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Embodied

Making The Kid Decision ... And Learning To Live With It

By Kaia Findlay,
Anita Rao, Amanda Magnus, Wilson Sayre
Published May 29, 2026 at 1:01 PM EDT
The logo for Embodied, which features a person with brown skin wearing yellow pants, a white shirt and white glasses pulling back a starry curtain of the silhouette of a person that is roughly twice as large as the person in yellow pants. The word "Embodied" is at the top with the WUNC logo directly underneath it and the PRX logo in the bottom righthand corner of the illustration. All of the text is in white, and the background of the illustration is light blue.

Choosing whether or not to raise a child is one of the biggest decisions many of us make in adulthood. An audio creator and a psychotherapist share insights about dealing with doubt and uncertainty…and ultimately coming to terms with a choice.

For years, audio creator Helena de Groot felt almost certain that she did not want kids. Then, she got unexpectedly pregnant.

That pregnancy was the first in a series of curveballs that set her on a path of questioning everything she thought she knew — not just about whether or not to have children, but about how to live with the doubt and uncertainty that comes with any big adult decision. Helena talks to host Anita Rao about this journey, captured in her new memoir podcast “Creation Myth.”

Anita also hears from a psychotherapist who has devoted her career to helping people find clarity in the choice about whether to become parents. Merle Bombardieri is a parenting decision coach and the author of “The Baby Decision: How to Make the Most Important Choice of Your Life.” You can learn more about coaching opportunities with Merle Bombardieri here and also sign up for her newsletter here.

Read the transcript

Embodied
Kaia Findlay
Kaia Findlay is the lead producer of Embodied, WUNC's weekly podcast and radio show about sex, relationships and health. Kaia first joined the WUNC team in 2020 as a producer for The State of Things.
See stories by Kaia Findlay
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.
See stories by Anita Rao
Amanda Magnus
Amanda Magnus is the executive producer of Embodied, a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships and health. She has also worked on other WUNC shows including Tested and CREEP.
See stories by Amanda Magnus
Wilson Sayre
Wilson Sayre is WUNC's Director of Digital Content leading our podcasting strategy and initiatives. She has worn many hats in the audio world as an editor, producer, consultant and team lead. Wilson was Managing Producer at Pushkin (previously Transmitter Media) where she helped launch shows like Am I Normal, the TED Interview and The Heist. Before that, she served as Executive Producer at Capitol Broadcasting Company and lead reporter for The City podcast from USA Today. Prior to that, she covered social safety net programs at WLRN, Miami's NPR member station. There, she founded the station's youth radio program. Wilson's work has been recognized by the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize and national Edward R. Murrow Awards. Wilson grew up in North Carolina and enjoys playing banjo and eating chocolate, usually not at the same time.
See stories by Wilson Sayre