Well Enough Alone - A Guide To Thriving Solo

Today’s episode is one that many of you asked us for – what does it take to have a child on your own?

Whether you’re sure you want kids, still trying to decide, or want to be child-free, this week’s guest has many life lessons that can help you figure out, or reaffirm, what’s right for you.

Alexandra Collier was 37 and living in Brooklyn with the man she loved when she woke up to a ravenous hunger to have a baby that unfortunately her younger partner didn't share.

What happened next is an extraordinary story of courage, hope, and what it means to start a family on your own terms.

Alexandra’s memoir Inconceivable: Heartbreak, Bad Dates and Finding Solo Motherhood is a moving account of that journey, and she shares with Jill the logistics, emotional complexity, financial implications and judgement she faced when she chose to become a single parent.

But she also speaks of the joy and empowerment she’s found in following her own path, and what life looks like for her now with a five-year-old.

Alexandra is an award-winning Melbourne writer who has written for theatre, screen and print. She lived and worked in New York for a decade where her plays were produced Off Broadway

You can follow Alexandra on Instagram: @alexandracollierwrites and learn more about her book, Inconceivable, here.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early and ad-free episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on Patreon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We live in an age when we’re more connected than at any point in history. But in our terminally online timeline, many young people are feeling a profound sense of loneliness, isolation and pessimism about the future.

They are often disengaged from politics and less than hopeful about modern dating and relationships.

Our guest this week is someone who has tapped into that feeling of apathy and disconnection and created a powerful platform for social and political change.

Hannah Ferguson is the founder and CEO of Cheek Media, an independent news commentary platform that aims to educate and inform while at the same time making young people feel more engaged and less alone.

She talks candidly with Jill about the personal stories she shares in her new book Taboo: Conversations we never had about sex, body image, work and relationships, a vulnerable exploration of modern womanhood that exposes and celebrates the messy, honest and insular parts of ourselves.

Hannah is also the co-host of politics and pop culture podcast, Big Small Talk, and the author of two best-selling books, Bite Back and Taboo – all this by the age of 25!

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only, early and ad-free episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on Patreon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine being the star of a reality TV dating show as one of the most visible eligible bachelors in the country, and you find love in the full glare of the public eye only to have your life fall apart.

That’s what happened to Dr Matt Agnew, when he appeared on The Bachelor, fell in love, broke up, then felt himself slowly unravel.

In this week’s episode, Matt speaks with courage and candour about his battle with mental illness, living in the spotlight, how he’s found happiness alone, and why he’s passionate about dismantling patriarchy and modelling healthy forms of masculinity.

Matt is an author, an engineer, a data scientist and an astrophysicist, who has written two books, Is My Phone Reading My Mind: The Real Facts About Artificial Intelligence, and Dr Matt’s Guide to Life in Space.  

You can follow Matt on Instagram: @drmattagnew or visit his website here.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only, early and ad-free episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on Patreon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content warning: this episode discusses issues of mental illness and suicide. If you need support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or your local crisis centre,

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back for season two and what a way to kick off, with Australian broadcasting icon, Yumi Stynes – a fierce and fearless trailblazer who knows all about finding your strength when you are very much on your own.

Yumi opens up about surviving some very public media pile-ons, and how she manages the hateful trolling that has made her fear for her safety.

She also shares her journey through two divorces, how it helped her cultivate a robust sense of self, and why we she threw a huge party to celebrate the end of her last marriage.

Yumi’s wisdom, strength and trademark humour make for a candid conversation where nothing is off limits, as she speaks about the freedom and joy she’s found in embracing not only the single life but sobriety.

A writer, podcaster, TV presenter, and mother-of-four, Yumi is the author of the best-selling Welcome To book series (Welcome to Your Period, Welcome to Consent, and more), and her award-winning podcast Ladies We Need To Talk is a groundbreaking show tackling topics that have often been shrouded in shame, stigma or ignorance.

Check out the episode she did recently with Jill talking about her own sobriety journey.

You can follow Yumi on Instagram: @yumichild

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early

content on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Get early access to new episodes by subscribing on Patreon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Mason: on sobriety as a path to single freedom, self-love and happiness

Can quitting drinking be the key to a happy, single life?

This week, Jill talks to podcaster, body positivity advocate and digital creator, Claire Mason about her journey from party girl to sober queen.

They share stories about their history of binge drinking and what happens when you can no longer numb your emotions with alcohol.

There are many parallels with choosing to be single and choosing an alcohol-free life, and in this raw and real conversation, they discuss what it’s like to be stripped bare and feel all your feelings.

You can follow Claire on Instagram @claire_maso_or @lyssk_official. And check out her podcast, Booze-Free Bants, here.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early access to episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our friends are some of the most important people in our lives. They’re the people we can be 100% ourselves with.

And for many single people, they are our family.

So why are friendships seen as lesser than romantic or blood family relationships?

This week, Jill talks to journalist and author, Gyan Yankovich, about her book, Just Friends, and what would happen if society treated friendship with the same reverence and respect as marriage.

Can a friend be more than just a friend – can they be someone to build a shared future with?

This conversation explores the power of modern friendship – what it means to be, to make, and sometimes to lose a friend, and why these pivotal relationships are so often undervalued.

You can follow Gyan on Instagram @gyanyankovich learn more about her book Just Friends here.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early access to episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Jill talks to TV presenter, public speaker and proud Warumungu/Yawuru woman, Megan Waters about growing and healing through times of struggle and why time alone is an essential part of her self-care toolkit.

She also talks about her deep connection to her Indigenous culture and how kinship and community have helped her build a strong sense of self.

Megan is open about her battle with a chronic health condition, the impact it’s had on her mental health, her plans to freeze her eggs, and how she’s grown stronger through times of adversity.

Megan Waters is the co-host of NITV’s Yokayi Footy Show, a Nike trainer and ambassador, a gym owner, breathwork teacher, and a boundary rider for Fox Footy’s AFLW coverage.

You can follow her on Instagram @megzyy_

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early

access to episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the best things about solo life is the freedom to live life your own, without having to run decisions past anyone else.

But one of the more challenging things is how expensive it can be to live alone. You have the same household costs as couples but only one income.

Whether it’s booking a room in a hotel, paying for health insurance, or forking out for power bills, groceries and living expenses, it all costs more when you do it solo. We’re essentially paying a single person’s tax.

So, how can we better manage our finances when we can only rely on ourselves? And how do we understand the patterns that drive our spending?

This week, Jill talks to certified Financial Behaviour Specialist®, Emma Edwards – founder of The Broke Generation – about how to get underneath the emotional side of money and why our spending habits are often tangled up with our sense of identity and behavioural patterns.

Emma also talks movingly about the challenges of being an only child caring for ageing parents.

You can find out more about her through her website, The Broke Generation, follow her on Instagram @the.brokegeneration, listen to her podcast or read her book, Good With Money.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early

access to episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are single people often ignored by policy makers? And is that about to change?

This week, Jill is joined by writer and political commentator, Lauren Beckman, to dissect Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s attack on “miserable, childless cat ladies” and how this group is becoming a potent voting bloc.

Single person households are the fastest growing demographic and yet we’re often treated like we don’t exist as politicians make their pitches to “working families.”

The number of people living alone is rising – it’s a constituency that political leaders should be courting rather than insulting. Ignore us at your peril!

Lauren helps to break down the politics of being single and how the shifting social tides are changing the political landscape.

She has a background in the Australian public service and is now Head of Canberra at Future Women, where she works to progress gender equality in Australian workplaces.

You can follow Lauren for her political and social insights through an intersectional feminist lens on her Instagram account, @lauren.lately.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early access to episodes on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If a romantic connection is something you see in your future – whether for one night or forever – then you do not want to miss this week’s episode.

Jill speaks to Alita Brydon – dating expert, body positivity champion and creator of the cult social media phenomenon, Bad Dates of Melbourne on Facebook.

Just because you enjoy time on your own doesn’t mean you can’t still dip your toe in the dating pool. And what a cesspit that can often be!

If you want to survive the modern dating scene, you’re going to need to be mentally prepared. And sometimes it helps to hear from those who have been through the wars too.

Alita is the perfect guide to walk you through it.

She’s created a space for people to share their dating horror stories – and the occasional triumph – and after hearing from hundreds of thousands of people from all over Australia, she has learned a thing or two about how to navigate the dating experience.

You can follow Alita and Bad Dates of Melbourne on Instagram and Facebook.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or @jillstark__ or support the show and get subscriber-only early

content on Patreon.

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.