The cozy and connecting gathering place for childless women and nonbinary people.
You dreamt of motherhood, but it never came –
and now, it’s hard to envision what comes next.
Because honestly? This isn’t the life you planned.
It’s painful to put your experience into words. And when you try, the people you typically go to for support don’t seem to fully understand the depth of your loss.
Not to mention that if feels like everyone you know has joined the mom club, leaving you left out and alone.
You know 1 in 5 women are childless, but where are they?
You daydream about connecting with those who understand your childless experience. Of conversations where diapers and bottles never come up. A space free from pregnancy announcements and monthly photo montages.
The support, validation, and mutual understanding of what it’s like to be childless in a sea of moms you’re seeking are out there. You’re just not sure where to look.
Feel lonely in their
experience of being childless.
Don’t have any childless
or childfree family members.
Don’t have any childless
or childfree friends online.
Don’t have childless or childfree
friends in their area they see in person.
Don’t know of a childless or
childfree person they can talk to.
Don’t have anyone in their life who can fully sit with their grief.
Trust me, you’re not alone in this experience. Being childless is still considered taboo and the experience is misunderstood by many. Like any taboo, it can be hard to know what type of reaction you’ll get when you talk about it. And there aren’t enough safe spaces for us to connect.
There is a place for you to find the support, understanding, and validation you need in your childless experience.
Opportunities to cultivate new friendships and connections.
Find others who share your experience, through a wide range of subgroups and discussion topics.
A carefully curated and moderated environment to help you feel supported.
Socialize through interactive, virtual events and in-person gatherings (where available).
Chat with members through forums and direct messaging.
Find inspiration for your next steps through the stories and experience of our incredible members.
INTRODUCING
Welcome to the cozy and connecting gathering place designed just for us.
Inside Lighthouse Women, you’ll find…
Join a variety of online events to connect with other members. Each month, we host: Childless Chats with special guest interviews on childless topics; New Member Welcomes; Community Cafés with no agenda, just space to chat; and Hangouts, themed events designed for fun and connection. In addition to these calendar staples, you'll also have access to one-time events and events hosted in subgroups.
Make new connections through discussion feeds both in the main community and in our special interest groups. You also have the option to connect with individuals through direct messaging.
We know that some days like Mother's Day, Mothering Sunday, and Christmas can be particularly challenging for those who are childless. On these days, we host round-the-clock chat support so members can connect throughout the day.
Meet up with others in your area through our member hosted hangouts (where available). Not seeing a local group? We provide the support you need to become a local host!
Connect with others who share similar interests, circumstances, and identities to you. Including groups for those who are: Single; Jewish; Muslim; Christian; Childless Stepmoms; and private groups for Women of Color; and those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Our application process, including an ID-check, helps to ensure that members are who they say they are - so you can feel confident in the connections you make. Forums are moderated for safety and inclusivity.
Welcome to your cozy, inviting community.
Lighthouse Women was created by Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women. Originally called the Gateway Women Online Community, it began and still remains the only ID-checked online community for permanently involuntarily childless women in the world.
Over the past 10 years, it gained a reputation for being a trusted, kind, creative and confidential space for childless women to find support, understanding, and friendship online.
In July of 2022, the community changed its name to Lighthouse Women and moved to the stewardship of Katy Seppi, founder of the Childless Collective. The new name is a tribute to Jody, and comes from the introduction to the 2020 edition of her book, “Living the Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Future Without Children”. Jody remains a member of Lighthouse Women and hosts our Childless Elderwomen group; all other areas of her writing and childless advocacy work continue with Gateway Women.
Let this book be your lighthouse; let it be your hope in the dark. Those of us who've already made this trip are waiting for you on the other side, and many others are in the water alongside you, each feeling that they're swimming alone. But you're not alone. Welcome to your community.
My four-year infertility journey ended with a hysterectomy in 2017. At the time, I didn’t have a single person I could talk to who was childless. It left me feeling alone and misunderstood. Some of the moms in my life were there to offer support, but I never felt like they REALLY got it.
In 2018, I started a blog and Instagram account called Chasing Creation. I hoped if I put my story out there, it would resonate with others going through the same thing. And it did! Over the next year, I made incredible connections with vibrant, smart, funny, amazing childless people.
