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All Episodes

The Shift with Sam Baker — 288 episodes

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1

Emily Nagoski knows the surprising secret to long term intimacy - THE SHIFT REVISITED

2

Elif Shafak on the power of older women & why menopause can be the end of shame - THE SHIFT REVISITED

3

Christie Watson on menopause, mischief and midlife - THE SHIFT REVISITED

4

Martha Wainwright on music, motherhood & finding love in midlife - FROM THE ARCHIVES

5

Prue Leith: 'I've had HRT patches on my bum for more than 40 years!'

6

Poorna Bell is rewriting the rules around ageing

7

Elizabeth Gilbert: "It's quite radical, what happens to us as we get older"

8

Fatima Bhutto: surviving a coercive relationship & letting go of shame

9

Catherine Newman on surviving the midlife sandwich – THE SHIFT LIVE

10

Amy Larocca: 'the wellness industry sets women up to fail'

11

Gretchen Rubin on happiness, acceptance and the secrets of adulthood

12

Melani Sanders DOES NOT CARE - and she doesn’t care that she doesn’t care!

13

Dr Gladys McGarey: Life lessons from a 103 year old - FROM THE ARCHIVES

14

Isabel Allende on feminism, anger and being 'fatally heterosexual' - FROM THE ARCHIVES

15

Lynda La Plante on a lifetime of breaking boundaries - FROM THE ARCHIVES

16

Helen Garner on divorce, grandmothering and the erotic gaze - FROM THE ARCHIVES

17

Miriam Margolyes on the power of living life without secrets - FROM THE ARCHIVES

18

Lady Glenconner on stepping into the spotlight at 87

19

Karen Dobres: how menopause & football turned me into an accidental radical

20

Samantha Ellis on food, family and finding your identity in your 40s

21

Holly Dawson on facing permanent memory loss at 40

22

Bobbi Brown on doing it all her own way in her 60s

23

Hollie McNish on sex, shame and telling the truth about womanhood

E
24

Jen Hatmaker: “It’s like I woke up halfway through my life”

25

THE SHIFT LIVE: Mary Portas on fashion, Ab Fab & how her childhood shaped her

26

Lyse Doucet – my extraordinary 40 years on the frontline

27

India Knight on finally gaining a sense of self in her 50s - from the archives

28

Hilma Wolitzer: 80 years of writing – and not done yet (from the archives)

29

Caryn Franklin on why fashion still fails older women - from the archives

30

Lisa Jewell on hitting a golden seam of success in her 50s - FROM THE ARCHIVES

31

Thomasina Miers on the midlife Mexican escape that rebuilt her

32

Laura Lippmann is having a second coming at 60

33

Charlotte Mendelson – middle-aged women are entitled to want more

34

Betsy Lerner is on a mission to destigmatise mental health in her 60s

35

Nicola Sturgeon on life after leadership

36

Sarah Perry on "becoming a woman who didn't have children"

37

Glynnis MacNicol: everything you've been told about being a middle-aged woman is a lie

38

Steph McGovern on money, menopause & staying out of your lane

39

Alison Bechdel on tarot, ageing & why men are scared of women who can do push-ups! - THE SHIFT REVISITED

40

Esther Freud on upending your life in your 50s - THE SHIFT REVISITED

41

Helen Garner on divorce, ageing and the erotic gaze - THE SHIFT REVISITED

42

Molly Jong Fast: confessions of a bad daughter

43

Jo Hamilton: The Post Office scandal stole 20 years of my life

44

Olia Hercules: my periods vanished when the war started

45

Melissa Febos on what she learnt from a year of celibacy

46

Reeta Chakrabarti on growing older & bolder

47

Jeanine Cummins on confidence, identity and surviving the American Dirt controversy

48

Jennifer Weiner on Ozempic, ageing and growing some boundaries!

49

Naga munchetty on her 30 year battle to get her painful periods taken seriously

50

Clover Stroud on grief, love, sex & sisterhood - THE SHIFT REVISITED

51

Tracey Thorn on being a woman in a bloke's world, hormones and going "statement grey" - THE SHIFT REVISITED

52

Maggie O'Farrell on Hamnet, imposter syndrome and why she didn't think she's the marrying kind: THE SHIFT REVISITED

53

The "other" Maggie Smith on her midlife reappearing act - THE SHIFT REVISITED

54

Lorraine Kelly on menopause, misogyny, toxic men in telly, being a granny, Botox, you name it!

