How To Be 60 with Kaye Adams
Turning 60 isn’t about slowing down—it’s about shaking things up. Whether it’s downsizing and embracing a simpler life, starting a new career, moving abroad, or navigating love and relationships in unexpected ways, How To Be 60 proves that this stage of life is anything but predictable. Join Kaye Adams and her brilliantly blunt co-host, Karen MacKenzie, as they chat with familiar faces and everyday people rewriting the rulebook on aging. With honesty, humour, and plenty of surprises, they explore what it really means to embrace change, challenge expectations, and make the years ahead the best yet.
Episodes
Milly Johnson: The Arthritic Knee That Saved Her Life
On this week's episode, we're joined by bestselling author Milly Johnson, who planned a year-long celebration of turning 60 and credits an arthritic knee with saving her life. Before the Yorkshire Pudding Club and three million book sales, there were decades of proper jobs, years of rejection, and a marriage so bad she filed for divorce while five months pregnant. Milly spent thirty years looking
Midweek Catchup: Back to Earth with a Bump
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we come back down to earth after the Fringe — to a filthy house, a poorly husband and the guilty remains of a packet of chocolate-covered pecans. Kaye's been in London doing ITV, where she talked a very nice photographer into taking her passport photo while she still had her telly makeup on. That's her sorted until she's 72. Karen, meanwhile, has been collecting fir
Jan Birley: From IT Project Manager to Producing Her Own Feature Film
On this week's episode, we're joined by Jan Birley, who decided at 58 that she was going to produce a feature film, and had one finished by 60.She'd spent thirty years as an IT project manager, and by her own count she has been in the film industry for two. She raised a budget of around £800,000, put her own money in, and when an experienced line producer told her she wasn't ready, she told him sh
Midweek Catchup: Everybody Bloody Loves Karen
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we're coming to you from the dungeon of Teviot House, an hour before our final Fringe show, because Karen wants to catch the free bus home. Three sell-out shows, nerves that leave the coffee sitting somewhere between chest and throat, and a suspiciously big round of applause for Karen that Kaye is trying not to take personally. Plus a dash to the laundrette with the
Barbara Scully: Stand-Up at 60 and the Superpower of Being Underestimated
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Barbara Scully, who did her first stand-up gig at 60, mostly because two women wouldn’t let her out of their flat until she agreed. Now she’s about to tour her second one-woman show. She tells us about hitting rock bottom at 50 in the dole office car park, being mistaken for the children’s chaperone minutes before her own show, and why she has no interest in
Midweek Catchup: Big News and a Passport Computer That Says No
On this week's Midweek Catchup, one of us has news. Proper news. You'll have to listen. What we can say: Kaye's been to Manchester for her roots, finally claimed her third off the train fare, and rode an electric bike home through Glasgow like a witch on a broomstick.Then there's the passport photo. Rejected. Eyes shut, said the computer. They were open. That's hooded eyes for you. All this two da
Marisa Peer: Ageing Is a Decision
Episode descriptionOn this week's episode, we're joined by Marisa Peer, who was once asked to do therapy in a jacuzzi in a bikini. She said no, and says it probably cost her work. Marisa is a therapist and bestselling author who started out as a fitness trainer at Jane Fonda's fitness centre in LA, got married for the first time at 51, and reckons she did the whole thing the wrong way round. She t
Midweek Catchup: A £36 Wash and the Railcard I Swore I'd Never Get
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we find out what one load of washing costs at the laundrette when your house is in bits. Thirty-six pounds. Kaye has no kitchen, no washing machine, and a dishwashing arrangement involving a baby bath, so she's on an economy drive: not buying food, not washing anything. Then there's the railcard she resisted for years, right up until it saved her forty quid to Manch
Mimi Anderson: Minus 35, Frostbite, and No Intention of Stopping
