Thrive Solo The One Where I Talk To Associate Professor & Childless Advocate, Dawn Llewellyn
My guest on the podcast today is the wonderful Dawn Llewellyn.
Dr Dawn Llewellyn is Associate Professor of Religion and Gender at the University of Chester. She researches and writes about gendered experiences and structures that are often silenced by patriarchal ideologies, and focuses on women’s lives (inclusive) in contemporary Christianity and feminist spiritualities. Dawn herself is in a longterm relationship but she is childless by choice and has been researching, publishing, and speaking publicly about pronatalism, motherhood, and childlessness for over 13 years.
She co-founded Storyhouse Childless which is a weekend long series of events at Storyhouse in Chester and she is part of the volunteer steering group that programmes the Festival — which, if you’re listening to this episode the week it comes out, is happening this weekend — the 12th - 14th of September 2025 — and you can still get tickets if you fancy going, which you may well after hearing this conversation.
Dawn and I talk about so many things, not least how religion, and how if your faith is a big part of your life, it can be incredibly challenging to navigate being a woman who has either chosen not to have have kids, to has ended up not having kids. I found it absolutely fascinating hearing from Dawn about the impact of religion on many women without kids as it’s not something I’ve ever talked about on the podcast before. We also talk about the impact of pronatalism, we talk about the grief that so many women suffer around their childlessness, and Dawn also tells me all about the wonderful Storyhouse Childless festival which she pays such an important role in.
03:28 Exploring Religion and Childlessness
07:20 Personal Stories and Struggles
15:28 Navigating Guilt and Stigma
18:33 Dawn's Personal Journey
27:43 Redefining Fulfillment and Success
31:20 Introduction to Storyhouse Childless Festival
31:45 The Inception and Growth of the Festival
34:15 Festival Activities and Themes
34:51 Diverse Experiences and Intersectionality
36:56 Panel Discussions and Personal Stories
42:36 Navigating Grief and Identity
48:27 Support Systems and Coping Mechanisms
57:02 Event Details and Final Thoughts
Find out more about Storyhouse Childless: https://www.storyhouse.com/seasons/storyhouse-childless/
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And thank you so much for listening!