The Full Stop (Michael Hughes, Berenice Smith and Sarah Lawrence)

In this episode, we were joined by Sarah Roberts from The Empty Cradle, Stephanie Phillips from World Childless Week, Andy Harrod from Invisible Childlessness with Jody Day from Gateway Women to share our reflections on the year passed and our hopes for 2021.

Mother’s Day is a day of mixed emotions. We can feel a sense of loss and perhaps conflict too. In this episode, join Michael, Sarah and Berenice in conversation with fellow podcaster, Civilla Morgan (listen to her podcast Childless Not By Choice here) who shares her views on faith, the loss of her mother and how she’s inspiring churches to take a new approach. We welcomed Allie Anderson, a freelance journalist, editor & writer specialising in health to the podcast. She shares her advice on tackling the day and we discuss new activities and… Colin Firth!

You’ll also find out how to win a copy of Jody Day’s fabulous revised edition of ‘Living The Life Unexpected’. (read our review here)

We do mention miscarriage and parental loss so this episode maybe triggering.

Please be aware that we discuss failed pregnancy and suicide in this episode. If you would like further support you can find resources here on our toolkit.

Episode 28: The joy in the everyday is a celebration of self-care and looking after ourselves. We hope you’ll be inspired by our guests, Bindi Shah and Clare Elleray

Bindi Shah is a meditation teacher, a life coach and a healer. She’s started online meditation classes specifically for our community and Berenice loves them. 

“I love meditation practice but it was always hard to find a space that was trigger-free. I know that each week, I have a class in my diary and a time to connect not just with myself, but with friends in the group. I have complete trust in Bindi to guide me through a peaceful meditation that is part of my healing journey.”  Berenice

You can find out more about the classes and Bindi’s work on this link to her website here

Clare Elleray is the founder of Growing, Singing Childless and Whole which is an experience that Clare says is best understood by joining for a taster session. 

“We spend an hour on Zoom in the company of other women who happen not to have kids, when that was their plan, learning and singing lovely, meaningful, positive songs with beautiful harmonies and rhythms and helpful, fun, uplifting messages in them that we'll maybe find are useful mantras to carry with us in our daily lives.  While not focussing on talking about our childlessness we do get a moment in every session to connect with the other women in the session.

By connecting and singing together we gain confidence in using and enjoying our voices in our lives and find so many others just like ourselves who are growing into their childless selves acknowledging the sadnesses and the joys of being who they are.

Joining in requires no specialist musical or singing skills at all. You won't be heard by others on the call but will be able to hear all the song parts on recordings that support your singing voice wherever you are.  You'll then have access to the website (if you decide to join us) where all the details of the songs and recordings of many of them are shared so you can refer to them between sessions.”

Here’s the website for more details

Clare also wrote a song to celebrate 10 years of Gateway Women and you can find that here

In this episode we’re joined by Rosalind Bubb, a therapist and EFT International 'Accredited Certified Master EFT Trainer’. Rosalind has been volunteering her skills to NHS workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this episode she shares her story with us, and guides us through an EFT Tapping Session and we hope you’ll join in.

You can find out more about EFT and Rosalind’s work at her website 

On our website we have a video where Rosalind talks us through the technique, you can watch this here

In this episode, we share the details on our plans. The background to the change is future proofing our work and making it more streamlined so that we can continue to inform, entertain and give a voice to our community.

We feel very fortunate to spend time with each other and our community including you, and people who support each other and take time out to care, making some incredible connections. Please listen and join us!

This episode was recorded during January 2022 and Covid-19 rules and restrictions we might discuss may have changed in your location in the meantime.

Join us - Michael, Berenice and Sarah - as we talk about sex and how being childless affects mental health, perception and worth. We discuss the triggers, the challenges and misunderstandings that come with not being a parent and how this life-changing journey has impacted intimacy.

We also celebrate being World Childless Week Ambassadors and Sarah’s award as the World Childless Week People’s champion, voted by our community.

In this episode, we talk about sex and there may be triggers for you as we include trying to conceive, fertility treatment, miscarriage and grief. As always we speak with care and sensitivity.

Join us for an incredibly moving conversation with Nina Thair and Danielle Hines, as we explore the impact of disability on childlessness. Listen in as Nina and Danielle bravely share their personal journeys, revealing how their physical disabilities have influenced their lives, from mobility challenges and educational delays to understanding their conditions. They touch upon the deep emotional aspects of being childless and how the support of friendships and relationships has empowered them through their journeys.

In the next segment, Danielle narrates her life with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and chronic migraine with brainstem aura, and how these conditions drastically altered her life. Nina also talks about the complexities of her life with MS and how the childless community has become an important part of her life.

Finally, we explore the power of connection, storytelling, and writing, discussing how they can aid in making sense of personal experiences and building stronger bonds. Danielle and Nina also share how illness and childlessness have shaped their identities, enabling them to forge meaningful connections. The conversation wraps up with a discussion on the significance of acceptance, resilience, and finding strength through adversity. Tune in for an insightful and deeply personal conversation that promises to enlighten and inspire.

Nina has a fantastic blog called Chao in Slow Motion - Nina’s Life and you can read it here. Danielle is an active member in the Childless Collective and you can find them both in our Full Stop Community.

Please note that this reading contains a piece called The Babies Next Door and references maternal instinct.

Join us as we welcome our friend and author, Robert Nurden, to an enriching conversation that covers his personal and professional journey, from his journalism days to teaching, and the life-altering significance of a cup of Americano. Listen to Robert's fascinating story of shifting gears from mainstream journalism to teaching English in various parts of the world like Sweden, India, and Sydney.

Discover the emotional journey of a childless man, as Robert opens up about the complex feelings and experiences he went through, realising the unlikely chance of having children. Tune in as he narrates how he found The Childless Men's Community, and how it inspired him to write a play about childlessness for men, which evolved into a book. Learn about the creative process behind his book, ‘I Always Wanted To Be A Dad’ and what next including his play ‘Empty’, hear about his collaboration with Berenice, who designed the book, and his mixed feelings towards sharing his personal story publicly.

