In this chat, Donna speaks to Tik Tok star Sonia Ramos, who was only 36 when she first started experiencing perimenopause symptoms. Sonia was a mum of 4, working a 9 to 5 job in a small American town, feeling exhausted, invisible and completely alone. But when she started sharing her story on Tik Tok - everything changed - not just for Sonia, but for the millions of women watching.

Now living in LA, with almost a million followers and starring in some of America's biggest beauty campaigns, Sonia is proof that midlife can be a new beginning, not an end. And in this episode, she shares her simple, no-nonsense advice on how to reclaim our energy, confidence and joy too.

Listen if you need a boost of inspiration, some real-life lessons and a reminder that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Following Sonia on Tik Tok and Instagram is like gaining a new friend that cuts out the crap, tells you how it is, and supports your corner. She's full of brilliant beauty tips too.

Follow Donna on Instagram and Tik Tok, and join the Smiling Gives You Wrinkles Chat on Facebook for more tips and behind-the-scenes content. And don't forget to hit follow on the podcast too.

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

This week Donna chats with Karen Newby, nutritionist and author of The Natural Menopause Method and The Natural Menopause Method Cookbook. 

Since giving up alcohol last year, Donna has noticed how much her diet affects her health and mood. And as midlife is a good time to evaluate your eating habits, Donna wanted to find out what a typical day of food should look like, so we can all get the basics right. 

Karen shares useful tips on how to measure protein portions - without having to count the grams or get the weighing scales out. And also offers great advice on how to curb those night-time sugar cravings. Does anyone else eat healthy all day only to break the good habits at night with a bowl of ice cream or bar of chocolate? 

To learn more about Karen and her books, visit her website and follow her on Instagram too. You can also join Karen’s Natural Menopause Membership Retreat - use code DONNA50 for 50% off.  

And don't forget to check out Donna's website, follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok and you can also join the Smiling Gives You Wrinkles Chat on Facebook for more chat, tips and behind-the-scenes content.

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

If you're looking for a  glow up that doesn’t involve expensive products or time-consuming regimes, then this chat with facialist Sarah Bradden is a must listen. 

VOGUE calls her a “modern day healer” and your “skin’s best friend”, so Donna felt very lucky to have Sarah take time out of her busy schedule to share all of her amazing skincare tips with us. 

Donna actually recorded this chat a year ago, and she has been practicing Sarah’s methods ever since. Find out how easy they are to do - and most of them don’t involve buying any product either. 

Sarah also chats to Donna about how different her life looked when she was a young single mum, struggling badly with her health. At the time, she felt completely overwhelmed, and like she had lost everything but after a chance appointment with an acupuncturist, Sarah's healing journey began. 

Sarah’s story proves that it’s never too late to start again and that simple beauty routines are the most powerful. 

To learn more about Sarah, visit her website and follow her on Instagram too.

And don't forget to check out Donna's website, follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok and you can also join the Smiling Gives You Wrinkles Chat on Facebook for more chat, tips and behind-the-scenes content.

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

There's been quite a long pause since the last episode, and Donna explains the reasons why SGYW is back.

Don't forget to check out Donna's website and follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok. You can also join the Smiling Gives You Wrinkles Chat Facebook Group for more chat and behind-the-scenes content.

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

Starting Thursday 5th June, you'll find award-winning Beauty Editor Donna Francis having honest, open and relatable conversations about life, beauty and aging. Like having a coffee with a friend, this is podcast for women like you and me, who want to chat about things that will make them smile, feel better and also help them learn a few things too. It's time to stop being so hard on ourselves as we age, and remember that we are never too old and it's never too late.

This is our place to shine, feel seen and feel happier :-)

Don't forget to check out Donna's website and follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok. You can also join the Smiling Gives You Wrinkles: The Circle of Trust Facebook Group for more chat and behind-the-scenes content.

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

When was the last time that you bought a poetry book? If it’s in the last few years, then it was almost certainly written by Donna Ashworth, the twice Sunday times best seller poet. 

Donna started writing poetry on social media in 2018 when she was struggling in her personal life. And when Covid hit, Donna shared a poem called History on her social media and her following grew into the hundreds of thousands. 

