Kids or Childfree: How to Decide What’s Right for You with Keltie Maguire
ShrinkChicks
Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT and Emmalee Bierly, LMFT
4.9 • 755 Ratings
🗓️ 11 May 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by Keltie Maguire, host of The Kids or Childfree Podcast and a clarity coach who helps people decide between parenthood or a childfree life. Together, they unpack the often overwhelming “in-between” of not knowing what you want, why that gray area can feel so hard to sit in, and how to get out of it.
Keltie shares her own experience of being on the fence for years, why clarity doesn’t always “arrive,” and how decision-making around kids often comes with anxiety, pressure, and fear of regret. They explore how to tell the difference between not wanting kids vs. fear of the unknown, how to talk to a partner about the decision, and why “if it’s not a 100% yes, it’s a no” isn’t actually helpful advice.
The conversation also covers financial fears, the reality of parenting, and how to think about regret in a more nuanced way, because no matter what you choose, there will be hard parts.
You can find Keltie on Instagram @kidsorchildfree, at kidsorchildfree.com, and on The Kids or Childfree Podcast. Book mentioned in this episode: The Baby Decision
Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There was a period of time where I fully convinced myself I was going to become the kind of person |
| 0:04.7 | who meal preps everything on Sundays. And it lasted maybe two weeks. Before I was back standing |
| 0:11.2 | in front of my kitchen at 6 p.m. like, hmm, what do we do for dinner? And that's honestly why |
| 0:14.8 | Green Chef has been so amazing for us. It takes the mental load off without turning food into some |
| 0:19.3 | rigid plan you have to follow perfectly. |
| 0:21.7 | With Green Chef, you get over 40 recipes every week made with organic produce, responsibly sourced proteins, and seafood in real ingredients you actually recognize. |
| 0:30.6 | You can pick what fits your life, and it just feels flexible instead of restrictive. |
| 0:35.0 | We've had some really good pasta dishes and the seafood meals feel like |
| 0:38.3 | something that we just ordered out. And we make it at home without the stress. They even offer |
| 0:42.4 | free unlimited one-on-one nutrition coaching if you want some extra support, which is a cool added layer. |
| 0:47.0 | Plus, they're the only certified clean meal kit tested by the Clean Label project. You got to check |
| 0:51.9 | Green Chef out. I think you'll love it just like we do. |
| 1:00.2 | Head to Greenchief.com slash 50 shrink chicks and use code 50 shrink chicks to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months. That's code 50 shrink chicks at Greenchev.com |
| 1:06.7 | slash 50 shrink chicks. I think it's wonderful for people to be careful and cautious with this decision, but this |
| 1:14.2 | idea that we can feel 100% certain or no for sure, especially when we're someone who, again, |
| 1:19.6 | has seen the merits of both sides of this decision. |
| 1:22.6 | Like, it makes sense that a part of you may indefinitely have this feeling of like, oh gosh, I'm really missing |
| 1:28.5 | out on this experience that I'm not having. And that's okay. |
| 1:36.1 | Welcome back to another episode of shrink chicks. |
| 1:45.0 | Take a seat on our virtual therapy couch and get ready to learn all about, well, you. |
| 1:50.0 | I'm Emily Beirley. |
| 1:51.1 | And I'm Jennifer Chakin. |
... |
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