The Joy of Collective

24/03/2026

This!

24/03/2026

We work with what we got 🙌🏾
If you have a story to tell, I would love to hear it.
Sharing experiences can help others not feel alone or as though they are the only ones going through it. It can inspire others to live more authentically. It can help others to gain a new perspective on things.

If you would like to share your experience of breaking stereotypes, motherhood, life as a solo parent, life as a working mum, life as a carer, or even going against the grain. Whatever your story, I will do my best to create a space where you can share without judgement and have a little fun.

This is Your Story, Your Words
Please DM if you wish to get involved

23/03/2026

Save the date
🍰👋🏾 Cake and Connect 👋🏾🍰
Saturday 18th April 1pm-3pm
The Flying Horse Pub and Cafe
Watford Road
Ipswich

Tickets will be on sale soon

The Joy of Collective is a community for women who wish to build their own village and become an intentional villager based in Ipswich.

There are monthly in person meet-ups and the encouraging of being a bother. It's OK to bother people. That is how we build community. We were never meant to do life alone. Now more than ever community is needed, interacting with those you may not have even crossed paths with, listening to those from different generations, sharing knowledge, experiences, and coming together when we are up against it.

The Joy of Collective isn't just a group to turn up to once a month. It's a space to make real connections, have hard, uncomfortable conversations about everything and anything, it's a place to be silly, have fun, and express yourself.

22/03/2026

Walk and Talks are back!
What a beautiful walk it was today. New faces, new conversations, new perspectives, it was food for the soul.
Once a month on a Sunday, come walk, enjoy nature, spill your guts, share your dreams, and connect with others. We may even have a cake in the local café because support local businesses and its good to come together and just chat, explore each others minds.

Intergenerational conversations are so needed learning from each other, sharing knowledge and new ways to see and experience the world.
I love meeting people who have a story to tell and are doing things in their own way to make the world a better place. I think today calmed my rage a bit hahaha

See you at the next one Sunday 19th April 10:30am

21/03/2026

Let's talk women's health
What an incredible event 👏🏾
The vibe was good, the information was flowing.
It's a great opportunity for women to understand their health better and for men to understand women's health better too.
It was encouraging to see a few men there today but even more encouraging see women take control of their health and learn to advocate for themselves.

Well done what you are doing is making a difference.

Definitely walked away feeling fire up and excited because Ipswich needs more of these events because the misinformation is rife and having the correct information walking into the GP can change the whole experience.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, I managed to have something to eat with a friend in an actual restaurant again that's twice this week. Who am I? I'm tired is who I am social batteries is minus a million but it was so worth it.

21/03/2026

Saturday 21st March 2026
National single parents day
A day to honour and support single parents globally for their love, resilience, and dedication.

I prefer the term solo parent as a person's value does not come from being coupled with another. A person's value is intrinsic.

Being a solo parent is different for everyone for me it is refusing to be a scapegoat for other people's insecurities and ideologies, it's being the everything for the household, it's advocating for my kids and showing them how to advocate for themselves, it means running on fumes because there are no days off or weekends away or holidays. It's sacrifice every day, and accepting this is how things are right now. Actively thinking how can i make this situation the best it can be with the resources I've got. It's juggling working towards a future vision for me and mine while being everything to those little ones. It's teaching my kids how to be kind, empathetic, community minded adults. Its allowing them to explore the parts of themselves that make others uncomfortable. It's deep discussions at the dinner table about everything and anything except toilet humour because I'm eating. There are too many things to list in a post.

Solo parenting is difficult and exhausting, with sprinkles of joy. The constant need to be present and intentional to instil good values and a positive outlook into your kids and have them ignore the naysayers.

Just know you are doing the best you can do with the tools and knowledge that you have. There is no shame in asking for support. Build a village around you with people who get it and want to be involved. Having just one other person you can talk to about things can make such a difference, but a village of people will change your life.

What is solo parent life like for you? What advice would you give someone who is about to be a solo parent? Please comment below 👇🏾

20/03/2026

In the spirit of giving people their flowers while they're still alive, I was treated to a beautiful lunch at a gorgeous cafe called Roots in Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, by the glowing Ray of Sunshine that is Sara. She had such heartfelt words for me and the impact I have had with this little community. It was lovely to know what I'm doing is making a positive impact and doing exactly what I wanted it to do. I will continue and keep connecting with others and supporting other communities, businesses, charities and organisations that align with our values

Going to the cafe was wild because I've had this image of a hub in my head for a few years now but as we walked through the cafe building it looked very similar to the hub in my head, the one I dream about making real one day. It got me all fired up and wanting to do whatever I can to make it happen. It's not just about comfy, rustic, warm but clean aesthetics it's mainly about the impact and disrupting the system that tells women that they are less than. That tells women they should abandon themselves and serve others. That tells women they are selfish for wanting more for themselves than caregiving. That tells women they don't know themselves or what's good for themselves, so they should hand over autonomy to men. F**K THE PATRIACHY!! it's a system that benefits only a few and all people are negatively effected by it.

Let's go back to community living, where you do something because it feels good to be kind rather than to hold some kind of leverage later on. Transactional living is devoiding us of true connection with the earth, all the creatures and ecosystems within it, ourselves, and others.

There, you thought you were getting pictures of a cute cafe but instead got a passionate piece about coming together for the greater good of all of us.

Love is an action
Joy is rebellion
Rest is resistance

19/03/2026

Motherhood is a trip

The societal expectation to be all and do it all while simultaneously being told you have no value and are the reason while the world is in the state it's in.

Parenthood was never meant to be done alone, but this has become the reality in for so many.
Whether you are solo parenting or taking the majority of the parental responsibilities in your partnerships, please know you are not failing. The system is failing you. From inadequate maternal and postpartum care to crippling childcare costs to the lack of flexible working options, you are up against it. You are expected to work as though you don't have kids and parent as though you don't have a job all while being grateful for the privilege.

The system sucks and you are doing your best in a world set up for you not only to fail but to serve everyone but yourself. This is why community is so important, mutual aid, community gatherings, shared knowledge, compassion and kindness for our fellow humans. It's called divide and concor for reason. If you are too busy hating your neighbour for societal issues they didn't cause or have control over how can you ever come together, share resources, shares stories and experiences and build the life you truly want to live?

Mothering in today's world is tough, but you are tougher.

🌱Seek out the mutual friendships you can rely on 🌱Share your gifts with the world
🌱Say NO more often
🌱Back yourself
🌱It's OK to make mistakes, that's how we learn

17/03/2026

The Joy of Collective is a community for women to connect with other women, become intentional villagers while building their own villages.

We all need a village.

Based in Ipswich and accessible online we host three different meet ups.

Walk and Talk
To get you up and out the house touching some nature.

Cake and Connect
To spark your creativity and give you the opportunity to connect with new people while stuffing your face with cake.

Girls night
A casual local night out where we come together chat and have fun.

17/03/2026

Let's go
The first Walk and Talk of the year will be this Sunday at Christchurch Park
Meeting at the Green shelter at 10.30am

Time to get outside and touch a treat while letting out all the stresses that have besieged you this week. After the walk we can go to the cafe for a sit down and a chin wag and a cake or two.

I will wait for 15 minutes at the Green shelter then I will walk around the park with whoever graces me with their presence.

The Joy of Collective is a community for women to connect with other women and build their own villages while learning to be intentional villagers themselves. Community is rebellion, Community is essential, Community is the key.

16/03/2026

What an amazing share for those who want to or already make their own clothes

15/03/2026

Good afternoon and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.

Here is the first ever 'The Joy of Collective' Newsletter the plan is for this to be a fortnightly feature that informs you of current goings on in the community, celebrates people in the community (if you wish to nominate someone for villager of the month please get in touch), support local businesses and events, book and viewing recommendations and ways to get involved and be an intentional villager yourself.

This is the start of something new which will lead to us having a physical hub in the future to run events, workshops, gatherings and more. Thank you for coming along for the ride.

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