Seven books and over a million followers later, Donna has rewritten the history of poetry. In this chat, Donna’s tells Donna about her journey to becoming a best-selling author in her 40s, and confesses that although she didn’t really know what she was doing, she knew in her gut that she was on the path to something very special.  

And you’re in for such a treat. To start the chat, Donna recited one of Donna’s favourite poems, called Time Can’t Erase Your Beauty. 

If you’d like to read more of Donna’s poetry, then buy one of her books and follow her on Instagram too. 

And follow (Smiling Gives You Wrinkles) Donna on:

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

YouTube

Her Website

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

Fancy learning a new tool to help you manage stress and feel more confident? 

You might not have heard of tapping before and you might think it sounds a bit out there, but in this chat you’ll hear Poppy explain to Donna how you can use this ‘super tool’ every day to really help change your life. 

Vogue calls Poppy “the go-to for public figures” and you’ll hear how she has helped some of the world’s most successful women quiet the negative chatter in their head and visualize their full potential. 

Poppy has Donna hooked on the practice that basically uses your fingertips to tap different energy points on your face and parts of your body while repeating positive affirmations that are personal to you. 

If you’d like to give tapping a try, go to Poppy’s Rapid Tapping app which offers live sessions and personalised tapping practices for anytime you need to quieten that negative voice in your head and have a confidence boost. Follow Poppy on Instagram too. 

And follow Donna on:

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

YouTube

Her Website

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

Do you feel stuck in life and your career? Do you feel the best days of your life are behind you? Do you want to feel more ‘seen’? 

Please listen to this chat with the wonderful Suzi, also known as @alternativeageing on Instagram. Suzi is almost 75 and has over 100k followers on social media thanks to her infectious positivity and often humorous take on aging. 

In this chat with Donna, Suzi chats about how she transformed her life after retirement and discusses how important clothes and makeup are so important for having a positive mindset during aging. 

Suzi has Donna hooked on her positive attitude towards aging and you will be left feeling inspired that no matter how old you are, it is never too late to transform and take hold of your life just as you wish to live it. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow Suzi on Instagram and don’t forget to watch her weekly vlog on You Tube. 

And follow Donna on:

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

YouTube

Her Website

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

Crystal is the widow of Hugh Hefner, the creator of Playboy magazine. They got married when Crystal was 26 years old, and he was 86, that’s 60 years older than she was. They were married until his death, in 2017, and since then, Crystal has been living a new life outside of the Playboy mansion. 

At 37, Crystal is the youngest guest on Smiling Gives You Wrinkles so far. And Donna wanted to chat with her because she has such a unique and interesting perspective on aging as Crystal has lived such a big part of her life in a world that shunned getting older and her value was purely put down to what she looked like. 

This year, Crystal released her new memoir: “Only Say Good Things” and she has been opening up about her marriage and her old life with Hugh. In this chat with Donna, Crystal shares how she feels about her own self-worth now that she is living out of the mansion - a place where, as she says, aging was considered unpalatable. 

If you’d like to hear more about Crystal’s story, read Crystal’s memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself. Follow Crystal on Instagram too. 

And follow Donna on:

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

YouTube

Her Website

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell

Want to know which skincare products that you really need? Do you feel that you need a makeup refresh? Would you like to hear how one of the world’s most successful makeup artists approaches aging?

Ruby Hammer has worked as a makeup artist on some of the world’s most famous faces including Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Sharon Stone, Tyra Banks and Meghan Markle. Ruby was also awarded an MBE, which are given out by the British monarchy to people who’ve made an amazing impact in their line of work. In this chat with Donna, Ruby shares some brilliant advice on how to look and feel beautiful inside and out as we age, and she explains how, at 62, she keeps her youthful spirit alive. 

If you’d like to find out more about Ruby, then check out her website Ruby Hammer Beauty where you’ll also discover her brilliant makeup accessories brand. You can also follow her on Instagram where she shares some great beauty tips too. 

And follow Donna on:

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

YouTube

Her Website

Smiling Gives You Wrinkles is produced by Will Dell