Thrive Solo

Send us a textIn this week's minisode, I'm talking about why we shouldn't give up so easily when it comes to the practices we know will help us.There is a tendency, particularly when it comes to self help and mindfulness practices, to quit when we don't see instant results. But the truth is that, like most great things in life, it takes time, discipline and consistency to reap the benefits.And although it can be disheartening when we're implementing something new into our lives and we feel like we're not getting anywhere, it's those little things that we do when nobody's watching that tend to lead to the greatest rewards.So keep going, don't give up so easily, and remember that the time it takes to see those results is going to pass by faster than we can say 'Christmas'!  Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's episode, I talk to childfree lifestyle advocate, LeNora Faye. LeNora is a childfree lifestyle advocate who creates public and private global platforms for people choosing not to have / birth or raise children. She began her public advocacy work in 2018 after realising a need for more conversation about not wanting to have kids. Following a year of blogging, she co-created the international podcast and web series Childfree Girls which led to the development of Childfree Convention. In 2022, LeNora co-founded Childfree Media, a network of global content creators focused on choice awareness. Topics that LeNora & I cover are:how she came to work in the childfree space through her blog;what it looks like to be a childfree lifestyle advocate;the discomfort of being visible;LeNora’s experience of growing up in a cult, and how it impacted her decision to not have children;how she eventually left the cult by essentially disappearing for 10 years;how she always felt she had a calling for more;the similarities between dealing with the shame of being raised in a cult, and the shame of not having children;how being respected for choosing not to have children is something that many childfree people would appreciate;how LeNora is an introvert and subsequently requires plenty of alone time to recharge;our mutual love of road trips;finding your tribe and how it happens when you’re in flow;internet trolls and how to deal with them;Follow LeNora on Instagram: @childfreeblog Follow LeNora on Twitter:@glassviolinFollow LeNora on LinkedIn:@LeNora Faye LeNora’s website:lenorafaye.com   Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's minisode, I'm talking about the tale of the old Cherokee who tells his grandson about the battle that goes on inside of him - and all of us - between the good wolf and the bad wolf. When his grandson asks him "Which wolf will win?", the old man replies simply, "The one you feed."So the question is, which wolf will you feed? In other words, which version of yourself will get to run the show? Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's episode, I talk to writer Kerry Graham. Kerry is a Baltimore-based writer and former English teacher. She is a Creative-in-Residence at the Baltimore Banner, and her essays and vignettes have appeared in dozens of publications. Huffington Post published her essay about being childfree by choice in three languages. Dan Rather said of Kerry’s writing, “in a sea of doom scrolling, a beautiful island of hope.”Topics that Kerry & I cover are:why she made the decision to stop talking about her relationship status; the story of how she came to be childfree;how she still struggles with other people’s perceptions of her childfree status;how we still live in a culture where the expectation is that you’ll become a mother;the implication that being single is a temporary state;how there are so many facets to human beings besides from our relationship status!the pressure on childfree women to make something amazing of their lives as a way of ‘making up for’ not having kids;how women tend to spend alot of time talking about their relationship status, when there is so much more to discuss;how we all have many important relationships in our lives, yet we prioritise romantic partners over and above all of them;Kerry’s experience of co-dependency in a previous long-term relationship;how, whilst other people can contribute to our happiness, we are ultimately responsible for it;why Kerry never wants to marry or cohabitate with anyone;the hard lessons she has learnt from previous relationships, and her determination not to repeat those same mistakes;ageing, and why we need to own it;Follow Kerry on Instagram: @mskerrygrahamFollow Kerry on Twitter:@mskerrygrahamKerry’s website:https://www.mskerrygraham.com/ Email Kerry: kerry@mskerrygraham.com Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's minisode, I'm talking about a book by Australian author, Bronnie Ware, called The Top 5 Regrets Of The Dying.Whilst the title may not immediately spark joy, both the book and this episode are far more about life than they are about death.  Bronnie spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which garnered so much attention that she turned it into a book.And if we want to learn how to truly live life, who better to take advice from than someone at the end of theirs? Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's episode, I talk to writers Joan DelFattore & Christina Campbell.Joan DelFattore writes about living a single life in a world geared towards couples. Following her own experience of discrimination against being single in relation to her own cancer treatment, Joan wrote a peer-reviewed article that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2019, showing that patients with cancer are more likely to receive surgery or radiotherapy if they're currently married than if they're divorced, separated, widowed, or never married. Previous guest, Christina, writes about invisible illness, singles’ rights, and the inexorable onslaught of entropy. After earning her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from George Mason University, Christina co-founded the singles’ advocacy blog, Onely. The site deconstructs cultural stereotypes about single hood, such as the myth that unmarried people die alone, eaten by their cats! Topics that Joan, Christina & I cover areJoan’s Tedx talk, ‘Sick While Single? Don’t Die of Discrimination’, and what prompted her to do it;how her research unearthed the systematic under treatment of single people;Joan’s 2019 article, Death by Stereotype, that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine;how many physicians can’t get their heads around a set up that isn’t family-based;Christina’s thoughts around the cultural expectation that people will automatically receive all the support they need from a spouse;the hesitation she sometimes feels around asking friends for help as a