I Thought I Wanted to Be a Trad Wife… I Was Wrong ft. Lisa Bilyeu

LOVERS by Shan

Lemonada Media

Relationships, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Sexuality

5.0 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2026

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Thanks to Cozy Earth for sponsoring this episode. Go to cozyearth.com/LOVERS for up to 20% off! Sex Is a Skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Join the world's largest sex school and access 150+ courses for curious adults: https://beducate.me/lovers. — In this episode of Lovers, I sit down with Lisa Bilyeu to talk about a decision a lot of women think about… but don’t always say out loud: what if you don’t want kids? Lisa is an entrepreneur, co-founder of Quest Nutrition, and founder of Impact Theory Studios. She’s known for building billion-dollar businesses alongside her husband while also speaking openly about identity, marriage, and what it means to choose a life that actually fits you. Lisa built a life that looked like the dream. Marriage, stability, and the role she thought she was supposed to want. For a long time, she even stepped into the idea of being a traditional wife. But over time, something didn’t sit right. What happens when you realize the life you chose doesn’t actually fit you anymore? We talk about what it looked like for Lisa to tell her husband that she didn’t want children, how they navigated being in a marriage where one partner wants kids and the other doesn’t, and why choosing to be child-free doesn’t mean something is missing, broken, or selfish. This conversation challenges the idea that every woman is meant to become a mother, and unpacks the pressure many women feel around motherhood, marriage, and identity. We also explore what it means to redefine a successful relationship on your own terms, whether that includes children or not. If you’ve ever questioned whether motherhood is for you, wondered how to tell your partner you don’t want kids, or felt conflicted about choosing career, independence, or a different kind of life, this episode is for you. EXCLUSIVE LOVERS COMMUNITY RESOURCENeed help starting a difficult conversation? Access our guided journal inside the LOVERS community: → https://www.loversbyshan.com/resource/navigating-change-hard-conversations-in-relationships-community-exclusive Follow Lisa Bilyeu → Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisabilyeu/→ Watch & learn on Impact Theory: https://impacttheory.com/→ Explore her personal website: https://lisabilyeu.com/→ Listen to her podcast Women of Impact: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-of-impact/id1435217865→ Get her book Radical Confidence: https://radicalconfidence.com/ Want more Lover?Receive the weekly Love Letter → http://loversbyshan.com/newsletterJoin the Lovers Community → https://www.loversbyshan.com/communityExplore quizzes and worksheets → http://loversbyshan.com/quizzes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Love isn't enough.
0:01.6	It's been 23 years of ups, downs, even while we're building Quest.
0:06.6	That was a company that's grown at 57,000%.
0:09.6	57,000 percent, my brain couldn't even process what that was.
0:12.7	I was shipping bars from my living room floor,
0:16.1	and within five years, the company was worth a billion dollars.
0:19.6	That's what 57,000 it looks like. I told my
0:23.4	husband I wanted to get married, have four kids and have a big Greek family. For eight years,
0:29.0	I was a stay-at-home wife and realized I was miserable. I have to tell my husband, but I don't
0:34.6	know how he's going to react. He has a right to be like, but you're changing the contract.
0:40.8	You told me you wanted four children.
0:42.9	If I had known this, I wouldn't have married you.
0:45.0	What's the plan to just start from scratch?
0:47.3	Like, what was the plan in your mind?
0:51.6	Hi, lovers. My name is Shan.
0:53.3	Welcome to the podcast.
0:56.2	We believe the key to happiness is managing expectations. So in this episode, expect to hear a conversation between myself and entrepreneur plus
1:01.9	founder of Women of Impact, Lisa Billew, where she describes the moment she realized being a trad wife
1:07.9	was not for her. Here's a preview of my favorite part of our discussion.
1:12.1	I have to tell my husband, but I don't know how he's going to react. He has a right to be like,
1:17.1	but you're changing the contract. Yes. You told me you wanted four children. He could have said
1:23.0	kids are important to me. Kids are my priority. If I had known this, I wouldn't have married you.
	...

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