How does it work?

Who is it for?

Are you a woman who owns a business?


Are you neurodivergent and/or have a chronic illness?

Then this group is for you.

Running a business is tough stuff (everyone tells you, but until you’re in it, you often don’t realise how tough). When you’re employed, realistic accommodations should (in theory!) be made for you if you’re unwell or neurosparkly, but when you’re self-employed, there’s no one to make allowances or adjustments: there’s only you. And that can be lonely, scary, stressful… but that’s what Square Pegs is here for – so you’re not alone.

We’re not a business network (although as we’re all business owners, we have quite the wealth of knowledge and experience to be tapped!). We’re here to offer you support, comfort, perspective, and some laughs – whether you’re in a doom spiral, procrastinating, exhausted, upset, or if you want to share a win (because we’re not all doom and gloom – good shit happens too!).

What’s included in your membership?

Online Meetings

We meet online twice a month, on the first and third Tuesday of each month, at 10:30 am (because early morning meetings are the devil!). We alternate between guest speaker sessions (for example, previously we’ve had speakers on Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, Sensory Overwhelm and how to manage it, and how to spot manipulation) and “Vent and Validation” sessions, where you can rock up and talk through anything that’s making your brain itch or anything you want to celebrate!

Members' WhatsApp Group

As well as our meetings, we have a very active WhatsApp group, where we share squiggly brain moments, ask each other questions, make each other laugh, and have plenty of “oooh, me too!” lightbulbs.

Body Doubling

Body doubling is a focus technique where you work alongside someone else (in person or on a call) to help you stay on track. Their presence gives you gentle accountability, reduces overwhelm, and makes starting (and finishing) tasks feel easier.

Some of us find this really helpful, so there’s usually someone around to double with you if you need a bit of support or incentive to get started!

The Square Pegs Book Club

We have a bi-monthly book club (that’s once every two months, not two a month) where we pick a book that’s been on our TBRs for too long, or a bright shiny new title that we’re desperate to start. Previous picks have included

  • Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
  • Mad Woman by Bryony Gordon, and
  • I Haven’t Been Quite Honest With You by Miranda Hart

We meet online at 6:30pm (usually on a Thursday, but this can shift around). You don’t have to read the book cover to cover – the real value comes in the discussion that the book topics spark. Laura-Anne writes up a book summary for each title that you can access in the Resources Folder, so you’re not going in blind.

The Resource Library

Our Resource Library is your always-available hub of support: a calm corner of the internet you can dip into whenever you need grounding, inspiration, or a little boost.
Inside, you’ll find:

Guest Speaker Recordings

Missed a session? Want to rewatch something that resonated? Every expert talk is saved so you can learn at your own pace, in your own time.

Worksheets & Templates

Practical, neurodivergent-friendly tools to help with:

  • reducing overwhelm
  • planning and prioritising
  • nervous system regulation
  • business systems and mindset

Take what’s useful, ignore what isn’t: no pressure, no homework.

Memes (Because Humour = Survival)

A carefully curated selection of relatable memes and smile file fodder to give you a laugh on the days where everything feels “a bit much.”

Book Summaries

Can’t get through the whole book? No worries. Our bi-monthly book club summaries keep you in the loop with the key ideas, insights, and takeaways, without adding to your mental load.

Recommendations

A pretty little document with article links, podcast suggestions, TV shows and documentaries, and book recommendations.

It’s a shared library built from collective experience, and you can access everything as part of your £10 a month membership.

FAQs

First off, how much is it?

Delighted you asked! Membership is £10 per month and is payable by direct debit.

As well as our two virtual meetings each month and the WhatsApp group, you also get access to our Resource Library. This is where you’ll find recordings of previous talks (such as our session on Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria), along with worksheets, articles, book recommendations and summaries, memes, and hints and tips.

We also hold a bi-monthly book club (that’s once every two months, not twice a month – can you even imagine?!) where we gather online and natter about our chosen book.

Absolutely!

We want you to be able to see if it’s for you before you sign up. You can visit two meetings before you need to decide. We recommend visiting both a Guest Speaker and a Vent and Validation session, so you can get a feel for how the meetings run.

Just email info@squarepegs.network to arrange a visit.