55

Jenni Fagan: I'm 46, nobody thought I'd make it past 16

56

Ione Skye: I'm still working on being seen in the world – and I'm 50

57

Denise Lewis shares her secrets for adapting to a big life shift

58

Liz O'Riordan: When breast cancer surgeon becomes breast cancer patient

59

Martha Beck on creativity, anxiety & finding your life's purpose

60

Diana Evans on expectation, ageing & turning 50 without her twin

61

Kate Fagan on success, ambition and ageing alongside the L-word!

62

Miranda July on the unexpected wildness of ageing - THE SHIFT REVISITED

63

Ruby Wax on building an emotional toolkit for the second half of your life - THE SHIFT REVISITED

64

Dani Shapiro on family secrets and coming into your full potential at 60 - THE SHIFT REVISITED

65

Bryony Gordon on burnout, binge eating and perimenopause - THE SHIFT REVISITED

66

Sarah Knight: why selfish isn't a four letter word - THE SHIFT REVISITED

E
67

Dr Gladys McGarey: a 102-year-old shares her life lessons - THE SHIFT REVISITED

68

Barbara Kingsolver on why life gets better with every passing decade - THE SHIFT REVISITED

69

Katherine May: why we all need a little more wonder in our lives - THE SHIFT REVISITED

70

BONUS EPISODE: Neneh Cherry on love, loss & legacy

71

Bella Freud: "I've definitely got more daring with age"

72

Donna Ashworth on finding her calling in midlife

73

Baroness Lola Young: "you can't be what you can't see, but somebody has to go first"

74

Jennifer Cox: why women are furious (and getting angrier)

75

Louise Doughty on the unrealised potential of older women

76

Kate Weinberg on the kindness of women & living with a mother-shaped hole

77

Vanessa Feltz on divorce, dating and finally shaking off her inhibitions at 62

78

Jane Campbell on reinventing herself at 40 – and again at 80!

79

Marianne Power: how to build a happy single life

80

Louise Minchin: why midlife is the time to take more risks

81

Moon Unit Zappa: "We're all just growing each other up"

82

Carol Vorderman on finding her voice (and how!) at 60

83

Bella Mackie: "Nobody tells you motherhood is a choice"

84

Ruth Crilly: "This is my face, I don't want to tweak it"

85

Deborah Harkness on witches, wising & the cancer diagnosis that upended her life

86

Fearne Cotton on the joy of embracing her second chapter

87

Lindsay Nicholson on resilience, recovery and the pursuit of perfection

88

Taffy Brodesser-Akner: "Everyone taught me to be afraid of middle age - I wish I could have started in it!"

89

Zandra Rhodes: the legendary fashion designer on ageing uncompromisingly

90

Terri White on work, class and mental health - FROM THE ARCHIVES

91

BONUS EPISODE! Katie Price on taking back control of her own life at 46

E
92

Kate Mosse: Why caring is a feminist issue - FROM THE ARCHIVES

93

Gabby Logan on resilience, reclaiming middle age and why equality begins at home - FROM THE ARCHIVES

94

Kathy Lette’s midlife mantra: if it doesn’t spark joy, it’s time to toss it away!

95

Molly Roden-Winter on becoming an ambassador for polyamory in your 50s

96

Liz Jensen on learning to love life again after devastating loss

97

Emily Nagoski: what happens when a sex expert loses her sex drive?

98

Anna Cascarina: you’re never too old to wear what the hell you want

99

Jackie Kay on absence, adoption & the art of living together apart

100

Helen Lederer on anxiety, failure & living an “alarmingly truthful” life

101

Miranda July on the unexpected wildness of ageing

102

Kate Muir on the menopause experience that turned her into an activist

103

Amanda de Cadenet on reframing ambition and success in midlife

104

Minnie Driver on ageing, expectation and creased Brad Pitt! - THE SHIFT REVISITED

105

Mariella Frostrup on refusing to be "scrap-heaped" at 50 - THE SHIFT REVISITED

106

Marian Keyes on HRT, Botox and learning to be shameless - THE SHIFT REVISITED

107

Cathy Newman: "turning 50 feels like a superpower"

108

Helen Garner on marriage, divorce and why she couldn't give a monkey's about the erotic gaze

109

Leslie Jamison on divorce, ambition & discovering the parts of ourselves we don't yet know

110

Lyn Slater (aka Accidental Icon) on writing a new narrative for ageing

111

Karyn McCluskey on menopause, paying it forward & being the only woman in the room

112

Annie Macmanus on rebuilding her identity at 45

113

Lucinda Chambers: the former Vogue fashion director gives us a midlife style masterclass

114

Bryony Gordon on burnout, binge eating and perimenopause

115

Jennifer Clement on women, art, creativity & why we love Frida Kahlo

116

DJ paulette: how perimeno knocked her sideways at 39 (39!)

