//podcastplus.net/feed/unclassified-woman~41c8d717 Unclassified Woman offers an inspiring stream of conversation with women around the globe, who are building lives beyond society’s expectations. Part myth busting, part inspirational story sharing, Michelle Marie McGrath interviews amazing childless or childfree women, including authors, film-makers, activists, entrepreneurs, priestesses, leaders, speakers and creative mavens, who share their experiences and insights, while questioning the expectations of women everywhere. Michelle shares interviews with women all around the globe who are childless or childfree for a multitude of reasons. With almost 25% of women over 40 child-free by choice or childless through circumstance, it seems absurd that women still have to justify their decisions or endure pity about why they’re not mothers. Motherhood is not a mandate and yet so many women are made to feel ‘less than’ or viewed suspiciously or disparagingly, if they are creating a life of meaning beyond biological mothering. All of these outdated stereotypes lead to one dangerous assumption: what’s your value beyond being a mother? As mainstream society still tends to over-celebrate mothers juggling ‘it all’, and under-celebrate women who, whilst not mothers, have created lives of purpose and service.Unclassified Woman is the perfect antidote to limiting female narratives. Season 3 was released in April 2018. After a hiatus Michelle will return with another season in 2022!Each woman’s path in life is equally valid and sacred. Michelle is a Self-love Mentor for women birthing their soul gifts into the world and Creative Empress at Rosemere Retreat in Cornwall, UK. She offers one-on-one Intuitive Guidance/Distance Healing sessions, Womb Awakening healing sessions and the Sacred Self range of vibrational aromatherapy. www.michellemariemcgrath.com Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:15:38 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Jody_Day.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to today's episode of Unclassified Woman. As we conclude Season 3, it seems fitting to share this conversation with Jody Day, who was the first ever interviewee on Unclassified Woman a few years ago. How do you combat society’s ideology about those who are on the “outside”? It’s not an easy task, but one that a few brave people are called upon to challenge. Today’s show is all about how we approach taboo topics, the dominance of pro-natalistic thinking and current trends in the way families are formed. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation!   "I found myself in midlife as part of the 'out' group because of something that was not of my choosing." Today, we’re catching up with Jody and finding out what’s been happening in her work in the past few years. Jody is the founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship and support network for childless women and the author of Living the Life Unexpected: 12 Weeks to Your Plan B for a Meaningful and Fulfilling Future Without ... Thu, 16 Aug 2018 15:11:51 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Jody_Day.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Keturah_Kendrick_Revised.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to today's episode of Unclassified Woman. Today I'm speaking to Shanghai based Keturah Kendrick, who shares her perspective on being childfree by choice. Whose voice do you listen to most? When it comes to marriage and having children, it seems that everyone has an opinion regarding how YOU should live your life. Today’s show is all about listening to YOUR voice and making the choices that make YOU happy. Keturah Kendrick is an American writer, blogger and podcaster who has lived on three different continents and travelled to more than a dozen countries. For years she has written about her life as a single woman who sees being unmarried as a lifestyle choice like any other, as opposed to an “illness from which I must be cured.” She also writes about her lifelong disinterest in motherhood, critiquing the cultural expectation that black women, in particular, are destined to birth and raise children. An English teacher by trade, she has discussed her favourite books with her students in N... Fri, 10 Aug 2018 03:06:02 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Keturah_Kendrick_Revised.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Kate_Powe.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to another great episode of Unclassified Woman! Today, I'm speaking to the lovely Kate Powe. Many people make assumptions about others without even realising it. We see a woman in her 40’s without children and assume she is selfish or too career-oriented to take time to raise children. Often there are circumstances playing out behind the scenes that we just aren’t aware of. Today’s show focuses on the problems that endometriosis can cause in terms of fertility and family-building and the need for women to have the knowledge about their bodies to make empowered choices.  Imagine if we learnt about these subjects in school.... Kate Powe is an amazing naturopath based on the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia. Kate has a passion for helping women balance their hormones and create happy, powerful lives. By integrating evidence-based medicine with mind-body principles and addressing underlying causes of cycle and hormonal disruption, Kate aims to support women mentally, emotionally, ... Thu, 19 Jul 2018 22:54:25 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Kate_Powe.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Fiona_Ferris.mp3?dest-id=290345 Thu, 28 Jun 2018 18:03:05 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Fiona_Ferris.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Seren_Bertrand_New_Version.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to another fascinating episode of Unclassified Woman. It's a biggie so grab a cuppa and a journal ;-) Today I'm speaking with a treasured mentor of mine, Seren Bertrand. It's always such a pleasure to speak to her as she weaves together so many colourful threads of wisdom in what she shares. What do mermaids, swans, Isis, harps, and Cornwall have in common? You might be surprised---and you’ll never know if you don’t listen to this amazing conversation in today’s show. We’re talking about feminine consciousness, Celtic traditions, the interconnectedness between the human body and the earth, how we tell our stories from generation to generation---and much, much more. Get ready for some major “Aha” moments! Seren Bertrand is a womb mystic and midwife of feminine consciousness who has been a visionary leader in women’s empowerment for over two decades. She is the co-founder of The Fountain of Life Feminine Mystery School and the co-author of Womb Awakening: Initiatory Wisdom from ... Thu, 21 Jun 2018 21:56:28 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Seren_Bertrand_New_Version.