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All Episodes

The Shift with Sam Baker — 293 episodes

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1

Katriona O'Sullivan on women's bodies, hunger & why women shrink

2

Siri Hustvedt on living on when the love of your life dies

3

Bryony Gordon is done with people pleasing

4

Margaret Busby: Britain's first black female publisher on the power of passing it on

5

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

6

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

7

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

8

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

9

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

10

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

11

Poorna Bell is rewriting the rules around ageing

12

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

13

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

14

Catherine Newman on surviving the midlife sandwich – THE SHIFT LIVE

15

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

16

Gretchen Rubin on happiness, acceptance and the secrets of adulthood

17

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

18

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

19

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

20

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

21

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

22

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

23

Lady Glenconner on stepping into the spotlight at 87

24

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

25

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

26

Holly Dawson on facing permanent memory loss at 40

27

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

28

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

E
29

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

30

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

31

Lyse Doucet – my extraordinary 40 years on the frontline

32

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

33

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

34

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

35

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

36

Thomasina Miers on the midlife Mexican escape that rebuilt her

37

Laura Lippmann is having a second coming at 60

38

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

39

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

40

Nicola Sturgeon on life after leadership

41

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

42

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

43

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

44

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

45

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

46

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

47

Molly Jong Fast: confessions of a bad daughter

48

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

49

Olia Hercules: my periods vanished when the war started

50

Melissa Febos on what she learnt from a year of celibacy

51

Reeta Chakrabarti on growing older & bolder

52

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

53

Jennifer Weiner on Ozempic, ageing and growing some boundaries!

54

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

55

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

56

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

57

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

58

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

59

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

60

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

61

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

62

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

63

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

64

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

65

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

66

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

67

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

68

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

69

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

70

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

71

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

E
72

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

73

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

74

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

75

BONUS EPISODE: Neneh Cherry on love, loss & legacy

76

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

77

Donna Ashworth on finding her calling in midlife

78

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

79

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

80

Louise Doughty on the unrealised potential of older women

81

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

82

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

83

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

84

Marianne Power: how to build a happy single life

85

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

86

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

87

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

88

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

89

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

90

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

91

Fearne Cotton on the joy of embracing her second chapter

92

Lindsay Nicholson on resilience, recovery and the pursuit of perfection

93

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

94

Zandra Rhodes: the legendary fashion designer on ageing uncompromisingly

95

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

96

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

E
97

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

98

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

99

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

100

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

101

Liz Jensen on learning to love life again after devastating loss

102

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

103

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

104

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

105

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

106

Miranda July on the unexpected wildness of ageing

107

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

108

Amanda de Cadenet on reframing ambition and success in midlife

109

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

110

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

111

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

112

Cathy Newman: "turning 50 feels like a superpower"

113

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

114

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

115

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

116

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

117

Annie Macmanus on rebuilding her identity at 45

118

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

119

Bryony Gordon on burnout, binge eating and perimenopause

120

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

121

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

122

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

123

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

124

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

125

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

126

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

127

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

128

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

129

Bee Wilson on how cooking helped her heal after divorce

130

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

131

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

132

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

133

India Knight answers your midlife beauty questions

134

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

135

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

136

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

137

Agony Aunt Philippa Perry is back!

138

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

139

Stacey Duguid on coming back from midlife collapse

140

Sara Pascoe: what happens when a weirdo grows up!

141

Natasha Walter on being a middle-aged activist

142

Maggie Smith on her midlife reappearing act

143

Helen Rebanks is flying the flag for invisible women

144

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

145

Miki Berenyi on freeing yourself from the anxiety of youth

146

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

147

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

148

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

149

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

150

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

151

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

152

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

153

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

154

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

155

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

156

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

157

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

158

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

159

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

160

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

161

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

E
162

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

163

Marina Benjamin on emotional labour & the caring conundrum

164

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

165

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

E
166

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

167

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

168

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

169

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

170

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

171

Carolyn Hays on parenting a transgender child

172

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

173

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

174

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

175

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

176

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

177

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

178

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

179

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

180

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

181

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

182

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

183

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

184

Kaye Adams on ambition, insecurity and surviving Strictly

185

Sali Hughes on the positive power of being a grown up

186

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

187

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

188

Marina Hyde on gaining confidence and growing older riskily

189

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

E
190

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

191

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

192

Raynor Winn on walking, nature and the power of hope

193

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

194

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

195

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

196

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

197

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

198

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

199

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

200

Emma Forrest on sex, celibacy and solitude

201

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

202

Julia Cameron on alcoholism, creativity and emotional sobriety

203

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

204

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

205

A quick word from Sam

206

Poorna Bell on the unexpected power in being 40

207

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

208

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

209

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

210

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

211

Christie Watson on menopause, midlife and mischief

212

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

213

Natalie Lee on breaking free of shame and finding sexual freedom

E
214

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

215

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

216

Minnie Driver on ageing, expectation and creased Brad Pitt!

217

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

218

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

219

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

220

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

221

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

E
222

Lindsey Hilsum on menopause in a warzone - FROM THE ARCHIVES

223

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

224

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

225

Dana Spiotta on putting paid to menopause shame

226

Clover Stroud on grief, love, sex and sisterhood

227

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

228

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

229

Marian Keyes is BACK!

230

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

231

Dorothy Koomson on how she learnt to be enough

232

Nicola Sturgeon on power and the fiftysomething woman

233

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

234

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

235

Liz Fraser on living with and loving an alcoholic

236

Mariella Frostrup on fearlessness, menopause and knowing your worth

237

Bobbi Brown on taking a leap at 64

238

Ruth Ozeki on why menopause is the new adolescence

239

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

240

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

241

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

242

Sophie Ellis Bextor on music, men and motherhood

243

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

244

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

245

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

246

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

E
247

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

248

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

249

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

250

Paula Hawkins on midlife success and the importance of financial independence

251

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

E
252

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

E
253

Terri White on work, class and mental health

254

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

255

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

E
256

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

257

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

258

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

259

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

260

Mona Eltahawy on anger, ambition and ageing disgracefully

E
261

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

262

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

263

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

264

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

265

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

266

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

267

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

268

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

269

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

270

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

271

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

E
272

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

273

Kate Mosse on why caring is a feminist issue

274

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

275

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

E
276

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

277

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

278

Erica Davies is here to help you rediscover your fashion mojo

279

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

280

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

E
281

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

282

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

283

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

284

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

285

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

286

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

287

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

288

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

289

Jojo Moyes on visibility, imposter syndrome and female friendship

290

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

291

Marian Keyes on menopause, Botox and learning to be shameless

292

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

293

Coming soon