skills?
{01:00:52} Sandy’s plans for the future
{01:07:04} Recording and Producing for Theatre w/ Annie Ball
{01:13:07} How these recording skills helped Annie save money and become more visible as
a musician
{01:19:56} Annie’s advice for starting your recording journey
{01:21:47} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Listen to Sam’s music here >>

Check out Sandy’s music here >> and say hello to Sandy on IG >>

Find out more about Annie’s music here >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Now, what is a music producer? I mean what do they do? Or maybe most importantly, when have we earned the right to call ourselves one? Surely there’s some way we know for sure we’ve graduated from music tech dabbler to full blown producer, right?

Well, not really, which may be one contributing factor to so few women being represented in this profession. And, that’s why inside this episode, Isobel draws from women in music production and one of the most respected producers of all time, Brian Eno, to better understand this term.

By the end of this episode, your knowledge of the term will be significantly expanded as will your confidence in owning the title of producer if this has been something you’ve been struggling with.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:31} What is a music producer? 
{07:59} The difference between a producer and engineer 
{12:17} Do women relate to the term ‘music producer’ differently?
{17:03} What is Brian Eno’s definition?
{19:11} 3 empowering resources of you’re struggling to adop the term of producer
{21:06} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Ready to Discover Your Female Producer Spirit Guide? Take the Quiz now >>

Music Production: What does a music producer do? Read the Berkeley article >>

What is a music producer? Read the Renegade article >>

Sound & Vision: Why Only 2% of Music Producers are Women. Read the Sound & Vision article >>

13 Women On How To Change Male-Dominated Studio Culture. Read the Fader article >>

Brian Eno and the role of the producer. Read the Ethan Hein article >>

Join the Home Recording Academy Waitlist here >>

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs podcast community here >>

Find out more about other resources for women in music >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

In this week’s episode we’re jumping into the fascinating, complex and playful world of theatre sound design with Tony Award winning Broadway sound designer, Jessica Paz. With years of experience under her belt designing complex sound systems, sound effects and audio experiences for acclaimed productions like Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen and Little Shop of Horrors, there isn’t much Jessica hasn’t seen or done when it comes to theatre sound design.

Inside her discussion with Isobel, she unpacks exactly what makes theatre sound design unique, her favourite aspects of this role and the challenges she’s faced along the way. Jessica also has some killer advice for any other women looking to explore this field themselves.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{05:26} What does a theatre sound designer do?
{15:38} How Jessica got into theatre sound design
{19:43} The tools, equipment and sound systems used in Hadestown
{30:28} The positives and challenges of a designer
{42:48} Jessica's experience as a woman in the industry
{48:20} Jessica's advice for getting into theatre sound design
{49:48} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Grab your FREE 3 Step Guide to Sound Treating Your Home Recording Space >>

Find out more about Jessica Paz’s work >>

Listen to EP#24 of the podcast here >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Never one to take the conventional path, UK experimental electronic composer and producer, Elizabeth Bernholz, AKA Gazelle Twin’s back catalogue plays with and subverts a variety of identities. Inside this episode, Isobel has the chance to hear all about her journey into music making so far, her evolution as an artist, where she’s at now (including being a fulltime musician and mother) and the reissue of her first album, The Entire City / The Wastelands, which is coming out on April 8th, 2022.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{05:30} How Elizabeth got started in music
{20:01} The catalyst for the creation of Gazelle Twin
{26:35} Finding her identity as a live performer
{36:48} The process of self-releasing her debut album ‘The Entire City'
{48:25} How The Terminator was an inspiration for her track ‘I Am Shell I Am Bone'
{53:20} The themes and ideas that influenced her album ‘Pastoral’
{01:01:46} Ways Elizabeth uses music to creatively express her frustrations
{01:13:30} Landing her first job as a film composer for 'The Power'
{01:23:12} Managing her music career as a mother
{01:28:30} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

To listen to all the Gazelle Twin tracks featured in this episode, check out this special Spotify playlist >>

Find out more about Elizabeth’s work >>

Listen to The Entire City / The Wasteland >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Many musicians think they need all the ‘right’ gear before they can start recording and producing from home, which can massively stunt their skills and careers. But guess what?  You DON’T need fancy gear to get started! The thing you really need to invest in costs hardly anything and you probably have it all at home already. This week's episode dives into acoustic treatment and how you can use it.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:45} Musicians making professional music with a minimal setup
{10:47} What you should do to get professional home recordings
{11:19} What is acoustic treatment?
{12:25} 3 steps to sound-treating your space
{15:57} Gear to up your acoustics game
{16:37} Episode summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Enter the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Grab your FREE 3 Step Guide To Sound Treating Your Home Recording Space >>

EP#11: Start Recording Your Music For Under £100 >>
Listen to Visions (2012) and Art Angels (2015) by Grimes >>
Grimes Details Gear Behind Art Angels article on Stereogum >>
Grimes: Claire Boucher insists that anyone can do what she does. If only it were true article in Loud & Quiet >>
Listen to girl in red >>
Home Recording Gear Haul: girl in red article on Spotify >>
How to become a pop star without leaving your bedroom article on i-D >>
Why do Recording Studios Need Acoustic Treatments? Article on IPR College of Creative Arts >>
The Mirror Trick! Blog post on PrimaAcoustic website >>

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Welcome back to another season of Girls Twiddling Knobs! At 20 years old, our first guest of the season, Emily Nash, is perhaps the youngest guest we’ve ever had on the podcast. But don’t let that fool you because this DJ & producer is currently setting the EDM world on fire.

