Welcome to Childless.Life
by Sandra McNicol
Hello Beautiful Soul. You might wonder how you arrived here, life, with its unexpected twists and turns, has lead you to this place you could never have imagined or anticipated to a life without children.
The grief and pain of losing our so cherished dream and feeling lost, alone and/or misunderstood is incredibly painful. I know I have been there. It does not matter to me, how or when you became childless not by choice (CNBC) or childless by circumstances, you and your story are valid and matter, and healing is possible.
Childless.Life aims to be a sanctuary for women navigating all stages of this unexpected Childless.Life. We offer empathic individual grief support and CNBC Grief Circles with Community, Ceremonies and Workshops. And only when you are ready (taking all the time you need) we also offer individual coaching and group coaching to support you as you discover how to embrace your Childless.Life.
You are not alone and you do not need to do this alone
About Us
My name is Sandra. I am a grief therapist, a coach, and I am permanently childless—not by choice too. I have been working with childless women from across the globe since 2020. I have first-hand experience of the multi-layered pain of being childless. While we are all unique and have very personal stories, I empathize with how hard our journey is and offer you safe and non-judgmental support from a lived (and in-progress) experience.
Read more about my story here
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What We Offer
Connect. Heal. Compassion. Purpose.
Individual Online CNBC Grief Therapy Sessions
It doesn't matter whether you are newly childless or if it happened more than 20 years ago; at some stage, grief will emerge, demanding to be heard. Grieving the loss of the life we imagined is a natural and normal process. I take an individualized approach to all sessions. Depending on your needs, we can focus on areas such as safely expressing our emotions, letting go of any guilt or shame, building a support system, and coming to terms with our childless reality. As someone who is both childless not by choice and a grief therapist, I understand how challenging this can be, and I want you to know that healing is possible. You don't need to go through this alone; reach out to me for a confidential chat via Zoom
Healing Horseshoe (CNBC Grief Circle)
You reluctantly joined this club that none of us wanted to be part of and are permanently childless not by choice or by life circumstance. While your grief feels more manageable (most days), you still find yourself easily triggered. You are actively searching for a safe and nurturing space where your losses will be understood, acknowledged and respected. You have a deep longing to be belong to a tight-knit community of like-minded women who provide support, compassion and understanding as we navigate a similar path. Your desire to integrate your losses and discover inspiration as you explore the question, "What now?"
Individual CNBC Coaching Sessions
For those who are further down their healing journey, and ready to embrace their childless life but unsure where to start or how to make it happen, and looking for support in this area. I am childless not by choice and a life coach, Together we can gently rediscover what makes your heart light up, understand/release anything holding you back, remember your strengths, all while holding space for any CNBC grief which may resurface.
Embracing Us (CNBC Support Circle)
A 9 month coaching community with workshops for CNBC women with a desire to find meaning beyond motherhood. You have done lots of grief work and most days the dark clouds have passed... However, there's still a lingering sense of feeling lost and unfulfilled that arises. People try to be helpful by suggesting that time will make it easier or that shifting your mindset or finding a new purpose will help. While they make it sound simple, they don't fully grasp the importance of motherhood and how deeply ingrained having a child was in our concept of a meaningful life. In this group, we will meet monthly to provide support as we embrace the life that is available to us. Together, we will rediscover our identities, strengths, sources of joy, and work on identifying and releasing what holds us back. We will engage in workshops, learn new tools, and participate in a loving, safe, and understanding community of childless not by choice.
Where we can help
All of our stories are unique and childless not by choice grief can show up in these ways and many more...
01
Belief of Not Having done enough
Life circumstances sometimes make it impossible, whether due to financial, ethical, health, or relationship reasons, to attempt to have a child. This can leave a lingering feeling of not having done enough or having made wrong life decisions. We offer a safe space to release these feelings, honor your journey, and acknowledge the precious dream that will forever live in your heart.
02
Miscarriage Support
The grief associated with baby loss during pregnancy, leading to involuntary childlessness, can feel overwhelming. A precious life planned with a child was unexpectedly taken away, and often no one seems to understand. We can offer support as you navigate through releasing the "what if's," grieving, and honoring your child.
03
CNBC (Peri)Menopause
Becoming permanently childless due to surgical or natural menopause, regardless of age, can seem like a harsh full stop to our dreams of motherhood. The feelings of grief are often intensified by changes in our hormones and body. You don't need to go through this alone; we can help you grieve and reconnect with your body.
04
IVF & Fertility Treatments
Fertility treatments can leave us with secondary effects of hormone treatments, which can intensify the grief of being childless not by choice (CNBC).
Not undergoing them can leave us feeling that we did not do enough. You did enough and are enough. Let's work through this together.