On this week's episode, we're joined by Mimi Anderson, who set off into the Canadian Arctic on a fat bike in minus 35 and turned back with frostbite. She didn't start running until she was 36, and only then because somebody told her it would make her legs thinner. It went from there to the Sahara and a world record between Land's End and John o'Groats.She tells us about the day a consultant showed
Midweek Catchup: Home from Holiday to a House of Horrors
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Kaye gets home from holiday to no power, no kitchen, no running water, and a chest freezer of the dog's raw meat that had been switched off for ten days. Six inches of blood at the bottom. She's calling it the abattoir. Karen, meanwhile, has spent the fortnight losing to a squash plant that's trying to take over the garden, washing up in a baby bath, and keeping an
Russ Kane: Why Me Is the Wrong Question
On this week's episode, we're joined by Russ Kane, who spent 20 years reporting traffic from a light aircraft and now conducts funerals for a living. He was Chris Tarrant's wingman on Capital Radio Breakfast, the flying eye on a show pulling four million listeners a week. He walked away from it after his wife Sally died at 43, leaving him with five-year-old twin boys. He'd already lost his dad. Hi
Kaye’s Mr Bean Moment, Ian’s Midlife Crisis & The Man from Monaco
Kaye joins Karen from Puglia for a very relaxed midweek catch-up involving questionable Italian, a holiday glass-door incident, and Ian’s mysterious new lease of life.There’s talk of pasta-making fatigue, pillow protectors, Karen’s ongoing domestic standards, and whether Ian’s new phone screensaver, Vespa adventure and tennis match with “the man from Monaco” point to a full-blown midlife crisis.Pl
Jacquie Beltrao: Seven Years On From Stage Four, "I've Got Today"
On this week's episode, we're joined by Sky Sports legend Jacquie Beltrao, who was told seven years ago that her breast cancer had returned and spread. Her scans are clear now, but as she says, she doesn't know what the future holds, only that she has today. Jacquie talks candidly about the doom spiral of a stage four diagnosis, the antidepressants that pulled her out of it, and why she thinks her
Midweek Catchup: The Amalfi Verdict, a Digital Detox, and Six Pillow Protectors
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we get Kaye's verdict live from the Amalfi Coast: stunningly beautiful, wildly overpriced, and Positano is basically Disneyland with a coastline. She's also two days into a self-imposed digital detox, phone banished to the bedside drawer, after Bonnie stopped her mid-scroll in the pool and asked if they could just take a moment to appreciate where they are. The chil
Bibi Lynch: Nearly Destroyed at 50, Buoyant at 60
On this week's episode, we're joined by Bibi Lynch, who moved house 30 times in ten years, nineteen of them in a single stretch of 24 months, all while writing for the national press and turning up on live radio as if nothing were wrong. Bibi was hidden homeless for a decade after losing the flat she'd bought on her own, and she was carrying it alongside the death of her dad, the collapse of what
Midweek Catchup: The Influencer, the Endoscopy and the Tablecloth
Kaye's had a nightmare. Cancelled flight, a 6.20am rescue seat, and a live telly show to present on no sleep, softened by a lunchtime pisco sour and a nap she snorted herself awake from.This week: Ian gets diagnosed by Dr Kaye and ChatGPT, then refuses the sedative for his endoscopy to save himself a phone call. Karen hunts for the perfect white tablecloth and earns a new nickname. And after a fri
Cindy Sheahan: Every Day Is an Adventure - Leaving a 32-Year Marriage and Travelling Alone
How much time is left on your warranty? Cindy Sheahan, 64, left a 32-year marriage, packed a backpack, and turned a two-week hike into a whole new life in Sicily. She tells Kaye and Karen about travelling solo after 60, why her son cheered her out the door, and making friends with uncertainty. Plus we're bringing How To Be 60 to the Edinburgh Fringe this August, with retirement rebel Siobhan Danie
Midweek Catchup: The Floor Ice Cream Dilemma, Karen's Water Butt Caper, and the Eighteen-Year-Old Mattress
Karen's back from her "sex retreat" in rural Italy (the most relaxing time, she swears, two trips to the beach and not a thing else), and she's convinced her feet have put on weight. Kaye's hosting an awards do in a jumpsuit so sheer it'll need industrial-strength knickers, which leads, naturally, to a deep dive on thongs versus hearing aids. There's the photo of Karen's backside disappearing thro
Donna Lancaster: Turning Your Wounds Into Wisdom
