FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com
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Balancing Cultures: Episode 7 - What If I Don't Want Kids?
Our guest today: Meghan Foley has climbed Kilimanjaro, had beer baths in Prague, swung through the rainforest in Central America, and walked with elephants in Thailand. When she’s at home in Colorado, she is a dietitian that specializes in treating eating disorders who hikes 14ers and snowboards on the weekends. But with all these interesting talking points available, what do most people want to ask this 35 year old about…family planning. Meghan Foley is here to talk about the cultural pressures to have kids and her decision making process.
The decision to have kids is a balancing of cultures because as we balancing between a fear of change and a fear of regret, both of those fears are created by what we perceive to be a “better choice”. And what shapes our perceptions of what makes a choice good or bad or better? Our culture. From the homes we grew up in to society and the laws that govern our lands, we are told what is expected of us as productive members of the community.
We acknowledge that family planning and choices around reproduction are not choices everywhere. Melinda Gates book The Moment of Life, opened my eyes to areas around the world where women do not have the privilege to have these conversations let alone the free will to exercise their choices. I encourage those interested to read her book and follow what the Gates Foundation is doing to support international family planning.
Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Hope, humor, and thought-provoking questions. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram @balancingcultures and Facebook Balancing Cultures.
If you have a question or comment, send an email to balancingcultures@gmail.com
