Midlife & Beyond Conversations

Can you really suffer from a broken heart?

For author Juliet Sullivan, the answer turned out to be yes.

After the traumatic death of her mother, Juliet experienced what she initially thought was a panic attack. Instead, she was diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, commonly known as Broken Heart Syndrome, a condition she had never even heard of.

In this conversation, Juliet shares what happened, what she has learned about the extraordinary connection between emotional stress and our physical bodies, and why she has had to reconsider something she had always believed about herself: that she could simply keep going, no matter what life threw at her.

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We talk about grief, accumulated stress, the pressure so many of us accept as simply part of life, and the importance of listening when our bodies tell us that something isn’t right.

Juliet also talks candidly about losing her mother to suicide, the complicated grief that followed, and why writing her book, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, became both a way of processing what happened and of raising awareness of a condition many people, and even some medical professionals she encountered, knew little about.

Perhaps most importantly, this is a conversation about redefining resilience. Being deeply affected by what happens to us does not necessarily mean we are weak. Sometimes strength means recognising our limits and learning to take better care of ourselves.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, bereavement and serious heart symptoms. If you experience unexplained chest pain, breathlessness, faintness or symptoms that could indicate a heart problem, please seek urgent medical help rather than assuming they are caused by anxiety or stress.

My book, Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

What if you reached your 60s and realised the life you’d built simply wasn’t the life you wanted to keep living?

My guest this week, Carol K. McClain, did something about it.

Approaching her 30th wedding anniversary, Carol realised she could potentially spend another 30 years in a marriage she no longer wanted. So she left.

There wasn’t a grand plan waiting on the other side. But within a couple of years she had sold her home, bought a 45-foot catamaran and set off with her new partner to live and sail full-time.

Quite a leap for a self-confessed mountain girl who was frightened of the ocean!

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Carol talks about the exhilarating highs of that new life – the islands, friendships, sunsets and constant learning – as well as the reality behind the idyllic sailing videos: mechanical problems, difficult passages, fear and the strain that adversity can place on a relationship.

And then came the moment that changed everything.

Sixteen months into their voyage, their boat struck an unseen obstruction in the ocean. Within 20 minutes, Carol and her partner had abandoned their home and were floating in a dinghy watching it sink.

Hours later, they were rescued from the ocean by the US Coast Guard.

But perhaps the most extraordinary part of Carol’s story is what happened afterwards.

She went sailing again.

We talk about courage, resilience, limiting beliefs, relationships, lifelong learning and the difference between dreaming about another life and actually taking the first step towards it.

Carol is now moving towards another new chapter, including fulfilling a dream she’s held since her twenties to become a motivational speaker.

It’s a wonderful reminder that reinvention doesn’t have an age limit.

In this conversation:

• Why Carol left her marriage after almost 30 years• Starting again without knowing exactly what came next• Why she chose adventure in her 60s rather than waiting another five years• Learning completely new skills as we grow older• The less glamorous reality of living at sea• What happened when their catamaran began to sink• The extraordinary Coast Guard rescue• Losing a home, possessions and an entire way of life• Finding the courage to go sailing again• Relationships under pressure• Carol’s approach to dreams, limiting beliefs and taking action• Beginning yet another new chapter as she approaches her 70s

Connect with Carol

Find Carol and her book, Sailing Sweet Caroline: A Courageous Tale of Life, Love and Manifesting Dreams, at carolkmcclain.com.

Or buy from your country’s Amazon store: https://geni.us/zTg8s

You can also find Carol on Instagram and Facebook as Carol K. McClain.

And if you’re navigating your own next chapter, my book Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older is here:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

There are some parts of women’s health that many of us were simply never taught to talk about.

Pelvic floors. Vaginal dryness. Prolapse. Bladder leakage. Painful sex. Even wind.

For many women of our generation, these subjects were either whispered about or dismissed as simply “women’s problems”. And perhaps that’s one reason so many women quietly put up with symptoms for years.

In this episode of Midlife & Beyond, I’m joined by pelvic health physiotherapist Melody Norton-Evans for an open, practical and reassuring conversation about what really happens to our pelvic health as we move through menopause and beyond.

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Melody’s message is wonderfully clear: these problems may be common, but that doesn’t make them normal – and there is often something we can do about them.

