This episode gets deep and personal as we chat with Katie Phillips, transformational coach, author, founder of The School of Self Love and TED-X speaker.

Katie shares her story, the challenges she faced and her rock-bottom moment that led her to write a new story for herself and ultimately to her finding her calling; working with single women in their 40s.

There was something so personal in this episode. We talk about transgenerational trauma and how this has affected all of us in our lives.  

A lot of Katie’s work focuses on dating women in their 40’s. She shares what she means by the “scarcity” self-talk and how this can sabotage us (and busted me for doing exactly that during the interview!)

Katie shares her perspective on mid-life – that it is such an exciting time with huge opportunities. It’s a time when we truly know ourselves and we have wisdom and experience – what’s not to love about that - in fact, it is everything that we are celebrating here at Pioneers of Ageing

If you want to find out more about Katie you can do so here:

 

web: www.theschoolofself.love

Instagram: @KatiePhillipsWithLove

She also has a FREE event coming up:

‘MEET YOUR SOUL MATE EXPERIENCE’ 

FREE 5 day challenge reveals how entrepreneurial single women can boost self confidence, self trust and self worth TO ATTRACT YOUR SOUL MATE by taking you on an empowering inner journey.

https://katiephillips661.lpages.co/meet-your-soul-mate/

This episode is truly magickal as we talk to Katy Theakston, founder of Owl and the Apothecary and dive into her “modern witchery for the wild and wonderful woman”.

We are inspired by many things from the wonderful Katy, but a recent gem in her newsletter called out to us:

"We are here. We are alive. Let us celebrate everything about ourselves in this lifetime. The wild, the wonderful and the weird. Bring them all in. For we are the non-ordinaries."

We have talked about reinvention a few times across this first series and Katy shares her absolute masterclass on how to do a reinvention. She left a fast-paced high profile design and digital world in London for Dorset. There she set about solo parenting, healing from a broken heart and mastering ancient sacred rituals

Katy talked to us about her reinvention journey, what led to it and how she got to the point where she gave birth to her business within a few weeks of each other. She shares the beauty of how her life now brings together threads that have existed at different points in her life and the importance of power and connection within the rituals she now practices her day.

Katy shared how she structures her day, to give her the connection she needs to be “Katy” at the same time as honouring her business and motherhood.

If you want to bring a little more Katy Magick into your life you can find her here:

 

https://owlapothecary.com/

https://www.instagram.com/owlapothecary/

 

Katy has kindly given our listeners a 15% discount at The Owl & The Apothecary shop, programmes & retreats. Use the code PIONEERS

When we asked Katy who inspires and guides her, she answered that it is mainly the women she works with but she also mentioned these names which we will leave here in case you want to search out more about them.

 

Caroline Britton

Michelle Simmonds

Isobel Gatherer

This episode is an absolute treat. The effervescent Rae Adam from FWP by Rae shares her journey of becoming a pioneer of style, reinvention and building a fashion business. In her own words, Rae moved to London to study fashion but ended up in the media industry for over 20 years - which wasn’t all bad - it was during that time we met!

She married and moved to France, but things didn’t work out as planned. After 5 miserable years during which time she returned to the UK, set up FWP by Rae and got divorced.

Having learnt about running her own business in the wine industry in France, she embarked on this new venture, focussing on t-shirts and sweatshirts, all with a wine-related slogan.

She is now flying solo and diversifying the brand, she is well on the way to her mission to carefully curate a wardrobe based on good cuts, quality fabric and great prints.

She shares her views on fashion, style and beauty and how they have evolved.

If you haven’t checked out Rae’s brilliant treasures, then pop over to https://fwpbyrae.com/

She is kindly offering our listeners a 10% discount – but it's only valid until 4th May, so hurry!

The code is PIONEER10 (T&C *This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or discount).

 

This episode is beyond brilliant. We are delighted to welcome Grace Fodor, founder of cosmetics brand Studio 10 onto the show.  

Grace is a serial entrepreneur and successful business women and pioneer on how to age well having created Pro Ageing make up brand with a pro ageing narrative and minimalist make up that is formulated with the best ingredients for mature skin.

 

Grace believe, as we do, that beauty has no age limit and ageism is old news. With Studio 10 make up she really is changing the face of ageing and ensuring that no one ever feels invisible again.

 

We talk about what inspired her to create Studio 10 make up brand. She talks about her take on make-up, that is it the confidence that you wear on your face. Yet the old narrative from the beauty industry is all about youth and being younger.

Is ageism the last “ism” to be broken down?

 

Take a listen as we explore this fascinating topic.  