On this week's episode, we're joined by Donna Lancaster — therapist, author, co-founder of The Bridge Retreat, and a self-described "elder in training" who turns 60 next March and genuinely cannot wait.Donna grew up with violence, addiction and racism in 1970s Britain, became a social worker trying to save versions of herself, and was eventually "brought to her knees" by a breakdown at work. She t
Crepey Chests, Second-Hand PJs and Why We're Too Old for Loud Bars
Karen's calling in from sunny Puglia, and after last week's second-hand pyjamas confession, the internet has voted: for once, it's Team Kaye. What follows is a spirited defence of "vintage" nightwear, the wearing of pants underneath it, and whether any of it is, frankly, minging.Plus crepey skin, why loud bars now feel like punishment, un-labelled moving boxes, and a lovely summer read: Fresh Wate
Gail Rice: Scaring myself alive at 70
For her 70th birthday, Gail Rice booked a male escort. It was a toss-up between that and a skydive, and she went with the one that scared her more. But it was never really about sex. The Canadian-born psychologist tells Kaye and Karen why she needed what she calls a battery jump, the first encounter that was a disaster, the refund she asked for and got, and the thing that was actually brave, which
Midweek Catchup: Puglia, Pre-Loved Pyjamas and Racing with Kelly Holmes
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Karen's back in Puglia on the annual trip, exactly a year on from the news that changed everything, this time with a cocktail in hand and second-hand Ralph Lauren pyjamas (£12, gusset thoroughly interrogated). Kaye runs Race for Life alongside Dame Kelly Holmes and films the road instead of the finish. Plus, we're coming to the Edinburgh Fringe, 7-9 August at Gilded
Jane Green: When You Stop Waiting To Be Chosen
Bestselling novelist Jane Green had it all. E18 New York Times bestsellers, over 10 million books in print, the beautiful homes, the blended family, the loving husband. And then, piece by piece, she lost most of it: the marriage, the financial security, the career status, and for a while, herself.This week Kaye and Karen sit down with one of the original queens of chick lit for a remarkably honest
It's Not My Knee, It's My Hip (and Other Excuses)
Kaye's spent £120 on running shoes she may never run in, Karen might finally be selling the camper van, and a "blackhead" turns out to be something else entirely. Then comes the row that splits the nation: is Kaye's kitchen pine or oak? Plus a look ahead to Friday's guest, bestselling author Jane Green. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Pauline Campbell: "I Am Never Going to Lower My Hand Again"
On this week's episode, Pauline Campbell got in touch herself and said she'd be a good guest. She was right. Told at 15 by a teacher she wasn't capable, Pauline believed it for years. Until she didn't. In her mid-30s she started driving between a council job and a full-time law degree, qualified as a solicitor, and hasn't stopped since. Now 61, she's a legal hero, a pro bono Windrush advocate, a p
Midweek Catchup: The Whistling Hearing Aid, The Joy of Sex, and Karen's Filthy Nails
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Karen turns up in cut-off trousers she hacked herself and sandals that have been in the garden all week. She gets her nails done and the woman has to scrape the muck out on a bit of kitchen roll. Kaye's been to a glamorous event in London surrounded by 26-year-olds and her hearing aid starts whistling. She doesn't say a word. They check the air conditioning. Plus do
Sian Reeves: The Acid Yellow Dress - Caring for Dad, a Hairdresser Con, and Turning 60
On this week's episode, we're joined by Sian Reeves — actor and host of the Who Cares? podcast.Sian talks about caring for her poorly dad, what it costs (£4-7k a month), and the Loose Women appearance years ago she didn't make because she'd been conned out of eight grand by a hairdresser and was too ashamed to come on and say it. Plus the acid yellow mini dress she bought in France that she's stil
Midweek Catchup: Grief, Therapy and a David Tennant Selfie
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Kaye Adams and Karen MacKenzie mark the death of Scott Hastings at 61, six months after he joined How To Be 60 to talk about losing his wife Jenny. Karen also opens up about starting counselling, and why "how are you?" is a question people only ask when they want the easy answer. Plus a David Tennant selfie, the great kitchen debate, and a teddy bear made from a min
Cally Beaton: Wrong Medication, Wrong Career, Wrong Country. Right Decade.
