Episodes

  • Peace Signs, Petty Parking & Protecting Your Energy

    Peace Signs, Petty Parking & Protecting Your Energy
    Apr 2 2026
    Today on 40ish: Nicole has officially had enough of the algorithm, and Lauren is launching a bold new driving movement: replacing the universal thank-you hand with a casual two-finger peace-out gesture. Will it catch on? Only time will tell. We dive into a listener dilemma about friendships in midlife. She used to be the organiser and emotional support system for everyone. Now the energy to keep friendships running just isn’t there. Is this burnout from years of carrying the load, a normal midlife shift towards protecting your energy, or the slow drift into becoming a bad friend? We talk about balance, boundaries, and what showing up for people really looks like in your 40s. Plus, midlife meltdowns are in full swing as a listener has a full internal breakdown in a supermarket car park after being silently pressured by a woman waiting for her parking space resulting in an act of slow-motion petty resistance that honestly deserves a medal. Friendship burnout, car park standoffs, failing eyesight, rogue algorithms, and a potential driving hand-gesture revolution. It’s just another calm and normal week in midlife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Empty Nest, Earl Grey and The Itty Bitty Saggy Titty Committee

    Empty Nest, Earl Grey and The Itty Bitty Saggy Titty Committee
    Mar 31 2026
    This week on 40ish: Lauren is entering her Earl Grey Era. It’s a bit like a Taylor Swift Era but a lot more middle aged. Meanwhile Nicole takes time (far too much time) to contemplate her favourite electrolyte flavour and a weekend of resting. We hear from a listener struggling with the emotional shift of parenting adult children. With one child at home and another living their dream in Australia, she’s proud but feeling the quiet loss of being needed and wondering how to rediscover herself in this new stage of life. Plus, listener meltdowns include searching for a phone using the torch on the phone you’re holding, and a very honest introduction to the “Itty Bitty Saggy Titty Committee” Expect real life, real laughs, and the strange beauty of midlife one cup of Earl Grey and electrolyte at a time. Get in touch! Email hello@40ish.co.uk Instagram https://www.instagram.com/40ish.podcast TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@40ish.podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • Saturday Night Spin Cycles & Celebrity Crushes

    Saturday Night Spin Cycles & Celebrity Crushes
    Mar 26 2026
    Today on 40ish: It may be Nicole’s most rock n’ roll Saturday night ever as she treats herself to “putting on a small washing load” and Lauren has bought a ticket to an antiques fair. Wild. Reckless. Who even are we anymore? We’ve got some lovely listener feedback (including a genuinely helpful iron supplement tip, who knew we’d become this demographic), before diving into a dilemma that is equal parts hilarious and slightly unhinged: what do you do when your husband develops a deep and ongoing appreciation for Emma Willis? In other news a listener shares the heartbreak of discontinued lipstick and perfume. If you’re enjoying the episode, share it with a friend who also thinks a quiet wash cycle is now a legitimate weekend plan. Get in touch! Email hello@40ish.co.uk Instagram https://www.instagram.com/40ish.podcast TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@40ish.podcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/DVQWb6y2vesgeHEK/?mibextid=LQQJ4d To order our book HAVE YOU TRIED THIS?” click here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-You-Tried-This-Only/dp/1801293139/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1O7EA4ZF1O5CS&keywords=have+you+tried+this&qid=1699449028&sprefix=have+you+tried+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • Meditation, Mumsnet & Moany Neighbours

    Meditation, Mumsnet & Moany Neighbours
    Mar 24 2026
    This week on 40ish:, things get deep (briefly) because Nicole meditated (we know, who is she?), and we also tackle the Oscars - mainly how illegally and problematically handsome Paul Anthony Kelly is. Also, are we just too old to get Timothée Chalamet. Is he brilliant? Is he a Year 8 boy? A listener has a dilemma with a truly stomach dropping moment; discovering a Mumsnet thread that may or may not be about you. Cue paranoid spiralling. In meltdown news: themes include being called rude by a stranger (how very dare they), and a listener rant that will resonate with anyone who has ever tried to enjoy a peaceful dog walk only to be ambushed by a neighbour with strong bin opinions. If you’re enjoying the episode, share it with a friend who also pretends to understand Timothée Chalamet. Get in touch! Email hello@40ish.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • Fibre, Friendship Fallouts & Where Are We With Facebook?