Listen to our engaging conversation as we discuss the power of relationships and community, and how Robert’s personal experiences have influenced his perspective on childlessness. Hear two reading from the book by and the reactions of his long-time friends. This conversation is a heartfelt exploration of a sensitive topic and an invitation to understand and empathize with the struggles of those who are childless not by choice.

Robert can be found via his website and Instagram. He will be at Storyhouse Live launching I Always Wanted To Be A Dad on 23rd September in person with Berenice and Rosalyn. You can buy a copy there or online at Amazon.

In Episode 41, meet Rob Hutchings, a seasoned endurance athlete and author of Downriver Nomad. In his autobiography, Rob tells tales of his nomadic adventures in triathlon, marathon swimming and sports, navigating hairpin bends, whirlpools and white-water rapids.

We were thrilled when he accepted our invitation to the Full Stop. In this recording, he discusses what compelled him to tackle adventure sports and speaks honestly about his struggles with an alcoholic father and childlessness. It’s a story that will open your eyes to strength, vulnerability and adversity.

You can buy Rob’s book, Downriver Nomad: A Triathlete's Adventures and Adversities into the Rapids on Amazon, in paperback and ebook editions.

In Episode 38, we were reunited with Sarah who was recovering from Covid, and Stella Duffy OBE joined us. It's fair to say that when we asked Stella to be a guest and she said 'yes' we were thrilled, as admirers of her work. You’ll also see Stella in Gateway Women's videos.

Where does anyone start with describing the work and joy that Stella brings to theatre, yoga, mentoring, literature and life? As you'll find out, we struggled to find the words! There's a lesson right there - ask the guest to describe what they do in their own words!

"There is huge power in grief, power in understanding what loss is like but as well as being pronatal and heteronormative, our culture is 'let's be happy' and to never admit that things are hard sometimes." Stella Duffy, OBE

It's a very passionate episode as we discuss worth, loss and life-changing experiences, but there are some moments of profound discovery. There are tears and lots of laughter too. As with all podcast guests, we wanted Stella to join us in person for a party and a book reading too - but we'll have to wait a bit longer for that in this ever-changing world. We do hope you'll love this episode as much as we loved recording; it felt extra special for us for so many reasons, as you'll hear. 

In this episode we were joined by your words. We were delighted to receive messages from our community which we’ve shared with you. And it was a chance for the three of us to reveal our themes for 2023, ask if you’d like be a guest and a little on how we’ve grown over 2022.

We are thrilled to be joined by Karin Enfield De Vries from Pure Transformations and Scared Woman Retreats for an honest exploration of boundaries, grief, and finding joy during times of celebration.

Holidays like Christmas are often painted as joyful and magical, but for many, they bring up emotional complexities—especially for those navigating childlessness and changing family dynamics. We join Karin to unpack what it means to honour yur needs, set healthy boundaries, and create new traditions that reflect who you are today.

We’ll talk about the courage to say no, the art of self-care during the holidays, and the power of embracing a more authentic way of celebrating. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by family, work or friendship obligations, feeling lonely or looking for ways to make this season meaningful on your terms, this conversation will inspire and empower you.

Karin established Pure Transformations in July 2022 and she works as a self-employed grief and loss counsellor, a wellbeing coach and a change management consultant offering support (online and in person) in English and Dutch.

Sacred Woman Retreats offers supportive and heart-led spaces for women who are childless not by choice or circumstance.

Join in the conversation in our Full Stop online community for childless people from £5 a month with a free month on us

Buy a Virtual Coffee to keep our podcast ad free and accessible to everyone.

Download Finding Connections, a booklet by Sarah and Berenice with links to groups, books, events and other resources for childless people. We hope you find it helpful.

Join our newsletter for behind the scenes info, wellbeing tips and news from the wider community and alerts to our podcast as it publishes direct to your inbox.

Drawing from their panel discussion at the Storyhouse Childless event in Chester, we explore what it means to navigate society and self-perception as men without children—whether by choice or circumstance. Featuring insights from Michael, Andy Harrod, Mark Briggs van Leeuwen, and Sam Ryley, this candid conversation highlights the challenges, the societal silence, and the journey to self-acceptance faced by childless men across generations.

The importance of providing visibility and voice for childless men, challenging societal silence, and creating safe spaces for men to openly discuss their experiences.

Support for childless men:

Andy Harrod on Substack

Dr Robin Hadley’s research and website

Robert Nurden’s website (author of I Always Wanted To Be A Dad: Men Without Children)

The Full Stop online community is open to all genders.

Michael and Andy are co-admins of The Childless Men’s Collective

Gateway Women’s men’s page.

After The Storm, run by Sarah Lawrence, our co-founder and podcast host, provides counselling for childless people.

World Childless Week Men Matter Too along with resources and support spaces

Chrissy Pantlin on Men’s Mental Health

In this episode we discuss the healing properties of The Full Stop, what we’ve learned from our guests and share the episodes that made an impact on us. We also share the plans we’re making to secure the future of the podcast from 2022.

In Episode 39, we put our own Sarah Lawrence in the hot seat with coach Sarah Bagg. They've teamed up to launch the Childless Mental Health Hub and shared the story of the idea from it's website to a business with a network that promises to make a huge change. 

If you're inspired to ask to Sarah Lawrence (for the counseling side) or Sarah Bagg (if you offer coaching), you can get in touch through the website. Sarah Bagg can also be found via her website, Life, Love and Me.

We’d like to introduce you to our guests who are rather marvellous company, as you’ll find out in our 47th episode. Mike Sparks restores vintage electrics (yes, we also through he has a great name!) and teaches water skiing, how this two areas of his life come about? Caroline Stafford sells gorgeous biscuits and she talks about how she came to create a baking business. Also joining us is Vicky House who founded Clem’s Garden which we’ve long loved, and she explains her vision and her boundaries.

Caroline’s The Kitsch Hen bakes gorgeous biscuits which you can order from her website.

Mike Sparks restores vintage electrical items and sells them online.

Vicky can be found in Clem's Garden which is currently taking a rest but you’ll find lots of gorgeous images and their social media photography is a delight.

