One decision can change the entire course of your life.

Should you have children... or not?

For many women, this isn't a simple choice. Divorce, heartbreak, infertility, timing, career, or simply not knowing what you truly want can leave you questioning the future you always imagined.

In this heartfelt conversation, Andrea sits down with clarity coach and Kids or Child Free podcast host Keltie Maguire to discuss one of life's biggest decisions.

Together they explore:

• How to know if motherhood is truly right for you

• The pressure society places on women to have children

• Grieving the life you thought you'd have

• Dating after divorce when children are still part of the conversation

• Loving someone who doesn't want kids

• Child free by choice vs. childless not by choice

• Fear of regret and fear of missing out

• How to find peace no matter which path life takes

Whether you're still deciding, your circumstances made the decision for you, or you're learning to embrace a different future than you expected, this conversation offers compassion, hope, and permission to create a beautiful life on your own terms.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Why deciding whether to have children changes everything

02:25 Keltie's journey from fence sitter to confidently child free

10:25 Breaking free from society's expectations of women

15:15 The biggest fears women have about having or not having children

19:30 Grieving the life you thought you would have

22:20 Can anyone help you make this decision?

25:20 Dating after divorce when kids are still part of the equation

30:50 Falling in love with someone who already has children

35:25 Adoption, alternative paths, and what people are really searching for

37:20 Loving someone who doesn't want children

40:05 When should you discuss kids while dating?

41:55 A message for women whose path didn't go as planned

46:30 What if your partner changes everything?

52:00 How to create a meaningful life, with or without children

57:35 Final thoughts and encouragement

💡 I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: What do you do when life doesn't turn out the way you planned?

🎧 Listen Here

Audio: From Mrs to Ms

Stay connected with Andrea

▶ YouTube: @frommrs2ms

◎ Instagram:@from.mrs.2.ms

♪ TikTok: @from.mrs.2.ms

🌐 Website: From Mrs to Ms Podcast

✉️ Email: [email protected]

Connect with Keltie Maguire:

Podcast: Kids or Child Free

Website: Keltie Maguire

Instagram: Kids or Child Free

Please help support the show (every little bit helps 💕)

Mentioned in this episode:

Menopause Love Lounge Podcast

Menopause Love Lounge is a menopause podcast for women in midlife who feel misunderstood, dismissed, and quietly blamed—and know that what they’re experiencing deserves more than surface-level answers. Menopause isn’t just a hormonal transition. It’s happening inside a culture that profits from women feeling broken, depleted, and “behind”—offering quick fixes that keep us disconnected from our bodies, our relationships, and each other. Six women talk honestly about sex after menopause, intimacy, menopause-related anxiety, emotional burnout, identity shifts, nervous system overload, boundaries, self-trust, changing relationships, and the quiet loneliness that so often defines midlife. Many women reach this season having pulled back from female friendships—not because they don’t value them, but because years of comparison, fear of judgment, and emotional self-protection made closeness feel risky. We name that honestly, and we talk about what it takes to rebuild connection in ways that feel safe, real, and nourishing again. Six hosts matter because no single woman gets to be the answer. This isn’t single-voice authority—it’s real women thinking together, questioning out loud, and letting complexity be honest. This isn’t another podcast telling you what to buy, fix, or optimize. It’s a place to slow down, tell the truth, and remember that what you’re feeling makes sense. Welcome to the lounge. (Hosted by Andrea Knoche, Ozzie Osborne, Dawn Wiggins, Karen Viesta, Junie Moon, and Laurie Gerber.)