The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan

This week, Gabby chats to both her twins together - Reuben and Lois - in a Mid.Point first! On the day of their 20th birthdays, Lois and Reuben talk about how it feels to be properly into adulthood, moving further away from home and being more permanently independent. Gabby reflects on this point in her life, two decades in to being a mum, and talks about how their relationship has changed over the years. There's also quite a bit of chat about leaf blowers and air fryers! We'll take a short break for the summer now, but will be back with more great guests and expertise in September!

Gabby is joined by Consultant Psychiatrist Professor Steve Peters, who - for the last thirty years - has helped people from all walks of life to better understand the way their brains work and optimise their psychological health. These people include elite athletes and Olympians, household names such as Sir Chris Hoy, who previously said on this podcast that Steve was a “once in a lifetime person”. We hear how Steve came to recognise psychological dysfunction when he was a junior doctor, and how he realised that psychiatry was crucial to people’s lives whilst training to become a GP. We learn how this set him on a course to developing the Chimp Paradox mind management model, and then - as he describes it - going undercover at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Fast forward to today, and he has provided consultancy to over twenty Olympic and national sporting teams. As well as expanding on how the chimp paradox works, Steve also shares his thoughts on screening ADHD and later life diagnoses; ways we can teach children to understand their brains better, so that they are more mentally resilient later on in life; and how the teenage brain is different and influenced by feeling not fact, so we must adapt our language accordingly. We also learn more about Steve’s own sporting success, after he rediscovered sprinting in midlife, and his thoughts and advice for keeping our brains fit and healthy into old age. This is an uplifting episode, full of tips and tools to help keep your psychological health in check, which will leave you with the sense that we are all more resilient than we might think. If you want to learn more about Professor Peters’ mind management programmes, his books The Chimp Paradox and A Path Through The Jungle are available now.

Comedian and writer, George Lewis, sits down with Gabby to speak about what it feels like to be reaching new heights in his career on the cusp of midlife! They chat about George’s journey through comedy and how relatability is not something to be underestimated - he’s proved that dad jokes are in fact very funny! He also gives a deeply emotional account of what it’s like going through the process of having your child assessed for autism, and why he feels a diagnosis is important for both children and parents. George also talks about the innate gratitude he’s had since he was young, and why it’s more bucket hats than bucket lists for him! This is an unexpectedly philosophical chat, packed full of warmth and joy. George is running the 2026 London Marathon in aid of Autistica - the charity he is an ambassador for - and you can find out more about the charity at www.autistica.org.ukGeorge’s tour Best Thing You’ll Ever Do continues from 3rd September 2025, and tickets are available at www.georgelewiscomedian.com

Professor Sarah Berry has been conducting research at Kings College London for the last 25 years, and leading studies into how dietary components influence cardiovascular disease risk. She is also Chief Scientist at nutrition science company ZOE, and in 2024, they released their findings from a study that looked at the links between personalised nutrition plans and the severity of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. In this episode, Sarah breaks down their findings, highlighting key points that are of interest to all women at the midpoint, including; how when you eat is just as important as what you eat for women in this phase of life, how improving the diet of the study’s participants (increasing whole foods, decreasing ultra processed foods) led to a 35% reduction on average in their menopausal symptoms, and how taking a food based approach - thinking about the type of food that your fats or carbohydrates are delivered in - can have a profound effect on how healthy you feel. You can learn more about the study’s findings at https://www.morressier.com/o/event/6655b1890ec964e1cccef602/article/6671b57ac9b69e0de564d19e

It’s been a while since the Logans were on the podcast together, but this week Kenny’s back to talk about the cycling challenge that he has just completed in honour of his former Scotland teammate, Doddie Weir, raising vital funds for research into the disease which claimed his friend’s life. Kenny talks about how moving it was to meet people along the way who are living with Motor Neurone Disease, and how it kept the physical brutality of the challenge in perspective and kept Kenny and the team pushing on - and up those Irish hills! They discuss how challenges like these take you beyond what you thought was possible, and how powerful a change of mindset can be when overcoming other challenges in midlife. Gabby and Kenny also catch up on all the family news since Christmas, including how they’ve been getting used to an empty nest, Gabby’s feelings about being one of the new Match of the Day presenters, and why Kenny is hiding his pants somewhere in the house!You can still donate to the Doddie'5 Lions Challenge Ireland here or get started with your own fundraiser by visiting www.myname5doddie.co.uk/fundraising-support 

Comedian Russell Kane is on the cusp of 50, and here to spill the beans on all he’s learned about staying youthful. He tells Gabby what it was like trying to break into comedy - an industry that’s famously a young person’s game - in his thirties, and the ways he used his already keen interest in biohacking to appear younger than he was. Russell speaks about his refusal to believe that aging is predestined, and what he does to slow down the process on a mitochondrial level. They also speak about his later in life diagnosis of ADHD, as well as his main worries as a father - that children are growing up over exposed to the digital world and under exposed to the real world. As you’d expect from someone who is famous for posting his rants online, this “raver reader” is not about to enter his fifties quietly! Russell mentions Shakespeare North, and you can find out more about what’s on at www.shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk Check out his upcoming stand up dates at www.russellkane.co.uk/tour-dates

Entrepreneur and star of Dragon’s Den, Sara Davies MBE tells Gabby how she started her hugely successful crafting business from her university bedroom, simply by identifying an envelope related problem and finding a solution. After putting her all into her work for many years, she talks about how her business ambitions have changed now she’s in her forties, and why she’s zoning in on what’s really important to her. Sara also talks about being a home girl and deciding to stay in the North East; getting into healthy habits before the menopause; and having accountability angels which help her to stay on track with her health goals. For more on what Sara has learned about business, check out her new book The Six-Minute Entrepreneur.

Comedian, writer, and actor, Jessica Knappett, talks to Gabby about how making people laugh by accident at a school cello recital was her first foray into comedy, and they swap stories from performing at the Edinburgh Fringe in their student days. Jessica is also very honest about some of the darker realities she has had to confront over the course of her career in comedy. She also chats about living in Los Angeles and her decision to move back to West Yorkshire, as well as accepting the realities of being a working parent - it’s a work in progress! As you'd expect, this episode is full of laughs about everything from communes to perfect days, growing cress to parenting hacks.Warning: There are some references to sexual assault in this episode. 

Dr Sally Harris is a qualified medical doctor with over 30 years experience, whose interest in people and the way that stress affects their health has taken her on a very interesting journey. These days she works in the private sector combining general practice with health screening, and has also been the advising doctor to the League Managers Association - the professional body that represents all football managers in the English leagues - for the last 9 years. Through her work, Sally has learned many things about what high achievers have in common, and the key principles for maintaining health in a fast-paced life. In this episode, she speaks about her belief that we need a certain level of stress to build resilience but that too much stress is definitely harmful; the importance of health screening based on your own risk factors and not gathering health data for the sake of it; and why consistency is the key principle that underpins everything. Dr Harris is also passionate about women’s health, so of course Gabby asks her for her thoughts on the best way to get through the menopause - listen to the end for her top tip.