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Azraella_Raphael_New.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to Unclassified Woman and today's episode features the very inspiring Azraella Raphael, a native of New Zealand, who is based in Sydney, Australia. Azraella is an angelic healer and activator of angelic consciousness. She began her journey many years ago when seeking fulfilment in life in understanding why she’s here, what purpose she offers, and with asking herself, “How can I serve others?”   Azraella’s journey began when she activated her own angelic consciousness and connected to her higher-knowing self to bring through a different set of life skills, using healing and reading sessions to support herself and humanity with growth and evolution. Azraella offers these sessions worldwide online, by phone, or in person, supporting those who have lost their way to align themselves to their highest path of potential purpose. Azraella also offers a range of healing and activation work in groups and is a mentor of the Divine University, offering happy life sessions, and provides charitable... Fri, 15 Jun 2018 00:53:26 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Azraella_Raphael_New.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Therese.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to Unclassified Woman and today's episode is with another wonderful lady, Therese Shechter, whom I could have spoken to all day! How many people have children because it seems “the thing to do”? Most of us grow up with the pressure to follow what society deems “normal.” My guest today, Therese Shechter, was 40 years old when she realised she really could make her own decisions and follow her own path, and for her, it was feminism that helped her figure out what she wanted in life. Therese Shechter is a filmmaker, writer, and multimedia storyteller from Brooklyn, New York. Her work fuses humour and personal storytelling to disrupt what’s considered most sacred about womanhood. She’s currently writing and directing My So-Called Selfish Life , an in-progress documentary about women who choose not to have children in a culture where motherhood feels mandatory. Her previous documentaries include How to Lose Your Virginity, about the myth and misogyny around our most precious gift. S... Sun, 10 Jun 2018 12:12:21 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Therese.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/DrKimyaNDennis_Edited.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome! I'm delighted to share another great episode of Unclassified Woman. Today I'm speaking to the inspiring Dr Kimya N Dennis in Salem, North Carolina, USA. How much actual freedom are you willing to give people in their beliefs? Most people fall into the trap of trying to impose their beliefs on others in some way. Liberals, for example, will speak of freedom in many areas of life, but they still hold onto pro-natal opinions about people having children. My guest today explores with intellect, experience and research the topic of being childfree by choice. Dr. Kimya N Dennis is a consultant, speaker, community advocate, educator, and researcher who works with organisations and community members in the areas concerning mental health, suicidal self-harm, reproductive freedom, and being childfree by choice. Between 2013-2016, she conducted the first known study solely related to immediate African diaspora people who identify permanently as childfree by choice. There were 62 respondents, with 5... Sat, 02 Jun 2018 03:23:53 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/DrKimyaNDennis_Edited.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Jennifer_Miller.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to another great episode of Unclassified Woman!  Can one person really make a difference? So many times, we resign ourselves to the fact that “it is what it is.” We want society’s perceptions or opinions to change, but what can we do to affect the change? In today’s show, you’ll meet a woman who decided to use her talents to create a film to help build awareness---and hopefully, change the narrative around living as a woman without children.   "Having a child is one of the most beautiful experiences a woman can have, but it is not the ONLY experience a woman can have." - Jennifer Miller Jennifer Miller is a writer and filmmaker who lives in California. I watched her film, A Womb With a View , which is available on Youtube, and I knew I had to talk to her. Jennifer grew up in New Jersey and worked in various positions throughout her corporate career, which took her from New Jersey to Wisconsin to New York. She moved to California in 2002, where she later married her husb... Sat, 26 May 2018 21:48:51 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Jennifer_Miller.mp3?dest-id=290345 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Faith_Agugu.mp3?dest-id=290345 Welcome to today's episode of Unclassified Woman. Today I have the pleasure of talking to Faith Agugu. Do you ever wish you had a crystal ball that could show you the future? Often the decisions we make today might be different if we knew what was around the bend for us. Finding real peace, though, means coming to terms with the past, including the decisions we’ve made and the way those circumstances have grown us into who we’ve become today. My guest bares it all to share her story and how it didn’t quite turn out like she had expected. In spite of it all, she is thankful for the path she’s taken and the impact she can have on other women in the world. Faith Agugu has always been motivated by service. Her first job after leaving school was with a not-for-profit organisation in London, working with children from troubled backgrounds. She then discovered the bright lights of the fashion industry and worked as a catwalk model for over five years before she left London for the sunny shores of Sydne... Fri, 11 May 2018 04:00:21 +0000 http://traffic.libsyn.com/michellemariemcgrath/Faith_Agugu.mp3?dest-id=290345