Staying Iconic with Sophie Atton

When did making friends get so bloody hard?

Because it used to be easy. School, university, work — you were constantly thrown together with the same people, doing the same things, at the same time. And then suddenly you reach your 30s and 40s and that entire infrastructure disappears.

You can have brilliant friends, people you've known for years, a family you love, a busy life — and still find yourself thinking, I don't actually have enough people around me.

I've thought about this a lot, partly because I've experienced it myself, and partly because I can't understand why we don't talk about it more.

So in this episode, I'm getting into why friendship changes so much as we get older, what happened to my own social life when I had children and went through various life changes, and why having lots of friends isn't necessarily the same thing as having the kind of social life you actually need.

I've also done the research into what happens to our social networks as we get older — and, thankfully, there are some very practical things we can do about it.

Because apparently, making friends in your 40s is basically dating.

Which means at some point, someone has to make the first move.

My life is good. Really good.

But I've realised I'm one of those people who is never quite finished. I'm always thinking about what could be better, what I want more of, what I want less of, and what might make life feel a little more exciting, interesting or fulfilling.

And lately, I've had quite a lot on my mind.

My body has been changing. There are things about my health that have been getting harder to ignore. I've been thinking about how much of my time and energy I give to other people, how much fun I'm actually having, whether I'm still challenging myself enough — and, perhaps most importantly, whether the life I'm living now actually feels like mine.

So this week, I'm getting quite personal.

I'm talking you through the things I'm actively doing to make my life better right now — including some things I've started, some things I've stopped, and some things I've realised I simply don't want to put up with anymore.

Some of them are small. Some are surprisingly big.

And I'm sharing them because I suspect I'm not the only woman in her 40s looking around at a perfectly good life and thinking: I love this, but I want more.

Not more because what we have isn't enough.

More because why wouldn't we?

This is the episode every overworked, over-needed, overstimulated woman in her 40s needs to listen to.

Because somewhere along the way, it became very easy to put ourselves last.

We tell ourselves we'll do the things we want when the kids are older, when life calms down, when we have more time, more money, more confidence, or when our bodies look different. And because there is always something that needs us, one day can quickly become years.

In this episode, I'm talking about why I think so many women in their 40s are stuck in this cycle, and the uncomfortable truth about where it can lead if we don't change it.

I'm also getting very personal about what happened when I realised I couldn't keep waiting either. I talk about why I reached that point, what finally made me decide it was time, and how I actually started making changes when my life was still busy, complicated and full of people who needed me.

Because I genuinely think this is something we need to talk about now… before we wake up five or ten years from now and realise we spent all that time waiting for life to become easier.

If any of this sounds painfully familiar, press play. These 15 minutes just might make you rethink what you've been putting off.

In my 30s I knew exactly who I was. Department head, high salary, swanky London office, always the one with the plan.

Then I had children, left my career, moved to a new area and had to start again - new house, new school, new everything. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, I lost the thread of myself.

This week - the week of my tenth wedding anniversary - I'm talking about something I've never really spoken about publicly before: what actually happens to your identity when your life changes completely.

The gap between who you were and who you're becoming. And why that gap, as uncomfortable as it is, might be the most important place you ever stand.

But this actually isn't an episode about being lost, instead it's an episode about what comes next.

Find me: Instagram and TikTok @bysophieatton

I'm 43 and I've finally figured some things out - enough to fill an episode anyway!

This week I'm sharing the eleven things I started doing in my 40s that have genuinely changed my life.

Some of them are practical and have made a real difference to how I look and feel in my body.

But the ones that have had the biggest impact are actually about relationships, how I see myself, and how I choose to spend my time - and those are the ones I'm most excited to talk about.

In this episode:

• The body and lifestyle habits that actually move the needle after 40
• The mindset shifts that took me way too long to make
• The relationship stuff nobody really talks about, but everyone needs to hear

Come and find me on Instagram and TikTok @bysophieatton - I'd love to know which ones resonate with you

You can find a link to all the items I talk about in this episode right here.

