EP 83: Child-Free by Choice - The Conversation Every Working Woman Needs to Hear with Candice Harvey

We talk a lot about working parents. We talk far less about the people who have chosen not to be one. In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Candice Harvey — speaker, workshop facilitator, former HR leader, author and founder — to have a conversation that is long overdue. What is it actually like to be child-free by choice in the workplace, in friendships and in life? And what are the hidden challenges that nobody thinks to ask about?This is not a conversation about which path is better. Both are valid and both come with trade-offs. It is an honest, warm and at times very funny conversation about identity, purpose, belonging, burnout, boundaries and what it means to build a rich life on your own terms, whatever that looks like for you.Whether you have children or you don't, this one will make you think differently about the assumptions we make and the questions we forget to ask.Key TopicsWhat people most misunderstand about women who choose not to have childrenWhy burnout does not check your parenting status before it finds youThe hidden wellbeing challenges of being child-free that nobody talks aboutWhy leaving work early for yourself can feel less legitimate than leaving for a child and what to do about itHow child-free people find purpose and legacy outside of parenthoodThe most unhinged things people have said when told someone doesn't want kidsThe real trade-offs on both sides and what you gain and what you consciously give upAbout CandiceCandice Harvey is a speaker, workshop facilitator and business owner with 15 years of experience in HR. She now helps people manage themselves — shaking up their thinking so they can behave differently and get different results. She is also the author of her debut book, The Shake Up.Show NotesConnect with Candice on ⁠Instagram⁠Buy her book ⁠The Shake Up:  This isn't another self-help book. This is a shake-up⁠Learn more about Candice's ⁠work and workshops.⁠ Keywords: child-free, women at work, identity, purpose, burnout, wellbeing, boundaries, belonging, life choices, workplace culture