In this reflective end-of-year episode, we - Berenice, Sarah, and Michael - look back on the past year, the growth of the Full Stop, and the conversations that have shaped the Full Stop Community and wider childlessness community. We also turn gently towards the holidays, and Christmas, a season that can bring joy, grief, pressure, and loneliness in equal measure.

We explore how Christmas changes over time, particularly through grief and childlessness, and why it’s okay to step away, rewrite traditions, or opt out altogether. From rejecting Christmas completely to rediscovering it through quieter, more personal rituals, this episode offers permission to do the season differently.

The conversation touches on evolving grief, authenticity, community support, and letting go of the idea of a “perfect” Christmas and replacing it instead with compassion, flexibility, and self-kindness.

This episode is for anyone who feels conflicted about the holidays, unsure how it fits into their life now, or simply in need of reassurance that there’s no right way to do it. Read our newsletter

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Australian activist Michael Barnett joins us to talk about identity, queer visibility, childlessness not by choice, and what it means to advocate fiercely for others while holding private grief. A moving conversation about purpose, belonging, and the quiet ways we create legacy.

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In this heartfelt episode of The Full Stop, counsellor and author Meriel Whale joins the team to discuss how childlessness reshapes love, identity, and connection within relationships.

Together with Berenice, Sarah, and Michael, she explores what happens when partners experience grief at different paces, how intimacy and communication evolve after loss, and why understanding each other’s emotional landscape matters more than ever.

This conversation dives deep into the unspoken spaces — loneliness within couples, the struggle to ask for help, and the challenge of rebuilding closeness after childlessness. Insightful, compassionate, and full of warmth, it’s an invitation to slow down, listen differently, and find courage in the spaces between.