By 2050, 2.1 billion people on Earth will be over 60. That is one in four humans globally, and one in three in Europe and North America. So what does that actually mean for how we live, how we are perceived, and how brands are (badly) trying to sell to us? In this episode we dig into some genuinely surprising survey data on aging stereotypes, generational attitudes, and the enormous economic power that the over-55 cohort holds -- power that marketers are largely still failing to tap into.

• Every generation thinks "old" starts just far enough away from their current age to feel safe -- Gen Z puts it at 61, boomers put it at 72
• Boomers are statistically more progressive on gender roles and trans rights than Gen Z males, which runs completely counter to the narrative we are fed
• Only 8% of global ads feature a mature adult in a primary role, and when they do, it tends to be elasticated trousers, funeral plans, or Saga cruises
• Over-55s are highly brand loyal and driven by quality, customer service, and peer reviews -- not advertising
• The silver economy is worth $330 billion now and heading to $680 billion by 2035, yet brands are still largely ignoring it
• Retirement is no longer a single life stage -- researchers are now segmenting older adults into four behavioural tribes: Simple Contentment, Strivers, Strugglers, and Chill Indulgence

00:09 – Opening stat: 2.1 billion people over 60 by 2050

00:45 – When did you first think someone was "old"? And when do you think it starts now?

03:30 – The Ipsos Attitudes to Aging survey: 24,000 people, 32 countries, and what each generation actually said

05:30 – Millennials think old age starts at 65; Gen Z puts it at 61

06:30 – No age is too old to get married or start a degree -- what the data says about perceived capability

08:00 – What would you still be doing at 80? Driving, mobility, and why stopping the car shrinks your world

11:56 – Exercising into your 80s and what functional fitness actually looks like

13:00 – The Silver Marketing Association survey and a preview of their July report

14:20 – AI and technology: older adults are less scared of it than younger generations

15:30 – The gender roles surprise: boomers more supportive of stay-at-home dads than Gen Z males

18:40 – The Andrew Tate manosphere effect and what it might be doing to Gen Z survey data

20:00 – If you had to work until 70, what would you do? (Record shop gets a mention)

22:30 – The silver economy: $330 billion now, $680 billion by 2035

24:42 – The midlife men and brands survey: how over-55 males actually make purchasing decisions

27:03 – Only 1.5% of TV characters are over 65, and 92% of ads cast younger adults

29:26 – Brand loyalty, what makes men switch, and why customer service matters so much

31:47 – Why retirement is no longer one life stage and age is a poor segmentation tool

33:30 – The four tribes of the silver economy: Simple Contentment, Strivers, Strugglers, and Chill Indulgence -- which one are you?

https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-generations-report-2025

https://www.ipsos.com/en/golden-years-golden-opportunities

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/ipsos-ai-monitor-2024

Jo sits down with entrepreneur and behavioural intelligence expert Daniel Akutt, who just a year ago was exhausted, foggy, and feeling like life was passing him by. He shares the turning point that changed everything, and reveals the tool he is building with us to help people stop drowning in health information and start making decisions that actually work for them.

Key Takeaways

• Chronic stress can masquerade as hormonal or age-related decline. Brain fog, physical fatigue, and poor sleep are often signs of years of accumulated stress rather than simply getting older.
• Nobody is coming to save you. Change only happened for Daniel when he stopped waiting and started creating the conditions for it, beginning with a spontaneous 30-minute meditation in Bali inspired by Dr Joe Dispenza.
• The world does not have an information problem, it has an understanding problem. We are bombarded constantly, but rarely given tools to filter what is actually relevant to us personally.
• Social media is not relaxation. Scrolling feels passive but it is controlled, addictive, and designed to keep you buying. Becoming conscious of that is the first step to taking back control.
• Personality shapes your health journey. Two people given the same health plan will get different results if it does not account for how they individually think, make decisions, and stay motivated.
• We are building a diagnostic tool together rooted in behavioural intelligence that creates a personalised health roadmap based on who you are, not just what you should do.
• Meditation gave Daniel the answer to a business problem he could not crack logically. Quieting the mind creates space for solutions that thinking harder never will.

