Review: Creation Myth, CBC's Most Honest Narrative Podcast Yet
Helena de Groot's CBC narrative podcast about the decision to have children is one of the most raw, courageous pieces of audio storytelling you'll hear this year
Speaking of creation, I was in the room when this project struck its match—that moment that producers dream of when their still-forming idea connects to the industrial complex of this industry that’s able to provide funding that helps transition an idea into a show.
From the audience at Resonate Podcast Festival in 2024, I watched Helena de Groot pitch this project. Pitch Party invited projects to pitch to a live audience and three discerning judges who sat stage left. Three were chosen to pitch. One project would win a giant cheque, a development “first look” deal with VPM and some cool swag. The winner was announced by Lupita Nyong’o via live feed.
Creation Myth won the pitch…but what de Groot won from this stage would turn out to be much bigger; CBC Senior Producer Veronica Simmonds was in the audience. Soon after the pitch, she approached de Groot about the idea of working with CBC on her project. Simmonds would go on to become the story editor and senior producer on this project…if you listen closely to the credits, it’s clear that she played a big role in how the production unfolded.
Stories can mean different things to different people
Creation Myth is a rare example of a story that can hit multiple demographic audiences at once. I wondered how this story would hit me. I’ve already gone through the decision-making matrix she lays out in this story—I’m a bit older. But I was intrigued to realize that this seemingly disqualifying fact only deepened my connection to this story.
What captured me about this series was how her personal storytelling is able to find the balance inside a subject that’s incredibly intimate—whether or not to have children—and blow that wide open in a way that so many people could relate.
What particularly stuck with me was the ‘open decision making’ approach she took to this discussion. My experience tells me that you can think about something one way, at a certain time of your life. But then things can change. What’s very clear and true at one point in your life can become less clear years later as life unfolds in new ways.
This show captivated me. Drew me in with its unapologetic transparency through the honest and raw reflections on life. I wondered, was I drawn into this because I could relate? Because I had (in much smaller part) considered this question and then able to act on it? My path ends in a different spot—I had the kids. Decision made.
Marketing and advertising execs might get this wrong: this story is not just for one age-range (those in their fertility window). This story took me back to my younger years, all those swirling thought patterns and confusing life choices that I’d already made. It allowed me to reflect on things in a whole new way that offered my memories some new honesty. It wasn’t an easy decision. There were many factors at play.
But what about folks who have spent years trying to conceive a child?
Could this show be triggering for them? Perhaps. I’d reasoned that it might also undo years of contemplation for some couples who have been wobbling on the Yes/No fence. For the couples who thought they had it all figured out…until this put them back to square one. Back to those really awful, emotionally draining conversations that don’t offer a clear ending.
Sure. Yes. Actually all of that. This show, with its rare candor, has all the megawatt power to thrust itself right into the center of these emotional, tricky, unending questions.
But is that a bad thing?
It’s a messy, inconvenient truth
But if this story is able to come into the house of the listener and sit down at the kitchen table to be part of these massive, life-changing decisions…that’s actually the goal. That’s the tick in the box: Job Done.
Isn’t it the role of narrative podcasts to bring to light a story that’s happening out there somewhere in the world, and give it a voice? Isn’t it the job of narrative podcasts to help articulate the emotional terrain of life and offer a new layer of understanding?
The magic of this storytelling format is that it mows the whole lawn — end to end, right to the fence line — so listeners can see exactly what’s underneath.
This isn’t a story built for escape. It’s an intense examination of a universal question of life. Pretending that it’s otherwise is foolish.
All we need is one brave person who allows allows herself to be deeply honest — with herself and with the world around her — and then shares it. Much easier said than done.
Whichever route brings you to this story, it lays out a pathway that's compelling and free of judgement. For those who choose not to go that route (which could also apply to those who are unable to conceive and wonder what life might look like), she’s got you covered.
Will this show create controversy?
Likely. In an age where publishing women's stories online is an open invitation to the haters — and the haters have never been more organized or emboldened — de Groot's courage deserves to be named. Following Trump's re-election in November 2024, researchers clocked an immediate and dramatic increase in misogynistic content on X . The UK government, watching the same trend, moved in 2024 to classify extreme misogyny as a form of terrorism.
As the Internet evolves, women who put their stories out there have increasingly become the target of harassment and abuse. A UNESCO/ICFJ study from 2020 of more than 850 women journalists found that nearly 75% had faced online violence — and one in four had received death threats. And that was before the pandemic. Before Roe vs Wade was repealed. Before the Internet became a much darker place.
This is even more true with a story that doesn’t fall in favour of the whole Alt Right agenda. That de Groot is willing to put this story out there anyway — knowing exactly what the haters can bring — I want to salute her. Bonne courage! Let the Internet fill up on this kind of story so much that the haters are outnumbered.