Thrive Solo

Send us Fan MailIn this week’s episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, it’s just me, myself, and I, talking about my 5am morning routine.I have been getting up at 5am for a couple of years now - sometimes even 4:30am - and it has completely transformed my life for the better; so I wanted to tell you guys all about what exactly I do when everyone else is still sleeping!It may sound slightly crazy, and many people have expressed surprise at my getting up so early and / or have taken the pi*s out of me for it, but actually...the joke is on them! Getting up early and starting your day off in an intentional and positive way, not only changes your morning and therefore your whole day for the better, but when done consistently, it also starts to change your life. I do various things including affirmations and meditation, all of which I go into detail on in this episode.I would urge you to listen to this episode, even if the thought of getting up at 5am sounds like your idea of a nightmare. Why? Because I was NEVER a ‘morning person’ - just ask anyone I know - so if I can do it, you can do it. And if it has made my life better, it can also make your life better. There is simply nothing like being up and out early to catch the day at its very best before the rest of the world wakes up. It is truly special, and I promise you, your life will improve if you can master a 5am routine of your own. Go on…press ‘Play’!Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: @spinsterhoodreimaginedFollow me on Twitter: @LucyMeggesonEmail me: lucymeggeson@gmail.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 MailIn this Saturday's Minisode, I'm talking about how us singles can have a tendency to romanticise family life.I think that sometimes, because the grass can often seem greener on the other side, it is easy for us to forget the not-so-fun-and-sexy aspects of family life. In this minisode, I mull over my thoughts on this subject, and look at how we might go about re-framing these unhelpful thoughts in order to feel more empowered about our single, childfree status.  COME & JOIN MY FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share 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 MailSupport the showIn this week's episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to the founder of Gateway Women, Jody Day. Gateway Women is an amazing global friendship, support and advocacy network for childless women which was founded in the UK in 2011 and is now headquartered in Ireland.  Jody is also the author of what many professionals consider to be the ‘go-to’ book on the topic of childlessness, ‘Living The Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Life Without Children’.In this honest and heartfelt conversation, Jody talks about: her difficult childhood and how her early experiences resulted in her initially not wanting to have children; her abortion when she was twenty; and her marriage in her early twenties which ultimately ended due to reasons including the strain of her infertility, as well as her ex-husband’s problems with addiction. We also talk about how Jody’s continued desperation to have a baby following the breakdown of her marriage found her in an abusive relationship; the period in her mid-forties when she hit rock bottom as the realisation that she would not have children became apparent; and the profound grief and despair she went through as she struggled to come to terms with the loss of the baby she never had, and the life she thought she would be living.The conversation includes Jody’s thoughts on the concept of ‘disenfranchised grief’ and the sometimes dismissive reactions of those around her; how her own grief manifested in her withdrawal from the world, and her total loss of joy in all the things she used to love, including reading; and how she felt like ‘social plankton’ as a single, childless woman in her forties.  Jody also touches on the point at which she realised there would be an end to her pain as she started to understand that grief was a process which she would eventually come through to the other side of; the concept of social infertility, a term coined by the World Health Organisation, and being 'childless by circumstance’; and how, actually, childless women are a potential threat to a patriarchal society.  And finally, Jody shares how she has ultimately found peace with not having children, and how much she can now appreciate the freedom and possibility of being childless.I sincerely hope that you all enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.Jody can be found on Instagram: @gatewaywomen. She can also be found on Twitter: @gatewaywomen. Gateway Women Website: https://gateway-women.com/ UK Link to Jody’s book, Living The Life Unexpected: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Life-Unexpected-fulfilling-children/dp/152903 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 MailIn this Saturday's Minisode, I'm sharing three clips from a workshop I did a few weeks ago with some of my lovely listeners. I talk, among other things, about how we will never find happiness within a relationship because it has to come from inside of us. I also touch on other things mindset-related, including how we should all become more aware of our thoughts because our thoughts - more than most of us realise - are having a huge impact on how our lives look.I hope you enjoy it. Link to my Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: @spinsterhoodreimaginedFollow me on Twitter: @LucyMeggesonE-mail me: lucymeggeson@gmail.