 

Grace shares the insider tips we need to know about for older skin that has been central to the success of Studio10, she shares a few of her favourite products such as Plumping Blush. We wanted to create an easier way for you to get hold of them and try it out for yourself so Grace has kindly offered you all 15% discount:

 

Go to: https://studio10beauty.com

and use the code TREAT15 you will receive a 15% discount (T&C *This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or discount).

Take a listen and find out why Studio 10 has been termed "Spanx for the Face"

In this episode, we talk to Katie Waldegrave MBE. Katie is the co-founder and director of the career change charity Now Teach. Previous to Now Teach she co-founded First Story, an education charity helping children to learn to write stories and was Head of History at Cranford Community College. Her first book - The Poets' Daughters was published in 2013. She graduated from Oxford in 2003 and lives in London with her husband and three children.  Katie received an MBE in 2021 for her outstanding contribution to the community.

We were so thrilled to bring Katie on the show. We have talked about the concept of transformation and re-invention in the age of longevity and when we heard about Now Teach we realised this is a brilliant way to facilitate that transformation.  

Katie tells us about the inspiration that led her and Lucy Kellaway to set up Now Teach.

We talked about the circular benefits, to children, schools, individual teachers and the community.

We chat about the aspects of ageism that exist in us all and the vital role that Now Teach plays in breaking those down across all generations. We have talked about role models for longevity in earlier episodes, in Now Teach role modelling works in two directions, with younger teachers reverse-mentoring the older teachers. And how this leads to broader, societal and community impact.

It is a fascinating and inspiring conversation, once again demonstrating the beauty and power in our hands as we continue to reinvent what it means to age.

Links from the show: 

Links

Check out Now Teach and find out more about what they do:

https://nowteach.org.uk/

The book Katie mentions that inspired her to start the charity.

https://www.100yearlife.com/the-book/

 

 

 

In this episode, we talk to Lorna Driver-Davies, Naturopath and nutritionist with a specialism in female health. She is head of nutrition at Wild Nutrition and we love how she is making information on female health more inclusive and available through her team of Nutrition advisors at Wild Nutrition.

In preparing for this conversation, Lorna had told us her mother had what she described as: “a successful Menopause”. We found this such an inspiring phrase – why had we never heard that expression before? It very much formed the red thread that ran through this conversation.

How greater awareness around nutrition and hormones – driven by culture, science and the media - is changing the narrative of menopause and the nutrition and health information they seek from their physicians and beyond. Despite this, there is still a long way to go to democratise and share this information with a wider audience – not just those who can afford private health care.  

Lorna shared her vision for women’s health and a new appreciation of longevity. As she said:

“You get a lot of integrated help now for Fertility, I want to see the same level of support for peri-menopause and menopause”

Given the vital role female hormones play in brain and cardiovascular health – it is so vital for our future health.

Lorna shared her top tips for women who want to take charge of their longevity:

• Through her work with Wild Nutrition, her team offers   a free 15-minute consultation on supplements and support that can help https://www.wildnutrition.com/
• The test that Lorna recommends for all women to treat themselves to, before that handbag! https://dutchtest.com/
• Grounding, getting outside and managing digital detoxes.

We also asked her to share her top tips for glowing skin:

• Methyl donors, the most up to date list of these actually comes from Dr Kara Fitsgerald who was our guest in episode 1 of the podcast. In her book, "Younger You", she describes a list of foods she calls the dynamic dozen: These foods are powerful because they contain adaptogens AND donors.

1. Green tea
2. Turmeric
3. Blueberry
4. Rosemary
5. Cruciferous Veg
6. Beets
7. Eggs
8. Organic liver
9. Seeds
10. Salmon
11. Shiitake mushroom
12. Spinach

• Foods that help support collagen (these include bone broths, chicken, egg whites, berries and oily fish)
• Foods high in good fats such as oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocados
• Minimising alcohol, simple sugar, excessive caffeine
• Regular movement

Find out more about Lorna directly: https://www.lornadriverdavies.com/

And on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/lornadriverdavies/

In this episode we talk to Sandra Peat, a brand consultant who has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Mars, CocaCola, Kelloggs, Red Bull and Bacardi. Sandra is also an executive coach with a specialism in supporting people as they step up and into leadership roles, by helping them to find their authentic leadership style, in their work or any area of their life.

 

Along with POA co-host Rebecca, Sandra cofounded SuperHuman a Strategic Communications agency which helped brands to understand and connect with women - working across a range of sectors, from Fashion to Automotive. They commissioned research in 2018 into the way women in their 40’s and 50’s perceive the way brands and society view them. The research report  is called: Invisible Middle – the coming of age for “middle aged” women and we discuss the findings and what it means to all of us.

