MID

Julie Goodwin Has Changed

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Change is happening to our bodies and our minds and our careers and our relationships. And sometimes, the changes we decide to make can alter a life we thought we had mapped out for us.

Today, we're talking about what happens when midlife women stop performing and start becoming. When we shed the things we don't need, including the opinions of people who don't matter. When we realise we've got choices here, even if some of them will be hard.

And yes, we talk about how, as a woman in the public eye, that's never truer than if you dare to change your body.

It's an exceptionally honest conversation about identity, courage, and growth with Julie Goodwin, the person with whom this podcast all began.

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CREDITS:

Guest: Julie Goodwin

Host: Holly Wainwright

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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The Question You Need To Answer To Find 'Real' Success

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 18:30:00 +0000

What makes a life successful?

Is it the promotion, the postcode, the likes that light up your phone? That’s the story we’ve been sold, isn’t it?

Kemi Nekvapil is successful—but not in the way you might think. Yes, she’s one of Australia’s leading executive coaches and the author of the powerful book Grounded Success. But to Kemi—who was homeless at 13 and who now lives on a daffodil farm in regional Victoria—success is something deeper. Her success is that she’s built a life rich in purpose and peace.

In this conversation, she shares how to recognise a “full-body yes”—those moments when your entire being says this is right—and why keeping death close can actually lead to a more vibrant, meaningful life.

You can find Kemi's book Grounded Success here.

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CREDITS:

Guest: Kemi Nekvapil

Host: Holly Wainwright

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Gap Year That Saved A Marriage

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:30:00 +0000

The invisible woman still leaves quite a gap when she disappears.

You might not have seen her smoothing your path this morning, ensuring clean clothes, full bellies, and petrol in cars. She paid bills, kept WiFi flowing, Netflix streaming, remembered gym renewals and doctor's appointments—putting herself last on every list.

Until she doesn't.

When the invisible woman packs her bags and buggers right off, suddenly her space becomes blindingly clear.

Meet Monique van Tulder—mum, wife, woman who forgot to live her life. She took a grown-up gap year, went to change lightbulbs, and didn't return for months. Her sons call it "the time mum got mad and took off." She calls it life-changing—saving her marriage by renegotiating it entirely.

You can find Monique's book A Grown Up's Gap Year here and her podcast here.

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CREDITS:

Guest: Monique van Tulder

Host: Holly Wainwright

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melissa Leong Knows How To Blow Up Her Life

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Have you felt it? That relentless tick-tock to get everything done, achieved, and properly ticked off before some looming birthday makes you officially... what? A failure? Someone who missed the memo about how life is supposed to unfold?

Known to many as the graceful, empathetic MasterChef judge, Melissa Leong's memoir Guts reveals the deeper, complex woman behind the screen.

But in this conversation, she opens up about choosing not to have children, the pressure to marry before 35, and shares her empowering guide to confidently dining alone and ordering whatever you want, no apologies.

You can follow Melissa on Instagram and find her memoir Guts here.

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Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Melissa Leong

Host: Holly Wainwright

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paula Joye Knows There Are Two Types Of People. One Has Lost A Parent.

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 18:30:00 +0000

You know Paula Joye as someone who ran Australia’s biggest women’s magazines—and as the expert in skincare, style, and wellness that she undoubtedly is. But today? We're not talking about glossy covers or celebrity interviews. Today, Paula is sharing the story that breaks us all open - losing your mum.

Two years ago, an ordinary Tuesday night became the night that split Paula's life into 'before' and 'after'. In this conversation, she's opening up about that phone call, the impossible reality of learning to exist without the person who literally made you, and why grief feels different when you're stuck in the middle - caring for everyone else while falling apart yourself.

This is about the messy, complicated reality of mourning whilst keeping your public face on. About how loss completely rewrites your priorities. And how Paula found the strength she didn't even know existed.

You can follow Paula Joye on Instagram and find her beauty book Glow Up here.

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Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Paula Joye

Host: Holly Wainwright

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Stacy Sims Knows What Gen X Should Be Eating, Lifting & Feeling

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Dr Stacy Sims knows more about women's fitness than pretty much anyone we've ever spoken to.

She's the exercise expert who went viral for her breakfast routine, but that's just the beginning. Dr Sims is an exercise physiologist and nutritional scientist who's become the go-to authority for grown-up women navigating fitness in 2025.

In this conversation, Stacey shares why so much mainstream fitness advice is complete bullshit for women. She explains how ice baths, fasting, and soul-crushing cardio weren't designed for female bodies, and why "shrinking and pinking" men's advice doesn't serve us.

You're going to hear about the surprising differences between male and female physiology, why women aren't just "small men" when it comes to health, and what we actually need to feel vibrant and strong. Plus, yes, she'll reveal that famous breakfast that caught the internet's attention.

You can follow Dr Stacy Sims here and find out more about her work here.

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Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Dr Stacy Sims

Host: Holly Wainwright

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FROM HOLLY: 'A love letter to my toxic friend'

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 05:00:00 +0000

And Just Like That… it's over.

Welcome to the MID view of the end of the Sex and the City universe — forever.

She's been our problematic friend for 27 years now, hasn't she? Carrie Bradshaw, with her impossible shoes and even more impossible romantic choices.

But the truth we always knew? Carrie was never meant to be aspirational. She was meant to be us. Messy, self-absorbed, making terrible decisions in great outfits. She mirrored our romantic disasters, our ambition, our fear of aging — and somehow made it all look glamorous.

But now? It’s time to put down the mirror and walk away.

This special drop is inspired by a story by Holly Wainwright on Mamamia

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Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Can I Get Back Together With My Ex Best Friend?"

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 19:30:00 +0000

In this season of MID, we are answering the dilemmas and questions that you, our listeners, have sent us.

This episode is all about midlife friendships—how to navigate both new and old ones. Our guest, psychologist Clare Rowe, has plenty of experience dealing with the complexities of friendships. She's got a story about an experience with a friendship breakup—one you’ll be glad didn’t happen to you.

The dilemmas that Clare & Holly tackle in this episode are:

One of my good friends has started being awful, but she says Perimenopause is the reason for all her outbursts. Do I believe her and work through it, or do I walk away?
My ex-best friend and I drifted apart 10 years ago, but I find myself missing her a lot. Should I accept this friendship is in the past or try to reconnect?
I can't stand my friend's political opinions. Do I distance myself from the whole group? Or do I say we just can’t talk politics?

Find out more about Clare's work here.

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Want to win a $10 e-gift card AND a Mamamia subscription FREE for 1 month? Fill out this short survey. T&Cs apply.

Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Clare Rowe

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I Want A Divorce But I Can't Afford It"

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 19:30:00 +0000

In this season of MID, we are answering the dilemmas and questions that you, our listeners, have sent us.

This episode is all about divorce and separation—when it might be the right choice, what typically leads to it, and how to navigate it in the healthiest way possible. Our guest, Nikki Parkinson, has been through a divorce herself—an especially unique one—and now dedicates her work to helping others through their own journeys.

The dilemmas that Nikki & Holly tackle in this episode are:

I have fallen out of love with my husband, but I don't know if I can afford life without him. What do I do?
I’ve been divorced for almost two years, and my ex wants to introduce his new partner to our children. I think it's too soon, but he thinks I'm being jealous. Should he respect my wishes?
I’m having an affair with someone I met at work, and the sex is amazing. Do I have to tell my husband?
How do I know it’s really over with my partner of six years—my first same-sex relationship—when she says she’s unsure, has moved out, but still calls and comes back?

You can find out more about The Divorce and Separation Hub at the links below.

