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On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Polly and I talk about the amazing power of gratitude, and why a gratitude practice is something that’s very much worth adding into our lives.

We also talk a little bit about the impact of what we consume on how we feel about ourselves and our lives. It’s so important to be aware of the content we’re allowing into our minds, as well as the people we’re surrounding ourselves with.

We hope you find something of use in here!

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• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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TRIGGER ALERT: Please note that towards the end of the episode, Diane mentions the attempted rape of a friend of hers, as well as an assault that she suffered herself. If these are triggers for you, please turn off at 52”00. 

In this week's episode, I’m talking to writer, Diane Connell. 

Diane was born and educated in New Zealand and has lived and worked in Japan, France and the UK. She began her writing career in a newspaper office in Tokyo before becoming an advertising copywriter and writing for the international non-profit sector. For many years she lived in Paris, where she began writing as a novelist. She later moved to London, where her first two books, Julian Corkle is a Filthy Liar and Sherry Cracker Gets Normal, were published under the name of D.J. Connell. Her latest novel, The Improbably Life of Ricky Bird, was published in 2022. Diane is single, childfree, and lives in Sydney.

Topics that Diane & I cover are:

• when one becomes a ‘woman of a certain age’; 
• how while Diane loves being a part of a ‘tribe’, she also loves leaving it and tends to be quite solitary;
• how Diane loves her solitude, but she has also been through long periods of loneliness;
• why it’s important to go through loneliness;
• how some people value freedom, and cope with it better, than others;
• the expectations and judgements around being single and childless;
• the counter argument to childfree people being ‘selfish’, i.e. overpopulation;
• the jealousy that can come from married women with kids towards single, childfree women;
• witches, and how they were often bright, powerful, single women;
• how single, childless women threaten the status quo because they don’t actually need men;
• why, in many ways, being a spinster forces you to develop a wider perspective on life;
• Diane’s three novels, including the most recent, The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird;
• how we should all be making our singleness our power.

Check out Diane’s website:
https://www.djconnell.com/

Buy Diane’s latest book, The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird:
https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-Improbable-Life-of-Ricky-Bird/Diane-Connell/9781761101373 

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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On this week's minisode, I'm talking about motivation and more specifically, what to do when we're struggling to find it.

We all have goals, but it's not always easy to find the motivation to do what's required to reach them. Months, years even, may go by as we wait for motivation to arrive and - more often than not - it never does. And so we don't do the thing or achieve the goal.

But what if we looked at motivation from a different perspective? What if we realised that, actually, we need to take some form of action in order to feel motivated, rather than feeling motivated and subsequently taking action?

Press 'Play' and let me know your thoughts!  

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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On today's Thursday Thoughts, Polly and I talk all things meditation - from how we started and what our own practices look like, to the mental and physical benefits of this incredible practice that we could all gain from tapping into!

Enjoy. 🧘‍♀️🧘‍♀️🧘‍♀️

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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TRIGGER ALERT:Please note that Leigh and I talk about domestic abuse in the first half of this episode. 

In this week's episode, I’m talking to another of my wonderful listeners, Leigh Doran. 

Leigh is the founder of D.A.I.S.Y. (Domestic Abuse Intervention Supporting You) a domestic abuse charity she founded in 2015, as well as a counsellor and coach. She is single, has a grown up son, and lives in a motorhome with her dog, Tia. 

Topics that Leigh & I cover are:

• how Leigh founded a charity for domestic abuse survivors; 
• how challenging it was starting a charity by herself;
• what it was that drove Leigh to go into the area of domestic abuse, and her passion to help facilitate survivors’ recovery;
• the dangers of ending up in an abusive relationship because women have been conditioned to believe that they’re better off with ‘anyone’ than being alone;
• the Karpman Drama Triangle and how the persecutor in abuse can play the role of the victim;
• the importance self esteem, and cultivating it in other people;
• how Leigh found the courage to leave her second husband and move into a motorhome;
• why happiness is an inside job;
• why living in a small space isn’t a problem when you’re happy in your own head;
• how Leigh came back to herself following the break-up of her marriage;
• the importance of looking after your body and your mind;
• how courage plays a big part in making a big change and following your truth;
• how empowering it can feel to be alone again after a long-term relationship;
• how Leigh was more lonely in her relationship than she ever feels now;
• how she now feels free.
• how we all need to ask ourselves what brings us joy, and seek those things out.

