By Chance Avenue

113. The Hard Call with Sarah Clifford | A Woman's Choice to Stop and Live Fully

Host Elizabeth Tiglao-Guss speaks with Sarah, co-founder of The Otherhood Collective, about Sarah’s path toward living without children and how the project began with longtime friend and co-founder Lisa Levy. Sarah is the co-founder of The Otherhood Collective, a community and storytelling platform that gives voice to those navigating life outside traditional expectations of motherhood, family, and identity. With nearly two decades of experience working with brands like Amazon, ESPN, Disney, NBC, and Paramount, she’s passionate about creating spaces where diverse stories are heard, celebrated, and empower others to live authentically. Sarah shares trying to conceive in her early 30s, undergoing medical testing and hormone treatments, being told IVF likely wouldn’t work, and choosing not to pursue surrogacy, donor paths, or adoption due to emotional capacity amid repeated family losses, including the deaths of her parents, her husband’s brother, a niece, and later her mother-in-law’s decline. She discusses redirecting love toward nieces, nephews, and community, the ongoing grief without regret, and a non-label approach to “childless/childfree.” They describe The Otherhood Collective’s year of storytelling content, the catharsis participants feel sharing with strangers, plans for in-person events, and where to find the Collective online, including a new Substack. * Her Motherhood Journey Begins * Fertility Treatments and Pauses * Choosing Another Path * Loss and Mental Capacity * Regret, Grief, and Acceptance * Founding The Otherhood Collective * Childfree vs Childless Labels * Community Threads and Storytelling * Future Plans and In-Person Events * Defining a Full Life Today * Closing and Where to Find Them Connect with Sarah: https://theotherhoodcollective.substack.com/ [https://theotherhoodcollective.substack.com/] YT, TT, IG, FB, LI all @theotherhoodcollective Connect with Elizabeth: IG: @bychanceavenue [https://instagram.com/bychanceavenue/] Stay connected & up to date with all things By Chance [https://bychance.myflodesk.com/emailsignup] Want to share your story? Apply to be a guest! [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RWGRzGCeggUdsVdwAM7-b7kLZpjMVNkrHhx2NEPtkPk/edit]

112. Okay Hear Me Out | Why Stepping Outside the CNBC Bubble Might Actually Help You Heal

Host Elizabeth Tiglaso-Guss reflects on how, during grief and loss around not having children, people need empathetic community that “gets it,” and affirms the value of childless-not-by-choice spaces like the one they are building. They also warn that the same supportive bubble can become too small and limit growth if it becomes someone’s whole world, and they gently encourage listeners to “breathe different air” without abandoning the community or bypassing grief. Using examples like taking American mahjong lessons, hosting a beginner mahjong soiree where no one knew their story, and attending salsa dancing workshops, they describe the freedom of reconnecting with parts of themselves that existed before this journey. They also share their preference for reading general books on grief, healing, mindset, and growth rather than books centered on childlessness, and invite listeners to try one hobby, friend group, or space where they can simply be themselves. * A Gentle Contradiction * Why Empathy Matters * The Bubble Effect * Step Outside Briefly * Reclaim Old Joys * Choosing Different Books * More Than One Identity * One Small Experiment * Community Plus Growth Connect with Elizabeth: IG: @bychanceavenue [https://instagram.com/bychanceavenue/] Stay connected & up to date with all things By Chance [https://bychance.myflodesk.com/emailsignup] Want to share your story? Apply to be a guest! [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RWGRzGCeggUdsVdwAM7-b7kLZpjMVNkrHhx2NEPtkPk/edit]

111. She Built a World for Us | World Childless Week with Stephanie Joy Phillips

In this interview, Steph (Stephanie Phillips), founder of World Childless Week, shares her path to childlessness: after leaving an abusive relationship, she and her future husband tried to conceive in her late 30s, received devastating news from a doctor at age 39, and declined NHS-funded IVF due to timing, low odds, and her inability to lose weight while grieving. She describes navigating shock, isolation, and pronatalist culture, finding a crucial Facebook support group, and how she and her husband largely processed grief separately. Now nearly 60, she explains grief’s evolving “triggers,” speaking openly, and fears and planning around aging without children. Stephanie spent a large part of her twenties in an abusive relationship so took the contraceptive pill to prevent a child being born into that situation. In her early thirties she met her husband to be but they didn't try to conceive until nearing forty. At the age of 39 she was told by an unsympathetic doctor "if he manages to get you pregnant it is highly unlikely you'll carry full term". She knew in that moment, she would never be a mum. In 2016 Stephanie Joy Phillips founded Childless Path To Acceptance, a free support group on Facebook that welcomes anyone who is childless by circumstance, infertility, chance or tough choices. In 2017 after realising there was no national recognition of the childless community Stephanie had an idea for a global awareness week. She mentioned her idea to several childless friends who encouraged her to pursue her idea. Inspired by their enthusiasm, she spoke to the childless not by choice community who rallied round and stepped forward to offer their support and participation. Six weeks later World Childless Week went live for the first time. In 2026 World Childless Week will be celebrating ten years of giving the childless community a platform where they can find their voice and share their stories with confidence. Stephanie lives in Worcestershire with her husband and two rescue cats, Storm and Tea-Cup. She enjoys gardening, arts and crafts, a good book, dining out and relaxing in front of the television with a puzzle book and one of her two cats snuggled up beside her. * Meet Steph * Her Childless Journey * Diagnosis and IVF Decision * Finding Support Online * Marriage Under Grief * Speaking Up Publicly * Aging Without Children * Aging Without Kids Planning * Silver Linings And Preparedness * Why World Childless Week Began * Choosing September 16 * First Year On Facebook * Childless Versus Childfree * Growth Website And Webinars * Common Threads And Isolation * Healing Worthiness And Anonymity * Meaningful Life And Getting Involved Connect with Stephanie: https://www.facebook.com/WorldChildlessWeek [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWorldChildlessWeek&user_uuid=a73d40bd-36ea-4552-bf2c-466221c7d541&stage=1&hmac=2c8a32f089e94d184f5bbfadb9273d3dde3223ff48ac4a9ef12e5a5b106120cd] https://www.instagram.com/worldchildlessweek [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fworldchildlessweek&user_uuid=a73d40bd-36ea-4552-bf2c-466221c7d541&stage=1&hmac=1d34d58c099f7beaaa844718e1276d8689b0a32194735a6f5a5645ee522258de] https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-phillips1966/ [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fstephanie-phillips1966%2F&user_uuid=a73d40bd-36ea-4552-bf2c-466221c7d541&stage=1&hmac=b5da38d6a29a81181296933fb6cb274608fe940038476fb4dab93994f2612b51] Connect with Elizabeth: IG: @bychanceavenue [https://instagram.com/bychanceavenue/] Stay connected & up to date with all things By Chance [https://bychance.myflodesk.com/emailsignup] Want to share your story? Apply to be a guest! [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RWGRzGCeggUdsVdwAM7-b7kLZpjMVNkrHhx2NEPtkPk/edit]