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Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Nikki Parkinson

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can I Pay $500 For A New Face

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 19:30:00 +0000

In this season of MID, we are answering the dilemmas and questions that you, our listeners, have sent us.

This episode is all about our relationship with our faces and what the treatments and tweakments out there are doing to our faces. Our guest is the perfect person to guide us through this minefield: Dr Naomi, a doctor who's been refreshingly honest about her own facial work and runs a clinic offering all kinds of beauty treatments.

The dilemmas that Dr Naomi & Holly tackle in this episode are:

I am very tempted to fix some of the things that are making me sad when I look in the mirror. How much do anti-aging procedures cost? Can I justify the money?
I want to get tweaks, but my partner would be so disappointed in me if I did. Is it okay to hide it from my partner?
My partner is 10 years younger than me, and I look SO much older than him. What are the most effective, not too obvious procedures to "freshen me up"?

You can follow Dr Naomi here and find out more about her clinic work here.

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Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Dr Naomi McCullum

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tantalising Temptation Of My Facebook Ex

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:30:00 +0000

In this season of MID, we are answering the dilemmas and questions that you, our listeners, have sent us.

This episode is all about the excitement, fear, insecurity and orgasmic joy of MID dating. Who better to enlist to answer your questions than the very funny and very smart Cath Mahoney, who herself is currently ‘between boyfriends’ - so trust us, she knows the good, bad and ugly (and the great) about all things dating.

The dilemmas that Cath & Holly tackle in this episode are:

I’ve reconnected with my Facebook ex - he’s not NOT married - and I’m feeling like maybe he’s the one that got away…but my best friend is telling me to let it go.
I’m on the apps…and I’m thinking about dating younger men. Do I? Should I? How?
I’ve been having the best sex of my life since my divorce…but now my ex wants me back - I’m tempted - but I don’t want to give up the hot sex!
Is it bad to want to date someone with money?

You can follow Cath here and get her book here.

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Mamamia wants to hear about your financial wellbeing and how you're feeling about the future. Complete our short survey here for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw!

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Cath Mahoney

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Daughter-In-Law Won’t Even Join The Group Chat

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 19:30:00 +0000

In this season of MID, we are answering the dilemmas and questions that you, our listeners, have sent us. This episode is all about families - the messy, the heartbreaking and the scary. To answer your questions, Holly has enlisted the woman known as the Friendly Psychologist, Jacqui Manning, who has over 25 years of clinical experience.

The dilemmas Jacqui and Holly tackle in this episode are:

I want to be friends with my daughter-in-law, but she won’t even join the group chat.
My mother is dying, but we still don’t get along.
My daughter won’t speak to me because of my younger boyfriend.

Find out more about Jacqui's work as The Friendly Psychologist here.

Do you have a dilemma you'd like to send us? You can find us on helpme@mamamia.com.au

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Jacqui Manning

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm Afraid Of The Weight Loss Jabs

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 19:30:00 +0000

In this season of MID, we are answering the dilemmas and questions that you, our listeners, have sent us. This episode is all about our MID relationship with our bodies, and Holly has enlisted one of Australia's foremost nutritionists and dietitians, Susie Burrell.

The dilemmas Susie and Holly tackle in this episode are:

My friends are telling me to get weight loss jabs...but I don't want to remove the pleasure of eating from my life.
My daughter is obsessed with "clean eating" - should I be worried?
My body is changing so much in midlife...the exercise and diet that used to work for me isn't working anymore...help!

Do you have a dilemma you'd like to send us? You can find us on helpme@mamamia.com.au

To listen to Susie's weekly podcast, which covers all areas of nutrition: http://www.thenutritioncouch.com

For her evidence-based supplements: http://www.designedbydietitians.com

Or to find a dietitian who specialises in Women & Peri: www.daa.asn.au

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Guest: Susie Burrell

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A New Season Of MID Is Coming... All About YOU.

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 19:30:00 +0000

A brand new season of MID is on its way to you on the 15th of July and we are bringing you the answers to the dilemmas that YOU, our listeners, have sent us.Dilemmas include:

I'm Afraid Of The Weight Loss Jabs,
My Daughter-In-Law Won't Even Join My Group Chat
I'm Trying To Resist The Temptation Of My Facebook Ex
And so much more.

Tune in, every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EXTRA: You Forgot to Live Overseas ‘Til Now

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 19:30:00 +0000

What if you’ve always wanted to live somewhere else?

What if you did it, once, and you remember the freedom and the energy released by fresh places, by a different culture, a true restart.

What if you’re looking at your post-work act and you’re thinking, would the pressure be less? Would the joy be multiplied? Would my dollar go further? Would my wanderlust be sated. If I… lived somewhere else.

What would it be like? Would you be lonely? Would you be safe? Would you feel like a new version of yourself?
We’ve got someone we’d like you to meet. Maggie Lazarre is American. Three years ago she moved, alone, to Panama, in Central America, and she was so bombarded with questions of how she did it - how she retired alone to another country, that she started a community called Single Women Retiring Abroad.

Whether you’re single or not, and wherever you might be dreaming about heading off to when you don’t have to go to work every day, you’re going to like Maggie’s energy and honesty. Her stories of what’s working, what’s not, what she loves about her choice, what she’d do differently…

Learn more about Aware Super here.

To follow Maggie’s work, Single Women Retiring Overseas, start here.

For more info about retiring overseas: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/activities/retiring-overseas

https://nationalseniors.com.au/news/latest-news/what-to-know-before-you-retire-overseas

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eat More. Sleep Colder. Lift Heavier.

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 19:30:00 +0000

Protein, weights, sleep, oh my.

Does it feel like you hit a certain birthday with a zero and everyone started yelling at you about chicken breast and dumbbells?

For this last episode of MID for Season 5, we wanted to ask someone smart to tell us exactly why that is. And so we found a woman called Louisa Nicola, an Australian neurophysiologist and human performance coach based in the US - and got her to tell us - what's important in the space of midlife health, and what's just noise.

And what she tells us about the three things to prioritise to live better longer is a surprise. Seriously.Important note: The information discussed in this episode is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Supplement availability, safety, and regulation vary between countries, including Australia. Always seek guidance from your GP or pharmacist, and ensure any therapeutic goods are listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

You can follow Louisa Nicola and learn more about her work, here: https://www.instagram.com/louisanicola_/

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Louisa Nicola

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Icy In-Laws & 'Boring' Husbands. Marian Keyes Is Here To Help.

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Chances are, you’ve read at least one Marian Keyes book, and that if you've read one, you’ve read many.

Since her first novel, Watermelon, was published in 1995, Keyes has written 24 books - all with guts and heart, wicked humour and her her trademark Irish wit.

Not only is Marian one of the most successful novelists of her generation, she’s also shared the ups and downs of her own life, writing about challenges she’s personally faced from depression to alcoholism and loss. All of this has also made her an excellent "agony aunt", as evidenced on her BBC podcast co-hosted by Tara Flynn, Now You're Asking.

On this episode of MID, Holly was joined in person by Marian on her a recent trip to Sydney to talk midlife heroines and to answer the questions you sent in about everything from friendship-ghosting to relationship "holidays".

Enjoy this conversation with the one and only Marian Keyes

Follow us here: https://www.instagram.com/midbymamamia/
Follow Marion Keyes here: https://www.instagram.com/marian_keyes/

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Marian Keyes

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Your Clothes Though

Mon, 26 May 2025 19:30:00 +0000

Do you need a fashion overhaul? Some grown-up clothes. Grown-up attitude. Grown-up advice? Holly Wainwright did, and she knew exactly who to call for a gentle roasting and some no-bullshit advice: Grace Lam.

