Ayla Yildiz has created a moving documentary with Me Time, which openly addresses child-free living, idealized motherhood and the social pressure on women. In our SOONERCAST episode, Ayla describes the film in one word: “self-determination”. This central theme runs like a red thread through the stories of the six protagonists, who talk about personal experiences around abortion, unwanted pregnancy, sterilization, regretting motherhood and life without children.

In the SOONER podcast, Ayla Yildiz talks about the creation of Me Time and why the topic of self-determination is so important to her. She explains how the choice of words – “childless” vs. “child-free” – can strongly influence public perception and why it is important to remove the taboo from topics such as regretting motherhood.

Ayla emphasizes that she not only wants to spark a debate with Me Time, but also create space for reflection: on the freedoms and rights women should have in relation to their own life choices. Especially in times when conservative voter flows are on the rise, she sees it as necessary to further strengthen women's self-determination. Ayla also shares her reading recommendations on the topic in the podcast and introduces her curated SOONER channel.