Ageing Archives - Gateway Women

Solo Elderhood: Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen. [Recorded December 2024]

December 16, 2024 Jody Day 0

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND/OR DOWNLOAD THE CLICKABLE RESOURCE SHEET FROM THE WEBINAR In my December 2024 essay ‘The 3am Bag Lady Blues’ I wrote of the archetypal figure of the ‘bag lady’ who haunts the bad dreams of so many women, regardless of their financial and familial support systems. For those of us ageing without children, and perhaps also without a partner, these fears can be very loud. And this is why it’s so important that we hear from older women without children living this reality, and finding ways to navigate it, rather than listening only to our 3am […]

[WATCH NOW] ‘FRIENDSHIPS ACROSS LIFE’, A WORLD CHILDLESS WEEK SESSION OF FIRESIDE WISDOM WITH CHILDLESS ELDERWOMEN

August 26, 2024 Jody Day 0

Recorded live on Thursday 19th September for World Childless Week 2024 Issues with female friendships (particularly with those who become mothers when we do not) are such a common part of the childless experience that I termed it ‘the friendship apocalypse’ of childlessness. And although I wouldn’t wish this painful experience on anyone else, it did come as a huge relief to me when I discovered that it’s something many of us can identify with – I thought I just must be a rubbish friend! The friendship issues that get stirred up can take us into deep waters that can […]

Jody Day interviewed by Civilla Morgan on the Childless Not By Choice Podcast [August 2024]

August 22, 2024 Jody Day 0

You can listen here or search ‘Childless Not By Choice’ on your preferred podcast platform. I’m proud to be a returning guest on Civilla Morgan’s ‘Childless Not By Choice‘ podcast. Our last discussion was in 2018 (episode 90) and so much has changed in both our lives (and our world) since then. Some of the things we touch on in this episode 166: Being involved in the care of our olders and, after their deaths, the feeling of being both childless AND parentless. About how getting older doesn’t necessarily lead to emotional maturation (and how integrating loss, such as childlessness, […]

[WATCH NOW] GATEWAY WOMEN MASTERCLASS WEBINAR: AN INTERVIEW & BOOK GIVEAWAY WITH AUTHOR, SUE FAGALDE LICK

June 29, 2024 Jody Day 0

Watch Jody Day, the founder of Gateway Women (and Gateway Elderwomen) interviewing Sue Fagalde Lick, the author of No Way Out of This: Loving a Partner with Alzheimer’s, published June 25th 2024 by SheWritesPress and available online and in bookstores. More info on Sue’s website and she’s also on Instagram @suefagaldelick and on Substack as @suelick Sue is 72 and the author of the memoir & blog Childless by Marriage, the collection Love or Children: When You Can’t Have Both, and a wonderful series of novels (beginning with Up Beaver Creek) featuring her inspiring and relatable childless heroine, ‘P.D.’, as well […]

[Father’s Day Guest Blog] ‘Time for Men to Speak Up’ by Robert Nurden

June 13, 2024 Jody Day 0

A guest blog for Father’s Day 2024 by Robert Nurden, author of I Always Wanted to Be a Dad: Men without Children I was recently interviewed by BBC Radio 5 about my book I Always Wanted To Be A Dad: Men without Children and what it was like being a childless man. It went quite well and afterwards, I posted a short message about it on Facebook. I chose three childless Facebook groups – Childless not by Choice, Childless over 50 and Ageing without Children (AWOC). I received great support – a total of 198 likes and lots of lovely […]

[WATCH NOW] Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen on ‘Courageous Conversations’ (Recorded 19 June 2024)

June 3, 2024 Jody Day 0

For the June 2024 Solstice, Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women brought together a panel of #NomoCrones (nomo=not-mother + crone is not an insult!) to explore the topic of ‘Courageous Conversations’. As all women grow up (and exist within) a patriarchal culture that valorizes female silence and compliance, this is no small task. Although some of us may have grown up in families and cultures that role-modelled and supported some freedom around speaking up for your needs, correcting misunderstandings and seeking to redress injustices, we are often encouraged by the overculture to become more compliant as move through puberty and […]

[WATCH NOW] Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen: Caring for the Caregiver – Recorded 20th March 2024

March 17, 2024 Jody Day 0

For the March 2024 Equinox session of ‘Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen,’ we focused on the topic of caregiving; both the care we give to others, and thinking too about the care we might need ourselves as we age without children… It’s often the case that childless women are expected to be the ‘natural’ caregivers for vulnerable family members, although our own potential care needs for the future are often hard to talk about or plan for. This is a topic I explored in some depth in my Substack essay ‘It’s not like she’s got anything else to do, is […]

[Watch free] ‘What Does Meaning Mean to You?’: Jody Day in conversation with Katy Seppi at the 2023 Childless Collective Summit

December 4, 2023 Jody Day 0

REGISTER FREE HERE Today is Day 3 of the amazing Childless Collective Summit and I’m looking forward to your feedback on my talk, which is scheduled to go live today at 3pm UK / 10am Eastern time (as do all the other talks for Day 3 of the Summit). So far, the talks and presentations (there are 36 of them!) have been amazing, and there are also live sessions and an online popup group for those people who are seeking more connection. Register free here. My talk, ‘What Does Meaning Mean to You?’ is a deep dive into the topic […]

[WATCH NOW] ‘The Power of Elderwomen Role Models’ – Recorded December 2023

November 2, 2023 Jody Day 0

NEXT SESSION – WEDNESDAY 20TH MARCH 2024, 8PM GMT. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND ALSO SUGGEST OUR TOPIC! For December 2023’s Solstice session, we gathered around the Zoom Fire to unpack ‘The Power of the Role Model’ for those of us ageing without children. Who are they? Where the heck are they? How do we find them? How do we become them? And why is all this so important?! As well as discussing our role models, I shared the results of the poll of YOUR role models (for those who chose to answer that question on the registration form). You […]

[WATCH NOW] ‘You’re so Lucky to Not Have Kids! — Does that include when we are old?’ A Special Fireside Wisdom session for World Childless Week 2023

August 14, 2023 Jody Day 0

The NomoCrones (nomo = not-mother = crone is not an insult!) gathered around the Zoom cauldron for a special ‘Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen’ session for World Childless Week on Friday 15th September. Our discussion was framed around the World Childless Week theme for Friday 15th September which was ‘Words That Hurt: You’re So Lucky to Not Have Kids”. We explored whether the perceived ‘luck’ in that bingo (throwaway statement) holds true for those of us ageing without children too… It was, as ever, a lively and frank discussion which did not shy away from the challenges of aging/ageing without children […]

WATCH NOW: Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen. What does it mean to be a ‘Radical Old Woman?’ [Recorded 21 June 2023]

June 22, 2023 Jody Day 0

Sign up to Jody’s mailing list for future sessions here. CAPTIONS ARE AUTO-GENERATED AND NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE! In this session of ‘Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen’, Jody Day (founder of Gateway Women) and her #NomoCrone panel (Nomo=not mother + crone is not an insult!) discuss what it means to each of us to be and become ‘Radical Old Women’. What does the word radical actually mean? Recorded on the June 2023 Solstice; a powerful fulcrum moment in the year, whether you are in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, this was a conversation by turns powerful, tender, shocking and surprising. Featuring: […]

‘Calm After the Storm’ and other treasures to support your childless heart on Mother’s Day

May 9, 2023 Jody Day 0

Here we go again – like Groundhog Day, it’s Mother’s Day again this weekend – this time for Europe, Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand, amongst others. Although, thanks to the [cough] genius of social media, those of us in the UK & Ireland get to experience it all over again! * Snark aside, for those of you who are feeling that creeping ‘uh oh’ feeling as Mother’s Day gets closer, I really hope that some of the events and resources below feel nourishing for you. And if it’s not ‘your turn’ for Mother’s Day this month, please know […]

Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen on ‘Mothers & Daughters’

March 21, 2023 Jody Day 0

In this session of ‘Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen’, Jody Day (founder of Gateway Women) and her #NomoCrone panel (Nomo=not mother + crone is not an insult!) discuss the sometimes challenging topic of mothers & daughters – a tricky relationship for many of us, and with a unique flavour if you are childless not by choice. Recorded on the March 2023 Equinox; a time of turning away and turning towards, depending on which hemisphere you live in; and falling the day after Mother’s Day in the UK & Ireland, this felt like a poignant moment in the wheel of the […]

Mothers & Childless Daughters – a very hot topic for our next free Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen webinar

March 15, 2023 Jody Day 0

Register free at this link, the recording will be sent out the next day to all who register. Hope to see you there live, the chat is moderated and is usually pretty lively too! Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen is a series of quarterly webinars that I host with an inspiring panel of childless elderwomen in their late 50s, 60s and 70s. They are public, free, open to all and you are welcome to join us whatever age you are! We meet each Equinox and Solstice and our next one is coming up soon on Monday 20th March – Spring […]

[Audio + Transcript] ‘Why is Policy Engagement Essential for People Without Children?’ Christine Erickson, Founder of the New Legacy Institute in conversation with NLI Advisors Jody Day, Dr Robin Hadley, Therese Shechter and Nandita Bajaj [Recorded Jan 2023]

January 26, 2023 Jody Day 0

Why is Policy Engagement Essential for People Without Children? on New Legacy Radio, a Voice America Show. [Episode recorded 23 January 2023]. Featuring Christine J. Erickson, founder of New Legacy Insititute in conversation with New Legacy Institute Advisors: Jody Day (founder of Gateway Women and author of ‘Living the Life Unexpected’), Dr Robin Hadley (adademic researcher and the author of ‘How Is a Man Supposed to be a Man? Male Childlessness – a Life Course Disrupted’), Therese Shechter (founder of female-led production house Trixie Films and director of ‘My So Called Selfish Life’) and Nandita Bajaj (Lecturer on pronatalism at […]

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