You might remember Grace because she’s our first-ever repeat guest on MID. The fashion stylist, former Senior Fashion Editor of VOGUE China for a decade, was on MID Season Two talking about hormones, because as well as being a style guru, she’s an incredible advocate for women going through Peri and menopause.

And if you heard that episode, you know she’s sweary, forthright and funny as hell.

Grace has recently relocated from Perth to Melbourne to continue her bespoke styling & shopping consultancy, and so we thought it might be the moment to call her up for some no bullshit advice for all of us: about grown-up style, shopping and spending and definitely, definitely NOT “dressing your age”.

Enjoy this conversation with the exceptionally stylish Grace Lam about clothes, fashion, fun, and not giving an F about what you SHOULD wear.

Want to see the pics of Holly that Grace critiqued? Follow us here: https://www.instagram.com/midbymamamia/

Follow Grace Lam & book her for your OWN style makeover, here: https://www.instagram.com/gracelamstyle/

Listen to our first episode with Grace on menopause here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Grace Lam

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

Our studio is styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton visit.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sex, Drugs & Radical Honesty: Confessions Of An Iconic 90s Cool Girl

Mon, 19 May 2025 19:00:00 +0000

In the 80s & 90s - they didn’t come any cooler than Ione Skye.

You remember her from Say Anything, the iconic 80s teen movie, or from River’s Edge or Gas Food Lodging or The Rachel Papers…But while Ione was busy making some of the most era-defining films, she was also living the most aspirational 90’s life imaginable - Teenage friends with River Phoenix, teenage girlfriend to The Red Hot Chilli Peppers Anthony Keidis. Young wife of Beastie Boy Adam 'Ad Rock' Horowitz. Welcomed into Madonna’s circle, until she started dating all her female exes. Now, she’s been married to Australian musician Ben Lee for well over a decade, and lives in Sydney.

But Ione isn’t defined by the men she’s married or the women she’s loved - she’s the main character of her own wild, beautiful, fearless story - and she’s written it all down in her book, Say Everything - which is a glorious, pent-up outpouring of story and gossip and validation of girlhood and womanhood and romance and sexuality and what was like to come of age in - literally - a different time.

You can find Ione’s book here: https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008661120/say-everything-a-memoir/

And follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ioneskyelee/

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Ione Skye

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Did You Pay For Your Face

Mon, 12 May 2025 19:00:00 +0000

From Foundation to Filler, Leigh Campbell on beauty "hell yesses" and "f*ck no's".

Whether you have a 12-step skincare routine and a "derm" on speed-dial, or whether you still use the same one pot of moisturiser you’ve used since you were 20, chances are, your face has changed. And however you feel about that, the beauty world, and its messages around ageing are confusing. Enter, our no-BS beauty guru, Leigh Campbell, to tell us what works and what's nonsense when it comes to our faces.

A Beauty Editor, Beauty Director and Lifestyle Director in magazines and online publications for decades, Leigh is now the host of Mamamia's You Beauty and Nothing To Wear. And even more than that, she’s a guru who now has her own brand, Brillo Beauty.

In this conversation, Leigh, yes/no's, what works and what matters when it comes to our faces. AND she gets honest about all the wild things she has tried, and still tries, for her own face.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Leigh Campbell

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melinda Gates’ Divorce Started With A Whisper

Mon, 05 May 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Melinda French Gates knows everyone wants to talk about her divorce.

She gets it, and she's covered it her new book, Next Day, about handling life's transitions. But also, what she wants to talk about is change. How we pick ourselves up after those big moments that knock us off course, whether it's the end of a relationship, losing a job, becoming a parent, kids leaving home, losing someone or a a big career shift. Transitions, she knows, are moments of both struggle and opportunity.

French-Gates is the computer scientist, philanthropist and advocate who, along with her former husband, Bill Gates, founded the Gates Foundation, raising and donating billions of dollars to improve health outcomes for some of the most vulnerable communities in the world.

After her separation, French-Gates established her own philanthropic organisation, Pivotal, to advance issues that affect women and girls.

In this episode of MID she talks about how to tap into that inner whisper that becomes a roar, what her life looks like post-divorce and what she wants everyone to know about moving on 'The Next Day'.

You can buy Melinda French Gates' book here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Melinda French Gates

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EXTRA: But Could You Really Move To A Farm?

Thu, 01 May 2025 19:30:00 +0000

Rachel Ward always sensed she would need to find her purpose outside of acting - for reasons she will explain in this conversation. But she never would have guessed that she’d find that purpose on a working cattle farm in rural Australia…

At MID, we like to call this time in our life the “third age” - it’s that post-work era where we’re redefining the shape of our days, our contributions, our passions and our purpose. And Rachel Ward has a LOT to say about this.

Rachel Ward is an iconic Australian actress who met Brian Brown on the set of the The Thorn Birds in 1982 and followed him to Australia, where they have lived together ever since, raising a family and working. More recently Rachel has directed films like Beautiful Kate and Palm Beach, and now, a documentary about her rural pivot.

As you’ll hear, in her third act Rachel Ward has became a farmer at 60. And not a hobby farmer, but a farmer-farmer - the real deal, inspecting her soil for dung beetles and worms.

You can follow Rachel Ward here.

And you can find out more about her documentary, Rachel’s Farm, here.

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions Of Women Listen To Gabby Bernstein. I Found Out Why

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:30:00 +0000

Gabby Bernstein is the kind of person you mention in a group chat and instantly get five voice notes back saying, “Oh my God, she changed my life.”

She’s Oprah-approved, a New York Times best-selling author many times over, a spiritual teacher and the voice behind the wellness movement that’s got us all manifesting, journaling and choosing our battles. In this episode of MID, Holly sat down with Gabby to talk about feeling stuck, dealing with change, and the relentless voice in your head, you know the one, the inner critic.

If you’re looking for some clarity, a push to change things that aren't working for you, or just a little positivity, this conversation is for you.

Gabby Bernstein is touring the country in May follow the links here get tickets for Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.

Order Gabby's latest book, Self Help: This Is Your Chance to Change Your Life here and get a free gift! Follow Gabby on Instagram and try her gabby coaching membership app for free here.

Or, you can learn about Gabby's 21 day challenge here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Gabby Bernstein

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attack Of The Teenage Girls

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:30:00 +0000

Welcome back to MID Season Five...We have a very special guest.

Mia Freedman has been in countless conversations with Holly Wainwright—on mics, off mics, in meetings, in texts. But she’s never been on MID. Until now.

In this episode, Holly kicks off Season Five with someone who knows her well, and who’s read something very personal—her brand new book, He Would Never.

It’s a story about the limits and power of female friendships, narcissistic love, and the tricky transitions from girlhood to teenagehood. And Mia had thoughts. Lots of them. For one - the teenage girls we were in the 90s are very different than the teenage girls of today.

This episode is about writing and ambition. Confidence and self-doubt. Teenage daughters and their teenage selves. It’s a conversation between two women the same age, but at different parenting stages.

At the end of this episode, Holly has a very special gift for you - so stick around, you don't want to miss it.

You can pre order Holly's book He Would Never here. And it's available in all good book stores from April 29th

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Guest: Mia Freedman

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Exclusive Interview With The Cast Of White Lotus

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 01:59:43 +0000

If you’ve been glued to The White Lotus this season, you’re not alone. In this exclusive episode, our Head of Entertainment Laura Brodnik sits down with two of the stars from Season 3: Natasha Rothwell and Leslie Bibb.

Natasha reflects on returning to White Lotus—what’s changed since Season 1, her character’s solo journey, and going after the career she truly wants.

