Someone ate my lunch, what do I do? 'I'll tell you what you do, you call the police.'

Stolen lunches, dirty dishes, and a lot of crumbs. Food dilemmas at work give us plenty to feel awkward about.

Socially Awkward Questions - if you dare ask them, we'll answer!

The workplace is a potential minefield and it doesn't get any easier in midlife.

Episode length: 12 minutes

Listen to more Socially Awkward Questions on The Right Side of 40 podcast. Do you have to sign every birthday card at work? Should you ever message a colleague on holiday? Have you embarrassed yourself on a video call? And what about when your colleague changes their pronoun at work - how do you respect their choice?

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Where is your place in the world? After Karen Bailey's children had flown the nest, she decided to have a new adventure volunteering at an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia. Holidays give us time to think about big life decisions but Karen did not expect her trip to Cambodia to have such a profound effect on her life or the lives of the people she met. By the end of her visit, she had set up an education charity aiming to break the cycles of poverty in rural communities in Cambodia.

Everyone can make a difference but who knows when that moment of inspiration will come.

'Just get started and the rest takes care of itself.'

If you would like to donate to Cambodia Development Project please follow this PayPal link: https://www.paypal.me/CDPO

Episode length: 56 minutes

We're on the Right Side of 40 - are you?

If you enjoy this episode, check out our other inspirational stories of women who have pursued new careers and passions post-40. We discuss stand-up comedy, wild swimming, TV and film development, and how a lifetime of listening is good training for a career in counseling and social work. Are you on the Right Side of 40?

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Listen in to our conversation with Claire Stephens who has had a midlife reinvention as a counsellor in her 40s. Claire thought she was swapping one career for another but ended up with two - and has decided that this is okay!

Claire tells us how the intensive training she undertook gave her the confidence to see that she already had a lot of the skills required to make counselling a successful career. We also learn about Claire's role as a grief counsellor which is not something she ever expected to do.

We're on the Right Side of 40 - are you?

Episode length: 49 minutes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should you call or message a co-worker on holiday?

The workplace is a minefield of potential social awkwardness and it doesn't get any easier in midlife.

Socially Awkward Questions - if you dare ask them, we'll answer!

'Anyone who is looking at work emails on holiday is clearly having a bad holiday.'

Episode length: 5 minutes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all have those moments at work when we can't bear to do a familiar task again. This week's guest, Janet Awe, had one of those moments and went back to school to kickstart a new career in film and TV development post-40. A lover of story-telling, listen to Janet tell her own incredible story spanning 10 years. There's no such thing as an overnight success, just someone who has been working hard to get where they want to be.

There's so much advice here for budding writers and producers about never giving up on your passion and staying true to your own creative voice. And never be afraid to go back to school, particularly if it's film school! Janet leaves us with the best question you can ask yourself in your 40s or at any point in your life - 'how do you want to spend the rest of your days?'

In Trying Something New we talk to women who have started new careers or have finally got round to tackling some of those dreams they've had on hold.

We're on the Right Side of 40 - are you?

Episode length: 65 minutes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we less awkward now we're older?

The workplace is a minefield of potential social awkwardness and it doesn't get any easier in midlife.

Socially Awkward Questions - if you dare ask them, we'll answer!

'I've gotten a lot better at admitting that I don't understand something, openly.'

'Unfortuntately, fundamentally, a lot of things I cannot change about myself. And some things you are always going to feel awkward about.'

Episode length: 9 minutes.

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This week in 'Trying Something New' we talk to Helen who went from a career break to full-time social worker in her late 40s. This interview proves it's never too late to find your purpose in life. Helen talks about how the skills she developed during her life had prepared her for this challenging but rewarding career. We also discuss loving learning, 'proper jobs', Blue Peter personalities, agony aunts and empathy.

Episode length: 46 minutes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you manage the difficult accusation that you are being 'negative' when you think you are just sharing your years of experience.

We explore 'quiet quitting' and what managers should look out for. We talk about cynicism, unsolveable problems and finding your 'Goldilocks Zone'. We also look to Gen Z and what we can learn from them in terms of work/life balance.

Episode length: 39 minutes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our research on Imposter Syndrome brought up a shocking figure that at least 70% (women and men) will suffer from this at some stage of their career. We've had to get over our own imposter syndrome to make this podcast! We also discuss people pleasing and put a name to our inner critic. Unfortunately, Caroline's inner critic seems to be called Brian...

Episode length: 43 minutes

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Should you comment on a co-worker's appearance?

The workplace is a minefield of potential social awkwardness and it doesn't get any easier in middle-age.

Socially Awkward Questions - if you dare ask them, we'll answer!

'Life's hard enough without everybody commenting on how you look.'

Episode length: 11 minutes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.