MANCHESTER, UK 24th April 2023 – A woman from Manchester has drawn from her own experiences of being childless not by choice and created an app to help other childless adults find new friendships with like minded people who understand them and know what it is like to be childless.
Helen Gallagher, 45 from Manchester said she passionately believes that we all deserve to be happy and that being a parent should not define you. She wants to help raise awareness of this and help others come to terms with being childless at same time as helping them find joy again.
She said “ I am not happy because I am childless, I am happy AND childless. There is a big difference”. Helen’s mission is to help childless not by choice men and women find joy again.
“I set up Happy & Childless, which started as a blog, then turned into a podcast. In addition, I set up a Life Coaching business to support other childless not by choice people. I am now living my best life, coaching, travelling and helping other childless people move forward”.
The app is designed as a friendship app and allows users to search by location, interest and reason for being childless. They can then be part of a group forum or message connections directly.
At the age of 40, Helen found herself separated from her husband and not only having to come to terms with the end of a marriage but also facing a childless life. With very little hope for the future, she just knew she had to reconnect with self and seek out others who could support her who were going through a similar journey.
“I felt deep sadness, panic, grief and regret but there was also a part of me that believed I deserved to be happy”.
“Connection changed my life. We live in a pronatalist society where our worth is defined by be being a parent” Helen explained.
Helen says “So often we feel isolated, even when we have a large community of family and friends. The app enables similar childless men and women to come together and feel seen, heard and understood”.
“I see so many men and women struggling to move forward and embrace life again. I hope that by sharing my story, launching this app and offering coaching to those in need, I can make a difference”.
Download the app from the app store here: App Store Download and Google Play Store Download.