117

Delia Ephron on getting a second chance at love in your 70s - THE SHIFT REVISITED

118

Julia Cameron believes creativity is the answer, whatever the question - THE SHIFT REVISITED

119

Dr Sharon Blackie wants you to embrace your inner hag - THE SHIFT REVISITED

120

Raynor Winn on the power of hope & becoming a public person at 60 - THE SHIFT REVISITED

121

Lindsey Hilsum on menopause in a warzone and why going grey is NOT brave - THE SHIFT REVISITED

122

Nina Stibbe on menopause, middle age and midlife sex scenes - THE SHIFT REVISITED

123

Miriam Margolyes on the power of living a life with no secrets

124

Bee Wilson on how cooking helped her heal after divorce

125

Patricia Cornwell on how writing helped her take back control of her life

126

Lindsey Kelk on grief, gynae hell and why she's had enough of ageism in romcoms

127

Dr Gladys McGarey: a 102-year-old shares their life lessons

128

India Knight answers your midlife beauty questions

129

Tracy-Ann Oberman on the strong women who've shaped her

130

The Shift LIVE: Trinny Woodall on how she learnt to fear less in her 50s

131

Dr Louise Newson: I was "told off" for prescribing HRT

132

Agony Aunt Philippa Perry is back!

133

Grace Dent on balancing a Gen X body image with eating for a living

134

Stacey Duguid on coming back from midlife collapse

135

Sara Pascoe: what happens when a weirdo grows up!

136

Natasha Walter on being a middle-aged activist

137

Maggie Smith on her midlife reappearing act

138

Helen Rebanks is flying the flag for invisible women

139

Dawn Butler is living proof that well-behaved women seldom make history

140

Miki Berenyi on freeing yourself from the anxiety of youth

141

Leila Slimani: It's time women started telling each other the truth

142

Andi Osho: I'm 50, get used to it!

143

Annie Macmanus: why middle aged women are a force to be reckoned with - THE SHIFT REVISITED

144

Emma Freud on mothering millennials and refusing to lie about her age - THE SHIFT REVISITED

145

Alison Bechdel on her search for inner and outer strength - THE SHIFT REVISITED

146

Barbara Blake Hannah on feeling new at 80 - THE SHIFT REVISITED

147

Tracey Thorn has got it all going on at 60 - THE SHIFT REVISITED

148

Jo Whiley on menopause, finding your fashion mojo and... gardening - THE SHIFT REVISITED

149

BONUS EPISODE: Barbara Kingsolver on why life gets better with every passing decade

150

Lennie Goodings on ageism, bringing your A-game and the women who've shaped her

151

Aasmah Mir on how she finally dislodged the pebble in her throat

152

Tanya Sarne on losing Ghost, surviving rehab and living life to the full

153

Josie Long on why she hopes she'll still be doing standup at 80 (old lady arms and all!)

154

Joanna Cannon on why it took her 50 years to learn it's OK to be her

155

Ruby Wax on building an emotional toolkit for the second half of your life

156

Melanie Sykes on her autism diagnosis at 51 and being her own person

E
157

Natasha Carthew on class, poverty and refusing to stay in her lane

158

Marina Benjamin on emotional labour & the caring conundrum

159

Curtis Sittenfeld rejects the idea that ageing is somehow bad or shameful

160

Sarah Knight on finding the courage to make change and why selfish isn't a four letter word

E
161

Anita B on why the beauty industry wants us to fear ageing

162

Anna Murphy shares her take-no-prisoners approach to growing older

163

Dani Shapiro on family secrets and coming into your full potential at 60

164

Katherine May on burnout and why we all need a little more wonder in our lives

165

Martha Wainwright on music, motherhood and finding love in your 40s

166

Carolyn Hays on parenting a transgender child

167

Charlene White on fighting the bias that still exists against older women

168

Jojo Moyes on the total liberation of being in your 50s

169

Cariad Lloyd on what she's learnt from 25 years in The Grief Club

170

Clover Stroud on sex, sisterhood & looking forward to menopause - THE SHIFT REVISITED

