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On this week's Thursday Thoughts, Polly and I are talking all about boundaries.

Women in particular have been conditioned to believe that they should give OF themselves long before they should give TO themselves. But this can lead to burnout and resentment. And this is where boundaries come in.

The truth is that if we don’t implement boundaries, we’ll forever end up saying yes to things we don’t want to do, tolerating behaviour we shouldn’t put up with, and generally feeling depleted and frustrated.

Boundaries can be uncomfortable to implement - especially with the people we love - but they are not only important for our own wellbeing, but also for those same people. Because when we prioritise ourselves instead of everybody else, we show up better for our family and friends.

We hope you’ll find something useful in this conversation.

Love,
Polly & Lucy x
Support the show
Buy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book

Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo

Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the Most
Annoying Questions Single Women Get Asked'
 Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks

Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson 

Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/

Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com 
And thank you so much for listening!

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I’m SO excited for you to hear my guest on this week's episode, because I think she’s one of my favourites so far — and to be fair I’ve only said that a handful of times in the four and a half years I’ve been making this podcast! Her name is Lauren Smith — you might know her on social media as 'ItsLaurenSmithy' — and she is a content creator, plus size advocate, and public historian-in-training who is basically joy personified. 
In this conversation, Lauren tells me how she began creating content around plus size fashion, but how her content has evolved into much more than that, including talking about her infectious passion for history, as well as single life and finding the joy in life; we talk about her own journey of learning to love her body, we talk about heartbreak, shame, loneliness, and what it’s like when your friends are all living a life that looks very different to your own. We also talk about how much she now loves her single life, the joy she finds in singing in a choir, and how wonderful it is to be able to go all in on your passions when you’re a solo woman. This truly was one of my favourite interviews for this podcast and I have no doubt that you’re going to bloody love this woman.
Follow Lauren on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itslaurensmithy/?hl=en
Follow Lauren on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itslaurensmithy
Support the show
Buy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book

Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo

Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the Most
Annoying Questions Single Women Get Asked'
 Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks

Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson 

Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/

Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com 
And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan Mail
In this week's minisode, I’m talking about authenticity — and why you never regret honouring yourself, even when it risks being misunderstood. I unpack how many of us have been conditioned to shapeshift for approval, and how self-respect and self-trust are built by not abandoning yourself in the small moments: saying what you mean, holding boundaries, and choosing what’s true for you. Being yourself won’t please everyone — and that’s kind of the point — because authenticity is what attracts the right people, relationships and opportunities into your life.
Support the show
Buy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book

Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo

Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the Most
Annoying Questions Single Women Get Asked'
 Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks

Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson 

Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/

Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com 
And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan Mail
On this week’s Thursday Thoughts, Polly and I are chatting about the importance of checking in on your goals now that we’re nearly halfway through the year.

As always, we wander off into a few interesting tangents along the way! But at its heart, this conversation is a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and ask yourself:

Are you heading in the direction you want to go? And are you getting there in a way that feels good?

We hope there’s something in here for you.

Love, 
Polly & Lucy x

Support the show
Buy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book

Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo

Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the Most
Annoying Questions Single Women Get Asked'
 Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks

Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson 

Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/

Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com 
And thank you so much for listening!

Send us Fan Mail
My guest on this week's guest episode is the gorgeous Carolyn Couch. 
Single, childfree by choice, 64 years old, and living in North Caroline, Carolyn is a career counsellor and coach. In this conversation, Carolyn and I talk about what it was like growing up in a small town in a southern US state where, even more so back then, it was very much expected that you would get married and have children. But Carolyn just knew that the traditional path was not for her and so she stuck to her guns and forged her own path. I know that you’ll love this episode because we talk about all sorts of things, not least solo life, changing careers as a woman, and how we can use AI to our advantage.
05:53 Lifelong Single Choice
11:42 Solitude Not Loneliness
13:21 Career Pivot Story
16:28 Coaching Methods Mindset
22:55 Advice for Single Women
27:00 Money Skills Planning
30:09 No Plan B Mindset
30:53 Urgency Creates Momentum
32:04 Baby Steps That Stick
33:24 Clarity Through Action
35:02 Accountability And Coaching
37:51 Invest In Yourself
39:16 Why Single Women Need Agency
40:45 AI As Career Coach
50:43 Gen Z Career Advice
Check out Carolyn's website: https://thenextstepcareercoaching.com/
Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenextstepcareercoachingllc
Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_next_step_career_coaching/
Support the show
Buy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book

Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo

Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the Most
Annoying Questions Single Women Get Asked'
 Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks

Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson 

Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/

Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com 
And thank you so much for listening!