Welcome! Today’s Unclassified Woman is Kristen Barnes from Melbourne, Australia. Kristen is in private practice as a registered psychologist and certified life coach. She has 25 years’ experience in counselling, therapeutic coaching, and using her supervisory skills to help coaches and therapists value themselves and carve out a passionate life.
I really enjoyed talking to this warm and compassionate woman who has done so much to support and foster children over the years. Truly inspiring!
Kristen believes that you are most passionate and powerful when you simply dare to be yourself! Join us!
What you’ll hear in this episode:
Circumstances have combined to prevent traditional motherhood for Kristen.
How she pursued motherhood via IVF and adopted embryos over a 20 year period.
Unexplained fertility prevailed, even though she tried everything humanly possible to have a biological child.
How Kristen fostered homeless adolescents in a mothering role.
“It was meant to be.”
Her experience with an ongoing grieving process.
Cultural expectations and stigmas that she has observed.
“I felt like children were viewed as currency.”
How Kristen dealt with inappropriate comments and questions.
Why you need clear boundaries around how you discuss the topic with others.
“Small talk” vs. “Big talk”
“I felt like children were viewed as currency.” #childless #childfree Click To Tweet
How the terminology used about childless/childfree women implies a minority.
How we define the “value” of our lives.
How mothering skills are incorporated into many roles that women play.
The sacrifices and “settling” that can lead to losing yourself.
Selfishness vs. self-care.
Kristen has seen a dramatic increase in women in their late 30’s whose window of opportunity for motherhood is closing.
The assumptions that society makes about women and what they want.
Many support groups and communities have formed to support women without children and are doing marvellous work!
Find out more about Kristen and her work here.
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