171

Kit de Waal on race, class – and her exceedingly cool hair! - THE SHIFT REVISITED

172

Kat Farmer has the answer to all your "my wardrobe hates me" dilemmas - THE SHIFT REVISITED

173

Poorna Bell on the unexpected power in being 40 - THE SHIFT REVISITED

174

Sheila Hancock on the class ceiling and the "strong woman" problem - THE SHIFT REVISITED

175

Abi Morgan on rebuilding just about everything in your 50s - THE SHIFT REVISITED

176

The Shift LIVE: Ruth Jones on daughterhood, menopause and being Nanny Ruth

177

The Shift LIVE: Elif Shafak on intersectionality, identity and finding the courage to come out in her 40s

178

Nadiya Hussain on becoming the independent woman her nan was afraid of

179

Kaye Adams on ambition, insecurity and surviving Strictly

180

Sali Hughes on the positive power of being a grown up

181

Milly Johnson on grafting, greetings cards and life in the "sandwich" zone

182

Caryn Franklin on how being a carer in her thirties changed her attitude to ageing

183

Marina Hyde on gaining confidence and growing older riskily

184

Dawn O'Porter on cats, kaftans and kicking the need to be liked

E
185

Sharon Blackie on embracing your inner hag & the magic of menopause!

186

Susannah Constantine on alcoholism, 'mental' menopause & finding herself in her 50s

187

Raynor Winn on walking, nature and the power of hope

188

Deborah Frances-White on feminism, guilt-exfoliation and being diagnosed with ADHD in her 40s

189

Dr Jen Gunter has things she wants you to know about the menopause - THE SHIFT REVISITED

190

Nana-Ama Danquah on the triple burden of mental health, menopause and being Black - THE SHIFT REVISITED

191

Anita Rani on why her 40s are her power decade - THE SHIFT REVISITED

192

Lisa Jewell on hitting a golden seam of success in her 50s

193

Hilma Wolitzer: 80 years of writing, and not done yet

194

Clare Grogan on the superpower that helped her survive her most difficult decade

195

Emma Forrest on sex, celibacy and solitude

196

Kit de Waal on race, class, privilege – and her exceedingly cool hair!

197

Julia Cameron on alcoholism, creativity and emotional sobriety

198

Jane Fallon on embracing 60 and being a Botox hold-out

199

CJ Hauser on learning to live your own dreams, not other people’s

200

A quick word from Sam

201

Poorna Bell on the unexpected power in being 40

202

Lisa Taddeo on women, power and the success stitch-up

203

Janey Godley on kicking the "I'm fine" compulsion & being proud to be gallus

204

Sabrina Pace-Humphreys on rural racism, alcoholism and the life-saving power of running

205

Ruth Ozeki on why menopause is the new adolescence - FROM THE ARCHIVES

206

Christie Watson on menopause, midlife and mischief

207

Sheila Hancock on sexism, classism and the double-edged sword of being seen as a "strong woman"

208

Natalie Lee on breaking free of shame and finding sexual freedom

E
209

Amy Bloom on love, death, dignity – and tarot!

210

BONUS: Sam Baker on menopause, the HRT lottery and the power of invisibility

211

Minnie Driver on ageing, expectation and creased Brad Pitt!

212

Abi Morgan on embracing catastrophe and rebuilding just about everything in your 50s

213

Chitra Ramaswamy on memory, mothering & the "mid-life gift" of responsibility

214

Nina Stibbe on the relationship-saving power of a sofa bed!

215

Jojo Moyes on radical life change in your 40s - FROM THE ARCHIVES

216

Philippa Perry takes issue with your inner critic - FROM THE ARCHIVE

E
217

Lindsey Hilsum on menopause in a warzone - FROM THE ARCHIVES

218

Delia Ephron on getting a second chance at life and love in your 70s

219

Kat Farmer has the answer to all your "my wardrobe hates me" dilemmas

220

Dana Spiotta on putting paid to menopause shame

221

Clover Stroud on grief, love, sex and sisterhood

222

Barbara Blake Hannah on feeling new at 80 and why she believes in miracles

223

Christina Patterson on how to deal with the blows life throws at you

224

Marian Keyes is BACK!