Cally Beaton was a high-flying TV exec, a single mum of two, and quietly falling apart in her 40s. Then Joan Rivers looked her in the eye over dinner and told her to try stand-up. Two weeks later, Joan died. Two weeks after that, Cally walked on stage. Now she's touring, bestselling, and says her 50s have been the best decade yet. Plus: the perimenopause misdiagnosis that had her on the wrong medi
Midweek Catchup: A Year On, And It's Only Just Hitting
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Karen marks a year since her breast cancer diagnosis and admits she's only just starting to feel it. Because no one tells you that you don't process it while you're in it.Plus: Kaye's hearing aid has started whistling (her daughter keeps clocking it, much to Kaye's denial), Karen has befriended Amanda the pharmacist, and the great fringe debate returns.Friday's gues
Philippa Perry: Why Your Kids Went Quiet (And What They Wish You'd Ask)
Philippa Perry on why adult children go no contact, what they wish their parents understood, and why the door might open again if you try a different one. Plus, her debut cosy crime novel Shrink Solves Murder is out May 7th. Whether you're the parent wondering what went wrong or the adult child wondering if they'll ever be understood, this one will sit with you.Get in touch with your thoughts at p
Midweek Catchup: Six-Packs, Bingo Wings and Using Meryl Streep as Your Inspo
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we're back together after Karen's Crete holiday and straight into the big questions: is Kaye developing a six-pack or just losing weight? Neck or arms first? And is hearting someone's dog photo actually rude? Plus holiday gifts, the Devil Wears Prada sequel verdict, and why daytime drinking at 60 is a whole different sport. Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast
Mia Mauge: From Invisible to Unstoppable — The Power of Showing Up at 60
On this week's episode, we're joined by Mia Mauge, who went from feeling invisible in her forties to walking onto a Marks & Spencer's lingerie set at 54 — and she still can't quite believe it either.Mia spent almost 20 years dyeing her hair out of shame, navigating single life in midlife, and wondering where women like her had gone in the shops she was still spending money in. Then she stopped
Midweek Catchup: When Your Belly Button Starts Looking Like The Scream
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we discover that Kaye has been staring at her belly button in the mirror and what she found there is... haunting. Karen's reporting live from Crete - where she forgot her pyjamas and is sharing a bed with her friend Caroline behind a glass bathroom door that hides absolutely nothing. There's a big announcement: How To Be 60 is heading back to the Edinburgh Fringe (A
Victoria Hislop: The Woman Who Found Adversity Easier Than Success
On this week's episode, we're joined by Victoria Hislop, bestselling author, honorary Greek citizen, and the woman who celebrated her 60th birthday waterskiing with a glass of champagne in her hand.Victoria's been through the lot in her sixties: losing her mum, breast cancer, lockdown, the empty nest hitting like a train she swore she was ready for. But here's the thing nobody expects her to say:
Midweek Catchup: Bum Cheeks, Ballet and the Makeup Counter From Hell
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Kaye's in Milan playing loyal assistant on Donna May's business trip (hairbrush already cleaned, wash bag already judged), while Karen's at home trying to save her voice before a nurse appointment that could delay her chemo jab. She's not above putting half an onion in her sock to make it happen.Karen survived the John Lewis foundation counter: a 23-year-old who mad
Wendi Peters: A Carpet Fitter, A Terrible Wig, and the Art of Not Giving a Damn
On this week's episode, we're joined by Wendi Peters - Corrie legend, current star of the touring theatre production Glorious, and living proof that the best stuff doesn't always arrive on schedule. Wendi talks finding love again after 33 years of marriage (via a wine-fuelled evening and a very niche dating app), why being told to lose weight at 16 by a headmistress eating chocolate digestives onl
Midweek Catchup: Video Calls, Toilet Seats & a Letter from Downing Street
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Kaye nearly video-calls a professional contact from the loo (don't judge - you've done it), Karen's losing her voice to zero sympathy, and both of them are quietly jealous of Karen's sister Ag, who's just casually bouncing between Australia, Japan and New York with a glass of white wine permanently in hand. There's a Milan trip on the cards, which dredges up the tim
Jo Hamilton: The Post Office Took Everything — Except Her Fight