 

While 85% of purchasing decisions are made by women, 91% of those women feel advertisers don’t understand them. It is a crazy statistic and we talk about why this is and perhaps more importantly how can we change it.

Some of the topics covered include:

How the new narrative for “middle age” is part of a wider appreciation of inclusion, representation of all the individuals and how we need to normalise the experience of ageing.

The paradox is that, with age, women have a richness of experience and come into their own, more confident, up for experiences yet at the same time they can feel so invisible from a physicality point of view.

The importance of honesty and authenticity – to ourselves and to others around us, Sandra shared examples of how she inspires and showcases this for others in her team, what she refers to as “empathy tools”.

Whether we need to rebrand “middle age” – how the associations of the term middle age are totally at odds with the experience of it, and how the reality of it is more about a re-set and a “coming of a new age” – realising the potential of this phase of life.

We finish by talking about how we can prepare our body and brain for this transformation phase – which will allow us to step up and “own” the physical and mental transformation that occurs during the menopause transition. If you are interested in what we shared on this check out the Food for Thought programme that Angela runs offers.

You can read a summary of their research here.

To find out more about the Food for Thought Programme that can help you Future Proof your body and brain, click here.

Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas is an internationally recognised clinical neuroscientist and applied microbiologist with a research focus on the connection between the gut and the brain.   He is a lecturer in microbiome science and mental health at London South Bank University.

 

Miguel is known as “The Gut Brain Doctor” and his Instagram feed is always full of scientific insight in a creative and wonderfully engaging way. Go follow him https://www.instagram.com/drmiguelmateas/

 

In this episode, we start with a chat about the microbiome and the gut-brain link, and take an interesting diversion into focussing on the brain to gut direction.

 

Miguel shares how a period of ill-health and growing anxiety, plus a diagnosis of ADHD led him to a much deeper appreciation of the nuances around how our brain impacts the gut.

This pivotal point for him led to a much more integrated and softer approach to health and wellness, including reconnecting to his passion for music and how that has probably helped to re-wire the brain.

 

It’s a fascinating conversation covering topics such as rabbit poo, dog kisses and DJ-ing, via dos-ordered eating  (orthorexia) and neuro-diversity. The take-away, if there is one – is that with age comes the self-awareness and self-knowledge which allows us to flourish and age, gracefully, fantastically and continue to grow and learn.

This is a new segment where we reflect and debrief on previous episodes. We had a fantastic response to episode 1, with Dr Kara Fitzgerald. We covered a lot of ground in that episode and a lot of it was quite in-depth into the science, so unsurprisingly there were quite a few questions!

We answer these in this episode and share our own experiences and reflections on the Younger You programme. 

This is a helpful analogy to understand epigenetics and DNA methylation!

• Think of your laptop or device you are reading this on. You could have a really old laptop, but as long as you keep your software up to date and “clean” it runs ok. OR you could have a brand new laptop or phone – but if you run old software on it, or junk it up with badly saved and ordered files/apps – it will slow down and not work so well:
• Think of your genes as the hardware
• Epigenetics is the software that runs on it.
• With well-maintained software, you can keep running an old computer, but if you don’t maintain the software, if it gets full of bugs, if there is too much memory used up on waste….the computer runs slowly and badly
• DNA methylation: is one type of software and perhaps the most important one. We can think of it as the operating system.
• Your genes can’t change, but the way it is expressed can, an expression that is often used – your genes are a loaded gun, but it's your environment that pulls the trigger.

 

In this episode we talk to Sarah Clift a creative and visionary film director and writer.

 

With a first career writing award-winning advertisement campaigns in London agencies, Sarah made the bold transition to writing and directing her own films and has made two award winning short films.

 

Sarah’s second short film, THE BIRTH OF VALERIE VENUS, co-funded by the BFI NETWORK, has won numerous awards and qualified for Oscar Consideration and was BAFTA Longlisted for Best British Short Film in 2021.

 

Sarah is currently in development on her feature film SPINSTERHOOD set in 1800 Yorkshire (we can’t wait!!).

 

Sarah celebrates women of all ages in her films and in this conversation we chat about:

 

• What drives her to create the characters and storylines, Sarah told us

 

“I wasn’t really seeing things on screen about sensuality of sexuality that felt believable to me” Sarah Clift

 

• The changes that are needed for us to see more representation of more diverse storylines and characters.
• There is a conflict, on the one hand, the reality of age is that women understand themselves much better, and yet there is a lack of role models in popular culture, which drives this sense of invisibility that pervades

 

 We loved this conversation and all of Sarah’s work, go and follow her on Instagram to find out more about her https://www.instagram.com/scliftuk/