Leslie unpacks the internet’s wild reaction to the “three women” storyline, why it resonates with both men and women, and the power of unapologetically owning your truth. And yes, they she spills behind-the-scenes details about that pool scene.

Plus, hear their gratitude for creator Mike White—who continues to write midlife women with nuance, humour, and heart.

This special drop is inspired by a story by Holly Wainwright on Mamamia

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright and Laura Brodnik

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EXTRA: Van Life Dream Vs Reality

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:30:00 +0000

When Laraine’s husband died, her kids told her to stay put. Instead, she bought an RV, named her Matilda and drove away. Now, she’s a full-time “grey nomad,” looping Australia instead of ‘mowing lawns’.

In this episode, Laraine shares what it takes to downsize a life into a van, what her kids really think, the most breathtaking places she’s been, and when she’s felt truly afraid.Retirement doesn’t have to look like it used to—some keep working, others chase freedom.

Laraine’s is a story that proves life after work can be whatever you want it to be.

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What A Madam Knows About Sex That You Don't

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Antonia Murphy knows more about sex than pretty much anyone I’ve ever spoken to.

Antonia was raising three kids, including one with a serious disability, in a small town in New Zealand when her marriage unravelled. A lot of women make big changes after divorce, and Antonia took that to a whole new level - she opened a legal, ethical brothel.In this shame-free conversation, Antonia shares the set of events that led her there, what she learned about what the women who worked at the brothel wanted and needed. And, of course, what the clients - almost all men - wanted and needed. And that can be surprising.

You’re going to hear stories about the men who were dropped off by their mothers or their wives, a surprising fact about the preferred age of the women, about the worst thing any parent can imagine happened to Antonia, and generally you’re going to be in the presence of a woman who looked at how you’re supposed to carry on, when you’re a divorced, regional mother, and said, F THAT.

You can follow Antonia on Instagram here

You can find her book, Madam, here

Listen to my conversation with Rachel Griffiths, who plays Antonia in the TV series, Madam, here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EXTRA: When Three Couples Move In Together

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:30:00 +0000

It's the dream every MID woman has discussed with her best friends. You know the one. The one where you fantasise about living in a big house together, or maybe a bunch of tiny-houses on land, but the gist is the same: When we're older, we will live together and pool our resources and care for each other.

But for most of us, this dream remains a dream. For Eve Grzybowski and Heather Bolstler, two of the six people, all over the age of 70, who are living together on a beautiful property on New South Wales’ mid north coast - it is their reality. But, as you'll hear, this isn't the kind of thing you just "do."

Making this dream a reality takes planning, lots of conversations and communication and transparency - but Eve and Heather have a blueprint, and they're sharing it with you here, on MID with Holly Wainwright.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Real Housewife On Fake Friends & Long Marriage

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Nicole O' Neil is a Real Housewife of Sydney.

Yes, we mean the reality show. And she's also a woman dealing with a lot of what everyone else is - kids getting older, a long marriage shifting gears, friendship changing with time, a career crossroads.

She just looks much more glamorous doing it.In this conversation we talk to Nicole about how MID’s going for someone who’s in the public eye in a very specific way. Whether the glamour is real, what it takes and what it hides. How to handle the pressure to look perfect. About friends, marriage and parenting lessons from the perspective of a newly-empty nest. And, of course, how to throw a damn party.

You can follow Nicole on Instagram and learn about her new venture BonPatch and many passions and projects.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every Woman Over 40 At The Pool

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Welcome to the MID view of The White Lotus.

The three 'midlife' friends in the latest season of the prestige TV show are a perfect thin-slice of the new forty-somethings. These are not your mother's foreheads. And this is not your mother's resortwear.

But when Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie ventured away from the beautiful people inside their five-star bubble, they ran perfect-face-first into an uncomfortable truth that's deeply relatable, even if we don't want to admit it to ourselves.

This special drop is inspired by a story by Holly Wainwright on Mamamia

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mid Without Motherhood

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Faith Agugu always imagined she would be a mother. But at 45, after many, many detours, she decided it was time to recognise the reality that wasn't going to happen, and almost immediately everything changed for her.

Faith wants us to make peace with the lives we're living and the ones we didn't quite get to live. In fact, she wants us live in a pro-ageing world. She knows it exists, because it's where she was born, into a culture where everyone wanted to be the oldest person in the room. They were the respected ones, the wise ones, the ones with status.

Faith lived in Nigeria until she was 9, then in Britain and now in Australia. She says that through her work as a psychotherapist, and founder of advocacy group Silver Sirens, ageing-anxiety is ruining our mental health. And it's fair to say, she has some ideas about how to deal with that.

This conversation is a big exhale. Like taking off your bra, it's about making peace with the changes age brings, and the surprises, and the shit bits too.

Enjoy this episode of MID with the excellent Faith Agugu.

You can learn more about Faith's community, Silver Sirens, here
You can follow Silver Sirens on Instagram.

THE END BITS:

ENTER SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAYS: Use code MIDCRUISE for 20% off a yearly subscription.

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘We Are So F-ed Up’: Caring For A Complicated Parent

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 18:30:00 +0000

When Caroline Baum and her mother Judith walked into family therapy, Caroline’s first thought was: 'We are going to eat you for breakfast… we are so fucked up…'

After all, they had a lot to discuss. At 90 years old, Judith had recently invited herself to come and live with Caroline and her husband and... it wasn't going well.

Caroline is a writer, speaker and broadcaster. She has written about the complexities of caring for her mother and trying to navigate the aged care system. And that essay, linked below, was going to form the basis of this conversation. But as you'll hear, there's so much more to discuss.

Caroline's story is both highly specific and deeply universal - speaking to the perplexing and often contradictory realities of what it means to care for our parents in their elder years, and how not all narratives are neat and tidy ones of gratitude returned. In fact, some of them end up in therapy.

You can follow Caroline Baum here

You can listen to Caroline’s podcast about the art of the biography, Life Sentences, here.

And you can read the essay that inspired this conversation, here.

THE END BITS:

ENTER SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAYS: Use code MIDCRUISE for 20% off a yearly subscription.

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Holly Wainwright Reinvented Her Style After 50

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Midlife style doesn’t have to be complicated. Today, Leigh chats with Holly Wainwright, Mamamia Out Loud co-host and bestselling author, about how she hit her fashion stride after 50.

Holly shares her top tips for building a wardrobe that feels authentic and comfortable—without the stress of chasing trends.

If you're feeling stuck in a rut or need a wardrobe refresh, Holly and Leigh are sharing their best tips to help you feel confident without the rules.

Check out Leigh's article 'Every piece you need for a Holly Wainwright-inspired capsule wardrobe.

THE END BITS

Watch us on Youtube

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED:

Kireina 'Freya' jean in multiple colours $189

Bared Cupwing cage sandal $269

Habbot Shoes

Saint Laurent Le Loafer $1700

BOUJEE & BUDGET

Leigh Boujie:

Tony Bianco Gatsby Vanilla Venice $219

Leigh Budget:

M&S Quilted Shoulder Bag $99.99

Holly Boujie:

Vivaia Pointed-Toe Slingback Sandals $228

Rixo Coco sequined maxi dress $755

Holly Budget:

Just Jeans Originals Seam Front Short $79

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Leigh Campbell

Guest: Holly Wainwright

Producer: Cassie Merritt

Audio Producer: Lu Hill

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Management To Mushrooms: Suddenly Fired At 49

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Eleanor Mills had a very fabulous job, one that she had built her life and identity around for decades. But her "midlife collision" was calling when the boss called her up to their office for a "chat".

