IT'S A GROWN UP LIFE!

The new covid spin-off from It's a Grown Up Life, featuring best friends and journalists Samantha Simmonds and Lauren Libbert. This episode we talk about ditching the bra, going feral and how 'committed acceptance' is the only way through this.

This episode Andrea Mclean talks to us about the menopause and Mary Portas, author of Work Like A Woman, reveals why we need to ditch alpha male culture and create new ways of working. Our book choices are Enduring Love by Ian McEwan and Circe by Madeline Miller. Our TV picks are Game of Thrones and Chernobyl - both on Sky Atlantic.

TV presenter Melanie Sykes reveals what it’s like to raise teen boys as a single parent, while Cindy Gallop, founder of the world’s first social sex sharing video website makelovenotporn.com, explains why we have to talk to our kids about sex and porn and how to go about it without raising too many blushes. Our book picks this episode are Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed and The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan. Our TV picks are The Education on Amazon Prime Video and the second series of Fleabag on BBC iPlayer.

This episode we talk to comedienne Lucy Porter about her grown up life and Katie Taylor, founder of The Latte Lounge, an online platform for women over 40, about the importance of support from other women when dealing with some of life’s toughest issues.  Our book picks are Normal People by Sally Rooney and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Our TV picks are Afterlife  and Dirty John on Netflix.

This episode we chat to TV sports presenter and author Clare Balding about her grown up life and also ask Mandy Saligari, therapist, addiction expert and author of Proactive Parenting how to keep the lines of communication open with your child as they get older. Our TV picks are Sex Education and Schindler's List on Netflix and Better Things on BBC iPlayer. Our book picks are The Binding by Bridget Collins and It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario.

This episode we talk to EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite about grief, solo parenting and being a working actress for almost 30 years. We also chat to Elizabeth Emens, author of The Art of Life Admin: How to Do it Less, Do It Better and Live More - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Life-Admin-Less-Better/dp/0241972493- about how to take control of the excessive paperwork in our lives. Our TV picks for this episode are You on Netflix and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel on Amazon Prime. Our book picks are Education by Tara Westover and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.

This episode has a lovely, shimmery festive feel with advice on how to have argument-free time with your family and what to watch and read over the holidays. We also chat to Sky news presenter Kay Burley about life as a single working mum and Viv Groskop, author of How to Own the Room, on confidence in speaking your mind, whether you're about to give a Ted Talk or simply complaining in a restaurant. Our book picks this episode are Becoming by Michelle Obama and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. Our TV picks are the second series of Making a Murderer on Netflix and Mrs Wilson on BBC iPlayer.

Rachel Stevens tells us about her grown up life now she's no longer a singer in S Club 7 but a mum and Instagram star and author Marianne Power reveals why she wrote Help Me! and what she learnt by following 12 self-help books in a year, and which one she'd recommend for women in midlife. Our TV picks are Homecoming on Amazon Prime and Great News on Netflix and our book picks are A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, Alys, Always by Harriet Lane and The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

This episode we talk to TV presenter Anthea Turner about divorce, living on her own and why it's so hard to be excluded from the mums' club. Suzy Glaskie, founder of Peppermint Wellness and a functional medicine health coach, also gives some advice on how we can look after ourselves in midlife (tip: pop turmeric into your shopping basket). Our book picks are The Wild Other by Clover Stroud and All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood. Our TV picks are Informer on BBC iPlayer and The Big Sick on Amazon Prime. Don't forget to enter our competition on our Facebook page It's a Grown Up Life -https://www.facebook.com/Itsagrownuplife/. You could win a fab camo jacket worth £500 from Bespoke Your World - closing date Monday 12th November.

Mishal Husain talks about her grown up life and her new book, The Skills, on career success. Susannah Taylor, former beauty and health editor of Vogue and Glamour reveals her top post-40 beauty must-haves and why fillers are 'weird'. Our book picks are Night by Elie Wiesel and The Wives by Lauren Weisburger. Our TV picks are Trust and The Cry on the BBC.