When she didn’t get the grades she needed at school, she was encouraged to do a Music Production course at her local college. Little did she know that within just a couple of short years this would lead her to sign to Ministry of Sound and be tipped by Radio 1 as one of 2022’s rising stars.

Inside this episode, Emily shares what it’s been like seeing her music take off, her creative process and her positive experience so far as a women in the industry.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{06:00} How Emily Nash got started in music
{09:57} Emily’s musical influences
{11:09} How the music scene has shaped her music
{14:28} How she got started using music technology
{17:36} Emily’s creative process of making hit track ‘Garden’
{21:21} Kicking off her music career and getting signed by Ministry of Sound
{25:30} Gaining confidence performing as a DJ
{28:35} Top Tips for making electronic music 
{31:34} The artists who inspired Emily to become a DJ
{33:53} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Start producing your music with Isobel’s recommended 10 FREE Recording Tools >>

Listen to Emily’s music on Spotify >>

Watch ‘Get To Know Emily Nash’ >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson, produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

 Today I look at Femicide and Gender-Based Violence; with femicide being the intentional killing of a female, a word with no antonym, a word that was first documented in 1801, and is now defined as, and I quote: “the murder of women by men motivated by hatred, contempt, pleasure, or a sense of ownership of women” and “the misogynistic killings of women by men.” With men recognized as the primary perpetrators. 
And Gender-Based Violence refers specifically to harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender, rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power, and harmful norms. Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious violation of human rights and a life-threatening health and protection issue. Physical violence, verbal violence, psychological violence, and sexual violence are the major types of GBV. 

Blog: https://www.tumisdailygrind.com/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColvmCjGZtqAtdcMod4Mj2g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dumasit/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tumisdailygrind

Keltie Maguire is a clarity coach who's originally from Canada and now lives in Germany. It's only in the last six months, as she nears her 40th birthday, that Keltie's reached a 95% confidence in her choice to embrace a life without children. That last 5% is super important, because Keltie isn't someone to fully close the door on any possibility, preferring to live the most dynamic life possible. You'll hear about how for Keltie, like so many of us, the desire to be a mother simply never arrived, and how she found her way through this ambivalence, towards a joyful, fulfilling life. This one's a must-listen if you aren't sure whether you want children or not, as Keltie and I swap strategies for finding clarity and feeling comfortable with the life path you're currently on.

Find out more about Keltie at keltiemaguire.com and check out The Clarity Podcast wherever you get podcasts.

Listen to the We are Childfree episode with 78-year-old childfree trailblazer Marcia Drut-Davis, and my interviews with other older women role models Barbara Krulik and Shelley.

The books we talked about in this episode are The Baby Decision: How to Make The Most Important Choice of Your Life by Merle Bombardieri, and Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis.

This episode is from the best of season 1 of We are Childfree. Sign up to the newsletter to be first to find out when season 2 launches 👉 https://wearechildfree.com/newsletter

Shelley is a clinical psychologist and second-wave feminist who's been fighting for our rights since the 70s. She was an early beneficiary of Roe vs Wade, which legalised abortion in the US, and chose to be sterilised at 21. Now that she's 65, it was a pleasure to look back with her over an action-packed life, to see how far we've come in the struggle for gender equality and bodily autonomy... and why we're still fighting! Shelley was the perfect person to speak to about the question of whether to have kids or not, as she's helped many women think through their options, and her example lights the way for anyone interested in taking the road less-travelled. If you're curious about the childfree choice, this one's packed full of advice and insights that could help your decision. And if you've made up your mind, this episode will give you an absolute icon to look up to!

This episode is from the best of season 1 of We are Childfree. Sign up to the newsletter to be first to find out when season 2 launches 👉 https://wearechildfree.com/newsletter

In Donna Freitas' new novel, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, the eponymous heroine faces a dilemma. Before she got married, her husband promised her he didn't want children - but now he's changed his mind. Could happily childfree Rose will herself to become a mother in order to save her relationship, and if so, what might her life look like? Author Freitas found herself in this very scenario in her real life, and it made her question everything - her lack of a maternal instinct, her worth as a woman, what kind of future she could hope for, without children - or her husband - in it. It was so enlightening to speak to someone who's looked at the childfree choice from every possible angle, as a scholar of religion and gender studies, and the author of a Sliding Doors-style plot that dares to ask: what if...?

Learn more about Donna at donnafreitas.com and follow her on Instagram at @donnafreitas.writer. If you're childfree and would like to be interviewed by Donna for an upcoming project, contact her on donnamariefreitas@gmail.com.

You can buy The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano in the US on bookshop.org, in the UK at Waterstones and in Italian at Mondadori (with more languages on the way!)

This episode is from the best of season 1 of We are Childfree. Sign up to the newsletter to be first to find out when season 2 launches 👉 https://wearechildfree.com/newsletter