Years on, Eleanor is living a very different life, and one that has its start, as some good stories do, in a midlife mushroom trip.

In this conversation, Eleanor talks about the question women are too afraid to ask themselves, empty nests, cold swimming, why her "Noon" women are the world's greatest untapped resource, and how she cured her "addiction to busyness" to rebuild after her midlife collision.

You can find more about that, and Eleanor’s community of Queenagers here.

THE END BITS:

ENTER SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAYS: Use code MIDCRUISE for 20% off a yearly subscription.

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel Griffiths Took A Sabbatical From Everything

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Rachel Griffiths says she just got through her "peak mid-hell years" and she's here to tell us how.

The actor, producer, and director has had many eras - from the "fast start" of Muriel's Wedding to being a Hollywood awards darling, a big-deal US TV star, the director of the Australian classic movie Ride Like A Girl, the co-creator of Total Control and now, the star of the TV show Madam. Through all that, she was also wrestling with the relatable MID dramas - parenting teens and young adults, a diagnosis that made sense of so much, caring for ageing relatives and trying to keep a long-term marriage going. No wonder, as she tells host Holly Wainwright, she and her husband needed a sabbatical.

This conversation also veers off into ageing, the Hollywood stars Rachel used to envy but no longer does, how to stay optimistic in a tumultuous world and the relief of finding out she's "ADHD AF".

You can follow Rachel Griffiths here.

You can watch Madam here: Watch Madam Season 1, Catch Up TV

THE END BITS:

ENTER SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAYS: Use code MIDCRUISE for 20% off a yearly subscription.

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting Married Again After 50 First Dates

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Today’s episode is about love.

Specifically, it’s about finding it in your MID years. Maybe for the second, fourth, first time.

This is a story about Dr Amantha Imber, an organisational psychologist who got divorced a few years ago. When Amantha knew she wanted to re-partner, she went about it with a typical approach to efficiency - going on more than 50 first dates in her first stint of online dating.

Those dates had strict rules and boundaries, time limits and schedules and… they didn’t work. So then, Amantha drew up a brief and cold-called a long list of people in her circle who might know the person she was looking for…. But… well, that didn’t work either.

You can learn more about Amantha and follow her work here.

You can purchase Amantha's book The Health Habit here.

You can also listen to her podcast, How I Work, here.

THE END BITS:

You can listen to our second ever episode was called the Mid Life Dating Pool Has Wee In it, and it was about Catherine Mahoney’s chaotic app-dating world and it was very very funny here.

You can listen to our episode with Divorce & Separation coach, Nikki Parkinson, here.

Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finally The Interview: Kate Langbroek & Mia Freedman

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Mia Freedman, longtime friend of Holly and co-host of Mamamia Out Loud, has stepped down from hosting No Filter after an incredible decade. She’s passing the torch to the incredibly talented Kate Langbroek, who is the perfect fit to take over a show with such a rich legacy.

Over the past 10 years, Mia has interviewed everyone from celebrities and prime ministers to people with the most jaw-dropping stories—stories you’d want to share in your group chat. In this episode, Mia and Kate sit down to talk about why Mia’s stepping away, her struggles with burnout, what’s next, and what it really takes to sit across from someone, hold space for their vulnerability, and share their story with you.

Here’s Mia’s final No Filter interview!

You can find Holly's No Filter episodes below.

What Is ‘Grey Area Drinking’... And Are You Doing It?

How To Protect Yourself Against A Narcissist

THE END BITS:

Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.

Discover more Mamamia podcasts here.

Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au

Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review

CREDITS:

Host: Kate Langbroek

You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amanda Keller Knows How Lucky She Is

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Welcome back, MIDs, and please send this episode to your best friend immediately. Because it's about the power of the most important relationships in many of our lives - the one we have with our great mates.

You know Amanda Keller from her many decades as an Australian television and radio presenter, comedian, writer, actress and journalist. You might be meeting her best friend forensic psychologist Anita McGregor for the first time, but once you have, you'll know exactly why these two have been inseparable since they first met, 17 years ago.

This conversation goes everywhere from the things your friends can hold your hand through and what they can't. When and if you should offer your best friend "feedback", and what happens to your relationships with everyone and everything - from your friends to your work and your grown-up kids, as you move more into Mid.

You can listen to Amanda and Anita on their podcast, Double A Chattery, here

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The MID View Of Babygirl: Milk, Fingers, Adultery.

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 21:39:20 +0000

MID is coming back to your ears on Tuesday 4th Feb.

While you're waiting... Holly has some thoughts on Nicole Kidman's "controversial" new film, Babygirl, and the fact that Gen X's most iconic actresses are dominating Hollywood ATM.

Is it because "old" no longer looks "old"? Or is it because... they're incredible?

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FROM HOLLY: The Year The World Discovered Mids

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 01:33:54 +0000

MIDs, I couldn't sign off for the year without one more little moment with you, the women who have made my year by joining me here on this podcast for Gen X women who are anything but...so please enjoy this end-of-year wrap-up and contemplation on what seems to have been a year when MID women have taken centre stage. Here's to more of us in 2025 - meet you there. xo Holly

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who Cares Who You Sleep With

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:30:00 +0000

What if it took you until MID life to say out loud something that you’ve been trying to find the words for your whole life.

Something like: “Yes, I know I am a mother, married to a man, but I am also bisexual…and I’m ready to date women.”That’s the story of today’s guest, the novelist Julie Cohen.

Julie was in her 40s when she came out as bisexual. She tells Holly Wainwright that some people asked her why she bothered. As if age, itself, rendered her sexuality irrelevant. Others suggested that just as an adolescent’s sexuality can be dismissed as a “phase” - perhaps hers was simply a mid-life crisis.

Dating after divorce, navigating the apps and the first post-long-term relationship sexual encounters are interesting and nerve-wracking for anyone, and Julie says that was no different for her. You’re going to hear how it all went, the pleasures of post-penis sex, what she found the differences in dating men and women to be, and just how it felt to be living the version of herself that, as Julie says, she didn’t even have a word for when she was growing up.

You can follow Julie Cohen on Instagram here.

You can find Julie’s books here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ambition Says Yes. Body Says Nup.

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:20:30 +0000

Does ambition die in midlife, or are we just getting started? And what happens when your drive is as strong as ever, but your body is screaming 'stop'?

Holly Wainwright is interviewing Bruna Papandrea, one of the most successful women in Hollywood. One of the most successful people in Hollywood, full stop.

The Australian super-producer came from a working-class background in Adelaide to be in the rooms where things happen - namely bringing massive movies and TV shows to the screen, from Gone Girl and Wild to Big Little Lies and Strife and The Dry.

But Bruna’s “ambition” story isn’t a simple one. Her success exists alongside her management of Lupus, a chronic auto-immune disease. Like other forms of insidious, invisible conditions, it makes everything harder, and the hormonal flares of midlife don't help.

Listen to more from Bruna on this episode of No Filter with Mia Freedman from 2016 here.

Find out more about Bruna’s projects, here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tina Arena & The Truth About "Difficult" Women

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Are you "difficult" if you speak your mind, or have you just grown into yourself?

Do you just finally know what you want and how to ask for it? We asked Tina Arena. She's a Gen X icon with immense success under her belt, who can speak and sing and win awards in four languages, who has lived all over the world, and who, in recent years, has been refreshingly open about everything from politics to parenthood and to ageism in the music industry.