    Fibre, Friendship Fallouts & Where Are We With Facebook?
    Mar 19 2026
    This week on 40ish, Nicole reports from the glamorous world of post-surgery recovery where the main event of the day is… taking painkillers. Timing them, thinking about them, planning the next one. Meanwhile, Lauren has a mysterious foot situation developing. There is very validating listener feedback about the extremely serious issue of designated mugs. We also tackle this week’s dilemma where a woman is left wondering if some friendships can recover after youve been seriously let down. Plus we share some midlife meltdowns, including an existential crisis in the cereal aisle and a listener asking the question many of us are secretly thinking: what exactly is the point of Facebook now? Expect rants, honesty and the comforting reminder that midlife is mostly just trying to take the right painkiller at the right time while drinking out of the correct mug. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • Perimenopause Rage, Burnt Tables & The Screenshot Crisis

    Perimenopause Rage, Burnt Tables & The Screenshot Crisis
    Mar 17 2026
    Perimenopause, brain fog and relationships This week on 40ish: Nicole debates if she’s doing too little or too much post surgery - (the fact she cant stand her living room wall paint suggests the former) and Lauren attends her 30yr school reunion. The listeners have feedback for James after his appearances on the show (Let’s just say his comments about women drivers have not gone unnoticed). We also tackle this week’s dilemma from Clare who asks how do you deal with partners who simply don’t understand that perimenopause gives rage. Plus we share some midlife meltdowns, including the moment an iPhone storage warning leads to the rabbit hole of just how dull your life is judging by your screenshots. Get in touch! Email hello@40ish.co.uk Instagram https://www.instagram.com/40ish.podcast TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@40ish.podcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/DVQWb6y2vesgeHEK/?mibextid=LQQJ4d To order our book HAVE YOU TRIED THIS?” click here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-You-Tried-This-Only/dp/1801293139/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1O7EA4ZF1O5CS&keywords=have+you+tried+this&qid=1699449028&sprefix=have+you+tried+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Gossip, Gratitude and Sneakerinas

    Gossip, Gratitude and Sneakerinas
    Mar 12 2026
    Today on 40ish: It’s Lauren’s birthday and she’s apparently a fortune teller now. Nicole is feeling grateful for all her ‘get well soon’ gifts and lighting the candle whilst wearing crystals in her bra. We solve a listener dilemma involving overhearing two women casually tearing apart a friend at a party. Do you tell her? Confront them? Pretend you never heard it? Or carry the resentment like a weight around your neck? Plus: where are we with trainers? Specifically sneakerinas. Are they chic? Are they confusing? Are we too old to understand what’s happening to footwear? A listener meltdown finds a midlifer deeply distressed about Asda discontinuing her seeded loaf. Midlife: it’s petty, profound and occasionally 49p more expensive than it used to be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    34 mins
  • Mother’s Day, Midlife Algorithms and Cycle Synching With Your Dog

    Mother’s Day, Midlife Algorithms and Cycle Synching With Your Dog
    Mar 10 2026
    This week on 40ish: Nicole returns to work post op, but now she’s officially menopausal and quietly wondering if she’s evolved beyond the podcast. Has she transcended? (short answer, no) Meanwhile Lauren absolutely has not evolved, as her cycle has somehow synced with her dog’s. Yes. The dog. There are hormones in the air and no one feels entirely stable about it. Plus both women mess about kissing celebrities (don’t worry, it’s ai) We tackle a listener dilemma involving a Mother-in-Law who has requested a private Mother’s Day audience exclusively with “the people I gave birth to.” No spouses. No extras. Just the original cast. Is it sentimental? territorial? A ticketed event? Whilst another woman asks if your algorithm is serving you up grouting videos does this make you dull? Join us for midlife in all of its glory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins