Coping with Holidays Archives - Page 2 of 4

Watch ‘Solstice Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen’: Recorded 21st Dec 2021

December 9, 2021 Jody Day 0

RECORDED LIVE ON ZOOM ON TUESDAY 21ST DECEMBER 2021 Since we first came together for World Childless Week in 2020, the #NomoCrones (nomo = not-mother & crone is not an insult!) have been meeting each solstice and equinox for a series of informal online zoom gatherings called ‘Fireside Wisdom with Childless Elderwomen‘. To find out more about our ‘Gateway Elderwomen’ project and to watch previous sessions, click here. To sign up to our mailing list to make sure you don’t miss the session planned for March 2022, click here. December Solstice 2021: ‘Spiritual Malnutrition’ For December 2021’s Solstice Session, we’re […]

Reclaiming the Childless Holidays with Jody Day, Karin Enfield, Catherine-Emmanuelle Delisle & Sophia Andeh – recording now available

November 18, 2021 Jody Day 0

We know that for those of us who are involuntarily childless, this time of year can be especially tough with our consumer society’s relentless focus on ‘togetherness’ and ‘happy families’. From Halloween through to New Year’s Eve, there seem to be so many different days in the holiday calendar, whatever your faith, including if you have none, that can be complex for us. Our advice: plan ahead. Whatever your partnership or familial situation, we hope that during this webinar we were able to offer you some ideas and comfort on how to manage YOUR childless holidays. ‘Reclaiming the Childless Holidays’ was […]

Guest post by Andy Harrod for Father’s Day 2021: ‘Free floating: Who am I if I’m not a Dad?’

June 20, 2021 Jody Day 0

Who am I if I’m not a Dad? This is a question that has and still does haunt me. Of late the hauntings have lessened, but a recent loss has raised again the question of meaning and purpose. Who am I and what kind of life am I trying to live on a rock hurtling around a ball of hot gases? I once read existentialism as there is nothing so I can be anything. I am well aware of the structural and societal inequalities, it was more about the limits I put on myself through the messages I had taken […]

How do we help our friends who are mothers to become ‘mother-allies’ to us? Jody Day interviewed on ‘A Certain Age’ Podcast by Katie Fogarty

May 11, 2021 Jody Day 0

Listen or share the 3-minute clip from the show above. Click here to listen to the full 38-minute interview. See below for a full written transcript below. It was such a pleasure being interviewed by Katie Fogarty for her ‘A Certain Age’ podcast which ‘celebrates life 50+ in all its sexy, smart, funny, fabulous, weird, sometimes unsettling, yet profoundly liberating glory.’ What I appreciated most deeply, apart from Katie’s warmth and humility was her genuine desire, as a mother, to understand more about what it means to be a childless woman, and how to become a better friend and ally to […]

How Do I Cope with Mother’s Day When I’m Childless?

April 27, 2021 Jody Day 0

Although the UK has already had its ‘Mothers Day’ (it’s called ‘Mothering Sunday’ and was back in March), we recognise that for many of our readers, members and followers, one of the most difficult days of the year is coming up soon on Sunday May 9th. With that in mind, we are offering TWO free GW Masterclass Webinars to support you this International Mother’s Day (and all are welcome, whether it’s Mother’s Day for you or not!) For our first free webinar of the day, I was joined by Judy Graham (Womenhood Counselling) and Sarah Roberts (The Empty Cradle) both […]

Celebrating the highs and the lows of 10 years of Gateway Women with The Full Stop Podcast [April 2021]

April 10, 2021 Jody Day 0

For Gateway Women’s 10th Anniversary in April 2021, I was thrilled to be interviewed by Berenice, Sarah and Michael of The Full Stop Podcast on what those ten years have been like, what has changed for me, and for the childless community in that time, and what my hopes and dreams are for the next decade. This is a very honest episode in which I reflect on some of the behind-the-scenes challenges of creating Gateway Women, and why turning it into a financially and culturally sustainable organisation that will outlast me is so important to me. You can find the […]

2 free webinars + 1 Podcast + 1 Instagram Live + Free Tickets to Childless Collective Summit + Support for UK Mother’s Day + Tutum Quarterly, a new journal for the childless community

March 12, 2021 Jody Day 0

Goodness gracious me it’s been a bit busy around here! There’s an old saying that says ‘be careful what you wish for’ and one of my dreams has been that the work of Gateway Women and the subject of involuntary childlessness is something that would begin to get more mainstream, serious recognition… and these last few weeks I’ve been working my socks off on a couple of really important projects that totally fit this. The first one was to create a video training series for COSRT (The UK College of Sex and Relationship Therapists) on ‘The Impact of Involuntary Childlessness on Sexual […]

