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 hosted by Jody Day (psychotherapist, author & founder of Gateway Women) and Karin Enfield (GW’s Operations Director & trainee grief therapist) along with our guests:
CATHERINE-EMMANUELLE DELISLE is a Canadian elementary school teacher, the founder of the award-winning Francophone sites Femme Sans Enfant (one of the very few resources for childless/childfree women in French/English), an ANDC Relational therapist and a World Childless Week Ambassador. She also leads French-speaking Meetup groups in both French-speaking Canada and France for FemmesSansEnfant and speaks publically about the issues and inequalities facing those without children in the workplace, particularly those who are also single. Catherine-Emmanuelle is childless due to experiencing menopause in adolescence. She has been a long-term member of Gateway Women since 2012 and through the many videos, written interviews and press articles she has created for ‘FSE’ has worked through her own grief process and helped many others to do the same. You can find out more about Catherine-Emmanuelle’s work at Femme Sans Enfant here and connect with her on Instagram @FemmeSansEnfant
SOPHIA ANDEH is a British yoga and meditation teacher and an award-winning coach for childless women at Butterfly and Beyond. A graduate of Gateway Women’s year-long Plan B Mentorship Programme, Sophia also works to promote the inclusivity of childlessness within society, including within the media and the workplace, to raise awareness of the unconscious bias and narrative that may lead to childless people feeling invisible and stripped of their self-worth and role. She is childless due to not meeting a partner and also after pursuing fertility treatments unsuccessfully as a single woman. Sophia runs a regular online yoga class for remembers of the Gateway Women Online Community and also leads yoga retreats for childless women. After many years of close involvement with Gateway Women, in 2022 Sophia will be training to become a licensed Gateway Women Reignite Weekend Facilitator. You can find out more about Sophia on her website here and connect with her on Instagram @Butterfly_Beyond
We are delighted that both Catherine-Emmanuelle and Sophia will be training with us next year to become licensed Gateway Women Reignite Weekend facilitators, further expanding our capacity to offer workshops globally and continuing our commitment to expanding the diversity of our facilitator pool.
BONUS! WATCH JODY'S 2018 WEBINAR ON 'TWIXMAS' - THE SOMETIMES TRICKY WEEK BETWEEN CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR
What's your experience?