The Self-ish Me Podcast

Motherhood and Choice: Do You Actually Want Children or Were You Raised to Want Them

20 min · 6. maj 2026
episode Motherhood and Choice: Do You Actually Want Children or Were You Raised to Want Them cover

Description

Motherhood and choice are two words that rarely get to sit together without someone having an opinion about the outcome. If you have ever been asked when you are having children, felt the weight of that question land somewhere deep, or found yourself genuinely unsure whether you want motherhood or whether you were simply raised to want it, this episode is for you. Kamila, a Business Psychologist and coach, shares one of the most personal stories she has told on this podcast. From growing up in Catholic Poland where motherhood was never a question but an expectation, to donating her eggs at 31, freezing her own, and ultimately arriving at a decision that brought her relief rather than loss. This is not an episode telling you what to choose. It is an honest, research-grounded exploration of how women actually make this decision when they strip away the pressure, the timelines, and everyone else's expectations. If you are a woman in your thirties navigating this question, this episode gives you space to sit with it honestly. We explore why so many women cannot tell the difference between what they want and what they were raised to want, what the research says about parental regret, why university-educated women do not even register motherhood as a pressing question until they are 33, and how to set boundaries with the people who love you but keep crossing a line on this topic. Because there is no wrong answer here. There is only yours. Connect with Kam Insta (@self_is_me) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/_self_ish_me/] LinkedIn Kamila Turek | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamila-turek-019738a7/]

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