On this week's episode, we're joined by Jo Hamilton, the village sub-postmistress who was wrongly convicted of false accounting in the Post Office Horizon scandal — and who spent nearly two decades fighting to clear her name and the names of hundreds of others.Jo talks about running a little shop that was more drop-in centre than convenience store, the moment a faulty computer system started destr
Midweek Catchup: Forgot the VIP, Found the Earbuds, Bartered at the Optician's
On this week's Midweek Catchup, Kaye bought a Peter Kay VIP package, forgot about it entirely, and queued in the rain like a mug. Karen lost her earbuds for three days, bought replacements, then found the originals in her dressing gown. There's eyelid surgery chat, a three-wheeled electric bike that defeated two grown adults, building work that so far involves moving junk from one room to another,
Tessa Peake-Jones: Why Being Alone at 60 Might Be the Best Relationship You've Ever Had
On this week's episode, we're joined by Tessa Peake-Jones, one of Britain's most beloved actors (yes, Raquel from Only Fools and Horses, and yes, she knows you were going to say that), who's currently starring in a new comedy drama called Invisible Me about three sixty-somethings navigating love, loneliness and everything in between.But this isn't just a conversation about dating apps and swiping
Midweek Catchup: Two Women, Two Holidays, One Mango Massacre
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we're reporting live from separate corners of Spain (well, almost) with tales of holiday chaos that'll feel painfully familiar. Kaye's mango obsession has turned the kitchen into a crime scene, her Duolingo is fooling nobody, and her daughters have started doing that thing where they look at each other and just... laugh. At her. For no stated reason. Karen and Steph
Donna Ashworth: Grief, Growth and the Freedom to Become Yourself
This week Kaye and Karen are joined by Donna Ashworth. Bestselling poet, wellbeing advocate, and author of Loss: The New Collection.Donna talks about the family diagnosis that rewired everything. Dropping the perfectionism. Saying what she actually thinks. Building a life that's calmer and more honest, even when it's messy.They get into grief beyond bereavement. Outgrowing identities, letting go o
Midweek Catchup: Sangria, Seromas and Stolen Mango
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we're recording across borders — Kaye at home, Karen on a sunny balcony in Seville, and honestly, it's never felt more deserved. Because behind the coral sandals and the cold red wine is a week that nearly didn't happen. Karen shares the full story of her three-day hospital stay, the scans, the scares, and the moment she ran out the door with the cannula still in. W
Rosie O’Donnell: Reinvention, Motherhood, and the Gift of Getting Older
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Rosie O’Donnell, who opens up about building a life that finally feels like her own - from leaving America for Ireland, to raising a teenager in her 60s, and redefining what really matters.It’s never just about getting older, it’s about what you carry with you. Rosie reflects on losing her mother at a young age, how that shaped her drive, and why every birt
Midweek Catchup: Broadcasting from a Hospital Waiting Room (Popcorn Included)
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re coming to you from a Glasgow hospital waiting area — because life doesn’t pause neatly for podcasts, does it? Between tests, tetchy staff, smuggled snacks and rearranged furniture, we chat Mother’s Day highs, birthday surprises (including tap-dancing ambitions), and the strange domestic dilemmas that somehow follow you even into hospital — from rogue garden br
Sheila Nollert: No Expiry Dates - Why One Woman Canoed into the Wilderness at 65
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Sheila Nollert, who decided that turning 65 was exactly the moment to do something many people said she shouldn’t.After retiring from her job with the Ontario government, Sheila found herself searching for purpose and wondering who she was without work. Then a chance sighting of a woman paddling alone into the Canadian wilderness sparked an idea she couldn’
Midweek Catchup: Oatcakes, Journaling and Life’s Unexpected Curveballs
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, Kaye and Karen chat about the things that creep up on you in midlife — from unstoppable snacking (hello oatcakes and popcorn) to the strange habits we develop when the afternoons get a bit too quiet.But it’s never just about food. Kaye also talks about navigating an unexpected change with the BBC, the wave of support she’s received, and why she’s turned to journalin
Daisy Goodwin: The Internal Fire Alarm — Anxiety, Ambition and a Second Adolescence
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Daisy Goodwin, novelist, screenwriter and creator of Victoria, who joins Kaye and Karen for a candid conversation about anxiety, ambition and what life really feels like in your 60s.Daisy has spent decades creating powerful stories about women, but in this conversation she turns the lens on herself. From a childhood shaped by her mother leaving when she was
