a note on how we came to be;
The Lonely Hearts came to be during a period of complete profound change in my life and with change like that, you change too.
Overnight, the life I had known for my entire 20s abruptly and suddenly changed. It’s the kind of change that nobody prepares you for, nobody knows how to fix or make right, the kind that completely destroys and sets fire to the foundation in which you built your life on, leaving you feeling lost, like nothing fits anymore.
Regardless of the scale of change that comes, it always shakes you. But navigating the grief, loss and loneliness that follows can be one of the most painful, challenging and darkest things you will experience. It was when I was in the depths of this I searched for something to make me feel like I belonged again, a collective like this. I couldn’t find it, so I decided to make it.
I wanted to be the change, the one to turn my pain into something purposeful, to create something that not only made me feel like I belonged somewhere but one that makes a true, real difference to the lives of other women too, whether they have (or haven’t) felt this way before. I know that I needed this long before what happened to me too.
girlhood shouldn’t be postcode specific
We’re an online modern girlhood collective for a reason.
One thing I found when searching for what I was looking for is that many girlhood collectives and spaces are postcode restrictive and if you live outside the areas in which they run, you simply can’t be a part of them.
I believe that no matter where you are located on a map, whether that’s the very top of Scotland or along the Cornish Coast that you deserve to experience and be a part of a girlhood community on your terms, from your own space.
Because ultimately, loneliness is not postcode specific and it can affect anyone at any time, regardless of age, location or circumstance.
made to fit the online world;
The Lonely Hearts came to be during a period of complete profound change in my life and with change like that, you change too.
Overnight, the life I had known for my entire 20s abruptly and suddenly changed. It’s the kind of change that nobody prepares you for, nobody knows how to fix or make right, the kind that completely destroys and sets fire to the foundation in which you built your life on, leaving you feeling lost, like nothing fits anymore.
Regardless of the scale of change that comes, it always shakes you. But navigating the grief, loss and loneliness that follows can be one of the most painful, challenging and darkest things you will experience. It was when I was in the depths of this I searched for something to make me feel like I belonged again, a collective like this. I couldn’t find it, so I decided to make it.
I wanted to be the change, the one to turn my pain into something purposeful, to create something that not only made me feel like I belonged somewhere but one that makes a true, real difference to the lives of other women too, whether they have (or haven’t) felt this way before.
taking the leap into the unknown
Whenever you start something like this it requires a leap into the unknown, a leap into the void. A void that felt exposing, terrifying and completely out of my comfort zone. I didn’t know if this was something only I needed, it if was something other women wanted too or if it would land in the right place.
But I figured, why not try? What is there to lose?
And well, you’re reading this, so I guess we made it into something and I am really glad it has found you.
thank you for being here.
If you’ve made it this far, I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read this.
The Lonely Hearts was created from a place of wanting something more, something real, something that gives belonging. Being able to build that and share it with you means more than words can explain really. That’s why it felt like our ‘How we came to be’ needed to come directly from the person it came from.
I hope this becomes a space where you feel like you belong. A place that fills a void you may feel, a place to help you heal, to make friends, to feel a part of something.