Timestamps

00:09 Introduction and how Daniel felt a year ago
01:15 Chronic stress, brain fog and waking up exhausted
02:30 Realising nobody is coming to save you
04:41 The Bali moment and discovering Dr Joe Dispenza
06:10 Jo's experience at a Joe Dispenza retreat in Dallas
08:00 Heart rate, measurement and the value of meditation
09:30 The world's information problem vs understanding problem
11:00 How social media controls what you see and why
13:00 Introducing profiletest.ai and behavioural intelligence
16:30 The frightening reality of ill health in later life
17:15 The diagnostic tool we are building together
21:00 Why personalised pathways beat generic advice
24:00 Measuring progress and predicting outcomes over time
26:30 Social media as false relaxation and the dopamine trap
29:00 How meditation unlocked a major business breakthrough
31:00 What is coming next and where to follow the podcast

Episode: South of France Special | Part One

We are officially in pre-holiday mode and could not be more excited. In this episode, we walk you through our upcoming three-stage South of France adventure — a proper bucket list trip involving an Aston Martin, a Harley Davidson, lavender fields, Michelin-level dining, and a villa with views that go both ways across the peninsula. We cover the full itinerary, the five things we are each most looking forward to, and the challenges (some of them genuinely stressful) we have had to navigate just to get here.

• Sometimes you have to stop waiting for the "right time" and just do the thing — especially when funerals start reminding you that rainy days are not guaranteed
• Packing for three completely different modes of travel (sports car, motorbike, villa) in one trip is a logistical challenge nobody warns you about
• A golf ball through the rear window of an Aston Martin, handled by the wrong windscreen company, can spiral into a two-month ordeal and a Skoda Fabia as a courtesy car
• The "I've got nothing to wear" crisis hits differently when your entire wardrobe has to fit in a motorcycle pannier
• Taking your partner to places you have only ever been to with your mates is both exciting and slightly terrifying

00:10 – Introduction and why we are calling this Part One

00:45 – The three-stage holiday overview: Aston Martin road trip, Harley Davidson tour, villa wind-down

01:30 – Bucket list thinking: do it now before the runway runs out

02:32 – Full itinerary breakdown: Folkestone to Burgundy, Provence, Gorges du Verdon, lavender fields, Isle sur la Sorgue, Bandol, and the villa near Saint-Tropez

09:33 – Day one detail: the Eurotunnel, EES nerves, and the long haul south

12:01 – First day on the Harley: Whispering Angel vineyard, Gorges du Verdon, and 38-degree heat in bike gear

16:39 – Call to action: please like, follow, subscribe and share

17:30 – Top five things we are each most looking forward to: meals, unique activities, places, views, surprises, and the wind-down

23:34 – Chateau de la Massadier, Matsuhisa restaurant, and why this venue is about to be very famous (White Lotus fans, take note)

26:00 – The Chateau Leoub discovery: Daylesford, a coffee table book, and a beach club lunch that became a must-do

29:00 – Pre-holiday wardrobe crises, packing in miniature, and the bikini vs swimsuit debate

32:59 – The golf ball incident: how a shattered rear window nearly derailed the entire trip

35:30 – Wrap-up and what to expect in Part Two when we report back on whether it all lived up to the hype

Glastonbury is on a fallow year, so we take a trip down memory lane through the festivals and venues that shaped our musical lives. We also visit the V&A's new exhibition on lost music venues, which turns out to be more bittersweet than expected.

Key Takeaways

• 25% of late night venues in the UK closed between 2020 and 2025, largely in the wake of COVID
• The V&A's Lost Music Venues exhibition (on until summer 2027, second floor) celebrates 50 significant UK venues that are gone forever
• Several iconic London venues including the Astoria, LA2 and the Borderline were lost to the Elizabeth line development
• Festival lineups from the late 90s and early 2000s were genuinely extraordinary compared to today
• The Somerset area around Frome, Bruton and Pilton is seeing a revival of smaller, intimate gig venues
• The best way to do a festival? Five-star hotel or a rock star motorhome. Camping is optional.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction: Glastonbury's fallow year explained
• 02:32 - The V&A Lost Music Venues exhibition
• 03:30 - The Astoria, Borderline and venues lost to the Elizabeth line
• 04:00 - Brixton Academy, Simon Parkes and being filmed in a Frankie Goes to Hollywood video
• 08:00 - Sydney in the 80s: intimate venues and celebrity encounters
• 10:30 - Hammersmith Palais and Knebworth 1986 (Queen, Big Country, Status Quo)
• 13:00 - Glastonbury 1987: sneaking in through farmers' fields, a police roadblock and a friend who later became a vicar
• 19:00 - V Festival 1997: an insane two-day lineup and a snoring tent companion
• 21:00 - Rock en Seine, Paris: the bougie festival experience done right
• 25:30 - V Festival 2002 stag do: Fatboy Slim and Zoe Ball's Glastonbury motorhome
• 29:30 - Reading Festival 2002: one song into the Foo Fighters and a tactical retreat
• 33:00 - The Somerset venue revival and upcoming Jo Whiley gig in Frome

What are we watching this summer? We break down four upcoming and current series worth getting excited about, all featuring actors squarely in our generation, and all landing on streaming platforms between now and autumn.

Key Takeaways

• Rivals (Disney+) is the nostalgic 80s romp we didn't know we needed, with a killer soundtrack and a Waitrose food collab to match
• Alice and Steve (Disney+) tackles age gap relationships with award-winning credentials before it even lands
• Ted Lasso Season 4 (Apple TV+) is back with a feel-good twist, this time centred around a women's squad
• Ride or Die (Amazon Prime, 15 July) sees Hannah Waddingham go full action hero, and it sparked a streaming platform bidding war

Timestamps

00:09 - Introduction and what inspired today's episode

01:00 - Rivals (Disney+): overview, cast and 80s nostalgia

05:00 - The Rivals soundtrack, brand partnerships and Waitrose collab

07:30 - Characters we love in Rivals, fashions we did (and didn't) wear

11:30 - Alice and Steve (Disney+): plot, cast and why we're excited

14:00 - Who is Jermaine Clement? Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows

16:30 - Age gap relationships and why this show goes there

17:30 - Please like, follow and subscribe! And tell us what you're watching

18:10 - Ted Lasso Season 4 (Apple TV+): the women's squad twist, cast and big unanswered questions

22:30 - Ride or Die (Amazon Prime): Hannah Waddingham as an international spy, Bill Nighy guest stars, out 15 July

If there is a series you think we have missed, drop us a message and tell us what you are watching and why you love it. Find us on Spotify, Apple, Deezer, Audible and YouTube.

Jo finally gets answers about her chronic sleep issues and it's not what she (or most women) would expect. Hormone and nutrition specialist Kate Thompson joins to unpack why so many midlife women are misdiagnosed, overtreated for oestrogen, and completely missing the real culprit: cortisol burnout. From the Dutch test to dopamine depletion, this episode connects dots that most GPs simply don't have time to.

