Best Jennie O Connor Podcasts (2025)

1
Elizabeth Joy 54:28

9M ago54:28

54:28

In the last of the current episodes, I speak with Elizabeth Joy, the creator of the Other Than Motherhood podcast. Elizabeth started this as part of her process of answering the question of whether she wants children or not. We talk about that process and she picks out some key concepts she has found useful from her podcast interviews. These includ…

1
Jennifer Flint 52:26

10M ago52:26

52:26

My guest today is Jennifer Flint, a woman's empowerment coach and author of the novel 'Wild Egg'. This book tells the story of Holly and her struggle to break the deadlock of ambivalence to decide whether becoming a mother is her wholehearted choice, or simply what she has been programmed to believe. We discuss the book, the process of writing it a…

1
Caitlin Durante 52:58

10M ago52:58

52:58

I am so excited to speak with my guest today, Caitlin Durante. Caitlin is a writer, comedian and co-host of the amazing Bechdel Cast podcast, which discusses the representation of women in film. Caitlin is proudly childfree. We discuss the process she went through to be sterilised and how important it was for her body and mind to be aligned on this…

1
Dawn Llewellyn & Nicola Haigh 47:20

11M ago47:20

47:20

I am delighted to speak with Dawn and Nicole today about Storyhouse Childless. Storyhouse is a beautiful community and creative space in Chester, England. They host a range of events throughout the year, including Storyhouse Childless, a full weekend of events, taking place September 28-29th this year. The aim is to explore living without children …

1
Nicole Louie 1:06:55

11M ago1:06:55

1:06:55

Welcome to a new series of episodes to celebrate International Childfree Day 2024! I am delighted to start off by speaking with Nicole Louie about her book 'Others Like Me: The Stories of Women Without Children'. Nicole is originally from Brazil but is now based in Ireland. This book is a deeply personal exploration of childless and childfree women…

1
Caroline Magennis 32:07

11M ago32:07

32:07

To celebrate International Childfree Day this year, I am delighted to highlight some wonderful new books on the topic with an Irish connection. I have spoken to Nicole Louie about her book 'Others Like Me: The Stories of Women Without Children' so please listen to that episode when you have the chance. Here, I speak to Caroline Magennis about her n…

1
Julie Cobbe - Wild Egg Review 48:19

2y ago48:19

48:19

Welcome to mini book club! Today, myself and previous guest, Julie Cobbe, are discussing the novel 'Wild Egg' by Jennifer Flint. We talk about the themes raised in the book and our experiences of reading a book which focuses on the parenthood decision. I spoke to Julie in season 2 about her own experience of deciding to have children or not. I do r…

1
Sisterhood - Childfree by Choice Meetup Group 1:02:37

2y ago1:02:37

1:02:37

I am joined today by four members of the Sisterhood - Childfree by Choice Meetup group based in Ireland. Founded in 2020, it now has over 1,000 members with a range of online and in person events. I talk to Niamh, Kalyn, Katie and Ailish about how they came to be involved in the group, what the group does and the challenges around finding the right…

1
Robin Hadley 45:06

2y ago45:06

45:06

My guest today is Robin Hadley, a childless man, an associate lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and a founder member of campaign group Ageing Without Children. Rob has conducted a wide range of research on childless men so he brings both personal and professional experience to the topic. We discuss some myths around men and reproductio…

1
Jenny 1:02:53

2y ago1:02:53

1:02:53

Welcome to season 3 of the Are Kids For Me podcast. I took a break after season 2 but am delighted to be back with some special episodes. My first guest was actually the inspiration to make new episodes and it was a joy to speak to her. Jenny is in her 70s and is living a very content childfree life with her husband. She talks us through making the…

1
Louise Vance 42:15

4y ago42:15

42:15

My guest today, and the last for season 2, is Louise Vance. With a background in law, she is a writer, content creator and presenter. Her experience includes working as a fashion writer, stylist, editor and in event management. She is also a regular contributor to BBC radio and TV. For many years, she has been passionate about sharing her experienc…

1
Tanya Williams 38:42

4y ago38:42

38:42

I am speaking to Tanya Williams about her wide range of work as a childfree activist and advocate. This includes her book (A Childfree Happily Ever After), the Childfree Magazine, projects to support childfree people in the workplace and her ideas on how we can expand and progress the Childfree movement. She shares some great advice on how we can a…

