The Full Stop

Struggle well with Jessica Hepburn, September 2022

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.

How to follow and connect with Jessica

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

The Hollow Sea by Annie Kirby, August 2022

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

 

Downriver Nomad, July 2022

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.

Chasing Creation, June 2022

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.

A new support hub, May 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.

The power of grief with Stella Duffy, OBE; April 2022

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. 

Do childless men need a community? March 2022

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.

Empowerment, February 2022

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.

Evolution: a full stop future, January 2022

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.

The Alternative Kings and Queens speech, December 2021

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