Key Takeaways:

• Sleep problems in midlife aren't always hormonal. Chronic high cortisol can suppress melatonin and tank your neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin) long before your HRT needs adjusting
• The Dutch test (dried urine comprehensive hormone panel) reveals cortisol patterns, neurotransmitter impact and sex hormones together, giving a far clearer picture than standard blood work
• High-intensity evening exercise spikes cortisol right when your body needs to wind down. Swap it for strength training or yoga
• Your first hour after waking matters: skip immediate coffee, get natural light and eat before you exercise
• Progesterone is chronically underprescribed in the UK. Low progesterone means low GABA, which means an overactive brain at 3am
• Fatty liver disease affects an estimated 70% of midlife people and largely goes undiagnosed. Ask for markers at your next blood test or request a look during any abdominal ultrasound
• Women spend roughly 25% of their lives in poor health. Decisions made in your 40s and 50s directly shape your health span

Timestamps:

• 00:09 Introducing Kate Thompson, the Hormone Geek
• 01:10 Kate's backstory: city career, fertility, perimenopause, and retraining
• 02:24 What a first consultation looks like; why women present with weight gain but leave with a fuller picture
• 03:30 The Dutch test explained: cortisol, sex hormones, and neurotransmitters in one panel
• 04:45 Jo's case: blood sugar monitor ruled out, Dutch test ordered
• 05:45 What Jo's results actually showed (spoiler: it wasn't the HRT)
• 07:20 Progesterone, GABA and the 3am wide-awake brain
• 09:16 Four weeks in: real-world results amid a genuinely stressful period
• 13:00 Why midlife changes everything: oestrogen drop, visceral fat, cortisol receptors, muscle mass
• 14:10 A male CEO case study: what late-stage burnout actually looks like
• 16:00 The exercise problem: why HIIT addicts are often the most cortisol-depleted
• 17:30 Strength training for women and men: testosterone, decision-making, and longevity
• 18:32 Success stories and the 12-week programme philosophy
• 19:45 Simple morning habits: light, smoothie, then coffee; no phone as your first screen
• 21:30 Evening routine: dimmed lights, early eating, no late cardio
• 23:09 8,000 steps and why walking without your phone is stress medicine
• 25:00 The Diet Coke trap: why artificial sweetness makes you crave the real thing
• 26:00 New research on food texture and post-lunch sugar cravings
• 28:00 Longevity vs health span: women live longer but spend more years unwell
• 29:30 Fatty liver disease: the silent midlife epidemic and how to check for it

https://www.instagram.com/thehormonegeek/

https://www.thehormonegeek.co.uk/

We sit down with personal stylist Emma Davison to tackle one of midlife's most overlooked confidence boosters: knowing how to dress for the body and skin tone you have now, not the one you had 20 years ago. Emma brings refreshingly honest advice on colour, capsule wardrobes, wardrobe edits and why getting dressed in the morning doesn't have to feel like a crisis.

Key Takeaways

Black isn't always your friend. As skin softens with age, black absorbs light and creates shadows around the face, accelerating the appearance of aging. Navy blue is the universal alternative that works for virtually everyone.

Know your undertone. The key question is whether your skin tone is warm or cool, which determines whether you reach for ivory or pure white, olive green or teal, warm reds or cool blues.

A capsule wardrobe is simpler than you think. Aim for 25 to 40 core pieces built around 4 to 5 investment colours that all work together, then layer in statement pieces on top.

About 70% of most people's wardrobes go unworn. A wardrobe edit cuts the noise, reveals what you actually have, and often generates more outfits from fewer pieces.

Smart casual is where people struggle most. Most people can do formal and casual, but the middle ground is where a stylist adds the most value.

Fit and fabric matter more than trends. As men age cut and quality of fabric become the priority. A well-tailored classic piece will outlast any trend.

Clothes are a confidence tool, not a vanity project. Particularly through menopause and major life transitions, what you wear directly affects how you carry yourself and how others respond to you.

Start with the basics, literally. Underwear, bra fit and t-shirt weight are the foundation everything else is built on.