Absolutely! If you think it’s something that we’ll find helpful, or identify with or that will make us laugh, then please do.

Yes, you can. We’re all business owners, and while this isn’t “officially” a business network, it is a support network, and if you have something to share or trial, we’re here to cheer for you. If you have a service that you’d like to promote, you’re welcome to share it with the group. We only ask that you don’t harass people – sharing a couple of times is cool, sharing every five minutes won’t be. But we very much trust that we can all be sensible.

Please do! If you can do a little WhatsApp or email intro to Laura-Anne, she’ll get links organised for them to join. Everyone can attend two sessions before they decide if they’d like to join the group properly.

There is zero pressure to invite people. We’ll be delighted if you do want to share the group with others, but there’s no membership target to meet and no one will get marked down if they don’t invite someone along.

Nope! There’s no minimum attendance requirement, and no consequences if you can’t attend a meeting. This is a support group, not a job. If you can’t make a meeting, ideally, please let Laura-Anne know. If that isn’t possible, she’ll drop you a message just to check that you’re okay, but that’ll be the extent of it – no reprimands!

100% yes. Anything said in meetings stays in the room, unless you tell us that you’re happy for us to share (for example, if you need help with something and we can make a useful introduction for you). We all agree to protect each other’s peace and privacy.

We will record presentations, talks and demos from our guest speakers so we can all rewatch at our leisure, but that is the only element that will be recorded. Any discussion before or after the presentations will be kept confidential and won’t be recorded. And please feel free to prompt Laura-Anne if she forgets to switch off the record button! But if that is the case, she’ll edit out any bits of conversation that accidentally get recorded before the presentation is added to our resource library.

Absolutely! We’d love that. Laura-Anne keeps a running list of topics that you’d like covered, and she can arrange speakers who can cover it, or we’ll discuss the topic in our “Vent and Validate” sessions.

Definitely! They don’t all need to be ND related – if it made you laugh, feel free to share it.

Once you’ve joined as a member, Laura-Anne will send you a link to the Resources Library. The link is also at the bottom of every email newsletter that’s sent out. Or, you can ping Laura-Anne a WhatsApp message or an email, and she’ll send the link over to you directly.

We’ll start each meeting with a quick runaround of introductions, just reminding each other of who we are and what our business is.

Other than that, there’s no strict format to follow. Talk as much or as little as you want to. We’ll try to hold space for each other, and there’s no masking needed. You can be happy, grumpy, frustrated – however you’re feeling on the day, you don’t have to hide it.

You also don’t have to sit still – if you need to get up and move around or fidget, feel free!

No. Diagnoses can take years to get, and we won’t block you out in the meantime. We can be emotional and moral support for you if you’re going through a diagnosis process, but you don’t need to officially be “anything” to join beyond a business owner. So long as you know that you’re neurodivergent or have a chronic condition, that’s good enough for us.

Yes, you can. We’ll hold space for you, but please bear in mind that our language is and will continue to be tailored to women. We’ll absolutely respect your pronouns.

We think your neuro-sparkliness sets you apart: not in a bad way, but your difference can make you stand out, like a Weird Zebra in a herd of horses. You don’t have to mask your stripes with us.

Fuck yes.

What our members say:

I LOVE Square Pegs. It is such a safe space, and allows me to be authentically me – no judgement, no me on a best day, just open and honest me. The group has been invaluable in the support that it’s given me in terms of both advice and ‘ah ha, me too’ moments. I don’t feel I need to mask, I can just be me.

This is by far the most supportive group I’m a member of. Everyone “just gets it” when it comes to the problems of work (and life) with neurodivergence and a chronic condition – so I don’t feel guilty or like others are secretly judging me. It’s unbelievably helpful to have a group like that. People join in as much or as little as they want, but there’s always someone there if you have a wobble, or a triumph. It’s hard to put into words how great it is to know there are people I don’t have to always partly hide in front of.

Thank you for setting up Square Pegs. It really is a lifeline.

It’s just nice to have a space where we can be totally open and not worry about being judged.

I'm in, what do I do next?

To visit a meeting, email us and we’ll get right back to you (once we have had at least 3 cups of coffee) to book you in.

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