Not everybody likes that. But as Holly learned in this conversation about standing up for yourself, speaking your mind, about the music industry, about her son moving overseas with his dad, about beauty and ambition and truth… is that Tina doesn’t mind if you disagree with her, she just wants us all to tell our stories fearlessly. She’s going first.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nikki's Divorce Began With A Midnight Email

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Nikki Parkinson's husband kept assuring her that her suspicions about infidelity were all in her head. And then one day, she got an email in the middle of the night that changed everything...What happened next took Nikki's life apart piece by piece.

Six years on, former lawyer Nikki says she made so many mistakes during that time she never wanted other women to do the same. Now she's turned that into her work, becoming a Divorce Coach, Separation Strategist and Co-Parenting expert, and she wants us to celebrate the end of bad marriages as much as we celebrate the beginning of good ones.

This is a story of the hard-won expertise that only comes from lived-experience - no matter where you are on the relationship spectrum, Nikki’s story has something to teach you about self-preservation, smart preparation, and rising from the ashes of a life you thought was set in stone.

LINKS:

The Divorce and Separation Hub

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producers: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kasey Chambers Keeps A D*ckhead List

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 18:30:00 +0000

It’s not an actual list of dickheads, although let’s face it, by this stage of life, we’ve all met a few of those.

No, this list is for Kasey Chambers herself. It’s a list that signals to her that she isn’t listening to her gut - something that, by now, many of us MIDs have learned is our secret weapon...

Kasey has built a career tuning into her gut - she calls it her little foghorn. The foghorn told her that her first album should be called The Captain, despite the suits thinking it was a terrible idea. The Captain went on to go platinum three times. The foghorn who pushed her to ask Ed Sheeran if he might like to sing with her, even though she was pretty convinced he might be… busy. (Spoiler Alert: He did).

The foghorn that told her to seek help for an eating disorder that brought her to her knees, to leave a marriage that was no longer working, to parent against the grain, and to step off the glamorous but arduous international touring circuit to get back to what she loved. She travelled around Australia, in a van, with her family, singing songs to people who wanted to hear them.

This conversation is an absolute gem because Kasey is. It’s dripping with hard-won mid-lessons, good advice and stories of times everything went tits up, many of them recounted in Kasey’s book, called - you guessed it - Just Don’t Be a Dickead.

LINKS:

You can follow Kasey here.

You can find Kasey’s book here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producers: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screw 'Slimming': A Mouthful of Radical Joy

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Gen X can be funny about food. A lot of us were raised on a diet of Kate Moss, cigarettes and coffee. We were happy to talk openly about skipping meals, cutting carbs, and cabbage soup cleanses. We swam in a sea of celebrity diet tips, fads and…shame.

In today’s episode of MID, Holly is talking about food and the absolute necessity of small joys with Virginia Trioli. Virginia Trioli is one of the most highly-regarded journalists and broadcasters in Australia. She’s a two-time Walkley Award winner, and her voice, on radio, on television has lent authority and comfort to some of the most difficult moments we’ve lived through as a nation. And this has given her a lot to say about…joy.

That’s what her new book, A Bit On The Side, is about. Because for her - and for Holly - food is part of that joy. And allowing ourselves to lean into the small pleasures that make a life, without guilt or shame, is a radical act, really. Particularly for women, when we have been taught that self-sacrifice and deprivation are our life’s lot.

So please feast on this conversation between Holly and Virginia - talking about food, love, and hard-fought parenthood and step-parenthood and losing your parents and wisdom and age and work and friendship and pleasure and letting go - and those times when you just have to… grow up, apologise and eat a shit sandwich.

LINKS:

You can follow Virginia here.

You can find her book, A Bit On The Side, here.

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producers: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flooding, Panic & An Idiot Allergy: The Great Mid Hormone Surprise

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 18:30:00 +0000

Welcome to our first MID episode about hormones & peri & meno…we meant to do it earlier, but, you know: brain fog.

For more than twenty-five years, Grace Lam lived and breathed the rarefied air of high fashion as a Vogue editor. Everything was going according to plan for the talented, organised, focused Grace until hormones entirely upended her tidy world. She’s going to tell you about exactly what that felt like. Fast forward a few years, and Grace has become a loud and important voice for women being messed with by their hormones. She’s just appeared before the Western Australian Senate Public Hearing on issues related to peri/menopause, presenting the practical changes we need our medical and government institutions to make to catch up with what we need.

Grace is sharp and funny and honest and no bullshit. Like you. I think you’re going like her. OH, and she’s sweary. So. Yes, you’re definitely going to like her.

Grace is also generous - and has opened up her Instagram Rolodex with some links to follow for more information and inspiration about perimenopause & menopause. As always - please do your own research, but this could be a good place to start.

LINKS:

You can follow Grace here.

Grace’s Suggestions Below:

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producers: Thom Lion & Leah Porges

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking Change Right In the Eye

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 18:30:00 +0000

To kick off Season 3 of MID we are bringing you a conversation that Holly says kind of changed her life. We think it will change yours, too.

Inspired by her book - and it’s really a very good book - We Are The Stars - we talk about all that loss, all those different seasons of life she’s lived through, from being a wild young girl with a baby bird in her pocket, mercilessly bullied at school, to being a starry-eyed raver at the peak of Sydney’s club scene, to being a survivalist who falls in love with a man from somewhere else, gets diagnosed with cancer at the very moment she’s about to become a mother, has three precious years with her baby girl before that sickness comes for her, too. And the woman who chose, in the aftermath of unimaginable loss, to change again, to live. And live big.

Gina Chick really does know how to look change right in the eye.

LINKS:

You can follow Gina on Instagram here.
You can find Gina’s book, We Are The Stars here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producers: Thom Lion & Tegan Sadler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ready For More MID?

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Season Three Of MID with Holly Wainwright will be back in your ears on Tuesday 15th October with more conversations for - and with - Gen X women who are anything but.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Tegan Sadler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But What Have You Done To Your Face

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 19:00:00 +0000

It's the last conversation of MID, Season Two, with our guest Alison Brahe Daddo.

Ali was THE Australian model of the late 80s, on every magazine cover and on many a teenage girl’s wall. She had a huge career here and overseas, and then she married the equally famous and swoon-worthy Cameron Daddo, backed right away from the industry, settled in LA and raised a family. Now, as Alison Brahe Daddo, or Ali, as very many of us know her, she’s also become just the most honest, interesting voice about midlife and menopause and all the messy challenges it brings us.

But in this episode, we’re not actually talking about that. We’re getting deep about surface stuff. Beauty, whatever it means to us - and let’s be honest, there’s a sliding scale of how much any of us can ever claim to have felt beautiful, at any age - is a beast in midlife. Because how we wear our age on our face and our bodies can feel so important, so crucial to how the outside world sees us, even as we know it’s really the silliest of all our concerns. It often doesn’t feel that way.

Listen to Holly and Ali discuss how they’re feeling, what they’re doing about, and where they stand on the mistakes they’ve made in thinking and talking about our faces and our bodies as we move on through.

Welcome to Mid, Season 2, Episode 8. Beauty, with Ali Daddo.

LINKS:

You can follow Ali on Instagram here.
Find her books and other projects here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion & Leah Porges

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Day You Disappear

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 19:00:00 +0000

You've heard about the incredible invisible women of MID. One minute we're there, the next we're unseen by the naked eye, our voices only audible to dogs. Well, what if there was a way to reappear? Jane Tara is a writer whose brilliant novel Tilda Is Visible follows a woman who - literally - begins to disappear, and how she brings herself back into view. Not just the world's, but crucially, her own.

When it comes to disappearing, Jane’s lived it. In the year she turned 50, life was hammering her - she'd been hospitalised with a significant health issue, lost her business and been dumped via text by her partner of a decade. So how did she bring herself back to life, and back into view? That's the subject of this conversation, between Jane and host Holly Wainwright.