Timestamps

00:11 Introduction and why we all love black

02:32 The ageing effect of black and why navy wins

04:47 How knowing your colours shortcuts the shopping experience

07:09 Starting a wardrobe edit: body shape, underwear, and investment pieces

09:29 Kevin's colours, warm vs cool skin tones, and the role of hair colour

11:54 Jo's colour palette and why navy is the most versatile neutral

13:30 How clothes transform confidence, especially post-menopause

16:35 Dressing your age vs dressing for your body now

18:29 Common mistakes men make and where style tends to slip

20:49 Smart casual as the trickiest category and how to nail it

23:10 How a wardrobe edit actually works, start to finish

27:47 The emotional weight of clothes and how Emma handles it

32:19 The ripple effect of a style transformation on those around you

33:30 How many pieces make a capsule wardrobe

34:45 Go-to high street brands for men and women

37:09 Why shopping in person still matters and where to find Emma

 https://emma-davison.co.uk/

We sit down with personal stylist Emma Davison to tackle one of midlife's most overlooked confidence boosters: knowing how to dress for the body and skin tone you have now, not the one you had 20 years ago. Emma brings refreshingly honest advice on colour, capsule wardrobes, wardrobe edits and why getting dressed in the morning doesn't have to feel like a crisis.

Key Takeaways

Black isn't always your friend. As skin softens with age, black absorbs light and creates shadows around the face, accelerating the appearance of aging. Navy blue is the universal alternative that works for virtually everyone.

Know your undertone. The key question is whether your skin tone is warm or cool, which determines whether you reach for ivory or pure white, olive green or teal, warm reds or cool blues.

A capsule wardrobe is simpler than you think. Aim for 25 to 40 core pieces built around 4 to 5 investment colours that all work together, then layer in statement pieces on top.

About 70% of most people's wardrobes go unworn. A wardrobe edit cuts the noise, reveals what you actually have, and often generates more outfits from fewer pieces.

Smart casual is where people struggle most. Most people can do formal and casual, but the middle ground is where a stylist adds the most value.

Fit and fabric matter more than trends. As men age cut and quality of fabric become the priority. A well-tailored classic piece will outlast any trend.

Clothes are a confidence tool, not a vanity project. Particularly through menopause and major life transitions, what you wear directly affects how you carry yourself and how others respond to you.

Start with the basics, literally. Underwear, bra fit and t-shirt weight are the foundation everything else is built on.

Timestamps

00:11 Introduction and why we all love black

02:32 The ageing effect of black and why navy wins

04:47 How knowing your colours shortcuts the shopping experience

07:09 Starting a wardrobe edit: body shape, underwear, and investment pieces

09:29 Kevin's colours, warm vs cool skin tones, and the role of hair colour

11:54 Jo's colour palette and why navy is the most versatile neutral

13:30 How clothes transform confidence, especially post-menopause

16:35 Dressing your age vs dressing for your body now

18:29 Common mistakes men make and where style tends to slip

20:49 Smart casual as the trickiest category and how to nail it

23:10 How a wardrobe edit actually works, start to finish

27:47 The emotional weight of clothes and how Emma handles it

32:19 The ripple effect of a style transformation on those around you

33:30 How many pieces make a capsule wardrobe

34:45 Go-to high street brands for men and women

37:09 Why shopping in person still matters and where to find Emma

 https://emma-davison.co.uk/

We mark Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May, UK) by sharing our own very on-brand actions: a black-tie charity ball in London, donations to two youth mental health charities, and a group ride with near-strangers for the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride in Guildford. Along the way we get honest about male friendship, vulnerability, and why it's weirdly hard to make mates in your 50s and 60s. We close out with the Mental Health Foundation's Top 10 practical tips and score ourselves on how many we're actually doing.

