Don't Settle for Lonely: Why Connection Still Matters More Than Ever

I’m technically on holiday, feet up, sun on my face but something happened yesterday that I can’t stop thinking about, and I wanted to share it while it’s still fresh.Don't Settle for Lonely: Why Connection Still Matters More Than Ever

I went to a networking event in London. One of those days where you show up not quite knowing what to expect, but you leave with something you didn’t know you needed. It wasn’t about business cards or bold pitches. It was something much deeper, it was a celebration of womanhood.

Two things stood out:

First, the shared threads that run through so many of our lives as women the invisible weight we carry, the caring the drive to do more. The self-doubt that still creeps in, no matter how far we’ve come. The quiet loneliness that no one talks about, those dreaded hormonal shifts that still have such an impact, yet we push through, bury, dismiss because that’s what we’ve always done, even when we were young and having crippling period cramps we just had to accept it.

Second, and this was exciting, I felt a shift, women are ready for something different. maybe not quite shouting it from the rooftops yet but a stirring.

@Karen Kissane

There’s more willingness to rest, more courage in saying " I matter too " More curiosity about our bodies, our boundaries, our future. We’re not just doing it for us. We’re doing it for the generation behind us showing them what joy looks like, not just survival and that excited me.

Society does not teach us how to put ourselves first, in fact quite the opposite, it is about how much we are responsible for , the family, homes, work our appearance. This is why we feel it’s selfish to spend time on ourselves because if we do, we may miss something, drop something important. We watched our mothers and grandmothers give endlessly, without asking what they needed so we learned to do the same.

Yet we know deep down that when we ignore ourselves, everyone loses including ourselves.

If we’re honest, the world has made it easier to disappear into ourselves. Work from home, order online, text instead of talk, watch a film in solitude instead of going to the cinema with a friend. Even our holidays have become more private, more secluded. On the surface, it looks like connection is everywhere, but how often do you truly feel seen?

Where are the real deep conversations? Where is the trust built slowly over cups of tea and shared laughter?
Where do you go when you feel a little lost, a little flat, a little disconnected from who you used to be?

This is why I built The Sandwich Circle. Yes, it’s online but it is your starting point, your point of connection, growth and support. This year, I’m also introducing in-person gatherings, because women need women. We need warmth, shared air, eye contact. The kind of energy you can only get when you sit in a room and realise you're not alone.

I’ve seen what this kind of connection can do. I’m part of a business mastermind group that’s grown into something very special. We’ve built trust. We’ve shown up for each other and last month, we went on a retreat and something shifted. We became more than just a group. We became a source of strength for one another.

That’s what this post is really about.

It’s a reminder not to shrink away, to wait for life to change on its own, to accept loneliness or stress or overwhelm as the cost of being a woman in midlife.

This moment matters, your life is meant to be more than just getting through the day. It’s meant to light you up.

Have a fabulous Sunday