I teach and write on feminism, women's movements, and motherhood in American and European history. My first book, WITHOUT CHILDREN: The Long History of Not Being a Mother (Seal Press, 2023), explores the history of non-motherhood in light of falling fertility and rising rates of childlessness today, in the US and globally. My current research centers on the late 20th century revival of midwifery in the United States and the place birth has occupied in American religion, politics, and culture--and on Instagram. My writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and I regularly appear on television, radio, podcasts, and at corporate events. I received my Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley.

When I’m not answering email, I can usually be found trail running, baking gluten free cake, and looking at clothes on the internet. I live outside of Chicago with my husband Bob and our two pugs, Ellie and Moose.