We talk about:

• What actually happens to the vulva and vagina as oestrogen declines• Why vaginal dryness and discomfort can develop after menopause• Bladder urgency and stress incontinence• The different types of pelvic organ prolapse• Why constipation can have such an impact on the pelvic floor• Vaginal oestrogen and why it differs from systemic HRT• Vaginal moisturisers versus lubricants• Why simply being told to “do your Kegels” isn’t always enough• How pelvic health physiotherapy can help• Why some women actually need to learn to relax their pelvic floor• Whether running, jumping and other exercise should be avoided• The simple everyday habits that can help protect our pelvic health as we grow older

Perhaps most importantly, we talk about the embarrassment that still surrounds this part of women’s health.

Some women live with symptoms for ten years or more before seeking help. They adapt their lives around finding toilets, avoiding journeys, worrying about leakage or putting up with painful sex.

We shouldn’t have to quietly make our lives smaller.

As Melody says, ageing is inevitable. Frailty isn’t.

This is one of those conversations I wish women had been encouraged to have much earlier.

Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News About Midlife and Growing Olderhttps://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

What if menopause isn’t simply something to endure – but a transition we can prepare for, work with, and perhaps even grow through?

This week, I’m joined by Lisa Jedan, host of the Menopositive Podcast, for a wonderfully energising conversation about menopause, healthy ageing and the possibilities that lie on the other side of midlife.

Lisa believes we need to change the menopause narrative from one of decline to one of possibility. We talk about why so many women arrive at perimenopause feeling unprepared, why looking after ourselves so often slips to the bottom of the list, and the surprisingly simple foundations that can help us build greater health and resilience for the decades ahead.

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But our conversation goes far beyond menopause.

We explore the messages women absorb about ageing and usefulness; the value of older women in the workplace; what different generations can learn from one another; and the importance of remaining curious, engaged and open to new experiences as we grow older.

Lisa also shares a wonderfully practical philosophy: start where you are. Better health doesn’t have to mean climbing mountains, transforming your diet overnight or becoming someone you’re not. Small changes compound.

We talk about:

* changing the menopause story from decline to possibility

* preparing for perimenopause rather than simply reacting to symptoms

* the foundations of healthy ageing: eating well, moving, sleeping and listening to your body

* why small changes really do matter

* strength training, bone health and investing in your future self

* the difference between lifespan and healthspan

* ageism and the value of older women at work

* intergenerational learning

* keeping our brains curious and engaged

* the language we use about our own ageing

* why our 50s, 60s and 70s can still be vibrant, meaningful decades

As Lisa says, we may spend a very large part of our lives post-menopause. That’s a lot of life still to live.

And perhaps the most interesting question isn’t simply how we get through menopause.

It’s who we become because of it.

Feel free to share with a friend who might need to hear this episode!

ABOUT LISA JEDAN

Lisa is the host of the Menopositive Podcast, where she explores menopause, longevity and healthy ageing with experts from a wide range of disciplines.

Find Menopositive here: https://www.menopositive.life

and on your usual podcast platform, and on Instagram: @menopositive.life

ABOUT JO

My work is about challenging the tired stories we’re told about ageing and exploring what it means to live well – and keep becoming – in the second half of life.

My book, Ageing Wonderfully Well:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

How is your relationship with your mother?

For some of us, that relationship is warm and close. For others, it is complicated, painful or marked by something that was missing. And even when we love our mothers deeply, we may still find ourselves repeating emotional patterns we don’t fully understand.

In this episode, I’m joined by psychotherapist Vanessa Wallace to explore generational trauma and the experiences that can travel through the female line.

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Vanessa shares her own powerful story: her mother’s struggles with mental health, being sent to boarding school at nine, her years of addiction and the discovery of a painful family secret involving the grandmother she never knew.

Our conversation isn’t about blaming our mothers. It’s about becoming curious about the circumstances that shaped them – and recognising that they, too, were influenced by the women and families who came before them.

We talk about:

* What generational trauma and epigenetics mean

* Mother loss and childhood abandonment

* Why so many women carry “mother guilt”

* The emotional mirroring children need

* How wartime attitudes towards strength and emotion may still affect us

* Recognising inherited responses to stress

* Inner-child work and becoming our own loving parent

* Boundaries, people-pleasing and resentment

* Whether we can stop painful patterns passing to another generation

As Vanessa says, there is no dividing line between the “bad” generation and the “good” one. Healing is a gradual movement towards greater awareness, self-compassion and healthier ways of expressing what we feel and need.

