We caught up with Francesca Specter, founder of Alonement, to talk all things from changing the way people think about alone time, to launching season 2 of her podcast…
Tell us about Alonement
Specter: Alonement is a platform and podcast centred around the time you spend alone and why it matters. I have a website and a weekly newsletter, together with a podcast where I interview high-profile thinkers, writers and media personalities 鈥� from Alain de Botton to Konnie Huq 鈥� about their alone time.
How did you come up with the idea for the company?
厂辫别肠迟别谤:听 It began with a personal journey. At the end of 2018, I found myself newly single and living alone for the first time in my life. As a sociable extrovert, I had always felt energised by being around other people and never thought to question the fear and reluctance I felt around alone time. Yet, I began to realise there was something insidious about perpetually trying to escape a state that, really, no one can escape from.
In a bid to correct this, I made a new year’s resolution to learn to be alone, and like it, in January 2019. It ended up being the most meaningful lesson I learnt in my whole life 鈥� and in the autumn of 2019 I decided to use my skills as a journalist, writer and podcaster to share this with the world.
More from Interviews
- Interview with Susanne Seitz, CEO Of Siemens Buildings On Combining The Real And Digital Worlds
- A Chat With Jean-Baptiste Gaudemet, SVP Strategic Innovation Lab at Kyriba And FinTech50 2026 Judge
- A Chat With Madhu Nadig, Co-Founder & CTO Of Flagright And FinTech50 2026 Judge
- A Chat With Piero Pavone, CEO Of Preciso On How Native Advertising Is Shaping A More Sustainable Future
- Efficient Referrals: Meet Kirsty Sharman, Founder Of Referral Factory
- A Chat With Jo茫o Moura, CEO And Co-Founder, On Transaction Risk Platform: Fraudio
- A Chat With Michael J Bannach, Founder & President, Stealth Technology Group On How Employees Leak Company Secrets Into Chatbots 鈥� And What Safe, Approved AI Should Look Like
- A Conversation With Allister Frost, Future-Ready Mindset Author and Speaker, On How AI Panic Is Pushing Brits Into Rushed Career Swaps That Could Prove Costly
Why is it important for people to enjoy the time they spend alone?
厂辫别肠迟别谤:听 I know from my personal journey that spending quality time alone has had immense benefits in terms of personal development (confidence, career, self-esteem, mental health) together with my relationships with others. It soon became apparent, during this journey, that many, many people are scared of being alone 鈥� and in avoiding it miss out on the benefits of solitude, while making major life decisions driven by a place of fear (e.g. staying in the wrong relationship for fear of being single 鈥� something wrongly but regularly conflated with ‘being alone’ 鈥� or never taking a solo trip somewhere on their bucket list)
I also realised there was no word in the English language to describe the opposite of loneliness; when alone time is positive and regenerative. So, I trademarked the word ‘alonement’ to fill that gap.
What can we hope to see from Alonement in the future?
厂辫别肠迟别谤:听 I am currently mid-way through releasing season 2 of the Alonement podcast. I am also working on a larger writing project – watch this space!
For more information, visit: www.alonement.com