Dr Joanne Lawrence-Bourne, founder of Natal Instincts Reproductive Psychology, and Dr. Robin Hadley, an independent research consultant and associate lecturer, shed light on the invisible pain of loneliness. In our conversations in our Full Stop online community and our personal experiences, we are very aware that loneliness can hit harder during holiday times and celebration days but often it can surface during our daily lives. We dive into an exploration of isolation and the impact on those without children, and share our personal encounters with this complex feeling.

In this conversation, Dr Jay Zigmont discusses the unique financial planning needs of childless people. He emphasises the importance of understanding the different life scripts and financial goals that come with being childless, and we have a chat about the societal judgments and perceptions that often accompany being childless not by choice. We talk about the challenges of systemic change in financial services to better help us, the significance of legacy and the power in building supportive communities.

Childfree Wealth® and his website Childfree Wealth®.

In this episode we catch up with Jessica Hepburn, who shares insights from her life as an author and adventure activist. Jessica discusses her upcoming book "Save Me from the Waves," the therapeutic role of nature and swimming in her life, and the influence of "Desert Island Discs" on her personal growth. She shoes her plans for a year of self-love and her writing on Substack. The conversation encompasses themes of resilience, self-discovery, and the importance of finding joy and connection in our found family.

This June 2023 episode is with Karin Enfield De Vries who many of you know a supportive moderator and counsellor. She is the founder of Pure Tranformations, a grief and loss counsellor with a focus on childlessness, a wellbeing coach and a change management consultant. Karin volunteers as a guest speaker for various cancer trusts in the Netherlands to help raise awareness of the long term consequences of being childless after cancer.

Listen for an empowering discussion about self-compassion, finding a support network, how to find help and Karin's Circle of Transformation, and so much more. We had some outstanding questions, too, which you'll hear us answer in the recording.

In Episode 40, we were honoured to share spacing with Katy Seppi who joined us in early June to talk about the forthcoming Childless Collective Summit. It’s happening again on 14-17th July 2022. Join us as we meet Katy and discuss the event and creating communities for people.

Trigger: motherhood and birth are briefly mentioned in this episode.

Our community has heart. The warm welcome and kind words that we’ve heard in response to the many incredible stories of pain, recovery and hope from our guests never fails to move us. We know that there is a lot of compassion in our audience, and strength to adapt and change.

The world took a breath at the senseless murder of George Floyd this summer. Some broke lockdown to express pain and many of us felt compelled to learn. We wanted to bring the Full Stop podcast into this conversation and use our channels to show support. We thought hard about how to do this. It’s so much more than a hashtag. We wanted to change with empathy. There was no question that us three white presenters would lead this episode but we had every confidence when we handed over the podcast to Yvonne John, friend to many and author of Dreaming of a Life Unlived.

You’ll hear a lot less of us talking but we’re there and we are learning with you. As Michael says in the introduction, some of the conversations may make you uncomfortable but we’re used to seeing that in others and how that feels, and we’re also well versed in empathy. We really hope you’ll get as much from this episode as we did.

Yvonne is joined by her guests Haneefah Muhammad, Krista Cooper PhD, LLMSW, Bindi Shah and Civilla Morgan and they’re talking about the impact of the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter on them, how we all need to face up to change, and how childlessness and racism have affected their lives. We were also thrilled to have our first poetry reading on the podcast by Haneefah.

Our guests were keen to share resources with us, but you’ll hear a common theme in the episode. Education is down to the individual. We hope that you’ll find this episode part of your journey to understanding.

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

Natives: Races and Class in the Ruins on Empire by Akala

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Slay in your Lane by Elizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke 

The Hate U Gave book and film by Angie Thomas

White spaces, Missing faces by Catrice M. Jackson

Nova Reid

The History Chicks

Thirteen 

Now They see Us 

Childish Gambio

Norman Rockwell ‘The problem we all live with’

In this special episode recorded during lockdown in Spain, UK and Ireland, we reflect on the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus and our community, with a focus on what it’s like to be single and childless in the pandemic.

We are joined by Rod Silvers, Jody Day with Julie and Joss from Gateway Women.

Trigger: we discuss our journey to childlessness and adult themes.

In this episode we were joined by Katy Schnitzler who is a trainer, researcher and lecturer, studying for a PhD. She’s doing amazing work as the founder of MIST (Miscarriage & Infertility Support Training) providing workshops and information for businesses who want to support employees who are struggling with miscarriage, infertility and childlessness, and give them advice on creating a balanced workplace.

If you are a business owner, work in HR or any area of training, you’ll find this very useful. Colleagues and managers of anyone who is childless will also benefit from this as well as our listeners who will find a wealth of advice in Katy’s words. We also think you’ll find it a huge comfort.

You can find out more about Katy’s work here and she’s on Twitter too, right here.

Some of you mentioned, in our World Childless Week webinar, that you found LinkedIn to be a challenge. You maybe interested to know that The Full Stop podcast is on the platform and we’ll be pleased to connect with you. Click here to find us.

In this podcast episode, Sophie Hunter from S E Hunter Associates joins us for thoughtful discussion about the challenges that people without children face in professional settings, including workplace bullying and discrimination. We share personal experiences and emphasise the need for greater awareness, support, and genuine empathy from colleagues and managers. The conversation explores the differences in experiences between childless men and women, the importance of leadership training, and the potential for childlessness to become a protected characteristic. We share our advocacy for open communication, the creation of employee support networks, and encourage companies and business networks to foster an inclusive environment that values all employees regardless of family status.

Sophie Hunter is Managing Director of S.E Hunter Associates Limited, a Human Resource Management Consultancy based in North Wales. She has a specialism in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the Workplace, having worked in an EDI Human Resource role for 8 years prior to leaving to set up her own company.  Her interests include early morning swimming, volunteering with animal rescues and veganism. Her goal is to set up an animal sanctuary. Sophie is Childless through Circumstances.

Sophie's work includes Consultancy, Training, and Strategic Advice in a range of HR and EDI related areas. You can connect with her direct on LinkedIn or follow her on X @SophieHtweets.