225

Jami Attenberg on the joy of starting over and finding a place of your own

226

Dorothy Koomson on how she learnt to be enough

227

Nicola Sturgeon on power and the fiftysomething woman

228

Pepsi and Shirlie on miscarriage, mental health and 40 years of friendship

229

Lynda La Plante on breaking boundaries and why there STILL aren't enough good roles for women

230

Liz Fraser on living with and loving an alcoholic

231

Mariella Frostrup on fearlessness, menopause and knowing your worth

232

Bobbi Brown on taking a leap at 64

233

Ruth Ozeki on why menopause is the new adolescence

234

Fi Glover and Jane Garvey on Fortunately, friendship and pushing boundaries in your 50s

235

Paula Sutton on how age has liberated her and the rejuvenating power of dressing up

236

Val McDermid on anger, ageing – and an unlikely "cure" for menopause

237

Sophie Ellis Bextor on music, men and motherhood

238

Tasmina Perry on career, confidence and how not to get stuck at the amber light (from the archives)

239

Marian Keyes on menopause, Botox and learning to be shameless (from the archive)

240

Isabel Allende on feminism, anger and being fatally heterosexual (from the archive)

241

Denise Mina gets frank about HRT, sex and ageing (from the archive)

E
242

Jess Phillips on why we need to talk about menopause in parliament

243

Lucy Kellaway on fear, freedom and starting a whole new life in her 50s

244

Elif Shafak on the power of older women and why menopause can be the end of shame

245

Paula Hawkins on midlife success and the importance of financial independence

246

Laura Friedman Williams on sex and the newly single 40something mum

E
247

Torrey Peters on finding a roadmap for ageing as a trans woman

E
248

Terri White on work, class and mental health

249

Anita Rani on ditching the baggage, owning her anger and why her 40s are her power decade

250

Dr Jen Gunter on menopause, mental health and why we all need a meno-party

E
251

Esther Freud on motherhood, guilt and upending your life in your 50s

252

Kate Mosse: why caring is a feminist issue (from the archives)

253

Pragya Agarwal on shame, surrogacy and the many faces of motherhood

254

Annie Mac on turning 40 and why middle aged women are a force to be reckoned with

255

Mona Eltahawy on anger, ambition and ageing disgracefully

E
256

Alison Bechdel on her search for inner and outer strength. Plus tarot

257

Anya Hindmarch on beating self doubt and why fashion needs to take some responsibility

258

Tamsin Calidas: the truth about the "escape to the country" dream

259

Tracey Thorn on being a woman in a bloke’s world, hormones and going statement grey

260

Mel Giedroyc on starting a new career at 51 and being a menopause dodger

261

Lindsey Hilsum on Marie Colvin, menopause in a warzone and why going grey is NOT brave

262

Sadie Frost and Frances Ruffelle on 40 years of friendship - and why it's more important than love

263

Nana-Ama Danquah on the triple burden of mental health, menopause and being black

264

Isabel Allende on feminism, anger and being "fatally heterosexual"

265

Rosie Green: a how to cope with mid-life crisis special

266

Sarah Pinborough on why women need to get comfortable talking about money

E
267

Alexandra Heminsley on body image, identity and building an LGBTQ+ family

268

Kate Mosse on why caring is a feminist issue

269

Salena Godden on why 40-plus is where the party is

270

Philippa Perry on getting hold of the "steering wheel of life"

E
271

Season 3 of The Shift with Sam Baker is back!!

272

Gabby Logan on resilience, reclaiming middle age – and why equality begins at home

273

Erica Davies is here to help you rediscover your fashion mojo

274

Maggie O'Farrell on imposter syndrome and why she didn't think she was "the marrying kind"

275

Denise Mina on the feminism, HRT and how to be assertive

E
276

Meg Mathews on menopause, osteoporosis and feeling like she'd "lost it"

277

Jodi Picoult on sexism, Donald Trump and why everyone has a "what if?" moment

278

Bryony Gordon on alcoholism, mental health & why she feels lucky to be 40

279

Karen Arthur on how to turn a breakdown into a breakthrough and #MenopauseWhilstBlack

280

Emma Freud on millennials, going grey and why she'll never lie about her age

281

Kate Spicer on menopause stereotypes, being child-free and single at 50

282

Jo Whiley on regaining your confidence, finding your fashion mojo and... gardening

283

Caroline de Maigret on being older but better and grown up style

284

Jojo Moyes on visibility, imposter syndrome and female friendship

285

Sara Collins on the power of women and turning a midlife crisis into success

286

Marian Keyes on menopause, Botox and learning to be shameless

287

Tasmina Perry on career, confidence and how not to get stuck at the amber light

288

Coming soon