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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...

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

58 mins; May 06, 2024

Amanda de Cadenet on reframing ambition and success in midlife

50 mins; April 29, 2024

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

43 mins; April 22, 2024

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

47 mins; April 15, 2024

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

45 mins; April 08, 2024

Cathy Newman: "turning 50 feels like a superpower"

52 mins; April 01, 2024

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

49 mins; March 25, 2024

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

49 mins; March 18, 2024

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

53 mins; March 11, 2024

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

57 mins; March 04, 2024

Annie Macmanus on rebuilding her identity at 45

58 mins; February 26, 2024

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

48 mins; February 19, 2024

Bryony Gordon on burnout, binge eating and perimenopause

49 mins; February 12, 2024

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

43 mins; February 05, 2024

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

48 mins; January 29, 2024

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

46 mins; January 22, 2024

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

38 mins; January 15, 2024

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

47 mins; January 08, 2024

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

50 mins; January 01, 2024

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

40 mins; December 25, 2023

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

33 mins; December 18, 2023

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

50 mins; December 11, 2023

Bee Wilson on how cooking helped her heal after divorce

52 mins; December 04, 2023

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

44 mins; November 27, 2023

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

56 mins; November 20, 2023

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

44 mins; November 13, 2023

India Knight answers your midlife beauty questions

50 mins; November 06, 2023

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

43 mins; October 30, 2023

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

49 mins; October 23, 2023

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

63 hours 22 mins; October 16, 2023

Agony Aunt Philippa Perry is back!

54 mins; October 09, 2023

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

59 mins; October 02, 2023

Stacey Duguid on coming back from midlife collapse

65 hours 4 mins; September 25, 2023

Sara Pascoe: what happens when a weirdo grows up!

65 hours 2 mins; September 18, 2023

Natasha Walter on being a middle-aged activist

56 mins; September 11, 2023

Maggie Smith on her midlife reappearing act

53 mins; September 04, 2023

Helen Rebanks is flying the flag for invisible women

48 mins; August 28, 2023

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

45 mins; August 21, 2023

Miki Berenyi on freeing yourself from the anxiety of youth

66 hours 12 mins; August 14, 2023

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

53 mins; August 07, 2023

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

54 mins; July 31, 2023

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

42 mins; July 24, 2023

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

49 mins; July 17, 2023

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

39 mins; July 10, 2023

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

48 mins; July 03, 2023

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

43 mins; June 26, 2023

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

48 mins; June 19, 2023

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

53 mins; June 14, 2023

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

52 mins; June 12, 2023

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

58 mins; June 05, 2023

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

48 mins; May 29, 2023

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

52 mins; May 22, 2023

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

53 mins; May 15, 2023

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

51 mins; May 08, 2023

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

52 mins; May 01, 2023

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

42 mins; April 24, 2023

Marina Benjamin on emotional labour & the caring conundrum

42 mins; April 17, 2023

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

45 mins; April 10, 2023

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

53 mins; April 03, 2023

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

50 mins; March 27, 2023

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

51 mins; March 20, 2023

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

53 mins; March 13, 2023

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

46 mins; March 06, 2023

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

50 mins; February 27, 2023

Carolyn Hays on parenting a transgender child

55 mins; February 20, 2023

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

56 mins; February 13, 2023

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

52 mins; February 06, 2023

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

56 mins; January 30, 2023

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

55 mins; January 23, 2023

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

57 mins; January 16, 2023

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

52 mins; January 09, 2023

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

60 hours 43 mins; January 02, 2023

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

53 mins; December 28, 2022

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

51 mins; December 26, 2022

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

50 mins; December 21, 2022

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

45 mins; December 19, 2022

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

51 mins; December 12, 2022

Kaye Adams on ambition, insecurity and surviving Strictly

51 mins; December 05, 2022

Sali Hughes on the positive power of being a grown up

54 mins; November 28, 2022

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

46 mins; November 21, 2022

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

55 mins; November 14, 2022

Marina Hyde on gaining confidence and growing older riskily

49 mins; November 07, 2022

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

55 mins; October 31, 2022

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

47 mins; October 24, 2022

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

45 mins; October 17, 2022

Raynor Winn on walking, nature and the power of hope

50 mins; October 10, 2022

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

37 mins; October 03, 2022

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

47 mins; September 26, 2022

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

47 mins; September 19, 2022

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

45 mins; September 12, 2022

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

61 hours 26 mins; September 05, 2022

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

53 mins; August 29, 2022

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

55 mins; August 22, 2022

Emma Forrest on sex, celibacy and solitude

50 mins; August 15, 2022

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

57 mins; August 08, 2022

Julia Cameron on alcoholism, creativity and emotional sobriety

38 mins; August 01, 2022

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

50 mins; July 25, 2022

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

49 mins; July 18, 2022

A quick word from Sam

2 mins; July 12, 2022

Poorna Bell on the unexpected power in being 40

60 hours 43 mins; July 11, 2022

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The Shift with Sam Baker

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