Childless on International Women’s Day – I see you

March 8, 2021 Jody Day 0

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jody Day (@gatewaywomen) Happy International Women’s Day #IWD to all the #childless and #childfree women who feel unseen and uncelebrated in a #pronatalist society that equates womanhood with motherhood. * I see you and I celebrate you. * Happy International Women’s Day to all the unpartnered women who feel unseen and uncelebrated by a society mired by #singlism (thank you Bella DePaulo) and who, this day, as every day, navigate all of life’s tasks, big and small, without recognition or support. * I see you and […]

Free Gateway Women Masterclass Webinar: ‘Coping with Mother’s Day’ – Recording now available

March 2, 2021 Jody Day 0

Hosted by Jody Day, psychotherapist, founder of Gateway Women and author of Living the Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Life Without Children (Bluebird/PanMac) with special guests Karin Enfield, Yvonne John, Sarah Lawrence and Melanie Dagg. With the public messaging around the pandemic still focusing relentlessly on the needs of ‘families’, it can be harder than ever to be childless on Mother’s Day (or Mothering Sunday as it’s known in the UK and which falls on Sunday 14 March) For this Gateway Women Masterclass Webinar, Jody Day, the Founder of Gateway Women, psychotherapist and the author […]

Free Gateway Women Masterclass Webinar: ‘Owning Your Single and Childless Identity’ (Recording now available)

February 2, 2021 Jody Day 0

Hosted by Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women and author of Living the Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Life Without Children (Bluebird/PanMac) with special guests Rachael Lloyd of eharmony UK and Melanie Notkin, founder of SavvyAuntie.com Click here to sign up to our list to hear about future free Gateway Women Masterclass Webinars. Sometimes being a single and childless woman can feel like a double-whammy in a society that privileges the rights of couples and mothers over the millions of wonderful women who are neither. And never has that felt more obvious than in this […]

Twixmas – a time to reflect and renew

December 29, 2020 Jody Day 0

The week between Christmas and New Year can be a strange one at the best of times – and 2020 hasn’t been the best of times! I thought you might enjoy this webinar I recorded on 29th December 2018 on why I find this time of year challenging as a childless woman, and what helps me. You can watch it by clicking the video image above or this link. And you can find links/info about all the resources mentioned in this video here You might also like to know that I’m hosting a free webinar on Wednesday 30th December 2020 […]

What advice would you give to your younger childless self? And other brilliant questions from Helen Gallagher on episode 1 of her ‘Happy and Childless Podcast’ (December 2020)

December 8, 2020 Jody Day 0

In this interview from Decemember 2020 with British podcaster, Helen Gallagher, for her brand new ‘Happy and Childless’ podcast, we discussed what it takes to be ‘happy’ with your life when childlessness wasn’t the plan. Helen is 43 and near the beginning of her journey of acceptance, which made for some poignant discussions and reflections back to that time in my life too. You can listen to the full interview (43-mins) by searching ‘Happy and Childless’ on Apple Podcasts and/or read the full transcript below. In our interview, we discuss how I couldn’t find support when I was looking for […]

Guest Blog: Reflections from a Childless Christian on the first Sunday of Advent

November 29, 2020 Jody Day 11

A guest blog by a Christian member of Gateway Women’s Childless Christian’s group – one of 35+ specialised subgroups in Gateway Women’s private online community. Happy New Year! Have I got my dates in a muddle – surely it isn’t 2021 just yet? Well no… it’s new year but in the Christian church calendar: Advent Sunday. Today starts the season of Advent – candles and calendars and yes, Christmas is under four weeks away. Advent is a time of preparation and countdown to celebrate the birth of the ultimate miracle baby, Jesus Christ, and all the trappings of comfort and […]

“We are Warriors”: a Father’s Day Message to Childless Men from Michael Hughes

June 19, 2020 Jody Day 2

BELOW IS A TRANSCRIPT OF MICHAEL’S WORDS. MORE RESOURCES BOTTOM OF PAGE. “That was a bit dramatic, wasn’t it? But hopefully, it’ll all make sense by the time I’m finished.” “My name is Michael Hughes and I’m one-half of a childless couple and one-third of a podcast supporting the Childless Not By Choice (CNBC) community with Berenice Smith from Walk In Our Shoes and Sarah Lawrence from After The Storm. And it’s called TheFullStopPod.com Look out for us. We’re quite proud of what we’ve achieved.” “When Jody asked me if I would like to contribute to Father’s Day this year […]

Coping with International Mother’s Day as a Childless Woman

May 6, 2020 Jody Day 1

To watch this one-hour recording, click the image above or this link Whatever stage of your life you’re at as a childless woman, Mother’s Day can be a complex one to navigate. And for my international readers, it’s coming up this Sunday 10th May. For this video chat, I invited four childless guests to explore how they cope with Mother’s Day. Each of them has a unique viewpoint and I hope this conversation begins to represent a few of the less discussed ways that Mother’s Day and childlessness can intersect… As well as discussing their stories, we also answered questions […]

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