single woman;how Christina’s chronic tick-borne disease has often be misunderstood and even, at times, disbelieved;the discrimination Christina faces with regards her healthcare as a single woman;how she went to see a psychologist due to her ‘abnormality’ with regards not wanting to get married;Joan and Christina’s thoughts and advice around going through illness as a single;Christina’s Website:www.christinadc.com  Contact Christina:www.onely.org  Email Joan at:jdel4444@gmail.comJoan’s Website:joandelfattore.com Joan’s Tedx Talk - Sick While Single? Don’t Die Of Discrimination:https://www.ted.com/talks/joan_delfattore_sick_while_single_don_t_die_of_discrimination/details  Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showThis week, it's a very mini minisode all about the joy of walking.As a kid, I was dragged on walks with my siblings by our Dad, every Sunday, in the woods behind the house I grew up in. And whilst back then I would roll my eyes at the mere mention of yet another walk, I'm so glad that it was implemented into my life at a young age.I've subsequently carried the habit of regular walks with me into adulthood, and barely a day goes by where you won't find me walking along the riverside.This episode serves as a little reminder that there are endless benefits to walking, not least the fact that it makes you feel good. And there is almost nothing that a brisk walk won't help.So, grab your headphones, press play on this episode, and get outside for a stroll. I promise you won't regret it. ;) Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's episode, I talk to award-winning writer, actor, comedian and musician, Lane Moore. Lane’s first book, How To Be Alone: If You Want To And Even If You Don’t, became an instant No.1 bestseller and was praised as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, New York Magazine, NPR, Good Morning America, Fast Company, Marie Claire, and many others. She also gave a TEDx Talk based on the book, called How To Be Alone. Her second book, You Will Find Your People: How To Make Meaningful Friendships As An Adult, was released on 25th April 2023.Lane’s comedy show, Tinder Live, is regarded as one of the best comedy shows in the the world and has been praised by The New York Times, Spin Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, CBS, Time Out New York, and New York Magazine.As a musician, she is the front person and songwriter in the band, It Was Romance, which has been praised by Pitchfork, Vogue, Village Voice, and Billboard named it one of 16 Female-Fronted Bands You Should Know. Topics that Lane & I cover are:how she came to write a book called ‘How To Be Alone’;how we are socialised to think that being alone is the worst thing in the world;how, because of her upbringing, Lane had no choice but to learn how to be alone;how important it is for all of us to a find a home within ourselves;how we all need to find a community of people who have chosen themselves, over and above a partner;how if you find your people, you’re less likely to settle for a relationship that isn’t right for you;how awkward it can be to make new friends as an adult;how important it is to Lane to de-stigmatise how or when you meet your friends;the minefield that is friendship breakups;how she went through a friendship breakup whilst writing her book, You Will Find Your People;how we need to release the idea that our friends will be our friends forever, and cultivate more ease around friendships.Lane’s Website:https://www.lanemoore.org/ Buy Lane’s book (UK), You Will Find Your People:https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Will-Find-Your-People/dp/1419762567 Buy Lane’s book (US):https://www.amazon.com/You-Will-Find-Your-People/dp/1419762567/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Buy Lane’s book (UK), How To Be Alone: Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's minisode, I'm talking about the power of awe, and how it turns out that experiencing awe for just a few moments each day has a positive impact on both our emotional and physical health. Researchers Michael Amster and Jake Eagle have found that practicing their 'A.W.E Method' just a few times a day for mere seconds, decreases stress, anxiety, and even depression. Awe can also improve our overall well-being, connectedness, generosity, and happiness. Whether it's an incredible sunset, listening to an uplifting song, or appreciating the beauty of our pet, awe is something that we should be intentionally cultivating in our lives. Although we live in a world that does nothing but distract us from the wonders that are all around us, we can find awe in almost any given moment. And, quite frankly, who doesn't want more awe-gasms?! Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

Send us a textSupport the showIn this week's episode, I talk to professor Ketaki Chowkhani. Dr Ketaki Chowkhani is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Manipal Centre for Humanities. Single and childfree herself, Ketaki designed and teaches India's first ever course on Singles Studies, and her writing on singlehood has appeared in the New York Times, The Hindu, Psychology Today, and Square Peg UK, among others. Her writing and teaching on singlehood has been mentioned in The Guardian, the New Statesman UK, and The Hindu.  Topics that Ketaki & I cover are:her story around being single and childfree;how her conviction about single life being right for her has been a gradual process;how both of us feel as though we’re ‘single at heart’;how Ketaki came to create and teach India’s first course in single studies;the one main difference between being a single woman in India and being a single woman in the west;how Ketaki’s parent have responded to her life choices in terms of being single;the pressure she has had to deal with from her extended family;her essay in Angelica Malin’s book, Unattached;being a trailblazer for single women;some of the ways in which singles are discriminated against, and the common stereotypes;Ketaki’s research into what is making single hood possible / easy or not, i.e. housing, laws, and what can be done to improve things;how provisions for single people can affect whether or not someone stays in an abusive relationship, and how important it is to make singlehood desirable;reclaiming the term ‘spinster’ which Ketaki also uses in her Instagram handle!Follow Ketaki on Instagram: @spinster.adventuresFollow Ketaki on Twitter:@chowkhaniRead Ketaki’s essay in Angelica Malin’s book, Unattached (UK Link):https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unattached-Essays-Singlehood-Angelica-Malin/dp/1529110394 US Link to the book:https://www.amazon.com/Unattached-Essays-Singlehood-Angelica-Malin-ebook/dp/B0946G7RX7  Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!