We talk about the latest survey on divorce in the @TheSTStyle, why Strictly's Susannah Constantine felt invisible after turning 50 and chat to comedienne Helen Lederer about her grown up life. Our TV picks are BBC's Killing Eve and ITV's Vanity Fair and our book picks are The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan and Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

This episode we talk to June Sarpong about racism and diversity and positive psychologist Suzie Pileggi Pawelski, author of Happy Together, a book about how to have long-lasting relationships which she wrote with her husband James. Our book picks are Take Me In by Sabine Durrant and The Bootle Boy: An Untidy Life in News by Les Hinton. Our TV picks are Get Shorty on Sky Atlantic and Wanderlust on the BBC. To get in touch tweet us @itsagrownuplife or email us at itsagrownuplife08@gmail.com.

Samantha Cameron talks about how she makes her marriage work and life at Number 10 and Christine Armstrong, author of Mother's Work - How to Have Children and a Career and Stay Sane(ish) -https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-mother-of-all-jobs-9781472956231/ - reveals the lies working women tell to keep up appearances. Our book picks are How Hard Can it be by Allison Pearson and Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall. Our TV picks are Succession on Sky Atlantic and Good Girls on Netflix.

All your holiday reading and TV viewing sorted, star of ITV's Our Shirley Valentine Summer and UK's longest serving weather presenter Sian Lloyd on the importance of friendship and Ghislaine Bombusa, Head of Digital at https://www.internetmatters.org on how to keep your kids off devices this summer. Our summer book picks are: Sunburn by Laura Lippman, Can you hear me? by Elena Varvello, How to be Famous by Caitlin Moran, We Need New Names by Nonviolet Bulawayo Our viewing picks are The Staircase on Netflix, Series 4 of The Affair on Sky Atlantic, Sharp Objects on Sky Atlantic and Ocean's 8

Journalists Samantha Simmonds and Lauren Libbert come together in this topical podcast to discuss issues facing midlife women today: the highs, the lows, the challenges and the rewards. . . In this episode Britain’s Got Talent finalist Francine Lewis talks to us about her grown up life and gives us some of her genius celebrity impressions. We’re also asking author, coaching psychologist and CEO of The Talent Keepers Specialists Jessica Chivers [http://talentkeepers.co.uk](http://talentkeepers.co.uk) for advice on how to change or kickstart your career midlife. Our book picks are This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay and He Said She Said by Erin Kelly. Our TV picks are Glow on Netflix and This is Us on Channel 4. Our podcast pick is How I Built This by Guy Raz - [https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2](https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2)

Journalists Samantha Simmonds and Lauren Libbert come together in this topical podcast to discuss issues facing midlife women today: the highs, the lows, the challenges and the rewards. . . This episode we discuss how not to be a people pleaser, the problems of distracted parenting and the dangers of Fortnite, the highly addictive Playstation game. We interview Erin Kelly, the author of six psychological thrillers - including the Sunday Times bestseller He Said She Said - on her grown-up life and GP Dr Ellie Cannon tells us the health checks we should be thinking about in midlife. Our book picks this week are The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd and With the End in Mind: Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial by Dr Kathryn Mannix. Our TV picks are The Letdown on Netflix and Grace & Frankie, also on Netflix.

Journalists Samantha Simmonds and Lauren Libbert come together in this topical podcast to discuss issues facing mid-life women today: the highs, the lows, the challenges and the rewards. . . This episode we're talking to BBC Breakfast presenter and author of Dare To Tri @LouiseMinchin about Her Grown Up Life and we're also discussing how to deal with conflicting parenting styles with parenting expert Noel Janis-Norton, author of the Amazon UK bestselling Calmer, Happier, Easier Parenting books. In our Grown Up News Review we're discussing midlife sex, Kylie turning 50 and the wonders of age-gap friendships. Our book picks this episode are: The Immortals by C.S. Lister and The Dying Animal by Phillip Roth. Our TV picks are Fauda on Netflix and Patrick Melrose on Sky Atlantic. To get in touch tweet us @itsagrownuplife or email us at itsagrownuplife08@gmail.com.

Journalists Samantha Simmonds and Lauren Libbert come together in this topical podcast to discuss issues facing mid-life women today: the highs, the lows, the challenges and the rewards. . .  To get in touch tweet us @itsagrownuplife or email us at itsagrownuplife08@gmail.com