Thrive Solo

Send us a textOn this week's Saturday Minisode, I'm talking about my belief that when we're feeling low about being single, it's not actually the lack of relationship that is the problem. I'm a big fan of that well-known saying, Happiness Is An Inside Job - because it is! Whether we like it or not, if we're feeling as though a partner will fix all our problems and bring us happiness, that is never, ever the case. Because it's not about the relationship. But it is about A relationship - the one that we have with ourselves. In this episode I talk about my thoughts and feelings around this topic, and why I think we should all be looking inside of ourselves for our happiness and our peace; because we're never going to find those things in a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife.Sure, a relationship can bring us many great things, happiness being one of them. But...only for a period of time. Our own happiness cannot be sustained by a partner, in the same way that buying a beautiful new house can make us happy for a while, but ultimately the feeling will wear off until we're left, once again, inside our own heads. We alone are responsible for the way that we feel, and ultimately how happy we are in our lives. Press 'Play' and let me know what you think!Fancy getting your hands on my FREE Top 10 Mindset Tips? Head over to: www.lucymeggeson.com Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: @spinsterhoodreimaginedFollow me on Twitter: @LucyMeggesonEmail me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com  Support the showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textOn this week’s episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I’m doing something a little bit different. The fabulous Amie Kelbing (host of ‘The Spinster Life Podcast’) and I, have done a podcast swap! We’ve recorded two parts - Part 1 is going out on her podcast, and Part 2 is here on Spinsterhood Reimagined. Amie is based in LA and she’s been doing her podcast for a lot longer than I’ve been doing mine; we found each other in the amazing single women online space where there are so many awesome women who are living happily single lives. This isn’t so much an interview as a very casual chat between two friends, who both happen to be single and childfree. We talk about all things spinster, as well as other topics. Our conversation includes Amie’s dating disasters, how she is a dog mum (and at the time of recording I was about to become a cat mum), our feelings about not having children, the importance of sleep, the trials and tribulations of hosting and producing a podcast, how being single is a neutral thing rather than a positive or a negative, Amie’s former feelings of shame about being single, why neither of us are married, and how the dating game can be likened to gambling!   Be sure to check out the first half of our conversation at the link to ‘The Spinster Life Podcast’ in the show notes below.Link to The Spinster Life Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spinster-life-podcast/id1537901366 Link to The Spinster Life Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5IpTlOPFVqXJD24wdgnKBf Follow Amie on Instagram: @livingthespinsterlifeLink to Amie’s Website: www.amiekelbing.com Join my private Facebook Group: 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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textOn this week's Saturday Minisode, I'm talking about saying no to the things we don't want to do. How many times do you think you've said yes to something you didn't want to do? For me, it's a countless number of occasions; but in recent years I've become a lot better at saying no when I don't feel like doing something or when something just isn't for me.But why do we do it in the first place? It's that sneaky thing called fear that stops us in our tracks when it comes to so, so many things in life, including saying no to someone in case we may (shock horror) piss them off / upset them / they won't like us anymore. In this episode I talk about my thoughts around this topic, and why I think we need to drop the fear and be totally unapologetic about saying no. Life is better when we're honest with ourselves - and others - about how we want to spend our time. We're all obliged to do things in our daily lives that we don't necessarily want to do, so let's make sure we spend our free time doing the things that make us happy. And let's face it, time is far too precious a commodity to waste it on things that simply don't light us up.  Press 'Play' and let me know what you think!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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textIn this week’s episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to author and life coach, Leisse Wilcox.Leisse is a results-focused and strategic life coach based in Toronto, Canada. She helps people bring clarity in what they want, confidence in who they are, and courage to stay true to them both; essentially she helps people become the version of themselves that they’ve been dreaming about. Leisse is also the best-selling author of two books, the most recent of which is called ‘Alone: The Truth & Beauty Of Belonging’ which we talk alot about in this conversation and which is essentially a reframe of what it means to be alone. It also looks at the importance of the relationship we have with ourselves, something which you’ll know I feel passionately about and talk about