In this conversation, Michael discusses the challenges and fears associated with aging and the need for planning and preparation. He emphasises the importance of thinking ahead and considering various aspects of life, such as cognitive ability, health, relationships, and technology. We also talk about the role of advocacy and the need for trusted friends or family members to support and advocate for individuals as they age.

Michael shares personal experiences with his parents' dementia and the importance of having legal documents in place, such as power of attorney and enduring guardianship. We highlight the need for proactive planning and open discussions about ageing and care and ask if there are more ways to create a movement around end-of-life planning for the childless community.

In this episode, the three of us invite you into our space as we share three pieces of exciting news that will inspire and empower you. 

They may concern some of you, and you almost certainly will have questions. You're welcome to ask us questions - all queries are welcome, and none are silly - and to be part of this journey with us. Please do get in touch with any of us.

What began as an idea on a post-it note after Michael and then Sarah mentioned to Berenice that they loved podcasts has far exceeded what we predicted. 

To be honest, when we got to 8 episodes, we were amazed. When people wanted to be on our podcast, that was incredible, then we saw others having a go too and thanking us and inviting us to speak with them - wow! Now we're listened to in every continent apart from Antarctica, and we're award-winning! That's some going for a podcast that relies entirely on organic growth, love, and virtual coffee donations. If you've shared a post of ours, then the chances are you've helped someone in need, and that's all we've ever asked for. Not fame nor awards, and your donations have helped us along, so thank you so much for the Kofi too. 

That said, almost everything we do is our time and expenditure. Growing what we do, sustainably securing our future, and giving you something extra matters. We realise that we have a thing' we may want to pass on one day and to keep our digital legacy secure.

Read our blog post and access our press release

What is a CIC?

Empowerment can be a big act or something personal. In this episode we share our podcast episode with Judy Graham and Sarah Roberts who run their own practices supporting people who are childless not by choice. They’ve also dived into politics and tackled the issue of equality and this episode is an astonishing example of shared alliances and experiences.

We are delighted to share with you, our next episode with Kate Kaufmann in another cross-continent broadcast - we get very excited about making connections across the world! We’ve called this episode Navigation because Kate, for us, is a fantastic voice for our community, not just through her book Do you Have Kids, Life When the Answer is No, but in the many articles she has published, as a World Childless Week Champion and a good friend to many of us. She’s steering a path for all of us and for the future. She’s inspired us along the way with the podcast as a speaker outside our community, helping to educate and bridge the gap with eloquence and knowledge.

We were absolutely thrilled to have her as our guest. It’s fair to say that when Michael and Sarah had finished the recording, they were both telling Berenice (who missed this recording because of a vaccine appointment) how powerful it was.

You can find out more about Kate, her book, and find links to her social media and articles through her website by clicking right here.

In this episode we were joined by Victoria Firth and Meriel Whale as we continue to explore the unheard voices in our community. We wanted to learn about what it means to be LGBTQI+ and involuntarily childless. Please join Michael and Berenice on this powerful and moving episode with our two amazing guests.

Trigger: This episode discusses alternative parenting including adoption and IVF.

Victoria is a performer, theatre maker and director, born in Yorkshire in the UK. She makes plays that embrace the physical and playful. ‘How To Be Amazingly Happy’ was shown at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018 and an extract performed at Fertility Fest in 2019, and explores how you find a new ‘once upon a time’ after the ‘happy ever after’ never turned up. We were delighted to welcome Victoria to The Full Stop podcast!

Meriel Whale is a counsellor and much welcomed return guest to the podcast. She works compassionately with people in great distress to help them to move forward with their lives and has a particular empathy with involuntary childless community.

Stonewall

Galop

Penguin Random House LGBTQIA and Pride reading list

Book Riot

You can find lots of resources in our Toolkit here.

UK: Contact the Samaritans on freephone 116 123, they're open 24 hours and are there to listen and Mind.

USA: Suicide Prevention

Canada: Canada Crisis

Australia: Beyond Blue

European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (links to worldwide Government resources)

The International Association of National Public Health Institutes

The World Health Organisation

We invited a few guys from the Clan of Brothers to discuss this topic, we were lucky enough to get guys from three different continents and cultures. Of course it was a rhetorical question we all need community, but what I found enriching were the reasons why.

We are not immune to loneliness as you will hear. We all need a safe space to share those inner most emotions and feelings with others knowing we will not be ridiculed. We also know that in community we have so much potential that can make our lives even better as we age.

In this episode we were joined by Penny Rabarts from The Childless Wanderer and Elaine Ritchie, who works for the NHS; she provided palliative care during the height of Covid.

More people are childless due to being single than any other reason but it’s not spoken about. Are we in danger of creating bingos in our childless community and how we support each other? These were all questions we put to Elaine and Penny. Both were keen to share their experiences and be open about the triggers that have affected them. It’s an empowering listen. 

Here's the link to the transcript. 

In this episode we are joined by past guests from the podcast to share messages of hope and coping techniques to help you through the festive season. Our guests share their experiences, and as always, there maybe some mentions of infertility treatment and miscarriage in this podcast. We were joined by Helen Segal, Bindi Shah, Professor Krista Cooper, Clare Elleray (Mee) and Tessa Broad. You’ll also find some messages from past guests too.

This episode was recorded during November 20121 and Covid-19 rules and restrictions may have changed in your location in the meantime

This episode actually began as an ‘admin’ chat! We hit record and we realised there might be a few nuggets of wisdom. Join us as we riff about screen sharing, Covid in our countries (we do get a bit emotive here, and this was recorded in early February so the statistics have changed), handling Zoom meetings and boundaries.

“Could your concept of who you are be expanded to include the plants and animals around you? Could it include mountains, rain and wind? What would our lives feel like if we started to include non animate elements as part of our family?” Suzan Muir Join Michael, Sarah and Berenice in conversation with Suzan Muir and hear more about her extraordinary and inspiring life.

To find out more about Suzan’s retreats please visit her website by clicking here

You can find lots of resources in our Toolkit here.

UK: Contact the Samaritans on freephone 116 123, they're open 24 hours and are there to listen and Mind.

