Thrive Solo

Send us Fan MailMy guest on the podcast this week is the wonderful Nicola Slawson.Nicola is a freelance journalist and writer, and founder of the award-winning newsletter, The Single Supplement. Her new book, Single: Living A Complete Life On Your Own terms, comes out on 13th February 2025. Nicola is single, but lives with her gay best friend, Tom, the father of her baby girl, Stella.Topics that we cover are:how she and her gay best friend, Tom, platonically co-parent their daughter, Stella;how Nicola had been looking into solo motherhood but didn’t feel it was the right choice for her;how the financial side of solo parenting was one of the main reasons she was against it;how she came up with the idea to have a baby with her gay friend;the moment she asked Tom if he wanted to have — and co-parent — a baby with her;how they decided that they would actually live together;their ideal future living situation;how Nicola feels about any future romantic partner given her unconventional life;how Tom & Nicola got pregnant — first time — using the ‘turkey baster’ method;how incredibly grateful they both that their journey of having a baby was so ‘easy’;how her book, Single: Living A Complete Life On Your Own Terms, covers the whole breadth of being single;how writing a book about single life was the very last thing on her list, but how it came about;how one of the main messages of the book is about not putting your life on hold when you’re single;the idea of ‘happily ever after’ and how it is so ingrained in our culture;how one her favourite chapters is about heartbreak;the unspoken grief of no longer being single;the nuance of being happily single but also desiring a relationship;how proud Nicola is of the last 10 years of her single lifehow we don't give ourselves enough credit for the things we deal with alone as single women.Follow Nicola on Instagram: @nicola_slawsonGet a signed copy of the book: https://www.bookabookshop.co.uk/shop/single-living-a-complete-life-on-your-own-terms-signed-copy/ Buy Nicola’s book, Single: Living A Complete Life On Your Own Terms: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Single-Living-Complete-Life-Terms/dp/1035400731 Join Nicola’s Substack, The Single Supplement: https://thesinglesupplement.substack.com/  Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailOn today's minisode, I'm talking briefly about the current state of the world, and the best thing, in my opinion, we can do in order to create positive change.Press 'Play' and let me know what you think!  Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailOn this week’s Thursday's Thoughts, Polly and I are talking about the powerful philosophy of “memento mori” - the reminder that one day, we will die. Far from being morbid, this ancient wisdom encourages us to embrace life more fully. When we acknowledge how short life actually is, we gain a clearer perspective on what truly matters.We also delve into the biggest regrets of the dying and how ‘memento mori’ can help you make every moment count—leading to a more fearless, fulfilling life.We hope you find something valuable in this conversation!Love,Polly & Lucy x Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailMy guest on the podcast this week is the wonderful Rachel Thompson.Rachel is a British author and journalist specialising in sex, dating, and relationships. Her second non-fiction book, The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy In A Disconnected World, is an investigation into the challenges at the heart of modern dating culture. It will help you make sense of the dating landscape, teach you how to confidently ask for things that work for you, and provide you the tools to find the security and connections you deserve.Rachel lives in London and is single and childless.Topics that we cover are:how being single is Rachel’s default state and she sees it as something completely neutral;how, to Rachel, relationships are a side order, rather than the main course;how she feels about being asked if she’s ‘still’ single;what self-worth means to Rachel, and what it looks like in her life;how much her dating behaviour has changed since she was in her twenties;how women are scared to ask for clarity, but how you can’t say the wrong thing to the right person;the ‘cool girl’ trope, and why it stems from the patriarchy;how Rachel used to believe she wasn’t worthy of romantic love;self love, and how boundaries are a big part of it;how Rachel approaches online dating;reframing rejection in the online dating world;Rachel’s motivation for writing her new book, The Love Fix;how and why dating these days is so, so hard;why we shouldn’t treat dating apps as though they will fix all of our problems;how their is little incentive for the apps to improve their effectiveness;how nothing will change in dating until society itself changes;the mating crisis, and what that means for both men and women;the answer to the question: do human beings need romantic love?how Rachel froze her eggs, and what the process of egg retrieval looked like;why we musn’t make dating decisions based on a fear of being alone.Buy Rachel's Book, The Love Fix:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Fix-connection-emotional-intelligence/dp/1529927951Follow Rachel on Instagram: @rachelvthompson_ Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailOn today's minisode, I'm talking about why and how we should be romanticising both our current life, as well as the vision of our future life. Because romance isn't just for couples — it's a tool for creating the life we desire.  Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailOn today’s Monday Motivation, Polly and I are talking about intentionally creating our lives.We have more agency over our lives than we realise, but most of us our unconsciously creating our realities, rather than consciously creating them.So…we need to make a decision to get intentional about what we want our life to look like, and we need to get conscious about how we’re thinking and how we’re feeling.In the unified, quantum field in which we are all swimming, all eventualities are possible. The question is, which one are we choosing to align with? Which version of our future do we want to manifest? The choice is ours.We need to get clear on our vision for the future, embody the emotions of that future right now, and start taking small steps towards it. When we mentally rehearse our future every day in meditation and through visualisation, we are literally training our brains to find the opportunities, people, and circumstances that will help us get there.Ask yourselves every, single day: what am I going to tune into today? What frequency am I going to align with? And choose wisely…because it matters.We hope you’ll find something useful in here!Love,Polly & Lucy x Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailMy guest on the podcast this week is the fabulous Jay Zigmont.Jay is the founder of Childfree Wealth which focuses on helping childfree people figure out their finances. He has been a life and business coach for over a decade, and is a certified financial planner and a Childfree Wealth Specialist. He’s also the author of the book ‘Portraits of Childfree Wealth’ the co-host of the ‘Childfree Life and Money Podcast’, AND he has a brand new book out called The Childfree Guide To Life & Money. Topics that we cover are:the cost of being single and childfree;some of the ‘no baby’ steps in Jay’s new book, The Childfree Guide To Life & Money;how the first three steps to building wealth are actually very simple, but not necessarily easy;my own journey of leaving the 9-5 & my London flat, and moving to Dorset;why the first step is to work out what kind of life you want, and the impact you want to make;how we sometimes have to make sacrifices to get to where we want to go;why we need to ask ourselves — honestly — what it is that we want;why Jay always asks his clients what the second line of their obituary would say;two very important questions we should all ask ourselves;Jay’s words of advice for women worrying about their finances;the option of community housing;why we have to have a budget, and a plan for our money before the month starts;Jay’s budgeting system which consists of ‘musts’, ‘shoulds’, ‘coulds’ and ‘won’ts’;why it’s so important to have insurance to cover you if you can’t work;the high costs of longterm care in later life;why having your next-of-kin in place is crucial;thinking outside the box when it comes to making more money;how the gender wage gap is actually much smaller for single, childfree women than women who are married with kids;‘head trash’ and why we need to be aware of the things that are holding us back;Jay’s thoughts around investing.Check out Jay’s website:https://childfreewealth.com/ Buy Jay’s book, The Childfree Guide To Life & Money:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Childfree-Guide-Life-Money-Finances/dp/1728297346 Follow Jay on Instagram:@childfreewealth Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailOn today's minisode I'm talking about why having a sense of meaning and purpose is the key to feeling fabulous about your single life.I talk about how it's taken me literally decades to find a sense of meaning in my own life, and how I believe that we ALL have something that lights us up from the inside — even if we don't know what it is yet. Plus, it's not necessarily something we have to 'find' hiding under a rock — purpose is something that we can cultivate and develop. And when you discover what that thing is for you, your relationship status becomes waaaaaay less important because you're engrossed in other pursuits. Press 'Play' and let me know what you think! Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailThis week on Thursday Thoughts, Polly and I are diving into the topic of grit.As Angela Duckworth explains in her TED Talk and book, grit requires a combination of passion and perseverance to achieve long-term goals.We’ll explore why grit is such a vital ingredient for success and share how we both need lots of it to grow our businesses!We also give some practical tips on how to cultivate more of it in your life.We hope you find something inspiring and useful in this episode!Love,Polly & Lucy x Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan MailMy guest on the podcast this week is the inimitable, Shweta Ramkumar.Shweta is an advocate of the childfree lifestyle, she is a southern Asian woman of colour and a pioneer of dismantling the oppressive norms of the conservative, sexist, and patriarchal culture and society she grew up in. Her life journey is an example of someone who has broken free from the shackles of cultural conformity and she is a proud black sheep within her family and her Indian culture. Now, Shweta is in a long-term relationship, but I really wanted to talk to her not only about being childfree, but largely about her experience of growing up in a culture where the things she saw going on simply didn’t sit well with her, and how she managed to forge her own path in life. Now although grew up in India, she now lives in Melbourne, Australia where her family moved when she was 16.Topics that we cover are:her experience of growing up in India, and the things she observed that didn’t sit well with her;the concept of ‘auditioning’ for a man and his family;how what she saw of her patriarchal society meant that she never wanted to get married and have kids;the huge difference in expectations for men and women;her mother, a lawyer, and how she ‘put her foot down’ in her own life;how Shweta wanted completely different things to her friends who were all focused on getting married;moving to Australia with her family, and how she struggled from the age of 18;how it took her a while to feel like she belonged, and to find her tribe;how Shweta feels that her parents are disappointed in her for not towing the line in her career;her decision to stop dating Indian men;how she felt like she was living a double life when she was in her twenties;the toxic relationship with a man whose parent’s made derogatory comments about her appearance;Shweta’s advice for other women who are struggling with their cultural traditions and expectations;some of the social media accounts that can help these women;the importance of working with a therapist from your own culture;being addicted to stress, and how so many of us don’t realise that we’re addicted to feeling bad;being a childfree advocate, and what that means to Shweta;what Shweta’s independent relationship with her partner looks like;how solo travel pushes her out of her comfort zone, and how much she loves it.Follow Shweta on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/childfreesrbuddysmum/?hl=enConnect with Shweta on LinkedIn:https://www.link Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/bookJoin my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesoloDownload my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacksCheck out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!