Are you feeling a bit lost? A bit broken? A bit bored? Do you feel stuck? Trapped? Disconnected from any sense of joy? Do you yearn for change but feel terrified of it at the same time? Could you possibly be experiencing a midlife crisis? The midlife crisis gets a bad rap. It’s become a much-maligned term but that doesn’t make it any less real or any less painful. But maybe this identity storm is not a disaster…maybe it’s an opportunity? This is what psychologist Dr Julie Hannan, author of The Midlife Crisis Handbook, thinks. We talk to her about how we can increase our self-awareness and open the door to the future. OOF…

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We recently received an email from someone who apologised for her delayed reply: she had ‘disappeared into the things’. HARD RELATE. We are constantly in danger of disappearing into the things: the sadness, the panic, the phone. So in this episode we talk about the strange things that are happening with our sense of self at the moment… plus all the mini identity shifts that send us from Diary Of An Edwardian Lady Lady (‘Gosh, is that a Golden Crested Bum Puncher?) to Bleeding Heart to Hard Man in a matter of seconds. And if that’s not disconcerting enough, run through Midult micro-downers….like staggering into your bedroom at 11pm and realising you stripped the bed earlier in the day. Bastards. And when metaphorical instability becomes literal instability. Oof. 

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Who doesn’t love a solution story: the tale of a grown-up woman who had a problem and thought ‘You know what? I am not going to wait for some fucker to fix this – I am just going to do it myself’. This is true of today's guest. Joanna Jensen suffered from eczema as a child and, when her own children were born with the same condition, she decided ‘enough is enough’. In 2010 she created Child’s Farm from her kitchen table and, by the end of the decade, it was the UK’s number one baby and child brand. She sold it to Cussons for £40 million last year. *does a little dance*. Anyway, it might sound like an enviably smooth ride but, like all of these stories, it is full of bumps, lumps, divorce, undiagnosed menopause and other crises. Fasten your seatbelts, Midults...

PS: Speaking of solutions not problems, this episode is bravely brought to you by WomenWise, a new women’s healthcare company dedicated to improving women’s health as they go through the perimenopause, menopause and beyond. Go to WomenWise.Health for all the details. For once, it’s all about you.

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Last night we slept so badly that Annabel put hairspray under her arms and Emilie put her contact lenses in twice. This week the podcast is dedicated to the recognition that so many of us are so exhausted. How many times - today - have you thought ‘I am so tired’? Did you wake up thinking, ‘I am so tired’? Did you spend ten minutes sitting on the side of the bed, wrapped in a towel, staring at the wall, thinking, ‘How am I going to manage?’ Did you think, just as you woke up, ‘I can’t wait to go to bed tonight’? And then, when you have finally limped to the end of the day, you are so adrenalised and panicked that a weird, exhausted, busy-ness kicks in. Let’s not call it a second wind because that would imply something useful. You feel compelled to find your passport, attack your chin hairs, buy a phone charger, research pensions, check your breasts, apply eye/neck/hand/foot creme (thanks again, the patriarchy), death/burglar proof the house, try on your entire wardrobe (now you hate clothes, self and everyone else)…GAH. The only consolation? We are not alone….Listen and weep (or sleep).

This podcast was bravely brought to you by Dreem Distillery. Because good sleep makes the difference between a good day and a mad day...

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Are you being rude? Do you even know any more? Do you even care? This week on the podcast we discuss when it’s acceptable to ignore people (airports, for a start); what to do when you forget someone’s name for the millionth time; the question you should never ask and whether diary invitations are helpful or just annoying. And, now that it’s March and the sun’s a little bit out, our wardrobes feel very unfresh. So we wonder about all the dangerous clothes we‘re hankering after… We used to be drawn to dangerous men, now we’re drawn to dangerous fashion….white heels and double denim anyone?

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Regular listeners will know that we often slip ’the patriarchy’ into the conversation around what holds us back. From diet culture keeping us hungry while feeding our self-loathing; to medical misogyny. So it’s a privilege really to have entrepreneur Sahar Hashemi on the podcast this week. Sahar has smashed through many a ceiling and is still busy opening lots of doors for women: she founded Coffee Republic - three years before Starbucks landed on our shores; for the past couple of years, she’s been putting her considerable energy into spotlighting women-owned businesses with her Buy Women Built movement; asking the question: why do we only hear about the men? Did you know that a 81% of 11-18-year olds are unable to name one single female entrepreneur? She’s out to change all that. We talked about why women are natural entrepreneurs and how good it feels to be able to put our money where our mouth is and support the sisterhood….

www.buywomenbuilt.com

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All those years trying to fit in. The energy wasted wondering if we were loveable enough. The box ticking: professional, ambitious, presentable. And yet here we find ourselves, at the sharp end of 2023, weirder than ever before. So, we did some…research, and it turns out you lot are up to all sorts of micro-weirdnesses. Maybe it’s time to unleash your inner weirdo on the world. She is bursting to be set free. We talk about the support groups we need: one for those who’ve been asked to ‘say a few words’ at a birthday party; another for those who live with people who leave the fridge door open. We lament how boring our fantasies have become and wonder if we have entered our Do Not Disturb Era. Anyway, it’s all appropriately weird.

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So…January. Only 2000 years of it left. Just a joy of a month isn’t? Everyone is feeling fantastic, right? Well if, like us, you are wading through quicksand, then this is the episode for you. This week’s guest is a happiness teacher. At UCLA. To MBAs. Professor Cassie Holmes is an award-winning academic and social psychologist, who, nearly defeated by the grind, decided to learn how to have a more fulfilling existence. And - spoiler alert - it’s mostly about how we manage our time. Happily, she’s written a book about it called HAPPIER HOUR, full of practical tips and wisdom to help everyone find their happy hour. And guess what? It’s not about being richer or better looking. We talk about how paying attention, putting down our phones and thinking small rather than big are the keys to unlock happiness. 

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Not to be dramatic but it’s nearly fucking Christmas...Anyone else feeling exhausted/deranged/burnt-out? We thought we’d share some of the best advice (and weirdest) we’ve received from you guys, from ‘Nothing good comes from a drink you have set on fire’ to ’Never trust a man called Tim’. We talk about all the modes we might slip into during the perineum of the year, from Goblin Mode to Donkey Mode. And how we would decorate the perfect Midult Christmas tree: a tiny vortex to scream into and - obviously - tweezers . Goodbye 2022! Close the door on your way out. Merry Everything and a Happy Always to our Midults…see you on the other side!

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So buckle up for the best kind of Christmas chaos…with our friends and yours, The Scummy Mummies. Helen talks about navigating the single life while Ellie owns up to a Christmas loo brush (is it acceptable to clean it in the dishwasher?) and a hefty midlife crisis purchase. And here’s the burning Midult question this Christmas: Bublé or Tucci? Only a few more breakdowns ‘til Christmas guys...

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