Welcome to MID, Season Two, Episode Six: Invisibility.

LINKS:

You can follow Jane on Instagram here.
You can buy her book Tilda Is Visible here.
And you can buy Holly’s books here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion & Leah Porges

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're Best Friends. Shut Up. I Love you. Go Away.

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Welcome to MID, the podcast for Gen X women who are anything but.Today we’re talking with Gen X Aussie icons, Vika and Linda Bull, all about family, and sisters in particular, and how they hold you and shape you and give you something to push back against as you grow into mid.

If, like Holly, you don’t have a sister, there’s still plenty of things to find in this conversation, because the women in it are excellent. Frank and funny and no bullshit and full of stories formed by not only being sisters but sisters who have spent the best part of 40 years in a tour bus together, singing, fighting, harmonising, and getting around some big messes.

They spent years performing with the coolest and most successful of Aussie acts of a certain era. The genius songwriter Paul Kelly. The uber-cool Joe Camilierri. They toured the world and navigated the boys club and stepped out onto the main stage sometimes together, sometimes apart.

Across all those years, their sisterhood has seen them both through arguments and fights, divorce, addiction, loss and those endless trips in tour buses… the things of many a midlife.

And despite being deeply different people they are, still doing it, and living round the corner from each other and their parents, who are now in their 90s, making family the centre of their world. Like every episode of MID, it’s about them but it’s about you.

Welcome to MID, Season 2, Episode 5 - Sisters.

LINKS:

Follow Vika & Linda Bull on Instagram here.
Find their tour dates and learn more about Vika and Linda here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liane Moriarty Has A Big Question For You

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Liane Moriarty sits down with Holly Wainwright for this episode of MID.

Holly and the best-selling author of Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall (and so much more) are talking about time. The thing we have too much of when we’re young and have learned all to well not to take for granted as we get older.

Liane’s new book Here One Moment, is, in large part, about mortality, time and what you would do if you knew exactly how much of it you had left. But Liane also talks with Holly about how some ordinary but extraordinary events in her own life - losing her father, and both she and her sister being diagnosed with breast cancer - inspired this brilliant new novel’s theme. Welcome to MID, Season Two, Episode Four: Time.

LINKS:

You can follow Liane on Instagram here.
You can buy her new book here.
And you can buy Holly’s books here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Christel Cornilsen

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suddenly Irritated By Absolutely Everyone

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Angry, much? Yep, we get it.

Today we’re talking to Jacinta Parsons about rage. The ABC radio presenter and author has written a sharp and clever book called A Question of Age. It’s not an angry book, but she writes brilliantly about one of the most common - yet surprising - things about midlife: The fury.

In this conversation, we talk about why anger might be a very rational response to many things about… life. Like many women, she lives with a chronic illness, is a parent, and has a big job, but now Jacinta’s done pretending that everything is fine, and has made some big changes – to relationships, to work, and to how she handles her health - to live a better midlife. We talk about all that, and why it’s so complicated, dealing with the transition from “young” to “old”.

So put down the mask, relax that forced smile, and join Holly Wainwright with Jacinta Parsons, for a peaceful chat about rage.

LINKS:

You can buy the book A Question of Age by Jacinta Parsons here
Follow Jacinta Parsons on Instagram
Follow Holly Wainwright on Instagram

If you feel overwhelmed by your rage and emotions - and you need some help, please call Lifeline at: 13 11 14

If you need additional support with depression, anxiety or your mental health, please call Beyond Blue at: 1300 22 4636

And if you need medical support or expert knowledge about perimenopause, menopause, and your health, please reach out to the Australasia Menopause Society: https://www.menopause.org.au/

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When MID Doesn't Come With Money

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Simmone Jade McKinnon was - and is, to many - Stevie from McLouds Daughters. She joined that iconic Australian show fresh from another era-defining TV moment, Baywatch, with a Hollywood star fiancé on her arm and a creative career in full flight.

And then everything changed.

Simmone and her son Madigan have been living in a caravan and then a shed in her family’s back paddock for the best part of a decade. She’s been making ends meet with carer’s subsidy, odd jobs like jillaroo and by starting her own small business. When she decided to step out of a dark time and back in front of a camera for a reality show earlier this year it was very clearly with one goal in mind - the prize money.

On this episode, the first MID conversation about money, you'll hear how all that's been going for Simmone. And you’ll hear what it was like to be on one of the biggest shows in the world and get fired for what you refused to do in lingerie on a beach. How she came back from crippling panic attacks during a high-profile break-up to film wedding scenes for our viewing pleasure and, most importantly, how she’s kept moving and dreaming and pushing on as she’s been parenting her son alone on a very minimal income.

Simonne is famous but she’s not rich, and we assume those things go together. Her story might not be yours, but there’s plenty of familiar territory here. Please enjoy MID, Season 2, Episode 3: Money, with Simmone Jade Mackinnon.

LINKS:
You can follow Simmone on Instagram here.
Find her clothing company here.
You can donate to the Council of Single Mothers here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finding The Joy In A Pile Of Shift

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 19:41:39 +0000

Kylie Gillies is telling Holly Wainwright about The Shift. You know, the moment when you realise things have changed - your children were tiny, and now they’re not. Your parents were giants, and now they’re not. You were the bold young thing in the office. And now you’re not.

Kylie has been in living rooms across Australia for 17 years as co-host of The Morning Show with Larry Emdur. Not only is Kylie an experienced, engaged journalist, but she's also a MID woman perfectly placed to talk about all that shifting - kids growing up, losing and caring for much-loved parents, reflecting on your career and working out what’s next.

It's a conversation about the joy and wonder of being properly grown-up.

Welcome to MID, Season 2, Episode 2: The Shift.

You can follow Kylie Gillies here.

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CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

Content Manager: Talissa Bazaz

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From No Sex To Best Sex At 49

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Overlooked, touched-out and too tired. That's how many MID women feel about sex. It's how Leslie Morgan felt, too. At 49, her marriage ended, and after not having sex for three years, she decided to change that. Over the next year, Leslie found five boyfriends and discovered her sexual self wasn't actually dead, she was just having a good lie down.

In this interview with Holly Wainwright, author and advocate Leslie Morgan discusses what women really mean when they say they no longer care about sex, why you should never cover your wrinkles to attract a younger man (if you want one) and how it feels to have the best sex of your life after 50.

Welcome to MID, Season 2, Episode 1: Sex.

LINKS:
You can learn more about Leslie and find her books here.
You can follow Leslie on Instagram here.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

Content Manager: Talissa Bazaz

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MID Has A Message For You

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Sex. Money. Sandwich.

Season Two of MID with Holly Wainwright is coming back to your ears and your hearts on Tuesday 6th August.

You're not going to want to miss these incredible conversations with (and for) Gen X women who are anything but.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss a thing, wherever you listen your podcasts.

THE END BITS:

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

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CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

Content Manager: Talissa Bazaz

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Giving No Shits

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 19:30:00 +0000

By MID, you've woven a big, beautiful, messy life. Some of it joyful, some of it devastating, some of it entirely unexpected.

Today's guest, the iconic Australian musician Christine Anu has woven plenty of stories about all these things. In this very frank conversation, she talks about rebuilding herself, her life, her relationship with her kids and her career after a divorce knocked her off her feet.

Now, about to release her new album, Christine is reckoning with how all the parts of her past have brought her to a place where she's making the music of her life, free of the expectations of an industry that can be unkind to grown-up women.

Welcome to MID, Episode 8: Everything.