USA: Suicide Prevention

Canada: Canada Crisis

Australia: Beyond Blue

In this episode, we were joined by our good friend Andy Harrod who is the voice behind Invisible Childlessness. He’s one of many new, powerful contributors to our community as he explores coming to terms with involuntary childlessness through writing and academic study. He’s also part of the Clan of Brothers.

From the start, this episode poses questions about events that lead us to this space called involuntarily childlessness and we do mention infertility treatment.

Our July 2023 guests are Janine Ford and Cecilia Rebild who talk to us about community and friendship. They met in Copenhagen in Denmark and generously shared their story about friendships that can be forged from childlessness experiences and the meaning of friendship as we come to terms with not being parents. They are co-creators of a support network in Denmark, a vision they shared and acted on during the height of the pandemic. You can read more details about their work on our website.

In this episode we were joined by Charlie Bishop, Palo Barker and Steph Penny. Often the wider world can assume that the only reasons we do not have children are failed IVF, failed adoption or didn't try. This narrative excludes many for whom getting pregnant can be life threatening or a hidden illness means one cannot conceive. Charlie, Palo and Steph all spoke about how invisible illnesses can compound and complete the unseen grief of not having children. We also asked them to share the support groups they have founded or are involved with, and resources that have helped them. We thank them all for speaking so honestly and informing us.

MRKH Connect a registered charity founded in 2014 supporting those with MRKH (Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser) Syndrome which affects 1 in 5000 female births leading to the absence of underdevelopment of the uterus, cervix and shortened vagina. MRKH Connect has been involved in numerous research studies on mental health and the psychological impact of MRKH, runs events and aims to Connect those with MRKH together whilst providing valuable resources for the community and the public. Our Guest, Charlie, is the Director of MRKH Connect and also an advocate for MRKH and for the childless community also being part of the Tutum Journal editorial team, a magazine for, and by, childless women. Find out more by following @mrkhconnect across social media, @tutumjournal or email Charlie.

Our guest Palo supports chronic survivors at Chronic Survivors Childless Warriors and myasthenia group Diet and Myasthenia Gravis UK You can also find on the admin teams for Childless Not By Choice-Non-Religious and Childless by Circumstance, Not by Choice

Palo has a private group for Asian childless women and (optionally) chronic condition sufferers. This is a secret/private group by invitation, please contact The Full Stop and we’ll connect you with Palo.

Steph Penny is the author of Surviving Childlessness: Faith and Furbabies, and composer of Angel At My Keyboard. You can find all of Steph’s work on her website.

Annie Kirby lives on the south coast of England where she works part-time as a university researcher. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and a PhD in American Studies. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and broadcast on national radio and she is a winner of the Asham Award for short fiction. Annie is a graduate of the Penguin WriteNow programme.

Annie first appeared on our podcast in episode 2, way back in 2019. In episode 42, she joins us again as The Hollow Sea is released for publication. 

If you enjoy our episodes and like the newsletter, we'd appreciate your support. At the moment, we're keeping our Kofi account open. Just £1 goes a long way to securing the future of the Full Stop podcast, and helping us with the hosting costs and growing our podcast to include transcriptions. You can donate to us via Kofi, with the reassurance that all funds go direct to the podcast. Click here if you'd like to

In this episode, we were joined by the founder of World Childless Week, Stephanie Joy Phillips to get the inside information on the plans for the 5th year of this week-long event. World Childless Week brings together Ambassadors selected from the thought leaders, campaigners, and awareness raisers who volunteer alongside Steph, to give hope, support, and strength to our childless not by choice community.

In this exclusive gathering with Sarah Lawrence, Ambassadors Michael and Sarah, Steph also discussed what next for World Childless Week, how you can be involved and some of the events that are new to the week for 2021.

We’re joining by two guests who you’ve met before. Catch up with Ken and Lisa as we talk about step parenting when childless not by choice.

We cover the difficulties of Mother’s Day and daily life. Ken and Lisa talk about society’s perception of being a step parent both within the childless community and outside it. We ask about the problems of language and how that affects the sense of place in a family.

Lisa Kissane is the owner of Silvertongue Copy & Content Writing, a project born of many years experience in sales, marketing and writing for pleasure. She is particularly keen to work with members of the childless and LGBTQ+ communities and offers a free trial in the form of one piece of content (e.g. a blog post, newsletter, web landing page) to business owners who identify as such. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram 

Ken Fenton is an founder member of The Childless Men’s Community and role model to his fellow members. He’s been a guest on our men’s episodes.

We thank Lisa and Ken for their time and words.

When we met up with Jessica Hepburn for episode 43, two things came to mind. The first is how we met her, which you’ll discover in the recording which was had a time of new starts for all of us and the importance of 43 which Jessica explains to us, and oddly how this is indeed, episode 43!

It’s fair to say that her pursuit of motherhood is just one of many parts of this pond to peak adventurer’s story! Jessica has been on many journeys herself and inspired others; maybe she’ll do that for you as you find out more about struggling well.

Jessica’s website, and you can follow her on Facebook, and Instagram.

Buy Jessica’s books:

In Pursuit of Motherhood or shop B-Corp at World of Books.

21 Miles

We hope this wonderful episode with Bibi Lynch, broadcaster and journalist, will inspire you. As many of you will know, Bibi has written and spoken openly in the media about her childless life and received support from many, and attracted critics too. She has lots of wisdom to share and we all came away feeling charged up to tackle life. We hope you feel the same.

We also bring you community news from The Empty Cradle in Australia, a new guide from The Fertility Network UK, details of Words That Heart and a new choir from Helen Louise-Jones. 

In this episode, we were joined by artist Helen Segal who is the founder of Empowered Childlessness. Helen shares her inspiring life journey, discussing openly her grief and impact of IVF, and change in her life. It’s an incredible episode and we loved chatting to her, and there’s so much to take away from this.

On 15th October 2020, it’s the Wave of Light for Baby Loss Awareness Week. Helen will be running a free workshop on this date, and a longer one on 26th October. To find out more please visit her website here and also check out her Facebook group here too.