This is a thoughtful and compassionate conversation about mothers, daughters and the stories that came before us.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of addiction, childhood abandonment, family trauma and mental ill health.

Find Vanessa

https://www.crystalclearcoaching.org/books-freebies/.

Website, courses and retreats: https://www.crystalclearcoaching.org

Healing the Mother Line: https://www.crystalclearcoaching.org/blog/healing-the-mother-line/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalclearcoach/

Vanessa’s forthcoming book is The Mother Solution. Her website currently lists it for autumn 2026. Crystal Clear Coaching

Find Jo

Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

How do you feel when you open your wardrobe?

For many women, particularly as our bodies and lives change in midlife, getting dressed can become surprisingly complicated. Clothes that once felt right no longer do. We can find ourselves buying more, wearing less, or simply wondering where the woman we used to recognise has gone.

Midlife & Beyond with Jo Blackwell is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

My guest Sarah Gale believes the answer isn’t another set of fashion rules.

Sarah is the founder of Wearing Your Worth and spent more than three decades in the fashion industry before developing a very different approach to personal style. She believes the clothes we choose can reveal much more than our taste. They can reflect the expectations, conditioning and stories we’ve absorbed about who we’re supposed to be.

We talk about what Sarah calls our “style essences”, the characteristics that express something fundamental about who we really are, and why rediscovering them can help us feel more at home in ourselves.

Our conversation ranges far beyond clothes. We explore changing bodies, our attachment to comfort, feminine power, going grey, make-up, the enormous pressure on women to remain youthful, and why midlife can be an opportunity to strip away some of those expectations rather than trying harder to conform to them.

We also talk about the example we set for younger women when we allow ourselves to age visibly and unapologetically.

If you’ve ever stood in front of a wardrobe full of clothes thinking, “None of this feels like me anymore”, this conversation may help you look at the problem rather differently.

About Sarah:

Wearing Your Worth WebsiteInstagramYouTube and podcast

Sarah Gale, former Project Runway Australia judge, seasoned fashion industry expert, and accredited coach, embarked on a remarkable journey from the competitive fashion business to explore the aesthetics of the soul.

As the Founder and visionary behind Wearing Your Worth®, Sarah has pioneered a paradigm shift in how women perceive their connection with clothing and embrace their authentic style. Her groundbreaking program empowers women to unlock profound insights into their psychological relationship with their wardrobe, transforming it into a potent tool for discovering and embodying their true essence.

Jo’s Book:

Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

There’s something about becoming a grandmother that is almost impossible to put into words.

That first moment. That first cuddle. The first time you hear your grandchild call your special name.

My guest this week, Joy Crawford, understands that feeling very well. She is the founder of What My Grandkids Call Me, a community of grandparents built around a wonderfully simple idea: celebrating the names our grandchildren give us – and the relationships behind them.

Joy tells me how one encounter between a little boy and his beloved “Boompa” inspired a faith-driven mission to make a million people smile.

We talk about the extraordinary bond between grandparents and grandchildren, the memories our own grandparents leave with us, loving grandchildren who live far away, and the freedom that comes with being Grandma rather than Mum.

There are laughs, a few tears, and plenty of stories – including the moment my four-year-old granddaughter informed me, when she spilt her juice on the sofa, that she is apparently the reason I can’t have nice things!

If you’re a grandparent, I think you’ll recognise a great deal in this conversation.

And I’d love to know: what do your grandchildren call you?

Find Joy

What My Grandkids Call Me:whatmygrandkidscallme.com

Joy is also the author of What My Grandkids Call Me A to Z, a collection of grandparent names and reflections from real grandmothers. https://geni.us/6M5s1Sf

And from me

My book, Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News About Midlife and Growing Older, is available worldwide here:

Ageing Wonderfully Well

Midlife & Beyond with Jo Blackwell is a weekly podcast about navigating the years beyond 50 with curiosity, confidence and an open mind.

Caroline Nield was 48 when she discovered she was autistic.

Until then, she had spent years wondering why certain parts of life seemed harder for her than they appeared to be for other people. She rehearsed conversations before they happened. Phone calls needed preparation. Friendships could be difficult to maintain. Changes to familiar routines could feel disproportionately unsettling.

And, like many women who receive an autism diagnosis later in life, she had become very good at adapting and masking.

Caroline’s route to diagnosis began when her son was diagnosed as autistic. As she learned more about autism – including sensory differences, social communication and repetitive behaviours – she began recognising herself.