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 MailSupport the showIn this week's episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to Australian author, Donna Ward. In her first book, She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations On Life, Donna explores, through a collection of essays, the meaning and purpose that she has found in her life as a woman who has lived almost entirely without a partner or children.  Donna is the founder of literary journal, Indigo: The Journal of Western Australian Creative Writing, and her prose can be found in respected journals and anthologies internationally and online; she also has a past life as a psychotherapist and social worker.In our conversation, Donna touches on her upbringing on the banks of the Swan River in Perth, her time as a social worker and a psychotherapist, how she realised in her forties that she would not achieve her desire to have a family, and her thoughts around the period of time when her friends ‘disappeared’ into family life. We also talk about the time Donna became aware of the the stigma associated with being single and childless; how she coined the term ‘familied’ in her book, and how she felt that she was “falling out of society” due to her position in life; her experience of being alone during lockdown in Melbourne during which time she wasn’t allowed to form a ‘bubble’; and how the community narrative during that time was primarily focussed on families.Our conversation includes Donna’s experience of loneliness and how she refers to it as ‘the gritty beast’; and how, actually, facing the dark sides of life head on is what makes us the best version of ourselves. And finally, Donna shares her belief that the joys and ecstasies of life are the same whether you’re married with children, or single and childless. I sincerely hope that you all enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.Donna can be found on Instagram: @donnawardwriter. She can also be found on Twitter: @donnawardwriter. UK Link to Donna’s book, She I Dare Not Name: https://www.amazon.co.uk/She-Dare-Not-Name-Meditations/dp/1760876291US Link to Donna’s book, She I Dare Not Name: https://www.amazon.com/She-I-Dare-Not-Name/dp/1760876291/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: @spinsterhoodreimaginedFollow me on Twitter: @LucyMeggesonEmail me: lucymeggeson@gmail.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 MailSupport the showIn this Saturday's Minisode, I'm talking about my passion for music, and I share the 10 songs that make up my 'High Vibe Playlist' of the moment!These are all songs that really lift me, and so I hope they'll do the same for you.Here's the Spotify link to the playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2aUmeI7nMTDZcOsZKkf4AP?si=7d1f71a62079438a Link to Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share 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 MailSupport the showIn this week's episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to women’s empowerment coach and author, Sasha Cagen. I really think that you are going to love this episode because Sasha is fascinating, empowering and lots of fun! Sasha is the founder of the QuirkyAlone movement, (founded in the early 2000’s), which gives new meaning to the word quirky, and spreads a message of self-acceptance for both single and partnered people who want to live life on their own terms.She’s also the author of the cult hit book, Quirkyalone: A Manifesto For Uncompromising Romantics, and To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding A Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us. Sasha is also working on a new book, her memoir, Wet.  In this conversation, Sasha and I talk about the sensual world of tango, the big part it’s played in her life and the time she spent living in Buenos Aires as a result; her career as a life coach focussing on women over 40; and the Quirkyalone movement which she founded in 2004. Our conversation also includes the ‘tyranny of coupledom’; how Sasha always imagined that she would meet someone and have children but has made peace with not having children; how she would still like to have a relationship and is still a romantic; and the amazing things that have happened in her life as a result of the freedom of being single.Also, Sasha tells me about pussy-walking, what it is and why it’s great! I sincerely hope that you all enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.Sasha can be found on Instagram: @sashacagen. She can also be found on Twitter: @sashacagen. Link to Sasha’s website: https://www.sashacagen.com/US Link to Sasha’s book, Quirkyalone: https://www.amazon.com/Quirkyalone-Manifesto-Uncompromising-Sasha-Cagen/dp/B002XULZ72UK Link to Sasha’s book, Quirkyalone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quirkyalone-Manifesto-Uncompromising-Sasha-Cagen/dp/B002XULZ72JOIN MY NEW FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: @spinsterhoodreimaginedFollow me on Twitter: @LucyMeggesonEmail me: lucymeggeson@gmail.