What Next Chapter Society is About

Why I Created Next Chapter Society

For more than 20 years, I’ve been a solo parent.

And over those years, I’ve learned something that I don’t think society talks about nearly enough: the hardest part of being a solo parent isn’t always the money. It’s the lack of flexibility, support, connection and opportunity that can come with doing it alone.

People can be very quick to say, “Just get a job.”

“Build your career.”

“Work around the children.”

But what does that actually look like when the school day finishes at 3.30pm and you’re the person who needs to be there? When your children are different ages, with different needs, different activities and different schedules? When childcare costs more than you can realistically afford? When you want to be present and actually parent your children, rather than constantly trying to find someone else to cover the gaps?

And solo parents come from all sorts of circumstances. Sometimes there has been separation, bereavement, relationship breakdown or simply a relationship that could no longer continue. Sometimes there has been domestic abuse, coercive control or financial and economic abuse. Sometimes becoming a solo parent was never part of the plan.

It can happen to anyone.

For me, those realities shaped the choices I had to make for many years.

I tried to find work that fitted around my children. I took lower-income jobs because flexibility mattered. I worked as a cleaner while training to become a health coach, trying to build something of my own in the spaces between parenting, earning and simply keeping everything going.

Self-employment can sound like the obvious answer — “Why not just start your own business?”

But starting a business when you don't have much money, time or support isn't that simple either.

There are networking events to pay for. Advertising costs money. Getting your name out there costs money. Platforms cost money. And often, the very people who most need the opportunity to grow their business are the people least able to afford the costs of getting started.

It can feel like a Catch-22.

You need customers to earn money.

You need money to market yourself.

You need time to build your business.

But you also need to earn money and look after your family.

Then came the pandemic.

And after that, the cost-of-living crisis.

For so many people, the pressure simply increased.

But something else became increasingly obvious to me too: we don't just need better ways to make money. We need better ways to connect.

I tried networking because I thought perhaps that was how I could rebuild a social life as well as a professional one.

But too often, networking felt like work.

You'd meet people, but there was an expectation behind the interaction. Someone was selling something. Someone wanted something. Someone was trying to recruit you, persuade you or turn the relationship into a transaction.

And while there are some genuinely wonderful networking communities, that transactional culture just wasn't what I was looking for.

I didn't want every social interaction to be another sales opportunity.

I wanted somewhere people could belong.

Somewhere you could meet people, make friends, discover opportunities, support one another and perhaps build a business — without constantly feeling that someone was trying to get something from you.

And that is where Next Chapter Society came from.

I decided to build what I couldn't find.

Next Chapter Society is my attempt to create the kind of ecosystem I wish had existed when I needed it.

A place where people can connect professionally without everything being transactional.

A place where small businesses and people with great ideas can get visibility without having to spend huge amounts of money on advertising.

A place where your social life doesn't have to be an afterthought.

A place where you can meet people because you share an interest — whether that's walking, golf, paddle, food, creativity, business, wellbeing or simply wanting to get out of the house and meet some good people.

And importantly, the members themselves can help shape the community.

Perhaps you join and think, “I'd love to start a walking group.”

Or a men's group.

Or a women's group.

Or a golf day.

Or a paddle group.

Or something completely different that I haven't even thought of yet.

You don't have to be a tech expert or know how to build an online community. If you've got an idea, I want Next Chapter Society to help you bring it to life — connecting you with the people who might want to be part of it.

Because I don't want this to be a community where one person decides what everyone else should do.

I want it to belong to its members.

This isn't just about business.

Yes, there is a business side to Next Chapter Society.

Because I know what it's like to have an idea, a skill or a business and feel as though you simply cannot get enough eyes on it.

But I also know what it's like to spend years putting your own social life to one side because parenting, work and survival came first.

And I know how difficult it can be to start again.

So this is about both.

Business. Connection. Community. Opportunity. Friendship.

It's about creating an ecosystem where we can support each other without constantly taking from each other.

Where someone with a great business idea isn't left on the sidelines simply because they can't afford expensive advertising.

Where someone who has spent years caring for children can begin to rediscover who they are.

Where you can meet people without having to sell yourself.

Where you can try something new.

Where you can host something yourself.

Where you can build relationships that aren't based on what someone can do for you.

And where your next chapter can look different from your last one.

Why "Next Chapter"?

Because I know that feeling of wondering, “What now?”

After years of putting everyone else first, there comes a point when you start asking yourself what you want your life to look like too.

Maybe you're rebuilding your career.

Maybe you're starting a business.

Maybe your children are getting older and you've suddenly got a little more space in your life.

Maybe you've left a difficult relationship.

Maybe you've moved somewhere new.

Maybe you're simply lonely and want to meet people who get it.

Maybe you have absolutely no idea what your next chapter looks like yet.

That's okay.

You don't have to have it all figured out.

Next Chapter Society isn't going to be for everyone — and that's okay too.

It's for people who want something a little different.

Something more human.

Something less transactional.

Something where we can grow, connect, create opportunities and have a bit of fun along the way.

I created Next Chapter Society because this is what I needed.

And now I want to see what we can create together.