Coast FM's Lorna Riley has been through two divorces and is now engaged again. Her message to women staring down a midlife separation is clear: it is hard, it is heart-breaking, but you can still build a good life on the other side.

Lorna joins Louise and Francesca to talk about the financial and emotional toll of separation, finding herself back in the dating pool in her fifties, a simple screen for red flags and the two year recovery arc. 

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Many women have a complex relationship with alcohol and how it impacts our health and wellbeing as we age. 

Master health coach, Ree George, joins Louise and Francesca to talk about the role alcohol plays in women's lives, how it impacts us physiologically and psychologically, and why many of us find ourselves drinking more as we deal with the stresses of middle age. Ree shares practical, compassionate advice about reflecting on your relationship with alcohol, whether it's time for a "reset", and how to cut back or stop drinking in a sustainable way.

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Rising costs are hitting every household in Aotearoa, but for many women there’s an added weight – the invisible job of managing the family’s money. In this episode of The Little Things, hosts Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey admit they’ve ended up as the “household CFOs”, juggling bills and budgets by default.

They’re joined by financial advisor and Herald columnist Nadine Higgins, who shares why women are often better investors than they think, how to reframe a restrictive “budget” into a practical spending plan, and the surprising rule of thumb for building an emergency fund.

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The world of supplements can be overwhelming, but don't worry, we've got you! Naturopath Erin O'Hara joins Francesca and Louise to to help determine if you need supplements, how to select quality products, and make sense of trends and labelling.

Discover when supplements can be helpful or even essential, versus when you're just wasting money (and potentially risking your health) on an unproven fad.

From vitamin D to probiotics, magnesium to collagen, Erin shares her insider tips on choosing the right forms, optimal dosing and what to avoid.

Timestamps:
- Do you need supplements? The mixed evidence [4:21]
- Should you take a daily multivitamin? [6:34]
- The problem with New Zealand's lax labelling laws [8:56]
- Popular supplements decoded: Vitamin D, probiotics, magnesium [12:17]
- Supplements for joint health and arthritis [21:34]
- Anti-aging supplements like collagen explained [27:11]
- Whether electrolytes and vitamin C live up to the hype [32:21]

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This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by celebrity stylist Michiko Hylands to talk fashion after 40 and 50, and how to find your confidence and style as you get older. They discuss wearing colors and styles outside your comfort zone, finding flattering silhouettes for your body type, feeling confident and vibrant with age, investing in timeless pieces, and embracing trends in a way that suits you.

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Do you constantly feel tired and exhausted no matter how much you sleep or rest? Have you been blaming it on stress or a busy life? The answer may be simpler than you think.

This week, Francesca and Louise are joined by nutritional biochemist and author of Fix Iron First, Dr. Libby, to discuss the vital role iron plays in our energy levels and overall health, and why more women need to tackle this earlier. Listen as they cover everything from the stages of deficiency and causes, to testing, treatment, and how to get the ideal levels.

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Francesca and Louise are back for Season 5 - but before they get into the new season, they are catching up on what they took away from Season 4, from grief to gut health, and the major change Louise has implemented. 

And there's still plenty more to cover, including dementia, alcohol, supplements, iron, fatigue and more.

Be sure to subscribe and listen to the new season of The Little Things starting August 2nd!

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For the last episode of the season, Francesca and Louise are joined by author, podcaster and editor with Mamamia, Holly Wainwright. The host of MID and co-host of Mamamia Out Loud, Wainwright has been telling women's stories for most of her career - but she wasn't sure what to expect when she approached middle age herself. 

She talks to Francesca and Louise about how times are changing for women, why mid-life is about more than just hormones, becoming invisible from the male gaze, and the best parts of mid-life. 

Holly's new book, He Would Never, is out now. 

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Francesca and Louise have been trail running for several years now, and while they love it as a hobby, both know how menopause and ageing can have an impact on getting into exercise and maintaining it.

So this week, they are talking to Cathy Duffy, a running coach with Mile 27 in Australia, and who also has a Bachelor of Human Movement Science. She is focused on making sure women feel safe and comfortable when it comes to exercise, not only to achieve their goals, but to train with consideration of hormonal impacts during the various stages of their lives.

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Self-help books and advice gurus often promise big changes to revolutionise how you live your life, or push you to strive for perfection. But what if we accept the fact that we are mortal humans with a finite time on this Earth, with only so much ability to get things done - and if we place ourselves within that reality, is that when we can truly thrive?

This week, Francesca and Louise are talking about this philosophy with Oliver Burkeman, author of Meditations for Mortals, which explores why we are never going to sort our lives out, so it's time to work out how to succeed within our limitations.

A new version of Meditations for Mortals releases July 1st. 

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