Storyhouse is an independent arts centre and creative hub in Chester, UK. It offers a range of events, including Storyhouse Childless, which focuses on supporting and raising awareness for those who are childless or child-free. The event has grown over the years, with increasing attendance and expanded programming. It provides a safe and supportive environment for people to connect, share their experiences, and find understanding. The event is a two-day gathering that aims to create a supportive and empowering space for the childless community.

Join Annabel, Kirsty, Jane and Nicola as we find out about the themes, get a few spoilers and talk about the need for Storyhouse Childless, and how this event has had a positive impact on volunteers and staff at the venue too.

Storyhouse Childless takes place on 28-29th September 2024 with an extra meet-up on Friday 27th September at the Storyhouse bar. Buy tickets or find out more on the Storyhouse website.

In this episode of the Full Stop hosts Sarah, Michael and Berenice, reflect on their year and discuss the challenges and highlights they've experienced. They talk about their recent meetup in Chester, the growth of their podcast and community, and the challenges of Christmas for the childless community. They also discuss the importance of setting boundaries in their personal and professional lives. The episode concludes with a messages of self-care and support from the community to their listeners during the holiday season. Our newsletter thanks our guests and shares more support.

The Full Stop are joined by members of the online community to discuss personal growth, the importance of inclusivity and diversity within the childless community, and the therapeutic power of vulnerability. We share our struggles and the strength we have found in the community's empathy and support. We also discuss future directions, advocating for the community, and the value of challenging conversations. The episode underscores the The Full Stop’s role in creating a supportive environment and the collective appreciation for the sense of belonging it has provided.

Enter our competition to win a signed copy of Save Me From The Waves by Jessica Hepburn, biscuits from The Kitsch Hen and a year of membership for a childless not by choice person to the online Full Stop Community. Enter via social media or our online form. Please note that terms and conditions apply.

We are delighted to bring you our next episode on solo ageing with Patricia Faulks and Denise Jackson (whom you may recall from our first year of broadcasting).  

Patricia Faulks set up her blog, Lilley and Me, during Covid lockdowns to share the story of ageing alone with childlessness and the challenges that brings including learning how to use her computer and Zoom calls. Denise Jackson returns to the podcast to talk about bias around money saving having challenged UK money expert Martin Lewis to tackle solo households. You can find her on Twitter. 

Patricia and Denise cover so much ground here that applies not just to childless people but to those who are creating online environments and apps as we discuss digital exclusion. They also discuss bias and exclusion around power of attorney, the cost of living crisis, human rights and make a call for more support and awareness. 

Resources to help you:

Age UK

Carers Trust

Centre for Better Ageing

Ageing Well Without Children

United Nations Ageing resources

National Institute of Ageing (USA)

Meaningful Ageing in Australia

Dr Robin Hadley’s resources

Full Stop guest, Ming Ho’s words on Dementia Carers Count.

You can get involved too! Please email us with your news, events, and if you'd like to be a guest, you can do that here. You can also tag us on Twitter, and find us on LinkedIn and Facebook. We'd also like to say a huge thank you for the donations on Kofi. 

We’d like to introduce you to Anastasia MacDonald who many of you may already know from her constant and reassuring presence online. We gather to talk about how the menopause affects us as the childless not by choice community. Is it a relief? A time of mourning and what’s it like on the other side?

Like many of our episodes, we connect our community both as listeners but also as guests and we have a feeling that there will be some interesting collaborations to come. We do love seeing our guests meet and share stories! If you’d prefer to read, you’ll find a transcript below..

Anastasia can be found on Instagram here and the book she mentioned is What Fresh Hell is This? by Heather Corinna (please do buy from an independent book shop if you can) and the podcasts are The Menstruality, and the Hit Play Not Pause podcast.

In this episode Michael, Sarah and Berenice were joined by Dr Robin Hadley, PhD researcher Andy Harrod, Ken Fenton and Kevin Roberts, husband of Sarah Roberts who runs The Empty Cradle.

One of the most rewarding parts of running a regular podcast is that we have many opportunities to meet new and old friends, We were delighted to welcome Andy back onto the show - he joined us on our first men and childlessness episode in August 2019. You can read more about Andy on his website, Decoding Static. 

We were also delighted to catch up with Dr Robin Hadley, a supporter of the podcast since we first began. Many of you may already know Robin through his valuable research work, and personal experience, of male infertility. You can read more about Robin here

It’s also good to hear new voices and new stories. Ken Fenton is a good friend of Michael’s and he discusses being a step parent. Kevin Roberts joined us from Australia where his wife Sarah, supports the community through The Empty Cradle.

In this episode, we discuss men and involuntary childlessness, being a step parent and how to handle Father’s Day

This month meet Gail Miller. She is a coach, and medical doctor working in healthcare in the USA. She’s made it her mission to challenge insensitivity and bias in the healthcare profession to help those who are childless as patients and non-parents who work in medicine to enable people to have a better, less triggering experience and create a place in which to learn. This podcast episode mentions miscarriage, IVF, cancer and infertility.

We were delighted to welcome members of our online Full Stop online community, some of whom work in medical organisations including the NHS and had some valuable contributions to make. We’re following up with them to see what we can to provide support and signposted to World Childless Week’s resources.

The Full Stop podcast is free to listen on our many listening channels and published monthly. To be a guest, please check our ‘Be A Guest’ page.

The Full Stop Community supports our podcast and provides in-depth access to the content, to us, our future plans and recordings in real time. It’s a warm, safe online space full of conversation and cheerleading and open to all genders.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age.

When Jody asked us if she could celebrate 10 years of Gateway Women with The Full Stop podcast, we were delighted. All three of us are proud to call Jody a friend and an inspiration.

Gateway Women means a lot to Sarah and Berenice who have been members for many years and the model and thinking of the community has inspired Michael who has seen great change.

To find out more about Gateway Women and how to join please click here

We have been checking in daily with each other to make sure we’re okay. We decided that we’d catch up on Zoom and ended up doing an impromptu recording. So here’s Episode 13, recorded on the eve of the UK lockdown. We reflect on the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus and our community, and Michael tells some stories! We also ask how we can help you through our podcast. Can we use our resources to support your work, mental health… please do tell us.

Please do note that we talk briefly about the impact of ending IVF treatment during the crisis, this may be a trigger for you.