1
Ali Wyllie 43:19

4y ago43:19

43:19

Today, I am speaking to Ali Wyllie, who runs the 'Childfree By Choice' account on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChildFreeBC. The aim of this account is to take away the stigma of being childfree. It has also evolved to address the division which can occur between parents and non parents by developing mutual empathy. We discuss Ali's experience of m…

1
Liam McCarthy 47:15

4y ago47:15

47:15

This is part 5 (and the last!) of the mini-series of 'Who will look after me when I get old' and we are discussing death. My guest is Liam McCarthy, a death doula (also known as an end of life doula). Liam is based in Youghal, Co. Cork and is a civil celebrant for weddings, baby naming ceremonies and funerals. We discuss what a death doula does, ho…

1
Jennifer Moran Stritch 50:46

4y ago50:46

50:46

Part 4 of the 'Who will look after me when I get old' series. My guest is Jennifer Moran Stritch. We have a fascinating and wide ranging discussion on the topic of ageing without children. We explore common stereotypes, the power of assumptions and how to catch ourselves from being drawn into them. We explore some concepts such as the adult orphan …

1
Sinead Ryan 32:29

4y ago32:29

32:29

Part 3 of the 'Who will look after me when I get old' series. My guest is Sinead Ryan, a journalist focusing on consumer and personal finance matters. We look at the range of care options for older people in Ireland. This includes nursing home care, the 'Fair Deal' Scheme and home care options. This is a link to the HSE information booklet on the F…

1
Paul Merriman 34:02

4y ago34:02

34:02

Here, we explore the financial side of aging without children. I speak to financial advisor, Paul Merriman about the basic elements of understanding your money, making it work for you and planning for your financial future. Paul also highlights some opportunities that may be available to people who don't have children. Paul wants to take the fear o…

1
Simon Forsyth - Childfree Writing Workshop 13:40

4y ago13:40

13:40

This is a brief chat with Simon Forsyth, who I will be co-facilitating the upcoming 'Taking the Road Less Travelled - Embracing Your Childfree Life' Workshop with. We discuss what therapeutic/reflective writing is generally and how we will use it to help people reflect upon and deepen their understanding of being childfree. The emphasis is on the c…

1
Karen O'Neill 38:19

4y ago38:19

38:19

This is the first in a mini series of episodes where I will explore the question of 'who will look after you when you get old' from a childfree perspective. I am starting with the legal side and am talking to solicitor Karen O'Neill about the things childfree people (and actually everyone) needs to know about and have in place for later life. We fo…

1
Mark Heywood & Romy Park 55:35

4y ago55:35

55:35

I speak to two guests from 'The End of the Line' Podcast, Mark Heywood & Romy Park. Mark is the creator of the podcast which is a series of powerful stories about how women who don't have children for a wide variety of reasons, are treated in society. Romy plays the character 'Mona' in one of the episodes. Both are passionate about amplifying the v…

1
Julie Cobbe 45:44

4y ago45:44

45:44

In this episode, I have a really insightful and honest conversation with Julie Cobbe about her process of choosing not to have children of her own, as her husband had children from a previous relationship and also had a vasectomy before they met. There are many layers to this including becoming a step parent, the cultural impact of moving back to I…

1
Selina Bonnie 40:03

4y ago40:03

40:03

My guest today is Selina Bonnie. Selina is an Indian/Irish disabled woman. She is an activist, lecturer and trainer in the international disabled people's movement for over 25 years. Her research focuses on sexuality, sexual expression and reproductive rights for disabled people. She is also a busy wife and mother. As previously discussed, there is…

1
Michelle Mayefske 50:39

4y ago50:39

50:39

My guest today is Michelle Mayefske, a birth and postpartum doula who works with families in the mid west of Ireland. She helps expecting parents navigate pregnancy and prepare for their best possible birth. Her passion is helping parents move from a place of fear to one of confidence. This episode may not be of interest to everyone, but I was curi…

1
Sheila O'Flanagan 36:53

4+ y ago36:53

36:53

I am launching season 2 of the podcast by speaking to international best selling author Sheila O'Flanagan. Sheila is happily childfree by choice at 63 years of age. We discuss the importance of having positive role models who showed her that this was an option and what being childfree has allowed her to do. We also discuss the impact of social pres…

1
Dr. Amy Morgan 28:46

4+ y ago28:46

28:46

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Amy Morgan. She is a GP based in Drogheda and has a special interest in women's health and sexual health. We talk about the range of both temporary and permanent contraceptive options available, the factors to consider when choosing a form for yourself and how to approach these discussions with your doctor, so as to …

