The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan

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.

Warning: This episode contains some strong language. Nutritionist and author of The 30g Plan, Emma Bardwell, joins Gabby to talk about a different way of building your meals that may help you feel healthier and happier in midlife. Emma has come up with new recipes to try and help you get 30g of protein per meal, 30g of fibre per day, and to eat 30 different plants per week, and in this episode, she explains why these portions are important for optimal health. Emma also talks about protein stacking to ensure we are safeguarding our muscle - or as she describes it, the organ of longevity! - and how to reintroduce fibre-rich foods into your diet so that you can tolerate them better and enrich your gut. She also takes your questions on everything from how much is too much when it comes to protein, and which types of protein supplements are best.

This week, broadcaster and now author Naga Munchetty, joins Gabby to talk about her journey to the midpoint. As Naga explains in this episode, it wasn’t until midlife that she was diagnosed with adenomyosis and realised that, despite what she had been told her entire adult life, her periods had always been far from normal. It motivated her to understand more about what is going on in women’s health and why women’s reproductive issues are not better diagnosed or understood. She has put all of this into her new book It’s Probably Nothing, and here she shares some of the anecdotes and advice from it; for example, how best to prepare for a medical appointment in order to get the help you need. They also talk about how Naga found exercise in midlife, how fortunate she feels to be doing a job she loves, and the pros and cons of not letting her condition curtail her life and passions.

Fashion designer Amanda Wakeley OBE talks to Gabby about how her grandmothers were her early style icons; how taking ownership of her career in midlife has been incredibly liberating and exciting; and what it was like dressing Princess Diana. Amanda also talks about pivoting her business and losing her brother at the same time, and how grief really is something you have to work hard at. She also shares some of her expert style advice for those of us at the midpoint in life, and which high street brands she thinks are getting it right.You can listen to Amanda’s podcast StyleDNA here or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Clinical Psychologist, Dr Tara Porter, has worked with children and adolescents for over 25 years, including as the lead of a NHS CAMHS Psychology Team. She has seen first hand the increase in children being referred to these services, and has written a new book based on what she believes are some of the root causes of the problems that children - and parents - are struggling with today. Tara does not profess to have all the answers, or to be the perfect parent herself; far from it, the focus of her book is on parenting that’s “good enough” - not perfect. She explains to Gabby the reasoning behind this, and how the strive for perfection has caused a disparity between opportunities and expectations, which is harming both parents and children. As well as explaining what she’s come to see as her three principles of “good enough” parenting, Dr Tara answers some of your questions including how best to support your child through exam stress, and how to help your child navigate friendships and school dynamics. They also discuss some of the issues raised in the recent Netflix series, Adolescence, and her take on how to approach the issue of smartphones with your children to try and ensure they stay open about what’s going on in their digital world. Dr Tara’s new book Good Enough: A Framework for Modern Parenting is available now, as is her debut You Don't Understand Me: the Young Woman's Guide to Life. You can find out more about the therapeutic services she provides at www.taraporterpsychologist.com

Son of Queen Camilla, Tom Parker Bowles, joins Gabby this week to talk about his career as a food writer, turning 50, and why he considers long lunches to be one of life’s greatest pleasures.Tom shares some of his earliest food memories of his mother’s home cooking, why the dining table has always been so important to him and his family, and why he believes food is endlessly fascinating and has always been political. They also discuss what it was like for him growing up within a family in the glare of the media spotlight, how our relationship with our parents changes as we age, and how hangovers have become much more “psychological” as he’s gotten older! As well as diving deep into his book Cooking and the Crown - an exploration of royal food - and the inspiration behind his new podcast Intoxicating History, Tom gives us an insight into Christmas celebrations with the King and Queen.