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 MailSupport the showWelcome to my first Saturday Minisode!I'm keeping the descriptions for these very short, but in this one I'm pondering the concept of being different, and why I think it's actually a really good thing.I hope you enjoy these bitesize episodes and that they make you smile on a Saturday morning!Please join my brand new Facebook Group. Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: @spinsterhoodreimaginedFollow me on Twitter: @LucyMeggesonEmail me: lucymeggeson@gmail.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 MailSupport the showIn this week's episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to award-winning author, journalist and podcast presenter, Emma John. I know that you guys are going to absolutely love this episode because Emma is completely brilliant, bright, funny and enchanting. Emma has had an amazing career as a journalist and has written widely across film, theatre, music, sport, travel and lifestyle for a variety of national newspapers and magazine titles, including the Guardian, the Observer, the Times and the Financial Times. She was the first woman in the UK to win a Sports Journalism Award and is a contributing writer to the US magazine Afar.Emma is also a successful author of three books on three very different topics: her most recent ‘Self Contained: Scenes From A Single Life’, and her first two award-winning books, ‘Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey In The American South’ and ‘Following On: A Memoir Of Teenage Obsession & Terrible Cricket.’Our conversation includes Emma’s thoughts around the word ‘spinster’ and the shame surrounding it; how important it is that we don’t think of single life as a lesser life, or a limbo period; and the fact that she is very close to her family, has very close friendships, and has never felt ‘alone’.  Emma & I discuss how so many of us have bought into the idea that your partner should be your everything, when in fact that never used to be the case; familial expectations about ‘settling down’ and their fears and worries around us being alone; and how not finding a partner has always been, and still is, seen as some kind of ‘failure’.   We also talk about Emma’s experiences of solo travel, her time living in North Carolina whilst learning to play Bluegrass fiddle, as well as the time she got to interview Dolly Parton!!!Emma also touches on the process of writing her latest book, Self-Contained, during lockdown whilst living with her parents when her Mum was very ill - she very sadly passed away less than a year ago. I sincerely hope that you all enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed having the conversation with Emma.Emma can be found on Instagram: @emmajohnauthor. She can also be found on Twitter: @em_john. Link to Emma’s website: http://emmajohn.com/Spotify Link to Emma’s podcast, The Spin: https://open.spotify.com/show/1RDjh3ix2iXvatREVd4VLR Apple Podcasts Link to Emma’s podcast, The Spin: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-spin-podcast/id1465159577US Link to Emma’s book, Self Contained: 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 MailSupport the showIn this week's episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to freelance journalist, writer and public speaker, Nicola Slawson. Nicola has had a brilliant and exciting career in journalism, and she is also the founder of the award-winning and very popular weekly newsletter, The Single Supplement, which explores the highs and lows of being single, and is approaching 10,000 subscribers!She has written for multiple publications including The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Independent, The Telegraph, Refinery 29 and Psychologies Magazine. During her mid-twenties, Nicola also spent time travelling the world as an English teacher in South Korea, Spain and Italy.In this conversation, Nicola and I discuss the different kinds of readers who are attracted to her newsletter, the ups and downs of her single life and how she decided to take herself ‘off the market’, as well as her lifelong desire to be a Mum and where she is in that journey.We also ponder other topics including our thoughts around women automatically taking their husband’s surname when they marry, Nicola’s dislike of the phrases ‘my other half’ and ‘unlucky in love’, and her struggles in her early thirties during which time many of her friends were getting engaged and having babies. Nicola can be found on Instagram: @nicola_slawson and @thesinglesupplement. She can also be found on Twitter: @Nicola_Slawson and @TheSingleSupp. And her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesinglesupplement/Link to Nicola’s newsletter, The Single Supplement: https://thesinglesupplement.substack.com/ Join my Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: @spinsterhoodreimaginedFollow me on Twitter: @LucyMeggesonEmail me: lucymeggeson@gmail.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!