Advertise on podcast: Midlife & Beyond with Jo Blackwell

Planning for ageing, dementia, and independence. A practical, honest conversation about caring for parents, early warning signs, and preparing for later life.Connect with Vicki on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AgingOnYourTerms This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Flourishing as we age means letting go of identity, ambition, and constant doing. In this conversation, Jo Blackwell and Laura Davis explore ageing, creativity, illness, and how slowing down can lead to greater freedom, joy, and meaning after 60. Find Laura here: https://lauradavis.net/And her book, The Burning Light of Two Stars can be found on Amazon This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Is it possible to start a successful business after 50? In this episode, Jo Blackwell speaks with Janis Doherty, who launched a creative venture in her late fifties after breast cancer and the pandemic prompted her to rethink what came next. What began as a small experiment making garden gnomes has grown into a thriving local business running creative events across her community. Gnome and Garden A conversation about midlife reinvention, creativity after 50, and why it’s never too late to start something new. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

In this reflective episode, Jo Blackwell shares 10 things she quit after 60 that made life calmer, lighter and happier. From letting go of constant usefulness and external validation to trusting intuition and releasing the need to control everything, this conversation explores the quiet freedom that often arrives in later life. If you’re navigating midlife, ageing, identity shifts or life after 50, this episode offers perspective on why letting go may be one of the most powerful changes we can make. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

In this episode, Jo Blackwell talks with marketing mentor Kaye King, who trained as a swimming instructor at age 61. They discuss learning new skills later in life, overcoming self-doubt, the benefits of open-water swimming, and why it’s never too late to start something new. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

When the world feels chaotic, our instinct is often to rush in and try to fix everything. But what if the most powerful role we can play is simply to remain steady? In this reflective episode, Jo Blackwell shares the story of a ship caught in a storm and the lighthouse that guided it home, exploring how calm wisdom, emotional regulation, and quiet leadership can help us support others without losing our own peace. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Midlife transformation rarely follows a tidy plan. In this conversation, Jo Blackwell talks with Karen Skidmore about leaving a 21-year career, navigating the “messy middle” of menopause and identity change, and learning to trust the unexpected paths that open when we finally let go. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Why did I write Ageing Wonderfully Well? In this episode, I share my personal experience of menopause, midlife transition, ageism and self-ageism – and what I hope women over 50 take from this book about growing older with more confidence and clarity. If this conversation resonated and you’d like to explore further,Ageing Wonderfully Well is available here:https://mybook.to/BOZjz This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

What happens when redundancy hits in midlife — just as you’re already questioning who you are and what you want next? In this episode of Midlife & Beyond with Jo Blackwell, I’m joined by author Sara King, who was made redundant at 54 after more than a decade in a senior role. Sara shares the shock of losing her job, the fear of being the main breadwinner, and the quieter grief of losing a professional identity later in life. We talk about age, experience, perimenopause, freelancing after redundancy, and why reinvention in midlife is rarely quick or straightforward. Sara also reflects on writing and publishing her debut novel, Fragments of Her, and what it really means to put your work into the world after 50. A thoughtful, reassuring conversation about change, courage, and beginning again.https://amzn.to/4s12jU5 (Amazon affiliate link - if you buy through this link I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Do you fear growing older, or the losses we’re told come with it? In At Peace with Growing Older, Jo Blackwell reflects on ageing, illness, acceptance, and the quiet emotional shifts that can happen in later life. Drawing on personal experience and a reflective piece attributed to Dame Patricia Routledge, this episode explores how peace, gratitude, and self-acceptance can slowly replace fear as we age. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Vicky Payne, Jo’s guest on this podcast, created an online book-club for women of all ages to read and discuss self-help and motivational books that we normally tend to read, then leave to gather dust on the shelf without taking action! Why self-help books chosen with women in mind? Vicky says the self-help world is very “bro-centric”, which doesn’t always fit with women’s view of the world, or their energy cycles. Though marketed as a book club for entrepreneurial women, women of all ages are welcome, whether working or not. The Level-up Book Club: https://levelupbookclub.co.uk/join This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Have you ever lost your glasses while you’re wearing them, or walked into a room and completely forgotten why you went there? Most of us put moments like these down to “getting older”, but are they really something to worry about? In this episode, I revisit some of the most reassuring insights from my conversation with Dr Mitch Clionsky, who explains why everyday forgetfulness is usually benign, often linked to tiredness, stress, hormones, or simply having too much on our minds. We explore why dementia is not inevitable, why only a very small percentage is genetically caused, and how things like sleep, blood pressure, hearing, and lifestyle play a far bigger role than we’re often led to believe. This is a calm, practical, and hopeful look at memory in midlife, and a reminder that there are many things we can do to protect our brains and live well as we grow older. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

Your breath is like a remote control for your nervous system, and you have far more control over it than you think. In this episode, Sam Adams explains why breathwork isn’t about doing something fancy or ‘woo’, but about learning how to signal safety to your body, especially in midlife, when stress, sleep disruption, pain and anxiety can quietly take hold. From grief and trauma to menopause, chronic pain and brain health, we explore how conscious breathing can help us regulate our nervous systems, think more clearly, sleep more deeply, and feel more at ease in ourselves. A calm, compassionate conversation about remembering something ancient - and learning to breathe again. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

One of the most dangerous ideas is that exhaustion means you’re weak. In reality, burnout often happens to the most capable, conscientious people, the ones who’ve been holding everything together for years. In this conversation, GP and burnout coach Caroline Steel explains why burnout isn’t a breakdown, but a warning. We talk about how overwhelm shows up in the body, why midlife can be the tipping point, and how many women are taught, from a young age, to put everyone else first and ignore their own needs. From feeling paralysed by simple decisions, to losing touch with who you are outside of work, motherhood, or caregiving, this episode gently names what so many women experience but rarely say out loud. Most importantly, it offers hope. Burnout is something you can recover from, and recovery doesn’t start with fixing everything. It starts with listening to yourself again. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com

If you’re on a diet this year, there’s one thing I really want you to hear - and I’m going to say it straight away in this solo episode, not save it for the end. If you’re dieting, you must start weight training. So many of us have been dieting for decades. We’ve slowed our metabolism, lost muscle along the way, and denied our bodies the nutrients they actually need, all in the pursuit of being slimmer. But as we get older, hormones change the rules, and quick-fix diets stop working the way they once did. Strength training isn’t about bulking up. It’s about protecting your bones, your muscles, your independence - and your future self. Focus on strength this year, whether you're dieting or not. Your older body will thank you for it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joblackwellmidlifeandbeyond.substack.com