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The Shift with Sam Baker

The Shift is a podcast that aims to tell the truth about being a woman post-40, created and hosted by writer and broadcaster, Sam Baker. Did you ever wonder why you stop hearing so many women's voices once they pass 40? That's where The Shift comes in - a frank, funny, sometimes heartbreaking, always honest look at what it means to be a woman in midlife and beyond. Work, life, love, health, sex, money, identity, body image... What does it all mean when everything around you (and inside you...) is changing? Each week, award-winning author and journalist Sam Baker asks a d...

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

47 mins; March 30, 2026

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

50 mins; March 23, 2026

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

51 mins; March 16, 2026

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

55 mins; March 09, 2026

Poorna Bell is rewriting the rules around ageing

63 hours 32 mins; March 02, 2026

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

73 hours 27 mins; February 23, 2026

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

57 mins; February 16, 2026

Catherine Newman on surviving the midlife sandwich – THE SHIFT LIVE

58 mins; February 09, 2026

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

59 mins; February 02, 2026

Gretchen Rubin on happiness, acceptance and the secrets of adulthood

60 hours 4 mins; January 26, 2026

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

52 mins; January 19, 2026

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

45 mins; January 12, 2026

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

38 mins; January 05, 2026

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

54 mins; December 29, 2025

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

49 mins; December 22, 2025

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

50 mins; December 15, 2025

Lady Glenconner on stepping into the spotlight at 87

56 mins; December 08, 2025

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

61 hours 31 mins; December 01, 2025

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

60 hours 6 mins; November 24, 2025

Holly Dawson on facing permanent memory loss at 40

62 hours 38 mins; November 17, 2025

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

51 mins; November 10, 2025

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

69 hours 18 mins; November 03, 2025

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

53 mins; October 27, 2025

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

49 mins; October 20, 2025

Lyse Doucet – my extraordinary 40 years on the frontline

67 hours 25 mins; October 13, 2025

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

51 mins; October 06, 2025

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

53 mins; September 29, 2025

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

56 mins; September 22, 2025

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

61 hours 51 mins; September 15, 2025

Thomasina Miers on the midlife Mexican escape that rebuilt her

53 mins; September 08, 2025

Laura Lippmann is having a second coming at 60

54 mins; September 01, 2025

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

61 hours 53 mins; August 25, 2025

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

50 mins; August 18, 2025

Nicola Sturgeon on life after leadership

56 mins; August 11, 2025

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

56 mins; August 04, 2025

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

62 hours 15 mins; July 28, 2025

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

68 hours 54 mins; July 21, 2025

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

40 mins; July 14, 2025

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

42 mins; July 07, 2025

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

49 mins; June 30, 2025

Molly Jong Fast: confessions of a bad daughter

47 mins; June 23, 2025

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

55 mins; June 16, 2025

Olia Hercules: my periods vanished when the war started

63 hours 28 mins; June 09, 2025

Melissa Febos on what she learnt from a year of celibacy

54 mins; June 02, 2025

Reeta Chakrabarti on growing older & bolder

54 mins; May 26, 2025

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

57 mins; May 19, 2025

Jennifer Weiner on Ozempic, ageing and growing some boundaries!

56 mins; May 12, 2025

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

63 hours 1 min; May 05, 2025

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

56 mins; April 28, 2025

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

44 mins; April 21, 2025

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

43 mins; April 14, 2025

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

54 mins; April 07, 2025

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

67 hours 30 mins; March 31, 2025

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

60 hours 19 mins; March 24, 2025

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

56 mins; March 17, 2025

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

60 hours 13 mins; March 10, 2025

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

54 mins; March 03, 2025

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

67 hours 41 mins; February 24, 2025

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

51 mins; February 17, 2025

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

62 hours 54 mins; February 10, 2025

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

49 mins; February 03, 2025

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

52 mins; January 27, 2025

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

54 mins; January 20, 2025

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

49 mins; January 13, 2025

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

54 mins; January 06, 2025

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

45 mins; December 30, 2024

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

54 mins; December 23, 2024

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

47 mins; December 16, 2024

BONUS EPISODE: Neneh Cherry on love, loss & legacy

55 mins; December 09, 2024

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

60 hours 48 mins; December 02, 2024

Donna Ashworth on finding her calling in midlife

58 mins; November 25, 2024

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

62 hours 12 mins; November 18, 2024

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

54 mins; November 11, 2024

Louise Doughty on the unrealised potential of older women

59 mins; November 04, 2024

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

63 hours 40 mins; October 28, 2024

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

56 mins; October 21, 2024

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

49 mins; October 14, 2024

Marianne Power: how to build a happy single life

64 hours 46 mins; October 07, 2024

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

58 mins; September 30, 2024

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

61 hours 48 mins; September 23, 2024

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

54 mins; September 16, 2024

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

57 mins; September 09, 2024

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

56 mins; September 02, 2024

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

56 mins; August 26, 2024

Fearne Cotton on the joy of embracing her second chapter

61 hours 5 mins; August 19, 2024

Lindsay Nicholson on resilience, recovery and the pursuit of perfection

62 hours 24 mins; August 12, 2024

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

51 mins; August 05, 2024

Zandra Rhodes: the legendary fashion designer on ageing uncompromisingly

51 mins; July 29, 2024

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

49 mins; July 22, 2024

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

41 mins; July 16, 2024

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

44 mins; July 15, 2024

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

49 mins; July 08, 2024

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

46 mins; July 01, 2024

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

63 hours 24 mins; June 24, 2024

Liz Jensen on learning to love life again after devastating loss

54 mins; June 17, 2024

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

56 mins; June 10, 2024

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

62 hours 3 mins; June 03, 2024

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

60 hours 6 mins; May 27, 2024

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

54 mins; May 20, 2024

Miranda July on the unexpected wildness of ageing

49 mins; May 13, 2024

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The Shift with Sam Baker

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