How Public Talks Expose Authors to Shame

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My guest on this week's episode is the absolutely fabulous Marianne Power.

Marianne was on the podcast back in the summer of 2024, so I encourage you to go and listen to those episodes if you haven’t already (I split them into 2 because we talked for so long!), and if you don’t know who she is, then you need to. 

She is the author of the phenomenal book 'Love Me! One Woman’s Search For A Different Kind Of Happy Ever After', which I urge you to read if you haven't already. She’s also the author of 'Help Me!', as well as being a journalist. 

This conversation came off the back of a phone call that Marianne and I had several weeks ago where we talked about everything from how vulnerable it feels to put a book out into the world, to our very different experiences of sex in the past and in the present, to the wonderful things about being single and not having kids; and at the end of that chat we decided she needed to come back on the podcast to try out best to recreate our conversation for you! 

You’re definitely going to want to listen the whole way through — trust me. We cover all manner of things from the vulnerability of writing personal stories, to the importance of connection, and the challenges and joys of navigating singlehood. This engaging conversation touches upon key themes like societal expectations, the need for self-validation, and the broader spectrum of relationships that can fill our lives with meaning and joy.

04:50 Marianne's Journey and Book Insights

10:36 Societal Expectations and Personal Validation

28:14 The Importance of Connection

36:22 Exploring Conscious Sexuality

43:47 Finding Joy in Being Single

43:56 The Importance of Touch and Connection

44:47 Breaking Relationship Norms

45:47 Discussing Our Books and Public Perception

46:44 Marianne's Mortifying Festival Talk (that turned to be a roaring success)

48:58 Overcoming Shame and Embracing Honesty

53:23 Audience Reactions and Validation

57:54 The Struggle of Public Vulnerability

01:12:01 The Importance of Self-Validation

01:13:50 Wrapping Up and Future Plans

Buy Marianne's book, Love Me!: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Me-womans-search-happy/dp/1529057884

Sign up to Marianne's Substack: https://helpmenewsletter.substack.com/

Follow Marianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianne_power_writer/?hl=en

Support the show

• Order my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book

• Download my FREE PDF 'The Top 10 Answers To The Most Irritating Questions That Single People Get Asked On The Regular...& How To (Devilishly) Respond'? Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/questions

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And thank you so much for listening!