Life on the B Side

This week’s episode is a little different — no deep dive, no wrap-up, just a short, sweet dose of real life from the slightly foggy, slightly festive edge of midlife.

You know that feeling when your brain’s juggling twelve tabs at once and every ping, reminder, and WhatsApp message sends you over the edge? Same. In The Hat Trick, I talk about that creeping mental overload th...

Shorter one today and it's about my first silly decision in my 50s!

It’s been 11 years since I last ran a marathon — and I swore I’d never do it again. Yet here I am, lacing up my trainers and setting my sights on Amsterdam 2026. This isn’t about fitness goals or midlife reinvention (well, maybe a little). It’s about falling back in love with running… or at least learning to...

This week on Life on the B Side, it’s my birthday — the big 5-0 — and I’m finally learning how to stop sabotaging my own celebrations. From chip shop dinners and awkward family anniversaries to surprise flights across the Atlantic, this episode is a love letter to birthdays gone wrong (and right), and to finally taking control of what makes you happy.

So grab a slice of cake...

This week on Life on the B Side, I’m taking a short break from moaning about my impending 50th birthday (yes, it’s still happening) to share a story I first wrote six years ago — one that marked the first time I ever spoke publicly about growing up in a home with domestic abuse.

It’s not the chirpiest of topics, but it is an important one — especially as October is Domestic ...

Turning 50 isn’t the big, shiny reinvention everyone makes it out to be. You don’t wake up on the morning of your birthday suddenly wiser, richer, or with fewer wrinkles — the dishwasher still needs emptying and the dog still needs walking.

But looking back on half a century of living (that’s five whole decades, folks), I realised life isn’t really lived in neat 10-year slices. All the chapters vary in length and lesson.

In this ep...

Episode 41: Fear, F*ck Ups & Finding My Voice – A Year of Talking to the Wall

Almost a year ago, I hit “publish” on my very first podcast episode (recorded in a cupboard, no less). Forty-something episodes later, I’m still here — slightly less terrified, a lot more sweary, and definitely finding my voice.

In this episode I’m looking back at e...

I’ve had two names in my life and I’ve never liked either of them. One no one could pronounce properly, the other belongs to a family I barely see. Neither feels like me.

So, what’s a girl to do? Change it, of course. In this episode, I share why I’ve decided it’s time to choose my own name alongside the mess, the meaning, and the mischief in finally picking a name that actu...

Autumn has always felt like a natural reset — a season for slowing down, turning inward, and finding comfort in small rituals. And I am going ti milk autumn as an excuse for all of the above this year.

In this episode, I talk about how past therapy now helps me mirror the rhythm of the seasons, why ROMO (Relief of Missing Out) feels especially powerful right now, and the com...

Today I am celebrating 21 years of marriage to a man I met at a work event.

And with that in mind, I decided to share (without planning or script or anything for that matter) the brief story of how that happened.

Unlike my marriage, this episode is short, sweet and without incident ;)

No, but honestly, this is just me...

It's a bit of a stretch to say that there are life lessons to be found in foam parties and champagne diving in the Med. But as I've had cause to think about the holidays I took in my twenties, I thought there MUST be something in those escapades, something that is more than just memories of questionable decisions, cheap cocktails and painful sunburn.

And I am I the only one dreading the sound of that Saga Holiday brochure hitting t...

Need some life coaching? Best place to start? Classic 1980s John Hughes films…

What does a day off with Ferris Bueller have to do with how we see our own lives?

Quite a lot, actually. In this episode of Life on the B Side, I explore the power of perspective — from standing high above Newcastle at Grey’s Monument, to gazing at dots in an art galle...

Camping isn’t just a holiday — it’s a crash course in family life. From sleepless nights in a teepee tent to teens glued to campsite WiFi, and one unforgettable trip with a stubborn VW campervan named Albert, I’ve camped through every season of parenthood.

Join me for campsite characters, family mishaps, and a reminder that sometimes the soggiest trips make the best stories ...

Bit of a nostalgia trip in this episode — but not the dreamy, golden kind.

Today I’m taking you back to the summer I was 16. A holiday that was meant to be a break from real life... but turned into two long, emotional weeks that I’ve never quite forgotten.

It involved:

• One well-meaning but emotionally unavailable dad
...

I gave up booze – and it wasn’t all gains.

In this episode, I talk honestly about what I lost, what I found, and what surprised me when I stepped away from alcohol.

No preaching, just real talk about sober curiosity, social shifts, and what’s left behind.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction issues,...

This episode is 4 days late. 4 days! And that’s all down to the one skill I have comprehensively mastered, honed and turned into an art form. Procrastination.

Come with me to discover how you too can achieve boss-level procrastination. You might never get anything done again, and you will feel uncomfortable the whole time but then where’s the fun in feeling accomplished?