How To Be 60 with Kaye Adams

On this week's episode, we're joined by Olympic gold medallist and all-round legend Sally Gunnell, who, just months out from her 60th birthday, is proving that the woman who once held every major athletics title simultaneously has absolutely no intention of slowing down now.Sally opens up about what it really feels like to approach 60 when your body has been your career, your identity, and your instrument. She talks candidly about the strange grief of losing elite fitness, why pregnancy was actually a smoother transition than retirement, and how she learnt, slowly, honestly, to stop being the centre of her own universe. Spoiler: it took a few years and three boys.We get into the messy, relatable stuff too: the menopause weight that won't budge no matter how many walks you take, the confidence that quietly disappears, and why Sally's online programme Life's Hurdle was born from exactly that frustration. Because whether you were a world record holder or just trying to get round the Great North Run, the struggle at this stage of life turns out to be remarkably similar.Sally's outlook, control the controllables, live in the now, look forward not back, is either deeply inspiring or mildly infuriating depending on your relationship with catastrophising. It's never just about fitness. It's about who you are when the thing that defined you has changed and how you build something new, stronger, and honestly more fun.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com.

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we wander cheerfully off-piste — from the unexpected thrill of blue duck eggs and medication-induced hunger, to Valentine’s gestures that don’t quite go to plan. But it’s never just about the small stuff.Kay opens up about losing her mum’s ring and why it’s shaken her more than she expected, sharing listener stories that prove lost things have a habit of turning up when you least expect them. Along the way, we get into inherited superstitions, magpies, lucky mandarins, and the strange rituals we lean on when life feels a bit wobbly.Whether you’re fiercely practical or quietly superstitious, this one’s about memory, meaning, and why objects — and habits — can carry far more weight than they should. Because no one tells you how emotional the “little things” can become as you get older.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com

On this week's episode, we're joined by journalist-turned-celebrant Mandy Appleyard, who shares the extraordinary story of what happened when her fiercely independent mum suffered a devastating stroke at 81 and then asked her daughters to help her die at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.Mandy opens up about the gruelling reality of becoming a carer overnight, the slow heartbreak of watching her mum lose her speech and independence, and the moment she and her sister Kay realised they couldn't talk their mum out of her decision. Because no one tells you what it's actually like - the hidden costs, the bureaucratic maze, the private flight over the Alps, the Swiss chocolates before the final drink, and the knock on the door from police the very next evening.It's never just about one decision. It's about grief you can't process, guilt that lingers, a two-year criminal investigation, and somehow finding your way back to a life that looks nothing like before. Mandy's honesty about the messy, complicated reality of loving someone enough to let them go, even when every part of you wants them to stay, is breathtaking.Whether you've been a carer, lost a parent, or simply wondered what you'd do if someone you loved asked you for the unthinkable, this one will stay with you.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com.

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re talking about the strange emotional whiplash of midlife — from Valentine’s Day expectations (or lack of them), to the shock of realising how attached we are to things we swear don’t matter.Kay opens up about losing her mum’s ring — and being blindsided by how deeply it hurts — while Karen reflects on the small, handwritten things you’d be devastated to lose, even though no one else would understand why. Along the way, there’s chat about ageing bodies, dodgy mattresses, grand-puppies, hotel keycard chaos, and why some weeks just hit harder than others.Whether you’re quietly sentimental, fiercely unsentimental, loved-up, rolling your eyes at Valentine’s Day, or just having one of those weeks, this one’s a reminder that it’s never just about the thing itself — it’s about what it holds for you.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Michaela Strachan, TV icon, wildlife champion and a woman very clear on who she is at nearly 60. Michaela talks openly about early career labels, imposter syndrome, surviving breast cancer, menopause, mobility fears and the freedom that comes with no longer needing to perform for approval.Whether you’re still carrying old narratives, adapting to a changing body, or quietly wondering what the next decade is really for, this conversation goes deeper than ageing clichés. It’s never just about looks. It’s about authority, resilience, scars you stop hiding and the relief of finally being comfortable in your own skin.Michaela also shares why she’s very much not slowing down, as she heads out on her UK theatre tour, Not Just a Wild Life, starting this spring. It’s a live, reflective look back at an extraordinary career and the life lessons that came with it.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.co

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re waving goodbye to January, welcoming a galloping Year of the Horse, and asking whether manifestation actually works, or if you just need to press the button and hope for the best.We talk big life decisions, house projects, pensions, and that moment when you realise your home really is your future, alongside small but strangely emotional wins, clean rugs, tomato seedlings, and the unexpected joy of a cancelled Sunday.There’s also knitting, the £40, still-not-finished sock kind, the reality of post-chemo hair, ongoing side effects, and navigating travel insurance with forensic detail. Add in comfort TV you barely follow, and a proposed shared hobby that may or may not involve paddle tennis, industrial estates, and a firm demand for proper heating.Whether you’re downsizing, starting again, stitching slowly, or just trying to get through the week with humour intact, this episode is a reminder that it’s never just about the thing, it’s about finding momentum when life’s been on pause.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com.

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Josie Lawrence - comedy icon, improv legend, and living proof that confidence and anxiety can happily coexist. Josie talks about going on stage with no script at 66, why birthdays still matter, and how you can be fearless in one part of life while catastrophising in another.We get into what improvisation has taught her about ageing, control, and letting go - plus friendships as soulmates, the idea of a “man from Cornwall,” and why being content might be the most underrated life goal of all.Whether you’re craving reinvention, quietly questioning what’s next, or wondering how some women seem brave and terrified at the same time, this episode lands right where many of us are.Because no one tells you that getting older isn’t about slowing down — it’s about choosing what’s worth the energy.You can catch Josie Lawrence live with the London Comedy Store Players every Sunday night at The Comedy Store in London — or, if you’re outside the capital, on a short UK tour running from February to March.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com

On this week’s Midweek Catchup, we’re knee-deep in the small-but-consuming realities of midlife: mysterious itches that turn out to be nerve damage, sinus infections that knock you sideways, and the peculiar stress spiral of trying to buy travel insurance when your medical history has opinions.Whether you’re juggling post-treatment side effects, wondering if every new twinge means something dreadful, or just trying to book a holiday without remortgaging your house, this one will feel uncomfortably familiar. Because it’s never just about the ailment - it’s about control, reassurance, and staying optimistic when your body has its own agenda.There’s also birthday talk, partners who go to bed at 9.30pm, surprise dreams involving jigsaws, and a gentle reminder that ageing is as absurd as it is unavoidable. No big answers. Just honesty, humour, and the comfort of knowing you’re not the only one Googling symptoms at 2am Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com.

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Alese Johnston, founder of Fabulous 70 and unapologetic queen of reinvention, who believes life doesn’t wind down at 60 - it cracks open.Alese reflects on the decade that changed everything: divorce, therapy, finally asking herself “what do I want?”, and deciding to try 70 new things in her 70th year. From pole dancing to boudoir photo shoots, erotic blueprints to learning how to say yes, this is a conversation about curiosity, confidence, sexuality, and refusing to fade politely into the background.It’s never just about novelty. It’s about agency. Pleasure. Honesty. And taking up space in your own life.Whether you’re happily settled or quietly restless…With reinvention very much in the air, Alese's story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to become more yourself - even if it means doing a few things that feel wildly outside your comfort zone.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.comTo learn more about Alese Johnston and her approach to reinvention in later life, head to fabulous70.com.