Thrive Solo

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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

• 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 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:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Marie-Phillips/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AMarie+Phillips 

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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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

• 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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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

• 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 minisode, I'm sharing 11 of my favourite quotes and the reasons why I love them.

You can't move for quotes on social media these days, but my own love of them stems from waaaayyy back when I was but a wee thing. 

As well as reading out these 11 fabulous quotes, I'm also talking about exactly why I love them, and how - if you let them - they may just change your life...;)

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 talk to history professor and author, Peggy O’Donnell Heffington. 

Peggy O’Donnell Heffington is a professor in the Department of History at the University of Chicago, where she teaches courses on gender and women’s history as well as historical research and writing methods. When she’s not answering email, you can usually find her trail running, baking gluten free cake, and looking at clothes on the internet. Peggy lives outside of Chicago with her husband Bob and two pugs, Ellie and Jake. Without Children: The Long History Of Not Being A Mother, is Peggy’s first book.

Topics that Peggy & I cover are:

• how and why Peggy came to be childfree;
• how finding herself in an environment where the ‘norm’ was to have children, was what prompted her to think about her own situation;
• the many, many shades of grey in terms of the reasons for not having children;
• the weaponisation of the word ‘spinster’;
• what motivated her to write a book about the history of non-mothers;
• how the question of not having kids can be far beyond just a lack of desire, and more about the context of your life;
• The weird and wonderful ways that women avoided pregnancy and birth in the times before birth control and abortion;
• how the reasons that women a century ago chose not to have kids weren’t that different from the reasons women cite today;
• the divide between mothers and women without children throughout history, and where we are today;
• how 200 years ago, the divide was not so much of an issue as children were raised much more communally;
• the ‘European Marriage Pattern’;
• why the statistics show that people with children report themselves to be 12% less happy than non-parents;
• how we rarely talk about what we actually gain by not having children, or what parents have to sacrifice by having them.

Follow Peggy on Instagram: 
 @peggyohdonnell

Follow Peggy on Twitter:
 @peggyohdonnell

Peggy’s website:
http://poheffington.com/ 

UK Link to Peggy’s book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Without-Children-History-Being-Mother/dp/1541675576 

US Link to Peggy’s book:
https://www.amazon.com/Without-Children-History-Being-Mother/dp/1541675576 
 

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 minisode, I'm talking about how much better life gets when we stop giving a sh*t what other people think.

This is a biggie, because we all suffer from the fear of judgement to one degree or another; but do we realise how much it's holding us back?

Letting go of our worries and concerns about the opinions of others might just be the best damn thing we can do for ourselves and our lives, because with it comes liberation and the freedom to live our lives authentically.

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 talk to journalist, life coach and podcaster, Ariana Dunne. 

Ariana Dunne is a journalist, a life coach, a celebrant, and an entrepreneur. She has worked for major publications including DMG, Bauer, Telegraph, Dennis and Maximum Media. Perpetually single by choice, Ariana has lived a fabulous solo life for most of her twenties and thirties. In 2017 she bought an apartment by herself, in 2018 she set up her own businesses, and in 2022 she spent a year solo travelling across Europe with her dog, Molly.

Ariana is single but she plans on exploring a solo journey to parenthood. Through her brand new podcast, Solo Powered, she wants to encourage more people to live happy lives doing things on their own.

Topics that Ariana & I cover are:

• how she’s one of eight children and her family moved around alot when she was young;
• how she always recognised the importance of being independent;
• how ‘settling down’ is at odds with her values of freedom and independence;
• why we shouldn’t wait for a relationship to go and enjoy life;
• the story of how Ariana bought flat in Dublin on her own;
• how she adores living on her own;
• couples who are married but live apart;
• Ariana’s journey towards being a solo Mum, and how she still has her doubts about giving up her single life;
• how an injury prevented her from taking part in an MMA cage fight;
• how being a mother doesn’t necessarily have to follow the same template as everyone else;
• Ariana’s solo travels around Europe with her dog, Molly;
• why solo travel is one of the greatest joys that we can experience;
• how the excitement of life lies in the unknown;
• Ariana’s new podcast, Solo Powered, and how we need to start celebrating doing things alone.

Follow Ariana on Instagram: 
 @ask_arianadunne

Follow Ariana on LinkedIn:
 Ariana Dunne

Ariana’s website:
https://arianadunne.com/ 

Link to Solo Powered Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/solo-powered-with-ariana-dunne/id1682328747 

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 minisode, I'm talking about some of the assumptions people make about single women when they cannot wrap their heads around the fact that they might actually be single, childless, and...happy. 

In my case, those assumptions have included me being a lesbian and...a virgin. WTF?! 

Press 'Play' and prepare to be amused. ;)

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 talk to Director of Events and podcaster, Jennie Becker. 

Jennie is the Director of Events and Activations UKI at WeWork. She has over 13 years of experience in the world of Events & Partnerships working for companies such as the British Fashion Council, LTK and Stella McCartney and organising events such as London Fashion Week & The British Fashion Awards. She now plays a key role in the scaling and elevation of events and activations across WeWork in UKI. 

Originally from Manchester, Jennie now lives in London and last year launched her podcast, Sliding Doors, which she continues to run independently asking people in the public eye to delve into their Sliding Doors moments. It has had an amazing response/downloads, with main features on Apple Podcasts, The Best Podcast Pick in The Daily Mail, Press coverage in all national newspapers and entering the podcast charts in the top 30.

Topics that Jennie & I cover are:

• her amazing job at WeWork;
• Jennie’s first true love, and how she had her heart badly broken;
• how she hasn’t been in another relationship since that one;
• how she is ready to meet someone and wants to get married and have children;
• how she enjoys her own company, but worries sometimes that she enjoys it too much;
• how turning 30 saw Jennie become more of herself, and things started to shift in a positive way for her;
• how she has done alot of inner work, and subsequently understands that a partner will not fix her problems;
• the concept of ‘settling’ and how she would rather be alone forever than be with someone who doesn’t enhance her life;
• how Jennie loves being alone, but she finds weekends difficult as a single woman;
• how we have the power to shift our energy and move into a more positive mood;
• how Jennie has travelled several times and her solo happy place is Portugal;
• Her podcast, Sliding Doors, and how much Jennie loves creating it.
• how Jennie always felt as though she wanted more, and that motivated her to start a podcast;

Follow Jennie on Instagram: 
 @jenbecks28

Follow Jennie on LinkedIn:
 Jennie Becker

Link to Jennie’s podcast, Sliding Doors, on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sliding-doors/id1546497838 

Link to Jennie’s podcast, Sliding Doors, on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1ulGR6xXrVXABE1kfbxtm4 

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!