alot on this podcast.In this conversation, Leisse and I talk about how we’re all co-creators of our own lives, and how we always have agency over our lives; her thoughts on spirituality and how there’s something beyond us that we can all tune into; how her divorce turned her life upside down and how she was forced to reinvent herself and her life; and how she was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 36 years old.We also cover Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), what it is and how it works; how our actions and behaviours are dictated by our thoughts, and how our thoughts are inextricably linked to our unconscious beliefs; the human experience and how none of us get through life unscathed, but we all get to choose how we respond and react to things; and why so many of us engage in co-dependency / people pleasing and why it’s unhealthy.Leisse and I look at shame amongst single women and how it is such a difficult and heavy emotion; how centuries of gendered oppression have been passed down telling us what our lives should look like; the toxic narrative of society which still tells single women that they ‘haven’t done it right’; and the difference between the fear of being single and the fear of being alone.  Finally, we talk about Leisse’s book, Alone: The Truth & Beauty Of Belonging, which is the ultimate reframe on what it means to be alone; we discuss what motivated her to write it in the first place; how being alone is not a bad thing in and of itself, but rather the meaning we attach to it; what it means to belong to yourself; and how when we learn how to belong to ourselves, we can never, ever be alone. Follow Leisse on Twitter: @LeisseWilcoxFollow Leisse on Instgram: @leissewilcoxLeisse’s Website: www.leissewilcox.com US Link to Leisse Support the showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textOn this week's Minisode, I'm talking about my new kitten, Johnny Depp, who I've had for just less than 2 weeks - but boy oh boy, what a fortnight it's been. Don't panic, I'm not going to be rambling on about how cute and amazing he is. Nope. I'm actually talking about the other side of getting a kitten, the side that has made me grieve my former footloose and fancy free existence!Because...it turns out that having a little creature for whom I am solely responsible is a bigger adjustment than I had imagined, and as much as I love him it's making me feel all kinds of weird that I hadn't anticipated. Ultimately, I'm bringing it back to spinsterhood; because JD is highlighting to me how lucky I am to not have children, and how grateful I am for all the freedoms that I'm afforded thanks to my single, childfree life. I really hope you enjoy this episode. So press 'Play' and let me know what you think!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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textOn this week’s episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I have the pleasure of talking to the inspiring Kimberly Martinez Phillips.Kimberly is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Sociology at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador. Her dissertation studies the lives of single, never-married, childfree women of colour. She graduated from the University of California at Irvine in 1993 with Bachelor's degrees in cultural anthropology and criminology. She then obtained a Master’s degree in sociology from California State University, completing a Master’s thesis about the functionality of marriage. Kimberly has been teaching sociology at two and four-year colleges/universities in California and now in Canada for over 24 years.In this conversation, we talk about how Kimberly always knew that she didn’t want to compromise in terms of her life choices, and how she foresaw a different way of living than being in a relationship; how she didn’t want to put all her energies into looking for ‘the one’ and has many other things that fulfil her life; and how she doesn’t approach her relationships with a ‘forever’ mindset, although she loves romance and has had many unconventional love stories.We also talk about the many women who prioritise other things in life aside from a relationship, and how those kinds of women have been vilified by society; how you don’t need a relationship in order to validate your existence; and how during her interviews of 40 single women for her research, many of them cited peace, comfort and tranquility as words to describe their single lives.Kim and I also discuss how people asking “how are you still single” is often tied up in looks, and how older women tend to stop being asked the question; how women over 30 still experience pressure to couple up, especially from other women; how single women have to deal with the implication that they haven't been ‘picked’; and how she decided to research women of colour for her PhD upon discovering that the majority of research on single women looked at middle class, white women.I sincerely hope that you enjoy this episode!Follow Kimberly on Twitter: @IchoosefeminismKimberly’s Website: www.ichoosefeminism.com Join my private Facebook Group: 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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textOn this week's Saturday Minisode, I'm talking about that thing people do when we tell them we're single - you know, when they take pity on us, feel sorry for us, sympathise with us. It's just so...aaaargh!If you've been single for any length of time, then you will surely have experienced that side-tilt of the head accompanied with a sorrowful look, when you inform someone that you're single; and this despite the fact that you're perfectly happily living your life, having a great time,  barely giving a thought to your relationship status.Just...why?! Why is it that just by virtue of the fact that you happen to be uncoupled, people automatically assume that you must be unhappy, and that you require pity?In this episode, I air my grievances on this subject and talk about what we need to do in order to stamp out this unwanted reaction to our singledom.  