I've been running my own businesses for seven years - all of them public facing, all of them built on social media, all of them visible to anyone who wanted to look.

And for most of that time I've shown you the parts that look good. This week I'm showing you the parts that don't.

This is the episode I couldn't have recorded a year ago. The one where I talk honestly about what it actually costs to build something publicly: the loneliness, the months you work for free, the launches that flop, the self-doubt you have to push through anyway.

And the genuinely awkward reality of building a career that your school friends, your neighbours, your kids' teachers and your ex-boyfriend can all see in real time.

No insta-perfect highlight reel. Just the truth, including what I did about it and why I have absolutely zero regrets.

If you've ever thought about working for yourself, already do, or just want to hear what seven years of doing it publicly has actually looked and felt like, this one's for you.

Find me: Instagram and TikTok @bysophieatton

I worked in travel, I met my husband through travel, and when we had babies the deal we made was simple: it wouldn't stop us.

Seven years in, it mostly hasn't - but it has humbled us. Prams, nap times and little legs have a way of rewriting your plans.

We've done less than we imagined in some ways, and more than most people would attempt in others, and the outcome is that our children are now easy, fantastic travellers.

Today I'm sharing the dos and don'ts I've learned the hard way - and a couple of travel fails that still make me cringe.

Come find me on instagram and TikTok @bysophieatton

I'm someone who believes in making things happen. In taking risks, making bold moves, doing the scary thing. And most of the good stuff in my life has come from exactly that.

But there are a few moments I keep coming back to - moments that had absolutely nothing to do with me. A chance encounter. A near-miss. A relationship that nearly didn't happen.

This week I'm talking about the accidental moments that changed everything - meeting my husband, meeting a life-long friend, and two difficult experiences I had very little control over that I've never really spoken about publicly before.

It's not an episode about fate. It's an episode about what happens when luck shows up and you happen to be ready for it.

What does a luxury hotel actually sell you? It's not the pool. It's not the thread count. It's that feeling when you walk into the lobby after a long day and your shoulders just drop.

So why do we only let ourselves feel that on holiday?

This week I'm sharing the 10 things I've actually done to recreate that feeling at home — and none of it requires a big house or a Four Seasons budget.

Some of it costs almost nothing. All of it has genuinely changed how I feel in my own space every single day.

Because around 60% of us only practise self-care when we're already burned out. This episode is about building it into your life instead.

Your home should feel like somewhere you want to be... let's make that happen.

Links to all products mentioned: click here

Come find me: Instagram @bysophieatton Tiktok @bysophieatton

In today's episode of Staying on Top with Sophie, I'm sharing a simple but powerful mental shift that can completely change how you work towards your big goals.

This is an straight talking, no-notes conversation about why so many ambitious women feel stuck, unmotivated, or disconnected from what they say they want, and how to fix that by changing how you define a "goal" in the first place.

Instead of focusing on far-off targets you can't fully control, I'll show you how to shift your focus to the actions you can control, so you build momentum, consistency, and confidence week by week.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why big goals can feel abstract, demotivating, and out of reach
• The difference between a goal and an outcome - and why it matters
• How to stay motivated by focusing on what you can control
• Why reframing your goals makes follow-through easier
• Real-life examples from business, fitness, and personal growth
• How this approach helps you make progress even when outcomes don't go to plan

If you've ever felt like you know what you want but struggle to stay consistent, this episode will help you reconnect your daily actions to your bigger vision.

Want to work with me? I help ambitious, high-achieving women reach their big goals by getting clear on what matters and following through properly. If you want support breaking your goals down into something actionable - and actually sticking to it - join me inside my Confident & Unstoppable sessions… sign up here sophieatton.com/confident-unstoppable

Links:

✨ Work with me: https://linktr.ee/sophieatton

📺 Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bysophieatton

📩 Stay connected: https://www.instagram.com/bysophieatton