The Daisy Programme’s website:
https://www.daisyprogramme.org.uk/ 

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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On today's minisode, I'm talking about the importance of embodying the version of ourselves that we hope to be in the future.

Much as this might sound a bit (or alot) woowoo, it's something that I consciously do every day, and with good reason.

Press 'Play' to find out why!

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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In this first 'Thursday Thoughts' episode, my friend Polly and I talk about how we both got into personal development work and why we love it so much.

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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In this week's episode, I talk to one of my old school friends, Marie Phillips. Marie is a writer and storyteller, based in London and publishing and performing across the world. Her debut novel, Gods Behaving Badly was released in 2007, was an international bestseller, and was made into a film starring Christopher Walken and Sharon Stone. Her subsequent novels include the Baileys Prize-nominated, The Table of Less Valued Knights, Oh I Do Like To Be…, and Create Your Own Midlife Crisis. Marie wrote her first radio series, Warhorses of Letters, with the playwright Robert Hudson in 2011, which starred Stephen Fry and Daniel Rigby and ran for three seasons on BBC Radio Four. She has been storytelling since 2019, touring Europe with shows including Lalaei, a reworking of Ovid accompanied by music.

Topics that Marie & I cover are:

• how Marie and I are old school friends; 
• how she has added storytelling and performing to her repertoire;
• the new one-woman show that she will be performing for the Amsterdam Storytelling Festival in November which is all about her maternal grandmother;
• the idea of redefining not just spinsterhood, but womanhood, as more than just a relationship and children;
• the often complicated stories around women who have children, and those who don’t;
• how Marie is childless due to a combination of choice and circumstance, and how she has often struggled with the narrative of who a woman is when she doesn’t have kids;
• how although she felt that she didn’t want children from a young age, Marie’s discovery that she fertility issues led to a period of grief around not having them;
• her frustration that a romantic relationship is so often seen to be THE most important thing in our lives; 
• how Marie has always found living alone to be a lonely experience, and how until recently she lived with housemates;
• how the only difference between single people and those in relationships is simply 1 person;
• the years Marie spent living in Amsterdam and her motivation for moving there;
• the difference in the stories we tell about women and men;
• the continuing pressure on women to continue to look younger than their years;
• the importance of being a positive role model so younger women realise that there isn’t just one path in life;
• how Marie found being single in her thirties far more difficult than being single in her forties.

Follow Marie on Twitter:
 @mpphillips 

Marie’s Website:
https://mariephillips.co.uk/ 

Buy Marie’s Books:

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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On this week's minisode, I'm getting on my soap box about taking responsibility for our own lives because, after all...no one is coming to save you.

Harsh as this may sound, not only is it true, but it's important to understand that we need to take ownership of our lives, rather than waiting for a relationship to come along and rescue us.

Forget knights in shining armour, WE get to be the hero of our own story. 

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!

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My very special guest this week is one of my fabulous listeners, the lovely Maddie Southorn, who works in communications and business development for a legal educational charity. She is also a singer-songwriter, musician, and knitter of cat toys! (Check out her Etsy store - link below).

Topics that Maddie & I cover are:

• how Maddie is single by circumstance and her struggles around that; 
• her most recent relationship and how they were engaged to be married;
• how it took Maddie a while to adjust to living on her own;
• Maddie’s experience of being single, and how turning 50 sparked a bit of an existential crisis;
• how a combination of things mean she c urrently feels very shaky around her singlehood; 
• how Maddie’s Mum being ill has been incredibly difficult for her, and is making Maddie feel very alone and vulnerable when she thinks about her future;
• the importance of working on our thoughts and how Maddie works hard on her own mindset;
• online dating and how Maddie chooses not to engage in it because it feels so contrived;
• how Maddie misses the fun and excitement of dating in the ‘organic’ way that people used to;
• how Maddie knew from a young age that she didn’t want kids, and how she used to feel there was something wrong with her because of it;
• how Maddie is a rockstar at heart;
• how she describes her music as piano-based, moody and a little bit mournful.

Follow Maddie on Instagram: 
 @maddiesouthorn


Follow Maddie on Twitter:
 @maddiesouthorn 

Check out Maddie’s music:
maddiesouthorn.bandcamp.com 

Check out Maddie’s Etsy Store:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Knitmaresandcathair?ref=seller-platform-mcnav 

Support the show

• Buy 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 Most
  Annoying 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: [email protected]

And thank you so much for listening!