THE END BITS:

Listen to Christine's new single Waku - Minaral A Minalay here

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

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CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Your Children Aren't Children

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 19:30:00 +0000

It goes so fast. Did you want to pinch the people who said that to you when your babies were small? And now you know it's true.

Welcome to the season of parenting when they're taller than you, they're eating the fridge and apparently, you've done your job right if they need you less and less every day.

This episode of MID is a reunion. Holly hosted This Glorious Mess with author, presenter and Australian icon Andrew Daddo for years. Her kids were tiny, his were teens and together they unpacked all the messes young families bring. Now Holly's are teens, Andrew's are young adults, but between the five of them, only one has actually flown the nest.

How do you navigate parenting children who are no longer children? What happens when you're not always right? And how does it feel when they actually... leave?

Welcome to MID episode 7: Really Big Kids.

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Audio Producer: Jacob Round & Tegan Sadler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grief Has No Time For Your Bullshit

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 19:30:00 +0000

By MID, you've likely lived through some loss.

You know grief has no time for fancy words and clever jokes. In fact, it hasn't a lot of time for words, full-stop. It's a full-body experience that can change you on every level.

No-one wants to talk about death, except for our guest: interfaith minister, author and death-walker Dr Jackie Bailey. Jackie has experienced a great deal of loss, and she spends her life walking others through it, helping people prepare for it, and acknowledging it when it happens.

And if you think that makes for a depressing interview, you'd be wrong. Jackie is insightful, wise and funny, full of both practical and emotional support for the grieving. She's the perfect person to help us through the hard parts.

Welcome to MID, Episode 6: GRIEF.

Links for Jackie Bailey:
Jackie's tips on writing a eulogy
Read Jackie's eulogy for her mum here
You can buy a copy of Jackie's beautiful book here

Helpful links mentioned in the show:
Advanced care planning website
A link to a printable advanced care directive wallet card here
The list of questions you can ask someone incase they become non-responsive
Palliative care help here.

THE END BITS:

Get $20 off for our birthday. Click here to get a yearly Mamamia subscription for just $49.

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't Tilt Your Head At My Midlife Body

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Your relationship with your body might be the most complicated one you'll ever have. So says comedian and podcaster Helen Thorn. And she'd know.

Helen has been performing onstage in a skin-tight gold spandex catsuit for years, at all sizes and shapes, as one half of the Scummy Mummies comedy duo. She says that she always felt "f*cking powerful" in it, and laughed off the patronising head tilts of those who declared her "brave".

But when Helen found out her husband was cheating on her, upended her marriage and headed into lockdown with a broken heart, her relationship with her body began to shift.

This is a story not about losing weight, but about a 'midlife' woman discovering her strength in every sense. What happens to your life, your health, your friendships when you go from living on wine and take-out to running marathons and lifting very heavy things? Well, as it turns out: a lot.

Welcome to MID episode 5: BODY.

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CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cure For Burn-Out Is Cooked

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Burn-Out, says author Katherine May, is what happens when you repeatedly ignore your own needs. Sound familiar?

The first signs are often that you can't focus. Can't read, maybe. Can't sleep, or sleep too much? Can't eat, or can't stop eating? You're Tired All The Time. You have that cold that just won't leave.The cure, everyone says, is simple: Slow down, Darl. But it's not so easy when everyone needs something from you.

Author and advocate Katherine May - creator of the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling books Wintering and Enchantment - thinks that the way we're taught to deal with burn-out is unrealistic for most women, particularly midlife women with overflowing plates. Waking up to meditate is not so easy when you've got lunches to make, work to do, life to live. And let's face it, a world that prioritises productivity hacks isn't exactly championing meaningful rest.

So how do you replenish, in 2024, when absolutely everyone's lost their charger?

Welcome to MID, Episode 4: Burn-Out

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Click here for a copy Katherine's brilliant books.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Do I Know If I'm Drinking Too Much?

Mon, 27 May 2024 19:20:00 +0000

Most Gen X-ers did not grow up idolising 5am-rising yoga girlies. For many of us, drinking "like the boys" was almost an act of feminist pride, and certainly the way we knew we were having a "good time".

Holidays, celebrations, milestones. Wine o’clock, and the witching hour and the glass (or two) that marks the end of the work day... Alcohol is woven into our social lives in an almost invisible way. So what happens when you realise that the habit you thought of as your little helper is actually making everything worse?

On this episode, we're talking to Shanna Whan from Sober In The Country about why Generation X women drink so damn much. Shanna says that 90% of the people who seek support from her peer-to-peer organisation are women aged between 40 and 60. That's us, friends.

So why do Gen X women drink so damn much? How do you know if you’ve got a problem? And if it isn't you you're worried about, how do you talk to people in your life about their drinking?

Welcome to MID episode 3: Alcohol.

If this episode raised anything for you, here are some incredible resources:
Sober In The Country
Hello Sunday Morning
Alcoholics Anonymous
Life Line
Drink Wise

Want to hear Shanna's interview with Mia Freedman on No Filter? Click here
Read more about Shanna's story here

THE END BITS

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

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CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Assistant Production: Sandy McIntyre

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mid Life Dating Pool Has Wee In It

Mon, 20 May 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Grown-up dating is a bit like the middle aisle at Aldi - full of surprises, a few hidden gems and a whole lot of sh*t you don't need.

Generation X are getting around the apps and although they didn't exist when we were young, we're fast learners, resilient as hell and our bullshit detectors are unparalleled. So, what could possibly go wrong?

Cathrine Mahoney knows. She's been post-divorce dating for almost a decade and has the stories to match. Like the time the man she'd been walking past at the park for months finally matched with her on Bumble, the time the guy asked if he could bring his "bull", and what happened when she slid into celebrity dating app Raya and everyone was famous.

If you're dating, thinking about dating or just keen to peer into the world of your single friends...

Welcome to MID, Episode 2: Dating.

Love Cathrine Mahoney? Then you'll love our podcast 456 Club - listen here

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Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Hosts: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Assistant Production: Sandy McIntyre

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't Call It A Breakdown

Mon, 13 May 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Julie Goodwin has had an extraordinary ordinary life. And in the last few years, she has had an extraordinary ordinary wrestle with her mental health.

While you were buying Julie's cookbooks, watching her two stints on Masterchef and listening to her on the radio, she was taking care of everyone but herself (sound familiar?) and some issues she thought she'd successfully shoved in a low drawer spilled out and began to take over.

In this first conversation for Mid, host Holly Wainwright talks to Julie about the winding road back from a "breakdown" and what happens when you stop doing everything for everyone all at once.

Welcome to Mid, Episode 1: Mental Health.

If this episode brings up anything for you Lifeline is always there on 13 11 14.

Want to get yourself a copy of Julie's incredible book Your Tim Starts Now? Click here

THE END BITS

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Want to go in the running to win a $50 voucher? Answer this short survey.

CREDITS:

Hosts: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Assistant Production: Sandy McIntyre

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MID... We're Anything But

Fri, 10 May 2024 05:39:57 +0000

Welcome to MID the grown-up conversations women deserve.

Ever wondered what to do when your ducks don't all fit neatly into the row they're supposed to?

Over eight episodes we bring you handpicked compelling stories discussing relationships and wellness.

Fun, frank wisdom from an impressive line up of well loved names, in the second act of life who share it all.

MID goes deep on self-care with zero shame and rich experiences you can cherry-pick for wisdom to share, changes to make and attitude we can borrow.

In MID we're anything but!

THE END BITS

Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Hosts: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Talissa Bazaz

Assistant Production: Sandy McIntyre

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.