Since then, I’ve connected with literally thousands of childless people. So many of them tell me they feel disconnected, alone, and unseen in their childless experience. I wanted to use my background in community organizing to find ways to bring them together, so they could experience the power of connection, like I have.
While I still love hanging out on Instagram, Lighthouse Women has become my new online home. I host most of our online events and you’ll find me hanging out in the discussion groups most days. I’m looking forward to connecting with you there.
In addition to founding Chasing Creation, I hold a Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Georgia, with an emphasis in community empowerment and program development.
You deserve to feel supported and seen.
A few months from now, you could be laughing with new friends at a virtual social hour, or meeting up for coffee in your town. Your heart feeling lighter through the connections you’ve created.
Join Lighthouse Women today to start cultivating your friendships of tomorrow!
There are a few steps you’ll need to complete to finalize your membership. First, you’ll be asked to fill out an application and to provide a photo of a government-issued photo ID to confirm your identity. Next, you’ll need to set up your subscription. Once we have all your information, you’ll have access to the community within 24-72 hours.
Each month, we have three recurring community events which take place on weekends. We do our best to stagger event timings so they are convenient for members in as many time zones as possible, including across the Americas, Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the three recurring monthly events, we typically have other opportunities on the calendar for you to join.
Lighthouse Women is hosted on the platform Mighty Networks, which allows you to connect with members near you. You have the option to turn this feature off if you prefer not to share your location. Some communities also have members that host local, in-person gatherings. We can’t guarantee there will be other members in your local community. If there aren’t members near you, you still have the option to connect through subgroups, topic chats and virtual events.
Lighthouse Women is for women who are permanently childless not by choice, due to any circumstances, and who have accepted a life without kids. Lighthouse Women IS NOT for women who are still trying to conceive or pursuing paths to parenthood. Additionally, we respectfully request that you do not join the community if you are a childless coach, therapist, or service provider with current offerings for the childless community. If you are unsure whether it would be appropriate for you to join, or if you have a project you’d like to collaborate on with us, please email us first at Sonia@Lighthouse.Community and we’d be happy to advise.
Membership fees are non-refundable; the only exception being that you may cancel a renewed subscription by contacting sonia@lighthouse.community within two (2) calendar days after renewal date and receive a full refund of the new subscription fees. You can also cancel your membership at any time through the customer hub.
Once your complementary trial period ends, your card will be charged the monthly or annual membership fee (depending on which option you selected). Your membership will automatically renew each subsequent month or year. You can cancel at any time.
Yes, Lighthouse Women memberships are only open to permanently involuntarily childless women (inclusive of transgender women).
We require every user to provide a photo of a government-issued ID. This is to ensure that everyone who joins the community is who they say they are. This creates a safer environment for connections to happen! We use an automated service to check ID’s. You can learn more about the company here.
Lighthouse Women is a private community and is hosted on the platform Mighty Networks. We understands how private and sensitive childlessness is and we take very good care of your data. You can read more about the overall policy of Mighty Networks here. Please note that by requesting membership of our online community you will be added to our mailing list, you can request to be removed from this by emailing us at Sonia@Lighthouse.Community or by clicking unsubscribe at the bottom of any email.
We offer a free 30-day trial, followed by a sliding scale of membership fees, including a donation level (all with the same level of access) so that whatever your financial circumstances, you can come and join this wonderful global group of women. We are not funded by any public or private organization. We are entirely supported by our members. And if you would like to request support with your membership fees now, or at any time in the future, please email us confidentially at hello@lighthouse.community.
We offer 35+ Special Interest Subgroups including groups for those who are:
Single
Coupled
Jewish
Muslim
Christian
Childless Stepmoms
Those with Chronic Illness/Disability
Healing from Trauma
Highly Sensitive People
and private groups for
Women of Color
and those in the LGBTQ+ community
and groups by interest
Nomo Book Club
Writer’s Group
Entrepreneurs/Freelancers
Travel
and groups in
French
German
Spanish
Dutch
And this is just a highlight of our available groups
When was the last time you were in a room where everyone was childless? We'd love to welcome you to our community of hundreds of childless women and nonbinary people. Those who have been there. Those who get it.
Lighthouse Women offers a cozy place to start cultivating friendships.
We're so excited to welcome you into our community.