Press 'Play' and let me know what you think!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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textOn this week's episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to Toronto-based culture writer, copywriter, podcaster, and creator of Instagram account @womenlivingalone, Danita Steinberg. I absolutely loved this conversation and I know that you will too.In this episode, Danita and I talk about how she has always been single, and that she identifies as asexual and queer; how we live in a very heteronormative society and how there are so many more incarnations and levels  of sexuality; and the dawning realisation growing up that she  did not experience sexual attraction. Danita also talks to me about how she never had crushes in high school and how this caused her difficulties when it came to relating to her school friends; how hard it was growing up as asexual and how  she eventually came out to her friends; and the concept of compulsory heterosexuality. We chat about how romantic and sexual attraction are two completely different things; how her female friendships have changed in recent years as many of them have got married and had kids, and how she has been grieving the relationships they once were; and her experiences with Bumble BFF, the ‘dating’ app for friendship. This conversation also covers the ups and downs of living alone once Danita moved into her own place just a month before lockdown; her thoughts around feelings of loneliness; how she has always been fascinated with all things paranormal and spooky; and how she thinks Jane Fonda is very underrated as an actor. I truly hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it!Follow Danita on Instagram: @womenlivingalone and @danitasteinbergFollow Danita on Twitter: @danitasteinbergListen to Danita's Podcast, We Really Like Her!, on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/we-really-like-her/id1393872370 Listen to Danita's podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1j7gF9A4NKiw4TT7PT3sp6 Join my private Facebook Group: 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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 textI simply couldn't resist doing another playlist episode! So this week's minisode consists of 10 awesome women - well, it's actually 11 because one of my choices is a duo. I choose one song from each of them and do a little bit of a story around why I love each of them. There's a real mixture here, resulting in a pretty eclectic mix of songs, all of which I think are incredible. I hope you'll love the ones you know - and the ones you don't!As before, here's the link to the playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/14ADoiGLMClwGCHTZMy8pg?si=a34fab83245b4a8fPress 'Play' and let me know what you think!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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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 SOLO episode with yours truly!In this week’s episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk about not having children, how I’ve come to be childless at the age of 46, and how I truly feel about it. I go way back to my childhood, my teens and my twenties, and share how I could never really relate to friends talking about feelings of broodiness back then, despite the fact that I always assumed I would have children eventually.I tell you about how my feelings towards babies changed when my eldest nephew was born, and the excitement I felt when my friends started having kids; but how I still wasn’t entirely convinced that I’d been put on the planet to be a mother even though I took it for granted that it would happen sometime in my distant future. I also share how broodiness finally hit me like a ton of bricks when I turned forty, and how working in a Twickenham coffee shop has its challenges due to all the mums and babies who frequent my place of work! I talk about how much I love being an auntie, and how I think my relationships with my nephews and niece are enhanced because I’m childfree.Finally I talk about why, despite any residual sadness I may have about not having had kids, being childfree is a fabulous, exciting and liberating life path; and that ending up without kids does not define me in anyway, nor does it effect my happiness or the joy I find in life.I hope that you enjoy this episode and that some of it resonates with you.Join my private Facebook Group: 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 showPre-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 Join the waitlist for my membership, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Interested in my 1-1 Coaching? Work with me HERE: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/workwithme 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!