When her own diagnosis eventually came, her overwhelming feeling was relief.

Rather than giving her another label, Caroline says it helped her begin stripping away some of the labels she had already given herself, like shy, stubborn, difficult.

We talk about what autism can look like in women, why so many women reach midlife without recognising that they are neurodivergent, and the difference that self-understanding can make.

Caroline also shares some wonderfully relatable examples from everyday life – from supermarket layouts and favourite sandwiches to friendship drift, phone calls and the need for routine.

We also explore:

• Why autism in girls and women has historically been overlooked• Masking and learning to copy other people socially• The relief – and sometimes grief – that can accompany a late diagnosis• Sensory differences and the need for routine• Friendship and the feeling of never quite fitting in• Executive functioning, overwhelm and the “too many tabs open” brain• Perfectionism and the freeze response• Finding ways of working that suit your own brain• Caroline’s decision to pursue acting in her 40s• Leaving a 20-year HR career and retraining as a coach• Why understanding yourself can be the beginning of treating yourself more kindly

What struck me most about our conversation was that this isn’t really a story about acquiring a label.

It’s about finally having an explanation, and, perhaps, being able to look back at yourself with a little more self-compassion.

FIND CAROLINE

Instagram: @caroline_nieldFacebook: Caroline NieldLinkedIn: Caroline Nield

Caroline also mentions her free two-minute quiz exploring patterns including cognitive overload, perfectionism, overgiving and the freeze response.

AGEING WONDERFULLY WELL

My book, Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older, is now available worldwide:

https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

What does it really mean to plan for our health after 60 – not from a place of fear, but so that we can remain active, independent and involved in the lives we want to lead?

My guest is Laura Ashforth, CEO and co-founder of Lateral, a specialist health insurer created for active people over 60.

Laura explains why traditional health insurance can become increasingly expensive as we grow older, and how Lateral has been designed to sit alongside the NHS rather than replace it. We talk about timely access to diagnostic tests and elective procedures, the importance of continuity of care and the choices available when navigating NHS and private healthcare.

But this conversation goes beyond insurance. Laura and I discuss:

* Why we need to think about healthcare before we need it

* The difference between lifespan and health span

* Annual health checks, screenings and preventative care

* Maintaining strength, mobility and independence

* Why health advice should reflect our age and stage of life

* The contribution older people continue to make

* How activities such as walking, gardening and pickleball can support both physical health and social connection

Laura’s message is a positive one: reaching our 60s does not mean that we intend to slow down or stop. By paying attention to our health now, we give ourselves a better chance of continuing to contribute, explore and enjoy the years ahead.

Please note: This conversation is for general information and does not constitute medical or financial advice. Health insurance is subject to individual eligibility, terms and exclusions.

Links

Discover Lateral & Explore healthy-ageing articles and resources: https://www.lateral.uk/

Buy my book, Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

What if you didn’t need to reinvent your life to make it better?

My guests this week are Ann and Sal, hosts of the 1% Happier and Healthier podcast, and their philosophy is wonderfully simple: instead of setting enormous goals that quickly become overwhelming, make small, achievable changes – just 1% at a time.

And they know it works because they’ve done it themselves.

After meeting as neighbours 25 years ago, Ann and Sal eventually found themselves training together at the gym. Eighteen months of gradual progress took them from small beginnings to completing a Hyrox doubles event – something Ann initially thought was completely beyond her.

But their 1% philosophy reaches far beyond exercise.

We talk about changing our relationship with alcohol as we get older, creating healthier boundaries around work, taking five minutes to stop and breathe, putting ourselves back onto our own priority list and recognising that sometimes the smallest pleasures – even drinking your morning tea from a favourite mug – can make everyday life feel a little better.

Ann also talks candidly about the transition away from a business that had been central to her identity for many years, and the question so many of us encounter in midlife: if the roles that once defined me are changing, who am I now?

We also discuss “preferment” rather than retirement, the importance of continuing to stretch ourselves as we age, and Ann and Sal’s own unexpected adventure into podcasting.

It’s a warm conversation about making change feel possible – without believing we have to change everything at once.

Because perhaps the question isn’t “How do I transform my life?”

Perhaps it’s simply: “What could I make 1% better?”

Find Ann & Sal and the 1% Happier and Healthier podcast via their social channels, and on Apple Podcasts.

And if you’re navigating your own next chapter, my book Ageing Wonderfully Well is an honest, hopeful guide to midlife and growing older:

https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell