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On this week’s Thursday Thoughts, Polly & I are talking about overwhelm.

We discuss why the way we talk to ourselves about overwhelm is so important, and give lots of tips on what we can do to keep feelings of overwhelm under control.

Enjoy!

Love,
Polly & Lucy

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

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In this week’s episode, I’m talking to the fabulous Renée Chmiel.

Renée lives in Connecticut and is both single and childfree. She grew up in New England and was a News reporter for a decade in North Dakota; she then returned to Connecticut and worked for a couple of local stations. She subsequently did a Masters in Forensic Psychology before returning to reporting. 

Topics that Renée & I cover are:

• how she always knew that she didn’t want to have children;
• how her feelings around not wanting kids made her feel as though there was something wrong with her;
• some of the reactions that Renée had to deal with in relation to her being childfree;
• how she slowly started discovering other childfree people and communities which was life changing for her;
• how not wanting kids made decisions around her breast cancer treatment easier;
• people saying ‘that’s just what you do’ in relation to having kids, and the implications of that;
• Renée’s plan to move from Connecticut to San Diego, and how being single and childfree is allowing her to do that;
• the freedoms and benefits of not having kids;
• how Renée’s journey of being single has had its ups and downs;
• a relationship that Renée stayed in for the wrong reasons, and how she wished that she wanted to be with him;
• the time when she desperately wanted to be with someone, and how personal growth enabled to her to start appreciating her solo life;
• focusing on the good, and how life is all about shifting where you place your attention;
• Renée’s adventures into spirituality, including a past life regression and working with a shamen;
• how shifting her energy in relation to being single has changed things for the better in Renée’s life; 
• the huge importance of mindset work, and how you have to change yourself in order to change your life. 

Follow Renée on Twitter:
@renéechmiel

Email Renée on:
[email protected] 

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

On today's episode, I'm talking about what it means to have 'fun'.

The word 'fun' is often associated with parties and other large gatherings of people, involving drinking, music, dancing...and all the other 'traditional' ideas of what fun looks like. But what about the quieter side of fun?

As someone who considers herself far more a homebody than a party girl, does that mean that I'm no fun? Or does it just mean that fun doesn't look the same for everybody?

For me, fun can mean getting up early to watch the sunrise by the river, or chilling at home on a Saturday night with my cat, or even so-called work that gets me in my creative flow state.

Whether you're happier dancing the night away with a group of friends, or going on a long hike with your rescue dog, fun gets to be whatever you want it to be. So the next time someone calls you 'boring' as you attempt to make a swift exit from a party, remember that you get to be unapologetic about doing what feels aligned for you.

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

On today’s Thursday's Thoughts, Polly and I are talking all about boundaries.

We discuss why it can be so incredibly hard to set boundaries with the people you love; why it’s ok to say no even when you don’t have an ‘excuse’; how saying yes to something you don’t really want to do is saying no to yourself; and how resentment can build when we fail to put the necessary boundaries in place to protect our own wellbeing.

We hope you’ll find something useful in here.

Love,
Polly & Lucy x

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

In this week's episode, I’m talking to the inspiring Amy Key. 

Amy is a poet and author who lives in London. Her poetry collection, Luxe, was published in 2013. Her second collection, Isn’t Forever, was published in 2018 and was a Poetry Book Society Wild Card choice. Amy’s debut non-fiction book, Arrangements in Blue, was published in spring 2023. The book uses Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album, Blue, as a framework to investigate our cultural obsession with coupledom, and what it means to live a life in the absence of romantic love. 

Amy grew up in Kent and the North East, but has lived and worked in London since 2001.

 Topics that Amy & I cover are:

• how, when she broke up with her last boyfriend at the age of 22, she assumed her singleness would be temporary;
• how in her thirties she thought there was something uniquely wrong with her that was the reason she was alone;
• how putting romantic love at the centre of everything can be damaging to both singles and people in relationships;
• how Amy used to think of herself as a perpetual adolescent rather than a ‘proper’ adult;
• how Amy still feels lonely at times, but how she has learnt to embrace her solitude;
• her advice for singles about the importance of being intentional with their weekend time;
• why we should question the relative importance of romantic love;
• how Amy came up with the idea for her book, Arrangements in Blue;
• how Amy has spent a lifetime listening to Joni Mitchell, and how she is in her blood;
• how she used the songs from Joni’s album, Blue, to give the book a framework to reflect back the different elements of Amy’s single life;
• how the song, All I Want, resonated with Amy as soon as she heard it at the age of 14;
• the meaning behind, and Amy’s interpretation of, the songs Blue, A Case of You, and The Last Time I Saw Richard in the book;
• how the concept of having a ‘soulmate’ can make single people feel even more lonely;
• how other things in life can make you equally as happy as romantic love.