Midweek Catchup: Loggate, Needles & New Beginnings
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we unpick the drama that gripped absolutely no one but us… Loggate. Yes, the missing firewood, the woodyard showdown, and why sometimes it’s never just about the logs.But alongside the axe-wielding determination (don’t ask), things take a more tender turn. A bruised neck after a thyroid biopsy. That familiar spiral when you’re waiting on results. The strange competi
Suzi Quatro: Determined, Independent and Not Slowing Down at 75
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Suzi Quatro, who at 75 is still doing exactly what she loves ... releasing new music and heading back out on tour.Suzi talks about the determination that drove her from a big Detroit family onto the world stage, why she’s never seen age as a barrier, and how finding your own voice can shape an entire life. It’s never just about success - we also talk about f
Midweek Catchup: Bathroom Floors, Gas Bills & Stabbing the Devil
On this week's Midweek Catchup, we need to warn you. The first ten minutes involve Karen, a stomach bug, and a decision no woman should have to make between a toilet and a sink at speed. Stephen was downstairs on Duolingo. He did not come up.From there it's Kaye's renovation nightmare (seven and a half grand for a gas pipe, just the pipe), the lost ring saga taking a beautifully unhinged turn than
Sally Gunnell: Hurdling Towards 60 — The Champion's Guide to Ageing Well
On this week's episode, we're joined by Olympic gold medallist and all-round legend Sally Gunnell, who, just months out from her 60th birthday, is proving that the woman who once held every major athletics title simultaneously has absolutely no intention of slowing down now.Sally opens up about what it really feels like to approach 60 when your body has been your career, your identity, and your in
Midweek Catchup: Duck Eggs, Lost Rings and the Weird Comfort of Superstition
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we wander cheerfully off-piste — from the unexpected thrill of blue duck eggs and medication-induced hunger, to Valentine’s gestures that don’t quite go to plan. But it’s never just about the small stuff.Kay opens up about losing her mum’s ring and why it’s shaken her more than she expected, sharing listener stories that prove lost things have a habit of turning up
Mandy Appleyard: Caring for Mum, Dignitas and the Police Knock at the Door
On this week's episode, we're joined by journalist-turned-celebrant Mandy Appleyard, who shares the extraordinary story of what happened when her fiercely independent mum suffered a devastating stroke at 81 and then asked her daughters to help her die at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.Mandy opens up about the gruelling reality of becoming a carer overnight, the slow heartbreak of watching her
Midweek Catchup: Love, Loss and the Things We Can’t Replace
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re talking about the strange emotional whiplash of midlife — from Valentine’s Day expectations (or lack of them), to the shock of realising how attached we are to things we swear don’t matter.Kay opens up about losing her mum’s ring — and being blindsided by how deeply it hurts — while Karen reflects on the small, handwritten things you’d be devastated to lose, e
Michaela Strachan: Perky, Proud and Not Apologising for It
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Michaela Strachan, TV icon, wildlife champion and a woman very clear on who she is at nearly 60. Michaela talks openly about early career labels, imposter syndrome, surviving breast cancer, menopause, mobility fears and the freedom that comes with no longer needing to perform for approval.Whether you’re still carrying old narratives, adapting to a changing b
Midweek Catchup: Manifesting Horses, £40 Socks and Big Life Buttons
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re waving goodbye to January, welcoming a galloping Year of the Horse, and asking whether manifestation actually works, or if you just need to press the button and hope for the best.We talk big life decisions, house projects, pensions, and that moment when you realise your home really is your future, alongside small but strangely emotional wins, clean rugs, tomat
Josie Lawrence: Improvising Life, Love, and What Comes Next
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Josie Lawrence - comedy icon, improv legend, and living proof that confidence and anxiety can happily coexist. Josie talks about going on stage with no script at 66, why birthdays still matter, and how you can be fearless in one part of life while catastrophising in another.We get into what improvisation has taught her about ageing, control, and letting go -
Midweek Catchup: Aches, Itches & the Great Travel Insurance Panic