1
Patrick Freyne 42:22

4+ y ago42:22

42:22

In this episode, I speak to Patrick Freyne; journalist, author and musician. He recently published his highly acclaimed debut book of personal essays called 'Ok Lets Do Your Stupid Idea'. This includes an essay discussing not having children which wasn't by choice for Patrick and his wife. We discuss the impact of this and how he feels about it now…

1
Kym & Rick 33:25

4+ y ago33:25

33:25

In this episode, I speak to Cork couple, Kym and Rick Kenny. We talk about how, initially, they had different opinions on whether to have children or not. Kym knew from a young age that she didn't want to, while Rick assumed he would have kids in the future. He describes how he came to see this as an automatic assumption and how he didn't know if i…

1
Marcia Drut-Davis 50:04

4+ y ago50:04

50:04

I am delighted to speak to Marcia Drut-Davis in this episode. Marcia is a life long campaigner and advocate for the childfree lifestyle, as well as being an author, teacher and sought after public speaker. She is now in her 70's and can give the perspective of an older childfree person that we don't always get to hear. We talk about the many ways h…

1
Saoirse & Colm 46:47

4+ y ago46:47

46:47

In this episode, I speak to Saoirse McHugh and Colm Cafferky about what it is like trying to decide whether to have children or not, and being very uncertain about that. We look at the many factors they are considering including the environmental impact of having a child, the type of world a child would be born into, the need for financial security…

1
Emilie Pine 50:37

4+ y ago50:37

50:37

In this episode, I speak to Emilie Pine, author of the multi award winning book 'Notes to Self'. We discuss her movement through, and experience of, many positions regarding parenthood - not being sure if she wanted to be a parent, very strongly wanting to be a parent, having a miscarriage and needing to accept that she wasn't going to be a parent.…

1
Jenny & Ann Blake 1:14:32

4+ y ago1:14:32

1:14:32

In this episode, I talk to Jenny and Ann Blake about their experience of making a decision of whether to become parents or not, both as individuals and as a couple. They very generously share this personal process and important insights. These include the need to be very honest and open with yourself and your partner, to be aware of your relationsh…

1
Catherine O'Connor 29:55

5y ago29:55

29:55

In this episode, I speak to Catherine O'Connor who is happily childfree by choice from a young age. We discuss how this hasn't changed for her, what her childfree life looks like, her positive approach to getting older and about adapting friendships when kids come along. Please subscribe/follow the podcast and check out the 'Are Kids For Me' pages …

1
Amy, Irene & Sarah 1:06:29

5y ago1:06:29

1:06:29

In this episode, I speak to three amazing women about their experiences of endometriosis and its impact on their fertility decisions. Amy now has a 16 month old son after 2 years of difficulties. Irene has previously tried to get pregnant and is currently enjoying her childfree life with her husband and two dogs. Sarah is currently going through IV…

1
Catherine Costigan 47:35

5y ago47:35

47:35

In this episode, I speak to Catherine Costigan, the 'Alpha Female' professional MMA fighter from Limerick. Catherine speaks with great passion about her sport both as a fighter and a coach. We talk about the competing demands of being a professional athlete and a parent. Catherine does not currently plan on having children and is very dedicated to …

1
Ciara Meehan 47:23

5y ago47:23

47:23

In this episode, I speak to Ciara Meehan. She is an historian, lecturer, and author who is childfree by choice. She speaks about being very sure of that and what it's like feeling excluded from society where the focus is on motherhood and families with children. She shares some great insight on how to support yourself in this. You can follow Ciara …

1
Joanne Ryan 48:26

5y ago48:26

48:26

In this episode, I speak with Joanne Ryan. Joanne is an actor and playwright, who wrote and performed a play called 'Eggistentialism', which was all about her process of trying to decide if she wanted to have a child or not. We discuss the experience of feeling overloaded with conflicting information and how she needed to stop searching for the 100…

1
Bronagh Fleming 32:37

5y ago32:37

32:37

In this episode, I have a great conversation with Bronagh Fleming about her choice to be childfree. Bronagh is really interesting person, with a wide range of passions and interests. You can follow her at https://www.instagram.com/foxhollowstyle/ to see her wonderful interior styling ideas. Bronagh is approaching glorious middle age with the hope t…

1
Introduction Episode - Welcome! 3:05

5y ago3:05

3:05

Welcome to the Are Kids For Me podcast. This is a brief introduction to explain what the podcast is about and what you can expect from future episodes. I am really looking forward to this series and would love to hear listener's feedback. Please subscribe/follow the podcast and check out the 'Are Kids For Me' pages on Facebook, https://www.facebook…

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