Check out Amy’s website:
https://amyvkey.com/

Buy Amy’s book:
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/447053/arrangements-in-blue-by-key-amy/9781787333895

Follow Amy on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/msamykey/ 

Follow Amy On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/msamykey

Follow Amy on Blue Sky:
https://bsky.app/profile/amykey.bsky.social

Amy’s Substack:
https://amykey.substack.com/ 

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

On today's minisode, I'm talking about the completely divine and brilliantly funny, Matthew Perry.

I felt called to do a minisode following his death because it seems to have hit me harder than any celebrity death in my lifetime so far - and I know I'm not alone.

I talk about his cult character, the one-and-only Chandler Bing - aka Chanandler Bong, Friends mania and the TV show that captured our hearts for 10 years, as well as Matthew Perry's well-documented struggle with addiction.

I also read out some of his own words about how he wanted to remembered after his death.

So long, Matty. We will love you forever.  

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

On this week’s Thursdays Thoughts, Polly and I talk about the importance of raising our vibration.

We are all 99.9% energy and are vibrating at different frequencies ranging from more high vibe states such as joy, appreciation and enthusiasm, to low vibe states such as fear, shame and anger.

We share how it’s possible to choose which frequency you vibrate on and some practical ways to raise your vibe.

Enjoy!

Polly & Lucy x

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

In this week's episode, I’m talking to the fabulous Julie Sondra Decker. 

Julie Sondra Decker, is an author from Tampa, Florida. She writes fiction for adults and children—usually speculative fiction, fantasy, and science fiction—and she is widely known for her nonfiction work in asexuality awareness activism. Her nonfiction title, The Invisible Orientation, was released in September 2014.

Julie is single and childfree, also asexual and aromantic, and she’s known as a very prominent voice for the asexual community. 

Topics that Julie & I cover are:

• what it was like to grow up as an asexual woman in the 80s and 90s;
• how Julie doesn’t experience either romantic, or sexual, attraction;
• how she isn’t drawn to either men or women, although asexuals who aren’t aromantic tend to have a gender preference;
• the ‘excuses’ that people used to made for Julie’s asexuality;
• how people can say hurtful things, even if they aren’t intending to;
• what motivated Julie to write her book, The Invisible Orientation;
• how she wanted to have a section in the book that de-bunked the common misconceptions about asexuality;
• how one such misconception is that asexuality is a temporary state;
• how other common myths are that ‘you just can’t find a partner and ‘you just haven’t met the right person’;
• how in Julie’s experience, there tend to be more asexuals who want relationships than those that don’t;
• how there are some asexuals who still enjoy sex, as well as those who still have a sex drive;
• the benefits of being asexual;
• how being asexual allows Julie to be more objective when it comes to judging other people;
• the wonderful freedoms that come with being a single woman.

Check out Julie’s website:
https://juliesondradecker.com/ 

Buy Julie’s’s book, The Invisible Orientation (UK Link):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Orientation-Introduction-Asexuality-Generation/dp/1634502434 

Buy Julie’s’s book, The Invisible Orientation (US Link):
https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Orientation-Introduction-Asexuality-Generation/dp/1634502434 

Follow Julie's YouTube Channel:
swankivy

Follow Julie on Instagram:
@swankivy

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

In the words of Frank Sinatra...'regrets, I've had a few'. But I choose not to dwell on them.

How many times have you been asked "Aren't You Worried You'll Regret Not Having Kids?" On today's minisode, I talk about why this question irks me (to put it mildly) not least because I don't believe that it's the regret that trumps all others. 

I also talk more generally about regrets and why, unless we're actually going to do something about them, they truly are a waste of our time and our energy. 

Ultimately, regret is a choice. And we have it within our power to choose NOT to regret things we've either done, or haven't done. Instead, we can choose to embrace the choices we have made, and focus our energy on what we have in front of us, rather than what we've left behind. 

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Polly & I are talking about fear.

The thing about fear is that it’s always going to be there. Whether it’s fear about handing your notice in at work, or fear about ending a relationship, fear isn’t going anywhere. So the question is: how do we face it, deal with it, and move through it?

Polly & I talk about our own relationships with fear, and share what we do to ensure that it doesn’t hold us back from pursuing the things we desire.

We hope you’ll find something useful in here.

Love,
Polly & Lucy x

Support the show

• JOIN MY ITALY TRIP IN APRIL 2027: https://www.explore.co.uk/thrivesolo-italy

• 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!