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re knee-deep in the small-but-consuming realities of midlife: mysterious itches that turn out to be nerve damage, sinus infections that knock you sideways, and the peculiar stress spiral of trying to buy travel insurance when your medical history has opinions.Whether you’re juggling post-treatment side effects, wondering if every new twinge means something dreadf
Alese Johnston: Reinvention, Desire, and Why It’s Never Too Late to Want More
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Alese Johnston, founder of Fabulous 70 and unapologetic queen of reinvention, who believes life doesn’t wind down at 60 - it cracks open.Alese reflects on the decade that changed everything: divorce, therapy, finally asking herself “what do I want?”, and deciding to try 70 new things in her 70th year. From pole dancing to boudoir photo shoots, erotic bluepri
Midweek Catchup: Roots, Radiotherapy & Why We Deserve the Jaffa Cakes
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we talk pink cheeks, overdue roots, and the strange intimacy of finishing radiotherapy - plus the unexpected emotional fallout that comes after the “big milestones” are ticked off.There’s honest chat about bodies that don’t quite feel like yours anymore, the relief (and anti-climax) of treatments ending, and why booking holidays can feel like both triumph and admin
Lucy Kellaway: The Best Kind of Late Midlife Crisis (AKA Starting Again at 58)
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Lucy Kellaway OBE, 64 — former Financial Times columnist who did something genuinely radical on the edge of 60: she left her job, her marriage, and her Highbury home to retrain as a secondary school teacher in an inner London school.Lucy talks candidly (and with real humour) about what pushed her to jump. By 2013, her marriage was deteriorating, her father’s
Midweek Catchup: Grey Roots, Runny Noses & Holding Your Breath (Literally)
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re talking about those very specific midlife moments no one warns you about. When your roots feel louder than your opinions, your nose develops a mind of its own, and holding your breath becomes a daily medical requirement.From zoning out on Zoom calls and freezing houses that should probably be illegal, to radiotherapy reality checks, relentless itching, eyebrow
Jackie Kay: Identity, Ageing, and the Freedom of Not Fitting In
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Jackie Kay - poet, novelist, former Scots Makar and one of the sharpest, warmest thinkers on identity, belonging and getting older without shrinking. We talk about turning 60 as a clarifying moment, why writing is a lifelong form of processing, living on the margins by choice, love without cohabitation, grief, friendship, and what really matters as you age.W
Taking Down the Tree, Leaving the Label On ... and Starting the Year as You Mean to Go On
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re easing into 2026 the only way we know how: chatting through the small domestic dramas that somehow say everything about where we’re at. From the brutal satisfaction of taking the Christmas decorations down early (and judging everyone else who hasn’t), to the chaos of tangled fairy lights, surprise clothing labels, itchy arms, ageing bodies, drum kits, camper v
Midweek Catchup: Twixmas Time-Warp, Questionable Oysters & When Christmas Loses the Plot
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re firmly in that strange in-between zone where no one knows what day it is, Christmas feels like it happened months ago, and normal rules no longer apply. Kaye and Karen swap Twixmas stories - from quiet family Christmases and gifts bought (or bought for oneself), to beachside holidays, culinary regrets involving oysters, and the weird emotional flatness that ca
Midweek Catchup: Chemo Side Effects, Surprise Beards & Why Pilates Costs £34
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re recording on Christmas Eve and doing what we do best — talking honestly about how life actually feels at this age. From finishing a final round of chemo (and the brutal side effects no one really prepares you for), to the strange satisfactions of ticking off medication charts, to the sudden realisation that facial hair is… expanding.There’s festive exhaustion,
A Life and a Half — Love, Faith, Survival and Not Giving a Monkey’s
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Sir Chris Bryant - MP, minister, memoirist, and living proof that life rarely runs in straight lines. Chris talks with fierce honesty about growing up too fast, coming to terms with being gay in a far less forgiving era, the strange road through the priesthood, and why resilience isn’t about pretending things didn’t hurt.It’s never just about politics. This
Midweek Catchup: Secret Santas, Sleeper Trains and Seeing Chemo to the Finish Line