We promised a twist when we talked about this on social media and here it is! This episode is audio and video. We decided to include video as we felt you’d like a bit more of a connection with us and some friendly faces, you can head to our website to watch us recording.

World Childless Week is an annual event that aims to give a voice to the childless community. It was started by Stephanie Joy Phillips because she felt there was a lack of representation for childless individuals. The event has grown over the years, supported by the Ambassadors who help organise and promote the week.

Being childless not by choice (cnbc) is the taboo subject of an unrecognised minority. World Childless Week is there to help the cnbc: validate their emotions, find support, build friendships, realise their own worth and rediscover the confidence to speak out and celebrate themselves as a unique individual. 

Alongside supporting the childless community World Childless Week hopes to reach out and work towards building bridges between the childless, childfree and parents; raising empathy and removing the stigma of disenfranchised grief.  

World Childless Week takes place on 16-22 Sept 2024.

"No feeling is good or bad, right or wrong. I don't get to judge, but I can sit with you and help you know you are not alone and that there is support out there." Chrissy Pantlin

Our guest this month is Chrissy Pantlin. She’s based in Australia. After illness, Chrissy qualified in counseling and set up her practice in the pandemic. Chrissy has taken all her knowledge from working in health and safety in heavy industry where she saw an absence in support mental and physical health and skills to provide a much-needed service. In this episode, Chrissy talks about what she’s learning from the men who come to her practice and shares a wealth of advice that we know will be useful to all genders.

In this episode, hosts Michael, Sarah and Berenice are joined by Jody Day from Gateway Women to talk about speaking out about infertility and share what it's like to be childless not by choice. Listen to them chat about family, the workplace and the importance of conversation and their personal experiences.

We are joined by Dr Lorna Gibb who shared her experiences of writing and researching Childless Voices and Dr Annie Kirby, winner of the Asham Award 2005 and author, who spoke to us about plans for her creative writing workshops for our community. 

In this episode we talked about Writing It Out with Tessa Broad who chatted to us about her experiences of writing Dear You and Lesley Pyne, author of Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness. Please head to our website to find out how you can win a copy of Lesley's book.

In this episode Michael, Sarah and Berenice were joined by Emily Scott from IVF Fairness to talk about coping during the holidays. We shared our own experiences of how we manage at times of celebration. Emily chatted to us about good mental health as part of the team at Mind.

In this episode, we were joined by Kirsty Woodard, a leading figure in raising awareness in ageing without children and founder of Ageing Well Without Children, Ming Ho, a screenwriter who writes, speaks, and campaigns on dementia and carer issues at Dementia Just Ain’t Sexy and Denise Jackson, a experienced carer and only child.

Please go to our website for show notes and more information

The 57th episode of The Full Stop podcast is recorded to raise awareness of childless men on International Men's Day, 19th November, #IMD2023 The recording features a panel of childless men discussing their experiences and perspectives. The speakers, from various backgrounds and professions, share their personal journeys with childlessness, discussing feelings of exclusion and inclusion and the impact of societal narratives around men who are not fathers, and the importance of finding support. They also address the lack of conversation around childless men and the need for more recognition and understanding. The discussion includes research findings from Dr Robin A Hadley who also shares a poem that reflects on the longing and emptiness experienced by men who are not childless not by choice.

The episode builds on an ongoing conversation including a panel on Childless Men and Creativity which took place at Storyhouse Chester in September 2023 as part of Storyhouse Childless Live, an in-person event that raises awareness of childlessness and childfree people. This panel featured two childless not by choice men - Robert Nurden and Andy Harrod - with Bransby Macdonald-Williams (who has chosen not to have children) and was chaired by our Sarah Lawrence, co-director, co-founder and co-presenter of The Full Stop.

Our guests are Don Martinz, Jay Palmer, Russ Pata, Mike Sparks and Dr Robin A. Hadley and they mention The Childless Men’s Community and The Full Stop Community in their conversation. We’re also indebted to the work of Andy Harrod and Robert Nurden who have both raised awareness for men too. World Childless Week also featured Men Matter Too which Michael helped to curate and you can find the 2021 page here, do browse the WCW website for more interesting contributions from childless men.

Dr Robin Hadley’s website details his extensive research into male broodiness and lists his publications and talks. He has also been on stage at Storyhouse Live in Chester.

Find out more about Mike’s restoration work and his story on his website.

Jay Parmar is a new voice to our podcast and he's a musician living on the South coast of the UK. He can be found on Youtube and online

Join us - Sarah, Michael and Berenice - as our guests turn the tables on us. We were not able to have an in-person party because of COVID and travel restrictions across the world, so we set up an open house with Jody Day, Robin Hadley, Sarah Roberts, Victoria Firth, Yvonne John and Lesley Pyne, with a special message from our podcast inspiration, Civilla Morgan.

We are joined by Ali Hall and Dr. Dawn Llewellyn to discuss the perceptions of childfree and childless individuals. We explore the challenges of visibility and the need for more nuanced language. The conversation addresses the divide between the childfree and childless communities, the importance of creating safe spaces, and the complexities of aging without children. The episode emphasises empathy, understanding, and debates unity as a means of advocating for non-parents.

Dawn is an Associate Professor of Religion and Gender at the University of Chester, where she has been based since 2010.  Dawn has been researching, publishing, and speaking publicly about pronatalism for over 12 years, in particular examining how religion constructs ideas about motherhood and childlessness. Her latest book (contracted with Bloomsbury, should be finished by the end of this year!) focuses on how Christian women understand and manage their reproductive agency and choice. As co-founder of Storyhouse Childless, one of her aims has been to disrupt the binaries and divisions that pronatalism creates, to raise awareness of the many different experiences of childlessness, and to create opportunities for community and connection. 

Ali Hall is the person behind the Childfree by Choice Twitter account, an account set up to help remove the stigma of being childfree by choice and showcase that you can feel deep love, happiness & fulfilment without being a parent. She is also a writer and can be found on Medium and Substack and has written 30+ articles on the non-parent experience, from the lived experience of being childfree while being mindful and inclusive of those who are childless. Ali is passionate about bridging the gap between parents, the childfree and the childfree. When not advocating for non-parents, she is happiest running on trails with her dogs or floating on the waves in her kayak. 

