Second Act with Ateh Jewel

Actress, singer and former Pop Idol star Zoe Birkett opens up about surviving tabloids in the Noughties, what it was really like to be on Pop Idol back in its heyday, and her recent miscarriage while performing on the West End.

00:00 – Welcome & The Three Words: Yes Girl, People Pleaser, Mouldable

01:15 – Thrust into Fame at 16: Pop Idol & Losing Her Authentic Self

04:17 – Surviving 2000s Tabloid Toxicity, Up-Skirting & Body Shaming

07:11 – Changing Her Look: Stripping the Braids & Family Support

11:12 – Looking Back at Pop Idol: Meeting Take That & Shirley Bassey

17:01 – The Truth About Her Teenage Romance with Gareth Gates

20:00 – Remembering Darius Campbell Danesh: A Heroic Act of Protection

23:37 – Industry Neglect, Self-Defence Lessons & Normalizing Harassment

27:03 – Calling Off Her Engagement & Learning to Say No

29:52 – Northern Grit: Handing Out Nightclub Flyers at the Peak of Fame

34:45 – Living with Severe Osteoarthritis & Getting a Full Hip Replacement

41:35 – Reclaiming Her Career: Performing in Moulin Rouge! 4 Months After Surgery

45:25 – Leaving Her Record Deal & 17 Years in the West End

48:20 – Entering Her Second Act: DJing, Boundaries & Turning 40

50:58 – Performing Through Miscarriage as Tina Turner

57:28 – Advice to Her Younger Self: "Don't Rush Yourself"

01:02:13 – Advice for Listener Annie: Coping with Anxiety & Unspoken Trauma

If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and make sure to tune in to hear the answer.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producer: Danielle Lawler

Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jayne Wallace, resident psychic of Selfridges London and founder of Psychic Sisters joins Isabel this week for a spooky-themed episode all about her line of work and why so many people turn to spirituality for guidance.

Want your question answered by our experts? Email [email protected] with your burning midlife questions.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan

Follow @secondacthello on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh talks about becoming a step mum at 23, how Sarah Harding’s death gave her health anxiety, how she coped with weight jibes in Girls Aloud and why she is launching her own beauty range.

Second Act is the podcast and community for women in midlife who refuse to fade into the background. Join host, midlifer, mum-of-two and divorcee Ateh Jewel as she navigates her own second act by speaking to celebrity guests about what age means to them, and how they're approaching this new phase of life.

If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and make sure to tune in to hear the answer.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producer: Danielle Lawler

Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.

Chapters:

00:36 – The Three Words: Resilience, Music, and Family

01:06 – Starting at Age 5: Rejection, Auditions, and Grit

04:40 – Growing Up in a Musical Family & Finding Her Voice

08:39 – The 2000s Pop Explosion: 10 Rooms, Westlife & Wild Nights

11:42 – Fame at 20: Navigating Paparazzi Before Social Media

13:39 – Confronting 2000s Media Body Shaming & Toxic Diets

16:23 – Crazy Schedules: 4 AM Wake-Ups and Photo Shoots

18:00 – Meeting Justin Scott at 23 & Becoming a Step-Mom

23:15 – Becoming a First-Time Mom at 33: Needing a Village

26:08 – Losing Sarah Harding: Grief, Health Anxiety, and Legacy

29:10 – Reframing Aging: Why Every Birthday Is a Privilege

30:50 – The Girls Aloud WhatsApp Group & Growing Together

33:30 – West End, Strictly Come Dancing, and Live TV Presenting

37:05 – First Jobs: From Freezer Cleaning to Financial Freedom

38:42 – Skincare, Hydration, and Loving the Body You Have

46:54 – Early Perimenopause, Hormones, and Irritability

50:20 – Advice to Her Younger Self: "Stop Letting People Change Your Mind"

54:48 – Advice for Listener Linda: Coping with Raw Grief and Loss

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, celebrated author Gyles Brandreth joins Isabel to discuss longevity, and to share his top tips to live well to 100.

Want your question answered by our experts? Email [email protected] with your burning midlife questions.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producer: Isabel Mohan

Follow @secondacthello on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Global best-selling author Bonnie Garmus sits down to reflect on her extraordinary journey to international stardom. Opening up about her childhood as a self-described "too tall stutterer" who towered over her peers, Bonnie reveals how early adversity and learning to listen deeply laid the groundwork for her literary power.

The beloved novelist gets remarkably candid about the defining moment she turned 40, reclaimed her voice, and turned workplace rage into global success after her debut manuscript was rejected a staggering 98 times. Plus, Bonnie shares touching insights into raising her two adopted daughters, her fierce passion for protecting human creativity in the age of AI, and the surreal moment she struck up a firm friendship with Queen Camilla—the only person on Earth entrusted with the secrets of her next novel!