110. Random Gut Punches | When Everyday Life Reminds You of What You Don't Have

Host Elizabeth Tiglao-Guss reflects on a week of being sick at home and noticing unexpected reminders of what she and her husband, Victor, don’t have. She shares three moments that landed differently: a Facebook post claiming you don’t know love until you have children, a coworker telling Victor he “highly recommend[s]” having kids, and an Apple TV show, Shrinking, featuring a simplified adoption storyline with a happy ending. While not triggered in the way she once would have been, Elizabeth describes feeling the weight of their journey and their two failed adoptions, and acknowledges that even after healing, random comments or media can still catch you off guard. She encourages listeners to notice these moments without over-meaning them, remember they pass, and know they aren’t alone. * Sick Week Reflections * The Love Quote Sting * Coworker Kid Talk * Adoption Plot Surprise * Not Triggered But Aware * Healing Still Has Moments * You Are Not Alone * Closing Take Care Connect with Elizabeth: IG: @bychanceavenue [https://instagram.com/bychanceavenue/] Stay connected & up to date with all things By Chance [https://bychance.myflodesk.com/emailsignup] Want to share your story? Apply to be a guest! [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RWGRzGCeggUdsVdwAM7-b7kLZpjMVNkrHhx2NEPtkPk/edit]

109. From Suffering Alone to a Space for Storytelling | Lisa Levey of The Otherhood Collective

Host Elizabeth Tiglao-Guss speaks with a New York-based filmmaker about her multi-year journey through unexplained infertility, multiple IVF rounds beginning at age 38 in 2019, and the trauma of continuing treatment as the city shut down during the pandemic, including a failed transfer and chemical pregnancy. Lisa is the Co-Founder of The Otherhood Collective, a storytelling platform and community using real voices to challenge and reshape narratives around parenthood, identity, and belonging. After repeated cycles yielding one embryo that failed, health issues and surgery, she and her husband explored adoption but struggled with pandemic red tape, emotional readiness, and unspoken exhaustion before drifting toward acceptance that having children would not happen. She describes keeping the process secret, feeling unsupported, loneliness, and grief shifting from shame to sadness, especially around milestones like Mother’s Day. Seeking deeper representation, she and longtime friend Sarah created The Otherhood Collective to share layered, inclusive video stories that bridge divides between parents and non-parents and help people feel less alone. * Starting the Journey * Trying to Conceive * IVF Meets Pandemic * Rounds and Setbacks * Considering Adoption * Last IVF Attempt * Letting It Fade * Grief After Treatment * Keeping It Secret * Loneliness and Therapy * Creating Otherhood * Where I Am Now * Sadness Without Shame * Advice for the Thick * Beyond Black and White * Future of Otherhood * Final Thanks and Wrap Connect with Lisa: LINKS: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheOtherhoodCollective [https://www.youtube.com/@TheOtherhoodCollective] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theotherhoodcollective/ [https://www.instagram.com/theotherhoodcollective/] TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theotherhoodcollective [https://www.tiktok.com/@theotherhoodcollective] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-otherhood-collective/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-otherhood-collective/] Website - https://www.theotherhoodcollective.com [https://www.theotherhoodcollective.com] Get Involved - https://www.theotherhoodcollective.com/get-involved-1 [https://www.theotherhoodcollective.com/get-involved-1] Connect with Elizabeth: IG: @bychanceavenue [https://instagram.com/bychanceavenue/] Stay connected & up to date with all things By Chance [https://bychance.myflodesk.com/emailsignup] Want to share your story? Apply to be a guest! [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RWGRzGCeggUdsVdwAM7-b7kLZpjMVNkrHhx2NEPtkPk/edit]