Key Takeaways

• Activity creates connection; men in particular open up when united around something physical
• Making friends as an older adult is awkward, and that's normal; push through it anyway
• The Top 10 aren't a checklist; pick what works for you, and use them to support others too
• Shared experience > proximity; it's not having friends, it's actually spending time with them

Timestamps

00:09 — Welcome & intro: Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 theme is Action

00:45 — The charity ball: Stop Breathe Think; free, instant counselling for under-21s who can't afford it

02:10 — Snow Camp: using skiing & snowboarding to build life skills and support young people's mental health

02:36 — What is the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride? Retro bikes, vintage threads, raising funds for prostate cancer research and men's mental health (Movember)

04:53 — The Guildford ride by numbers: 1,392 riders, ~£100k raised, second biggest ride in the world this year

06:00 — The friendship backstory: why socialising with people your own age gets complicated over the decades

09:40 — Making new friends in your 60s: the vulnerability of putting yourself out there and why it's worth it

13:00 — What the ride unlocked: deep conversations, a WhatsApp group, and plans for future rides together

14:30 — Top 10 Mental Health Foundation tips begin

• 14:30 1. Plan something to look forward to
• 16:45 2. Eat well, avoiding sugar spikes and cortisol crashes
• 18:00 3. Get closer to nature, daily walks, woods vs pavements
• 19:13 4. Get good sleep, told straight
• 20:00 5. Get creative, a guitar deadline and a hired drummer at the ball
• 21:36 6. Move regularly, steps, yoga, Pilates, high-intensity cycling
• 22:30 7. Try mindfulness, hot yoga, barefoot on grass, being present
• 24:01 8. Make time for friends, shared experiences vs an unused contact list
• 25:00 9. Be kind, gratitude and appreciating small moments
• 25:45 10. Talk things over;  courage, survival mode, and the friends who've sat through it all

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week

https://gentlemansride.com/

https://www.stopbreathethink.org.uk/

This week we get candid about one of the most overlooked relationship dynamics, what it's actually like when a woman is going through menopause and her partner is trying to keep up. Having been through it with two partners, Kev is something of an accidental expert and this episode is an honest, warm and sometimes hilarious look at what that journey really involves for both sides.

Key Takeaways

·       Menopause is technically one single day, 12 months after your last period. Everything else is peri or post, and post-menopause can last decades.

·       HRT can be life-changing but getting the balance right takes time. Oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone all play a role and the combination matters enormously.

·       Symptoms are not always obvious as menopausal. UTIs, anxiety, heart palpitations, poor sleep and mood swings can easily be mistaken for stress or personality.

·       Men who educate themselves make a tangible difference. Kev's prior experience meant he recognised the signs, suggested HRT and coached Jo through the worst of it without shame or blame.

·       Feeling chosen and emotionally safe allowed Jo to open up about what she was going through. Security matters as much as knowledge.

·       Only 26% of men in a recent survey attributed their partner's symptoms to menopause rather than ageing. 11% did nothing at all.

·       The responsibility should not fall entirely on women to explain what is happening to them.

Timestamps

00:09 Introduction and what menopause actually is

01:30 What we learned from a previous relationship going through menopause and HRT 03:30 Weight gain, libido, mood swings and separating stress from symptoms

05:00 Was she able to voice what was happening?

06:00 How Jo felt entering the relationship post-menopausal and low in confidence

07:45 The emotional chaos of menopause and not knowing who you are 09:00 The catfishing incident and the rocky early months

10:30 The blind date in Covent Garden and the moment a choice was made

12:30 How that moment changed what Jo felt able to share

14:00 Jo's symptoms: UTIs, palpitations, anxiety and sleep disruption

15:30 Suggesting HRT and why prior experience made that possible

17:00 The driveway tantrum, the forgotten laptop and two weeks off the patch

19:00 A previous relationship stops being a threat and becomes a gift

21:00 What changed after HRT: confidence, mood, sleep and playfulness

23:00 Louise Newson's 10 tips for partners and how we had already lived them

27:00 What men get wrong about menopause

28:30 The MATE survey and some sobering stats on men's attitudes and inaction

30:00 Why post-menopause is a long road and can actually be great

Louise Newson https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/

MATE Mens attitude to menopause https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31188286/