What if we stopped trying to fit our lives into boxes—and started letting complexity lead?

In this episode, Emily is joined by Nicole Louie, author of Others Like Me: Lives of Women Without Children. Nicole spent 14 years researching and interviewing women across 25 countries, exploring what it means to live a life outside the expectation of motherhood. Through her powerful work, she brings dignity and depth to stories that are too often left out of the cultural conversation.

They talk about the importance of shared stories, the struggle to find role models, and the limitations of identity labels like "childfree" and "childless." Nicole shares how her quest for connection evolved into a global movement—one that challenges us to make space for nuance and representation. This conversation is both a celebration of choosing your own path and a reflection on how we make meaning in the absence of societal blueprints.

Whether you’re childfree by choice, circumstance, or still figuring it out, this episode will make you feel seen, inspired, and deeply connected.

Key Takeaways

• From Loneliness to Legacy: Nicole shares how her personal search for role models led to a global oral history project—and why her book is a bridge, not a box.

• Beyond the Binary: The terms “childfree” and “childless” don’t work for everyone. Nicole breaks down why some women reject labels altogether.

• Culture and Context Matter: From Ghana to Thailand, societal expectations around motherhood vary wildly. Nicole shares eye-opening stories from around the world.

• The Power of Representation: Visibility isn’t just about being seen—it’s about recognizing the full humanity of women without children.

• Letting Go of Categories: Nicole explains why she removed labels from her book, choosing instead to focus on story, not identity politics.What Comes After Visibility: They discuss the urgent need for policy change, from healthcare to the workplace, and how we can advocate for a more inclusive future.

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Host Emily Paulsen is an accomplished entrepreneur and happily childfree woman shining a light on the often overshadowed childfree-by-choice perspective. Whether interviewing innovative experts or positioning leaders to scale through her Brand Studio, Electric Collab, Emily’s power lies in allowing people to feel seen and celebrated for who they are . She’s spent years honing the ability to deeply understand and amplify others in an honest, high-impact way. 

Learn more about Emily on her website: www.curiouslifeofachildfreewoman.com  

And connect with her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curiouslifeofachildfreewoman/ 

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The guest on this episode, Nicole Louie, is a writer and translator based in Ireland. Her essays have appeared in The Walrus, The Guardian, Electric Literature and Oh Reader Magazine. Her curated collections

of books, movies and podcasts about women who are not mothers by choice, infertility, circumstance or ambivalence can be found on Instagram: @bynicolelouie.

Others Like Me: The Lives of Women Without Children is her first book. You can learn more about her and Others Like Me at: linktr.ee/nicolelouie