Thrive Solo
Let’s be real — being single and child-free? It’s pretty damn awesome. Don’t believe me? Stick around. I promise you, by listening to this podcast, you’re going to start seeing your solo life in a whole new light — one that feels empowering, exciting, and full of possibility.
I’m Lucy Meggeson, and I’m here to help you stop seeing singlehood as a consolation prize and start embracing it as the incredible opportunity that it is. Because the truth? Being single isn’t second best. It’s not a waiting room. And it sure as hell isn’t a life of lack. In fact, when you lean into it, it can be just as fulfilling—if not more so—than being coupled up with kids.
And besides, no matter what our relationship status, what we all really want is to feel good in the here and now. So instead of focusing on what’s ‘missing,’ let’s focus on what’s possible. The freedom. The adventure. The extra time and headspace to create a life that’s truly our own.
Because here’s the thing: you are so much more powerful than you realise. Your thoughts shape your reality. And when you shift your mindset, you shift your life. My mission isn’t just to help you feel better about being single—it’s to help you recognise your own agency. To help you see that you are the creator of your own experience. And that you, and you alone, get to decide what your life looks like.
So join me here every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and let’s build lives that feel joyful, meaningful, and wildly fulfilling — on our own terms.
Let’s Thrive Solo…together.
E-mail me at lucy@lucymeggeson.com
Thrive Solo
The One Where I Talk To Professor & Creator Of The Burned Haystack Method, Jennie Young
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
My guest this week is the brilliant Jennie Young, a professor of rhetoric at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, specialising in applied rhetoric, humour, and feminism.
When Jennie found herself stepping into the world of dating apps following her divorce, she was shocked by the bizarre communication habits that had become normal in online dating. As a rhetoric professor specialising in critical discourse analysis, she realised that she could use her training to decode patterns and protect herself from offensive messages and terrible dates. Jennie started cataloging what she saw and began to experiment with her own profile. As a result, although the messages coming slowed to a crawl, the ones that got through were solid matches.
From this was born her Burned Haystack Method, a ruthless approach to online dating that I personally think is not only brilliant, but also the only way to date if you’re going to be on the apps. In February 2023, Jennie started a free Facebook group to teach other women this approach and today the community is more than 250,000 strong. You guys are going to LOVE this episode because whether you’re dating or not, if you’re a woman who has date men, you’re going to be nodding your head and rolling your eyes as you listen to this conversation. Jennie’s brand new book, Burn The Haystack, is out TODAY if you’re in North America, and it’s out on 23rd April if you’re in the UK.
02:15 Meet Jennie Young
05:02 Jenny Origin Story
07:12 Why Apps Feel Awful
08:56 Burned Haystack Begins
12:36 Bad Advice Women Get
15:31 Needle in Haystack Metaphor
17:28 Rules and Discourse Analysis
23:46 Rhetorical Red Flags
31:08 Block to Burn Rule
36:21 No Pen Pals
40:08 Safety and Location Settings
41:16 Geography Matters
41:56 Ludic Looping Trap
47:33 Dating Like Job Search
49:01 Book And Method
50:56 Top Red Flags
56:38 Green Flags And Profiles
58:34 Being Ruthless Works
01:01:12 Women Give Chances
01:06:34 Method Beyond Dating
01:08:16 Her Success Story
01:10:51 Chemistry And Spark
Check out Jennie's website: https://www.jennieyoung.com/
Buy Jennie's book, Burn The Haystack: https://www.jennieyoung.com/burn-the-haystack-book
But the book on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Burn-Haystack-Decode-Dating-Matter/dp/0063447576
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/9116647515019601/
- Buy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book
- Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo
- Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the Most
Annoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' - Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks
- Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson
- Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share
- Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/
- Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com
And thank you so much for listening!