Alonement is a podcast about the positive side of spending time alone. When being alone isn't lonely, it's alonement: finding joy and value in solitude. Each week, host Francesca Specter asks a new guest about the time they spend by themselves – and why it matters to them.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Publisher
Francesca Specter
Category
society & culture · society & culture · society & culture
Creating Community When You Live Alone, with Marianne Power
This week I’m chatting to journalist & bestselling author, Marianne Power. Marianne’s first book, Help Me, where she takes a deep dive into the world of self-help, was published in 25 languages and became a global bestseller. Now, she’s back with her long-awaited follow-up, Love Me: One Woman’s Search for A Different Happy Ever After. In this book, Marianne explores the potential for a life less ordinary. Living alone in east London, and single in her mid-forties, Marianne asks the question of what makes a happy life – and crucially, is it possible without a traditional romantic partner? After listening to this episode, I’ll leave you to answer that question for yourself. Marianne shares so much wisdom with me about how to build a chosen family through local community, leaning in to introversion, and what it means to be single at heart.
If you’d like to hear more from Marianne Power, you can follow her on Substack at helpmenewsletter.substack.com (http://helpmenewsletter.substack.com), and of course her books, Help Me! and Love Me! are available to buy at all good book stores. Follow me on Instagram, @chezspecter and subscribe to my weekly email newsletter at francescaspecter.substack.com (http://francescaspecter.substack.com)
Referenced in this episode:
Motherhood by Sheila Heiti (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/06/motherhood-sheila-heti-review)
'What Do We Do Now We're Here' - A Substack by Rosie Spinks (https://rojospinks.substack.com/)
Bella DePaulo's Single at Heart (https://belladepaulo.com/single-at-heart/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
21 Jul 2025
Solo Travel, and How to Master the Art of Packing for One – with Lizzie Frainier
My guest this week Lizzie Frainier, author of Main Character: Lessons from a Real Life Rom-Com and associate travel editor at The Times. In this episode, she shares what she’s learnt from over a decade of solo travel, which began with a transatlantic home swap inspired by the film The Holiday and continued with a romantic trip for one in Venice, an ill-fated motorcycling trip in Vietnam and an Eat Pray Love style pilgrimage to Bali. We also talk about Lizzie’s infatuation with rom-coms, and how the lessons she learnt from the likes of Notting Hill and Bridget Jones inspired her to write her memoir.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode – do leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, if you haven’t already. You can finding Lizzie on Instagram – her handle is just her full name, Lizzie Frainier, which is very chic. I’m on Instagram too @ChezSpecter, and you can follow my writing on Substack at francescaspecter.substack.com (http://francescaspecter.substack.com).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
8 Jul 2025
Carving Out Space and Time for Yourself, with Penny Wincer
Author Penny Wincer discusses the practical and emotional aspects of creating space and time for oneself, even amidst challenging circumstances, in an interview with Francesca Specter.
Who has been a guest on Alonement
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Penny Wincer
Thuy-vy Nguyen
Eleanor Wilkinson
Katie Norris
MAGGIE SMITH
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
20 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 40 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
60
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Contact Alonement
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
