Airborne Puffin at Irish summer sundown. Because joy is a precious thing right now.
Dearest First name / One,
As many of you know, I'm struggling with my health at the moment (still a mystery what it is, but it's sapping my energy big time), and so I'm spending the summer here in Ireland quietly learning how to grow vegetables (harder than you'd think!) and doing as little travelling as possible. I'm also doing my best to reduce my workload, but it's not easy, as I've always got LOADS of ideas of things I want to do for us!
For example, something I've been working on in the background for the last couple of years is ‘Alterkin’ (Alternative Kinship Circles), and I'm thrilled to report that the first, in-person, local, Alterkin Circle for those of us ageing without children is now underway in my very rural Irish location! I've written about it here (as much as I can, without breaking anonymity), and the essay is being commented and shared more than anything I've done for a while. This is something so many of us are hungry for. I also talk about the Alterkin project in some depth in this wonderful podcast with Argentinian childless coach, Laura Bignsco, which you can watch on YouTube or listen to on Apple or Spotify.
As an Ambassador for World Childless Week, now in its 8th year, I'm really excited about the two webinars I'll be part of (details on those will be announced mid-August in the World Childless Week newsletter). As well as planning to attend webinars, there's still time to suggest one of your own, and Steph would be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who would like to lead a mindfulness or art session, or a discussion on Tuesday 16th September for the Childless LGBTQI+ day. Find all the links for info on WCW here, or below in the section dedicated to all things WCW.
As always, I look forward 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 to support my work, it's always welcome and helps me to keep offering so many resources free of charge for our childless community worldwide.
Work out what and how to submit (remember, can be anonymous if you wish!) for 2025's World Childless Week (15-21st September). Submissions close on Sunday, 24th August, and for certain things, this Sunday, 3rd August. See below for loads of other ways to get involved too.
August's theme in the Childless Collective online community is "Identity" - access/join here to be part of member-only events and discussions, along with the usual lineup of other gatherings, including those led by me in our ‘Childless Elderwomen’ group. More info below.
Our Gateway Women Reignite Weekends continue for the rest of 2025 with four weekend workshops, one online (UK/EU), two in London (UK), and one in Brisbane (Australia). All booking and info here.
Check out the four new non-parent therapists added to the Gateway Women global listings page since last month: Madeleine Duncan Booth and Val O'Dea (both UK) Usha Swamy in Germany, and Maggie Dickens (Portugal/USA).
Watch/listen to this interview I did with the soulful Argentinian podcaster (and coach), Laura Bignasco, for her ‘Happy Childless Mindset’ podcast on YouTube, ApplePodcasts and Spotify. Laura is also running a free ‘You are not broken’ webinar on 16th August, 1pm EST/6pm UK.
Watch the beautiful Single, Childless, Feminist webinar I hosted with Fabiana Formica (author of the memoir, ‘Childless’) and feminist author and essayist YL Wolfe in July. We've had amazing feedback about it.
Read my blog for World Childless Week, Finding a Diamond in the Rubble, which is all about finding your ‘Plan B’ after childlessness (and why I don't vibe so much with the term ‘Plan B’ anymore);
‘Empty’ is a new play by childless author Robert Nurden, and it's having a rehearsed reading at The Cockpit theatre (London, UK) on 7th September, and a segment will also be performed at this year's StoryhouseCHILDLESS festival, 12-14th September in Chester, UK.
Cultivate & Flourish is a new 12-week, small group coaching program from Katy Seppi (coach & founder of the Childless Collective) and Tanya Hubbard (a childless therapist). Starts September 8th, for US timezones only. More info here.
Participants needed for a study on the psychological impact of infertility among Black women in the UK. Click here for more info and contact Helen George, a childless psychotherapist herself at 2114413@chester.ac.uk.
Belonging - a systemic constellations weekend in Scotland this Samhain/Halloween, co-hosted by Liane Maitland & Andrea Langlois. Just gorgeous. More here.
Now in its 8th year, I'm proud to continue as a World Childless Week Ambassador. World Childless Week is driven by REAL LIFE STORIES contributed by childless people around the world: 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 (anything digital that can feature on the WCW website)
You do not need to be a professional anything to take part in WCW; every childless voice and every childless experience matters. And your contribution can be fully credited or anonymous - whatever feels best to you at this stage of your childless life. Many people submit anonymously for their first year, and it's often a liberatory ‘coming out’ experience for them, and can lead to a real boost to their sense of pride and identity.
Each of the seven days of World Childless Week is organised around a ‘theme’ (see the images above) or click here, and you can find the page to submit your entry here.
If you have a business, book or offering of relevance to childless people, you might want to consider exploring the (very reasonably priced) advertising packages on the WCW website and in its newsletter. Talk about reaching the right audience! Remember, WCW may be free to participate in, but it's not free to organise, and this can be a win:win way to support it.
Submissions close midnight, Sunday 24th August, but please do get them in as early as you can, as each submission is carefully reviewed by Stephanie Joy Phillips (the founder of WCW) on her own, and it's a LOT of work for her to do them all at once! Click here to make your submission.
Other ways to get involved with World Childless Week:
Host a webinar on a daily topic and talk about what matters to you (ideas must be submitted by midnight, Sunday, 3rd August!);
Nominate your people's champion and let everyone see how they have made a difference (nominations for this also close midnight, Sunday 3rd August);
Speak to your employer and ask them to include World Childless Week on their calendar, or join forces with WCW Ambassador Helen Gallagher for her 50 in 50 Challenge to get 50 orgs to add WCW to their workplace calendar over 50 days. She'll help you to do so or will approach them on your behalf!
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.
