Meghan Daum, 2015 Guggenheim fellow, author, and editor of Selfish, Shallow & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers On The Decision Not To Have Kids:
“I was deeply moved by my experience at the NotMom Summit in the fall of 2015. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was genuinely impressed and also reminded again just how significant a demographic this is and how it’s too often underrepresented in mainstream culture. Last year, I published a book called Selfish, Shallow & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids. It featured personal stories from a wide range of men and women, some who’d always known they didn’t want to be parents and some who came to the decision later in life after a deep and painstaking reckoning.
“The NotMom Summit is an important part of this discussion. The women I met there came from all over the world and approached the issue from many different perspectives. But what united them was a commitment to being true to themselves, a genuine concern for humanity and the environment, and and respect for their friends and family members who are parents. As I’ve said time and again...parents and non-parents are not adversaries but partners in cultivating a better world. Gatherings like The NotMom Summit are an invaluable resource.”
Marjorie Greenfield MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine/MacDonald Women’s Hospital/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
“I attended [The NotMom Summit] as a speaker, talking about medical aspects of not having children. I didn’t know what to expect. What I found was an engaged and diverse group of women at all stages of life—from young women considering living child-free, through older women who had never had children on purpose, or who had suffered infertility—the themes of 'by chance or by choice'. The meeting was powerful because of the women who attended. They were very open in sharing their experiences, and I believe they found a sisterhood in the unique themes and topics. I saw women connecting, crying, laughing, and teaching each other. It was an amazing day!”
Melanie Notkin, founder, Savvy Auntie and author of Otherhood: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness
“The NotMom Summit balanced experiences so that everyone felt included and valued. Congratulations on bringing so much joy to so many women.”
Laura Bennett, CEO, Embrace Pet Insurance
“We are always looking for ways to reach our target market – childless women with pets – and The NotMom Summit offers a unique audience we hadn’t been able to reach in such a specific way.”