We wanted to use this episode to discuss how we’ve had to adapt in this current climate of online communication. Who better than Helen Louise Jones who has been raising our spirits with singing through her Childless Voices project and Chanting Circles. The choir began before lockdown in the UK in March 2020 and she had to quickly adapt the delivery to keep providing support and it’s been growing as a result.  She joined us to talk about the power of voices and how it’s helped her to grow too.

We were also delighted to welcome Lisa Ann Kissane who talked about her love of books and how she’s encouraging our community to read through her website and Gateway Women’s NoMo Book Club which hosts online meetings to chat about the books she's recommended. If you’ve ever been triggered by a book then you need Lisa in your life! We encourage you to check out her website for her reviews, it's such an inspired idea.

Making connections is such an important part of our lives today but it can be hard, especially in this current climate. If you're setting up an event for our community then we'd love to hear from you and offer you our support. Please do get in touch.

In this episode Michael, Sarah and Berenice were joined by Dr. Robin Hadley, actor and writer Rod Silvers and PhD researcher Andy Harrod.

Robin completed his PhD at Keele University on the subject of involuntarily childless older men. He is in demand by the media thanks to his comprehensive research in an area that holds a personal interest to him. He’s a great friend to Michael and Rod, and we were thrilled he could find time to join us. 

Rod Silvers injects honesty and entertainment into the serious subject of male infertility. His personal experiences have lead to two plays, England Expects and Terry and Jude, taking his career from market stallholder to stand-up comic and talented writer of sketches and plays for the Edinburgh Fringe and BBC Radio 2 and 4. 

One of the most rewarding parts of running a regular podcast is that we have many opportunities to share new stories. We were honoured to welcome Andy Harrod to our show. We enjoyed talking to him and we hope you find his words as inspiring as we did. You can read more about Andy on his website, Decoding Static. 

Christmas is hard work at the best of times, but being part of this community only makes it harder. Yes, we get it and that’s why we’ve done something different with episode 8 – The Alternative Kings and Queens speech.

Because as Michael’s mantra says ‘you’re not alone’, and we’ve channelled that into this episode with voices speaking from our community, big and not so big, to support you all. As you’ll hear, the messages are filled with love, support, guidance and most of all, understanding.

Yes, Christmas will never be straightforward for us, because it’s difficult to be on the outside looking in, but we hope this episode will help you realise you’re part of a community full of friends, love and shared emotions. And believe us, there was plenty of that as we made this episode for you.

We hope you find it supportive and that Christmas is a time of peace and reflection for you.

Our thanks to: Jody Day, Lesley Pyne, Andy Harrod, Civilla Morgan, Rosalind Bubb, Anna Barratt, Stephanie Phillips, Brandi Higgins Lytle, Helen Segal, Kate Kauffman, Tanya Trusler, Tessa Broad, Yvonne John, Sophia Andeh and Jennifer Parrish. We also welcomed submissions from those who did not want to share their name at this time, thank you for taking part.

You can find lots of resources in our Toolkit here.

UK: Contact the Samaritans on freephone 116 123, they're open 24 hours and are there to listen and Mind.

USA: Suicide Prevention

Canada: Canada Crisis

Australia: Beyond Blue

A childless not by choice community podcast. Inspired by you. Featuring you. Made for you. Find out about our three presenters in our own unique Q&A. We picked five questions to ask each other and came up with five unique answers! There’s a lot of laughs and we hope you’ll find it fun to listen to! 

In this episode Michael, Sarah and Berenice were joined by Meriel Whale to talk about Mental Health as the world pauses to acknowledge World Mental Health Day.

We would like to make you aware that this episode does contain mention of suicide and therefore may not be suitable for everyone to listen to.

Meriel is a counsellor who lives and runs her practice in East Sussex in the UK. She’s a member of Gateway Women and she’s a World Childless Week champion, contributing to diversity and LGBT in our community. She has a Postgraduate Diploma in Person Centred Counselling from the University of Brighton (2010) and you can find out more about her counselling on her website here.

From the start Michael, Sarah and Berenice share personal stories.

At 0.58 you can listen to community news

At 1.12 Meriel Whale joins Michael and Sarah in conversation.

This episode is 1.35 minutes long.

UK: Contact the Samaritans on freephone 116 123, they're open 24 hours and are there to listen and Mind.

USA: Suicide Prevention

Canada: Canada Crisis

Australia: Beyond Blue

This Full Stop podcast episode was almost called ‘how many Champions can you fit in a podcast’! We think we’ve done a cracking job of getting the words of World Childless Week founder Stephanie Phillips and her Champions including our own Michael and Berenice, into this hour-long episode. There’s so much to talk about when it comes to World Childless Week.

For those who don’t know, Stephanie Phillips founded World Childless Week in 2017. It’s an online event to raise awareness and support the childless not by choice community. In its initial week in September 2017 #worldchildlessweek was tweeted 1.2 million times (source: Twitter analytics). In 2018 World Childless Week reached 85 countries. Wow! This year World Childless Week will take place from 16-22nd September 2019. Each day explores a different element of being childless: our stories, letters about forgiveness, using art to release emotions, men matter too, how we have empathy, finding our worth in society and how to move forward.

Stephanie is supported by the World Childless Week Champions who are all childless not by choice and share the same determination to grow the awareness week. The Champions are based from across the world and represent diverse ethnicities, disabilities, genders and sexual orientation.

Sarah Lawrence hosted this episode and asked some amazing questions which inspired Steph, and Champions Jody Day, Robin Hadley, Rod Silvers, Vicky Page, Anne Barratt, Karin Enfield De Vries, Yvonne Maier, Bibi Lynch and Yvonne John to talk about what World Childless Week means to them and the community. We also lingered on the big issues that challenge us and themes to tackle for the future.

We all came away from this interview feeling incredibly empowered. It was through community initiatives like World Childless Week and Fertility Fest that we three presenters met. Without these events, voices go unheard. We hope you’ll be as moved by the words of the Champions and Steph as we were.