Not Having Kids Is Not a Tragedy

Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Jo Piazza, Influence Inc.

Personal Journals, Kids & Family, Technology, Parenting, Society & Culture

4.3 • 833 Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What if you do not want kids, but everyone acts like you are making a mistake? This week, we’re talking with Helena DeGroot, creator of the podcast The Creation Myth, about choosing a child-free life in a culture that refuses to believe that choice can be valid. Helena knew early that she did not want children. Her husband said he was on the same page, until he was not. After years of pressure, their marriage ended and she went on a deep, audio-documentary style search for the truth of what she actually wanted, without the noise of strangers, expectations, and the myth that motherhood equals fulfillment. We get into doubt, identity, the “mother or selfish” binary, and why you can love kids, show up for them, and still not want to be a parent. Also, why the deepest personal stories often become the most universal mirror. Listen to more of Helena's story on The Creation Myth. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER The Parisian Heist here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:04.0	Hey all, Joe here and you are listening to Under the Influence. Really quick reminder to get those orders in for the
1:12.1	Parisian heist, the book of the summer, the book you are not going to be able to put down, the one
1:16.8	you're not going to want to stop talking about, the one you are going to continue to ignore your
1:21.0	kids at the pool to keep reading, the Parisian heist. Available to order today. Get those orders in. Get your book club ordering.
1:29.4	You are going to love it. And I am giving away my substack for free for a year to anyone who pre-orders
1:35.5	right now. Just shoot me a note on any of my platforms. And I will get that to you free of charge
1:40.6	for an entire year. Now on to today's episode, what does a woman's life's purpose
1:46.4	look like when she chooses not to have children? Should this even be a question? Should it? I mean,
1:53.8	we talk about this subject a lot. We talk about this subject with Glynness a lot, who I think is
1:57.9	one of the smartest women out there writing about a child-free lifestyle.
2:02.2	But Glennis is not my guest today. My guest today is Helena de Groot.
2:07.5	Helena knew from her 20s that she didn't want kids. When she got married, she told her husband
	...

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