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re checking in just days before Christmas — with Kaye broadcasting from a hotel bathroom in London (puffer jacket, luggage rack and all) and Karen at home, navigating the final stretch of chemotherapy, festive expectations, and the strange emotional weather that comes with both.It’s a wide-ranging, very real conversation about not quite feeling “Christmassy,” the
Lesley Kara: The Plot Twist That Turned 55 Into a Writing Breakthroug
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Sunday Times bestselling author Lesley Kara, whose brand-new psychological thriller The Troublemaker is landing next year — and trust us, it’s going to keep a lot of women up past their bedtime.We dig into the extraordinary story behind her so-called “late start”: the years of motherhood, endometriosis, surgical menopause, teaching stress, and sheer exhausti
Midweek Catchup: The One-Brow Wonder, Cold Caps & December Chaos
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we tumble through the very specific flavour of December mayhem — Karen accidentally sleeping through chemo while the nurses wait to go home, the slow disappearance of her right eyebrow, and a restaurant saga that ends with a truly dreadful pizza and a packet of chocolate éclairs to recover from it.Whether you’re still counting out sleeping tablets like an advent cal
Jacqueline Hooton on Getting Stronger at 60 and Ditching Ageist Nonsense
Fitness expert Jacqueline Hooton joins Kaye and Karen for a grounded, funny and honest conversation about ageing well. She talks about staying strong through shoulder surgeries and osteoarthritis, tackling internalised ageism, navigating post-menopause health, and why balance, bone strength and everyday mobility matter more than any “anti-ageing” promise.It’s a warm, motivating reminder that you’r
Midweek Catchup: Shoe-horns, Sleepless Nights and A&E Panic Stations
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re talking Christmas chaos, stubborn husbands, and the kind of A&E visit that derails even the best-laid festive plans. Kaye finds herself doing the night shift in a waiting room full of germs, Karen is wrapping up head-torches and shoehorns like they’re luxury gifts, and both of them are wondering when life got quite this ridiculous.Whether you’re panic-buyi
Scott Hastings: Love, Loss, and Learning to Live Again
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Scott Hastings, the rugby legend who has lived through the unimaginable and still finds a way to smile. After losing his wife and teenage sweetheart, Jenny, to suicide after 45 years together, Scott shares the reality of grief, resilience, and what it means to choose joy without ignoring pain. Whether you’re navigating your own storms or supporting someone t
Midweek Catchup: Slipping, Sliding and Surviving the Cold Snap
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re braving the Baltic chill with toilet confessions, rap-induced bafflement at Hamilton and the ongoing saga of Karen’s chemo side effects. Whether you’re the type who cleans your loo with a brush or a wad of loo roll, you’ll feel right at home.It’s never just about the weather. It’s the insomnia, the metallic taste, the pockets of joy found in ginger puddings an
Maria McErlane: Cycling Through Chaos, Confidence, and Life After 60
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Maria McErlane, who brings sharp humour, unapologetic honesty, and a lifetime of mischief as she talks about ageing, invisibility, reinvention, sex, grief, and why she finally surrendered to an e-bike.Whether you’re feeling more third age than old age or still trying to work out who you are at 60+, this one lands. Maria opens up about changing identities, lo
Midweek Catchup: Chemo-Proof Hair, Foot Scrub Confessions & The Great Poo Kit Enthusiasm
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we tumble from hairstyle envy to spit jars, chemo side effects and the baffling joy of a bowel screening kit. Whether you’re currently debating how often to wash your neck, dealing with metallic mouth, or wondering if your partner’s dawn chorus of throat noises means anything medically, this one’s for you.It’s never just about hair, feet or poo samples. It’s about l
Fiona Clark: The Menopause Minefield — Sorting Fact from Fear
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Fiona Clark, author of Menowars, who’s calling time on the confusion around menopause. From HRT debates to vaginal health taboos, Fiona tackles the mixed messages women face - and reminds us that post-menopause isn’t “after the storm,” it’s the rest of our lives.Whether you’re wondering if you should be on HRT, baffled by conflicting advice, or just tired of
Midweek Catchup: Finding Pockets of Joy (and Other Accidents)
On this week’s Midweek Catchup, Kaye and Karen prove that nothing is off limits — from cheap heaters and dodgy white diets to the hazards of sending a voice note mid-fart. Kaye confesses her accidental “audio offence,” Karen blames chemo for her skincare woes (and possibly Kaye’s face cream), and somehow it all ends with Kim Kardashian’s pubic-hair lingerie.There’s reflection too — on finding pock
