Two new childless therapists added to the Gateway Women global listings page; Jordana Krueger-Toscher (USA), and our first in Argentina, Laura Bignasco.
Two book reviews for you: Oliva Sprinkel's ‘To Hear the Trees Speak’, and Byddi Lee's novel, ‘Barren’. Full reviews here.
July's theme in the Childless Collective online community is a gorgeous one - ‘Catching Glimmers’. And don't forget that I host a members-only Zoom on the first Saturday of each month for our ‘Childless Elderwomen’ subgroup. So that's TODAY, 5th July, at 6pm BST (next month it'll be at 9am, so that I get to hang out with both hemispheres). Find out more, join/access here.
Cultivate & Flourish - a new 12-week coaching program from Katy Seppi (Childless Collective) and Tanya Hubbard (childless therapist). More info here.
Belonging - a systemic constellations weekend in Scotland this Samhain/Halloween co-hosted by Liane Maitland & Andrea Langlois. Just gorgeous. More here.
This newsletter takes a day (at least!) each month to write. If you'd like to show your appreciation with a small tip and support the many resources I provide free of charge to the childless community, you could ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ here. Thank you!
Dearest First name / One,
As July is my 61st birthday month, here's a special link just for you for 50% off a paid subscription to my Gateway Elderwomen Substack. Recently I was (briefly!) #2 in the ‘Rising’ leaderboard for ‘Climate & Environment’ on Substack, so it seems my message about the need for community in these times of unravelling is striking a chord with many. If you are able to take out a paid subscription (or already have done so), thank you so very much - it really helps to boost the visibility of my work to a wider audience - and goodness, the challenges of Elderhood without Motherhood is a topic that really needs to be more widely understood! You can read my most recent essay (for free) here about how illness is teaching me (yet more!) soul lessons.
Change of date for ‘Single, Childless, Feminist’ webinar
Unfortunately, as I have to attend the funeral for a sadly unexpected death this month, I've had to move the date our Fabiana Formica and YL Wolfe webinar to SUNDAY 13th July. If you've already registered, you don't need to do so again. In these increasingly Gileadesque times, deconstructing the toxic pronatalist narratives around both singleness and childlessness feel increasingly important. Click here for more info and to register. And if you're new to YL Wolfe's writing, do check out and subscribe to her Substack On the Outside - she's the finest essayist I know on midlife singleness and childlessness, and yet she receives almost no paid support. Please feed the writers! (And if it's a choice between my Substack and hers, please support YL Wolfe at https://ylwolfe.substack.com).
Submissions are open for World Childless Week 2025 this September: deadline Sunday 24th August
For the eighth year, I'm proud to continue as a World Childless Week Ambassador and this the Daily Topics for 2025 have now been announced. World Childless Week is created from real life stories: how we became childless, the words and situations that hurt, the grief we have faced, rediscovering our worth and celebrating new joys. It is a week to express ourselves in our own way, be that through the written word, art, creativity, song, dance or more. It is a week to say here I am, see me; and equally here is my story, but whilst remaining the comfort of anonymity. You can see all the topics here, and find the page to submit your entry here. You do not need to be a professional anything to take part in WCW; every childless voice and every childless experience matters. I'll be hosting two different webinars over the course of the week, more news on that nearer the time.
Other ways to get involved with World Childless Week:
Loads more below for you to explore and I look forward, as always, to your thoughts. Just hit reply and your message comes directly to me. And if you'd like to send me a cup of coffee for my birthday, it's always welcome and helps me to keep making so many resources free of charge.
The Reignite Weekend is the transformational healing weekend that I created in 2012 (and ran personally 50+ times!) in many different countries. It now continues with my team of licensed facilitators in the London (UK) and Australia. The testimonials continue to show that this weekend often marks a ‘before’ and ‘after’ moment in the trajectory of childless women's lives. Info, testimonials, booking links here.
