When we realise our dream to be a parent will not come true we question who we are now and what if anything the future holds. We want to know how we can get through the days, months and years ahead; we look for a finish line to our grief.
But is it sometimes better to look backwards and reflect on where we were a year ago compared to today; can reflection help us with the present and in turn the future?
Join us as we discuss the past, the present and the future, and where that finish line sits, if it even exists.
DATE: Sunday 20th September
TIME: 7.00pm BST - Find your timezone HERE
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Bring a drink, get comfy, and make sure you have a box of tissues to hand (just in case).
Please note: Whilst the panellists will be recorded, your camera and audio will be turned off. If you are unable to attend the webinar live, you DO NOT need to register to watch the replay. Just subscribe to the World Childless Week YouTube channel and you’ll be notified when new recordings are added.
PANELLISTS
Stephanie Joy Phillips - UK
World Childless Week Founder
Stephanie spent a large part of her twenties in an abusive relationship so took the contraceptive pill to prevent a child being born into that situation. In her
early thirties she met her husband to be but they didn't try to conceive until nearing forty. At the age of 39 she was told by an unsympathetic doctor "if he manages to get you pregnant it is highly unlikely you'll carry full term". She knew in that moment, she would never be a mum.
In 2016 Stephanie Joy Phillips founded Childless Path To Acceptance, and in 2017 after realising there was no national recognition of the childless community Stephanie had an idea for a global awareness week and six weeks later World Childless Week went live for the first time.
Stephanie lives in Worcestershire with her husband and two rescue cats, Storm and Tea-Cup. She enjoys gardening, arts and crafts, a good book, dining out and relaxing in front of the television with a puzzle book and one of her two cats snuggled up beside her.
Meriel Whale - UK
World Childless Week Ambassador
Hi, my name is Meriel, I am a counsellor, teacher and writer and am childless not by choice. It is no longer possible for me to become a parent and so now my
focus is on widening and deepening my life so that it is rich of full connections and worthwhile work, and worthwhile time out of work.
I identify as queer and am neurodiverse and both of these are very important aspects of who I am. I am childless for more than one reason and I tried to become a parent in more than one way, but nothing worked for me and so, in 2015, I turned to face my childless life.
I think I’ll always feel a bit sad about not having kids, but I am grateful for the community I have found and for the opportunities I now have to turn around and support other childless people through my work at Meriel Whale Counselling.
Ed Ismail - UK
Ed Ismail is an Actor/Writer from England. Ed uses his writing, whether it be poetry or plays to explore and express his feelings towards to being Childless Not By Choice. He has interviewed Childless men, and keen to meet with more people on their Childless journey.
Robert Nurden - UK
Robert is an author, journalist, playwright and teacher. In his late forties he identified as being childless not by choice. Now, at 75, he has written I Always Wanted To Be A Dad: Men Without Children, which describes his journey through the pain and regret - and ultimate acceptance - of never becoming the father he longed to be.
The five-night run of Robert’s two-hander debut play, Empty - also about unwanted childlessness - was enthusiastically received at the Drayton Arms Theatre in July 2026. More productions are in the pipeline.
Robert was a feature writer and sub-editor for the Guardian, Independent, Daily Telegraph, was press officer for the charity VSO and worked as a volunteer in Asia and Africa. He was also a teacher of English as a foreign language and journalism. He lives with his partner Sue in east London.