Second Act is the podcast and community for women in midlife who refuse to fade into the background. Join host, midlifer, mum-of-two and divorcee Ateh Jewel as she navigates her own second act by speaking to celebrity guests about what age means to them, and how they're approaching this new phase of life.

If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and make sure to tune in to hear the answer.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Sophia Liversedge

Executive producer: Danielle Lawler

Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Model and age-positive influencer Mia Maugé joins Isabel on the pod to discuss self care rituals and the little habits that keep you looking and feeling your best in midlife.

This episode is sponsored by L'Oréal Paris.

Want your question answered by our experts? Email [email protected] with your burning midlife questions.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producer: Isabel Mohan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former supermodel turned TV chef and psychotherapist Lorraine Pascale sits down for an intimate, heart-to-heart conversation.

From navigating the highs of '90s Paris catwalks alongside Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss to enduring the heartbreaking realities of foster care, adoption, and hidden coercive control, Lorraine opens up like never before.

She speaks candidly about finding her biological father at 94, and why turning 50 gave her the ultimate freedom to rewrite her own story.

This episode is sponsored by L'Oréal Paris.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro & The Triggers of the "First Act"

00:30 – Childhood Trauma, Foster Care & Adoption Struggles

03:01 – Finding Her Biological Father at 94 & The 1974 Letter

05:15 – Becoming a '90s Supermodel: Racism, Rejection & The Catwalk

12:15 – Protecting Yourself Backstage: Predators & Industrial Realities

15:08 – Making History on Cover Pages & The Supermodel "Sorority"

18:38 – Turning 50: Power, Boundaries & Caring Less

21:05 – Being a Young Mother & Navigating "School Gate" Judgment

23:55 – Neurodiversity, CPTSD & Finding Out You're "Spicy"

30:50 – From Model to Chef to Clinical Psychotherapist: Earning 5 Degrees

34:00 – Understanding Coercive Control: Why Strong Women Get Trapped

42:23 – How 160 Hours of Therapy Saved Lorraine's Life

46:51 – Finding True Love at 50 & Meeting Her Husband in the Gym

52:08 – Burnout, Reclaiming Food & Embracing Natural Gray Hair

58:00 – Advice for Feeling Lost in Your Second Act

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TV presenter and former supermodel Lisa Snowdon opens up about navigating midlife with absolute confidence, joy, and zero regrets.

From her whirlwind 90s modelling career, including the dark side of Paris and standing up to industry predators, to high-profile romances with Hollywood royalty like George Clooney, Lisa lays it all bare. She reflects on why her 50s are her most empowering decade yet, how she made peace with not having children, and why ending a 12-year relationship at 54 was the ultimate act of self-love.

Second Act is the podcast and community for women in midlife who refuse to fade into the background. Join host, midlifer, mum-of-two and divorcee Ateh Jewel as she navigates her own second act by speaking to celebrity guests about what age means to them, and how they're approaching this new phase of life.

If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and make sure to tune in to hear the answer.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome Lisa Snowdon to Second Act

01:25 - Model Scouting at 19 & Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

03:00 - Breaking the Cycle of Toxic & Narcissistic Relationships

05:40 - Life After 50: Embracing Singlehood & Self-Romance

07:05 - Making Peace with Motherhood, Miscarriage & Perimenopause

10:38 - Ending a 12-Year Relationship at 54

19:15 - Navigating the Toxic 90s Modelling Scene & Escaping Predators

30:05 - The Truth About Dating George Clooney in the 90s

35:28 - Reclaiming Power at 50 & Finding Freedom in Saying "No"

43:00 - Celebrating Women's Unmarked Milestones

50:20 - Identity, Aging & Embracing Natural Grey Hair

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr Sohère Roked, a GP and functional medicine and hormone doctor, joins Isabel this week to talk about hormonal treatments for the menopause, and how to know if HRT is for you.

Want your question answered by our experts? Email [email protected] with your burning midlife questions.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Sonni Hendrickson

Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan

Follow @secondacthello on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Housewives of London star Juliet Angus spills the tea on the new series, opens up about empty nesting, on returning to her Polish roots, and why she wouldn’t say no to a facelift.

Second Act is the podcast and community for women in midlife who refuse to fade into the background. Join host, midlifer, mum-of-two and divorcee Ateh Jewel as she navigates her own second act by speaking to celebrity guests about what age means to them, and how they're approaching this new phase of life.

If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and make sure to tune in to hear the answer.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices