In 2024, I was selected to join the OpEd Project’s Public Voices Fellowship—a program designed to elevate the voices and ideas of underrepresented thinkers and ensure they help shape the conversations of our time. During that same period, a national conversation was unfolding about women and motherhood. Women spoke openly about consciously choosing not to have children, about living full and meaningful lives without them, and about the many ways women mother. But something felt missing. Largely absent were the stories of women who desire children but do not have them. That absence sparked a desire to write a piece that centered the fullness of these women’s experiences—the complexity, nuance, and humanity. I pitched it to multiple outlets, but it was never picked up. Still, something in me wouldn’t let it go. As I began thinking again about who would publish this piece, I thought, Why not me? What began as an op-ed has since grown into something deeper—a soul-aligned mission. If you’re curious about how Fully came to be, and its mission, you can read about it here: fullycollective.substack.com

@Jennifer Schwartz Nice to meet you too!